Joshua 19

This chapter concludes the record of the land distribution in the second half of the book of Joshua. In Joshua 18, Benjamin was the first of the seven tribes gathered at Shiloh to receive its inheritance (land passed down from generation to generation). This chapter records the portions of the remaining six tribes in turn.

Outline

• Verses 1–9: The second lot falls to the tribe of Simeon, which receives land within the inheritance of the children of Judah. The text explains that Judah's portion was too large for it.
• Verses 10–16: The third lot falls to the tribe of Zebulun, which receives twelve cities with their villages.
• Verses 17–23: The fourth lot falls to the tribe of Issachar, which receives sixteen cities, including Jezreel and Shunem.
• Verses 24–31: The fifth lot falls to the tribe of Asher, which receives twenty-two cities. Its border reaches Carmel, Sidon, and Tyre.
• Verses 32–39: The sixth lot falls to the tribe of Naphtali, which receives nineteen cities.
• Verses 40–48: The seventh lot falls to the tribe of Dan, which receives Zorah, Eshtaol, and other cities. The children of Dan later attack and take Leshem and rename it Dan.
• Verses 49–51: The children of Israel give Joshua Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the heads of the tribes complete the division of the land at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in Shiloh.

Key Verses

• Joshua 19:9 "For the part of the children of Judah was too much for them" — This explains why Simeon had no separate territory of its own but settled within the land of Judah.
• Joshua 19:47 "And called Leshem, Dan" — This briefly reports the tribe of Dan's migration northward and connects with the account in Judges 18.
• Joshua 19:50 "They gave him the city which he asked, even Timnathserah" — The leader who directed the division of the land receives his own portion last, after every tribe has received its share.

People and Places

• Joshua: The son of Nun. He receives Timnath-serah, rebuilds the city, and dwells there.
• Eleazar: The son of Aaron and a priest, who oversees the division of the land together with Joshua.
• Simeon, Zebulun: Ancestors of tribes that receive their inheritance in this chapter. The twelve tribes as a whole are treated in the article Twelve Tribes of Israel.
• Beersheba: Listed as the first city in Simeon's inheritance.
• Shunem: A city of Issachar. It was later the hometown of the Shunammite woman who showed hospitality to Elisha.
• Mount Carmel: Mentioned as the western end of Asher's border.
• Tyre and Sidon: Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast, mentioned in connection with Asher's border.
• Joppa: A port mentioned at the edge of the tribe of Dan's border.
• Timnath-serah: A city in the hill country of Ephraim. Joshua 24:30 records that Joshua was buried there.
• Shiloh: The site of the tabernacle of the congregation and the place where the lots were cast.

Points for Reflection

• A traditional interpretation reads the placement of Simeon's inheritance within the land of Judah as the fulfillment of Jacob's prophecy, "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel" (Genesis 49:7). A list of Simeon's cities also appears in 1 Chronicles 4.
• The Bethlehem of verse 15 is a city of Zebulun and is therefore regarded as a different place from Bethlehem in Judah. Likewise, Kanah in verse 28 is a city of Asher and is generally distinguished from Cana of Galilee.
• The book of Judges calls Leshem "Laish" and gives a more detailed account of how the tribe of Dan took the city and set up an idol there.
• The lands of Zebulun and Naphtali are mentioned in Isaiah 9:1–7. Matthew 4:15–16 quotes this prophecy and connects it with Jesus' ministry in Galilee.