English Standard Version
Joshua 18:9
9So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh,
Joshua 18:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So the men went, passed through the land, and wrote the survey in a book in seven parts by cities; and they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.
- New Living Translation (NLT)The men did as they were told and mapped the entire territory into seven sections, listing the towns in each section. They made a written record and then returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.
Context of Joshua 18:9
7The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their heritage. And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them." 8So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, "Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh." So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, 10and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion. 11The lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph.
Read all of Joshua 18Joshua 18:9 word by word
וַיֵּלְכ֤וּ הָֽאֲנָשִׁים֙ וַיַּעַבְר֣וּ בָאָ֔רֶץ וַיִּכְתְּב֧וּהָ לֶֽעָרִ֛ים לְשִׁבְעָ֥ה חֲלָקִ֖ים עַל־סֵ֑פֶר וַיָּבֹ֧אוּ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה שִׁלֹֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- wentיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- and passed throughעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
- the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- and describedכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
- it by citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- into sevenשֶׁ֫בַעsheba‛ shib‛âh · sevenH7651
- partsחֵ֫לֶקchêleq · portionH2506
- in a bookסֵ֫פֶרsêpher siphrâh · scroll: bookH5612
- and cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
- to the hostמַחֲנֶהmachăneh · campH4264
- at Shilohשִׁלוֹshîylôh shilôh shîylô shilô · ShilohH7887
Cross-references for Joshua 18:9
Commentaries on Joshua 18:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9And described it in a book - This as far as I can recollect, is the first act of surveying on record. These men and their work differed widely from those who had searched the land in the time of Moses; they went only to discover the nature of the country, and the state of its inhabitants; but these went to take an actual geographical survey of it, in order to divide it among the tribes which had not yet received their portions. We may suppose that the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 2-10Verses 2-10 After a year or more, Joshua blamed their slackness, and told them how to proceed. God, by his grace, has given us a title to a good land, the heavenly Canaan, but we are slack to take possession of it; we enter not into that rest, as we might by faith, and hope, and holy joy. How long shall it be thus with us? How long shall we thus stand in our own light, and forsake our own mercies for lying vanities? Joshua stirs the Israelites up to take…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9The Canaanites in the hill country feared Israel. They allowed 21 men to walk through these territories and return safely (18:4). The written record was likely a scroll. This scroll might have been the original source for the descriptions of the tribal allotments in chapters 18–19.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-94-9. Give out from among you three men for each tribe--Though the lot determined the part of the country where each tribe was to be located, it could not determine the extent of territory which might be required; and the dissatisfaction of the children of Joseph with the alleged smallness of their possession gave reason to fear that complaints might arise from other quarters, unless precautions were taken to make a proper distribution of the land. For…Read the comment
Topics related to Joshua 18:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Joshua 18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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