Tyndale Open Study NotesJoshua 19

• As he had promised, God brought Israel into the land. Joshua then focused on dividing the land among Israel's tribes.

• The tribal allowances made the covenant of the Israelites with God real. It showed the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since God owned the land, giving it to the tribes was a gift. God gave them the land to live in and guided its distribution.

• In these lists of tribal allowances, the author describes some borders in great detail, allowing them to be mapped. With others, they are less plainly defined.

• The allotment of land to the tribes on the west side of the Jordan describes what God intended for each tribe to possess.

• The one narrating the story begins this section with Caleb receiving land and ends with Joshua receiving land (14:6–15; 19:49–51). Only Caleb and Joshua had shown faith in God that Israel could conquer the land (Numbers 13:30; 14:6–9).

Simeon, the second son of Jacob and Leah, was older than Judah. However, he lost a leading role because of his violent actions against Shechem (Genesis 34:25–26). The tribal inheritance of his descendants reflected this. Their land came from Judah’s territory, on the southern edge of the Negev. This land was dry and far from centers of influence and power.

Some of the towns given to the tribe of Simeon were also part of Judah’s land. This happened because Judah’s territory was too large for them (compare 17:14–18). Most of Simeon's territory became part of Judah before the end of the Old Testament period.

The tribe of Zebulun received land partly in the Jezreel Valley and partly in the hills of Lower Galilee.

The tribes of Zebulun and Issachar had lands in a strategic location. The main international trade route from Egypt to Mesopotamia passed through their territories. When Israel was strong, this location brought wealth. However, when Israel was weak, these tribes became exposed to attacks from Egyptian armies and Mesopotamian powers fighting for control of the ancient Near East.

The five small remaining tribes received land on the edges of Israelite territory and had little influence on the nation.

Gath-hepher was the hometown of the prophet Jonah (2 Kings 14:25).

• This Bethlehem was not in Judah, where King David and Jesus were born.

• More than 12 towns are listed. Some apparently were not part of Zebulun but were on its borders.

Zebulun was the smallest tribe in terms of both the number of towns and the size of its territory. However, the New Testament village of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, was in Zebulun's territory (Matthew 2:19–23; 4:13–16).

The land given to the tribe of Issachar included much of the fertile Jezreel Valley. During Old Testament times, much of this valley was swampy land, surrounded by prosperous and important cities. This area was a center of Canaanite power, so this small tribe had trouble gaining control of the land at first.

The land given to the tribe of Asher included the Plain of Acco on the Mediterranean coast and western Galilee. To the southwest, Asher extended to Mount Carmel, sharing a short border with the land given to the tribe of Manasseh. To the north, the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon restricted Asher's growth.

twenty-two cities: This did not include Tyre and Sidon, which the nation of Israel never controlled.

The tribe of Naphtali occupied eastern Galilee and overlooked the Sea of Galilee. Because a branch of an international trade route from Egypt to Mesopotamia ran through the territory of Naphtali, this tribe enjoyed periods of prosperity when Israel’s kings were strong. The city of Hazor was within Naphtali’s territory, guarding a section of that route. Naphtali is mentioned in Matthew 4:13–16 in connection with the ministry of Jesus in Galilee.

The original allotment given to the tribe of Dan lay west of Judah and southwest of Ephraim’s main territory, between Judah and Philistia.

About fifty years after Israel entered Canaan under Joshua, the Philistines moved into the southern coastal plain and took over the cities of Timnah and Ekron (Judges 14:1–2; 1 Samuel 5:1–10). The Philistines were part of the Sea Peoples, who may have left the Greek mainland and islands because of a northern invasion. The Sea Peoples also invaded and destroyed the Hittite Empire north of Israel. Some scholars believe that Homer’s Iliad reflects this movement.

The tribe of Dan (the Danites) struggled to take their land because of the Philistines. Later, some Danites moved north to Laish (see Judges 18). They renamed it Dan, on the northern border of Israel’s territory.

The land given to Joshua ends the section about dividing land among the tribes of Israel (see study note on 14:1–19:51).

After Joshua received his inheritance, the land division was complete. Joshua served God and led Israel in loyalty for many years. God was gracious to Joshua.