Joshua 18 Study Notes
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18:1-4 This is the first mention of the tent of meeting in the book of Joshua. Shiloh (modern Khirbet Seilun) lay to the south of Shechem and was situated in the middle of the earliest settlement of Israel in the hill country. It would remain a center for Israel’s worship until the time of Samuel (1Sm 1-4). From this secure area, mapmakers were sent out. The proximity to the tent of meeting, the symbol of the presence of God, suggests that all was done in agreement with the Lord’s will. The recurrence of the tent of meeting at the end of these allotments (Jos 19:51) implies that God’s will was upheld in this activity.
18:5-7 Mention of the five tribes who had already received their inheritance meant that seven tribes remained. Levi, who did not receive such an inheritance, is again mentioned in anticipation of chap. 21.
chalaq
| Hebrew pronunciation | [khah LAK] |
| CSB translation | divide, share, apportion |
| Uses in Joshua | 7 |
| Uses in the OT | 55 |
| Focus passage | Joshua 18:2,5,10 |
Chalaq, a homonym of chalaq meaning “be smooth,” denotes divide (Gn 49:27) or share (Pr 17:2). It signifies endow (Jb 39:17), appoint (2Ch 23:18), be a partner (Pr 29:24), or provide (Dt 4:19). Intensives imply divide up (Jl 3:2), disperse (Gn 49:7), allot (Mc 2:4), apportion (Jb 21:17), establish (Neh 9:22), or distribute (Jos 18:10). People allot (give, claim) as a portion (Is 34:17; Jr 37:12). Cheleq (66x) means portion (Gn 31:14), section, or share. It represents fate (Is 17:14), lot (Jb 20:29), or reward (Ec 2:10). It is plot of land (2Kg 9:10), allotted land (Mc 2:4), land, or field (Hs 5:7). It connotes association (Ps 50:18) and what one knows (Jb 32:17). Machaloqet (42x) is division (Neh 11:36), allotment, portion, and tour of duty. Chelqah (23x) indicates field and portion (Dt 33:21), section, plot, piece, or parcel of land. Chaluqqah means division (2Ch 35:5).
18:8-10 The ability of these scouts to write down a description of the land meant that they prepared a document that resembled chaps. 18-19 with seven sections, one for each of the remaining tribes. In 7:16-18 lots had been used to identify the guilty person and separate him from the rest of Israel. Here they were used to connect each parcel of land with its tribe. The borders probably followed natural topographic boundaries that had already been used by Canaanite city-states and their regional control.
18:11-28 Benjamin’s allotment includes a boundary description (vv. 11-20) and a town list (vv. 21-28), which took in Jebus/Jerusalem.