Chapter 18
The Move to Shiloh and a Firm Kick
18:1 Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.
The whole congregation of the people of Israel moved from Gilgal to Shiloh, all those who had not begun to settle in their allocated territories, all family members and livestock. The Tabernacle was moved there and will remain there for many years (except for a possible short period in Shechem, see Joshua 24:1). The city of Shiloh is considered to be today’s Khirbet Seilun approximately twelve miles south of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim. The statement that, “The land lay subdued before them,” seems premature in light of the first chapter of the book of Judges.
The Hebrew word ši·lō(h)’ has two applications in the Bible, one as a location as used here in Joshua, and the other is somewhat controversial. Some consider it to be a possessive pronoun, while others consider it to be a Messianic name or title. The one and only verse where Shiloh is not used as a location is Genesis 49:10 “The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (NASB) Since the meaning is unknown it is typically found in this verse transliterated (as Shiloh, except in CSB, ESV, NIV, NLT, etc.) Click here to read more about Shiloh.
18:2 There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned. 3 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?
These two verses can be confusing, where verse two implies that there are seven tribes that have not yet had their land inheritance determined. Which is true as we have not heard about the allocations to the tribes of Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. But then in verse three we hear Joshua rebuke the people of Israel for “sitting around,” and not possessing their land. Perhaps the best way to interpret is to consider that some time had passed between these verses. And since they didn’t know much about the land that was yet to be allocated they were hesitant to settle and therefore did not ask for an allotment (these people all their lives lived in tents, settling and building would have been foreign to them). So, Joshua comes up with an idea to encourage them to seek their inheritance and settle in the land.
18:4 Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land. They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me. 5 They shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall continue in his territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall continue in their territory on the north. 6 And you shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God. 7 The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the LORD is their heritage. And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.”
Joshua asks the leaders of the remaining tribes to provide three men to observe and write what they see. He notes that the allocations given to Judah and Joseph (Ephraim and half of Manasseh) will remain theirs, the allocations to Gad and Reuben and half-tribe of Manasseh were done, and that the Levities will not receive a land inheritance, leaving the rest for them. The men are to return to Joshua and describe the land as he casts lots before YHWH creating seven divisions.
18:8 So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh.” 9 So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion.
The men from each of these tribes did as Joshua recommended and reported back. There is no mention of the content of that report, just that Joshua proceeded to apportion the land.
Land Allotment for Benjamin
18:11 The lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph.
The first lot of the seven remaining tribes went to Benjamin, their territory would be located between Judah in the southern border and Jospeh on the northern border (mostly touching Ephraim, with the exception of a small stretch between Jericho and the Jordan River which bordered Manasseh).
18:12 On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan. Then the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, and it ends at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 From there the boundary passes along southward in the direction of Luz, to the shoulder of Luz (that is, Bethel), then the boundary goes down to Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower Beth-horon.
The northern boundary “wobbles” a bit from the Jordan west to just outside Beth-horon where it runs into Dan’s territory.
18:14 Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city belonging to the people of Judah. This forms the western side.
The western border is essentially the tribe of Dan, from Beth-horon being the northwest corner and going south near Kiriath-baal (the city belonged to Judah, see also Joshua 15:60) for the southwest corner.
18:15 And the southern side begins at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim. And the boundary goes from there to Ephron, to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim. And it then goes down the Valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to En-rogel. 17 Then it bends in a northerly direction going on to En-shemesh, and from there goes to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it goes down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, 18 and passing on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-arabah it goes down to the Arabah. 19 Then the boundary passes on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-hoglah. And the boundary ends at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border. 20 The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin, according to their clans, boundary by boundary all around.
The southern border is the tribe of Judah and the eastern border is the Jordan River. The territory of Benjamin is relatively small in comparison, but contains several important cities including Jerusalem.
18:21 Now the cities of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to their clans were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba—twelve cities with their villages: 25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin according to its clans.
Verse 28 identifies Kiriath-jearim as one of the cities of Benjamin. But we read in verse fourteen that it belonged to Judah. The Hebrew text only states qir·yǎṯ’ meaning city or town, but does not include ye῾ā·rîm’ (Jearim), since some translators spell it ‘Kirjath’ when it appears alone like this to identify it as a separate city (perhaps the city of Kerteh west of Jerusalem). Some suggest it is an abbreviation for Kiriath-jearim (as seen in here in the ESV, NLT, etc.)