Joshua's Farewell Address and Death

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 23:1) And it came to pass a long time after that the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old, stricken in age.

Israel had divided the land of Canaan among the tribes, and the people lived in peace and rest from all their enemies surrounding them.  Several years had passed, and Joshua had become very old.

(2) And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them, "I am old, stricken in age."

Joshua called to him all the elders and chief people in Israel, including heads of the tribes, judges, and officers.  He began by telling them that he had become very old.

(3) "And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you."

He reminded them that they had seen all that the Lord had done to the nations of Canaan for His people Israel.  He had fought for His people and had brought them to this point of peace and rest.

(4) "Behold, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even to the Great Sea westward."

I believe Joshua's point was that all of Canaan had been divided by lot to them, even the nations that remained unconquered.  Those unconquered parts, along with all the nations Joshua had cut off with the sword, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea, had been divided as an inheritance to the tribes.

(5) "And the Lord your God, He shall expel them from before you and drive them from out of your sight, and you shall possess their land, as the Lord your God has promised you."

Joshua encouraged the leaders of Israel that the Lord willed that they should inherit all of the land of Canaan, and He would drive the rest of the Canaanites out of their land, and they would be able to possess all of it, as their Lord had promised them.  It has been discussed before that they never did fully possess all the land that God had promised them because they were not obedient to the Lord to hold up their side of the covenant.  However, God said they would possess their land, and a passage in the book of the prophet Amos confirms that they eventually will possess it (Amos 9:15).

(6) "Be therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left."

Joshua was giving the leaders of Israel the same words he had received from the Lord when the reins were handed over to him after the death of Moses (Joshua 1:7).  He cautioned them to be courageous in keeping the commandments of the law, that they not turn aside from it.

(7) "That you do not come among these nations, these that remain among you, neither make mention of the name of their gods nor cause to swear, neither serve them nor bow yourselves to them."

Specifically, Joshua cautioned them against going among the pagan nations of people that remained and acknowledging their gods.  They were not to even speak their names, much less swear by them, serve them, or bow down to them.

(8) "But cleave to the Lord your God as you have done to this day."

They were to cleave only to their Lord God through their obedience, service, and worship of Him alone, as they had done since their time in Canaan to that point.  It can't be said that they were always so faithful while in the wilderness.

(9) "For the Lord has driven out from before you great nations and strong, but you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day."

The reason Joshua gave for them always cleaving to their Lord was because of the good things He had done for them.  He had driven out great and strong nations from before them so that no man was able to stand before them even to that day.

(10) "One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you."

One man of them would be able to chase a thousand of his enemies only because it was their Lord who fought for them as He had promised He would (Leviticus 26:8, Deuteronomy 1:30).

(11) "Take good heed therefore to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God."

Joshua impressed upon them the need to be careful and on guard that they always love, honor, and obey their Lord God.

(12) "Else if you do in any way go back and cleave to the remnant of these nations, these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them and go in to them and they to you, (13) Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out these nations from before you, but they shall be snares and traps to you and scourges in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you."

For if they turned away from their Lord and attached themselves to the remnant of the pagan nations in their land and made and consummated marriages with them, they could know for absolute certain that their Lord would no longer go before them to drive out those remaining nations.  They would remain as snares and traps to them, very troublesome and distressing, drawing them into idolatry and immorality.

(14) "Behold this day, I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you; all have come to pass to you, and not one thing of it has failed."

Joshua told them that he was going to die just as all living things eventually do.  He was about to leave them without a human leader, but he reiterated why they should put all their love and faith and trust in their Lord God to lead them.  They knew in their hearts that He had not failed to give them any good thing He had promised.  All He had promised had come to pass; therefore, they should continue to have total faith in Him.

(15) "Therefore it shall come to pass, as all good things have come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you, so shall the Lord bring upon you evil things until He has destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you. (16) When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God which He commanded you and have gone and served other gods and bowed yourselves to them, then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which He has given to you."

However, Joshua warned them, just as the Lord had given them all good things as He had promised, He also most assuredly would bring bad things to them until they were destroyed off that good land if they turned away from Him and their covenant with Him to serve idols.  If they did that, His anger would burn against them, and they would perish quickly from off their good land that He had given them.  Just because they had all good things at that time, didn't mean they could keep them always if they chose to turn from their Lord.

I take note here that the number one sin that will always kindle God's anger against His people is idolatry.  It is just one of ten big commandments of the Lord, yet it is the one He always mentions that will cause Him to turn away from His people.  However, is not every sin rooted in idolatry?  It may be idolatry of money or power or even self, but there is always something that we choose to make more important than God and His commandments when we sin.  And when we choose something else over God, He may let us have our way, and He will turn away from us.  He will never force Himself on us; He gives us a choice.  However, we must live with the consequence of our choice.  When we begin to see all good things in our lives as blessings from Him, we naturally want to love and follow Him.  Why would we want to follow after some empty idol that can never give us more than some brief pleasure?  In God there is a lifetime of joy and fulfillment and eternal life.  Money and power or anything that we build of ourselves can never do that.

Joshua's farewell address continued in the next and last chapter of Joshua:

(Joshua 24:1) And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God.

Joshua then gathered all the tribes, and especially the leaders of Israel, the elders, the judges, the officers, and the heads of the tribes, to Shechem, and they presented themselves before God.  Shechem was a significant place in Israel's history as it was the place where the Lord made His promise to Abraham that He would give his descendants that land, and he built an altar there (Genesis 12:6-7).  Jacob had also built an altar there (Genesis 33:18-20).  Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, where they shouted blessings and cursings (Joshua 8:33), were at Shechem.

(2) And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods.'"

Joshua spoke prophetically to the people the words of the Lord.  He began by telling them about their ancestors on the other side of the flood, or rather river, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nachor, who served other gods.  The original word translated as "flood" most often meant "river" and was most of the time transcribed that way by the KJV translators, but for some reason they translated it as "flood" this time.  Perhaps the meaning might be that the people's ancestors since the flood had served other gods.  It was understood that before the flood all people except Noah and his family had served other gods, but for their fathers more recently to have turned to false gods would be a very grievous thing.  However, most Biblical scholars believe the meaning should be river rather than flood, and that Joshua spoke of their ancestors who had lived on the other side of the Euphrates River.

Some Biblical scholars think that the verse should read that their fathers, Terah, Abraham, and Nahor, served other gods.  Of course, it is possible that Abram served other gods as he saw his father do until God called him away from his family, but I saw no actual example of his serving other gods.  I read the verse as your fathers, including Terah, served other gods.  "The father of Abraham and Nachor" just described who Terah was.

(3) "'And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.'"

The Lord took Abraham out of that idolatrous family and place, telling him to get out of his country and away from his family and his father's house (Genesis 12:1).  He took him through the land of Canaan and told him He would give his descendants that land (Genesis 12:7).  The Lord indeed gave Abraham many descendants, and he had given him his son Isaac.

(4) "'And I gave to Isaac, Jacob and Esau, and I gave to Esau Mount Seir to possess it, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.'"

Isaac had two sons, twins, Jacob and Esau, who had been "two nations" in their mother's womb (Genesis 25:23).  God gave Esau an inheritance in Mount Seir, leaving the promised land of Canaan to Jacob's descendants alone.  However, first Jacob and his children went to Egypt.

(5) "'I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them, and afterward I brought you out.'"

God sent Moses and Aaron to Egypt also to demand the release of His people who were in bondage in Egypt.  He plagued Egypt with ten plagues because they refused to let His people go, and then He brought them out.

(6) "'And I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.'"

The Lord brought His people out of Egypt, and the Egyptians chased them with chariots and horsemen which would suggest they would soon be able to overtake the people on foot.  They chased them to the Red Sea.

(7) "'And when they cried to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them, and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt, and you dwelt in the wilderness a long time.'"

The people cried out in distress at the Red Sea.  The pillar of cloud that led them then went behind them and was a cloud of darkness to the Egyptians and light to the Israelites.  He then parted the sea and after His people crossed the Red Sea on dry land, He then let the waters back down to cover the Egyptians.  Many of the people who had been children at the time had seen what their Lord had done in Egypt.  They had been in the wilderness a long time, forty years, because of the unbelief of their fathers, and until those fathers had died in the wilderness.

(8) "'And I brought you into the land of the Amorites who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you.'"

The Lord brought His people to the kingdoms of Sihon and Og on the eastern side of the Jordan River.  Those nations fought with them, but the Lord had delivered their enemies into their hand and destroyed them so that they might possess that land.

(9) "'Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.'"

Then Balak, the king of Moab, warred against the Israelites.  He called for the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites.

(10) "'But I would not hearken to Balaam; therefore he blessed you still, so I delivered you out of his hand.'"

However, the Lord would not allow Balaam to speak curses to Israel, and he instead blessed them; thus the Lord had delivered His people out of the hand of Balaam and likewise, Balak.

(11) "'And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand.'"

Then the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River and came into their promised land where the men of Jericho fought against them, but the Lord delivered their enemies into their hand.

(12) "'And I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites, not with your sword nor with your bow.'"

The Lord sent hornets before them to drive out the Canaanites including two kings of the Amorites.  I'm not sure if these were actual hornets or figurative speech about how the Lord drove out their enemies, not by the Israelites' swords or bows, but by the Lord's power only.  Twice the Lord spoke prophetically about sending hornets to drive out their enemies (Exodus 23:28, Deuteronomy 7:20), and here the Lord through Joshua said that He had done just that.  However, in the actual battles, it doesn't say that the Lord sent hornets.  Joshua 10:10 told how the Lord discomfited their enemies and chased them, but it said nothing about Him sending hornets.  However, it did say that He then sent hailstones.  Again in Joshua 11:8 it says the Lord chased their enemies, but it doesn't say it was with hornets.  Of course, that might be an ideal way to chase soldiers and kings, but I think if actual hornets were sent, scripture would have specifically said so.  In many other places in the Bible, scripture said specifically what sort of pest was being sent, and immediately after Joshua 10:10, scripture was specific about sending hailstones, so I just believe it would have been specific about sending hornets, as well, if He had sent them.  I truly believe this was figurative speech or perhaps a word that the translators were not familiar with, and it just meant that God Himself chased and drove out the enemy by His own power.

(13) "'And I have given you a land for which you did not labor and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which you did not plant, you do eat.'"

The Lord had given His people a ready-made land that they did not have to dig and cultivate, and He had given them cities they did not have to build, and He had given them fruits of the land that they did not plant.  He had given them, as He had promised, a land flowing with milk and honey and many good things.

(14) "Now therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt, and serve the Lord."

Having concluded the words of the Lord in verse 13, these are the words of Joshua telling the people that because of their Lord's mercies and goodness in all that He had done for them, they should reverence Him and serve only Him in sincerity with no hypocrisy and in the truth found only in His word.  He had told them in verse 2 about how their fathers since the flood had served other gods, and he urged them to put away those false gods and serve their Lord God.

(15) "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Joshua challenged the people that if it seemed evil, or say just burdensome and unpleasant, to serve the Lord, then they should choose whom they would rather serve.  Did they wish to serve the gods of their fathers or the gods of the Amorites who had been in their land before them?  Let their choice be whatever they wished, but as for Joshua, he was resolute in the fact that he and his house would serve the Lord.

(16) And the people answered and said, "God forbid that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods."

The people answered that they would never think of forsaking their Lord to serve other gods.

(17) "For the Lord our God, He who brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way in which we went and among all the people through whom we passed, (18) And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, even the Amorites who dwelt in the land; we will also serve the Lord for He is our God."

The people went on to explain why they would never think of forsaking their Lord, because of all the great things He had done for them.  He had freed them from bondage, preserved them wherever they went among enemies, and then drove out the enemies who had dwelt in the land He was giving them.  They declared their choice was to also serve the Lord their God.

(19) And Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the Lord for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. (20) If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, then He will turn and do you hurt and consume you after He has done you good."

I believe both verses should be taken as one sentence.  I think Joshua's point was that the people would not be able to serve a holy God jealous that His people be only His and serve only Him, if they continued in sin.  As Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "no man can serve two masters..."  They must wholeheartedly choose to serve their Lord or they would be forsaking Him, choosing another master, and then the Lord would turn away from them and that in itself would destroy them.  The Lord God is our only choice for life.  Since the beginning of time, since Adam and Eve brought sin on man, we sinful creatures are unable to stand before such a holy God.  It is only by His love and mercy that He gave us a way to be acceptable in His presence, but if we choose not to go that way, then we are doomed to be left in our sin, and in the righteous judgment of God, we have chosen to accept the consequences of sin, which is death.  God has set before each of us two choices, life and death, and He urges that we choose life if we want to live (Deuteronomy 30:19).  The other choice leads only to death.

(21) And the people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the Lord."

The people declared that they would not serve other gods but would serve their Lord God only.

(22) And Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for you the Lord, to serve Him." And they said, "Witnesses!"

Joshua declared that they would be witnesses against themselves if they should turn away from their Lord after their testimony that day.  They would be self-condemned by their own words.  The people agreed that they were indeed witnesses to that truth.

(23) "Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel."

Joshua told them therefore they were to put away the strange gods among them.  There may have been actual physical small idols of worship that had been kept from their fathers before them, or it might rather be that Joshua spoke of idols of the heart, secret sentiments they had toward some idol.  Whatever the idol that took their hearts away from their Lord, they were to put away, and they were to incline their hearts toward the Lord God of Israel only.

(24) And the people said to Joshua, "The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey."

The people confirmed that they would serve and obey their Lord God.

(25) So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

Joshua established that covenant with the people and made it a permanent law that they and their descendants would always bind themselves to God only.

(26) And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.

Joshua wrote the words of their covenant established that day in the book of the law that would have been in the ark of the covenant which must have been with him at Shechem that day.  He took a great stone and set it up under an oak tree that was by that holy place of the Lord.  I don't believe this was meant to have been at the actual sanctuary.  The word that was translated as "sanctuary" also means "a consecrated thing or place, holy place."  Joshua had brought the people to Shechem to a holy place of their fathers, and there he placed a memorial stone which wouldn't have been necessary if they were at the actual sanctuary.

(27) And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us; it shall be therefore a witness to you, lest you deny your God."

Joshua told the people that that stone would act as a witness of the covenant they had made, as it was a symbolic reminder of the words of the Lord that had been spoken there that day and of the witness against the people should they turn from Him.

(28) So Joshua let the people depart, every man to his inheritance.

With that, Joshua let the people go back to their lands that they possessed as their inheritance from God.

(29) And it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died a hundred and ten years old.

It was shortly after this that Joshua died at 110 years of age.  I think now is a good time to reflect on the reason why Joshua is always identified as the son of Nun.  Joshua is such an important figure in the Bible in his own right, and Nun is never mentioned other than being the father of Joshua.  As studied previously, I found that the original words were "Joshua bin Nun" rather than "Joshua ben Nun," which would have meant Joshua was the son of Nun.  "Bin Nun" or "binnun" meant the "understanding one."  From the beginning, Joshua was an excellent student of Moses and wouldn't leave the tabernacle even after Moses did (Exodus 33:11).  Additionally, he always demonstrated complete faith in God when others failed in their faith.  Perhaps this moniker of "Joshua the understanding one" did demonstrate that Joshua was a man in his own right.  

This time, in my study, I reflected on just the word "nun" which means "perpetuity."  The name Joshua, "yehoshua," means "Jehovah-saved."  Jehovah, the name of the Lord, the self-existent eternal God, which is what Jehovah means, saves eternally.  Was Joshua Jehovah-saved in perpetuity?  Biblical scholars often speak of Joshua being an Old Testament type of Jesus.  Actually, their names are the same in Hebrew, but in Greek in the New Testament, Jesus (in English) became Ieous.  Joshua was the one who brought the people into their promised land on earth, but Jesus brings them into the heavenly promised land.  Joshua succeeded Moses who represented the law, and Jesus's gospel succeeded the law.  Joshua made a new covenant with the people before he died, and Jesus brought a New Covenant of grace.  While names are very important in the Bible, and Joshua being eternally saved by Jehovah who saves, and being an Old Testament type of Jesus who was the one who ultimately fulfilled that salvation through His death and resurrection, I have to note that according to the genealogy in 1 Chronicles 7:27, Joshua was indeed the son of Nun.  Perhaps Joshua was always referred to as the son of Nun because all the symbology in both those names was the very essence of who he was.

(30) And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Serah, which is in Mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

The people buried Joshua in his own inheritance in the mountains of Ephraim in the city which he built, Timnath Serah, on the north side of Mount Gaash in the mountainous region.

(31) And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had known all the works of the Lord that He had done for Israel.

The Israelites kept their covenant and served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who had lived during the time of Joshua and beyond, men who had known all the things the Lord had done for His people.

(32) And the bones of Joseph which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver, and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

The Israelites had brought the bones of Joseph out of Egypt as he had requested (Genesis 50:25) and as Moses directed (Exodus 13:19).  They buried them in Shechem in a parcel of ground that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver (Genesis 33:19), in the land that became the inheritance of the sons of Joseph, specifically Ephraim.

(33) And Eleazor the son of Aaron died, and they buried him in a hill of Phinehas his son which was given him in Mount Ephraim.

Eleazar the priest, the son of Aaron, also died, and they buried him in a hill of Phinehas, Eleazar's son, which had been given to him in Mount Ephraim.  The priests had no land of their own but were given cities in which to live, so the Ephraimites had undoubtedly given this piece of land to either Eleazar or his son, Phinehas.

So ends the book of Joshua.  Obviously, the last five verses couldn't have been written by him but were added after his death.  Once again, I can't help but reflect on what a great man Joshua was and how like Jesus he was, the perfect illustration of the Christ to come.  In addition to the similarities before mentioned, it doesn't appear that Joshua ever married or had any children.  He devoted his entire life to the service of God, from his time as a young man learning from Moses up until his death.  Of course, Joshua was only human and must have sinned sometime in his life, but I don't recall any such thing being recorded thus far in the Bible.  Joshua never worked to provide for himself and never asked for much.  Even the inheritance he had apparently once asked for (Joshua 19:50), he didn't ask for when the time came to divide up the inheritance, but the people gave it to him.  And it wasn't even a choice land but rather a rough mountainous region where he built the city of Timnath Serah.  He lived as a servant of the people and most importantly of his God, and he led his people to their rest in their promised land.  Jesus, about 1400 years later, would bring people to that true eternal rest.

Also notable in the last chapter of Joshua is the retelling of history and of the marvelous things the Lord had done for His people.  Throughout the Bible, the people were retold history so that they would never forget the goodness of the Lord, and so should we always reflect on the good things the Lord has done for us.  No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, we can always be thankful for the greatest gift of all, eternal salvation in Him that was only possible through the sacrifice and death of Jesus Christ.

The Eastern Tribes' Altar of Witness

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 22:1) Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

In the past few chapters, all of the promised land had been divided and given to each of the tribes.  Cities of refuge had been established, and each tribe gave some of their cities to the Levites where they could dwell since they did not have their own land.  Then Joshua called to him the two and a half tribes who had their inheritance east of the Jordan River.

(2) And said to them, "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you."

When the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh desired their lots to be east of the Jordan River, Moses agreed because they said they would leave their families there in safety but would fight with the other tribes west of the Jordan, and they promised not to return to their lots on the east until the land was subdued and every tribe had its inheritance (Numbers 32:18).  The two and a half tribes had obeyed Joshua's every command and went wherever he told them to go (Joshua 1:16).

(3) "You have not left your brethren these many days until this day but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God."

Joshua commended the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, for staying with their brethren on the west side of the Jordan up to that point.  It had been very many days according to Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Bible, who wrote that the consensus of the Jews was that it had been fourteen years, seven years subduing the land and seven years dividing it.

(4) "And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brethren as He promised them; therefore now return and go to your tents to the land of your possession which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of Jordan."

Now that the Lord had given all Israel rest from their enemies and every tribe had been given his lot, Joshua gave the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, permission to return to their homes on the east side of the Jordan.  They had fulfilled the condition that they wait until the land of Canaan was subdued and only then would they be given their inheritance east of the Jordan (Numbers 32:22).

(5) "But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Joshua advised his brethren to make sure that they diligently followed the commandments of their Lord to love, honor, and serve Him with all their hearts and souls, and to cleave to Him, walk in His ways, and obey all His commandments.

(6) So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. (7) Now to the half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua gave among their brethren on this side of Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also to their tents, then he blessed them.

It appears that all of Manasseh had come before Joshua, but as only half of them had received land on the east of the Jordan, Bashan, the kingdom of Og, Joshua sent the half tribe living on the west side of the Jordan to their tents.  Then he sent the two and a half tribes back to their tents on the east of Jordan, and he blessed them.

(8) And he spoke to them, saying, "Return with much riches to your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much clothing; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren."

Joshua told them to return to their homes with a division of the spoil they had acquired from their enemies, of the cattle, silver, gold, brass, iron, and fine clothing.  Some Biblical scholars think this meant they were to divide the spoil with their brethren who had remained at home on the east of the Jordan to protect the women, children, and livestock.  That may be, as only 40,000 (Joshua 4:13) of the approximately 110,000 able to go to war, according to the census taken in Numbers 26, went to help their brethren in the west. 

(9) And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession which they possessed according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

And so the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, departed Shiloh in Canaan to return to their land east of the Jordan River, the country of Gilead (and Bashan), the land they were given according to the word of the Lord through Moses.

(10) And when they came to the borders of Jordan in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see.

When the two and a half tribes arrived at the Jordan River, they built a great altar built very high to be seen from far away.  Although verse 10 makes it sound as if they built the altar in the land of Canaan, the next verse indicates they built it on their own side of the Jordan, but perhaps visible from Canaan.

(11) And the children of Israel heard say, "Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar across from Canaan in the borders of Jordan at the passage of the children of Israel."

The Israelites on the west side of the Jordan River learned by hearsay that the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, had built an altar across from Canaan on the banks of the Jordan where they had passed over when they first came into Canaan.

(12) And when the children of Israel heard, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.

When the Israelites in the land of Canaan learned about the altar, they gathered themselves together at Shiloh where the tabernacle and altar of the Lord were.  They considered the altar built by the two and a half tribes an offense to the Lord that needed to be avenged, and they discussed going to war against them.

(13) And the children of Israel sent to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, (14) And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel, and each one a head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.

The Israelites in Canaan on the west of the Jordan sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, and ten princes, one from each tribe, each from the chief house in their tribe, over the Jordan River to Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

(15) And they came to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, (16) "Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, 'What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built you an altar, that you might rebel this day against the Lord?'"

The delegation came to the eastern tribes, telling them that the entire congregation in Canaan wanted to know why they had committed such iniquity against their Lord by building an altar to rebel against Him.  Many people before them had built altars to honor God, but God had said in Deuteronomy 12:13-14, that they were not to offer burnt offerings in any place they wanted, but only in the one place that the Lord Himself would choose.  The western Israelites must have assumed that the tribes on the east wanted to sacrifice at the altar they had made.

(17) "'Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord? (18) But that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? And it will be, if you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.'"

They asked if the sin of worshipping the idol Peor in the plains of Moab (Numbers 25:2) was so small a sin that they must add to it a much greater sin of what they assumed to be continuous idol worship.  They said they had not been cleansed from the shame and disgrace of that sin until this time when they started anew in their promised land, although there had been 24,000 people killed by a plague because of it (Numbers 25:9).  They were convinced that if the two and a half tribes continued with their altar the Lord would be angry with the entire congregation.

(19) "'Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over to the land of the possession of the Lord where the Lord's tabernacle dwells and take possession among us, but do not rebel against the Lord, nor rebel against us, in building an altar besides the altar of the Lord our God.'"

I believe the sense is that if the two and a half tribes felt their land was unclean because it had not been cleansed from the sins of the former inhabitants, and they felt a need for an altar where they could sacrifice for the atonement of sin, then they should go back to the land of Canaan on the west of the Jordan and possess land there.  But they asked that they not rebel against the Lord and their brethren by building an altar besides the one altar of their Lord God.

(20) "'Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.'"

They reminded them of the sin of Achan when he sinned against the Lord by taking of the accursed things against the commandment of the Lord (Joshua 7:11).  Achan had not perished alone in his iniquity.  The Israelites had lost their first battle with Ai where they fled before their enemies, and thirty-six of them were killed by the men of Ai (Joshua 7:5).

(21) Then the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, answered and said to the heads of the thousands of Israel, (22) "The Lord God of gods, He knows, and Israel shall know; if it is in rebellion or if in transgression against the Lord, do not save us this day, (23) That we have built us an altar to turn from following the Lord, or if to offer on it burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the Lord Himself require it."

Then the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, answered their accusers.  Their Lord God knew their hearts, and now all of Israel would know, because if they had rebelled against the Lord or transgressed against Him, they asked that the Lord not save them alive that day.  If they had built that altar in order to turn away from following the Lord or to offer sacrifices on it, even if to their Lord God, then let the Lord Himself require their punishment.

(24) "And if we have not done it for fear of this, saying, 'In time to come your children might speak to our children, saying, "What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? (25) For the Lord has made Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad, you have no part in the Lord." So shall your children make our children cease from fearing the Lord.'"

However, they declared they had rather built the altar because they feared their children might turn away from the Lord.  They saw a time when the children of the Israelites in Canaan would notice a border between them and the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan and determine that it must mean the eastern tribes had no part in the Lord, that He Himself had placed a border between them.  They feared that their children might then cease from fearing and following their Lord God.

(26) "Therefore we said, 'Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, (27) But as a witness between us and you and our generation after us, that we might do the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, that your children may not say to our children in time to come, "You have no part in the Lord."'"

Therefore the two and a half tribes built an altar, not for offerings or sacrifice, but as a symbol of their solidarity with Israel and in the worship of the Lord God of Israel.  In the future, children of the tribes in Canaan would know that the two and a half tribes indeed had a part in their Lord God and would allow them to come to Canaan to the altar of the Lord with their offerings and sacrifices.

(28) "Therefore we said that it shall be when they should say so to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, 'Behold the pattern of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'"

They built the altar so that in generations to come if the tribes in Canaan suggested that they had no part in their Lord, that they could point to the pattern of their altar built by their fathers, that it was an exact replica of the altar in Canaan, not for offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between the tribes that they all worshipped the same God.

(29) "God forbid that we should rebel against the Lord and turn this day from following the Lord, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the Lord our God that is before His tabernacle."

The two and a half tribes proclaimed that God forbid they should do such an abhorrent thing as to rebel against their Lord God and build an altar at which to bring sacrifices and offerings, besides the one true altar of the Lord at His tabernacle.  

(30) And when Phinehas the priest and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel with him heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them.

When Phinehas the priest and the ten princes representing thousands in Israel heard what the two and a half tribes said about the purpose of their altar, they were pleased.

(31) And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, "This day we perceive that the Lord is among us because you have not committed this trespass against the Lord; now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord."

Phinehas the priest then told the two and half tribes that he was sure the Lord was among them all because they had not done what the western Israelites had feared they had done.  And because their hearts and motives were pure, they had saved all of Israel from the anger of the Lord.

(32) And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the princes returned from the children of Reuben and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan to the children of Israel and brought them back word.

Phinehas and the ten princes returned to their tribes on the west of the Jordan River and told them what had transpired with the two and a half tribes on the east side.

(33) And the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God and did not intend to go up against them in battle to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.

All of western Israel was pleased to hear the outcome, and they blessed and thanked God that no trespass had been made against Him, and therefore they did not intend to go to battle against their brethren in the east.

(34) And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad named the altar, "For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God."

The eastern tribes named their altar as it was always to be remembered as a witness between the Israelites on both sides of the Jordan that the Lord was the one true God worshiped by both.  The KJV and many other translations inserted the word "Ed" which meant "witness" to say that the eastern tribes named the altar Ed because it was a witness.  However, the original text did not specify a name, only that it was named for it was to be remembered as a witness that the Israelites on both sides of the Jordan worshipped the same God.

The western tribes had jumped to a wrong conclusion about their eastern brethren.  It may have been wrong to judge them without knowing the facts, but they were zealous for their Lord, wanting no trespass against Him nor any sin in the house of Israel.  Although they had initially planned to go to war with them, they first sent a delegation to confront the two and a half tribes and gave them a chance to respond, so all was worked out peacefully.  It's a good lesson in how Christians ought to resolve conflicts, and additionally, they ought always to remember that God judges the heart, and they can't be too quick to jump to erroneous conclusions just because of how they think a thing looks.

Cities Allotted to Levi

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 21:1) Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.

In the past chapters and posts, Eleazar the high priest and Joshua, along with heads of the tribes, had divided the land and given inheritance to each of the tribes.  Then the people appointed cities of refuge among their tribes.  Now the heads of the Levites came to Eleazar, and Joshua, and those heads of the other tribes.

(2) And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, "The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs of them for our cattle."

The Levites reminded them that the Lord had commanded through Moses that they should have cities and suburbs within the other tribes, to live in and keep livestock.  The Levites had not been given a lot of their own as had been given the other tribes, because as the priests, God was to be their inheritance.  However, God did provide for them cities in which to dwell within the other tribes (Numbers 35:2).

(3) And the children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance at the commandment of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs.

The Israelites indeed gave to the Levites cities out of their inheritance in which to dwell, descriptions of which follow.

(4) And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites, and the children of Aaron the priest of the Levites had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.

The first lot came out for the Kohathites, descendants of Kohath, a son of Levi.  The children of Aaron the priest, son of Amram who was a son of Kohath, were the only priests of the Levites.  The other Levites assisted the priests and acted as ministers for the people.  The children of Aaron, the priests, were given cities out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities in all.

(5) And the rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan River, ten cities.

The rest of the Kohathites, Levites, but not priests, had their cities assigned by lot within the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities in all.

(6) And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.

The children of Gershon, another son of Levi, had cities assigned by lot within the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan River.

(7) The children of Merari by their families, had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

The children of Merari, the third son of Levi, were given cities within the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun, twelve cities in all.  All the tribes were to give cities to the Levites as a sort of tithe.  They were to provide for the priests and the ministers who attended the priests and ministered to the people within each tribe.  Although it was a benefit to the other tribes to have Levite ministers living among them, it was the fulfillment of a curse made by Jacob, that because of their anger and cruel wrath, they would be scattered throughout Israel (Genesis 49:7).  A total of forty-eight cities were given to the Levites according to the commandment of the Lord (Numbers 35:7).

(8) And the children of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.

The Israelites gave by lot cities along with their suburbs within each of their tribes, just as the Lord had commanded.

(9) And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are mentioned by name, (10) Which the children of Aaron of the families of the Kohathites of the children of Levi had, for theirs was the first lot. (11) And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which is Hebron, in the hills of Judah with the suburbs of it round about it.

The Israelites gave the children of Aaron who were of the Kohathites, cities, names which follow in the text, out of the tribes of Judah and Simeon.  First, they gave them the city and suburbs of Kirjath Arba, "city of Arba," Arba being a son of the Anakims, a race of giants among whom Arba was chief.  It was renamed Hebron (Joshua 14:15) and it lay in the hill country of Judah.  

(12) But the fields of the city, and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

However, the fields and villages surrounding Hebron belonged to Caleb (Joshua 14:13).  He had been given Hebron, but as with all the tribes, he gave a city in which the Levites could dwell.  According to Biblical scholars, the suburbs of the Levitical cities were generally 2000 cubits, about 1000 yards.  Anything beyond that belonged to the tribe that was giving the city for Levitical use.

(13) Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Libnah and her suburbs.

The Israelites gave the children of Aaron, the priests, the city of Hebron which was also a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7) and the city of Libnah and their suburbs.

(14) And Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her suburbs, (15) And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her suburbs, (16) And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, Beth Shemesh with her suburbs, nine cities out of those two tribes.

The priests also had the cities of Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, in which to live and dwell.  They had a total of nine cities within the tribes of Judah and Simeon, Simeon being within Judah.

(17) And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs, (18) Anathoth with her suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs; four cities.

Out of the tribe of Benjamin, the Levitical priests had the cities of Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, and Almon, four cities and their suburbs.  Anathoth and Almon were not listed among the cities within Benjamin's tribe in chapter 18 and must have been a couple of the smaller villages that were said to be part of the larger cities.  The cities within Benjamin were described as cities with their villages rather than cities with their suburbs.

(19) All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, totaled thirteen cities with their suburbs.

(20) And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.

The rest of the Kohathites, those who were not of Aaron and the priests, also had cities, theirs from the tribe of Ephraim.

(21) For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Gezer with her suburbs.

The rest of the Kohathites were given the cities of Shechem, also a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7), and Gezer.

(22) And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Beth Horon with her suburbs, four cities.

The Kohathites were also given the cities of Kibzaim and Beth Horon in the tribe of Ephraim.

(23) And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs, (24) Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath Rimmon with her suburbs, four cities.

Out of the tribe of Dan, the Kohathites were given the cities of Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon, a total of four cities.

(25) And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs and Gath Rimmon with her suburbs, two cities.

Two cities were given out of the half tribe of Manasseh on the west side of the Jordan River, Tanach and Gath Rimmon, which appears to be a different city than the one in the tribe of Dan.

(26) All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath who remained.

The Kohathites who were not descendants of Aaron, and therefore not priests, had a total of ten cities within the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh.

(27) And to the children of Gershon of the families of the Levites, out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Be Eshterah with her suburbs, two cities.

The Levites who were children of Gershon received the city of Golan, which was also a city of refuge, and Be Eshterah, with their suburbs, out of the half tribe of Manasseh on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

(28) And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Daberath with her suburbs, (29) Jarmuth with her suburbs, En Gannim with her suburbs, four cities.

The Gershonites were also given four cities out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon, Daberath, Jarmuth, and En Gannim, with their suburbs.

(30) And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs, (31) Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs, four cities.

They were also given four cities out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob, with their suburbs.

(32) And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Hammoth Dor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs, three cities.

They were given three cities out of the tribe of Naphtali, Galilee, also a city of refuge, Hammoth Dor, and Kartan.

(33) All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

The total number of cities given to the Levitical tribe of the Gershonites was thirteen.

(34) And to the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs, (35) Dimnah with her suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs, four cities.

The rest of the Levites, children of Merari, were given four cities out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal, with their suburbs.

(36) And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahaz with her suburbs, (37) Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs, four cities.

They were also given four cities out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz, Kedemoth, and Mephaath.

(38) And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Mahanaim with her suburbs, (39) Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs, four cities in all.

The children of Merari also received four cities out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth, also a city of refuge, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer, with their suburbs.

(40) So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families, which were remaining of the families of the Levites, were their lot, twelve cities.

The children of Merari were given twelve cities in all.

(41) All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their suburbs. (42) These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them, thus all these cities.

All the cities given to the Levites within all the other tribes of Israel numbered forty-eight, just as God had commanded (Numbers 35:7).  They were also given the suburbs, said to be about 2000 cubits, or about 1000 yards, round about the cities so that they would have space for livestock and provisions.

(43) And the Lord gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and dwelt in it.

Thus the Lord had given to Israel all the land of Canaan as He had sworn to their fathers.  All the tribes having received their lots of inheritance, they possessed their land and dwelt in it.

(44) And the Lord gave them rest round about according to all that He swore to their fathers, and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.

At that time, the Lord gave Israel peace and rest in their land flowing with milk and honey as He had sworn to their forefathers.  Finally, they had settled into their promised land, that land promised so many years before, and there were no enemies before them, as the Lord had delivered all their enemies into their hand.

(45) There failed not one of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel; all came to pass.

Every good thing the Lord had promised Israel came to pass.  God's promises were exactly fulfilled down to the prophetic blessings and curses that told where some of the tribes might live.  "Your word is true from the beginning, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever" (Psalm 119:160).  Every word of promise God made from the beginning of the world is true and has never failed.  If anything has not yet been fulfilled, you can be sure it will be in the future.  The Lord is not slack concerning His promises, but is ever-patient, giving us all time to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Cities of Refuge Appointed

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 20:1) The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying,

In the last chapter and post, Joshua had just given out the last lot of inheritance to all the tribes.  It appears that the Lord spoke to him at that same time.

(2) "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses.'"

Now that the whole land had been divided among the tribes, the Lord told Joshua to tell the people to appoint cities of refuge within their tribes as He had commanded through Moses (Numbers 35:11).

(3) "'That the slayer who kills a person unaware, unwittingly, may flee there, and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.'"

These cities were designed to be places of safe refuge for anyone who fled there.  The law granted people the permission to avenge the blood of a loved one, so if someone accidentally killed another unintentionally and without malice, he might be protected from the avenger of blood.

(4) "'And when he who flees to one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city to them and give him a place that he may dwell among them.'"

When someone fled to a city of refuge, he was to stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and declare his cause to the elders of that city, and then the elders were to take him into their city and give him a place where he might dwell among them.

(5) "'And if the avenger of blood pursues after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he killed his neighbor unwittingly and did not hate him beforehand.'"

If the avenger of blood pursued him to the city of refuge, the elders of that city were not to deliver the slayer into his hand but were to protect him from the avenger because he had accidentally killed with no malice toward his victim.

(6) "'And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest who shall be in those days; then the slayer shall return and come to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.'"

The slayer was allowed to dwell in that city until he stood for judgment of his actions.  If he was found guilty, having committed murder with malice, then he would be put to death.  However, if found innocent because it had been an accident, he could remain in the city, but he was confined to it until the death of the high priest at that time.  At that point, he was free to return to his own city.

(7) And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

The people appointed Kedesh in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and Kirjath Arba, which was called Hebron, in the mountains of Judah, as cities of refuge.

(8) And on the other side of Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness on the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

East of the Jordan River, the people assigned Bezer in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in the half tribe of Manasseh, as cities of refuge.

(9) These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwelt among them, that whoever killed a person unaware might flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.

Those were the six cities of refuge appointed for all the Israelites as well as any strangers who dwelt among them.  God's mercies extend to the Jew and the Gentile.  Anyone who unknowingly or accidentally killed another person could flee there and have safe refuge from the avenger of blood until the time he stood before the congregation for judgment.

The Inheritance of the Tribes of Naphtali and Dan

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 19:32) The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, for the children of Naphtali according to their families.

The past couple of chapters and posts have been describing the lots given to seven remaining tribes that had not yet been given their inheritances after a pause in time (Joshua 18).  The sixth of the seven lots went to the tribe of Naphtali.

(33) And their coast was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakum, and the outgoings of it were at Jordan.

This map from Biblical Toolbelt shows the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali:

This map also from Biblical Toolbelt shows Naphtali in the context of Israel as a whole:

The only city from verse 33 I can find on the map is Jabneel in the southeast corner, and going southward from there, the border was the Jordan River which continues south of the Sea of Galilee.

(34) And the coast turned westward to Aznoth Tabor and goes out from there to Hukkok and reaches to Zebulun on the south side, and reaches to Asher on the west side, and to Judah on Jordan toward the sunrising.

The southern border went roughly from Jabneel to Hukkok, bordering Zebulun in the south.  Their territory bordered Asher in the west and the Jordan River in the east, where a city called Judah must have been, as it cannot mean the tribe of Judah.

(35) And the fenced cities Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth, (36) And Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor, (37) And Kedesh, and Edrei, and En Hazor, (38) Iron, and Migdal El, Horem, and Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh, nineteen cities with their villages.

Their territory included the sixteen fenced cities above, several of which can be found on the map, and Jabneel from verse 33.  It's hard to say which two of the other places mentioned in verse 33 are their cities as nothing appears to be known about them, other than the possibility of Zanaaim that was a plain (Judges 4:11). 

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

That ended the description of the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali.

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

The seventh lot of the seven that were remaining as of Joshua 18, and the last of all the lots went to Dan.

(41) And the coast of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Ir Shemesh,

This map also from Biblical Toolbelt shows the allotment of the tribe of Dan:

And this map from the same site shows where the tribe of Dan lay among the other tribes:

The southern border was at Zorah and Eshtaol in northern Judah.  The description of Judah's lot included these cities (Joshua 15:33).  It is not known where Ir Shemesh was.  It's unclear if Dan merely bordered those cities in Judah, or if they were taken out of Judah and given to Dan because Judah was so large and Dan so small.  The map above of the tribe of Dan as well as this snippet taken from the larger map borrowed from Psalms to God show that the cities appear to belong to Dan:

(42) And Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and Jethlah, (43) and Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron, (44) And Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath, (45) And Jehud, and Bene Berak, and Gath Rimmon, (46) And Me Jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Japho.

The lot of the tribe of Dan contained all of the cities named above.  Ekron was another city that was originally included in Judah (Joshua 15:45) but was apparently given to Dan.  Japho is said to be the same as Joppa in the northeast corner of Dan.

(47) And 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 struck it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt in it, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

First of all, the words "too little" were added by the KJV translators to aid in understanding the text.  Although the meaning might truly be that the boundaries of Dan were too small for the children of Dan, the meaning of the verse might just have been that their coast went out for them, or was extended.  Judges 18 tells the story of the tribe of Dan going up to Leshem or Laish, as it was also called, in the far north of the land of Israel, and conquering it and renaming it Dan.  This map borrowed from the Unique Sites of Israel Blog shows where the city of Dan was in relation to the tribe of Dan:

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

And thus ended the description of the last tribe to receive their inheritance, Dan.

(49) When 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.

After all the lots had been cast for inheritance, the Israelites gave a separate inheritance to Joshua.  Although he was part of the tribe of Ephraim, the people honored him with his own inheritance.

(50) According to the word of the Lord, they gave him the city which he asked, Timnath Serah in mount Ephraim, and he built the city and dwelt in it.

Apparently, at the same time Moses had spoken the word of the Lord to Caleb regarding his inheritance, he said something about Joshua's as well, as Caleb referred to what the Lord had said regarding Caleb and Joshua, "You know the thing that the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning me and you in Kadesh Barnea." (Joshua 14:6)  It appears that at some point Joshua had asked for Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim for his own.  However, he had not made it a point to claim it as Caleb had when he first started dividing the land.  Additionally, what he had asked for was not the choicest land as it was a rough and mountainous place.  He had not demanded it, but the people sought to give it to him according to the word of the Lord.  Joshua was a humble man; he had not even written about the promise, but it was Caleb who mentioned it in Joshua 14:6, and it was the people who gave it to him.  Joshua built up the city and lived there.

(51) These 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.

With Eleazar as high priest and Joshua as the chief leader, as well as with the heads of the tribes, the promised land had been divided by casting lots before the Lord in Shiloh.  With the last lot being given to Dan, the casting of lots to divide the land among the tribes ended. 

The Inheritance of the Tribes of Issachar and Asher

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 19:17) The fourth lot came out to Issachar for the children of Issachar according to their families.

The previous chapters and posts have been describing the lots that were given to each of the tribes of Israel.  After a pause from giving out the lots, seven tribes remained that had not yet received their inheritances (Joshua 18:2).  This was the fourth of those seven that came up for Issachar.

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

From Zebulun that was described at the end of the last post, Issachar's border went to Jezreel bordering on Manasseh and included the cities of Chesulloth and Shunem.  This map borrowed from Biblical Toolbelt shows the inheritance of Issachar:

And this map from the same site shows Issachar in relation to the other tribes:

(19) And Hapharaim, and Shion, and Anaharath, (20) And Rabbith, and Kishion, and Abez, (21) And Remeth, and En Gannim, and En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.

The inheritance of Issachar included all the cities above, although very few are shown on the map.  

(22) And the coast reached to Tabor, and Shahazimah, and Beth Shemesh, and the outgoings of their border were at Jordan, sixteen cities with their villages.

Issachar's territory included the sixteen cities named above, and its eastern border was the Jordan River.  It was suggested by John Wesley in his Notes on the Bible that since the lot of Issachar lay between other tribes on all its other sides, and those tribes' borders had been described, it was not necessary to describe them again.  That may be, but it borders Naphtali, and those borders have not yet been described.  It just may be that these later tribes are of less importance than the first tribes described.

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

Thus ended the description of the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar.

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

The fifth of those seven remaining lots after the pause went to the tribe of Asher.

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

The inheritance of Asher included the cities of Helkath and Achshaph seen in the following map borrowed from History of Israel.  In the map of the twelve tribes above you can see Asher north of Issachar in relation to the other tribes.

(26) And Alammelech, and Amad, and Mishal, and reached to Carmel westward and to Shihor Libnath.

It included the cities of Alammelech and Mishal seen in the map above and went westward toward Mt. Carmel at the Mediterranean Sea.

(27) And turned toward the sunrising to Beth Dagon and reached to Zebulun and to the valley of Jiphthah El toward the north side of Beth Emek and Neiel and goes out to Cabul on the left hand.

Toward the east the border reached to Zebulun and the valley of Jiphthah El up to Cabul and Neiel, and the territory included Beth Emek going back toward the Mediterranean Sea.  Once again, the directions in the verse made no sense and I just followed the map to see where the territory was.  However, Dr. John Gill implied in his Exposition of the Bible that no one knew where Beth Emek was, so perhaps the map above is incorrect about the location of that city.  On the map there is a question about the location of Neiel, so perhaps it was south of Cabul, and when faced eastward, the left would be the north, and now the text makes sense.

(28) And Hebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, to great Sidon.

The territory went northward and included the cities of Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, seen on the map, up to Sidon which was north of Tyre.  It was called great for its antiquity, riches, and glory, according to John Wesley.

(29) And the coast turned to Ramah and to the strong city Tyre, and the coast turned to Hosah, and the outgoings of it are at the sea from the coast to Achzib.

This seems to be describing the western border going southward from Sidon to Tyre to Achzib along the Mediterranean Sea, although Hammon is probably misplaced on the map.  

(30) Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob, twenty-two cities with their villages.

The territory also included the cities of Ummah and Aphek.  Rehob had already been mentioned, and Sidon was not actually in their territory, but their border reached up to it.  Carmel being a mountain and not a city, and Jiphthah El being a valley, the list comes to twenty-two cities with their villages within the tribe of Asher.

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

Thus ended the description of the inheritance that went to the tribe of Asher.

The Inheritance of the Tribes of Simeon and Zebulun

The past few chapters and posts have been describing each of the tribe's inheritance that was given to them by lot.  Continuing with that chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 19:1) And the second lot came forth to Simeon, for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families, and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.

The second of the seven remaining lots that were cast after a break of some time went to Simeon.  It's interesting that a lot would be made within another lot, but Simeon's inheritance was within the inheritance of Judah.  This fulfilled prophecy of Jacob when he cursed Simeon's anger and speaking the words of the Lord, said He would divide and scatter Simeon in Israel.  It may have been decided that Judah's inheritance was much larger than its tribe needed, but the prophecy of God would be fulfilled whatever the reasoning.

(2) And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, or Sheba, and Moladah,

Simeon had in their inheritance the cities of Beersheba and Moladah, cities within the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:26, 28).  I found this map of Simeon's tribe within the tribe of Judah at If I Walked With Jesus:

(3) And Hazar Shual, and Balah, and Ezem, (4) And Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, (5) And Ziklag, and Beth Marcaboth, and Hazar Susah, (6) And Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen, thirteen cities and their villages.

They also had these cities, thirteen cities with their villages, which appear to be in the north and east of the territory of Simeon.

(7) Ain, Remmon, and Ether, and Ashan, four cities and their villages, (8) And all the villages 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.

Four more cities and their villages were within the tribe of Simeon, and I would have assumed they were in the south of Simeon by the description above.  However, the following copy of an 1840 map borrowed from Antico Gallery shows all these cities, but interestingly they are in different locations from the first map.  This shows the difficulty of identifying the exact locations of ancient cities and explains why sometimes the scriptures detailing these places don't make sense.  Places move or they don't exist anymore.  But these are details which don't affect the big picture in a Bible study.  We know all the cities mentioned above were within the tribe of Simeon at the time it was allotted to Simeon, as well as all the smaller villages around them.

(9) Out 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.

As speculated above, indeed, the tribe of Simeon was placed within the tribe of Judah because Judah had much more land and many more cities than they could fill, and Simeon, being a small tribe, could easily exist within the area given them.

(10) And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families, and the border of their inheritance was to Sarid.

The third lot of the seven remaining lots came up for the tribe of Zebulun.  This map borrowed from If I Walked With Jesus shows his small lot with its southern border near Sarid.

And this map used before from iBiblemaps.com shows the location of the tribe of Zebulun in relation to the other tribes:

(11) And their border went up toward the sea and Maralah and reached to Dabbasheth and reached to the river that is before Jokneam.

From Sarid in the south the border continued westward toward the Mediterranean Sea to Dabbasheth and a river that was before Jokneam, which appears to be the Kishon River in the map above.

(12) And turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising to the border of Chisloth Tabor and then goes out to Daberath and goes up to Japhia.

From Sarid in the south the border went eastward toward the Sea of Galilee to Daberath and a little beyond.  Zebulun was nestled between two great seas which fulfilled Jacob's prophecy that Zebulun would dwell by the sea and be a haven of ships (Genesis 49:13).

(13) And from there passed on along on the east to Gath Hepher, to Eth Kazin and goes out to Rimmon to Neah.

From the southwest corner the border went northward to Rimmon.

(14) And the border compassed it on the north side to Hannathon, and the outgoings of it are in the valley of Jiphthah El.

The language is difficult, but from the map, it appears that the northern border went around in the north and came back to Hannathon.  The original word that was translated as "compassed" was "sabab" and meant "revolve, surround," so the meaning seems to me that the northern portion of their land went in a big circle northward from Rimmon and back to Hannathon.

(15) And Kattath, and Nahallal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Bethlehem, twelve cities with their villages.

These cities were included within the tribe of Zebulun.  Bethlehem within Zebulun is not the same place as Bethlehem in Judah where Christ was born.  Twelve cities with their villages were within the lot of Zebulun.  Since only five are mentioned in verse 15, as well as the fact that the western border was not described, some Biblical scholars have been led to think there may have been some text lost from the original manuscripts.

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

Thus ended the description of the lot that fell to Zebulun.