18:1 And
the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh,
and set up the a tabernacle of the
congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.
(a) For they had now removed it from Gilgal, and
set it up in Shiloh.
18:2 And there remained among the children of
Israel seven tribes, b which had not yet
received their inheritance.
(b) As Eleazar, Joshua, and the heads of the
tribes had done to Judah, Ephraim, and half of Manasseh.
18:4 Give out from among you
three men for [each] tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go
through the land, and describe it according to c
the inheritance of them; and they shall come [again] to me.
(c) That is, into seven portions, one to every
tribe.
18:5 And they shall divide it into seven parts:
Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall d
abide in their coasts on the north.
(d) For these had their inheritance already
appointed.
18:6 Ye shall therefore describe the land [into]
seven parts, and bring [the description] hither to me, that I may cast lots for
you here before the e LORD our God.
(e) Before the ark of the Lord.
18:7 But the Levites have no part among you; for
the f priesthood of the LORD [is] their
inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received
their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD
gave them.
(f) That is, the sacrifices and offerings, (Joshua
13:14).
18:8 And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua
charged them that went to g describe the
land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to
me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.
(g) By writing the names of every country and
city.
18:10 And Joshua h
cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land
unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.
(h) That everyone should be content with God's
appointment.
18:11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of
Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came
forth i between the children of Judah
and the children of Joseph.
(i) Their inheritance bordered on Judah and
Joseph.
18:13 And the border went
over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which [is] k
Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that [lieth]
on the south side of the nether Bethhoron.
(k) Which was in the tribe of Ephraim: another
Bethel was in the tribe of Benjamin.
18:17
And was drawn from the north, and went forth to l
Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which [is] over against the going up
of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,
(l) Which is in the tribe of Ephraim.
18:19 And the border passed
along to the side of Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were
at the north bay of the salt sea at the south m
end of Jordan: this [was] the south coast.
(m) To the very straight, where the river runs
into the Salt sea.
18:28
And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which [is] n
Jerusalem, Gibeath, [and] Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This
[is] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
(n) Which was not completely in the tribe of
Benjamin, but part of it was also in the tribe of Judah.
Joshua 18 Bible Commentary
The Geneva Study Bible
(a) For they had now removed it from Gilgal, and set it up in Shiloh.
18:2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, b which had not yet received their inheritance.
(b) As Eleazar, Joshua, and the heads of the tribes had done to Judah, Ephraim, and half of Manasseh.
18:4 Give out from among you three men for [each] tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to c the inheritance of them; and they shall come [again] to me.
(c) That is, into seven portions, one to every tribe.
18:5 And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall d abide in their coasts on the north.
(d) For these had their inheritance already appointed.
18:6 Ye shall therefore describe the land [into] seven parts, and bring [the description] hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the e LORD our God.
(e) Before the ark of the Lord.
18:7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the f priesthood of the LORD [is] their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.
(f) That is, the sacrifices and offerings, (Joshua 13:14).
18:8 And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to g describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.
(g) By writing the names of every country and city.
18:10 And Joshua h cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.
(h) That everyone should be content with God's appointment.
18:11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth i between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.
(i) Their inheritance bordered on Judah and Joseph.
18:13 And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which [is] k Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that [lieth] on the south side of the nether Bethhoron.
(k) Which was in the tribe of Ephraim: another Bethel was in the tribe of Benjamin.
18:17 And was drawn from the north, and went forth to l Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which [is] over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,
(l) Which is in the tribe of Ephraim.
18:19 And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south m end of Jordan: this [was] the south coast.
(m) To the very straight, where the river runs into the Salt sea.
18:28 And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which [is] n Jerusalem, Gibeath, [and] Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This [is] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
(n) Which was not completely in the tribe of Benjamin, but part of it was also in the tribe of Judah.