Advanced Commentary

Texts -- Joshua 18:1-28 (NET)

Context
The Tribes Meet at Shiloh
18:1 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and there they set up the tent of meeting . Though they had subdued the land , 18:2 seven Israelite tribes had not been assigned their allotted land. 18:3 So Joshua said to the Israelites : “How long do you intend to put off occupying the land the Lord God of your ancestors has given you? 18:4 Pick three men from each tribe . I will send them out to walk through the land and make a map of it for me . 18:5 Divide it into seven regions . Judah will stay in its territory in the south , and the family of Joseph in its territory in the north . 18:6 But as for you , map out the land into seven regions and bring it to me. I will draw lots for you here before the Lord our God . 18:7 But the Levites will not have an allotted portion among you, for their inheritance is to serve the Lord . Gad , Reuben , and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their allotted land east of the Jordan which Moses the Lord’s servant assigned them.” 18:8 When the men started out , Joshua told those going to map out the land , “Go , walk through the land , map it out , and return to me. Then I will draw lots for you before the Lord here in Shiloh .” 18:9 The men journeyed through the land and mapped it and its cities out into seven regions on a scroll . Then they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh . 18:10 Joshua drew lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord and divided the land among the Israelites according to their allotted portions .
Benjamin’s Tribal Lands
18:11 The first lot belonged to the tribe of Benjamin by its clans . Their allotted territory was between Judah and Joseph . 18:12 Their northern border started at the Jordan , went up to the slope of Jericho on the north , ascended westward to the hill country , and extended to the desert of Beth Aven . 18:13 It then crossed from there to Luz , to the slope of Luz to the south (that is, Bethel ), and descended to Ataroth Addar located on the hill that is south of lower Beth Horon . 18:14 It then turned on the west side southward from the hill near Beth Horon on the south and extended to Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim ), a city belonging to the tribe of Judah . This is the western border . 18:15 The southern side started on the edge of Kiriath Jearim and extended westward to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah . 18:16 The border then descended to the edge of the hill country near the Valley of Ben Hinnom located in the Valley of the Rephaites to the north . It descended through the Valley of Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites to the south and then down to En Rogel . 18:17 It went northward , extending to En Shemesh and Geliloth opposite the Pass of Adummim , and descended to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben . 18:18 It crossed to the slope in front of the Arabah to the north and descended into the Arabah . 18:19 It then crossed to the slope of Beth Hoglah to the north and ended at the northern tip of the Salt Sea at the mouth of the Jordan River. This was the southern border . 18:20 The Jordan River borders it on the east . These were the borders of the land assigned to the tribe of Benjamin by its clans . 18:21 These cities belonged to the tribe of Benjamin by its clans : Jericho , Beth Hoglah , Emek Keziz , 18:22 Beth Arabah , Zemaraim , Bethel , 18:23 Avvim , Parah , Ophrah , 18:24 Kephar Ammoni , Ophni , and Geba – a total of twelve cities and their towns . 18:25 Gibeon , Ramah , Beeroth , 18:26 Mizpah , Kephirah , Mozah , 18:27 Rekem , Irpeel , Taralah , 18:28 Zelah , Haeleph , the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem ), Gibeah , and Kiriath – a total of fourteen cities and their towns . This was the land assigned to the tribe of Benjamin by its clans .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Chephirah

    [isbe] CHEPHIRAH - ke-fi'-ra (ha-kephirah; Codex Vaticanus, Kapheira (Josh 9); Codex Alexandrinus has Chepheira, Codex Vaticanus has kai Pheira (Josh 18)): One of the cities of the Hivites who by guile made alliance with Israel (Jo...
    [nave] CHEPHIRAH, a city of the Hivites, Josh. 9:17; 18:26; Ezra 2:25; Neh. 7:29.

  • DIVINATION

    [isbe] DIVINATION - div-i-na'-shun: 1. Definition 2. Kinds of Divination 3. Fundamental Assumption in Divination 4. Legitimate and Illegitimate Divination 5. The Bible and Divination 6. Modes of Divination Mentioned in the Bible: T...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Joshua

    [nave] JOSHUA 1. Called also Jehoshua, and Jehoshuah, and Oshea. Son of Nun, Num. 13:8; 1 Chr. 7:27. Intimately associated with Moses, Ex. 24:13; 32:17; 33:11. A religious zealot, Num. 11:28. Sent with others to view the promise...

  • Benjamin

    [ebd] son of my right hand. (1.) The younger son of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 35:18). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place. His mother died in giving him ...
    [isbe] BENJAMIN - ben'-ja-min (binyamin, or binyamin; Beniaein, Beniamin): 1. The Patriarch: The youngest of Jacob's sons. His mother Rachel died in giving him birth. As she felt death approaching she called him Benoni, "son of my ...
    [nave] BENJAMIN 1. Son of Jacob by Rachel, Gen. 35:18, 24; 46:19. Taken into Egypt, Gen. 42-45. Prophecy concerning, Gen. 49:27. Descendants of, Gen. 46:21; Num. 26:38-41. Tribe of Census of, at Sinai, Num. 1:37; in the plain ...

  • PALESTINE, 2

    [isbe] PALESTINE, 2 - III. Palestine in the Historic Books of the Old Testament. 1. Book of Joshua: Joshua is the great geographical book of the Old Testament; and the large majority of the 600 names of places, rivers and mountains...

  • Shiloh

    [ebd] generally understood as denoting the Messiah, "the peaceful one," as the word signifies (Gen. 49:10). The Vulgate Version translates the word, "he who is to be sent," in allusion to the Messiah; the Revised Version, margin, ...
    [smith] (place of rest), a city of Ephraim. In (Judges 21:19) it is said that Shiloh is "on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem and on the south of Lebonah." In agreement wit...
    [nave] SHILOH 1. a title of one from Judah, possibly Jesus, Gen. 49:10. 2. City of Ephraim, north of Beth-el, and on the highway from Beth-el to Shechem, Judg. 21:19. Tabernacle at, Josh. 18:1, 8-10; Judg. 18:31; 21:19; 1 Sam. 1:...

  • Beth-arabah

    [ebd] house of the desert, one of the six cities of Judah, situated in the sunk valley of the Jordan and Dead Sea (Josh. 18:22). In Josh. 15:61 it is said to have been "in the wilderness." It was afterwards included in the towns o...
    [isbe] BETH-ARABAH - beth-ar'-a-ba (beth ha-`arabhah; Baitharaba, "place of the Arabah"): (1) One of the 6 cities of Judah "in the wilderness" (Josh 15:61), on the borders of Benjamin and Judah (Josh 15:6; 18:18 Septuagint). "The w...
    [nave] BETH-ARABAH A city in the valley of the Dead Sea, Josh. 15:6, 61; 18:22. Called Arabah, Josh. 18:18.

  • Jericho

    [ebd] place of fragrance, a fenced city in the midst of a vast grove of palm trees, in the plain of Jordan, over against the place where that river was crossed by the Israelites (Josh. 3:16). Its site was near the 'Ain es-Sultan, ...
    [isbe] JERICHO - jer'-i-ko (the word occurs in two forms. In the Pentateuch, in 2 Ki 25:5 and in Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles it is written yerecho; yericho, elsewhere): In 1 Ki 16:34 the final Hebrew letter is he (h), instead of waw...
    [smith] (place of fragrance), a city of high antiquity, situated in a plain traversed by the Jordan, and exactly over against where that river was crossed by the Israelites under Joshua. (Joshua 3:16) It was five miles west of the Jo...
    [nave] JERICHO 1. A city E. of Jerusalem and near the Jordan, Num. 22:1; 26:3; Deut. 34:1. Called the City of Palm Trees, Deut. 34:3. Situation of, pleasant, 2 Kin. 2:19. Rehab the harlot lived in, Josh. 2; Heb. 11:31. Joshua s...

  • QUARTER

    [isbe] QUARTER - kwor'-ter: Literally, of course, "the fourth part," and so of the four "ends" (qatsah) in Jer 49:36, and the King James Version of the four "corners" (so the Revised Version (British and American), gonia) in Rev 20...

  • JOSHUA (2)

    [isbe] JOSHUA (2) - || I. FORM AND SIGNIFICANCE OF NAME II. HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF JOSHUA 1. First Appearance 2. The Minister of Moses 3. One of the Spies 4. The Head of the People (1) His First Act--Sending of the Spies (2) Crossi...

  • Parah

    [ebd] the heifer, a town in Benjamin (Josh. 18:23), supposed to be identical with the ruins called Far'ah, about 6 miles north-east of Jerusalem, in the Wady Far'ah, which is a branch of the Wady Kelt.
    [isbe] PARAH - pa'-ra, par'-a (ha-parah; Codex Vaticanus Phara; Codex Alexandrinus Aphar): A city named as in the territory of Benjamin between Avvim and Ophrah (Josh 18:23). It may with some confidence be identified with Farah on ...
    [smith] (heifer-town) one of the cities in the territory allotted to Benjamin, named only in the lists of the conquest. (Joshua 18:23)
    [nave] PARAH, a city in Benjamin, Josh. 18:23.

  • Ophrah

    [ebd] a fawn. 1 Chr. 4:14. (1.) A city of Benjamin (Josh. 18:23); probably identical with Ephron (2 Chr. 13:19) and Ephraim (John 11:54). (2.) "Of the Abi-ezrites." A city of Manasseh, 6 miles south-west of Shechem, the residence ...
    [isbe] OPHRAH - of'-ra (`ophrah; Codex Vaticanus Aphra; Codex Alexandrinus Iephratha, etc.): (1) A town in the territory allotted to Benjamin named between Parah and Chephar-ammoni (Josh 18:23). It is mentioned again in 1 Sam 13:17...
    [smith] (fawn). A town in the tribe of Benjamin. (Joshua 18:23; 1 Samuel 13:17) Jerome places it five miles east of Bethel. It is perhaps et-Taiyibeh , a small village on the crown of a conspicuous hill, four miles east-northeast...
    [nave] OPHRAH 1. A city in Benjamin, Josh. 18:23; 1 Sam. 13:17. Possibly identical with Ephrain, 2 Chr. 13:19; and Ephraim, John 11:54. 2. A city in Manasseh, home of Gideon, Judg. 6:11, 24; 8:27, 32; 9:5. 3. Son of Meonothai, 1...

  • Ophni

    [ebd] mouldy, a city of Benjamin (Josh. 18:24).
    [isbe] OPHNI - of'-ni (ha-`ophni; Aphne): A place in the territory of Benjamin (Josh 18:24). The modern Jifneh, in a fine vale West of the road to Nablus and 2 1/2 miles Northwest of Bethel, might suit as to position; but the chang...
    [smith] (mouldy), a town of Benjamin, mentioned in (Joshua 18:24) the same as the Gophna of Josephus a place which at the time of Vespasian?s invasion was apparently so important as to be second only to Jerusalem. It still survives i...
    [nave] OPHNI, a town of the Benjamites, Josh. 18:24.

  • Mozah

    [ebd] an issuing of water, a city of Benjamin (Josh. 18:26).
    [isbe] MOZAH - mo'-za (ha-motsah; Codex Vaticanus Amoke; Codex Alexandrinus Amosa): A town in the territory of Benjamin named after Mizpeh and Chephirah (Josh 18:26). It may be represented by the modern Beit Mizzeh, the heavy "ts" ...
    [smith] (fountain), one of the cities in the allotment of Benjamin, (Joshua 18:26) only, named between hae-Cephirah and Rekem.
    [nave] MOZAH, a city of Benjamin, Josh. 18:26.

  • JEBUS

    [ebd] trodden hard, or fastness, or "the waterless hill", the name of the Canaanitish city which stood on Mount Zion (Josh. 15:8; 18:16, 28). It is identified with Jerusalem (q.v.) in Judg. 19:10, and with the castle or city of Da...
    [smith] (threshing-floor), one of the names of Jerusalem, the city of the Jebusites, are called JEBUSI. (Joshua 15:8; 18:16,28; Judges 19:10,11; 1 Chronicles 11:4,5) [JERUSALEM]

  • DESCRIBE

    [isbe] DESCRIBE - de-skrib': This verb, now obsolete, in the sense used in Josh 18:4,6,8,9 and Jdg 8:14, is a translation of kathabh, usually rendered "to write" or "inscribe." But in the above passages it has the Old English meani...

  • Adummim

    [ebd] the red ones, a place apparently on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem, "on the south side of the torrent" Wady Kelt, looking toward Gilgal, mentioned Josh. 15:7; 18:17. It was nearly half-way between Jerusalem and Jeric...
    [isbe] ADUMMIM - a-dum'-im ('adhummim, perhaps "red spots"): "The ascent of Adummim" is one of the numerous landmarks mentioned in defining the northern border of Judah westward from the mouth of the Jordan to Jerusalem, and in def...
    [smith] (the going up to), a rising ground or pass over against Gilgal," and "on the south side of the ?torrent?" (Joshua 15:7; 18:17) which is the position still occupied by the road leading up from Jericho and the Jordan valley to ...
    [nave] ADUMMIM, place between the fords of the Jordan and Jerusalem, Josh. 15:7; 18:17.

  • Geliloth

    [ebd] circles; regions, a place in the border of Benjamin (Josh. 18:17); called Gilgal in 15:7.
    [isbe] GELILOTH - ge-li'-loth (geliloth): This word is used for "districts" or "circuits" perhaps indicating the different parts subject to the several lords of the Philistines (Josh 13:2, the King James Version "borders," the Revi...
    [smith] (circuit), a place named among the marks of the south boundary line of the tribe of Benjamin. (Joshua 18:17) The name Geliloth never occurs again in this locality, and it therefore seems probable that Gilgal is the right read...
    [nave] GELILOTH A place mentioned, Josh. 18:17, as marking the boundary of Benjamin. In Josh. 15:7, Gilgal is substituted.

  • GEBA

    [ebd] the hill, (2 Sam. 5:25 [1 Chr. 14:16, "Gibeon"]; 2 Kings 23:8; Neh. 11:31), a Levitical city of Benjamin (1 Kings 15:22; 1 Sam. 13:16; 14:5, wrongly "Gibeah" in the A.V.), on the north border of Judah near Gibeah (Isa. 10:29...
    [isbe] GEBA - ge'-ba (gebha`, "hill"): (1) A town on the Northeast boundary of the territory of Benjamin (Josh 18:24), given to the Levites (Josh 21:17; 1 Ch 6:60). It stood on the northern frontier of the kingdom of Judah, Geba an...
    [smith] (a hill), a city of Benjamin, with "suburbs," allotted to the priests. (Joshua 21:17; 1 Chronicles 6:60) It is named amongst the first group of the Benjamite towns --apparently those lying near to and along the north bound...
more

Arts

Questions

  • I've heard and read the same statement a number of times, but have never troubled myself to look up each passage. I'm not surprised that looking up "heaven" and "hell" in a concordance would give you contradictory results. T...

Sermon Illustrations

Genesis 1:28

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • I. The conquest of the land chs. 1-12A. Preparations for entering Canaan chs. 1-21. God's charge to Joshua 1:1-92. Joshua's charge to Israel 1:10-183. The spying out of Jericho ch. 2B. Entrance into the land 3:1-5:121. Passag...
  • In one sense verses 1-9 are a preamble to the whole book. They contain the basic principles that were to guide Joshua and Israel so they could obtain all that God had promised their forefathers.1:1 The first word of the book ...
  • 5:13-15 "Despite Joshua's long military experience he had never led an attack on a fortified city that was prepared for a long siege. In fact, of all the walled cities in Palestine, Jericho was probably the most invincible. T...
  • The residents of the town of Gibeon decided that if they could not defeat the Israelites they would join them. This has been a strategy that enemies of believers have employed for centuries (cf. Num. 25:1-2).9:1-2 Israel is t...
  • The writer referred to Canaan as "the land of the sons of Israel"first here in Scripture (v. 22). The Anakim were the mighty warriors that the 10 spies had feared (Num. 13:28). Israel destroyed most of these."The hardening of...
  • The writer identified 31 kings in the order in which Joshua defeated them."Many of the same names appear in the Amarna letters, thus confirming the historicity of our text."158"The description was not complete. Shechem is not...
  • Chapters 13-24 describe how Joshua divided the land and the results of that division. Many if not all the Israelite tribes did not conquer or control all the land allotted to them (15:63; 16:10; 17:12-13). The record of the a...
  • Eleazar the high priest, Joshua, and the heads of the tribes took the leadership in dividing this portion of the land (v. 1). These men determined the division of the land by casting lots (v. 2; 18:6). Apparently the casting ...
  • After the process of assigning land to the three tribes mentioned above, Israel's attention turned to relocating the tabernacle in a more central location (v. 1). God undoubtedly made the choice of Shiloh (lit. rest; cf. Deut...
  • Benjamin shared its territorial boundaries (vv. 11-20) with Judah on the south and Ephraim on the north. On the east the Jordan River formed Benjamin's border. On the west, about half way to the Mediterranean Sea, Israel's le...
  • Israel's leaders completed this division of the land at Shiloh, the new location of the tabernacle."The gift of the land brought blessings not only to the nation as a whole and to the individual tribes. It also brought blessi...
  • These verses conclude the account of the division of the land proper (chs. 13-21; cf. 1:2-6; 11:23). They bind the two parts of the second half of the book together. They form a theological conclusion to the entire book up to...
  • The main part of the second half of the Book of Joshua dealing with the division of the land ends with the appointment of the Levitical cities (chs. 13-21). The rest of the book deals with settlement in the land (chs. 22-24)....
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The Philistines, as we have already seen in Judges, were Israel's primary enemy to the west at this time. Samson, too, fought the Philistines (Judg. 13-16).52There are about 150 references to the Philistines in 1 and 2 Samuel...
  • This message demonstrates a structure that is quite typical of many others in the Book of Jeremiah (cf. 11:1-17; 17:19-27; 34:8-22). First there is an explanation of Yahweh's will (word, law; vv. 1-7), then a description of I...
  • This is the first of several symbolic acts that Jeremiah performed to communicate divine messages (cf. 16:1-4; 18:1-12; 19:1-2, 10-11; 27:1-28:17; 32:1-15; 43:8-13; 51:59-64). Other prophets did the same thing (cf. Isa. 20:2-...
  • This is the sixth and last message that Ezekiel received from the Lord the night before the refugees reached the exiles with the message that Jerusalem had fallen (cf. 33:21-22). It too deals with God's plans for Israel in th...
  • The tribe of Dan was to receive the northernmost section of the Promised Land. The order of tribes from north to south, north of the sacred district, was Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben and Judah--seven tribal...
Back to Commentary Page
Display Bible



Universal Search:

NET Only
Exact Search
Commentary
Study Dictionary
Word Study
Lexicon
Study Maps System
Sermon Illustrations
Expository
Arts
Resource
Daily Bible Reading
Training Video
Classic NET Bible
iPhone NET Bible
Mobile Bible
TIP #02: Try using wildcards "*" or "?" for b?tter wor* searches. [ALL]
created in 0.07 seconds
powered by
bible.org - YLSA