Joshua 18

Jos 18:1 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

Israel assembled together at Shiloh - After all overt resistance was overcome, the tabernacle with its sacred contents was removed from its place of safety at Gilgal, in a corner of the land near the Jordan, to a central place, Shiloh. Its choice as the national sanctuary may indeed have been determined by Joshua, no doubt under divine direction Deu_12:10-11 But when you go over Jordan and live in the land which the LORD your God gives you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies all around, so that you live in safety, then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there. There you shall bring all that I command you, your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which you vow to the LORD because of its insignificance, in order to avoid local jealousies, as well as because of its position in the very center of the whole land, and perhaps also because of its seclusion. Its very name (“rest”) was probably bestowed at this juncture when God had given the people rest from their enemies. The tabernacle with its contents continued at Shiloh during the whole period of the Judges, until its capture by the Philistines. Shiloh 1Sa_4:3-4 3 And when the people had come to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has the LORD beaten us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh to us, so that when it comes among us it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. And the people sent to Shiloh in order to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts from there, the ark which dwells between the cherubs. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 1Sam 4:11 And the ark of God was taken. And Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were slain. From this time forward Shiloh continued to decline, because the Lord had rejected it Psa_78:59-61 When God heard, He was angry, and turned away from Israel; so that He left the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which He placed among men, and delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy's hands. It seems to have fallen into desolation at an early date. Jer_7:12 But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My people Israel; Jer_26:6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.

Israel assembled together at Shiloh - The whole body of the people, men, women, and children, as well as the camp, Jos_18:9; at least all that had not received their inheritances in the land To this place both the camp of Israel, and the ark of the Lord, were removed from Gilgal, after a residence there of seven years. Here the tabernacle remained, according to the Jewish writers, three hundred sixty nine years, being the most conveniently situated for access to the different tribes, and for safety, the Israelites having possession of the land on all sides; for it is here added, the land was subdued before them - the Canaanites were so completely subdued, that there was no longer any general resistance to the Israelite arms. The place they assembled at, Shiloh, was in the tribe of Ephraim, of which tribe Joshua was, and whose lot and inheritance was now fixed, and it was not far from Jerusalem, about two leagues. It seems to have its name from the peaceable condition the land was now in, and very likely was now given it on that account:

Shiloh – This was the name given to the Messiah in dying Jacob's prophecy. Genesis 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. And the obedience of the peoples to him. It is supposed by some that the city was thus called, when it was chosen for the resting-place of the ark, which typified our great Peace-maker, and the way by him to a reconciled God.

Jos 18:2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.

seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance - Two tribes and a half had already received their portions on the east of Jordan; Judah, Ephraim, and the remaining half of Manasseh had also been provided for Josh. 15–17. Thus there remained still seven tribes out of the twelve to be settled in their homes. Which were those of Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan:

Jos 18:3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?

How long are ye slack to go to possess the land - We find an unaccountable backwardness in this people to enter on the inheritance which God had given them! They had so long been supported by miracle, without any exertions of their own, that they found it difficult to shake themselves from their inactivity. When it was necessary that all the people should go out to battle, they went with a measure of confidence, expecting miraculous help from God, and confiding in their numbers, but when each tribe found it necessary to fight for itself, in order to its establishment and the extension of its borders, it was discouraged, and chose rather a life of inglorious ease than the possession of an inheritance which would cost it much labor to conquer.

Jos 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 the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.

Three men for each tribe - Probably meaning only three from each of the seven tribes who had not yet received their inheritance. It is possible that these twenty-one men were accompanied by a military guard, for without this they might have been easily cut off by straggling parties of the Canaanites. Their duty would be to describe the land, especially with reference to the cities it contained Jos_18:9, that Joshua might have the means of making a first apportionment among the tribes according to their varying numbers.

and they shall come again to me - which seems to be not only a precept or instruction to them, that when they had done their business, they should come to Joshua and give him an account of it; but an assurance also of their safety, that they should receive no disturbance nor hurt from the remaining Canaanites, but should return safe and well.

describe it according to the inheritance of them - The description was not a formal measurement, although the art of surveying was well known in Egypt in ancient times, and was regularly carried out after the annual inundations of the Nile so that the Israelites might have learned it there. But the Hebrew word does not mean to measure; and it was not a formal measurement that was required, for the purpose of dividing the land that yet remained into seven districts, since the tribes differed in numerical strength, and therefore the boundaries of the territory assigned them could not be settled till after the lots had been cast. The meaning of the word is to describe; and according to Jos_18:9, it was chiefly to the towns that reference was made: so that the description required by Joshua in all probability consisted simply in the preparation of lists of the towns in the different parts of the land, with an account of their size and character; also with notices of the quality and condition of the soil; what lands were fertile, and what they produced; where the country was mountainous, and where it was level; which lands were well watered, and which were dry; and any other things that would indicate the character of the soil, and facilitate a comparison between the different parts of the land.

Jos 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 abide in their coasts on the north.

Jos 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 LORD our God.

and bring the description hither to me - not by word of mouth, but as written in a book, or marked out in a map, and laid before him, Jos_18:9,

Before the Lord - so before the Lord who dwelt in it, at whose disposal the lot was, and by which everyone of the seven tribes would have their part and portion assigned them most fitting and convenient for them, according to the will and counsel of God.

Jos 18:7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the 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.

The priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance - the priests and Levites had the sacrifices, oblations tithes, first-fruits, redemption-money of the firstborn, etc., for their inheritance; they had no landed possessions in Israel; the Lord was their portion.

The priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance - not only the office, but what appertained to it, all the perquisites of it, the tithes, firstfruits, parts of the sacrifices Jos_13:14.

Jos 18:8 And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to 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.

Jos 18:9 And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.

Jos 18:10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.

Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord--before the tabernacle, where the divine presence was manifested, and which associated with the lot the idea of divine sanction.

Jos 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 between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families - This was the first lot of the seven that came up; it was but a small lot, and therefore called "little Benjamin", Psa_68:27; but the land was very pleasant and fruitful. Josephus says, this lot was very strait, because of the goodness of the soil, for it took in Jericho, and the city of Jerusalem:

and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph - having Judah on the south, and Joseph on the north; this was so ordered by the providence of God, that Benjamin should lie close to Joseph, being own brothers, and the only children of Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife; and that it should be next to Judah, with whom it was to unite, both in religious and civil affairs, and both met in and had a part of Jerusalem, the metropolis of Israel; and this lot fell exactly according to the prediction of Moses, and the order of it, who places Benjamin between Judah and Joseph, the tribe of Levi having no share in the division of the land, Deu_33:12 Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall live in safety beside Him, and shall cover him all the day long, yea he shall dwell between His shoulders. Providence cast Benjamin next to Joseph on the one hand, because Benjamin was own and only brother to Joseph, and next to Judah on the other hand, that this tribe might hereafter unite with Judah, in an adherence to the throne of David, and the temple at Jerusalem.

Jos 18:12 And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven.

The wilderness of Beth-aven - This was the same as Beth-el; but this name was not given to it till Jeroboam had fixed one of his golden calves there. Its first name signifies the house of God; its second, the house of iniquity.

Jos 18:13 And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Bethhoron.

the south side of the nether Bethhoron - so called to distinguish it from Bethhoron the upper, situated on an hill or mountain, Jos_16:5; this was rebuilt by Solomon, 1Ki_9:17.

Jos 18:14 And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.

And compassed the corner - Render “and turned on the west side southward.” The meaning is, that at lower Beth-horon the northern boundary-line of Benjamin curved round and ran southward - Beth-horon being its extreme westerly point.

the corner of the sea southward - it is hard to say what sea is meant. It is conjectured that the great waters in Gibeon may be meant, Jer_41:12; for it cannot mean the Mediterranean sea, for Dan lay between Benjamin and that; and yet if a sea is meant, no other can be;

Kirjath - jearim - The Israelites changed the name, to blot out the remembrance of Baal.

Jos 18:15 And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjathjearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah:

The border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah - it coincided with the northern boundary of Judah, as described in Jos_15:5-9, except that it is given there from east to west, and here from west to east (see at Jos_15:5-9).

Jos 18:16 And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel,

The end of the mountain - The place where the mountain ends, and the valley begins.

To the side of Jebusi - The mountain of Zion, that was near Jerusalem; for Jebusi, or Jebus, was the ancient name of this city.

to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom - this south border of Benjamin is the same with the north border of Judah. The mountain is Mount Moriah, the border from the end of Mount Moriah to that valley:

Jos 18:17 And was drawn from the north, and went forth to 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,

En-shemesh - The fountain of the sun; a name that shows the idolatrous nature of the ancient inhabitants of this land. Whether a town, or simply a fountain, is uncertain.

Geliloth - As the word signifies borders or limits, it is probably not the proper name of a place: And went forth towards the Borders which are over against the ascent to Adummim.

and went forth toward Geliloth - probably the same as Gilgal, Jos_15:7, though as the word may signify border or limits, some think that it is probably not the proper name of a place.

Jos 18:18 And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah:

against Arabah northward - The same with Betharabah, Jos_15:6;

Arabah - or the plain, Jos_15:6, Jos_15:61

Jos 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 end of Jordan: this was the south coast.

The north bay of the Salt Sea - As the word leshon signifies the tongue, it may here refer to the point of the Dead or Salt Sea. Of these tongues or points it had two, one on the north, and the other on the south.

And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward - Inclining somewhat toward the north, but not leaving the city to the north, for it is included in the lot of Benjamin, Jos_18:21;

Jos 18:20 And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families.

And Jordan was the border of it on the east side - It had Jordan on the east, Dan on the west, Judah on the south, and Joseph or Ephraim on the north:

Jos 18:21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz,

according to their families, were Jericho - Which though destroyed, and not to be rebuilt as a city, was yet a territory inhabited, and in future times was rebuilt, and in great splendor, and continued to the time of Christ;

and Bethhoglah - where or near to which was the threshing floor of Atad, at which lamentation was made for Jacob.

and the valley of Keziz - or Emekkeziz; so the Greek version calls it Amecasis: it is highly probable it was in the valley or plain of Jericho,

The towns of Benjamin are divided into two groups. The first group (Jos_18:21-24) contains twelve towns in the eastern portion of the territory.

Jos 18:22 And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,

and Zemaraim - one of the sons of Canaan was named Zemira, Gen_10:18; by whom this city Zemaraim might be built, or however have its name given it, in memory of him; there was a mountain of this name in the tribe of Ephraim, near to which this city might be, 2Ch_13:4.

Zemaraim - “two wooded hills,”

Jos 18:23 And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,

Ophrah - It is not the same with Ophrah in Jdg_6:11; that belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, but rather that which was in the land of Shuah, 1Sa_13:17.

Jos 18:24 And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages:

Gaba - or Geba of Benjamin (1Sa_13:16; 1Ki_15:22) which was given up to the Levites (Jos_21:17; 1Ch_6:45), was in the neighborhood of Ramah (1Ki_15:22; 2Ch_16:6). It is mentioned in 2Ki_23:8; Zec_14:10, as the northern boundary of the kingdom of Judah, and was still inhabited after the captivity (Neh_7:30). It is a different place from Gibea.

Gaba - This name, like Gibeah, Gibeon, etc. Jos_9:3, indicates a town placed on a hill, and occurs repeatedly in various forms in the topography of Palestine. Gaba is the Gibeah (if 1Sa_13:15-16; 1Sa_14:5, where the Hebrew has Geba, which is undoubtedly the correct reading throughout. The city was one of those assigned to the Levites Jos_21:17, and lay on the northern border of Judah. The famous “Gibeah of Saul,” or “Giheah of Benjamin” (the Gibeath of Jos_18:28) lay at no great distance southwest of Geba, on the high road from Jerusalem to Bethel.

Jos 18:25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

Ramah - “lofty;” probably the native town and abode of Samuel 1Sa_1:19; 1Sa_25:1. Its exact site is uncertain.

Gibeon - This place is famous for the confederacy of the five kings against Israel, and their miraculous defeat. Gibeon is the place from whence the Gibeonites came, who deceived Joshua, Jos_9:3.

Beeroth - wells; one of the four cities which belonged to the Gibeonites, who made peace with the Israelites by stratagem. S

Jos 18:26 And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,

Mizpeh - Not the Mizpeh of Jos_15:38, but the place where Samuel judged the people and called them together for the election of a king 1Sa_7:5-16; 1Sa_10:17. In the Chaldaean times it was the residence of Gedaliah 2Ki_25:22; Jer_40:14.

And Mizpeh - This place is celebrated in the sacred writings. Here the people were accustomed to assemble often in the presence of the Lord, as in the deliberation concerning the punishment to be inflicted on the men of Gibeah, for the abuse of the Levite’s wife. Jdg_20:1-3. Samuel assembled the people here to exhort them to renounce their idolatry, 1Sa_7:5, 1Sa_7:6. In this same place Saul was chosen to be king, 1Sa_10:17.

Chephirah - one of the cities subject to Gibeon, Jos_9:17.

Jos 18:27 And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,

Jos 18:28 And Zelah, Eleph, and 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.

Zelah - the burial-place of Saul Jonathan, and the family of Kish (2Sa_21:14).

Gibeath - or Gibeah of Benjamin, which was destroyed by the other tribes of Israel in the time of the judges, on account of the flagrant crime which had been committed there (Judg 19-20), is also called Gibeah of Saul, as being the home and capital of Saul (1Sa_10:26; 1Sa_11:4, etc.). Gibeath was a distinct city both from Gaba and Gibeon.

Kirjath - must not be confounded with Kirjath-jearim, which belonged to the tribe of Judah (Jos_18:14; cf. Jos_15:60).

Jebusi, which is Jerusalem - We often meet with this name, and it is evident that it was the ancient name of Jerusalem, which was also called Salem; and was probably the place in which Melchizedek reigned in the days of Abraham; though some think a different place is meant; Salem was a name of Jerusalem, as is evident from Psa_76:1, Psa_76:2 : In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Zion. This must refer to Jerusalem, where the temple was situated. Whether Jebus or Jebusi had its name from the Jebusites, or the Jebusites from it, cannot be ascertained.

and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem - of Jerusalem being called Jebusi, see Jos_15:63; it belonged partly to the tribe of Judah, and partly to the tribe of Benjamin; Mount Zion belonged to Judah, and Moriah to Benjamin: