CHAPTER 19 THE PORTIONS OF THE REMAINING SIX TRIBES. In this chapter an account is given of the lots of the six remaining tribes, and the cities in them, of Simeon, whose cities were chiefly within the tribe of Judah (Joshua 19:1); of Zebulun, its border and cities (Joshua 19:10); of Issachar, its b... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, that is Sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Ezem, and Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, and Ziklag, and Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susah, and Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen. Thirteen cities with their villages.' The cities in which Simeon woul... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ Ain, Rimmon and Ether and Ashan. Four cities with their villages.' For the first two see Joshua 15:32 and 1 Chronicles 4:32. Ether and Ashan were in the Shephelah (Joshua 15:42). LXX here combines Ain and Rimmon as one city and includes a further city Tochen (1 Chronicles 4:32), but in 1 Chronic... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And all the villages which were round about these cities to Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negeb. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.' An all inclusive statement taking in any villages not seen as already included as far as Baalath-Beer, Ramah o... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ Out of the part of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon, for the portion of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.' Coming after verse 8 this is probably the writer's explanati... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families, and the border of their inheritance was to Sarid. And their border went up westward, even to Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth, and it reached to the river that is before Jokneam.' The third lot fell for Zebulun. T... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And turned from Sarid eastward, toward the east to the border of Chisloth-tabor, and it went out to Daberath, and went up to Japhia. And from there it passed along eastward to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, and it went out at Rimmon which stretches to (or ‘as it bends towards') Neah. And the border tu... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And Kattath, and Nahalal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Bethlehem. Twelve cities with their villages.' These five cities are in addition to those previously mentioned. The twelve presumably included those of the latter which were seen as in Zebulun's borders. Kattath is unidentified. Nahalal (Joshu... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun, according to their families, these cities with their villages.' Again we have the final seal on the allotment to a tribe in due form. Each received according to their size, ‘according to their families'. No mention has been made of Kartah and Di... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For Issachar came out the fourth lot, for the children of Issachar according to their families.' See note on Simeon (Joshua 19:1) with respect to the direct mention of the patriarchal name. Issachar is regularly tied in with Zebulun, and in the Blessing of Moses is mentioned co-jointly with them as... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And their border was to Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem, and Hapharaim, and Shion, and Anaharath, and Rabbith, and Kishion, and Ebez, and Remeth, and En-gannim, and En-haddah and Beth-pazzez.' Issachar's borders appear to have been fluid and its area mainly delineated by cities. This ties in w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And the border reached to Tabor, and Shahazumah, and Bethshemesh, and the goings out of their border were at Jordan. Sixteen cities with their villages.' Tabor is clearly a town connected with Mount Tabor on the Zebulun border and shared with Zebulun (see Judges 4:6; Judges 4:14; Judges 8:18; 1 Ch... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar, according to their families the cities with their villages.' This is the usual formula for sealing the inheritance of a tribe, a sign that this is included in an official record.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher, according to their families.' Once again we are reminded that the portions were given by lot in the presence of YHWH. This was not just a method of selection, it was a solemn seeking of God for His will at the Tabernacle by The Pr... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, and Allammelech, and Amad, and Mishal, and it reached to Carmel westward, and to Shihor-libnath.' These surveyors mainly depicted the border in terms of cities contained within the border. It is interesting to note the different app... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And it turned towards the sunrising (the east) to Beth-dagon, and reached to Zebulun and to the valley of Iphtah-el northward, to Bethemek and Neiel, and it went out to Cabul on the left hand, and Ebron and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even to Great Zidon.' The eastern boundary is now given. Bet... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And the border turned to Ramah, and to the city of Mibzar Zor (or ‘the fortress of Tyre'), and the border turned to Hosah, and its goings out were at the sea by the region of Achzib.' Ramah is unidentified, although Ramiyeh, twenty one kilometres (thirteen miles) south east of Tyre, has been sugge... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob. Twenty two cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.' Having completed the border description the writer now included these three cities, making twenty... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ For the children of Naphtali came out the sixth lot, for the children of Naphtali, according to their families.' Note the slight differences in the opening formulae - Joshua 18:11; Joshua 19:1; Joshua 19:10; Joshua 19:17; Joshua 19:24; Joshua 19:32; Joshua 19:40. These are clearly deliberate varia... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel to Lakkum, and its goings out were at Jordan.' In view of the fact that ‘the oak in Zaanannim (or ‘of Bezaanannim')' is in each case identified by a place name (Heleph here, compare Judges 4:11 where it is K... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor, and went out from there to Hukkok, and it reached to Zebulun on the south, and reached to Asher on the west, and to Judah at Jordan towards the sunrising (eastwards).' Aznoth-tabor is probably Khirbet el-Jabeil at the foot of Mount Tabor. Hukkok is... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And the fenced cities were Ziddim, Zer and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth, and Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor, and Kedesh, and Edrei, and En-hazor, and Iron, and Migdal-el, Horem and Ben-anath, and Beth-shemesh. Nineteen cities with their villages.' These cities number sixteen, thus we must also... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, according to their families, the cities and their villages.' Again we have the official seal on the boundaries and cities of a tribe.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan, according to their families.' The other six lots having been taken, the seventh remained. This was the allotment to the children of Dan. No strict borders are given but a list of towns. This may be because Dan's borders were not close... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And the border of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Ir-shemesh, and Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Ithlah, and Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron, and Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath, and Jehud, and Bene-berak, and Gath-rimmon, and Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border over against Jap... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And the border of the children of Dan went out from them. And the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt in it. And they called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.' This note was not a part o... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan, according to their families, these cities with their villages.' Here we have the official seal on the allotment to Dan, as found after the inheritance of each tribe has been delineated. This was their inheritance, and it was a prosperou... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ So they made an end of distributing the land for inheritance by their borders, and the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them. According to the commandment of YHWH they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, and he b... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before YHWH, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. So they made an end of dividing the land.' This summar... [ Continue Reading ]