Keraia
Joshua 18

Joshua 18:4

The Remainder Divided · Joshua 18:1–10
Read Joshua 18

Translations

Modern
Appoint three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to survey the land and map it out, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me
Traditional
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.
Literal
Appoint from among you three men for the tribe, and I will send them, and they shall rise and go through the land and survey it according to their inheritance, and they shall come to me.
Latin
Eligite de singulis tribubus ternos viros, ut mittam eos, et pergant atque circumeant terram, et describant eam juxta numerum uniuscujusque multitudinis: referantque ad me quod descripserint.

Original

Hebrew
English
Appoint three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to survey the land and map it out, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me

Notes

Joshua 18:4

  • The three selected representatives from each tribe came from the seven tribes that had not yet received their allotments.

  • map it out: Israel was not entirely an oral society. If an event or record was important enough to be remembered over time, leaders ordered that it be written down.

Joshua 14:1–19:51

  • The allotment of land to the tribes on the west side of the Jordan describes what God intended for each tribe to possess.

  • The one narrating the story begins this section with Caleb receiving land and ends with Joshua receiving land (14:6–15; 19:49–51). Only Caleb and Joshua had shown faith in God that Israel could conquer the land (Numbers 13:30; 14:6–9).

Joshua 13:1–21:45

  • As he had promised, God brought Israel into the land. Joshua then focused on dividing the land among Israel's tribes.

  • The tribal allowances made the covenant of the Israelites with God real. It showed the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since God owned the land, giving it to the tribes was a gift. God gave them the land to live in and guided its distribution.

  • In these lists of tribal allowances, the author describes some borders in great detail, allowing them to be mapped. With others, they are less plainly defined.

Theme notes and profiles

Joshua Inheriting the Land

Glossary

Allotment of the Land Education Joshua (Person) Joshua, Book of Judges, Book of Shiloh Tribe of Dan

Topics

Chephar-Haammonai: A Town of Benjamin Sciences: Surveying Shiloh: City of Ephraim, North of Beth-El: Tabernacle Located At