Joshua 19: What the Passage Says

The Chapter in a Sentence

The land division continues with lots for six more tribes: Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. Simeon's land is taken from inside Judah's territory, because Judah's share was larger than that tribe needed. Dan's territory proved too small for them, so they captured the city of Leshem and renamed it Dan. After all the tribes had their land, Israel gave Joshua the city he asked for, and the whole division was finished at Shiloh before the LORD.

Claim by Claim

1. 19:1
   • The second lot came out for Simeon.
   • The lot was for the tribe of the children of Simeon by their families.
   • Simeon's inheritance lay within the inheritance of the children of Judah.
2. 19:2
   • Simeon's inheritance included Beersheba.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Sheba.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Moladah.
3. 19:3
   • Simeon's inheritance included Hazar-shual.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Balah.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Ezem.
4. 19:4
   • Simeon's inheritance included Eltolad.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Bethul.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Hormah.
5. 19:5
   • Simeon's inheritance included Ziklag.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Beth-marcaboth.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Hazar-susah.
6. 19:6
   • Simeon's inheritance included Beth-lebaoth.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Sharuhen.
   • These amounted to thirteen cities.
   • The thirteen cities had their villages.
7. 19:7
   • Simeon's inheritance included Ain.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Rimmon.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Ether.
   • Simeon's inheritance included Ashan.
   • These amounted to four cities.
   • The four cities had their villages.
8. 19:8
   • All the villages around these cities as far as Baalath-beer belonged to Simeon.
   • Baalath-beer is also called Ramah of the Negev.
   • This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon by their families.
9. 19:9
   • The inheritance of the children of Simeon was taken out of the portion of the children of Judah.
   • The share of the children of Judah was too large for them.
   • The children of Simeon received their inheritance within Judah's inheritance.
10. 19:10
    • The third lot came up for the children of Zebulun by their families.
    • The border of Zebulun's inheritance extended as far as Sarid.
11. 19:11
    • Their border went up westward to Maralah.
    • The border reached Dabbesheth.
    • The border reached the brook that is before Jokneam.
12. 19:12
    • The border turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrise to the border of Chisloth-tabor.
    • The border went out to Daberath.
    • The border went up to Japhia.
13. 19:13
    • From there the border passed eastward to Gath-hepher.
    • The border passed to Eth-kazin.
    • The border went out to Rimmon, which extends toward Neah.
14. 19:14
    • The border turned around it on the north to Hannathon.
    • The border's endpoints were at the valley of Iphtah-el.
15. 19:15
    • Zebulun's territory included Kattath.
    • Zebulun's territory included Nahalal.
    • Zebulun's territory included Shimron.
    • Zebulun's territory included Idalah.
    • Zebulun's territory included Bethlehem.
    • These amounted to twelve cities.
    • The twelve cities had their villages.
16. 19:16
    • This was the inheritance of the children of Zebulun by their families.
    • The inheritance consisted of these cities with their villages.
17. 19:17
    • The fourth lot came out for Issachar.
    • The lot was for the children of Issachar by their families.
18. 19:18
    • Their border included Jezreel.
    • Their border included Chesulloth.
    • Their border included Shunem.
19. 19:19
    • Their territory included Hapharaim.
    • Their territory included Shion.
    • Their territory included Anaharath.
20. 19:20
    • Their territory included Rabbith.
    • Their territory included Kishion.
    • Their territory included Ebez.
21. 19:21
    • Their territory included Remeth.
    • Their territory included En-gannim.
    • Their territory included En-haddah.
    • Their territory included Beth-pazzez.
22. 19:22
    • The border reached Tabor.
    • The border reached Shahazumah.
    • The border reached Beth-shemesh.
    • The endpoints of their border were at the Jordan.
    • These amounted to sixteen cities.
    • The sixteen cities had their villages.
23. 19:23
    • This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar by their families.
    • The inheritance consisted of the cities and their villages.
24. 19:24
    • The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher by their families.
25. 19:25
    • Their border included Helkath.
    • Their border included Hali.
    • Their border included Beten.
    • Their border included Achshaph.
26. 19:26
    • Their territory included Alammelech.
    • Their territory included Amad.
    • Their territory included Mishal.
    • The border reached Carmel on the west.
    • The border reached Shihor-libnath.
27. 19:27
    • The border turned toward the sunrise to Beth-dagon.
    • The border reached Zebulun.
    • The border reached the valley of Iphtah-el.
    • The border went northward to Beth-emek and Neiel.
    • The border went out to Cabul on the left.
28. 19:28
    • Their territory included Ebron.
    • Their territory included Rehob.
    • Their territory included Hammon.
    • Their territory included Kanah.
    • The territory extended as far as great Sidon.
29. 19:29
    • The border turned back to Ramah.
    • The border extended to the fortified city of Tyre.
    • The border turned to Hosah.
    • The border's endpoints were at the sea in the region of Achzib.
30. 19:30
    • Their territory included Ummah.
    • Their territory included Aphek.
    • Their territory included Rehob.
    • These amounted to twenty-two cities.
    • The twenty-two cities had their villages.
31. 19:31
    • This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher by their families.
    • The inheritance consisted of these cities with their villages.
32. 19:32
    • The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali.
    • The lot was for the children of Naphtali by their families.
33. 19:33
    • Their border ran from Heleph.
    • Their border ran from the great tree at Zaanannim.
    • Their border ran by Adami-nekeb and Jabneel as far as Lakkum.
    • The border's endpoints were at the Jordan.
34. 19:34
    • The border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor.
    • The border went out from there to Hukkok.
    • The border reached Zebulun on the south.
    • The border reached Asher on the west.
    • The border reached Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrise.
35. 19:35
    • The fortified cities were among Naphtali's holdings.
    • The fortified cities included Ziddim.
    • The fortified cities included Zer.
    • The fortified cities included Hammath.
    • The fortified cities included Rakkath.
    • The fortified cities included Chinnereth.
36. 19:36
    • The cities included Adamah.
    • The cities included Ramah.
    • The cities included Hazor.
37. 19:37
    • The cities included Kedesh.
    • The cities included Edrei.
    • The cities included En-hazor.
38. 19:38
    • The cities included Iron.
    • The cities included Migdal-el.
    • The cities included Horem.
    • The cities included Beth-anath.
    • The cities included Beth-shemesh.
    • These amounted to nineteen cities.
    • The nineteen cities had their villages.
39. 19:39
    • This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali by their families.
    • The inheritance consisted of the cities and their villages.
40. 19:40
    • The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan by their families.
41. 19:41
    • The border of their inheritance included Zorah.
    • The border of their inheritance included Eshtaol.
    • The border of their inheritance included Ir-shemesh.
42. 19:42
    • Their territory included Shaalabbin.
    • Their territory included Aijalon.
    • Their territory included Ithlah.
43. 19:43
    • Their territory included Elon.
    • Their territory included Timnah.
    • Their territory included Ekron.
44. 19:44
    • Their territory included Eltekeh.
    • Their territory included Gibbethon.
    • Their territory included Baalath.
45. 19:45
    • Their territory included Jehud.
    • Their territory included Bene-berak.
    • Their territory included Gath-rimmon.
46. 19:46
    • Their territory included Me-jarkon.
    • Their territory included Rakkon.
    • Their territory included the border opposite Joppa.
47. 19:47
    • The border of the children of Dan went out from them, being too little for them.
    • The children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem.
    • They captured Leshem.
    • They struck Leshem with the edge of the sword.
    • They took possession of Leshem.
    • They settled in Leshem.
    • They named Leshem 'Dan.'
    • They named it after Dan their father.
48. 19:48
    • This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan by their families.
    • The inheritance consisted of these cities with their villages.
49. 19:49
    • They finished dividing the land as an inheritance according to its borders.
    • The children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua son of Nun among them.
50. 19:50
    • They gave Joshua the city according to the word of the LORD.
    • Joshua had asked for that city.
    • The city was Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim.
    • Joshua built the city.
    • Joshua settled in the city.
51. 19:51
    • These are the inheritances that were distributed.
    • Eleazar the priest distributed them.
    • Joshua son of Nun distributed them.
    • The heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed them.
    • The distribution was made by lot.
    • The distribution was made at Shiloh.
    • The distribution was made before the LORD.
    • The distribution was made at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
    • They finished dividing the land.

Words Worth Explaining

Every language note in this chapter, gathered. These explain what a word meant, never what it means for the reader.

19:1

A "lot" was a physical object (a marked stone, stick or potsherd) shaken or drawn from a container to settle a question by a result no person controlled. Land was assigned this way so that no tribe could claim it had bargained for its share. This is the second lot of seven drawn at Shiloh (chapters 18–19); Benjamin drew the first. Judah, Ephraim and Manasseh had already been given land earlier, in a separate distribution. The word the King James translates "inheritance" means a permanent family holding, land that stays with a clan and passes to its descendants rather than being bought and sold freely.

19:2

Beersheba was the best-known town of the far south; the standard phrase for the whole length of the country was "from Dan to Beersheba." The Hebrew here can be read either as two separate towns, Beersheba and Sheba, or as one town under two forms of its name ("Beersheba, that is, Sheba"), which is why translations differ.

19:6

The count and the list do not match: fourteen names are given in verses 2–6, but the total says thirteen. This is one reason many read "Beersheba, or Sheba" in verse 2 as a single place. Ancient town lists often carry small mismatches of this kind between the names and the summary figure.

19:8

"Ramath of the south" translates *Ramath-negeb*. The Negev is the dry country south of the settled hill land, semi-desert grazing land rather than sand desert. In Hebrew "the Negev" also came to mean simply "the south," which is how the King James renders it.

19:9

"Too much for them" means Judah had drawn more land than that tribe could occupy or needed, not that anything was wrong with the allotment. The practical result is that Simeon had no separate block of territory at all; its towns sat scattered inside Judah's, and over time Simeon was largely absorbed into Judah.

19:11

The Hebrew says the border went "toward the sea", the Mediterranean lay to the west, so "seaward" simply meant west. Hebrew compass directions are described from the standpoint of a person facing the sunrise: ahead is east, behind is west, left is north, right is south.

19:12

"Eastward toward the sunrising" is the Hebrew's ordinary way of saying east, the direction a person faces when orienting themselves.

19:14

"The outgoings thereof" is old English for the point where a boundary line runs out, in other words where it ends.

19:15

The total counts all the settled places named in Zebulun's section, including ones mentioned as border points in the preceding verses, not only the five listed in this verse.

19:18

Jezreel gave its name to the broad fertile valley cutting across northern Israel between the hill country of Samaria and Galilee, the best farmland in the country and the natural route for armies crossing it.

19:21

Many of these names describe the place. "En" means a spring of water, so En-gannim means "spring of gardens."

19:22

Tabor is Mount Tabor, a steep isolated dome rising out of the Jezreel valley, visible for miles and therefore a natural boundary marker where several tribal territories met.

19:26

Carmel is Mount Carmel, the wooded ridge that runs down to the Mediterranean coast near modern Haifa, forming the southern edge of Asher's territory.

19:27

"On the left hand" means on the north. Facing east, as Hebrew direction-words assume, the left hand points north.

19:28

Sidon was a major Phoenician seaport on the coast of what is now Lebanon, outside Israelite control. "Great Sidon" distinguishes the city proper from the smaller settlements dependent on it; Asher's border ran up to it but did not include it.

19:29

Tyre was the other great Phoenician port, its main city built on an offshore island and famously hard to attack, which is what the King James "strong city" means, fortified. "The sea" here is the Mediterranean, the western edge of the land.

19:30

As with the other tribes, the summary figure does not match the number of names actually listed in Asher's section. Such lists were copied and recopied over centuries, and the totals and names drifted apart.

19:33

The "great tree of Zaanannim" (the King James reads it as a place name, Allon) was a single large oak or terebinth used as a survey landmark. Prominent trees were standard boundary markers, and the same tree appears again in the story of Sisera's death in Judges 4.

19:34

The mention of Judah at the Jordan is puzzling, since Judah's territory lay far to the south. The Hebrew has long been recognized as difficult here; some take it as a reference to a place or clan of that name in the north, and some think a word has dropped out in copying. Translations leave the oddity standing rather than smoothing it away.

19:35

"Fenced" in 1611 English meant fortified, surrounded by a defensive wall, as against an unwalled village. Chinnereth stood on the northwest shore of the lake that took its name from it; the same lake is later called the Sea of Galilee.

19:38

Several of these names are Canaanite ones that the Israelites kept in use. Beth-shemesh means "house of the sun" and Beth-anath "house of Anath," a Canaanite goddess, the towns were named for the gods worshiped there before Israel arrived, and the names stuck.

19:43

Ekron was one of the five chief Philistine cities. It is listed here as within Dan's allotted boundaries, but Dan never held it; the list describes what was assigned, not what was occupied.

19:46

Joppa (Hebrew *Japho*, modern Jaffa, now part of Tel Aviv) was the only natural harbor on this stretch of coast. The text says Dan's border ran opposite Joppa, not that Dan possessed the port.

19:47

The Hebrew of the first clause is awkward and can be read two ways: that Dan's territory proved too small for them, or that the territory "went out from them": that they were squeezed out of it by the Amorites and Philistines already living there. Some ancient versions read it the second way. Leshem is called Laish in Judges 18, which tells the same migration at length: the tribe gave up on its allotment in the south and seized a town far to the north instead. "Smote it with the edge of the sword" is the standard formula for taking a town by storm and killing its inhabitants. Renaming the captured town Dan is why the phrase for the whole country's length became "from Dan to Beersheba."

19:49

Joshua, who led the entire conquest and oversaw the division, receives his portion last, after every tribe has been provided for. He asks for one town rather than a region.

19:50

Joshua, who oversaw the whole distribution, receives his own share last and only after everyone else has been provided for. "He built the city" means he rebuilt or fortified an existing site rather than founding a new one. Timnath-serah lay in the hill country north of Jerusalem allotted to Ephraim, Joshua's own tribe.

19:51

Eleazar was Aaron's son and chief priest; the priest was involved because the lot was cast at the sanctuary and its result was treated as a decision given by God rather than by the men present. Shiloh was where the portable sanctuary had been set up (chapter 18), and it served as Israel's central shrine for generations before Jerusalem. The "tabernacle of the congregation," better rendered "tent of meeting," was that portable tent-shrine, carried since the time at Sinai. The "heads of the fathers" were the senior men of each extended family, who spoke for their clans in matters of land.