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Josué 18

VBL · Chapter 18/24

1La tierra había sido sometida y estaba ante ellos. Los israelitas se reunieron en Silo e instalaron el Tabernáculo de Reunión.

2Sin embargo, siete de las tribus israelitas no habían recibido sus asignaciones de tierras.

3Entonces Josué les preguntó a los israelitas: “¿Hasta cuándo seguirán siendo reacios a ir a tomar posesión de la tierra que el Señor le dio a sus antepasados?

4Elijan a tres hombres de cada tribu y los enviaré a explorar la tierra. Luego podrán escribir una descripción sobre la distribución de la tierra y traérmela.

5Deben dividir la tierra en siete partes, hasta el límite de la tierra de Judá en el sur y la de José en el norte.

6Una vez que hayas escrito la descripción de la tierra, dividiéndola en siete partes, me la traerás aquí y yo te echaré suertes en presencia del Señor, nuestro Dios.

7“Pero los levitas no reciben una parte, pues su función como sacerdotes del Señor es su asignación. Además, Gad, Rubén y la media tribu de Manasés ya han recibido su asignación que Moisés, el siervo del Señor, les dio en el lado oriental del Jordán”.

8Cuando los hombres se pusieron en camino para explorar la tierra Josué les dijo: “Recorran la tierra y escriban una descripción de lo que encuentren. Luego vuelvan a mí y yo les echaré suertes en presencia del Señor, aquí en Silo”.

9Así que los hombres fueron y exploraron la tierra y escribieron en un pergamino una descripción de las siete partes, registrando los pueblos de cada parte. Luego regresaron con Josué al campamento de Silo

10donde Josué les echó suertes en presencia del Señor. Allí Josué dividió la tierra y asignó las diferentes partes a las tribus israelitas que quedaban.

11La primera suerte echada fue para la tribu de Benjamín, por familias. La tierra asignada estaba entre la de la tribu de Judá y la de la tribu de José.

12Su límite comenzaba en el Jordán, iba al norte de la ladera de Jericó, al oeste a través de la región montañosa, y salía al desierto de Bet-aven.

13Luego el límite iba hacia el sur hasta Luz (o Betel) y bajaba hasta Atarot-adar en la montaña al sur de la parte baja de Bet-horón.

14Aquí el límite giraba hacia el sur a lo largo del lado occidental de la montaña frente a Bet-horón, terminando en Quiriat-baal (o Quiriat-Yearín), una ciudad de la tribu de Judá. Este era el límite occidental.

15El límite sur comenzaba en el límite de Quiriat-Yearín. Corría hasta el manantial de Neftoa,

16y luego bajaba hasta el pie de la montaña que da al valle de Ben-hinom, en el extremo norte del valle de Refayín. Luego bajaba por el valle de Hinom, por la ladera cercana a la ciudad jebusea, al sur, hacia En-rogel.

17Desde allí se dirigía hacia el norte, hacia En-semes y hacia Gelilot, frente a las alturas de Adumín, y luego bajó hasta la Piedra de Bohán (hijo de Rubén).

18Luego recorría la cordillera frente al valle del Jordán, hacia el norte, y después bajaban al mismo valle del Jordán.

19Desde allí corría a lo largo de la ladera norte de Bet-hogá, terminando en la bahía norte del Mar Salado, el extremo sur del Jordán. Este era el límite sur.

20El límite oriental era el Jordán.

21Estas eran las ciudades de la tribu de Benjamín, por familias: Jericó, Bet-hogá, Emec-casis,

22Bet-arabá, Zemaryin, Betel,

23Avīn, Pará, Ofra,

24Quefar-amoní, Ofni y Gueba. En total, doce ciudades con sus correspondientes aldeas.

25Además: Gabaón, Ramá, Beerot,

26Mizpa, Kefira, Moza,

27Rekem, Irpeel, Taralá,

28Zela, Haelef, Jebús (o Jerusalén), Guibeá y Quiriat-Yearín, es decir, catorce ciudades con sus aldeas correspondientes. Esta fue la tierra asignada a la tribu de Benjamín, por familias.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Joshua rebukes the seven remaining tribes for not taking possession of their inheritance. He organizes the surveying of the land and distributes it by lot, beginning with Benjamin.

Explanation

After years of conquest, seven tribes had still not formally occupied the land allotted to them - a sign of complacency or hesitation that Joshua confronts directly with the question, 'How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land?' The process of mapping the land into seven written portions before casting lots combined careful human planning with trust in God's direction through sacred lot-casting, a common practice for major decisions in the Old Testament. The delay of these tribes is a realistic picture of how, even after receiving a promise from God, actually taking possession of it requires initiative and willingness to act.

Fun facts

  • Sacred lot-casting was used in the Old Testament as a recognized way of seeking God's decision on important matters, including later the choosing of Matthias as an apostle in Acts 1:26.
  • Shiloh, where the tent of meeting was set up in this chapter, would remain Israel's religious center for generations, up to the time of Eli and the young Samuel.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Josué 18:1The tent of meeting, the portable sanctuary used since the wilderness, is set up at Shiloh, which becomes Israel's religious center for generations, before Jerusalem takes on that role much later, in the days of David.
  2. Josué 18:2At this point, seven of the twelve tribes still had not received their share of the land.
  3. Josué 18:3Joshua confronts the people about this delay, asking how long they will put off taking possession of the land God has already given them.
  4. Josué 18:4Joshua organizes a survey: three men from each tribe will go across the land and map out what still needs to be divided.
  5. Josué 18:5The land will be divided into seven parts, since Judah and the tribe of Joseph already keep the territories they received to the south and north.
  6. Josué 18:6After the mapping, the results are to be brought back to Joshua so the division can be decided by lot before God.
  7. Josué 18:7The Levites are left out of this division, since their role is the priesthood; Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh had already received land on the other side of the Jordan.
  8. Josué 18:8The chosen men set out to map the land, following Joshua's instruction to describe it and then return for the casting of lots at Shiloh.
  9. Josué 18:9They cross the land, record everything in a book divided into seven parts by city, and return to camp at Shiloh.
  10. Josué 18:10Joshua casts lots before the LORD to divide the land among the seven tribes that still had not received their share. Casting lots was seen as a way to leave the decision in God's hands, avoiding disputes among the tribes over which piece of land each one deserved.
  11. Josué 18:11The lot falls to the tribe of Benjamin, whose territory ends up wedged between Judah and the tribe of Joseph.
  12. Josué 18:12Benjamin's northern border begins at the Jordan, climbs along the side of Jericho, and continues through the hill country to the wilderness of Beth-aven.
  13. Josué 18:13From there the line passes by Luz, also called Bethel, and goes down to Ataroth-adar, near Lower Beth-horon.
  14. Josué 18:14The border curves south and ends at Kirjath-jearim, a city belonging to Judah — this is the western extent of the territory.
  15. Josué 18:15To the south, the border starts at the edge of Kirjath-jearim and goes to the spring of Nephtoah.
  16. Josué 18:16The line goes down to the hill near the Valley of Hinnom, passing by the side of the Jebusites, and reaches En-rogel.
  17. Josué 18:17It continues to En-shemesh, then Geliloth, near the ascent of Adummim, and down to the stone of Bohan, son of Reuben.
  18. Josué 18:18The border passes by the side of Arabah, toward the north, and goes down into that region.
  19. Josué 18:19It ends at the north bay of the Salt Sea, where the Jordan flows in — this is the full southern border of Benjamin.
  20. Josué 18:20The Jordan marks the eastern limit, closing the whole outline of Benjamin's territory on every side.
  21. Josué 18:21The list of Benjamin's cities begins, including Jericho, already well known from earlier in the book.
  22. Josué 18:22Bethel is the most famous of these twelve cities of Benjamin — it was there that Jacob dreamed of the ladder reaching to heaven, and it later became one of Israel's great centers of worship.
  23. Josué 18:23Benjamin's list continues with three more towns; Ophrah reappears much later, when the Philistines send raiding parties there in the days of Saul.
  24. Josué 18:24This first group of Benjamin's cities closes with twelve cities and their villages.
  25. Josué 18:25A second group of cities begins, including Gibeon, the city of the Gibeonites and their deceptive treaty.
  26. Josué 18:26Three more cities join this second group of Benjamin's territory, including Mizpah.
  27. Josué 18:27Three more small towns in Benjamin's territory — the smallest of the tribes, but wedged into a strategic strip between Judah to the south and Ephraim to the north.
  28. Josué 18:28The second group closes with Jebus, which is Jerusalem, among the final fourteen cities of Benjamin's inheritance.

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