Joshua 16–19 records the continued division of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel. The emphasis is not merely geographical. The chapters repeatedly show that the LORD had given Israel an inheritance, that the tribes were responsible to possess what God had given them, and that the distribution was conducted in an orderly manner before the LORD.
The passage must first be understood literally. These are actual tribal inheritances belonging to Israel in the land God promised to their fathers. They should not be allegorized into promises that erase the biblical distinction between Israel and the Church. Spiritual applications may properly be drawn from Israel’s obedience, negligence, courage, and stewardship, but the land itself concerns Israel.
Chapter Summaries
Joshua 16 — The Inheritance of Ephraim
Joshua 16 begins the territorial allotment for the children of Joseph.
Joshua 16:4 states plainly:
“So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.”
The chapter first describes the general boundary of Joseph’s inheritance and then gives particular attention to the territory of Ephraim. Places named in the boundary description include Jericho, Bethel, Ataroth, Beth-horon, Gezer, and the Mediterranean Sea, called simply “the sea” in the text.
The chapter ends with an important statement concerning Ephraim:
“And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.” — Joshua 16:10
The KJV explicitly states two facts: Ephraim did not drive the Canaanites out of Gezer, and those Canaanites were placed under tribute.
The text does not say that tribute was an acceptable substitute for driving them out. Israel had previously been commanded concerning the inhabitants of the land, “thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them” and “thou shalt make no covenant with them” (Deuteronomy 7:2). Therefore, Joshua 16:10 records incomplete obedience to the command Israel had received.
This becomes one of the significant spiritual warnings running through these chapters: possessing much of what God gives does not excuse disobedience concerning what remains.
Joshua 17 — The Inheritance of Manasseh and the Complaint of Joseph’s Children
Joshua 17 turns more fully to Manasseh.
Manasseh was Joseph’s firstborn, and Machir is identified as Manasseh’s firstborn. Joshua 17:1 says of Machir:
“because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.”
The chapter also records the inheritance given to the daughters of Zelophehad. Zelophehad had no sons. His daughters—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah—came before Eleazar the priest and Joshua and reminded them:
“The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren.” — Joshua 17:4
Their request was granted according to the command previously given through Moses. This demonstrates careful obedience to God’s revealed instruction rather than the creation of a new arrangement by Joshua.
The chapter next describes boundaries between Manasseh and Ephraim and again records failure to remove the Canaanite population completely:
“Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.” — Joshua 17:12
Verse 13 adds:
“Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them out.”
The wording is especially important. Verse 12 says they “could not” drive them out from certain cities, while verse 13 expressly states that when Israel became strong, they nevertheless “did not utterly drive them out.” Scripture therefore does not permit the conclusion that continued Canaanite occupation was merely the unavoidable result of Israel’s permanent inability.
The children of Joseph then complained that one lot was insufficient for them because they were “a great people” whom the LORD had blessed.
Joshua did not simply enlarge their inheritance by taking land from another tribe. He told them to use the wooded mountain country and clear it.
When they objected that the Canaanites possessed iron chariots, Joshua answered:
“The mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.” — Joshua 17:18
The Canaanites’ strength was real. Their iron chariots were real. Joshua did not deny either fact. Nevertheless, Israel was still responsible to possess the territory God had allotted.
The passage therefore teaches courage without pretending that opposition is insignificant.
Joshua 18 — Shiloh, the Tabernacle, and the Remaining Seven Tribes
Joshua 18 opens with a major development:
“And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.” — Joshua 18:1
Shiloh now becomes the location from which the remaining allotments are administered.
Seven tribes had not yet received their inheritance. Joshua therefore challenged them:
“How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?” — Joshua 18:3
The word “slack” is the language of the KJV text itself. The problem was not uncertainty about whether God had given them the land. Joshua explicitly said that the LORD had given it to them. Their responsibility was to go and possess it.
Joshua ordered men to walk through the remaining land, describe it according to its divisions, and bring the description back to him. The land was to be divided into seven portions.
Joshua explained:
“that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.” — Joshua 18:6
This was not presented as a merely secular lottery. The lots were cast “before the LORD.”
Proverbs 16:33 gives a broader biblical principle concerning such matters:
“The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.”
Joshua 18 also specifically states that Levi did not receive a territorial portion like the other tribes:
“But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance.” — Joshua 18:7
Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh had already received inheritance eastward beyond Jordan.
The survey was completed, and Joshua 18:10 says:
“And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.”
The remainder of the chapter describes Benjamin’s inheritance. Among the places associated with Benjamin’s territory are Jericho, Beth-horon, Kirjath-jearim, Gibeon, Ramah, Mizpeh, and:
“Jebusi, which is Jerusalem” — Joshua 18:28.
The chapter therefore moves from national assembly at Shiloh, to Joshua’s rebuke of the remaining tribes, to an organized survey, and finally to the beginning of the remaining allotments.
Joshua 19 — The Final Tribal Allotments and Joshua’s Inheritance
Joshua 19 completes the distribution begun in chapter 18.
The remaining inheritances are assigned in this order: Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan.
Simeon’s inheritance had a distinctive relationship to Judah’s territory:
“their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.” — Joshua 19:1
Verse 9 explains why:
“Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.”
The chapter then carefully records the cities and boundaries belonging to Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali.
Dan’s account contains an additional military event:
“And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.” — Joshua 19:47
The KJV explicitly records the conquest and renaming of Leshem. Scripture does not require speculation beyond those stated facts in explaining the event here.
After the tribal inheritances had been divided, Joshua himself received an inheritance:
“According to the word of the LORD they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnathserah in mount Ephraim: and he built the city, and dwelt therein.” — Joshua 19:50
The text places Joshua’s inheritance after the tribal divisions. Scripture does not explicitly state Joshua’s personal motive for receiving his portion at that point, so claims about his inner attitude should not be presented as fact.
The section closes with a formal summary:
“These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they made an end of dividing the country.” — Joshua 19:51
Thus Joshua 16–19 moves from Ephraim and Manasseh, through the establishment of Shiloh as the location of the tabernacle, to the survey and distribution of the remaining land, and finally to Joshua’s own inheritance.
Key People and Places
- Joshua — Leader of Israel who supervised the division of the land and cast lots before the LORD at Shiloh.
- Eleazar the priest — Participated with Joshua and the tribal leaders in the distribution of the inheritance.
- Ephraim — Son of Joseph whose descendants received a substantial inheritance in central Canaan. They did not drive the Canaanites out of Gezer.
- Manasseh — Joseph’s firstborn. His descendants received territory on both sides of Jordan, with Joshua 17 dealing particularly with the inheritance west of Jordan.
- Machir — Firstborn of Manasseh, called “the father of Gilead” and “a man of war” in Joshua 17:1.
- Zelophehad — A descendant of Manasseh who had daughters but no sons.
- Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah — Zelophehad’s daughters, who received an inheritance according to the command the LORD had given Moses.
- Benjamin — Received the first of the seven remaining allotments described after the survey in Joshua 18.
- Simeon — Received cities within Judah’s inheritance because Judah’s portion was more than Judah required.
- Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan — Tribes whose inheritances are detailed in Joshua 19.
- Shiloh — Location where the tabernacle of the congregation was set up and where Joshua cast lots before the LORD.
- Gezer — Canaanite city whose inhabitants Ephraim did not drive out.
- Bethel — Important geographical reference in the boundaries described in Joshua 16 and 18.
- Jericho — Major boundary reference near the Jordan.
- Jerusalem/Jebusi — Listed among the cities associated with Benjamin’s inheritance.
- Leshem — City captured by the children of Dan and renamed Dan.
- Timnathserah — City in mount Ephraim given to Joshua according to the word of the LORD.
Main Doctrinal or Spiritual Themes
1. God Faithfully Gives What He Promised
The repeated language of “inheritance” rests upon God’s prior promise concerning the land. Long before Joshua, the LORD had said to Abram:
“Unto thy seed will I give this land.” — Genesis 12:7
Joshua 16–19 shows that God’s promise was not empty speech. Real tribes received real territories in a real land.
This inheritance belongs in the biblical program concerning Israel. It should not be dissolved into an allegory of the Church. God’s dealings with national Israel and His promises to Israel should be allowed to stand according to their plain meaning.
2. Divine Gift Does Not Eliminate Human Responsibility
Joshua could tell the remaining tribes both that God had given them the land and that they were “slack to go to possess” it.
There is no contradiction.
God’s gift established their right to the inheritance; their responsibility was to obey Him and take possession.
For believers today, this does not mean that salvation must be earned. Salvation is:
“by grace…through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works” — Ephesians 2:8–9.
Rather, the passage establishes the broader principle that God’s commands are to be obeyed diligently rather than neglected because obedience requires effort.
3. Partial Obedience Is Not Full Obedience
Ephraim “drave not out the Canaanites” of Gezer.
Manasseh eventually possessed enough strength to put Canaanites under tribute, yet Scripture still says they “did not utterly drive them out.”
The distinction matters. Israel found a way to profit from the continued presence of people whom God had commanded them to remove.
The passage therefore gives a sober warning against changing God’s command into a more convenient arrangement.
A believer should never assume that something becomes right merely because it becomes profitable, manageable, or socially convenient.
4. God’s People Must Not Be Paralyzed by Strong Opposition
The children of Joseph pointed to the Canaanites’ iron chariots. Joshua acknowledged that the Canaanites were strong but still told Israel:
“thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.”
Biblical courage does not require pretending that difficulties are small. It requires believing and obeying God when the difficulties are genuinely great.
5. God’s Work Should Be Conducted in Order
The remaining land was surveyed, described by cities, divided into portions, and brought before Joshua. The lots were then cast before the LORD.
The distribution was deliberate rather than disorderly.
This harmonizes with the New Testament principle:
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” — 1 Corinthians 14:40
While the circumstances differ, orderly stewardship remains a sound biblical principle.
6. The LORD Himself Governed the Allotment
The repeated statement that the lots were cast “before the LORD” places the distribution under divine authority.
Combined with Proverbs 16:33—“the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD”—the text directs attention beyond Joshua’s administration to God’s sovereign ordering of Israel’s inheritance.
This sovereignty should not be confused with Calvinistic regeneration or the idea that God irresistibly causes certain sinners to believe while withholding a genuine opportunity of salvation from others. Joshua 16–19 concerns God’s ordering of Israel’s territorial inheritance, not a system of unconditional individual election unto salvation.
7. God’s Word Governs Inheritance and Conduct
Zelophehad’s daughters appealed to what “the LORD commanded Moses,” and the instruction was honored.
Joshua himself received Timnathserah “According to the word of the LORD.”
The repeated standard is therefore not custom, preference, or human imagination, but what God had spoken.
Practical Applications or Lessons
- Finish what God commands. Ephraim and Manasseh warn against stopping at partial obedience when God’s command requires more.
- Do not substitute convenience for obedience. Putting the Canaanites under tribute may have produced material benefit, but the KJV still records that Israel “did not utterly drive them out.”
- Do not allow difficulty to become an excuse for disobedience. Iron chariots and strong Canaanites were genuine obstacles, but Joshua still called Joseph’s descendants to possess the land.
- Do not be “slack” concerning known duty. Joshua’s question in 18:3 is searching: “How long are ye slack to go to possess the land…?” Once God’s will is plainly revealed in Scripture, unnecessary delay can itself become disobedience.
- Handle God’s work carefully and orderly. The surveying, recording, dividing, and casting of lots before the LORD demonstrate careful administration.
- Judge claims by the written Word of God. Zelophehad’s daughters received their inheritance because the LORD had commanded it. The safest ground for doctrine and practice remains, “What saith the scripture?” (Romans 4:3).
- Recognize that God’s promises to Israel mean what they say. These chapters concern literal land, literal tribes, literal borders, and literal cities. Practical lessons may be drawn, but the historical meaning should not be replaced by allegory.
- Remember that privilege carries responsibility. Israel was given an inheritance, yet the tribes were expected to occupy and steward it according to God’s command. Believers likewise should use faithfully what God has entrusted to them without confusing faithful service with the free gift of salvation.
Overall Message
Joshua 16–19 is a record of divine faithfulness, ordered inheritance, human responsibility, and the danger of incomplete obedience.
God had given Israel the land. The boundaries were established, the inheritances were distributed, and the lots were cast before the LORD. Yet within the same record, Scripture preserves the uncomfortable truth that some tribes failed to remove the Canaanites completely and that seven tribes had to be challenged because they were “slack to go to possess the land.”
The great lesson is therefore not merely, “God gives,” but also, “God’s people must obey what He has said.”
Joshua 19 ends on a note of completion:
“So they made an end of dividing the country.”
The distribution was finished according to the word of the LORD. The chapters call the reader to trust God’s faithfulness, respect the plain meaning of His promises, obey His commands completely, and refuse to let strength of opposition or personal convenience replace confidence in His Word.
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