Joshua 23, Joshua's Epitaph

Canaan has been conquered.  Now Joshua is dying.

Joshua 23: 1-5, Joshua calls the tribes together

After a long time had passed and the LORD had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old and well advanced in years, summoned all Israel--their elders, leaders, judges and officials--and said to them: "I am old and well advanced in years. You yourselves have seen everything the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the LORD your God who fought for you. Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain--the nations I conquered--between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the west. 

The LORD your God himself will drive them out of your way. He will push them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the LORD your God promised you.

Joshua wants the nation to continue as before, in the tradition of Moses and of Joshua and of the Sinai Covenant. It is possible that Joshua is only addressing the nine-and-a-half tribes west of the Jordan, as he describes them as being between the Jordan and the Great Sea. Or he is merely describing the land that he, not Moses, conquered.

Joshua 23: 6-11, Be very strong

"Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them.

"But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now. 

"The LORD has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as he promised.

"So be very careful to love the LORD your God.

"Be very strong..."  Classic Joshua.  "Be strong and courageous!" If the people rely on YHWH, they cannot be stopped.

Joshua 23: 12-16, But if you turn away...

"But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, then you may be sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the LORD your God has given you.

"Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. But just as every good promise of the LORD your God has come true, so the LORD will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you.

"If you violate the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the LORD's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you."

Joshua's message is a mixture of pride and warning, of blessing and curse.

There is a real concern about allying themselves with the people of the land. The people of land have grown wheat and barley, figs, grapes and olives. They have agricultural knowledge that the Israelites might lack and so it will be tempting to absorb the local farming culture.  But embedded in the Canaanite agriculture practices were fertility rites, worship of the Baals and Ashteroths, the various male and female gods.

Joshua 22, An Altar at Geliloth

There are still more conversations required about land distribution.  One of them will be viewed as a threat to one group.

Joshua 22: 1-9, The transjordan tribes released

Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh and said to them, "You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long time now--to this very day--you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the LORD your God gave you.

"Now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul."

Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes.

(To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan with their brothers.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them, saying, "Return to your homes with your great wealth--with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing--and divide with your brothers the plunder from your enemies."

 

So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.

These people, of Reuben, Gad and some from Manasseh have been given land east of the Jordan. They have aided the other tribes in conquering the land west of the Jordan.  Now they are allowed to return home with the blessing of Joshua and the other Israelites.

Joshua 22: 10-14, Confusion about an altar

When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

 So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead--to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

On way home, the transjordan tribes build an altar.  There is a misunderstanding about the reason for this.

The Israelites have been instructed to worship YHWH in one place, where the ark resides.  They are not to follow the Canaanite custom of placing altars on every hilltop, regardless of whom they worship. That one place of worship has moved as the people invaded Canaan, first at Gilgal outside Jericho (Joshua 5: 10), then at Mount Ebal after the victory at Jericho (Joshua 8: 30-33), and then at Shiloh (Joshua 18: 1.) The location will change again, eventually settling on Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. Later Jeroboam will bring Israel to ruin by setting up a competing altar at Bethel (I Kings 12: 25-33.)

Joshua 22: 15-20, Accusations against the transjordan tribes

When they went to Gilead--to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh--they said to them: "The whole assembly of the LORD says: `How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?

"Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the LORD! And are you now turning away from the LORD? "`If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.

"If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the LORD's land, where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the LORD our God.

"When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.'"

The majority of tribes warn the transjordan tribes, "Why do you do this?  Remember, if you sacrifice to other gods, there is destruction!"

Joshua 22: 21-29, Reassurance

Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: "The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day. If we have built our own altar to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account.

"No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, `What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?  The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you--you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the LORD.' So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.

"That is why we said, `Let us get ready and build an altar--but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.' On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, `You have no share in the LORD.'

"And we said, `If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the LORD's altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'

"Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle."

The Transjordan tribes explain their reasoning.  This altar is dedicated only to worshiping YHWH. The altar is intended as an act of unity with the other tribes, not a breakaway. 

The two-and-a-half Transjordan tribes have a legitimate concern; the "Promised Land" has been viewed as the land west of the Jordan and as they have settled east of the Jordan, there is a real possibility that they will be left out. (Today that territory mostly belongs to the country of Jordan with a far northern portion claimed by Syria.)

Joshua 22: 30-34, Approval

When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community--the heads of the clans of the Israelites--heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD's hand."

Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.

And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.

The priests are relieved.  This is not a threat. They support the actions of the Transjordan tribes.

Joshua 21, Levite Inheritance

The distribution of the land has been made for the tribes. Now we need to make sure the Levites have places to live.

Joshua 21: 1-3, Towns for the Levites

Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, "The LORD commanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock."

The Levites approach the leaders and remind them of their need. The leaders are at Shiloh, which acts as the capitol of Israel at this time; the high priest and the ark of the covenant are there.  

Joshua 21: 3-8, Towns distributed by lot

So, as the LORD had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance: The first lot came out for the Kohathites, clan by clan. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. The rest of Kohath's descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.

The descendants of Gershon were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

We see described the precise towns for various Levite clans. The land requirements for Levite families in each town is described in Numbers 35: 1-5 and comes out to about a square kilometer of land.

Joshua 21: 9-12, Towns from Judah and Simeon

From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name (these towns were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them): They gave them Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

Some land is given to Caleb, as described previously in Joshua 14: 6-15.  Madvig identifies a "village" as a small settlement outside the walls of a city.

Joshua 21: 13-19, For the descendants of Aaron

So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands--nine towns from these two tribes.

And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands--four towns. All the towns for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

And some land is given specifically for the descendants of Aaron.

Joshua 21: 20-26, For the Kohathites

The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim: In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer, Kibzaim and Beth Horon, together with their pasturelands--four towns.

Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands--four towns. From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands--two towns. All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

The distribution of land for the Kohathite clans (in the tribe of Levi) are given land from that of Ephraim, Dan and Manasseh.

Joshua 21: 27-40, Additional distributions

The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Be Eshtarah, together with their pasturelands--two towns; from the tribe of Issachar, Kishion, Daberath, Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their pasturelands--four towns; from the tribe of Asher, Mishal, Abdon, Helkath and Rehob, together with their pasturelands--four towns; from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands--three towns. 

All the towns of the Gershonite clans were thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

 

The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given: from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands--four towns; from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz, Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands--four towns; from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim, Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands--four towns in all.

All the towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, were twelve.

Land distributions are described for the Gershonites and Merarites (subtribes of Levi.)  The distribution includes sanctuary cities.

Joshua 21: 41-45, Summary

The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands. Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.

So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them.

Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

The anticipated result now is "rest on every side" -- the Israelites have literally taken over the promised land and so have the Promised Rest that YHWH gives them.  This ending, with its emphasis on rest, echoes the last sentence in Joshua 14: 15, where the land distributions of Caleb were previously described.

Joshua 20, Cities of Refuge

Another short chapter. (Remember, chapter divisions were determined in the Middle Ages and were never part of the original text.)

We have divided the land. Now we work on cities of refuge, an important justice concept for ancient Israel.

Joshua 20: 1-6, The refuge city concept

Then the LORD said to Joshua: Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.

"When he flees to one of these cities, he is to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state his case before the elders of that city. Then they are to admit him into their city and give him a place to live with them. If the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the one accused, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. He is to stay in that city until he has stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then he may go back to his own home in the town from which he fled."

The city of refuge deals with accidental killing, that is, manslaughter, and allows the right of trial.    Madvig, in his commentary on Joshua, claims that this is extraordinary --  although the "right of sanctuary" was common in the ancient Near East, the concept of a city of refuge was not.

Joshua 20: 7-9, Refuge cities

So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. On the east side of the Jordan of Jericho they designated Bezer in the desert on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh.

Any of the Israelites or any alien living among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

The cities of refuge are spread out across Canaan so that everyone has a good chance of getting to one. Kedesh is in Galilee, that is, northern Israel, Shechem is in the center and Kiriath Arba, the town given to Caleb (Joshua 14: 13-15), is in the south.

One notes that aliens in the land had the same right as any Israelite to a city of refuge. Israel is to always be conscious of the status of "alien", recalling their own time as aliens in Egypt.

(NIV footnotes: In verse 8, "Jordan of Jericho" was possibly an ancient name for the Jordan River.)

Joshua 19, The Inheritance of Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, Dan

As this chapter begins, there are still six more tribes that are to be assigned land under the authority of Joshua with the guidance of the high priest, Eleazar. The reporting on these last six tribes is somewhat shorter than the reports on other tribes. 

On the left, below, I have a map that attempts to show the possessions of the twelve tribes at the time of Joshua. On the right I have a map of modern Israel.  One notes that the land of the transjordan (east of Jordan) tribes is in modern Jordan and southwest Syria. The central cisjordan (west of Jordan) tribes fall across what is now the West Bank, territory controlled by Israel but claimed by Palestinians. The tribe of Dan appears twice, first at the lower right, against the Mediterranean Sea, but later much further north. (Maps were found here and here.)

Here is the description, in Joshua, of the distributions for five more tribes, Simeon, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, Dan.

Joshua 19: 1-9, Distribution for Simeon

The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon, clan by clan. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah. It included: Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah, Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen--thirteen towns and their villages;

Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan--four towns and their villages-- and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev). This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, clan by clan.

The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah's portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.

An adjustment is made since the distribution for Judah was so large.

(NIV footnotes: In verse 2 there is some confusion.  The text could be "Beersheba, Sheba"; I Chronicles 4:28 does not list Sheba.)

Joshua 19: 10-16, Distribution for Zebulun

The third lot came up for Zebulun, clan by clan: The boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sarid. Going west it ran to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and extended to the ravine near Jokneam. It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise to the territory of Kisloth Tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia. Then it continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin; it came out at Rimmon and turned toward Neah.  There the boundary went around on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El.

Included were Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages. These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun, clan by clan.

We have the boundaries and towns of Zebulun. The given count of twelve towns must include some of the border towns listed before verse 15.

Joshua 19: 17-23, The distribution for Issachar

The fourth lot came out for Issachar, clan by clan. Their territory included: Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem, Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez. The boundary touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen towns and their villages.

These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, clan by clan.

We have the boundaries and towns of Issachar.

Joshua 19: 24-31, The distribution for Asher

The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher, clan by clan. Their territory included: Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph, Allammelech, Amad and Mishal. 

On the west the boundary touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath. It then turned east toward Beth Dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El, and went north to Beth Emek and Neiel, passing Cabul on the left. It went to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon. The boundary then turned back toward Ramah and went to the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah and came out at the sea in the region of Aczib, Ummah, Aphek and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages.

These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, clan by clan.

(NIV footnotes: The NIV translation "Abdon" in verse 28 follows some Hebrew manuscripts (see also Joshua 21:30); but most ancient Hebrew manuscripts have "Ebron".)

Here we have the boundaries and towns of Asher.  

Joshua 19: 32-39, The distribution for Naphtali

The sixth lot came out for Naphtali, clan by clan: Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim, passing Adami Nekeb and Jabneel to Lakkum and ending at the Jordan. The boundary ran west through Aznoth Tabor and came out at Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west and the Jordan on the east.

The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and their villages.

These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, clan by clan.

Here we have the boundaries and towns of Naphtali. Note "the large tree" identified as a landmark! 

The tribes of Asher, Zebulun, Napthali and Issachar possess land in norther Canaan, between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. The tribe of Dan will later join them there. The map below is an insert from the leftmost map above.

Joshua 19: 40-48, The distribution for Dan

The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan, clan by clan. The territory of their inheritance included: Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, Elon, Timnah, Ekron, Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,  Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,  Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the area facing Joppa.

(But the Danites had difficulty taking possession of their territory, so they went up and attacked Leshem, took it, put it to the sword and occupied it. They settled in Leshem and named it Dan after their forefather.)

These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, clan by clan.

We have the boundaries and towns of Dan.

Joshua 19: 49-51, Joshua's portion

When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, as the LORD had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for--Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.

These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. And so they finished dividing the land.

 NIV footnotes: In verse 50, Timnath Serah is also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9.)  Heres may have been an ancient word for "sun", leftover from worship of the sun and one of the gods of nature.

Joshua 18, The Inheritance of Benjamin

As we divide up the land, there are still seven tribes waiting for land. (I am reminded of a part of American history in which land was distributed -- the Oklahoma land rush of 1889.)

Joshua 18: 1-7, Tribes told to map out the land

The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The country was brought under their control, but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.

So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you? Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me. You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the house of Joseph in its territory on the north. After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the LORD our God.

The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the LORD is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the LORD gave it to them."

Joshua delegates the mapping of the land, having three men from each tribe survey the portions of Canaan which remain.

Joshua 18: 8-10, Mappings and lots

As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, "Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD."

So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.

As the surveyors return, the land is apparently divided by lot (by random chance.) It is likely that the lots were really cast by Eleazar.

Joshua 18: 11-20  Distributions for Benjamin

The lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph: On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the desert of Beth Aven. From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth Addar on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon. From the hill facing Beth Horon on the south the boundary turned south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town of the people of Judah. This was the western side.

The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the west, and the boundary came out at the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim. It continued down the Hinnom Valley along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel. It then curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth, which faces the Pass of Adummim, and ran down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. It continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah and on down into the Arabah. It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah and came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea,at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was the southern boundary.

The Jordan formed the boundary on the eastern side. These were the boundaries that marked out the inheritance of the clans of Benjamin on all sides.

As we divide up the land, finally there is the inheritance of the descendants of the youngest son of Jacob. Considerable detail is given for this small tribe.

Joshua 18: 21-28, Cities of Benjamin

The tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, had the following cities: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba--twelve towns and their villages.

Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath--fourteen towns and their villages. 

This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.

We finalize the distribution for Benjamin by listing cities.  The future Jerusalem is one of these towns. Jerusalem is barely within the region assigned to Benjamin and will, at times, be part of Judah. 

The first king of Israel, Saul, will come out of Benjamin.  He will be buried in Zelah (II Samuel 21: 14.)

An old map (found here) attempts to draw the region of Benjamin.

Joshua 17, The Inheritance of Manasseh

We continue to divide up the land. The tribes of Gad, Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh have been given land east of the Jordan.  After that, land was distributed to Judah and Ephraim. Now we move on to the distribution for the rest of Manasseh.

Joshua 17: 1-6, The allotment for Manasseh

This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph's firstborn, that is, for Makir, Manasseh's firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because the Makirites were great soldiers.

So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh--the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida. These are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans. Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. 

They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, "The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers." So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the LORD's command.

Manasseh's share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan, because the daughters of the tribe of Manasseh received an inheritance among the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

Makir was apparently the only son of Manasseh, according to Genesis 50: 22-23.  Madvig, in his commentary, says that Makir was sometimes the name given for those descendants of Manasseh who settled east of the Jordan.

Note, even in these very patriarchal times, there was an understanding that if one only had daughters, there still should be some type of inheritance for your descendants.

Joshua 17: 7-13, The allotment for Manasseh, continued

The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher to Micmethath east of Shechem. The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at En Tappuah. (Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.)

Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine. There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the sea.  On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the sea and bordered Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.

Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth). Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.

(In verse 11, Naphoth by itself does not really make sense and is probably Naphoth Dor.  Naphoth Dor  means "the heights of Dor.")

Like other tribes, Manasseh, west of the Jordan, did not fully conquer the land.  After some time they were able to control the land but the Canaanites remained in the land as servants.

Joshua 17: 14-18, The people of Joseph challenged to extend their land

The people of Joseph said to Joshua, "Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people and the LORD has blessed us abundantly."

"If you are so numerous," Joshua answered, "and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites."

The people of Joseph replied, "The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel."

But Joshua said to the house of Joseph--to Ephraim and Manasseh--"You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have iron chariots and though they are strong, you can drive them out."

The Bronze Age has morphed into the Iron Age; those able to work with iron have power.  Here the people of Joseph are intimidated by Canaanites with iron chariots.

Joshua reacts to the request for more land by telling the people of Ephraim to go forward and get the land.  One presumes that the Ephraimites were hoping to be given more land already conquered.  Joshua's challenge confronts this.