Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, Joshua · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
Verſ. 1. ANd the whole congregation of the children of Iſrael aſſembled themſelves together at Shiloh, and ſet up the Tabernacle, &c.] No doubt God appointed them to remove the Tabernacle to Shiloh: ſo much may be gathered from that which is ſaid, Deut. 12.5. But unto the place which the Lord your God ſhall chuſe out of all your tribes, to put his name there, even unto his habitation ſhall ye ſeek, and thither thou ſhalt come: as alſo Ier. 7.12. where it is plainly called the place where God ſet his Name at the firſt. Hitherto both camp and Tabernacle had been in Gilgal, a place in the very firſt entrance into the land of Canaan; now they removed further into the land, both the camp, verſ. 9. And the men went and paſſed through the land, and deſcribed it by cities into ſeven parts in a book, and came again to Joſhua to the hoſt at Shiloh; and the tabernacle, as is here expreſſed, both as a manifeſt ſigne of their taking poſſeſſion of the land they had conquered, and for the more convenient coming of the people to the tabernacle to worſhip. And Shiloh God appointed to be the place, a city in Ephraim, therein God honouring Ioſhua the ruler of the people, who was of this tribe; and withall, it was brought nearer to the place which God had decreed to be the ſettled place of his worſhip, to wit, Ieruſalem: from this time therefore the people was bound to the ſtrict obſervation of the Ceremoniall Law, Deut. 12.8, 9, 10, 11. Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man what is right in his own eyes. For ye are not as yet come to the rest, and to the inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you. But when ye come over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit; and when he giveth you reſt from all your enemies round about, ſo that you dwell in ſafety: Then there ſhall be a place which the Lord your God ſhall chuſe, to cauſe his name to dwell there, thither ſhall ye bring all that I command you, your burnt offerings and your ſacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hands, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord, &c. and here the Tabernacle continued unto the dayes of Samuel, to wit, above three hundred years.
And the land was ſubdued before them.] That is, the land about Shiloh was ſubdued, and the inhabitants driven out of it, and thoſe that dwelt further off were ſo ſtricken with the terrour of God, that they durſt not ſtirre to moleſt the Iſraelites.
Verſ. 2. And there remained among the children of Iſrael ſeven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.] It may ſeem ſtrange that the Iſraelites having begun in Gilgal to divide the land by lot, went not on in that work, but having drawn three lots, which fell to Judah, Ephraim, and Manaſſeh, gave over and intermitted this work, and that as it ſeems a long time; for ſo much is evident by Joſhua his expoſtulation with them, verſ. 3. (though it be not expreſſely ſaid how long it was) How long, ſaith he, are you ſlack to go to poſſeſſe the land, &c. why they did this no reaſon is given in the text: But this by Expoſitours is thought the moſt probable reaſon, to wit, that the other tribes perceiving what a large circuit of land was given to Judah (out of which indeed more then the portion of one tribe was afterward taken, ſee chap. 19.9.) they began to murmure, as ſuppoſing that there would not be left an equall ſhare for them; and the rather, becauſe they heard the ſonnes of Joſeph already complain, and therefore pretending that there could not be any equall diviſion made, when the remote parts were no better known to them, as being yet in the enemies poſſeſſion, they deſired ſome ſtay of the work till they had further prevailed, and might know the land they were to divide, better then yet they could do. And thus the work being put off for a time, by degrees they began to mind it no more, till Joſhua finding them ſhamefully remiſſe, urged them to ſet upon it again, and for their better ſatisfaction to ſend forth men to ſearch the land.
Verſ. 4. Give out from among you three men of each tribe, &c.] To wit, not onelyonly of the ſeven tribes mentioned verſ. 2. but alſo of Judah, Ephraim, and Manaſſeh; leſt if theſe ſearchers ſhould conceive that it was fit ſomewhat ſhould be taken from thoſe that had their lots already, they might otherwiſe complain of partialitie in thoſe that were ſent to ſearch the land. As for the work that theſe men were to do, namely to deſcribe the land according to the inheritance of them, it is meant doubtleſſe of ſome catalogue they were to bring of the ſeverall countreys and parts of the land that were not yet divided, with the ſeverall cities, and towns, and villages that were in each of them, that ſo accordingly they might the better divide it into ſo many parts.
Verſ. 5. Judah ſhall abide on their coaſts on the ſouth, &c.] The meaning of this is onelyonly that the tribe of Judah, and the ſonnes of Ioſeph, Ephraim and Manaſſeh, ſhould continue ſeated, the one on the South, the other on the North, in that part of the land wherein the lots that were drawn for them in Gilgal fell, and not that they ſhould have ſtill the ſame quantity of land that was at firſt aſſigned them: for we ſee afterward, that the tribe of Simeon had their portion aſſigned them out of that which was at firſt in the lot of Iudah, chap. 19.9.
Verſ. 6. Ye ſhall therefore deſcribe the land into ſeven parts and bring the deſcrition hither to me, that I may caſt lots here for you before the Lord our God.] This ſome ſay was ſpoken to the men that were choſen to deſcribe the land. But I conceive it might as well be ſpoken to the whole aſſembly, to whom hitherto Ioſhua had directed his ſpeech, Ye ſhall therefore deſcribe the land into ſeven parts, and bring the deſcription, &c. that is, ye ſhall take order that by the men you ſend out, the land be deſcribed into ſeven parts, and then that the deſcription thereof be brought to me. However, the mention he makes in the laſt words of the account they were to give of what they had done, before the Lord in the tabernacle, was doubtleſſe to intimate how carefull the men that were ſent had need to be, diligently and carefully to carry themſelves in this great charge that was impoſed upon them.
Verſ. 9. And the men went and paſſed through the land, and deſcribed it by cities into ſeven parts, &c.] They might uſe ſome likely means to prevent danger, when they ſearched the countreys of their enraged enemies; perhaps they divided themſelves, and went not all together; they might alſo go under pretence of negotiation, and it may be diſguiſed, that they might not ſeem Iſralites. But doubtleſſe the aſtoniſhment and fear wherewith God had ſtricken the inhabitants, upon the Iſraelites late victories, were the beſt means of their ſafety: and by their preſervation in this dangerous ſervice, we may well think their brethren were much encouraged to ſet upon the getting of the remainder of the land into their poſſeſſion.
Verſ. 11. And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up, &c.] Thus had Benjamin the honour of having the firſt lot amongſt the ſeven tribes, and was by Gods providence ſeated the very next to his brethren Ephraim and Manaſſeh, (who likewiſe were of Rachel) and had alſo the royall city of Ieruſalem within his borders, where God dwelt in his holy Temple; wherein that was accompliſhed which 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.
Verſ. 12. And their border on the North was from Jordan, &c.] This North border of Benjamin is the ſame with the South border of the ſonnes of Ioſeph, deſcribed before, chap. 16.1. concerning which therefore ſee the notes there.
Verſ. 14. And the border was drawn thence, and compaſſed the corner of the ſea ſouthward &c.] Here begins the Weſtern border of Benjamins portion; for here the line turns from North to South, and fetching a compaſſe about an inlet or creek of the ſea goeth on ſouthward till it comes to Kirjath-baal in Iudahs portion, called by the Iſraelites (to ſuppreſſe the name of their idol-god) Kirjath-jearim.
Verſ. 15. And the ſouth quarter was from the end of Kirjath-jearim, &c.] See chap. 15.5, 6. where you ſhall find the ſame to be made the north border of Judah; onelyonly that line is drawn from eaſt to weſt, from the lake of Sodome to Kirjath-jearim, this from the weſt to the eaſt from Kirjath-jearim to the lake of Sodome: concerning which, ſee the note there.
Verſ. 18. And paſſed along toward the ſide over against Arabah north-ward, and went down unto Arabah.] Which is called Beth-arabah, chap. 15.6.
Verſ. 21. Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families, were Jericho, &c.] It is no wonder though in ſeverall places of Scripture, we find mention made of ſome cities belonging to the tribe of Benjamin that are not in this Catalogue; For many cities might be built in after times. And beſides, it is probable that all the cities in Benjamins lot are not here mentioned, but ſuch onelyonly as were requiſite to be known, becauſe by them the bounds of their lot are deſcribed, or for the better underſtanding of ſome other paſſages in the ſacred hiſtory where theſe cities are mentioned. And the like we muſt conceive of the catalogues that are given us in the following chapter of the cities that were in the ſeverall lots of the other tribes.