Joshua 18

Jos 18:1.

THE

TABERNACLE

SET

UP AT

SHILOH.

1. the whole congregation . . . assembled together at Shiloh--The

main body of the Israelites had been diminished by the separation of

the three tribes, Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh into their respective

allotments; and the country having been in a great measure subdued, the

camp was removed to Shiloh (now Seilun). It was twenty or twenty-five

miles north of Jerusalem, twelve north of Beth-el, and ten south of

Shechem, and embosomed in a rugged and romantic glen. This sequestered

spot in the heart of the country might have been recommended by the

dictates of convenience. There the allotment of the territory could be

most conveniently made, north, south, east, and west, to the different

tribes. But "the tabernacle of the congregation was also set up there,"

and its removal therefore must have been made or sanctioned by divine

intimation

(De 12:11).

It remained in Shiloh for more than three hundred years

(1Sa 4:1-11).

Jos 18:2-9.

THE

REMAINDER OF THE

LAND

DESCRIBED.

2. there remained . . . seven tribes, which had not yet received their

inheritance--The selection of Shiloh for the seat of worship, together

with the consequent removal of the camp thither, had necessarily

interrupted the casting of lots, which was commenced by fixing

localities for the tribes of Judah and Joseph. Various causes led to a

long delay in resuming it. The satisfaction of the people with their

change to so pleasant and fertile a district, their preference of a

nomad life, a love of ease, and reluctance to renew the war, seem to

have made them indifferent to the possession of a settled inheritance.

But Joshua was too much alive to the duty laid on him by the Lord to

let matters continue in that state; and accordingly, since a general

conquest of the land had been made, he resolved to proceed immediately

with the lot, believing that when each tribe should receive its

inheritance, a new motive would arise to lead them to exert themselves

in securing the full possession.

3. How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God

of your fathers hath given you--This reproof conveys an impression that

the seven tribes were dilatory to a criminal extent.

4-9. Give out from among you three men for each tribe--Though the lot

determined the part of the country where each tribe was to be located,

it could not determine the extent of territory which might be required;

and the dissatisfaction of the children of Joseph with the alleged

smallness of their possession gave reason to fear that complaints might

arise from other quarters, unless precautions were taken to make a

proper distribution of the land. For this purpose a commission was

given to twenty-one persons--three chosen from each of the seven tribes

which had not yet received their inheritance, to make an accurate

survey of the country.

9. The men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities

into seven parts in a book--dividing the land according to

its value, and the worth of the cities which it contained, into seven

equal portions. This was no light task to undertake. It required

learning and intelligence which they or their instructors had, in all

probability, brought with them out of Egypt. Accordingly,

JOSEPHUS says

that the survey was performed by men expert in geometry. And, in fact,

the circumstantial account which is given of the boundaries of each

tribe and its situation, well proves it to have been the work of no

mean or incompetent hands.

Jos 18:10.

DIVIDED BY

LOT.

10. Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord--before the

tabernacle, where the divine presence was manifested, and which

associated with the lot the idea of divine sanction.

11. the lot of . . . Benjamin came up--It has been supposed that

there were two urns or vessels, from which the lots were drawn: one

containing the names of the tribes, the other containing those of the

seven portions; and that the two were drawn out simultaneously.

the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and

the children of Joseph--Thus the prophecy of Moses respecting the

inheritance of Benjamin was remarkably accomplished.

(See on

De 33:12).