Joshua 19:32

‘ 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 variations to prevent exact repetition and monotony. Benjamin, Simeon, Asher, and Dan (as was Judah (Joshua 15:1) and Reuben (Joshua 13:15)) are called ‘the tribe (matteh) of the children of --'. Zebulun, Issachar and Naphtali only ‘the children of --' (as was Joseph (Joshua 16:1) and Gad (Joshua 13:24), although the latter was first called in context ‘the tribe (matteh) of Gad'). Levi was called ‘the tribe (shebet) of Levi' (Joshua 13:14; Joshua 13:33) and ‘the Levites' (Joshua 14:3). But as Benjamin is also called ‘the children of --' (Joshua 18:28) and Issachar and Naphtali ‘the tribe of the children of --' (Joshua 19:23; Joshua 19:39) and there are changes in the order of words it seems simply to be a matter of scribal variation.

Simeon and Issachar also have the patriarch's name by itself. Naphtali alone has ‘the children of --' repeated, but there is no obvious reason for it. Note also that the lot ‘came up' for Benjamin and Zebulun, and ‘came out' for the remainder. This would suggest that they were drawn from a container.