| Joshua 18 | |
|---|---|
 The pages containing theBook of Joshua inLeningrad Codex (1008 CE). | |
| Book | Book of Joshua |
| Hebrew Bible part | Nevi'im |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 1 |
| Category | Former Prophets |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 6 |
Joshua 18 is the eighteenthchapter of theBook of Joshua in theHebrew Bible or in theOld Testament of theChristianBible.[1] According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed toJoshua, with additions by the high priestsEleazar andPhinehas,[2][3] but modern scholars view it as part of the Deuteronomistic History, which spans thebooks of Deuteronomy to2 Kings, attributed to nationalistic and devotedly Yahwistic writers during the time of the reformer Judean kingJosiah in 7th century BCE.[3][4] This chapter records the further allotment of land for thetribes of Israel, especially thetribe of Benjamin,[5] a part of a section comprising Joshua 13:1–21:45 about the Israelites allotting the land of Canaan.[6]
This chapter was originally written in theHebrew language.It is divided into 28 verses.
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter inHebrew are of theMasoretic Text tradition, which includes theCodex Cairensis (895),Aleppo Codex (10th century), andCodex Leningradensis (1008).[7]
Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation intoKoine Greek known as theSeptuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) includeCodex Vaticanus (B;B; 4th century) andCodex Alexandrinus (A;A; 5th century).[8][a]
The narrative of Israelites allotting the land of Canaan comprising verses 13:1 to 21:45 of theBook of Joshua and has the following outline:[10]
The pattern of the narrative places the distribution to Judah and Joseph preceded by the grant of land to Caleb (14:6–15), while the remaining distribution is followed by an account of an inheritance for Joshua (19:49–50), so the accounts of rewards for the two faithful spies are carefully woven intothe story of the land allotments.[11]
There are three key elements in the report of the allotments for the nine and a half tribes in the land of Canaan as follows:[12]
| Tribe | Boundary List | City List | Indigenous Population Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judah | X | X | X |
| Ephraim | X | X | |
| Manasseh | X | X | |
| Benjamin | X | X | |
| Simeon | X | ||
| Zebulun | X | ||
| Issachar | X | ||
| Asher | X | ||
| Naphtali | X | X | |
| Dan | X | X |
In the beginning of this chapter it is reported that the Tabernacle or "tent of meeting" was set up inShiloh (18:1).[11] Thus, it replaced Gilgal and Shechem which were the gathering centers for Israel until this time.[11] The introduction of Shiloh at this point is not incidental, as its centrality is indicated in an artistic way by placing the text between the allotments of land to Judah and Joseph on the one side, and the remaining tribes on the other.[11] Shiloh also lies within the territory of Joseph tribes, which are recorded in the previous chapters. The central worship place has not been mentioned much until now (only a reference to the 'altar of the LORD' and 'the place that he would choose' in Joshua 9:27), so the setting up of the Tabernacle in Shiloh becomes an important concept of the narrative as the fulfilment of the promise-command that God would be among Israel in the land he was giving them (Leviticus 26:11–12: 'place my dwelling [tent, tabernacle] in your midst': Deuteronomy 12:5). Shiloh starts to play important role in the distribution of the remaining land (verses 2–9; and reappears in 19:51) and thus binding up with Israel's religious life. After the completion of allotments for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh (the division of Joseph into Ephraim and Manasseh compensates for the Levi who has no territorial inheritance; Joshua 18:7), seven tribes were still toreceive their land (verse 2). This stage of the allocation is preceded by a survey (literary, "writing"; verse 4), then in Shiloh,Joshua presided over the allocation by means of thesacred lot, 'before the LORD our God' (verse 6, cf. verses 8, 10, Joshua 14:1.[11]
Passages throughout the Hebrew Bible confirm thatShiloh was once an important sanctuary for Israel before the temple was built inJerusalem, such as in1 Samuel 1–2 ('house of the LORD', 1 Samuel 1:24, and the 'tent of meeting' ('tabernacle of the congregation'), 1 Samuel 2:22, as in here); and also named as 'the place of God's choice' inJeremiah 7:12, following Deuteronomy 12 (cf. Joshua 22).[11]
The territory of Benjamin was allotted between those of Ephraim (in its north; 18:12–14; cf. 16:1-3), and Judah (in its south; 18:15–19; cf. 15:8–11). The list of towns in the allotment (verses 21–28) includes Jebus (Jerusalem), although it was clearly stated that the city did not fall toJoshua (Joshua 15:63). It also includesGibeon and its satellites (cf. 9:17), without mentioning their special status (Joshua 9) or Israel's battle to defend it (Joshua 10).[11]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Codex Sinaiticus".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.