Today was all about the allotment of the remaining land. There were still seven tribes that remained to be assigned land. The whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there.
Joshua asked the people, how long they were going to put off going in to take possession of the land. He sent three men from each tribe to go all about the land and write a description of it with a view to their inheritance, and then bring it back to him. They were to divide the land into seven portions, and Joshua cast lots for them before the Lord in Shiloh.
Judah would remain in the territory of the south and Joseph in the north. And remember, the Levites had no portion among them, for the priesthood of the Lord was their inheritance. And Gad and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh had already received their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan, which Moses had given them.
Each tribe was allotted their portion of land. It went on to explain each territory with names and locations of their boundaries. It also listed all the names of the cities and villages.
Benjamin fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph as a buffer zone between the two dominant tribes. It’s northern line was the same as Ephraim’s southern border, and its southern line the same as Judah’s northernmost boundary. There were 14 cities and villages.
Simeon was in the midst of the people of Judah. The portion for the people of Judah was too large for them, so the people of Simeon obtained an inheritance in the midst of their inheritance. There were 13 cities and villages.
Zebulun received a portion of lower Galilee west of the Red Sea of Galilee and in the vicinity of NT Nazareth. There were 12 cities and villages.
Isaachar was southwest of the Sea of Galilee reaching down to Beth Shan and west to Jezreel Valley. Mount Tabor marked its northern border. There were 16 cities and villages.
Asher was given the coastal area as far north as Sidon in Phoenicia and as far south as Mount Carmel. There were 22 cities and villages.
Naphtali received an area mostly to the north of the Sea of Galilee, taking in the modern Huleh Valley and the mountains bordering on Asher to the west. Its southernmost point was at the lower edge of the Sea of Galilee. There were 19 cities and villages.
Dan got an elbow of land squeezed between Ephraim and Judah and west of Benjamin. The port of Joppa marked the northwestern corner of Dan. The people of Dan had trouble though, and their territory was lost to them. The Amorites of that area confined Dan to the hill country. As a result, most of the tribe migrated to the upper Jordan Valley where they seized the town of Leshem. After conquering it and taking possession of it, they settled in it and called it Dan.
When they had finished distributing the territories of the land, the people gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun. By command of the Lord they gave him the city that he asked for in the hill country of Ephraim. Joshua rebuilt the city and settled in it.
Lastly, they had to appoint the cities of refuge which the Lord spoke through Moses about. The cities were designated for all people of Israel and for the strangers sojourning among them. Anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that they might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till they stood before the congregation.
They set apart a city of refuge in each of the tribe’s territories. The geographical distribution of the cities was important, as they were spaced out in accordance to tribes and locations.
