Allotment of the Remaining Land
18 Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.
There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned. So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you? Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land. They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me. They shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall continue in his territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall continue in their territory on the north. And you shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God. The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the LORD is their heritage. And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.”
So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh.” So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion.
The Inheritance for Benjamin
The lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph. On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan. Then the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, and it ends at the wilderness of Beth-aven. From there the boundary passes along southward in the direction of Luz, to the shoulder of Luz (that is, Bethel), then the boundary goes down to Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower Beth-horon. Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city belonging to the people of Judah. This forms the western side. And the southern side begins at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim. And the boundary goes from there to Ephron, to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. Then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim. And it then goes down the Valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to En-rogel. Then it bends in a northerly direction going on to En-shemesh, and from there goes to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it goes down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, and passing on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-arabah it goes down to the Arabah. Then the boundary passes on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-hoglah. And the boundary ends at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border. The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin, according to their clans, boundary by boundary all around.
Now the cities of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to their clans were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba—twelve cities with their villages: Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin according to its clans.
(ESV)
Joshua 18 Commentary
Joshua 18 describes the division of the land in Israel after its conquest. Seven tribes had not yet received their inheritance, so Joshua instructed three men from each tribe to survey the land and divide it into seven portions. Judah and Joseph’s descendants were to remain in their existing territories. The Levites were excluded from the allotment, as their inheritance was the priesthood.
After the survey, the lot was cast in Shiloh, and the land was distributed to the tribes. The territory allotted to Benjamin’s descendants was situated between Judah and Joseph’s lands. It included cities like Jericho, Jerusalem (Jebus), and Gibeon, with specific borders outlined. The inheritance for Benjamin’s descendants was defined by these cities and their surrounding areas.
Shiloh
Spiritually, Shiloh is an important landmark for worship during this time. In both Judges and Samuel, we see special worship take place at this location. This would also be the location where God would allow the Philistines to overtake Israel and steal the ark of the covenant from them. This was a consequence of the sin that entangled them so often.
As I think of Shiloh, I picture a battleground that would have been prime real estate for spiritual warfare.
“Up to this point, Israel’s central encampment in the land had been at Gilgal, near Jericho, where they had observed several religious ceremonies (Jos 4:19-20; Jos 5:2-12; Jos 9:6). Now the entire congregation moved to Shiloh, about fifteen miles northwest of Jericho, where they set up the tent of meeting. This would remain an important Israelite religious center for several hundred years (Jos 19:51; Jos 21:2; Jdg 18:31; Jdg 21:12; 1Sa 1:9) until the taking of Jerusalem in David’s day.”
Nelson’s New Illustrated Commentary
It was a place sanctified by God’s Spirit that was holy and righteous. When Israel trampled that responsibility, the floodgates were opened for the enemy to pour in. We see a picture of this in Jeremiah 7.
“But look, you keep trusting in deceitful words that cannot help. [9] “‘Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known? [10] Then do you come and stand before me in this house that bears my name and say, “We are rescued, so we can continue doing all these detestable acts”? [11] Has this house, which bears my name, become a den of robbers in your view? Yes, I too have seen it. This is the LORD’s declaration.
[12] “‘But return to my place that was at Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first. See what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. [13] Now, because you have done all these things—this is the LORD’s declaration—and because I have spoken to you time and time again but you wouldn’t listen, and I have called to you, but you wouldn’t answer, [14] what I did to Shiloh I will do to the house that bears my name—the house in which you trust—the place that I gave you and your ancestors.”
Jeremiah 7:8-14 CSB
What is the practicality of this today? Our physical bodies serve as sacred vessels for God’s Spirit. We should examine ourselves: are we polluting God’s dwelling place within us? Are we neglectfully giving the enemy access to our inner being? These contemplations are worth considering.
