Chapter 19

JOSHUA CHAPTER 19

Land Allotted to Simeon

      • The second lot of land that came up went to the clans of the tribe of Simeon. And their allotment of land was located within Judah’s territory.

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible writes, “Simeon, Jacob and Leah’s second son, was older than Judah. However, he had forfeited a leading role with his violent actions against Shechem (Genesis 34:25-26). The tribal inheritance of his descendants reflected this; their land was carved out of Judah’s territory on the southern periphery of the Negev. This arid land was far from any centers of influence or power.”

      • Their inheritance included the following 13 cities with their villages: Beersheba ( or Sheba), Moladah, Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, Eltodad, Bethul, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen.

      • It also included the following 4 cities with their villages, and all the surrounding villages as far as Baalath-beer (also known as Ramah in the Negev): Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan.

      • This was the inheritance of the descendants of the tribe of Simeon according to their clans. The land that was allotted to them came from within the territory that had been allotted to the descendants of the tribe of Judah because Judah’s allotted territory was too large for them. So, Simeon’s descendants received an inheritance that was located within Judah’s territory.

Land Allotted to Zebulun

      • The third lot of land that came up went to the clans of the tribe of Zebulun.

      • The territory of their inheritance went as far as Sarid. Their border went westward to Maralah, then it touched Dabbesheth, then reached the brook east of Jokneam. In the other direction, the border went east from Sarid to the border of Chisloth-tabor. From there it went to Daberath and up to Japhia. Then it continued east to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, proceeded to Rimmon, and turned to Neah. Then on the north, the border turned around to Hannathon and ended at the valley of Iphtah-el. Also included were the cities of Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem with their villages. Twelve cities with their villages.

      • This was the inheritance of the descendants of the tribe of Zebulun according to their clans including these cities and their villages.

        • NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible notes, “The allotment for Zebulun lies in the western part of lower Galilee, north of the Jezreel Valley and reaching north to include the fertile Beit Netofa Valley. The southern boundary (vv 10-11) proceeds to the east (vv 12-13) and then turns north (vv 14-15).

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible writes, “Gath-hepher was the hometown of the prophet Jonah (2 Kings 14:25).” The same source also adds, “More than twelve towns are named; some apparently did not belong to Zebulun but were on its borders.”

        • Also of note, the Bethlehem mentioned in this passage is not the same as the the Bethlehem in Judah. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible clarifies, “Northwest of Nahalal in Zebulun; it should not be confused with the well-known town in Judah. The judge Ibzan was buried here (Judges 12:9-10), and a modern village nearby is still called Beit-Lahm.”

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible adds this interesting comment, “Both by number of towns and by size of its territory, Zebulun was the smallest of all the tribes. However, the NT village of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, was in the tribal territory of Zebulun (Matthew 2:19-23; 4:13-16).”

Land Allotted to Issachar

      • The fourth lot of land that came up went to the clans of the tribe of Issachar.

      • Their territory included the following cities with their villages: Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzaz. The border also reached Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, ending at the Jordan River.

      • This was the inheritance of the descendants of the tribe of Issachar according to their clans, and included these cities and their villages.

        • The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible writes, “Issachar’s inheritance includes only a town list, the southern part of which overlaps with towns belonging to Manasseh. Issachar reaches the Beth Shan Valley in the south and the Valley of Yiptah-el in the north with towns on the edge of cliffs, on the basalt heights, and in the Jezreel Valley.”

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible adds, “The lands given to the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar were strategically located; the major international trading route from Egypt to Mesopotamia ran through their territories. When Israel was strong, this position brought prosperity. However, when Israel was weak, these tribes were vulnerable both to the armies of Egypt and the successive Mesopotamian powers that fought for control of the ancient Near East.” The same source continues, “The land given to the tribe of Issachar included much of the fertile Jezreel Valley. During OT times, this valley was largely a swamp surrounded by prosperous and important cities. This area was a center of Canaanite strength, so this small tribe had trouble gaining a foothold at first.”

Land Allotted to Asher

      • The fifth lot of land that came up went to the clans of the tribe of Asher.

      • Their border included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west it touched Carmel and Shihor-libnath. Then it turned east to Beth-dagon, reached Zebulun and the valley of Iphtah-el northward to Beth-emek and Neiel. Then it continued in the north to Cabul, Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon. Then the border turned toward Ramah, reaching to the fortified city of Tyre. Then it turned back to Hosah and ended at the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Achzib. Also included were the cities of Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob. Twenty-two cities with their villages.

      • This was the inheritance of the descendants of the tribe of Asher according to their clans, including these cities with their villages.

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible writes, “The land allocated to the tribe of Asher included the Plain of Acco on the Mediterranean coast and western Galilee. To the southwest, Asher touched Carmel, sharing at least a short common border with land allotted to the tribe of Manasseh…The twenty-two towns did not include Tyre and Sidon, which the nation of Israel never controlled.”

Land Allotted to Naphtali

      • The sixth lot of land that came up went to the clans of the tribe of Naphtali.

      • Their border went from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, to Adami-nekeb, Jebneel, and as far as Lakkum, ending at the Jordan River. Then the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor, then to Hukkok. It reached to Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and the Jordan River on the east. The fortified cities included in this territory were: Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh. Nineteen cities with their villages.

      • This was the inheritance of the descendants of the tribe of Naphtali according to their clans, including these cities with their villages.

        • NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible writes, “The territory of Naphtali includes the rest of Galilee (other than the southwestern part occupied by Zebulun), the area west of the Sea of Galilee, Hazor, and the Huleh basin…”

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible adds, “…Because a branch of an international trade route from Egypt to Mesopotamia ran through the territory of Naphtali, this tribe enjoyed periods of prosperity when Israel’s kings were strong…”

Land Allotted to Dan

      • The seventh lot of land that came up went to the clans of the tribe of Dan.

      • Their borders included the following cities: Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, Elon, Timnah, Ekron, Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, Me-jarkon, Rakkon, with the border opposite Joppa.

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible notes, “The original allotment given to the tribe of Dan lay west of Judah and southwest of Ephraim’s main territory, between Judah and Philistia.”

      • When the people of Dan lost possession of their territory, they went and attacked Leshem. They captured it, killed its inhabitants, and settled there. They renamed the city Dan after their ancestor. This was the inheritance of the descendants of the tribe of Dan according to their clans, including these cities and villages.

        • Again, with verse 47, we run into the issue of variation among translations. Compare the following:

        • KJV: And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

        • ESV: When the territory of the people of Dan was lost to them, the people of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and after capturing it and striking it with the sword they took possession of it and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor.

        • NASB: The territory of the sons of Dan proceeded beyond them; for the sons of Dan went up and fought with Leshem and captured it. Then they struck it with the edge of the sword and possessed it and settled in it; and they called Leshem Dan after the name of Dan their father.

        • Septuagint (LXX): This the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan, according to their families, these their cities and their villages: and the children of Dan did not drive out the Amorite who afflicted them in the mountain; and the Amorite would not suffer them to come down into the valley, but they forcibly took from them the border of their portion.

        • Right out of the gate we should establish that all agree (scholars, commentators, etc) that the translators of the KJV added the words “too little” here, and that they are not in the original text. (Sorry KJV only crowd.) I’ll cite two sources:

        • To me, it seems that the translators of the KJV added these words in order to clarify why the Danites attacked Leshem since the Masoretic does not elaborate on why (as can be seen from the NASB rendering which follows the Masoretic without adding additional text). The Septuagint does not have this issue since the reason why the Danites don’t have enough land is clearly given in its text. Of course, the text of the Septuagint is born out in Judges 1:34.

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible writes, “About fifty years after Israel came into Canaan under Joshua, the Philistine moved into the southern coastal plain and occupied the cities of Timnah and Ekron (Judges 14:1-2; 1 Samuel 5:1-10). The Philistines were among the Sea Peoples who had perhaps been driven out of the Greek mainland and the Greek island by an invasion from the north. The Sea People also invaded and destroyed the Hittite Empire to the north of Israel. (Some scholars think that Homer’s Iliad reflects this movement.) The same source notes that the Hebrew Lashem is “a variant spelling of Laish.” This city is referred to as Laish in Judges 18.

        • Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible includes this very interesting information on the history of Laish as well as the fact that this passage in Joshua must be a later addition to the book:

          • “The city of Leshem (called in Judges 18:29. Laish,) was not far from Jordan. The Danites gave it their name after they had conquered it. In after-times, when it fell into the hands of the Romans, they called it Paneas, and made it the metropolis of Iturea and Trachonitis. Philip, the son of Herod the Great, afterwards repaired it, and, in compliment to Tiberius Caesar, gave it the name of Cesarea Philippi. This expedition against Leshem was made after the death of Joshua. For more respecting it, see on Judges 18.; where there is an account of the whole expedition. From this, as some insist, it appears, that this book was not written by Joshua; whereas no more can be inferred from it, than that in after-times this passage might be here inserted by Samuel or Ezra, or some other inspired writer, in order to complete the account of the Danites’ possessions. It is very evident, that the present verse is not by the same pen with the rest of the book. But as the learned Bishop Huet observes, were the whole verse taken away, all that is said of this tribe would be perfectly coherent, and leave no breach at all in the context.

Land Allotted to Joshua

      • When they had finished assigning the territories according to their borders to the tribes, the Israelites gave Joshua (Nun’s son) an inheritance of land among them. As the Lord had commanded them, they gave him the city that he asked for- Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim. Joshua rebuilt the city and settled in it.

        • ESV Archaeology Study Bible says, “Like Caleb (14:6-15), his fellow survivor from the wilderness years, Joshua receives a special inheritance among the people. This purposeful literary framing of the inheritance of the land, starting with Caleb and concluding with Joshua, illustrates God’s faithfulness. Timnath-serah is identified with Khirbet Tibnah, about 15 miles west of Shiloh in the heart of the Ephraimite territory (Joshua’s tribe; see Numbers 13:8, 16).”

      • These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua (Nun’s son), and the leaders of the tribes distributed by lot to the Israelite tribes as their inheritances. They did this at Shiloh, at the entrance to the Tabernacle, in the presence of the Lord. So, the division of the land was completed.

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible notes, “The piece of land given to Joshua closes the section on the allocation of land to the tribes of Israel.”

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