Joshua 19:31

Asher’s Inheritance · Joshua 19:24–31
Read Joshua 19

Translations

Modern
This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Asher, including these cities and their villages.
Traditional
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.
Literal
This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher by their clans—these cities and their villages.
Latin
Hæc est possessio filiorum Aser per cognationes suas, urbesque et viculi earum.

Original

Hebrew
English
This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Asher, including these cities and their villages.

Notes

The land given to the tribe of Asher included the Plain of Acco on the Mediterranean coast and western Galilee. To the southwest, Asher extended to Mount Carmel, sharing a short border with the land given to the tribe of Manasseh. To the north, the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon restricted Asher's growth.

The five small remaining tribes received land on the edges of Israelite territory and had little influence on the nation.

  • 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).

  • 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

People

Asher: Son of Jacob and Zilpah, founder of the tribe of Asher

Glossary

Allotment of the Land Asher (Tribe) Issachar, Tribe of Joshua, Book of Judges, Book of Shiloh Token Tribe of Dan

Topics

the Tribe of Asher: Bounds of Their Inheritance Tribe of Asher: Census of, by Families: Allotment To, of Land in Canaan