Joshua 19

1 The second lot came out for Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. Their inheritance was in the middle of the inheritance of the children of Judah.

2 They had for their inheritance Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah,

3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,

4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,

6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages;

7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan; four cities with their villages;

8 and all the villages that were around these cities to Baalath Beer, Ramah of the South. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.

9 Out of the part of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon; for the portion of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had inheritance in the middle of their inheritance.

10 The third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families. The border of their inheritance was to Sarid.

11 Their border went up westward, even to Maralah, and reached to Dabbesheth. It reached to the brook that is before Jokneam.

12 It turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrise to the border of Chisloth Tabor. It went out to Daberath, and went up to Japhia.

13 From there it passed along eastward to Gath Hepher, to Ethkazin; and it went out at Rimmon which stretches to Neah.

14 The border turned around it on the north to Hannathon; and it ended at the valley of Iphtah El;

15 Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages.

16 This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar, even for the children of Issachar according to their families.

18 Their border was to Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,

19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

21 Remeth, Engannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.

22 The border reached to Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh. Their border ended at the Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages.

23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their villages.

24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.

25 Their border was Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

26 Allammelech, Amad, Mishal. It reached to Carmel westward, and to Shihorlibnath.

27 It turned toward the sunrise to Beth Dagon, and reached to Zebulun, and to the valley of Iphtah El northward to Beth Emek and Neiel. It went out to Cabul on the left hand,

28 and Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, even to great Sidon.

29 The border turned to Ramah, to the fortified city of Tyre; and the border turned to Hosah. It ended at the sea by the region of Achzib;

30 Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty-two cities with their villages.

31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

32 The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.

33 Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakkum. It ended at the Jordan.

34 The border turned westward to Aznoth Tabor, and went out from there to Hukkok. It reached to Zebulun on the south, and reached to Asher on the west, and to Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrise.

35 The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,

36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor,

38 Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages.

39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their villages.

40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

41 The border of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, Irshemesh,

42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,

46 Me Jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border opposite Joppa.

47 The border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and lived therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their forefather.

48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.

49 So they finished distributing the land for inheritance by its borders. The children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them.

50 According to the LORD’s commandment, they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnathserah in the hill country of Ephraim; and he built the city, and lived there.

51 These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

Around Joshua 19

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Joshua 19 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

The lots keep coming at Shiloh. The second falls to Simeon, and its land is found inside the land of Judah, because Judah’s share was too much for them. Then the third lot is for Zebulun, the fourth for Issachar, the fifth for Asher, the sixth for Naphtali, and the seventh for Dan.

Each is described by its borders and towns, in the plain language of a land record. Zebulun and Asher reach toward the sea, Issachar holds the valley of Jezreel, and Naphtali reaches north to Galilee.

The Danites find their land too small, so they go up and fight the town of Leshem and name it Dan, after their forefather. Last of all, the people give Joshua his own inheritance. “According to the LORD’s commandment, they gave him the city which he asked,” Timnath Serah in Ephraim. He builds the city and lives there.

Background

With this chapter the seven remaining tribes receive their land, and the shared task that began in chapter 13 comes to its end. The long lists of names are a record of ordinary places where people would raise families. Scholars debate how the lists reached their present form. The move of Dan to the far north is told more fully in Judges 18. Joshua asks for his own town last, only after everyone else has been served.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 27 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes