John Calvin Commentary Numbers 34:16

"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying," — Numbers 34:16 (ASV)

And the Lord spoke to Moses. The question here arises: if the Israelites were to divide the land among themselves by lot, why was the authority of the judges required, as if there was anything for them to decide?

But if we consider what has recently been shown—that in the distribution of the land, consideration was to be given to the numbers in every tribe—it was necessary for two purposes: first, that God might show by His decree the districts assigned to them respectively; and secondly, that their dimensions might be proportionate to the number of their occupants.

The casting of lots was still necessary because many would have been averse to the sea-coast, or would have preferred the center of the land to its extremities, or would have been unwilling to be banished to the mountains. In short, they would have engaged in excessive contention, murmuring, and strife.

For this reason, the lots were cast. By their decision, God placed the several tribes in whatever position He pleased, even though the judges, together with the High Priest and Joshua, had previously divided the land into ten portions.

However, after it was declared in what district the several tribes were to dwell (as if God had designated their abodes there), human determination was again necessary. This was to decide how far, and in what direction, the boundaries of the larger tribes were to extend; otherwise, the smaller tribes would have refused to be confined in a less convenient position.

Although the supreme authority was justly held by Eleazar and Joshua, God provided them with a council to prevent them from being exposed to slander and resentment. This council also served as a prudent precaution against rivalry, as each of the twelve tribes contributed its judge to preside over the distribution, ensuring that no one might complain of being wronged.

Moreover, since it was very important that the possession, once established, should be secured for future generations, first, the names of the princes are recorded to give certainty to the history. Secondly, as had been stated at the beginning of the chapter and is also repeated at the end, they were chosen by God. From this, the Israelites learned that the boundaries then fixed could not be altered without overthrowing the authority of God Himself.