20140214 Friday, February 14 2014
Joshua 18: The Land Of Benjamin

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"The lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph"

With the heartland of Israel acquired (see Joshua 11: The Land Rested From War and Joshua 13: The Frontiers) and the first tribal inheritances delivered (see Joshua 14: Caleb's Hebron, Joshua 15: Judah's Homeland, Joshua 16: Ephraim's Inheritance and Joshua 17: West Manasseh), the remainder of the tribal provinces of the Kingdom of Israel then progressed. As the priesthood of the LORD (Who was and is Jesus Christ - see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God), the Levites would be given towns and lands throughout all of the other tribes (see Numbers 18: The Inheritance Of The Levites; also Numbers 35: Cities Of Refuge).

"18:1 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there [see also Exodus 40: The Glory Of The LORD In His Tabernacle]. And the land was subdued before them. 18:2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.

18:3 And Joshua [see Joshua 1: Joshua's Commission] said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you? 18:4 Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me. 18:5 And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north. 18:6 Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God. 18:7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them [see Numbers 32: The Israel Of East Jordan].

18:8 And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh. 18:9 And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh. 18:10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD [see also The Last High Priest Of Shiloh]: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions." (Joshua 18:1-10 KJV)

Benjamin was the younger full-brother of Joseph (see Genesis 43: The Benjamin Connection). Benjamin was the only Israelite tribal patriarch who was born in what became the land of Israel - all of the others were born in Syria (see A Biography Of Jacob: The Jacobites Of Syria) or Egypt (see Genesis 48: The Adoption Of Ephraim and Manasseh). Benjamin's birth was tragic however; his mother Rachel died while giving birth to Benjamin (see The Rachel Prophecies).

The land allotment for Benjamin bordered Jerusalem and the tribal territory of Judah to the south. It was that geopolitical position that was the prime factor that caused the people of Benjamin to become part of the Kingdom of Judah rather than part of the northern Kingdom of Israel after Israel divided into "Israel" and "Judah" in the era of King Solomon (see the Fact Finder question below). If they had chosen to go with Israel, the "lost ten tribes" would be the "lost eleven tribes" (see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Lost Ten Tribes). Instead, the Benjamites today are identified as "Jews" (see the Fact Finder below).

"18:11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

18:12 And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven. 18:13 And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel [see also Genesis 35: The Return To Bethel], southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Bethhoron. 18:14 And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.

18:15 And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjathjearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah: 18:16 And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel, 18:17 And was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, 18:18 And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah: 18:19 And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the south coast.

18:20 And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families.

18:21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz, 18:22 And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel, 18:23 And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah, 18:24 And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages: 18:25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth, 18:26 And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah, 18:27 And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, 18:28 And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages.

This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families." (Joshua 18:11-28 KJV)

Fact Finder: How did the people of the tribe of Benjamin later become known as Jews?
See Was Paul A Jew or a Benjamite? and Israel In History and Prophecy: Kingdom Of Judah