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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
14:1-19:51 Western Territories. This section describes the tribal allocations west of the Jordan, and it exhibits literary symmetry. It begins and ends almost identically, making reference to Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the Israelite tribes, who distributed by lot the territories west of the Jordan (14:1-5; 19:51). Inside this outer frame are references to the inheritance of the two faithful former spies, Caleb (14:6-15) and Joshua (19:49-51). These in turn frame the major central section describing the actual allocations to the nine and a half tribes who received no inheritance east of the Jordan (15:1-19, 40-48). A crucial assembly of the whole congregation of the people of Israel at Shiloh before the "tent of meeting" (18:1-10) bisects and anchors this section, with the allotments for the major tribes of Judah and Joseph (that is, Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh) preceding (15:1-17:18) and the allotments for the other seven tribes following (18:11-19:48). Thus, chs. 14-19 provide detailed historical information in a carefully structured literary form, and in so doing underscore a fundamental theological truth: those like Caleb or Joshua who wholly follow the Lord (14:8-9, 14) will be able to enjoy their inheritance.
14:1 Eleazar the priest was Aaron's son and successor (Num. 20:25; Deut. 10:6) and had been assigned his present task by Moses (Num. 34:17). Ten heads of the nine and a half tribes were explicitly named already in Num. 34:18-29.
14:2 That the inheritance was by lot guarantees divine oversight and protects Israel's leaders from any suspicion of favoritism. The Lord's progressively more detailed instructions to Moses regarding the lot-casting procedure are recorded in Num. 26:52-56; 33:50-54; 34:1-15.
14:6-15 This section recounts Caleb's inheritance of Hebron, which Moses swore to give him many years before (v. 9; Deut. 1:36; cf. Num. 14:24). It is one of four narrative passages, sometimes referred to as "land-grant narratives," that are distinctive in Joshua 14-19 in that they focus on individuals. The other three are the allocation of Debir to Caleb's daughter Achsah and her husband Othniel (15:13-19; Othniel reappears in Judg. 3:7-11); the bestowal of an inheritance on the daughters of Zelophehad (Josh. 17:3-6); and the granting of Timnath-serah to Joshua (19:49-50). Despite his advanced age of eighty-five years (14:10), Caleb maintains that his strength is undiminished and that he will be able to drive out the formidable Anakim, provided that the Lord will be with him (v. 12). Joshua was credited with cutting off the Anakim from Hebron already in 11:21. Either the Anakim have reasserted themselves in Hebron (11:22 mentions some survivors) or, more likely, as commander-in-chief Joshua supports and receives general credit for the eventual expulsion of the Anakim by Caleb (14:12-14; 15:14). That both the summary of Joshua's defeat of the Anakim in 11:21-23 and the present account of Caleb's taking of Hebron conclude with the statement, the land had rest from war (14:15; cf. 11:23 and nowhere else in Joshua), suggests that both sections relate to the same events.
14:8 wholly followed the Lord. See note on 14:1-19:51. Emphasized through repetition in 14:9, 14, this commendation of Caleb sets a standard by which Israel is to be measured in the narratives that follow.
15:1-63 As the western allocations begin, pride of place goes to the important tribe of Judah. In keeping with the general pattern of the subsequent allotments, the tribal boundaries are first described (vv. 1-12), followed by listings of cities according to region (vv. 20-62).
15:8 Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem). Not fully conquered until the time of King David (2 Sam. 5:6-10; for other attempts, see Judg. 1:8, 21).
15:13-19 he gave to Caleb . . . Caleb drove out. See note on 14:6-15. Othniel (15:17) reappears as a judge-deliverer in Judg. 3:7-11.
15:63 Against the backdrop of so much success, the notice that the people of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem and that they dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day is disconcerting in at least two respects. First, it recalls Moses' repeated warnings against allowing Canaanites to survive and live among the Israelites (see notes on 6:17; 6:18). Second, it raises a theological question: how is it that the people of Judah "could not" drive out their foes? Surely the god of the Jebusites is not stronger than the God of Judah! This is not the first instance of failure to occupy (13:13), and it will not be the last. In 17:12 the Manassites are unable to occupy certain towns because "the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land." In 17:16 the Ephraimites cite Canaanite possession of "chariots of iron" as preventing them from taking the plains. These statements seem to be in tension with the dominant theological conviction of the book of Joshua that "the hand of the Lord is mighty" (4:24) and with the divine promise to the leader Joshua that "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. . . . You shall cause this people to inherit the land" (1:5-6). Joshua himself seems to agree with this assessment, insisting in 17:18 that "you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong." Perhaps statements of what Israel "could not" do are to be read as early evidence of spiritual slippage--of failure to follow the Lord "wholly" (see 14:8)--which will become increasingly evident in the book of Judges.
16:1 Chapters 16-17 describe the allotment of the people of Joseph, i.e., of Ephraim (16:5-10) and of Manasseh (17:1-13).
17:3-6 The daughters of Zelophehad receive their inheritance, as the Lord commanded Moses (see Num. 27:1-11 and the qualification introduced in Num. 36:1-13). See note on Josh. 14:6-15.
17:14-15 With the influx of the Israelites into Canaan, many settlements appear in areas never before settled: the highlands and the deserts. To support this human settlement in those areas not so easily cultivable, the Israelites borrowed or developed fresh agricultural techniques. One principal development of settlers in the mountains was agricultural terracing. In addition, plastered cisterns and rock-lined silos are abundant at these sites; they are rare in earlier periods.
17:16-18 In contrast to the lighter chariots of 11:4, the chariots of iron of the plains-dwelling Canaanites were of heavier construction, perhaps armored with iron fittings and sporting iron-shod, six-spoked wheels (see also Judg. 1:19). Daunting as such military machinery must have been, Joshua insisted that it was no impediment to the eye of faith: you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong (see note on Josh. 15:63).
18:1-10 This section marks the structural and thematic midpoint in the account of the division of the land. Mention of the whole congregation of Israel calls to mind the unity of Israel as a people, even as each tribe receives its individual inheritance. That the assembly gathers before the tent of meeting, or tabernacle (see Ex. 27:21; 40:2), recalls Israel's history under Moses, of whom Joshua is now the successor. Shiloh (Khirbet Seilun), making its first biblical appearance here, serves as the central sanctuary that Israel was to establish once safely settled in the land (Deut. 12:10-11; cf. Ps. 78:60; Jer. 7:12); Shiloh was likely destroyed following the battle of Ebenezer (1 Samuel 4; Jer. 7:14; 26:6, 9) and was replaced as central sanctuary by Jerusalem in the time of King David, a fact of which the present text makes no mention. Notice that the statement, the land lay subdued before them (Josh. 18:1), sums up the first half of the book, while Joshua's question in v. 3, "How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land?" pervades the second half of the book. Mention of the God of your fathers evokes God's promise of land to the patriarchs (see note on 1:2), and reference to the land's having now been given (18:3) underscores the fulfillment of the repeated promise of ch. 1 that the Lord would "give" the land. The Lord has fulfilled all his "good promises" (21:45); how will Israel respond?
18:7 The Levites have no portion among you. See note on 13:14. Adding that the priesthood of the Lord is their heritage, this verse prepares for the designation in ch. 21 of Levitical cities throughout the territories.
18:9 wrote in a book. Or on a scroll, or some other writing material (the Hb. term seper does not specify).
18:11 Though one of the smaller tribes, Benjamin was significant not only as the tribe of Israel's first king, Saul (1 Sam. 9:21), but also because it served as a buffer between the dominant tribes to the south and north; its allotted territory fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph (Ephraim and half of Manasseh).
19:1-9 That the allotment for Simeon fell in the midst of the inheritance of the people of Judah (v. 1) is explained by the fact that the portion of the people of Judah was too large for them (v. 9). (For a theological rationale, cf. Gen. 49:7.) Logically, no boundary description is given for Simeon, only a list of cities. Those cities that can be located stretched west to east along the southern reaches of Judahite territory, suggesting that Simeon may have served a protective function against enemies to the south.
19:15 Bethlehem is a northerly village not to be confused with the more famous Bethlehem in Judah (Judg. 17:7).
19:47 On how Dan's territory was lost to them, see Judg. 1:34. The story of how Dan went up and fought against Leshem is told in Judges 18, where the citizens of Laish (Leshem) are described as a people "quiet and unsuspecting" (Judg. 18:7).
19:49-50 Like Caleb, his fellow survivor from the wilderness years, Joshua receives an inheritance among them (for Caleb, see 14:6-15). On the framing function of these two notices, see note on 14:1-19:51. By command of the Lord, Joshua is given Timnath-serah (Khirbet Tibnah; called Timnath-heres in the notice of Joshua's death in Judg. 2:6-10). The site is in southwest Ephraim, away from the more formidable cities of the period. Joshua's reception of an inheritance only after all others have received theirs speaks well of him as a leader. That his city is away from the major power centers may contain a hint that his most active leadership years are drawing to a close.
19:51 Eleazar the priest and Joshua. See note on 14:1-19:51. Everything in this concluding verse indicates that the tribal allocations have been conducted appropriately at the Lord's direction--by lot.
