New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Joshua 18
1
The whole community of Israel gathered together at Shiloh. They set up the Tent of Meeting there. The country was brought under their control.
Reference
📍 Shiloh
Parallel theme
Joshua 21:2
1 Samuel 1:3
Jeremiah 26:6
Psalm 78:66
1 Kings 2:27
1 Kings 14:2
1 Samuel 1:24
Judges 18:31
References Israel
Joshua 22:9
Temple
Joshua 19:51
2
But there were still seven tribes in Israel who had not yet received their shares of land.
3
So Joshua spoke to the people of Israel. He said, "The Lord, the God of your people, has given you this land. How long will you wait before you begin to take it over?
Reference
Parallel theme
Proverbs 13:4
Judges 18:9
Proverbs 10:4
Proverbs 15:19
Matthew 20:6
Zephaniah 3:16
Ecclesiastes 9:10
References God
John 6:27
4
Appoint three men from each tribe. I'll send them to map out the land. Then they'll write a report about its features. The report will point out the share of land each tribe will receive. Then the men will return to me.
5
"You must divide the land up into seven shares. Judah must remain in its territory in the south. The people in Joseph's family line must remain in their territory in the north.
6
Write reports about the features of those seven shares of land. Bring them here to me. Then I'll cast lots for you in the sight of the Lord our God.
Reference
7
"But the Levites don't get any share of your land. That's because their share is to serve the Lord as priests. "The tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh have already received their shares. They are on the east side of the Jordan River. Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave their shares to them."
Reference
8
The men started out on their way to map out the land. Joshua directed them, "Go and map out the land. Write a report about its features. Then return to me. I'll cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the sight of the Lord."
Reference
📍 Shiloh
9
So the men left and went through the land. They wrote a report about its features on a scroll. It showed how they divided up the land into seven shares. It listed the towns that were in each share. The men returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.
Reference
📍 Shiloh
Parallel theme
Acts 13:19
10
Then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh in the sight of the Lord. There he gave out a share of land to each of the remaining tribes in Israel.
Reference
📍 Shiloh
11
The first lot that was drawn out was for the tribe of Benjamin, family group by family group. The territory they were given was located between the tribes of the people of Judah and the people of Joseph. Here are the borders of Benjamin's territory.
12
On the north side their border started at the Jordan River. It went past the north slope of Jericho. Then it headed west into the central hill country. It came to an end at the Desert of Beth Aven.
Reference
13
From there it crossed to the south slope of Bethel. Then it went down to Ataroth Addar on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 28:19
14
From the hill that faces Beth Horon on the south the border turned south along the west side of the hill. It came to an end at Kiriath Jearim. That town belongs to the people of Judah. That was the border on the west.
Reference
Parallel theme
Joshua 15:9
15
The border on the south side started at the west edge of Kiriath Jearim. It came to an end at the springs of Nephtoah.
Reference
📍 Ephron 1
Parallel theme
Joshua 15:9
16
It went down to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Ben Hinnom. The hill is north of the Valley of Rephaim. The border continued down the Hinnom Valley. It went along the south slope of Jerusalem, where the people of Jebus live. It continued on to En Rogel.
Reference
17
Then it curved north. It went to En Shemesh. It continued on to Geliloth. Geliloth faces the Pass of Adummim. The border ran down to the Stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben.
Reference
📍 Geliloth
Parallel theme
Joshua 15:6
18
It continued to the north slope of Beth Arabah. It went on down into the Arabah Valley.
Reference
Parallel theme
Joshua 15:6
19
From there it went to the north slope of Beth Hoglah. It came to an end at the north bay of the Dead Sea. That's where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. That was the border on the south.
Reference
20
The Jordan River formed the border on the east side. Those were the borders that marked out on all sides the land the family groups of Benjamin received as their share.
21
Here is a list of towns that were given to the tribe of Benjamin, family group by family group. Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,
Reference
📍 Emek-keziz
Parallel theme
Joshua 18:12
22
Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
📍 Zemaraim
23
Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
📍 Locations
24
Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba. The total number of towns and their villages was 12.
Reference
📍 Locations
Parallel theme
Ezra 2:26
25
Here is another list of towns that were given to Benjamin. Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
Reference
📍 Ramah 1
Parallel theme
Joshua 9:17
26
Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,
📍 Locations
27
Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
📍 Locations
28
Zelah, Haeleph, Jerusalem, Gibeah and Kiriath. The total number of towns and their villages was 14. That was the share of land the family groups of Benjamin received.
Reference
📍 Locations
Summary of Joshua 18
Chapter 18 of the book of Joshua continues the division of the land among the tribes of Israel. By this time, the tribes of Judah, Ephraim, and half of Manasseh had received their territories, leaving several other tribes waiting for their share. Joshua called the people to Shiloh, where the tabernacle had been set up, and took steps to complete the division of the remaining land.
Following the conquest of the land, all the congregation had assembled together in Shiloh and the tabernacle of the congregation had been erected there. Shiloh would serve as the center of worship for Israel, for this was where the tabernacle would stay while the land was being apportioned out among the tribes.
It is this location of worship that caused Joshua to ask the people how long they would be staying in this place before going forth to possess the land that the Lord had given them. This was the first time that the Israelites had fought a campaign not on the move, but in place, claiming a particular region of the Promised Land.
There were seven tribes who had yet to receive their share of the land. They were the tribes of Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. There were still areas left to be assigned to these tribes, even though the great battles had already been fought.
The men of these tribes were instructed by Joshua to choose three representatives to survey and describe the region according to its cities and countryside.
They were to divide the land into seven portions and return their descriptions to Joshua in Shiloh.
Joshua would then cast lots before the Lord for the distribution of the land, which did not merely reflect the preferences of the tribes, but the will of God.
This survey team traveled the remaining land, marking the cities and regions, and returned to Shiloh with their descriptions. Joshua then cast lots for the tribes before the Lord. The tribe of Benjamin received the first lot.
The territory of Benjamin lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph, placing them in a strategic location in the center of the land.
The description of the boundary also includes Jericho and Beth-hoglah to the east, passing through several other places to the hill country and Jerusalem.
The cities of Benjamin include Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, Avim, Pharah, Ophrah, Chephar-haammonai, Ophni, and Gaba.
Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zelah, Eleph, Jebusi, Gibeath, and Kirjath were also included.
It can be seen from this description that Benjamin occupied a special place among the tribes of Israel. They had many of the cities connected with Israel’s future history.
It is noted in 2 Samuel 5:6-7 that Jerusalem belonged to the Jebusites, but they were not driven out, as was the practice with many of the conquered cities. This is one example of the gradual nature of the conquest of Canaan, although the general battles had been fought.
Perhaps the most important city associated with Benjamin was Gibeon. This was the city whose inhabitants had tricked Israel into making a covenant with them. The Gibeonites became servants of the Lord, connected especially with the service of the tabernacle.
This is followed by a description of the boundaries of Benjamin’s territory according to their families.
Clearly, the division of the land was not a straight assignment of tribal names to regions, but a careful survey had to be made, including the location of cities and families.
It can also be noted from this chapter that there was a delay in the assignment of the territories. By asking how long it would take before they should go and possess the land that the Lord had given them, Joshua was not encouraging his fellow Israelites to remain inactive while their share of the land was debated.
Even though this land had been given to Israel, it still needed to be occupied and built upon, and there were many obstacles that had to be faced.
The place where Shiloh was located is also of interest. This was the home of the tabernacle, the worship center for the people of Israel. Thus the division of the land had taken place within the sight of the sanctuary, showing how the possession of the land was connected with Israel’s adoration of the Lord.
It is also of interest that the casting of lots is used several times in the Old Testament to show how decisions had been made in the courts of heaven. In this instance, the lots were cast before the Lord, determining the land that was to be assigned to each tribe.
The territory of Benjamin was small compared with some of the other tribes, but it was strategically located between Judah to the south and the territory of Joseph to the north. There are several cities that bordered on or were located within the territory of Benjamin, some of which were connected with important roads.
It can also be noted that this chapter continues the pattern observed in other sections of Joshua. The Israelites were fighting great battles and gaining great victories, but the actual assignment of the land was a slow and drawn-out process, requiring much organization and effort to complete.
Joshua 18, then, serves as another step toward the complete division of the Promised Land, showing how Joshua dealt with the problem of the tribes who had yet to receive their share. There were seven tribes waiting for their turn, so Joshua called for a survey of the land to apportion it out, Benjamin receiving the first of these seven shares.
Following the conquest of the land, all the congregation had assembled together in Shiloh and the tabernacle of the congregation had been erected there. Shiloh would serve as the center of worship for Israel, for this was where the tabernacle would stay while the land was being apportioned out among the tribes.
It is this location of worship that caused Joshua to ask the people how long they would be staying in this place before going forth to possess the land that the Lord had given them. This was the first time that the Israelites had fought a campaign not on the move, but in place, claiming a particular region of the Promised Land.
There were seven tribes who had yet to receive their share of the land. They were the tribes of Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. There were still areas left to be assigned to these tribes, even though the great battles had already been fought.
The men of these tribes were instructed by Joshua to choose three representatives to survey and describe the region according to its cities and countryside.
They were to divide the land into seven portions and return their descriptions to Joshua in Shiloh.
Joshua would then cast lots before the Lord for the distribution of the land, which did not merely reflect the preferences of the tribes, but the will of God.
This survey team traveled the remaining land, marking the cities and regions, and returned to Shiloh with their descriptions. Joshua then cast lots for the tribes before the Lord. The tribe of Benjamin received the first lot.
The territory of Benjamin lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph, placing them in a strategic location in the center of the land.
The description of the boundary also includes Jericho and Beth-hoglah to the east, passing through several other places to the hill country and Jerusalem.
The cities of Benjamin include Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, Avim, Pharah, Ophrah, Chephar-haammonai, Ophni, and Gaba.
Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zelah, Eleph, Jebusi, Gibeath, and Kirjath were also included.
It can be seen from this description that Benjamin occupied a special place among the tribes of Israel. They had many of the cities connected with Israel’s future history.
It is noted in 2 Samuel 5:6-7 that Jerusalem belonged to the Jebusites, but they were not driven out, as was the practice with many of the conquered cities. This is one example of the gradual nature of the conquest of Canaan, although the general battles had been fought.
Perhaps the most important city associated with Benjamin was Gibeon. This was the city whose inhabitants had tricked Israel into making a covenant with them. The Gibeonites became servants of the Lord, connected especially with the service of the tabernacle.
This is followed by a description of the boundaries of Benjamin’s territory according to their families.
Clearly, the division of the land was not a straight assignment of tribal names to regions, but a careful survey had to be made, including the location of cities and families.
It can also be noted from this chapter that there was a delay in the assignment of the territories. By asking how long it would take before they should go and possess the land that the Lord had given them, Joshua was not encouraging his fellow Israelites to remain inactive while their share of the land was debated.
Even though this land had been given to Israel, it still needed to be occupied and built upon, and there were many obstacles that had to be faced.
The place where Shiloh was located is also of interest. This was the home of the tabernacle, the worship center for the people of Israel. Thus the division of the land had taken place within the sight of the sanctuary, showing how the possession of the land was connected with Israel’s adoration of the Lord.
It is also of interest that the casting of lots is used several times in the Old Testament to show how decisions had been made in the courts of heaven. In this instance, the lots were cast before the Lord, determining the land that was to be assigned to each tribe.
The territory of Benjamin was small compared with some of the other tribes, but it was strategically located between Judah to the south and the territory of Joseph to the north. There are several cities that bordered on or were located within the territory of Benjamin, some of which were connected with important roads.
It can also be noted that this chapter continues the pattern observed in other sections of Joshua. The Israelites were fighting great battles and gaining great victories, but the actual assignment of the land was a slow and drawn-out process, requiring much organization and effort to complete.
Joshua 18, then, serves as another step toward the complete division of the Promised Land, showing how Joshua dealt with the problem of the tribes who had yet to receive their share. There were seven tribes waiting for their turn, so Joshua called for a survey of the land to apportion it out, Benjamin receiving the first of these seven shares.