United Commentaries

Josh.13.8-21.45

As he had promised, God brought Israel into the land. Joshua next turned his attention to the allotment of the land to Israel’s tribes.

The tribal allotments gave geographical reality to the Israelites’ covenant with God and expressed the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Because God owned the land, the apportionment to the tribes was a gift. God gave them the land to dwell in and directed its distribution.

In these lists of tribal allotments, the author describes some borders in such detail that they can be plotted on a map while others were far less well defined.

Josh.14.1-19.51

The allotment of land to the tribes on the west side of the Jordan describes what God intended for each tribe to possess.

The narrator frames this section with the assignment of land to Caleb at the beginning (14:6-15) and to Joshua at the end (19:49-51). Only Caleb and Joshua had expressed faith in God that Israel could conquer the land (Num 13:30; 14:6-9).

Josh.19.1

Simeon, Jacob and Leah’s second son, was older than Judah. However, he had forfeited a leading role with his violent actions against Shechem (Gen 34:25-26). The tribal inheritance of his descendants reflected this; their land was carved out of Judah’s territory on the southern periphery of the Negev. This arid land was far from any centers of influence and power.

Josh.19.2-9

Some of the towns given to the tribe of Simeon were also part of Judah’s allocation because Judah’s territory was too large for them (cp. 17:14-18). Judah apparently absorbed most of Simeon’s territory into its own before the end of the Old Testament period.

Josh.19.10-48

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

Josh.19.10-23

The lands given to the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar were strategically located; the major international trading route from Egypt to Mesopotamia ran through their territories. When Israel was strong, this position brought prosperity. However, when Israel was weak, these tribes were vulnerable both to the armies of Egypt and to the successive Mesopotamian powers that fought for control of the ancient Near East.

Josh.19.10-16

The tribe of Zebulun received land partly in the valley of Jezreel and partly in the hills of Lower Galilee.

Josh.19.13

Gath-hepher was the hometown of the prophet Jonah (2 Kgs 14:25).

Josh.19.15

This Bethlehem was not the birthplace of David and Jesus in Judah.

More than twelve towns are named; some apparently did not belong to Zebulun but were on its borders.

Josh.19.16

Both by number of towns and by size of its territory, Zebulun was smallest of all the tribes. However, the New Testament village of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, was in the tribal territory of Zebulun (Matt 2:19-23; 4:13-16).

Josh.19.17-23

The land given to the tribe of Issachar included much of the fertile Jezreel Valley. During Old Testament times, this valley was largely a swamp surrounded by prosperous and important cities. This area was a center of Canaanite strength, so this small tribe had trouble gaining a foothold at first.

Josh.19.24-31

The land allocated to the tribe of Asher included the Plain of Acco on the Mediterranean coast and western Galilee. To the southwest, Asher touched Carmel, sharing at least a short common border with land allotted to the tribe of Manasseh. To the north, the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon limited Asher’s expansion.

Josh.19.30

The twenty-two towns did not include Tyre and Sidon, which the nation of Israel never controlled.

Josh.19.32-39

The tribe of Naphtali occupied eastern Galilee and overlooked the Sea of Galilee. Because a branch of an international trade route from Egypt to Mesopotamia ran through the territory of Naphtali, this tribe enjoyed periods of prosperity when Israel’s kings were strong. The city of Hazor was within Naphtali’s territory, guarding a section of that route. Naphtali is mentioned in Matt 4:13-16 in connection with Jesus’ ministry in Galilee.

Josh.19.40-48

The original allotment given to the tribe of Dan lay west of Judah and southwest of Ephraim’s main territory, between Judah and Philistia.

Josh.19.43

About fifty years after Israel came into Canaan under Joshua, the Philistines moved into the southern coastal plain and occupied the cities of Timnah and Ekron (Judg 14:1-2; 1 Sam 5:1-10). The Philistines were among the Sea Peoples who had perhaps been driven out of the Greek mainland and the Greek islands by an invasion from the north. The Sea Peoples also invaded and destroyed the Hittite Empire to the north of Israel. (Some scholars think that Homer’s Iliad reflects this movement.)

Josh.19.47

The tribe of Dan had trouble taking possession of their land because of the Philistines, so a group of Danites later moved northward to Laish (see Judg 18), which they renamed Dan, on the northern border of Israel’s territory.

Josh.19.49-50

The piece of land given to Joshua closes the section on the allocation of land to the tribes of Israel (see study note on 14:1–19:51).

Josh.19.51

After Joshua received his inheritance, the division of the land was completed. Joshua served God and led Israel faithfully for many years, and God was gracious to Joshua.