The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 115 – Section 118
SECT. CXV.
THere remained now among the Iſraelites ſeven Tribes which had not yet received their Inheritance; and (as it ſeems) being weary of the War [which had laſted long] and being full of Spoil, and wanting nothing, they did not preſs to have their Inheritances allotted to them; which negligence Joſhua reproves them for, ſhewing them there was no let on God's part, but they might enter into their Inheritances; and thoſe perſons whom he had appointed to divide their Inheritances to them by lot were ready to do their duty therein. He therefore requires them to chooſe out from among them three men of every Tribe [that the matter might be carried on impartially] and he would ſend them to go through the Land, and to take a Survey not only of the parts of the Country already ſubdued, but of thoſe that remained yet in the Enemies hands, that they might deſcribe the largeneſs of every Region and Province, and ſet down how many Cities and Villages were in each of them. That ſo having as it were a Map of the Land that remained to be divided before them, they might juſtly divide it into ſeven parts, and ſo give proportionable Shares and Inheritances to every Tribe, according as they were in number fewer or more. He tells them, That the Tribe of Judah and the Sons of Joſeph Ephraim and Manaſſeh ſhould continue ſeated, the one in the South, the other in the North, according as their lots fell to them at Gilgal; but yet he ſeems to intimate that if their Shares were found to be too large, then ſome other Tribes might have a ſhare with them, as it afterwards happened; for the Tribe of Simeon had their portion aſſigned to them out of that which was at firſt the lot of Judah, Ch. 19.9. When theſe Surveyors had gone through the Land, and divided it into ſeven parts, (for the Levites were to have no part among them, the Prieſthood of the Lord being their Inheritance, and the other Tribes had had their lots before,) then He orders that the Deſcription of it ſhould be brought to him, and he would caſt lots for them before the Lord at the door of the Tabernacle. The men thus appointed, went out accordingly, being ſecure and confident of Gods Protection, and dividing themſelves (as 'tis probable) and going under pretence (poſſibly) of Negotiation or Traffick, they ſpent ſeven months in this Survey, as Joſephus tells us, Antiq. lib. 5. and ſo made a Deſcription of it in a Volume or Map, with all the Cities and Towns belonging to each Province, and divided it into ſeven parts, and ſo preſented it to Joſhua, and the Elders at Shiloh. Then Joſhua caſt lots for them, according to the diviſions of their Tribes. And the firſt lot came up for the Children of Benjamin, whoſe lot fell between the Children of Judah and Joſeph, and the bounds of their lot, with the Cities belonging thereunto, are deſcribed Ch. 18. from verſ. 11. to the end. Thus Benjamin had the honour to have the firſt lot among the ſeven Tribes, and was by providence ſeated the very next to his Brethren, Ephraim and Manaſſeh, and had alſo part of the Royal City of Jeruſalem within his Borders, whereby was fulfilled what Moſes propheſied of this Tribe, Deut. 33.12. And of Benjamin he ſaid, the beloved of the Lord ſhall dwell in ſafety by him, and the Lord ſhall cover him all the day long, and he ſhall dwell between his Shoulders. The next lot came forth for Simeon, and their Inheritance was within the lot of the Tribe of Judah. It ſeems they that were ſent to ſearch the Land not yet divided (that they might part it into ſeven lots for the ſeven Tribes remaining) found that the portion which Joſhua and Eleazar, and the other Commiſſioners, for dividing the Land, had formerly aſſigned to Judah, was too large, conſidering what was left for the other Tribes; and therefore they agreed unanimouſly, that a whole portion for one of the Tribes (which had not yet their Inheritance aſſigned to them) ſhould be taken out of that which was formerly given to Judah, and ſome Cities alſo they took from Judah to be as part of another lot, ſee Joſh. 19:40, 41. And thus by the Providence of God there being one Tribe to be provided for within the portion of the Children of Judah, the lot fell upon this Tribe of Simeon, that was feweſt in number of all the Tribes, ſee Numb. 26.14. And by this Tribes being intermingled with Judah, and not having a portion by themſelves apart, that Propheſie of Jacob was fulfilled, Gen. 49. I will divide them in Jacob, and ſcatter them in Iſrael. The bounds of this Tribes portion are not deſcribed, only the chief Cities and Towns are named that were in their lot, and that becauſe their Inheritance was within that of Judah.
The third lot came up for the Children of Zebulun. Their Borders are deſcribed Ch. 19. from verſ. 10. to 17.
The fourth lot came out to Iſſachar. Their Borders are deſcribed from verſ. 17: to 24.
The fifth lot for the Tribe of Aſher. Their Borders are deſcribed from verſ. 24. to 32.
The ſixth lot came out for the Children of Naphtali. Their Borders are deſcribed from verſ. 32. to verſ. 40.
The ſeventh lot came out for the Children of Dan. Hence it appears, that this Book was not written by Joſhua, except we ſhall ſay that ſome particulars in it were af…erwards inſerted by ſome other holy men.Their Borders are deſcribed from verſ. 40. to 47. Their lot fell to them in the Southern parts cloſe by Judah's portion, and they being not able to drive out the Philiſtines out of their Land, in after-times, viz. after Joſhua's death, they were ſtreightned, and ſo went out, and took Laiſh a City in the North parts, *Judg. 20.1.in Naphtali's lot (ſee Judg. 18.) though then in the Zidonians poſſeſſion, and tranſplanted a Colony thither, calling it Dan, from Dan their Anceſtor, Son of Jacob.
Ch. 18. from 2. to the end.
Ch. 19. from 1. to 49.
SECT. CXVI.
WHen they had made an end of dividing the Land among all the Tribes, and the diſtribution thereof was fully finiſhed, then the Children of Iſrael gave Joſhua an Inheritance in Timnah-ſerah in Mount Ephraim. And herein was the modeſty of this great General remarkable, that he was content to ſtay till all the other Tribes had their portion, ere he made any motion for that which by ſpecial Prerogative was to be conferred on him, according to the Word of the Lord ſpoken to Moſes not only concerning Caleb, but alſo Joſhua. Ch. 14.9. 2ly, He was content to receive what the Lord had promiſed him as by way of Gift from the people. 3ly, Whereas he might have choſen the faireſt and goodlieſt City in all their Tribes; He choſe his Seat in a mountainous Country, and it ſeems a City that was ruinated, ſo that he was fain to build it, ere he could dwell in it.
Joſh. Ch. 19. from verſ. 49. to the end.
SECT. CXVII.
THe Levites now come to Joſhua and Eleazar, and the reſt of the Commiſſioners, for dividing the Land, to receive from them the Cities which God appointed to be ſet apart for their dwellings. And they accordingly ſet apart forty eight Cities for them, as God had commanded, Numb. 35.7. The Commiſſioners 'tis like choſe theſe Cities out of each Tribe ſome, according as their number was greater or leſſer, and choſe ſuch Cities as they in their Wiſdom thought moſt convenient for the Levites and the people. And then dividing the Cities they had choſen into four parts, one for the Prieſts, a ſecond for the Levites of the Family of Cohath, a third for the Gerſhonites, a fourth for the Merarites; it was decided by lot in which of theſe the Prieſts ſhould be placed, and in which the three Families of the Levites. The Prieſts who were of the Family of Cohah, by the ſpecial Providence of God, were ſeated partly in the Tribe of Judah, and partly in the two neighbouring Tribes of Simeon and Benjamin, that ſo they might be near the Temple: Thirteen Cities fell to their lot, and herein reſpect was had to future times, when the Poſterity of Aaron ſhould be encreaſed, for all preſent there were but a few Prieſts, not enough to inhabit the half part of one City. The Levites that were of the Family of Cohath had by lot their Cities in the Tribe of Ephraim and Dan, and the half-Tribe of Manaſseh, viz. ten Cities. *Others no doubt beſides the Levites did inhabit theſe Cities, and dwell with them.The Gerſhonites had by lot their Cities in the Tribe of Iſſachar, Aſher and Naphtali, and out of the half-Tribe of Manaſſeh beyond Jordan, viz. thirteen Cities.
The Merarites had by lot their Cities in the Tribe of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun, viz. twelve Cities. Theſe Cities with their Suburbs the Children of Iſrael gave unto the Sons of Levi, as God had commanded. In all 48 Cities. The particular Cities that fell to each diviſion are ſet down, Joſh. Ch. 21. from verſ. 9. to 43. Of theſe ſix were appointed for Cities of Refuge, and Sanctuaries for ſuch as had killed a man unwittingly, and not of malice prepenſe.
The Cities of Refuge on this ſide Jordan were Kadeſh in Galilee in Mount Naphtali, Sechem in Mount Ephraim, and Hebron in Mount Judah. On the other ſide Jordan Bezer in the Tribe of Reuben, Ramoth-Gilead in the Tribe of Gad and Golan in Baſhan, in the Tribe of Manaſſeh, ſee Numb. 35. Deut. 19.2, &c.
Joſhua Ch. 20. whole Chapter.
Joſhua 21. from 1. to 43.
SECT. CXVIII.
THus God gave unto the Children of Iſrael all the Land which he had promiſed to their Fathers to give them. For though there remained ſome part of the Land out of which the Canaanites were not yet expelled, yet he had given it them all, and by lot had divided it among them, which was a kind of actual inſtating them in it. 2. He had put them into the poſſeſſion of the greateſt part of it, neither had he promiſed them otherwiſe that they ſhould poſſeſs it than by degrees, ſee Exod. 23.29. He had actually given them the whole Land, and they poſſeſſed it, and dwelt therein, that is, in as much of it as they had ſubdued, and was needful for their preſent uſe, and by degrees they came to poſſeſs the reſt; and they might have enjoyed it ſooner than they did, had it not been for their ſins. And the Lord now gave them reſt round about, and there ſtood not a man of all their Enemies before them; that is, they were Victorious in all their Wars, and none of their Enemies, whom they encountred, whilſt Joſhua was their General, were able to ſtand before them. Not any good thing that God had promiſed them, and which he knew to be good for them, failed of coming to paſs.
Joſh. 21. from 43. to the end.