John Calvin Commentary Joshua 19:9

"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 midst of their inheritance." — Joshua 19:9 (ASV)

Next followed the lot of the tribe of Simeon, not as a mark of honor, but rather as a mark of disgrace. Jacob had declared with regard to Simeon and Levi, “I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel” (Genesis 49:7). The punishment of Levi, indeed, was not only lessened, but converted into an excellent dignity, since his descendants were placed on a kind of watchtowers to keep the people in the paths of piety.

In regard to Simeon, the dispersion of which Jacob prophesied clearly took place when certain cities within the territory of Judah were assigned to his descendants for their inheritance. For although they were not sent far away, they lived dispersed, and as strangers in a land properly belonging to another. Therefore, on account of the slaughter which they had committed with no less treachery than cruelty, they were placed separately in different dwellings. In this way the guilt of the father was visited upon his children, and the Lord confirmed in fact that sentence which He had dictated to His servant. The truth of the lot also was clearly proved.

From the fact that a certain portion was withdrawn from the family of Judah, we again perceive that although the dividers had carefully tried to observe fairness, they had fallen into error—an error they were not ashamed to correct as soon as it was discovered. And though they were guided by the Spirit, there is nothing strange in their having been partially mistaken, because God sometimes leaves His servants lacking the spirit of judgment and allows them to act like ordinary men on different occasions, so that they may not pride themselves too much on their clear-sightedness.

We may add that the people were punished for their carelessness and confident haste, because they should have, at the beginning, determined more accurately how much land could be properly assigned to each. This they neglected to do. Through their inexpert procedure, the children of Judah had received a disproportionate accumulation of territory, and fairness required that they should give up a part.

It would also have been better for them to have their limits fixed with certainty at once, rather than to be subjected to a vexing dispossession afterwards. Furthermore, each tribe had indulged the vain hope that its members would live far and wide, as if the land had been of unlimited extent.

Out of the portion of the children of Judah, etc. The tribe of Judah deserves praise for its moderation in not arguing that the removal of any part of the inheritance already assigned to them was unjust. They might easily have thrust forward the name of God and asserted that it was only by His authority they had obtained that settlement.

But since it was decided by the common agreement of all the tribes that more had been given to them than they could possess without loss and injury to the others, they immediately ceased from any pretext for disputing the matter. And it is certain that if they had claimed God's authority, it would have been false and wicked, because although their lot had been determined by Him in regard to its location, an error had occurred concerning its extent, as their limits had been fixed by human judgment wider than they should have been.

Therefore, acknowledging that it would have been wrong to give them what would cause loss to others, they willingly gave it up. They also gave a welcome reception to their brothers, who must otherwise have remained without an inheritance. Indeed, they submitted to share with them that which they had supposed they had acquired without dispute.