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The Tribes Meet at Shiloh

18 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and there they set up the tent of meeting.[a] Though they had subdued the land,[b] seven Israelite tribes had not been assigned their allotted land.[c] So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long do you intend to put off occupying[d] the land the Lord God of your ancestors[e] has given you? Pick three men from each tribe. I will send them out to walk through the land and make a map of it for me.[f] Divide it into seven regions.[g] Judah will stay[h] in its territory in the south, and the family[i] of Joseph in its territory in the north. But as for you, map out the land into seven regions and bring it to me. I will draw lots for you here before the Lord our God. But the Levites will not have an allotted portion among you, for their inheritance is to serve the Lord.[j] Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their allotted land[k] east of the Jordan, which Moses the Lord’s servant assigned them.”

When the men started out, Joshua told those going to map out the land, “Go, walk through the land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will draw lots for you before the Lord here in Shiloh.” The men journeyed[l] through the land and mapped it and its cities out into seven regions on a scroll. Then they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh. 10 Joshua drew lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord and divided the land among the Israelites according to their allotted portions.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 18:1 tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”sn On the tent of meeting see Exod 33:7-11.
  2. Joshua 18:1 tn Heb “and the land was subdued before them.”
  3. Joshua 18:2 tn Heb “there were left among the sons of Israel who had not divided up their inheritance seven tribes.”
  4. Joshua 18:3 tn Heb “How long are you putting off entering and possessing.”
  5. Joshua 18:3 tn Or “fathers.”
  6. Joshua 18:4 tn Heb “I will send them so they may arise and walk about in the land and describe it in writing according to their inheritance and come to me.”
  7. Joshua 18:5 tn Heb “portions.”
  8. Joshua 18:5 tn Heb “stand.”
  9. Joshua 18:5 tn Heb “the house.”
  10. Joshua 18:7 tn Or “the priesthood of the Lord.”
  11. Joshua 18:7 tn Or “inheritance.”
  12. Joshua 18:9 tn Heb “went and passed through.”

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.

There remained among the Israelites [a]seven tribes who had not yet divided their inheritance. 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? 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. 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. 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. 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.”

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.” 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.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 18:2 I.e. Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan.
  2. Joshua 18:5 I.e. the tribe of Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.).