Bible Commentary: Joshua 5 - Joshua 22

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Bible Commentary for Joshua 5 - Joshua 22

Joshua Chapter 5

Chapter 4 of Joshua ended with the statement that Jehovah dried up the Jordan River “so that all peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful…” The people living west of the Jordan have certainly heard of Jehovah’s deeds and now have lost their courage to face the Israelites. Their hearts have melted, they are now afraid of Israel. Joshua is told to circumcise the Israelites. All the men who came out of Egypt were already circumcised but they died in the wilderness because of their being unfaithful to Jehovah. All those who were born during the forty years that Israel wandered in the wilderness had not been circumcised and so must be. Joshua made flint knives and circumcised these ones at a place they called Gibeath Haaraloth, which means “hill of foreskins.” After this circumcision Jehovah said to Joshua, “I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.”

The Passover was celebrated on the fourteenth day of this first month in the evening while they were camped at Gilgal. The nation had to be circumcised before this celebration because as we learned at Exodus 12:48, 49 “No uncircumcised male may eat of it (Passover). The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you.” The next day the people ate some of the produce of the land; unleavened bread and roasted grain. The following day the manna stopped.

As Joshua stood near Jericho, probably doing a personal survey and inspection of the walled city, he saw a man with a drawn sword in his hand. He asked if the man was a friend or an enemy. The man replied that he was neither, that he was there as the commander of Jehovah’s army. Joshua then fell facedown and he asked, “what message does my lord have for me?” and the man replied, “Take off you sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy,” wherein Joshua complied. Since Israel is about to conquer Jericho, Jehovah has sent His commander to go ahead of them to assure that the battle would be theirs. This commander is none other than the one called the ‘prince of your people’ by the angel Gabriel, Michael the archangel.

Joshua Chapter 6

The people of Jericho are now terrified because of Israel. No one goes in or out of the city, its gates are locked. Jehovah tells Joshua that He has already given Jericho into their hand. Joshua is now told the procedure to be followed before the city is actually taken. The fighting men are to take the lead then the seven priests who are carrying seven trumpets are to follow them blowing their trumpets in front of the Ark of the Covenant, which is being carried by the priest and the people are to bring up the rear. They are to completely encircle the city one time for each of six days. Joshua reminds them that they are not to give a war cry on these six days; they are to remain silent.

On the seventh day, they all arose at daybreak and Joshua commanded them that when they are about to march around the city six times and on the seventh time, they are to give a shout when he commands them to as the priests are sounding a particular blast on the trumpets. Everything in the city is to be devoted to destruction. Only Rahab and those of her family who are with her in her house are to be spared. They are not to pick up any item that they may come across. All of the silver and gold and the articles of iron and bronze belong to Jehovah and must go into His treasury. Everything else is to be destroyed. If they disobey this order they would make the camp of Israel and themselves liable for destuction.

On the seventh day they marched around the city six times, and on the seventh time the priests sounded a long blast and the people shouted, then the walls collapsed. The fighting men went straight up into the city and they took the city and devoted everything in it to Jehovah. They destroyed every living thing in it – men, women, children, cattle, sheep and donkeys. Joshua had the two men who spied out the land go to Rahab’s house and bring her and her family who was with her out of the city and they put them in a place outside the camp of Israel. After they had completely burned the city and everything in it with the exception of the things that were going into the treasury of Jehovah, Joshua pronounced a solemn oath against the city and anyone who tried to rebuild it. He said: “At the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates.” During the reign of King Ahab, this curse came to fruition. (1 King 16:34) After this, Joshua’s fame spread throughout the land.

Joshua Chapter 7

Joshua now sent men to spy out Ai, a city located ten miles northwest of Jericho (Genesis 12:8). They came back and reported to Joshua that he need only send two or three thousand men to take that city, as there were not many men living there. So he sent about three thousand men only to have them routed by the men of Ai. The men of Ai struck down thirty-six Israelites and chased the rest away from the city. At this the people lost heart.

Joshua and all the elders tore their clothes, sprinkled dust on their heads and lay prostrate before the Ark for the remainder of the day. Joshua then asks Jehovah why did he bring them across the Jordan only to be defeated by the Amorites. He knew that once the word got around about this defeat then all the nations would come together and fight against Israel and wipe out their name from the earth. Then he said to Jehovah, “What then will you do for your own great name?” Jehovah told Joshua to stand up because he needed to take some action. The problem was not with Jehovah; it was Israel that had sinned in that they had taken some of the devoted things from Jericho. They had stolen what belonged to Him and had lied about it and had placed these items among their own possessions. If He, Jehovah, is to continue to be with them then Joshua must correct this situation. He must destroy that which is devoted to destruction.

Joshua was instructed to tell the people to consecrate themselves in preparation for the next day because some of the devoted things was among them and they would have to remove these if they expected to be able to stand against their enemies. On that morning the people were to appear before Jehovah by their tribes and He would choose the appropriate tribe which would be narrowed down to the appropriate clan and then to the appropriate family. Then the men of this family would come forward, man by man until the guilty man is picked. This man, his family and all his possessions would then be destroyed because he had violated the covenant and had done a disgraceful thing, an outrageous act.

The next morning when the people assembled before Jehovah by their tribes, the tribe of Judah was picked, and then the clan of the Zerahites was selected. From the clan of Zerah, the family of Zimri was selected. From among the men of this family, Achan was selected. Then Joshua approached Achan and urged him to tell him what he had done. He admitted that he had coveted a garment along with some silver and gold and he had taken them and hidden them in the ground in his tent. He obviously knew that what he was doing was wrong otherwise he would have left them out in the open. Joshua sent some men to his tent to recover the items. They brought them back and spread them out before Jehovah. Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan and his family and all his possession along with the items that were devoted to destruction to a valley that later came to be called the Valley of Achor, as Achor means trouble. Joshua said to Achan, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD [Jehovah] will bring trouble on you.” Then all Israel stoned them and afterwards burned everything with fire. A large pile of rocks were placed over Achan’s remains as a reminder of how the sins of one man can affect an entire nation, even one done in secret. (Deuteronomy 27:15-26) Jehovah now turned away from his fierce anger.

Even though Achan confessed his folly, the Bible account shows clearly he was not repentant, as some have mistakenly reasoned. Instead, he allowed the above action to take place even though he knew that he would be found out in the end. His confession came as a result of being found out -- something that was surely inevitable because of Jehovah's direct hand involved. Further, the Bible account reveals Achan did not take these items because he was in need. He simply wanted them; he coveted them, an action that emanates from the heart. We have to conclude that Achan’s heart was hard and unresponsive and so deserved the punishment that he received.

(For a detailed discussion of the Secret of Achan and Joshua Chapter 7, please see the article entitled: Could The Secret NGO Sin Bring Guilt Upon God's People?)

Joshua Chapter 8

Jehovah is now ready to continue leading Israel. He tells Joshua to take the whole army and go up and attack Ai. Jehovah states that he has already given this city into their hands and that this time they may take the plunder and livestock from the city for themselves. Jehovah told Joshua to set up an ambush against the city. He selected thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them to Ai that night and told them to wait behind the city, that is, between Bethel and Ai. They were not to go too far from the city and they were to stay on the alert. He would take the other men with him and they would march up to the city in the front. When the men of Ai saw them they would come out of the city as before; Joshua and his men would turn and run away from the city and the men would chase them. He would lure them far enough away from the city so the men in the ambush would be able to go into the city and take it. Once in the city, they were to set it on fire. He sent these men off under the cover of darkness to wait near Ai and he remained in the camp that night.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the Old Testament, page 346, states this: “This unit numbered 30,000, and while this seems like an excessively large number of soldiers to hide near the city, the presence of large rocks in the region made it possible for all these men to remain hidden.”

Early the next morning, Joshua, the remainder of his men and the leaders marched to Ai, about a fifteen-mile trek, and approached it from the front. They set up camp north of the city in plain view of the city and the king of Ai saw this. Verse 12 tells us that Joshua had taken five thousand men and set them in ambush to the west of Ai. A comment from The NIV Study Bible on this verse states this: “Perhaps Joshua assigned two different units to the task to assure success. Or from the original 30,000 a unit of 5,000 may have been designated to attack Ai itself while the remaining 25,000 served as a covering force to block the threat from Bethel (see verse 17).” Joshua spent the night in a valley north of Ai, a deep ravine in the hills.

The next morning, the king of Ai and all of his men marched out to meet Israel and to engage them in battle. He was totally unaware of the ambush that had been set against his city. Joshua and his men allowed themselves to be pushed back and they fled to the desert. All of the men of Ai were lured away from the city and it was left unprotected. Jehovah told Joshua to hold out the javelin in his hand towards Ai as He had given it over to him. This was also a signal for the men to rush into the city, capture it and set it afire.

When the men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke rising from their city, they had no chance to do anything about it. The remaining men from the ambush had rushed forward and the men with Joshua had turned around and all were now converging on the army of Ai. The men who had set the city on fire also came out of the city effectively surrounding their army. They left no survivors of the army other than the King of Ai who they brought to Joshua. The Israelites then returned to the city of Ai and killed all of its inhabitants. That day twelve thousand men and women were put to the sword. All of the plunder and livestock was taken away by the soldiers and Joshua burned the city leaving it in a heap of ruins. The king of Ai was killed and hung on a tree and was left there until the evening. His body was then taken down and put at the entrance of the city gate and a large pile of stones was placed over it. (Deuteronomy 21:22, 23)

Joshua returned to Gilgal and he proceeded to carry out Moses’ instruction to assemble the people at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim to pronounce the blessing and the curses that were written in the Law. On Mount Ebal, Joshua built an altar of stone to which no iron tool had been used. They offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to Jehovah as they had been commanded. Then Joshua took the stones that had been whitewashed and wrote on them the laws given to Moses. (See Deuteronomy 27:2-8) All of the people were standing on either side of the Ark of the Covenant facing it, half in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal and the ark with the priests carrying it were in the valley between the two mountains. Joshua proceeded to read all of the words of this law to the people assembled there and that included women, children and all the aliens who resided among them. The tribes assembled on Mount Gerizim would respond to the blessings of the law and the tribes assembled on Mount Ebal would respond to the curses of the law as Moses had instructed. (Deuteronomy 11:29) Their affirmation of the Law in this manner meant that they accepted it as the law of the land and that they would abide by it.

The area between the two mountains created a natural amphitheater, which is said to still be in existence today, and made it possible for all of the people assembled there to be able to hear very clearly all that was being said.

Joshua Chapter 9

All of the kings in the country west of the Jordan, having heard of all the things that Israel was doing, decided to join forces to make war against Israel. But the people of Gibeon chose a different strategy. They devised a ruse that would enable them to keep living as Israel continued to conquer the land and destroy its inhabitants. They sent a delegation of men with donkeys carrying worn-out sacks and old and mended wineskins. The men wore old clothes with worn and patched sandals on their feet. Their food supply consisted of dry and crumbly bread. They came to Gilgal and said to Joshua and the leaders of Israel that they had come from a distant country and wanted Israel to make a treaty with them. The men of Israel were skeptical and did not want to make a treaty with them. But the Gibeonites insisted that they had heard of their God, Jehovah, and all that He had done in Egypt, as well as to Sihon and Og, the two kings who ruled the lands east of the Jordan. They told them that their elders were interested in pursuing peace with the Israelites. They assured them that their bread had been warm, their wineskins had been new and full of wine and their clothes and sandals were in good condition when they left their country.

Joshua, after sampling their provisions, made a treaty with them and the leaders of the assembly agreed on oath that they would allow these people to live. However, the Israelites did not consult Jehovah before making this treaty and were later to learn that these men were from a nation located about 25 miles from where Israel was encamped. Israel was upset about this situation and they went to the cities of the Gibeonites, but they were not allowed to attack them because of the oaths sworn by their leaders. To appease the assembly of Israel, who grumbled because of the oath, they agreed that the Gibeonites would be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community. When they arrived at the Gibeonites cities, Joshua summoned them and asked why they lied about where they lived. They would now be under a curse and would never cease to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of Jehovah.

The Gibeonites answered Joshua stating that they knew that Jehovah had given the entire land of Canaan to Israel and that they were commanded to kill all of its inhabitants. They were afraid of Israel and so tricked them into making a treaty with them. They knew that they would have to do whatever Israel wanted them to do. So that day their lives were spared, as they wanted but they would be nothing but servants to Israel from that day forward. But they probably reasoned that ‘a live dog is better than a dead lion.’ This treaty was still in force during the days of Saul, king of Israel. (See 2 Samuel 21:1-14)

A footnote in the NIV for verse 23 of this chapter says this: "Noah's prediction that Canaan would someday "be the slave of Shem" (Genesis 9:25-26) has part of its fulfillment in this event."

Joshua Chapter 10

Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, became frighten because Ai had fallen to Israel and the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel. His city, Jerusalem, was located only five miles from Gibeon and he believed that it would be the next one to come under attack, especially since Gibeon had sided with Israel. So he appealed to the kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon to come and help him destroy the Gibeonites. They joined forces with him and attacked Gibeon. The Gibeonites appeal to Joshua to save them out of the hands of these five kings. Israel responded to their call for help. But why would they do this?

The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the Old Testament, page 350, makes an interesting point. It reads: “The reason for Joshua’s response lies in the area of military strategy. Up to this time Israel’s army attacked one fortified city at a time, at best a long and drawn-out offensive procedure for conquering the entire land of Canaan. But now Joshua sensed he had the strategic break he needed. The combined Amorite armies of southern Canaan were camped together in an open field outside Gibeon. An Israelite victory would break the backs of the enemy forces of the entire region.”

Joshua and his entire army prepared to leave Gilgal and Jehovah assured him that he would defeat these kings. So they marched all night and took the armies of the five kings by surprise. Jehovah then threw them into confusion and they fled before Israel. As they fled, Jehovah caused large hailstones to fall on them from the sky. These hailstones killed more people than did the sword. As the day wore on, Joshua knew that he needed more time to complete the destruction of these armies. So he said to Jehovah “O sun stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” And Jehovah listened to Joshua and ‘the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down for about a whole day.’ Surely Jehovah was fighting for Israel.

The five kings had fled and hid in a cave. Joshua told some of his men to put stones at the entrance of the caves and leave some men to guard it so that these men could not escape. They were not to stop but were to continue pursuing the enemy so that they would not reach their fortified cities. For the most part, the Israelites destroyed them, only a few escaped. Then the army returned to the camp at Makkedah and Joshua had the five kings brought to him from the cave. He had his military leaders to come forward and put their foot on the necks of these men and told them that this was what Jehovah was going to do to all of their enemies. This act indicated complete subjugation of these nations. So they were to be courageous and strong. Then Joshua killed these kings and hung them on five trees where they were left until the evening. At sunset, their bodies were thrown into the cave where they had hid and large rocks were placed at the mouth of this cave. (Psalms 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:25)

Joshua continues his military conquests in southern Canaan. He took Makkedah and totally destroyed all of its inhabitants. From there they went to Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron and Debir defeating these nations and putting them to the sword. Israel subdued the whole region from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, and from Goshen (in the Negev) to Gibeon. Joshua was successful in conquering all of these cities in one campaign because Jehovah was fighting for Israel. However, he did not attack Jerusalem and Jarmuth but returned to Gilgal. These cities remained unconquered until the time of the kingship of David. (2 Samuel 5:7)

Joshua Chapter 11

The kings of northern Canaan decided to band together to fight against Israel. Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of the defeat of the southern kingdoms and he sent messengers to all the northern cities to come and join with him to fight Israel. They came with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots, a large army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They camped at the Waters of Merom. Joshua and his army were already on the move and Jehovah assured him as he approached these kings that ‘by tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain.’ When Joshua and his army reached the Waters of Merom, he launched a surprise attack and defeated them, pursuing them until no survivors were left. Jehovah had given them the victory as He promised. He had also told Joshua to make their horses lame and to burn their chariots, which he did. Jehovah did not want Israel to become dependent on the use of horses and chariots to win victories, but their trust was to be in Him.

Joshua then turned back and captured Hazor. Hazor was one of the more important cities in the area and the largest in land area. It was the capital city of this area, therefore, Joshua singled it out for special attention. After he captured it and killed everything in it that breathed, he set fire to it and burned it up. He then proceeded to capture all the other royal cities and put their inhabitant to death but he did not burn all of these cities to the ground. The Israelites were able to take the plunder and livestock from these cities for themselves.

Joshua has now conquered the hill country, all the Negev, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountainous regions from Mount Halek in Seir to Mount Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. Joshua waged war for a long time. Only Gibeon sued for peace with Israel. Jehovah had hardened the hearts of the rulers of the other nations so that they might be exterminated as Jehovah had commanded Moses. Joshua waged war against the Anakites and destroyed them in all their towns. None were left except some in the Philistine territories of Gaza, Gath and Ashdod. This land was to be divided among the nine and one-half tribes who had not been given an inheritance.

The NIV Bible Commentary, Volume I, page 308, gives this explanation for verses 19 and 20. It reads: "The surrender of the Gibeonites was one small exception to the general rule of totally annihilating the population of Canaan. God hardened the Canaanites' hearts, not to keep them from repenting, but to prevent them surrendering to Israel in unrepentance."

Joshua Chapter 12

This chapter lists the lands and their rulers that were conquered by Moses and Joshua. Moses conquered the land of Sihon and Og who ruled on the eastern side of the Jordan. Sihon’s land extended for about ninety miles from the Arnon Gorge up to the Sea of Kinnereth (or Sea of Galilee). Og ruled a land that stretched from the northern border of Sihon’s land about sixty miles north to Mount Hermon. Moses assigned this land to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh.

Joshua’s conquest on the western side of the Jordan included territories that belonged to thirty-one rulers of independent kingdoms that stretch for about one hundred and fifty miles from south to north and about fifty miles from east to west.

Joshua Chapter 13

In spite of the conquests made by Moses and Joshua, the land of Canaan still had many of its original inhabitants living in it. Jehovah reminded Joshua that though he had grown old there were still large areas that were yet to be conquered. These included the land of the five Philistine rulers, Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron; the land of the Geshurites, the Gebalites and all of Lebanon. The Sidonians, living in the mountainous regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, would be driven from there at a later time by Jehovah so he told Joshua to be sure to include their land when he assigned the nine and one-half tribes their territory. (Deuteronomy 7:22) So that means that these tribes would have to continue the conquest of their territories as they grew stronger. As we will learn later, many of them failed to do this.

The territory assigned to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh as their inheritance by Moses is described in some detail here. Even though they settled in the land, they failed to drive out the people who lived in Geshur and Maacah. Even in David’s day, Geshur was still ruled by a king. (See 2 Samuel 3:3)

Joshua Chapter 14

The Israelites were to have their inheritance assigned to them by lot. Eleazar the priest, Joshua and the tribal heads, who had been assigned by Moses, (Numbers 34:16-29) were responsible to do this. Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh had already been given their tribal inheritances on the eastern side of the Jordan. Levi was not to be given a land inheritance but they would have towns among the twelve tribes and pasturelands for their flocks and herds. When the leaders of the tribe of Judah approached Joshua about their land inheritance, Caleb reminded Joshua that Moses had made a promise to give him the land ‘on which his foot had trod.’ He had acted faithfully when he brought back a good report to Israel about the Promised Land. Caleb now requests the hill country where the Anakites were living when Israel sent the spies into the land and where they continue to live. (Numbers 13:28) But Caleb is confident that with Jehovah’s help, he will succeed in conquering Hebron. Joshua then blesses Caleb and assigns him Hebron as his inheritance.

Joshua Chapter 15

The first lot for assigning tribal inheritance fell to Judah. They would receive their inheritance in the southernmost part of Canaan. Since they were the largest tribe, they received the largest allotment. Their southern border extended from the southern tip of the Salt Sea moving westward to the Wadi of Egypt, which ended at the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean was their western boundary. The eastern boundary was the Salt Sea. The northern boundary began at the mouth of the Jordan River where it entered the Salt Sea and went westward to the Mediterranean Sea. Included in their territory were the five Philistine cities, Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. These cities were not conquered until the time of David.

Caleb’s inheritance was located in the territory of Judah. He defeated three descendants of Anak in Hebron and marched on to Debir. (Numbers 13:22) He promised his daughter in marriage to anyone who could conquer this city. Othniel, his nephew, took the city and received Caleb’s daughter, Acsah, as his wife. Othniel later became a judge of Israel. (Judges 3:9-11)

Judah’s inheritance included over one hundred cities/towns along with their villages. There were 29 towns in the Negev; 42 towns in the western foothills, 38 in the hill country and 6 towns in the wilderness area. Although verse 29 says there were 29 towns in the Negev, there are actually 36 listed. This discrepancy can, in part, be accounted for because Judah will give the tribe of Simeon some of these towns.

Joshua Chapter 16

The next lot fell to the tribe of Joseph who became two tribes through his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Their inheritance lay in the fertile area of central Canaan. Ephraim’s inheritance was to be located just above that to be assigned to Dan and Benjamin whose territories will adjoin that of Judah’s. Both the southern and northern boundary began at the Jordan and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. Shiloh, the city where the Tabernacle remained for about 300 years was located in Ephraim’s territory; as well as the city of Bethel, which later became infamous as one of the cities where Jeroboam set up calf worship. (See 1 Kings 12:26-33) Ephraim did not dispossess the Canaanites living in Gezer, but would later subject them to forced labor, which is not what Jehovah had commanded them to do.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the Old Testament, page 360, makes this comment regarding the reason Ephraim failed to do what Jehovah told them to do. “Motivated by a materialistic attitude, they chose to put the Canaanites in Gezer under tribute to gain additional wealth. The proved to be a fatal mistake for in later centuries, in the time of the Judges, the arrangement was reversed as the Canaanites rose up and enslaved the Israelites.”

Joshua Chapter 17

The descendants of Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn were given the land of Gilead and Bashan on the eastern side of the Jordan. The remainder of the descendants of Manasseh received their inheritance in the land of Canaan proper. The account of the daughters of Zelophehad is restated here because they had been promised a land inheritance as would have been given to sons. (Numbers 27:1-11) Manasseh’s share in Canaan consisted of ten tracts of land. Joshua divided these between the remaining descendants of Manasseh that included the five daughters of Zelophehad. Manasseh’s territory lay directly north of Ephraim and one of its borders was the Mediterranean Sea. This tribe was also given cities within the territories of Issachar and Asher. (Verse 11) But they were not able to occupy these cities and later when they became stronger they subjected them to forced labor rather than dislodging them from the land. They still complained to Joshua that he had not given them enough land. Joshua responded that because of their numbers they ought to be able to drive the Canaanites out and take over their land. But they were fearful of the Canaanites because they had iron chariots. But Joshua insisted that if both tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, joined forces, they would be fully capable of driving these Canaanites out. These Israelites certainly had a very different attitude than the one Caleb displayed. (See Joshua 14:12)

Joshua Chapter 18

The entire assembly moved from Gilgal and gathered at Shiloh, located in Ephraim’s inheritance, and set up the Tent of Meeting. They probably chose Shiloh because it was more centrally located and hence would be convenient to reach. Canaan had been subdued but there were still seven tribes who had not been given their land inheritance. Joshua asked the people ‘how much longer were they going to wait before they took possession of the land that Jehovah had given them.’ It appears that they were content to simply wander aimlessly as nomads would. But Joshua moved them to action. He instructed the people to choose three men from each of the seven tribes and he would send them out to survey the land writing down its description, town by town, in seven parts. He would then apportion it by lot to the seven tribes.

The NIV Bible Commentary, Volume I, page 318, says this about this survey: “The men were to describe each area “town by town” because the number and nature of the towns were more important than the precise borders or the number of square miles.”

The men then went through the remaining land writing a description of all the towns and dividing them into seven parts. Afterwards they returned to Joshua at Shiloh and he cast lots for them in the presence of Jehovah and distributed the land to the seven tribes.

The first lot fell to Benjamin and his allotment lay between Judah and Ephraim. His eastern border was the Jordan and his western border was Kiriath Jearim, a city belonging to Judah. Benjamin was given twelve towns in the eastern part of its territory and fourteen towns in the western part. Some of the better known Canaanite cities located in Benjamin’s territory were Jericho or at least the site of the old city; Gibeon and the Jebusite city of Jerusalem.

The second lot fell to Simeon and his allotment lay within the territory of Judah because 1) Judah’s territory was too large for them and 2) Jacob’s deathbed prophecy was going to be fulfilled. (See Genesis 49:5-7) They received seventeen towns with their villages in the Negev or the southern part of Judah. It is believed that this tribe later lost its identity due to being absorbed into the tribe of Judah or by their migrating to other northern tribes such as Ephraim and Manasseh because they were counted among the ten-tribe kingdom when Jehovah split Israel into two kingdoms. One of their towns, Ziklag, became associated with David when the Philistine ruler gave it to him. It is listed as a town belonging to both Judah as well as to Simeon. (See 1 Samuel 27:6; 1 Chronicles 4:30)

The third lot fell to Zebulun. They were given twelve towns in the central region of Galilee. Asher, Naphtali and Issachar bordered Zebulun’s territory on all sides. Jacob’s prophecy stated that Zebulun would “live by the seashore and be a haven to ships’ was not literally fulfilled as Zebulun was landlocked, though they had access to the Sea by way of a well traveled highway called ‘the way by the sea.’ The most famous city in Zebulun was the city of Nazareth where Jesus grew up.

The fourth lot fell to Issachar. They received sixteen towns and their villages in the fertile Valley of Jezreel. The eastern border of Issachar was the Jordan River with Manasseh to the south, Zebulun to the west and Naphtali on the north.

The fifth lot fell to Asher. Their allotted territory was the Mediterranean coastal land that extended from Mount Carmel north to Tyre and Sidon. They were given twenty-two towns with their villages.

The sixth lot fell to Naphtali. Their western border was Asher with Zebulun on the south and the Jordan on the east. They were given nineteen towns and their villages.

The seventh lot fell to Dan. Their territory was comprised of cities given to them by Ephraim and Judah. Some of these towns belonged to the Philistines and they were unable to dislodge these people from them, so they went north in search of other land. They came to city called Laish (Leshem), which was located in the northern part of Naphtali and Manasseh’s territory, killed its people and settled there. The account is related in more detail in Judges chapter 18.

All of the people of Israel have been given their land inheritances and Joshua now requests Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim as his inheritance. It was given to him and he built a town and settled there.

Joshua Chapter 20

Jehovah now tells Joshua to set aside the cities of refuge where anyone who accidentally and unintentionally kills another person can flee to save his life until he appears before the courts. These cities were a reminder to Israel of the sanctity of human life even if it is taken without malice or intention. The person would flee to one of these cities and stand at the entrance to the city and explain to the elders of that city why he was there. They would let him into the city and provide a place for him to live. They were not to turn him over to the avenger of blood if he pursued him there. He was to stand trial before the assembly to determine his guilt or innocence. If he is found to be innocent, then he has to remain in the city until the death of the current high priest. After that he could return to his home.

The three cities assigned as cities of refuge located west of the Jordan were as follows: Kedesh in Naphtali, Shechem in Ephraim and Hebron in Judah. The three cities assigned by Moses east of the Jordan were as follows: Bezer in Reuben, Ramoth in Gad and Golan in Manasseh. There were six in all. Any Israelite or any alien living among them could avail themselves of these cities for protection if they were innocent of murder.

A footnote for verses 1-9 in the NIV concerning these cities of refuge states this: "Having distributed the land to the tribes, the Lord's next administrative regulation (see note on 13:1-32) provided an elementary system of government, specifically a system of regional courts to deal with capital offenses having to do with manslaughter. Thus this most inflammatory of cases was removed from local jurisdiction, and a safeguard was created against the easy miscarriage of justice (with its potential for endless blood feuds) when retribution for manslaughter was left in the hands of family members. The cities chosen were among those also assigned to the Levites, where ideally the law of Moses would especially be known and honored."

Joshua Chapter 21

Israel is now commanded to give the Levites towns with their pastureland to live in. The distribution was done according to the three sons of Levi: Kohath, Merari and Gershon. The first lot fell to the Kohathites and they were given their towns first. The descendants of Aaron, that is, the priests, were assigned thirteen towns, nine were in the territories of Judah and Simeon and four in Benjamin. It can be noted that these towns were in close proximity to Jerusalem where the temple would be built. The remainder of the Kohathites, who were not priests, were given four towns in Ephraim, four towns in Dan and two towns in Manasseh, west of the Jordan, ten towns in all.

The descendants of Gershon were given thirteen towns in all, two in Manasseh on the east side of the Jordan, four in Issachar, four in Asher and three in Naphtali.

The descendants of Merari were given twelve towns in all, four in Zebulun, four in Reuben and four in Gad.

The total number of towns given to the Levites was forty-eight in all including the six cities of refuge. We can now see how Jacob’s deathbed prophecy that Levi would be scattered throughout Israel was fulfilled. Jehovah’s promises to Israel have been fulfilled in full. He has given them all the land that he promised their forefathers that He would and He had given them rest from their enemies.

Joshua Chapter 22

Joshua now summons the fighting men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh to send them back to their inheritance. He tells them that they have been obedient to him and carried out the mission that Jehovah gave them. They have helped their brothers secure their inheritance. They are now free to return to their inheritance but they must be careful to continue to keep the law that Moses gave Israel and they must love Jehovah and walk in his ways, obey his commands and serve Him with their hearts and souls. Joshua then blessed them and sent them home. He admonished them to share some of the wealth that they had attained during the conquest of Canaan with their brothers who stayed behind.

The Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left Shiloh and returned to Gilead. When they came to the Jordan, before crossing it, they built an imposing altar there at a place called Geliloth. When the Israelites heard about it they gathered at Shiloh to go to war with the two and one-half tribes on the east side of the Jordan. Joshua sent Phinehas along with ten of the tribal leaders to Gilead to confront their brothers.

When they arrived in Gilead, they wanted to know why these tribes would break faith with Jehovah, rebelling against Him by building an altar to another god. Had not the sin of Peor been bad enough as they had not even down to this day been cleansed from it? If they persist in defiling the land, then Jehovah will be angry with the whole community. They cite the example of Achan as a reminder of how the community can suffer because of the sins of one man. The tribes respond that Jehovah knows why they built that altar. If they have built the altar in rebellion, to offer sacrifices to other gods, then Jehovah should call them to account. The altar, although it was a replica of the one that Israel made their offerings to Jehovah on, it was not to be used for that purpose. They then explained that the reason they built that altar was that, with the Jordan separating them from the nine and one-half tribes, their descendants may one day decide that the two and one-half tribes were no longer a part of Israel. So they said, “The altar is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD [Jehovah] at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD [Jehovah].’”

Phinehas the underpriest and the elders with him were very pleased to hear what the tribes had said. They could now say that they knew that Jehovah was with them because these tribes had not acted unfaithfully. They returned to report to Israel what the Reubenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh had said. Israel was pleased to know that there was no rebellion against Jehovah and so war would not be necessary. It would appear that Israel had learned a lesson from their previous experiences. They would not tolerate any rivalry in the worship of Jehovah from their brothers. The Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh called the altar that they had built “A Witness Between Us that the LORD [Jehovah] is God.”


NOTE: All scripture quotes are taken from the New International Version Study Bible (NIV) unless otherwise stated.

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