What process does Josue order before casting lots for the seven tribes still without possessions?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He orders three men chosen from every tribe to go around and mark out the remaining land according to each multitude, divide it into seven parts and return the description to him. The men survey it, write the seven parts in a book and return to Silo; Josue then casts lots before the Lord there.

Chapter breakdown

All Israel’s children assemble at Silo and set up the tabernacle of testimony; the land is subdued before them. Seven tribes still have no possessions. Josue asks how long they will be idle and slow to go in and possess the land given by the Lord God of their fathers. He orders three men chosen from every tribe so he can send them around the land to mark it out according to each multitude’s number and return what they mark. They must divide it into seven parts, with Juda within its southern bounds and Joseph’s house on the north. They are to mark the land between into seven parts and return so Josue can cast lots before the Lord their God. Challoner’s separate note explains this as the remaining land not already assigned to Juda or Joseph.

Levites have no part among them because the Lord’s priesthood is their inheritance. Gad, Ruben and half Manasses have already received the possessions Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave east of the Jordan. As the men rise to mark the land, Josue repeats the order to go around it, mark it and return so he can cast lots before the Lord in Silo. They go, survey and divide it into seven parts, write them in a book and return to Josue’s camp at Silo. He casts lots before the Lord there and divides the land among Israel’s children in seven parts. Benjamin’s lot comes first by families, between Juda’s and Joseph’s children.

Benjamin’s northern border begins at the Jordan, runs by Jericho’s north side, goes west up to the mountains and reaches Bethaven’s wilderness. It passes south by Luza, the same as Bethel, and descends to Ataroth-addar at the mountain south of lower Beth-horon. From there it bends around toward the sea, south of the mountain facing Beth-horon to the southwest, and ends at Cariathbaal, also called Cariathiarim, a city of Juda. This is its western side toward the sea.

The southern border goes from part of Cariathiarim toward the sea and reaches Nephtoa’s water fountain. It descends to the part of the mountain looking on the valley of Ennom’s children, opposite the northern quarter at Raphaim’s valley’s furthest part. It descends into Geennom, the valley of Ennom, by the Jebusite’s south side and reaches Rogel’s fountain. It passes north to Ensemes, the fountain of the sun, then to the hills opposite Adommim’s ascent. It descends to Abenboen, the stone of Boen son of Ruben, passes north to open country and goes down into the plain. Passing Bethhagla northward, its outlets reach the most salt sea’s north toward the Jordan’s south end. The Jordan is its eastern border. These are Benjamin’s surrounding borders and possession by families.

Benjamin’s cities are Jericho, Bethhagla, Vale-Casis; Betharaba, Samaraim, Bethel; Avim, Aphara, Ophera; the town Emona, Ophni and Gabee—twelve cities and their villages.

The next list is Gabam, Rama, Beroth; Mesphe, Caphara, Amosa; Recem, Jarephel, Tharela; Sela, Eleph, Jebus which is Jerusalem, Gabaath and Cariath—fourteen cities and their villages. This is Benjamin’s possession by families.

The story inside

Silo’s assembly and tabernacle are followed by the fact that seven tribes remain without possession. Josue’s rebuke leads to concrete marking, return and lot instructions, with the land not already assigned to Juda or Joseph explained in Challoner’s note. The Levite and eastern-possession exceptions are stated before the repeated order. The actual survey produces a book of seven parts; the men return and Josue casts lots at Silo. Benjamin receives the first lot between Juda and Joseph. The remainder traces its full boundaries and two town lists with twelve and fourteen cities and their villages. The account gives the survey-to-lots sequence, but no urn mechanism, commissioners’ total, strategic purpose or later capital history.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The marking precedes the lots. The men must go around the land, mark it by each multitude’s number and return; the actual record says they write seven parts in a book before Josue casts lots. Keeping this order preserves what the men do and what Josue does.
2
The remaining seven parts have stated exclusions. Juda keeps its southern bounds and Joseph its northern place; Challoner says the rest is land not already assigned to them. Levi’s inheritance is priesthood, and the named eastern groups already have Moses’s possessions.
3
Benjamin’s first lot is documented by complete boundaries and two lists. The towns are given as twelve and fourteen with villages, including Jebus identified as Jerusalem. The record does not describe those towns as all fortified or give their future roles.

Test your recall

What do the surveying men write and bring back before Josue casts lots, and why is land already assigned to Juda and Joseph excluded?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 24187–24216
Josue Chapter 18 Surveyors are sent to divide the rest of the land into seven tribes. The lot of Benjamin. 18:1. And all the children of Israel assembled together in Silo, and there they set up the tabernacle of the testimony, and the land was subdued before them. 18:2. But there remained seven tribes of the children of Israel, which as yet had not received their possessions. 18:3. And Josue said to them: How long are you indolent and slack, and go not in to possess the land which the Lord the God of your fathers hath given you? 18:4. Choose of every tribe three men, that I may send them, and they may go and compass the land, and mark it out according to the number of each multitude: and bring back to me what they have marked out. 18:5. Divide to yourselves the land into seven parts: let Juda be in his bounds on the south side, and the house of Joseph on the north. 18:6. The land in the midst between these mark ye out into seven parts; and you shall come hither to me, that I may cast lots for you before the Lord your God. The land in the midst between these mark ye out into seven parts.... That is to say, the rest of the land, which is not already assigned to Juda or Joseph.
Lines 24218–24236
18:7. For the Levites have no part among you, but the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad and Ruben, and the half tribe of Manasses have already received their possessions beyond the Jordan eastward: which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them. 18:8. And when the men were risen up, to go to mark out the land, Josue commanded them saying: Go round the land and mark it out, and return to me: that I may cast lots for you before the Lord in Silo. 18:9. So they went and surveying it divided it into seven parts, writing them down in a book. And they returned to Josue, to the camp in Silo. 18:10. And he cast lots before the Lord in Silo, and divided the land to the children of Israel into seven parts. 18:11. And first came up the lot of the children of Benjamin by their families, to possess the land between the children of Juda, and the children of Joseph.
Lines 24238–24250
18:12. And their border northward was from the Jordan: going along by the side of Jericho on the north side, and thence going up westward to the mountains, and reaching to the wilderness of Bethaven, 18:13. And passing along southward by Luza, the same is Bethel, and it goeth down into Ataroth-addar to the mountain, that is on the south of the nether Beth-horon. 18:14. And it bendeth thence going round towards the sea, south of the mountain that looketh towards Beth-horon to the south-west: and the outgoings thereof are into Cariathbaal, which is called also Cariathiarim, a city of the children of Juda This is their coast towards the sea, westward.
Lines 24252–24276
18:15. But on the south side the border goeth out from part of Cariathiarim towards the sea, and cometh to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoa. 18:16. And it goeth down to that part of the mountain that looketh on the valley of the children of Ennom: and is over against the north quarter in the furthermost part of the valley of Raphaim, and it goeth down into Geennom (that is the valley of Ennom) by the side of the Jebusite to the south: and cometh to the fountain of Rogel, 18:17. Passing thence to the north, and going out to Ensemes, that is to say, the fountain of the sun: 18:18. And it passeth along to the hills that are over against the ascent of Adommim: and it goeth down to Abenboen, that is, the stone of Boen the son of Ruben: and it passeth on the north side to the champaign countries; and goeth down into the plain, 18:19. And it passeth by Bethhagla northward: and the outgoings thereof are towards the north of the most salt sea at the south end of the Jordan. 18:20. Which is the border of it on the east side. This is the possession of the children of Benjamin by their borders round about, and their families.
Lines 24278–24285
18:21. And their cities were, Jericho and Bethhagla and Vale-Casis, 18:22. Betharaba and Samaraim and Bethel, 18:23. And Avim and Aphara and Ophera, 18:24. The town Emona and Ophni and Gabee: twelve cities, and their villages.
Lines 24287–24297
18:25. Gabam and Rama and Beroth, 18:26. And Mesphe, and Caphara, and Amosa, 18:27. And Recem, Jarephel, and Tharela, 18:28. And Sela, Eleph and Jebus, which is Jerusalem, Gabaath and Cariath: fourteen cities, and their villages. This is the possession of the children of Benjamin by their families.