Joshua 18:1-10
Expanded Bible
The Rest of the Land Divided
18 All of the Israelites [L the whole congregation of the sons/T children of Israel] gathered together at Shiloh where they set up the Meeting Tent [Ex. 33:7–11]. The land was now under their control. 2 But there were still seven tribes of Israel that had not yet received their ·land [inheritance].
3 So Joshua said to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]: “·Why do you wait so long [L How long will you delay] to take your land? The Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given this land to you. 4 Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to study the land. They will ·describe in writing [or make a map of] the land their tribe wants as its ·share [inheritance], and then they will come back to me. 5 They will divide the land into seven parts. Judah will keep their land in the south, and the ·people [house] of Joseph will keep their land in the north. 6 You should ·describe [or map out] the seven parts of land in writing and bring what you have written to me. Then I will ·throw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord our God. 7 But the Levites do not ·get any part of these lands [have an allotment among you], because ·they are priests, and their work is to serve [L their portion/inheritance is the priesthood of] the Lord. Gad, Reuben, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh have received the ·land [inheritance] promised to them, which is east of the Jordan River. Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave it to them [Deut. 3:18–20].”
8 So the men who were chosen to map the land started out. Joshua told them, “Go and study the land and describe it in writing. Then come back to me, and I will ·throw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord here in Shiloh.” 9 So the men left and ·went into [passed through] the land. They ·described [mapped out] in a scroll each town in the seven parts of the land. Then they came back to Joshua, who was still at the camp at Shiloh. 10 There Joshua ·threw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord to ·choose [apportion] the lands that should be given to each tribe.
Read full chapter
Joshua 18:1-10
Amplified Bible
Rest of the Land Divided
18 Then the whole congregation of the Israelites assembled at Shiloh [in the tribal territory of Ephraim], and set up the Tent of Meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.
2 There remained among the Israelites [a]seven tribes who had not yet divided their inheritance. 3 So Joshua asked them, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? 4 Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe so that I may send them, and that they may go through the land and write a description of it with regard to their [tribal] inheritance; then they shall return to me. 5 They shall divide it into seven parts; [the tribe of] Judah shall remain in its territory on the south, and the [b]house of Joseph shall remain in its territory on the north. 6 You shall describe the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. I will cast lots for you here [c]before the Lord our God. 7 But the Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the Lord is [d]their inheritance. Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”
8 So the men arose and went [on their way], and Joshua commanded those who went to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk throughout the land and describe it, and return to me; and I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” 9 So the men set out and passed through the land, and described it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came back to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel, [to each tribe] according to their portions.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Joshua 18:2 I.e. Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan.
- Joshua 18:5 I.e. the tribe of Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
- Joshua 18:6 This was an important acknowledgement that the outcome of the lot-casting would be controlled by God. It was not a matter of random selection.
- Joshua 18:7 The priests received their sustenance from the various offerings that the people were compelled to bring (Lev 6:26, 29; 7:6-10; etc.).
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
