Charles Ellicott Commentary Joshua 18:11-28

"And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the border of their lot went out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. And their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill-country westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth-aven. And the border passed along from thence to Luz, to the side of Luz (the same is Beth-el), southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, by the mountain that lieth on the south of Beth-horon the nether. And the border extended [thence], and turned about on the west quarter southward, from the mountain that lieth before Beth-horon southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kiriath-baal (the same is Kiriath-jearim), a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter. And the south quarter was from the uttermost part of Kiriath-jearim; and the border went out westward, and went out to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah; and the border went down to the uttermost part of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the vale of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel; and it extended northward, and went out at En-shemesh, and went out to Geliloth, which is over against the ascent of Adummim; and it went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben; and it passed along to the side over against the Arabah northward, and went down unto the Arabah; and the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the goings out of the border were at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this was the south border. And the Jordan was the border of it on the east quarter. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the borders thereof round about, according to their families. Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Beth-hoglah, and Emek-keziz, and Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, and Beth-el, and Avvim, and Parah, and Ophrah, and Chephar-ammoni, and Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities with their villages: Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth, and Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah, and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, and Zelah, Eleph, and the Jebusite (the same is Jerusalem), Gibeath, [and] Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families." — Joshua 18:11-28 (ASV)

THE INHERITANCE OF BENJAMIN.

The lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin.—It can have been no accident that their lot came forth “between Judah and Joseph.” No wiser method could have been devised to secure a united Israel than thus to make Benjamin the link between the two most powerful and naturally rival tribes. In the story of Joseph, the brothers are reconciled through the mutual affection of Judah and Joseph for Benjamin as their father’s youngest and best-loved son.

The position thus given to Benjamin under Joshua was further developed by circumstances. The tribe was almost exterminated in the time of the judges; the survivors were united in marriage with women of Ephraim and Manasseh (?).

On the other hand, the city of Jerusalem, although assigned by Joshua to Benjamin, was first a joint possession of Judah and Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:28; 1 Chronicles 8:32; Judges 1:8; Judges 1:21), then the royal city of the kings of the house of Judah.

The selection of the first king of Israel from Benjamin, and the ultimate planting of the religious and political center of all the tribes on the borders of Judah and Benjamin in Jerusalem, would have been two masterstrokes of policy if they had been schemes of human devising. They were really links in the long chain of God's providential dealing with the chosen people.

And their border.—This is first described on the north side, where it coincided with the southern border of Ephraim. Conder draws it from El ‘Aujeh (sheet 15), five miles north of Jericho, towards Beth-el (Beitin), perhaps going along the Wâdy’ Aujeh, with Beth-el lying within the territory of Benjamin (Joshua 18:22). It continued to Archi (Joshua 16:2), now Ain ‘Arik (near the top of sheet 17), and from there to Ataroth-addar (Ed-Dârieh), near Beth-horon the lower (Beit-ûr-et-Tahta). This line is from east to west.

And the border was drawn from there ...—At this point it turns southward, and runs from the neighbourhood of Beth-horon to Kiriath-jearim (Khurbet ‘Erma, in sheet 17—very small and not easily found).

Corner of the sea.—Ph’ath Yâm, “the west side.”

And the south quarter.—Here the borderline again turns to the east, and runs to Ain Atân (the waters of Nephtoah), near Bethlehem. From there it turns to the north-east, and follows the line described above (Joshua 15:6–8) as the northern boundary of Judah.

The stone of Bohan the son of Reuben must have been near the Jordan. Is it possible that Bohan, the son of Reuben, did on his own account what was done for all Israel by the command of Joshua? (Joshua 4:8).

The cities of the tribe of ... Benjamin.—The following are identified: namely, in Joshua 18:21, ‘Ain-es-Sultan’, Ain Hajlah (sheet 18); Joshua 18:22, Khurbet es-Súmnrah, Beitin (sheet 18); Joshua 18:23, Fâtah (sheet 18), Taiyibeh (sheet 14); Joshua 18:24, Jeb ‘a (sheet 17).

Beth-el seems to have passed into the hands of Ephraim without question when the tribe of Benjamin was almost exterminated. In the division of the kingdoms, though the tribe of Benjamin followed the house of Judah, the town of Bethel was regarded as part of the kingdom of Israel, and Jeroboam’s southern boundary. He set up two golden calves, one in Bethel and the other in Dan, at the northern and southern extremities of his kingdom.

El-Jêb, Er-Râm, Bireh (all in sheet 17).

Sh’afât, Kejîreh, Beit Mizzeh (Kefireh, i.e., Kefriyeh, sheet 14); the others are in sheet 17.

Râfât (sheet 17).

Lifta, El-Kuds, Jebî’a, Kuriet-el-’anab (all in sheet 17).

Jebusi, which is Jerusalem.—When Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killed the prophets, and stoned them that were sent unto her, was called to account for all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack, having been put there, as we see, by Joshua, the steward (after Moses) of the true Joseph’s house. (See Names on the Gates of Pearl—Benjamin, p. 191.)

Jerusalem is always thought of as the capital of Judah. Probably few readers of the Bible would answer, if asked for its position, that it was originally a Benjamite city. And we may add that no later writer than Joshua would be likely to have placed it in the territory of Benjamin.