Joshua 15:13-17:18
Dear RTB’ers,
Continuing the division of the Promised Land to the twelve tribes. Yesterday in Joshua 15:1-12 we saw the first allotment of the land going to Caleb and the tribe of Judah. Today the Joshua 15:13-63 finishes that allotment of land by naming more than 100 cities assigned to Judah. In later years Judah will become prominent as the “Southern Kingdom”, contrasted with Israel as the “Northern Kingdom”. Hence we have much more detail on Judah’s allotment than we do on any of the other eleven tribes.
Joshua 16 then has Ephraim’s allotment, while Joshua 17 has the second half of the tribe of Manasseh. You will recall that Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph’s two sons – hence their primacy in the division of the land. In addition, Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim, also laying a second claim to primacy in receiving their allotment.
So after today’s reading we will have allotments for five tribes – Reuben, Gad, and one-half of Manasseh east of the Jordan; Judah in the south; and Ephraim and the other half of Manasseh in the center of the Promised Land. It would be helpful for you to locate a map from the Internet (if you do not have a Study Bible with maps). Here is a very simple one, with colors that nicely define the borders and a few important cities mentioned:
Two items are worth noting on this map. The first is the absolute size of Judah and Manasseh, much larger than any of the other tribal allotments. Part of their large size, however, includes hills, mountains and forested land, all of which are difficult lands for humans to carve out a living. Second, we can see that “east” and “west” Manasseh are now joined. That division is by editorial choice. Many other maps of the division of the twelve tribes have “east” Manasseh further north. Here is a second map (from Bible Odyssey) showing that division:
These maps will continue to serve us well as we read through seven more allotments in Joshua 18-19.
Blessings!
See also: March 8 (2023) / Joshua 15-17