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The Histories · Old Testament

Joshua 19

The remaining tribal lots and Joshua's own inheritance

General context

The remaining lots are assigned in order to Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and Dan, with their boundaries, towns and villages. Simeon's portion lies within Judah because Judah's initial share is described as too large. The lists then move through the other tribes, naming their neighbouring regions and ending with Dan. Dan's account includes an attack on Leshem: its people are struck with the sword, the Danites occupy it and give it their ancestor's name. After the division of the land, Israel gives Joshua the city he requests, Timnath-serah in Ephraim's hill country, according to the Lord's command. He builds it and lives there. The final sentence names Eleazar, Joshua and the tribal family heads and returns to Shiloh, where they complete the allotments by lot before the Lord at the tabernacle entrance.

Cited passages: Joshua 19:1, Joshua 19:2, Joshua 19:3, Joshua 19:4, Joshua 19:5, Joshua 19:6, Joshua 19:7, Joshua 19:8, Joshua 19:9, Joshua 19:10, Joshua 19:11, Joshua 19:12, Joshua 19:13, Joshua 19:14, Joshua 19:15, Joshua 19:16, Joshua 19:17, Joshua 19:18, Joshua 19:19, Joshua 19:20, Joshua 19:21, Joshua 19:22, Joshua 19:23, Joshua 19:24, Joshua 19:25, Joshua 19:26, Joshua 19:27, Joshua 19:28, Joshua 19:29, Joshua 19:30, Joshua 19:31, Joshua 19:32, Joshua 19:33, Joshua 19:34, Joshua 19:35, Joshua 19:36, Joshua 19:37, Joshua 19:38, Joshua 19:39, Joshua 19:40, Joshua 19:41, Joshua 19:42, Joshua 19:43, Joshua 19:44, Joshua 19:45, Joshua 19:46, Joshua 19:47, Joshua 19:48, Joshua 19:49, Joshua 19:50, Joshua 19:51

Joshua 19 (KJV)

1And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.

2And they had in their inheritance Beer-sheba, or Sheba, and Moladah,

3And Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Azem,

4And Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah,

5And Ziklag, and Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susah,

6And Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities and their villages:

7Ain, Remmon, and Ether, and Ashan; four cities and their villages:

8And all the villages that were round about these cities to Baalath-beer, Ramath of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.

9Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.

10And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families: and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid:

11And their border went up toward the sea, and Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth, and reached to the river that is before Jokneam;

12And turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising unto the border of Chisloth-tabor, and then goeth out to Daberath, and goeth up to Japhia,

13And from thence passeth on along on the east to Gittah-hepher, to Ittah-kazin, and goeth out to Remmon-methoar to Neah;

14And the border compasseth it on the north side to Hannathon: and the outgoings thereof are in the valley of Jiphthah-el:

15And Kattath, and Nahallal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Beth-lehem: twelve cities with their villages.

16This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

17And the fourth lot came out to Issachar, for the children of Issachar according to their families.

18And their border was toward Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem,

19And Hapharaim, and Shion, and Anaharath,

20And Rabbith, and Kishion, and Abez,

21And Remeth, and En-gannim, and En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez;

22And the coast reacheth to Tabor, and Shahazimah, and Beth-shemesh; and the outgoings of their border were at Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages.

23This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.

24And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.

25And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,

26And Alammelech, and Amad, and Misheal; and reacheth to Carmel westward, and to Shihor-libnath;

27And turneth toward the sunrising to Beth-dagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthah-el toward the north side of Beth-emek, and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand,

28And Hebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even unto great Zidon;

29And then the coast turneth to Ramah, and to the strong city Tyre; and the coast turneth to Hosah; and the outgoings thereof are at the sea from the coast to Achzib:

30Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty and two cities with their villages.

31This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

32The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.

33And their coast was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum; and the outgoings thereof were at Jordan:

34And then the coast turneth westward to Aznoth-tabor, and goeth out from thence to Hukkok, and reacheth to Zebulun on the south side, and reacheth to Asher on the west side, and to Judah upon Jordan toward the sunrising.

35And the fenced cities are Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth,

36And Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor,

37And Kedesh, and Edrei, and En-hazor,

38And Iron, and Migdal-el, Horem, and Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages.

39This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.

40And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

41And the coast of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Ir-shemesh,

42And Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and Jethlah,

43And Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron,

44And Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath,

45And Jehud, and Bene-berak, and Gath-rimmon,

46And Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Japho.

47And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

48This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.

49When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their coasts, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them:

50According to the word of the Lord they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnath-serah in mount Ephraim: and he built the city, and dwelt therein.

51These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they made an end of dividing the country.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The tribal names organize descendants and family inheritances, rather than describing new journeys by the patriarchs. The passage supplies Simeon's reason for receiving land within Judah. City names and grouping need care: verse 2 has Beer-sheba and Sheba in KJV, Beer-sheba or Sheba in ASV, and Beer-sheba and Shema in BBE, while verse 6 states thirteen towns. Asher's verse 28 has Hebron in KJV and Ebron in ASV/BBE; no identification with Caleb's Hebron is assumed. Naphtali's boundary description also names Judah at the Jordan without explaining that connection. Dan's verse 47 varies between insufficient extent in KJV/BBE and a border going beyond them in ASV. All three recount Leshem's capture and renaming, without giving a campaign date.

Cited passages: Joshua 19:1, Joshua 19:2, Joshua 19:3, Joshua 19:4, Joshua 19:5, Joshua 19:6, Joshua 19:7, Joshua 19:8, Joshua 19:9, Joshua 19:28, Joshua 19:34, Joshua 19:40, Joshua 19:41, Joshua 19:42, Joshua 19:43, Joshua 19:44, Joshua 19:45, Joshua 19:46, Joshua 19:47, Joshua 19:48, Joshua 19:49, Joshua 19:50, Joshua 19:51

Literary context

The numbered lots continue the sequence begun with Benjamin, and repeated family-and-village formulas give the lists a common form. Explanatory passages interrupt that pattern: Simeon's placement within Judah, Dan's capture of Leshem and Joshua's personal grant. Joshua receives his own place after the people's division has been completed in the narrative's order. The closing return to the named leaders, Shiloh and the tabernacle frames the lists as a public act of allocation before the Lord.

Cited passages: Joshua 19:1, Joshua 19:9, Joshua 19:10, Joshua 19:17, Joshua 19:24, Joshua 19:32, Joshua 19:40, Joshua 19:47, Joshua 19:48, Joshua 19:49, Joshua 19:50, Joshua 19:51, Joshua 18:11

Key moments

  1. Simeon within Judah (Joshua 19:9). The narrator explains that Judah's portion was too large and Simeon received land within it.
  2. Dan takes Leshem (Joshua 19:47). The Danites capture the city by the sword, settle it and rename it after Dan.
  3. Joshua receives his requested city (Joshua 19:50). Joshua is given Timnath-serah, builds it and lives there.
  4. The allotments conclude at Shiloh (Joshua 19:51). The named leaders finish dividing the country by lot before the Lord at the tabernacle entrance.

For reflection

The distribution includes an adjustment because one tribe's share was too large. What helps a community recognize when an initial allocation should make room for others?

People in this chapter

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