The Tribes participate in the lottery
Joshua 19:1-48
The Tribe of Simeon receive their territory allocation
Joshua 19
2 They had in their inheritance Beersheba (Sheba), Moladah,
3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,
4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,
5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,
6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen: thirteen cities and their villages;
7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan: four cities and their villages;
8 and all the villages that were all around these cities as far as Baalath Beer, Ramah of the South. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.
9 ¶ The inheritance of the children of Simeon was included in the share of the children of Judah, for the share of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of that people.
The Tribe of Zebulun receive their territory allocation
Joshua 19
11 Their border went toward the west and to Maralah, went to Dabbasheth, and extended along the brook that is east of Jokneam.
12 Then from Sarid it went eastward toward the sunrise along the border of Chisloth Tabor, and went out toward Daberath, bypassing Japhia.
13 And from there it passed along on the east of Gath Hepher, toward Eth Kazin, and extended to Rimmon, which borders on Neah.
14 Then the border went around it on the north side of Hannathon, and it ended in the Valley of Jiphthah El.
15 Included were Kattath, Nahallal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages.
16 This was the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.
The Tribe of Issachar receive their territory allocation
Joshua 19
18 And their territory went to Jezreel, and included Chesulloth, Shunem,
19 Haphraim, Shion, Anaharath,
20 Rabbith, Kishion, Abez,
21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.
22 And the border reached to Tabor, Shahazimah, and Beth Shemesh; their border ended at the Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages.
23 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.
The Tribe of Asher receive their territory allocation
Joshua 19
25 And their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,
26 Alammelech, Amad, and Mishal; it reached to Mount Carmel westward, along the Brook Shihor Libnath.
27 It turned toward the sunrise to Beth Dagon; and it reached to Zebulun and to the Valley of Jiphthah El, then northward beyond Beth Emek and Neiel, bypassing Cabul which was on the left,
28 including Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon.
29 And the border turned to Ramah and to the fortified city of Tyre; then the border turned to Hosah, and ended at the sea by the region of Achzib.
30 Also Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob were included: twenty-two cities with their villages.
31 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.
The Tribe of Naphtali receive their territory allocation
Joshua 19
33 And their border began at Heleph, enclosing the territory from the terebinth tree in Zaanannim, Adami Nekeb, and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum; it ended at the Jordan.
34 From Heleph the border extended westward to Aznoth Tabor, and went out from there toward Hukkok; it adjoined Zebulun on the south side and Asher on the west side, and ended at Judah by the Jordan toward the sunrise.
35 And the fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,
36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,
37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor,
38 Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh: nineteen cities with their villages.
39 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.
The Tribe of Dan receive their territory allocation
Joshua 19
41 And the territory of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh,
42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Jethlah,
43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,
45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,
46 Me Jarkon, and Rakkon, with the region near Joppa.
47 And the border of the children of Dan went beyond these, because the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem and took it; and they struck it with the edge of the sword, took possession of it, and dwelt in it. They called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.
So, let’s recap what’s already been handed out by Joshua to the Tribes of Israel previously. Reuben (Leah’s first son), Gad (Jacob’s first son by Leah’s handmaid, Zilpah) and half of Manasseh (Joseph’s son) have already been allocated territory on the east side of the Jordan River. You will recall that Joseph was Rachel’s oldest son. Ephraim was Joseph’s other son. Ephraim and the other half of Manasseh’s tribe received their allocations in Canaan in Joshua 16-17 (see notes). Jacob had adopted Joseph’s two sons as his own back in Genesis 48:5 (see notes). Judah (Leah’s fourth son) received their allocation first back in Joshua 15 (see notes). After the spies were sent out and returned in Joshua 18:1-10 (see notes), Benjamin (Rachel’s second son) was next to receive the tribal allotment in Joshua 18:11-28 (see notes). Theirs was the first lot of the remaining seven.
That leaves six more tribes to receive their territories in this chapter by the lottery method.
- The second lot fell to Simeon, Jacob’s second son by Leah (Verses 1-9).
- The third lot fell to Zebulun, Leah’s youngest son (Verses 10-16).
- The fourth lot fell to Issachar, Jacob’s fifth son by Leah (Verses 17-23).
- The fifth lot fell to Asher, Jacob’s second son by Zilpah (Verses 24-31).
- The sixth lot fell to Naphtali, Jacob’s youngest son by Bilhah (Verses 32-39).
- The seventh lot fell to Dan, Jacob’s oldest son by Bilhah (Verses 40-48).
It is somewhat interesting to me that the tribes who were the descendants of the sons of the maidservants of Jacob’s wives were the last three to receive their allotments. The other maidservant’s son was Gad who chose to stay on the other side of the Jordan with Reuben and Manasseh. Click here to see the sons of Jacob in order of their births.
Remember what Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, did to the Shechemites back in Genesis 34 (see notes) with that whole circumcision ploy? That was an amusing way to get revenge for which Jacob later, at his death, demonstrated that he never forgot. In the process of giving out blessings upon his boys, he gives a very specific one concerning Simeon and Levi. Jacob said in Genesis 49:7 (see notes) “Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.” Now isn’t it interesting that the Tribe of Levi (the priests) end up scattered in the towns of the other tribes and Simeon ends up with no specific territory, but also scattered in the cities of Judah. Jacob’s words over 400 years earlier became reality – fascinating!
With regard to the Tribe of Simeon, later on, they get very little attention in scripture. Remember that attempt to overthrow the theocracy in lieu of a democracy back in Numbers 16 (see notes)? Well, the Tribes on the south side of the Tabernacle (Simeon was one) took a big hit as a result. When the census is taken at the end of the 40 years, their numbers have diminished by nearly two-thirds. (Click here to see the population chart of the tribes.) Now, at the end of the 40 years, they are the smallest Tribe of Israel with just 22,200 men. Moreover, Beersheba was one of the cities listed in verse 2 as the inheritance of Simeon, but in Elijah’s day in I Kings 19:3 (see notes), we are told that Beersheba belongs to Judah. Apparently the assimilation of Simeon into the Tribe of Judah had largely taken place at that point, 500 years after Israel’s conquest of Canaan. However, we see in II Chronicles 4:24-43 (see notes) that some from the Tribe of Simeon cross over the Jordan River and set up housekeeping over on Mount Seir. That occurs during Hezekiah’s reign (715-686 B.C.). So, they never disappear as one of the Tribes of Israel.
But the Tribe of Levi ends up faring much better due to a subsequent extraordinary act of faithfulness. Although scattered throughout Israel as Jacob had decreed back in Genesis 49:7 (see notes), being a Levite in Israel wasn’t that bad of a deal in those days. So how did they earn this partial reprieve from Jacob’s decree? The answer is found in Deuteronomy 33 (see notes) when Moses blessed the Tribes of Israel prior to his death:
8 ¶ And of Levi he said:
“Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one,
Whom You tested at Massah,
And with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,
9 Who says of his father and mother,
“I have not seen them’;
Nor did he acknowledge his brothers,
Or know his own children;
For they have observed Your word
And kept Your covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob Your judgments,
And Israel Your law.
They shall put incense before You,
And a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar.
11 Bless his substance, LORD,
And accept the work of his hands;
Strike the loins of those who rise against him,
And of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”
So…what exactly did the Levites do to shake off some of their curse? Verse 8 (above) tells us that it was their action of faithfulness at Massah/Meribah, the location where Aaron manufactured the golden calf while Moses was away (Exodus 32, see notes). When Moses returned, here’s what Moses told the Hebrews:
27 And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ”
28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.
29 Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.”
So…because the Levites were faithful to God and Moses in Exodus 32 (see notes), they receive a special blessing from Moses in Deuteronomy 33 (see notes). As a result, though scattered, life as a Levite in Israel turned out to be a position of honor.
Joshua gets his reward
Joshua 19:49-51
Joshua 19
50 According to the word of the LORD they gave him the city which he asked for, Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim; and he built the city and dwelt in it.
51 ¶ These were the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel divided as an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So they made an end of dividing the country.
And…finally…old man Joshua gets his own city, Timnath Serah in mount Ephraim. The specific “word of the LORD” in verse 50 is not given, but it probably refers back to the events of Numbers 14 (see notes) when Joshua and Caleb were commended after their return with the other ten spies from Canaan. We saw in Joshua 18:1 (see notes) that the tabernacle had been erected in Shiloh; now we see in verse 51 that all of the territory assignments had been issued from the “door of the tabernacle” there at Shiloh, within the territory of Ephraim, about 10 miles from Timnath Serah.
The Levites rake in 48 cities complete with suburbs
Joshua 21
Joshua 21
2 And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The LORD commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their common-lands for our livestock.”
3 So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their common-lands:
4 ¶ Now the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And the children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin.
5 The rest of the children of Kohath had ten cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 ¶ And the children of Gershon had thirteen cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 ¶ The children of Merari according to their families had twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun.
8 ¶ And the children of Israel gave these cities with their common-lands by lot to the Levites, as the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses.
9 ¶ So they gave from the tribe of the children of Judah and from the tribe of the children of Simeon these cities which are designated by name,
10 which were for the children of Aaron, one of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi; for the lot was theirs first.
11 And they gave them Kirjath Arba (Arba was the father of Anak), which is Hebron, in the mountains of Judah, with the common-land surrounding it.
12 But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession.
13 ¶ Thus to the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Libnah with its common-land,
14 Jattir with its common-land, Eshtemoa with its common-land,
15 Holon with its common-land, Debir with its common-land,
16 Ain with its common-land, Juttah with its common-land, and Beth Shemesh with its common-land: nine cities from those two tribes;
17 and from the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its common-land, Geba with its common-land,
18 Anathoth with its common-land, and Almon with its common-land: four cities.
19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their common-lands.
20 ¶ And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, the rest of the children of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot from the tribe of Ephraim.
21 For they gave them Shechem with its common-land in the mountains of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the slayer), Gezer with its common-land,
22 Kibzaim with its common-land, and Beth Horon with its common-land: four cities;
23 and from the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with its common-land, Gibbethon with its common-land,
24 Aijalon with its common-land, and Gath Rimmon with its common-land: four cities;
25 and from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with its common-land and Gath Rimmon with its common-land: two cities.
26 All the ten cities with their common-lands were for the rest of the families of the children of Kohath.
27 ¶ Also to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, from the other half-tribe of Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), and Be Eshterah with its common-land: two cities;
28 and from the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its common-land, Daberath with its common-land,
29 Jarmuth with its common-land, and En Gannim with its common-land: four cities;
30 and from the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its common-land, Abdon with its common-land,
31 Helkath with its common-land, and Rehob with its common-land: four cities;
32 and from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Hammoth Dor with its common-land, and Kartan with its common-land: three cities.
33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their common-lands.
34 ¶ And to the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its common-land, Kartah with its common-land,
35 Dimnah with its common-land, and Nahalal with its common-land: four cities;
36 and from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its common-land, Jahaz with its common-land,
37 Kedemoth with its common-land, and Mephaath with its common-land: four cities;
38 and from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Mahanaim with its common-land,
39 Heshbon with its common-land, and Jazer with its common-land: four cities in all.
40 So all the cities for the children of Merari according to their families, the rest of the families of the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities.
41 ¶ All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their common-lands.
42 Every one of these cities had its common-land surrounding it; thus were all these cities.
43 ¶ So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.
44 The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.
45 Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.
The Levites may not get their own region like the other tribes, but they didn’t get a bad deal.
Here’s the breakdown:
- The Kohathites including the children of Aaron, the priest, received 13 cities out of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.
- The Kohathites also received 10 cities out of Ephraim, Dan and Manasseh (on the west side of the Jordan River).
- The Gershonites received 13 cities out of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and Manasseh in Bashan.
- Those of Merari received 12 cities out of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.
The “common-land” were open areas around the cities suitable for keeping livestock. Those were included with the awarding of the cities themselves. You will notice from this chapter that the cities of refuge indicated in Joshua 20 (see above) are all cities of Levities. Living in one of those cities as a non-Levite would have been a definite change in lifestyle.
It is still interesting though that what Jacob said back in Genesis 49:7 (see notes) seems to have come true for Simeon and Levi. Both end up with cities within territories and not distinct territories of their own…just as Jacob had said.
Finally, notice verse 43 regarding Israel’s new land, ” So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.” It may occur to you that these boundaries of Israel at this point in time don’t fulfill the promise God gave to Abraham back in Genesis 15:18 (see notes), “On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates.'” Click here for a complete explanation of the fulfillment and a map of Israel’s conquests.
The 48 Levitical Cities and 6 Cities of Refuge
(Cities of Refuge are CAPITALIZED and BOLDED)
Levitical Family
Tribe of Israel
Cities of Refuge
Kohathites
Judah & Simeon
HEBRON, Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, Bethshemesh
Kohathites
Benjamin
Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, Almon
Kohathites
Ephraim
SHECHEM, Gezer, Kibzaim, Bethhoron
Kohathites
Dan
Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Aijalon, Gathrimmon
Kohathites
Manasseh:
West of the Jordan
Tanach, Gathrimmon
Gershonites
Manasseh:
East of the Jordan
GOLAN, Beeshterah
Gershonites
Issachar
Kishon, Dabareh, Jarmuth, Engannim
Gershonites
Asher
Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, Rehob
Gershonites
Naphtali
KEDESH, Hammothdor, Kartan
Merarites
Zebulun
Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, Nahalal
Merarites
Reuben:
West of the Jordan
BEZER, Jahazah, Kedemoth, Mephaath
Merarites
Gad:
East of the Jordan
RAMOTH, Mahanaim, Heshbon, Jazer