The Tabernacle at Shiloh
Study note
The whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh, a central location in the hill country of Ephraim, and set up the Tabernacle there. The Tabernacle was the portable tent that served as God's dwelling place among his people. It would remain at Shiloh for about three hundred years. Seven tribes still had not received their land. Joshua scolded them for being slow to claim what God had given them. He sent out teams of three men from each tribe to survey the remaining land and divide it into seven portions. They wrote descriptions of the land in a book and brought it back to Joshua, who cast lots at Shiloh to assign each portion.
1 The entire Israelite community came together at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle there. The land was now under their control. 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.
2 But seven Israelite tribes still had not received their share of land. And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.
3 Joshua asked the Israelites. "How long will you put off going in? Claim the land. The Lord, the God of your fathers, has given it to you." 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?
4 "Pick three men from each tribe. I will send them to go through the land and write up a description of it, based on what each tribe needs for their inheritance. Then they will report back to me." 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.
5 "They should divide the remaining land into seven sections. Judah will stay put in the south, and the tribes of Joseph will stay in the north." 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.
6 "Once you write down descriptions of the seven land sections, bring the report back here to me. I will cast lots for you right here in the presence of the Lord our God." 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.
7 "The Levites do not get a section of land. Serving as the Lord's priests is their share. The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh already got their land on the east side of the Jordan. Moses, the Lord's servant, gave it to them." 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.
8 The men stood up and got ready to leave. Joshua told them, "Go explore the land and write it all down. Then come back to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh, in the Lord's presence." 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.
9 The men traveled across the whole land, writing down descriptions of its cities in seven sections on a scroll. Then they came back to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh. 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.
10 Joshua drew lots for them at Shiloh before the Lord. Then he split the rest of the land among the seven Israelite tribes. 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.
The Borders of Benjamin
Study note
The first lot fell to the tribe of Benjamin. Their territory was sandwiched between the powerful tribes of Judah to the south and Ephraim to the north. Despite being small, Benjamin's land was strategically important. It included the future site of Jerusalem on its southern border and the city of Jericho on its eastern edge. The border descriptions trace a path through hills, valleys, and springs that separated Benjamin from its neighbors.
11 The first lot went to the tribe of Benjamin, family by family. Their territory fell between the land of Judah and the land of Joseph. 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.
12 Their northern border started at the Jordan River. It went up along the north side of Jericho, then up into the western hills and out to the wilderness of Beth-aven. 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 Beth-aven.
13 From there the border crossed south to Luz (that is, Bethel). It continued down to Ataroth-addar on the hill south of lower Beth-horon. And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Beth-el, southward; and the border descended to Ataroth-adar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Beth-horon.
14 On the western side, the border turned south from the hill facing Beth-horon and ended at Kiriath-baal (also called Kiriath-jearim), a city belonging to Judah. That was the western side. And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Beth-horon southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.
15 The southern side started at the edge of Kiriath-jearim. The border went westward to the spring of Nephtoah. 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 It dropped down to the base of the hill facing the Valley of Hinnom, on the north side of the Valley of Rephaim. It continued through the Hinnom Valley along the south side of the Jebusite ridge, then went down to En-rogel. 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 En-rogel,
17 It turned north to En-shemesh. Then it went on to Geliloth, which faces the Pass of Adummim. From there it went down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. And was drawn from the north, and went forth to En-shemesh, 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,
18 It ran along the north side of the slope facing the Jordan Valley. Then it dropped down into the valley itself. And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah:
19 The border continued along the north side of Beth-hoglah and ended at the northern bay of the Dead Sea, where the Jordan River flows in. That was the southern border. And the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah 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.
20 The Jordan River formed the eastern border. These were the boundaries of Benjamin's territory, marking out the land for their families. 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.
Cities of Benjamin
Study note
Benjamin's cities are listed in two groups. The first group of twelve cities included Jericho and Bethel. The second group of fourteen cities included Gibeon, Ramah, and the Jebusite city (Jerusalem). Many of these cities became important in later Israelite history. Saul, Israel's first king, came from the tribe of Benjamin. The apostle Paul was also a Benjamite.
21 The cities belonging to Benjamin's families were: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Beth-hoglah, and the valley of Keziz,
22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, And Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, and Beth-el,
23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,
24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba -- twelve cities with their villages. And Chephar-haammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages:
25 Also Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,
26 Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah, And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,
27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
28 It also included Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (which is Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim. That was fourteen cities with their villages. This is what the tribe of Benjamin received, family by family. 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.