Joshua 24:26

Was the sanctuary originally at Shechem or at Shiloh?

PROBLEM: According to Joshua 24:25-26 (cf. v. 1), the sanctuary was at Shechem. But earlier (1 Samuel 3:21; 1 Samuel 4:3), it was said to be in Shiloh.

SOLUTION: The term “sanctuary” (miqdash) here simply means “holy place” or “sacred spot.” It need not refer to the “tabernacle” (mishkan) where the ark of the covenant rested, but simply to a sacred location, such as one consecrated by Abraham (cf. Genesis 12:6-7) and Jacob (Genesis 33:19-20; Genesis 35:2). The tabernacle was at Shiloh, as Joshua himself acknowledged earlier in this same book (Joshua 18:1).