The Book of Joshua

Chapter 18

The tabernacle is set up at Shiloh, 1. The remainder of the land is described, and divided into seven parts, 2-9. Joshua distributes it by lot, 10. The lot and border of Benjamin, 11-20. Their cities, 21-28.

1 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle of the Congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance. 3 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, "How long are you slack to go to possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you? 4 Select from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them, and they shall rise, go through the land, describe it according to their inheritance, and they shall come back to me. 5 And they shall divide it into seven parts. Judah shall abide in their border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their borders on the north. 6 You shall therefore describe the land in seven parts and bring the description here to me so that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God. 7 But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them."

8 And the men arose and departed. And Joshua charged those who went to describe the land, saying, "Go, and walk through the land, describe it, and come back to me so that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh." 9 And the men went and passed through the land, described it by cities in seven parts in a book, and came back to Joshua to the host at Shiloh. 10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. And there Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.

11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families. And the border of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. 12 And their border on the north side was from the Jordan. And the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward. And its limits were at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 And the border went over from there toward Luz, to the side of Luz (which is Beth-el) southward. And the border descended to Ataroth-adar, near the hill that lies on the south side of the nether Beth-horon. 14 And the border was drawn from there, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lies before Beth-horon southward. And its limits were at Kirjath-baal (which is Kirjath-jearim) a city of the children of Judah. This was the west quarter. 15 And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjath-jearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah. 16 And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lies before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to En-rogel, 17 And was drawn from the north, went forth to En-shemesh, went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, 18 Passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down to Arabah. 19 And the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah northward. And the limits of the border were at the north bay of the Salt Sea at the south end of the Jordan. This was the south border. 20 And the Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, according to its borders all around, according to their families.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, the valley of Keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Beth-el, 23 Avim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-haamonai, Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages. 25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Eleph, Jebusi (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

Commentary

Matthew Henry Commentary - Joshua, Chapter 18[➚]

Notes

[v.7] - "the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance" - Reference, Deuteronomy 18:1-2.

Top