Joshua 18:4

Joshua 18:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land. They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me.

Context of Joshua 18:4

2There were still seven tribes in Israel who had not yet received any land as their inheritance. 3So Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long are you going to waste time conquering the land which the Lord God of your ancestors has given you? Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They will survey the land and write a description of it which shows ⌞the borders of⌟ their inheritance. Then they will come back to me. 5They will divide the land into seven parts. Judah will stay within its territory in the south, and Joseph’s descendants will stay within their territory in the north. 6You must describe the seven parts of the land and report to me here. I will draw lots for you here in the presence of the Lord our God.

Joshua 18:4 word by word

הָב֥וּ לָכֶ֛ם שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה אֲנָשִׁ֖ים לַשָּׁ֑בֶט וְאֶשְׁלָחֵ֗ם וְיָקֻ֜מוּ וְיִֽתְהַלְּכ֥וּ בָאָ֛רֶץ וְיִכְתְּב֥וּ אוֹתָ֛הּ לְפִ֥י נַֽחֲלָתָ֖ם וְיָבֹ֥אוּ אֵלָֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Give outיָהַבyâhab · to giveH3051
• from among you threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
• menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• tribeשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
• and I will sendשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• them, and they shall riseקוּםqûm · to arise: establishH6965
• and goהָלַךְhâlak · to go: walkH1980
• through the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and describeכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
• it accordingפֶּהpeh · lip: accordingH6310
• to the inheritanceנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159
• of them; and they shall comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935

Cross-references for Joshua 18:4

• Joshua 18:3So Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long are you going to waste time conquering the land which the Lord God of your ancestors has given you?
• Joshua 3:12Choose one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.
• Joshua 4:2“Choose one man from each of the 12 tribes.
• Numbers 1:4One man from each tribe will help you. Each of these men must be the head of a household.
• Numbers 13:2“Send men to explore Canaan, which I’m giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of their ancestors’ tribes.”
• Joshua 18:6You must describe the seven parts of the land and report to me here. I will draw lots for you here in the presence of the Lord our God.

Commentaries on Joshua 18:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Three men for each tribe - Probably meaning only three from each of the seven tribes who had not yet received their inheritance. It is likely that these twenty-one men were accompanied by a military guard, for without this they might have been easily cut off by straggling parties of the Canaanites. They shall - describe it - It is likely they were persons well acquainted with geography and mensuration, without which it would have been impossible for them…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Three men for each tribe - i. e. 21 in all. Their duty would be to describe the land, especially with reference to the cities it contained Joshua 18:9, that Joshua might have the means of making a first apportionment among the tribes according to their varying numbers.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. 4The three selected representatives from each tribe came from the seven tribes that had not yet received their allotments. map it out: Israel was not entirely an oral society. If an event or record was important enough to be remembered over time, leaders ordered that it be written down.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 18:4

• Chephar-Haammonai
• Shiloh

In the dictionaries

• Shiloh
• Chephirah
• Describe
• Divination
• Joshua (2)
• Joshua, Book of
• Palestine Exploration
• Shiloh (2)

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