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

2But there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance. 3So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe so that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall return to me. 5And they shall divide it into seven portions; Judah shall stay in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north. 6And you shall write a description of the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. Then I will cast lots for you here before 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

• Provideיָהַבyâhab · to giveH3051
• for yourselves threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• each tribeשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
• so that I may sendשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• them, and that they may ariseקוּםqûm · to arise: establishH6965
• and walkהָלַךְhâlak · to go: walkH1980
• through the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and writeכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
• it accordingפֶּהpeh · lip: accordingH6310
• to their inheritanceנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159
• returnבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935

Cross-references for Joshua 18:4

• Joshua 18:3So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?
• Joshua 3:12Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.
• Joshua 4:2“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe,
• Numbers 1:4With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, each one head of his father’s household.
• Numbers 13:2“Send out men for yourself to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.”
• Joshua 18:6And you shall write a description of the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. Then I will cast lots for you here before 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