Joshua18

The children of Israel assembled at Shiloh, where the tabernacle was set up, though seven tribes still lacked their inheritance. Joshua rebuked their idleness and commanded them to send men to survey the remaining land, divide it into seven parts, and record it. After the survey, Joshua cast lots before the LORD in Shiloh, and the inheritance for the tribe of Benjamin was determined, with its borders and cities meticulously described.

The Tabernacle Set Up at Shiloh

1
The entire community of the people of Isra'el assembled themselves together at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there, after the land had been subdued before them. ​
2
There still remained among the people of Isra'el seven tribes that had not yet received their inheritance. ​

Joshua Rebukes the Seven Tribes

3
Y'hoshua said to the people of Isra'el, "How long will you delay going in to take possession of the land which ADONAI the God of your ancestors has given you? ​
4
Appoint three men for each tribe; I will commission them; and they are to set out, go through the land and describe it according to their inheritance; then they are to come back to me. ​
5
They are to divide it into seven portions, with Y'hudah remaining in its territory to the south and the house of Yosef in their territory to the north. ​
6
You will describe seven portions of land and bring the descriptions here to me; then I will cast lots for you here before ADONAI our God. ​
7
But the L'vi'im have no share with you, because the office of cohen to ADONAI is their inheritance; and Gad and Re'uven and the half-tribe of M'nasheh have received their inheritance beyond the Yarden to the east, which Moshe the servant of ADONAI gave them." ​
8
So the men got up and went. Y'hoshua gave them this commission as they left to describe the land: "Go; walk through the land; and describe it; then come back to me, and I will cast lots for you here before ADONAI in Shiloh."
9
The men went and passed through the land, surveying it by cities, dividing it into seven regions and writing the results on a scroll. Then they came to Y'hoshua in the camp at Shiloh. ​
10
Y'hoshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before ADONAI, and there Y'hoshua divided the land among the people of Isra'el according to their regions. ​

The Inheritance of Benjamin

11
The lot for the tribe of the descendants of Binyamin came up according to their families. The border of their territory chosen by lot was between the descendants of Y'hudah and the descendants of Yosef. ​
12
On the north side, their border began at the Yarden, went up alongside Yericho on the north, continued up through the hills westward and arrived at the Beit-Aven Desert.
13
From there the border passed on to Luz, to the south side of Luz (that is, Beit-El); then the border went down to 'Atrot-Adar, by the hill on the south side of Lower Beit-Horon.
14
The border was delineated as turning at the western corner and heading southward, from the hill located in front of Beit-Horon on the south; and it ended at Kiryat-Ba'al (that is, Kiryat-Ye'arim), a city belonging to the descendants of Y'hudah; this was the west side.
15
On the south the border extended westward from the most distant part of Kiryat-Ye'arim, going out to the source of the Neftoach Spring.
16
Then the border went down to the farthest part of the hill located in front of the Ben-Hinnom Valley, north of the Refa'im Valley, south of the Y'vusi; and continued down to 'Ein-Rogel, ​
17
where it was drawn to the north; then it went on to 'Ein-Shemesh; continued to G'lilot, which is across from Ma'alei-Adumim; went down to the Stone of Bohan the son of Re'uven;
18
passed alongside the 'Aravah, heading north; and went down to the 'Aravah.
19
Then the border passed alongside Beit-Hoglah, heading north; and the border ended at the north bay of the Dead Sea, at the south end of the Yarden; this was the south border.
20
The Yarden was to be its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the descendants of Binyamin, defined by its surrounding borders, according to their families.

Cities of Benjamin

21
The cities of the tribe of the descendants of Binyamin according to their families were: Yericho, Beit-Hoglah, 'Emek-K'tzitz,
22
Beit-'Aravah, Tz'marayim, Beit-El, ​
23
'Avim, Parah, 'Ofrah,
24
K'far-Ha'amonah, 'Ofni and Geva - twelve cities, together with their villages.
25
Giv'on, Ramah, Be'erot,
26
Mitzpeh, K'firah, Motzah,
27
Rekem, Yirpe'el, Tar'alah,
28
Tzela, Elef, Y'vusi (that is, Yerushalayim), Giv'at and Kiryat - fourteen cities, together with their villages. This is the inheritance of the descendants of Binyamin according to their families. ​

Study Notes for Joshua 18

Verse 1

Shiloh became the central sanctuary for Israel during the period of the judges (1 Sam 1:3). Setting up the Tabernacle here signaled that the central phase of settlement had begun, providing Israel with a unified religious center, even while conquest remained incomplete.

Verse 2

Only the tribes of Judah, Ephraim, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had fully received their territorial allotment. The remaining seven tribes had yet to claim their inheritance, despite the land being 'subdued' (V. 1).

Verse 3

Joshua challenges the 'slackness' (lethargy or hesitation) of the tribes. They had won the major battles but were failing to act on God’s promise by physically possessing and settling the land, perhaps due to fear or weariness.

Verse 4

This innovative approach commanded a detailed, written survey of the territory. This ensured a fair, systematic division based on observable data, complementing the divine guidance provided by the lot (V. 6).

Verse 5

The remaining land was divided into seven portions corresponding to the seven remaining tribes. Judah and Joseph (Ephraim/Manasseh) were already settled and provided fixed boundaries for the new divisions.

Verse 6

The lot was an accepted method in ancient Israel for discerning God’s will regarding division or decision-making (Proverbs 16:33). The survey provided the map, and the lot determined the assignment.

Verse 7

The Levites were consecrated to the priesthood and received no tribal territory, subsisting instead on tithes and scattered cities (Joshua 21). The Transjordanian tribes had already received their inheritance from Moses.

Verse 9

Recording the land description 'in a book' emphasizes the orderly, administrative seriousness of the settlement process, moving Israel from military conquest toward civil establishment.

Verse 10

The division took place 'before the LORD' at Shiloh, ensuring that the distribution was ratified and sanctioned by God at the place of worship, confirming the covenantal nature of the land grant.

Verse 11

The tribe of Benjamin received a strategically vital, though geographically small, territory situated between the powerful tribes of Judah to the south and Ephraim (part of Joseph) to the north.

Verse 16

This description mentions the Valley of Hinnom (later Gehenna) and outlines the area around 'Jebusi' (Jerusalem). This indicates that the original city of Jerusalem lay directly on the crucial border between Benjamin and Judah.

Verse 22

Bethel ('House of God') was one of the most significant sites in Israel’s history, associated with Abraham and Jacob (Gen 12, 28). Its inclusion in Benjamin’s territory highlights the region’s importance.

Verse 28

The listing of Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, confirms its assignment to Benjamin. However, the Benjamites failed to dispossess the Jebusites (Judg 1:21), requiring King David to conquer it centuries later.

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