CHAP. V. Of the Divifion of the Land of Canaan, and the Levitical As in the book of Joshua we have an account given us ites diftin tribes. of the conquest of Canaan by the Ifraelites, fo in the fame The Ifrael. we have also given us an account of the divifion of the guished in faid country among the Ifraelites. For the better under- to twelve standing of which divifion, it seems requifite to obferve here, that the Ifraelites (fo called, as being the descendants of Jacob, otherwife named by God himself Ifrael) were distinguished into twelve tribes, according to the number of the immediate fons of Ifrael, who are therefore styled the twelve Patriarchs, as being the heads of the said tribes. Acts vii. 9. of the tribes. 2. Now the names of the twelve Patriarchs, according to the order of their birth, were thefe: Reuben, Simeon, The names Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Iffachar, Zebu- twelve lun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Of these Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Iffachar, and Zebulun, were born to Ifrael by his wife Leah; Joseph and Benjamin, by his wife Rachel; Dan and Naphtali, by Bilhah, Rachel's maid; and Gad and Afher, by Zilpah, Leah's maid. And it is remarkable, that this last order (not that of their nativity or birth) is observed by Mofes, in naming the Patriarchs, that went down with Jacob into Egypt, Exod. i. 2—4. 3. tribes, which the Of these twelve tribes, it pleased God to choose that of Levi to minifter about holy things, and to wait at his altar, The twelve and therefore to ordain, that this tribe should live or be among maintained of the things of the temple, and should be par- and of Iftakers with the altar; and fo be freed from the common rael was diconcerns of life. Hereupon in the divifion of the land of vided, how Canaan, as also of the country beyond Jordan, though koned up. to be rec PART II. the whole was divided into twelve parts, according to the number of the tribes, yet not one of these twelve parts was allotted to the tribe of Levi. But the two branches of the posterity of Joseph, viz. Ephraim and Manasseh, were reckoned as two diftinct tribes, and fo had distinct divifions allotted them. Whence the twelve tribes, in a geographical fenfe, or among whom the land of Canaan and the country beyond Jordan were divided, are to be reckoned up thus, according to their geographical order or fituation, beginning from the fouth of the land of Canaan, viz. the tribe of Judah, Simeon, Dan, Benjamin, Ephraim, Manaffeh, (namely, one half of it,) Iffachar, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, (thefe lay all weft of Jordan; and to the east of that river, befides the other half of the tribe of Manaffeh, lay the two remaining tribes of) Gad and Reuben. Of each of these I fhall speak, in the order wherein they have been here reckoned up. 4. of Judah. To begin then with the tribe of Judah, the most conOf the tribe fiderable, as upon other accounts, so especially because our bleffed Lord was defcended of it. And it is not to be thought, that it was merely cafual, that, in the divifion of the land of Canaan, regard was primarily had to this tribe; and that accordingly, in the sacred history, the lot which fell to this tribe is firft taken notice of, namely, Jofh. xv. 5. border. And then from ver. this tribe specified as We learn, ver. 2—4. In this chapter we are told, ver. 1. that the lot of the Its fouthern tribe of Judah was next to the border of Edom, i. e. in the fouthern part of the land of Canaan. 2. to ver. 12. we have the bounds of to the four quarters of the world. that the fouth border thereof was from the fhore of the Salt Sea, and more particularly from the bay of it that looks fouthward, i. e. from the fouth part of the Salt sea, or Afphaltite lake, which is narrowed into the shape of a bay. This was the east end of the fouth border, which from hence ftretched itself weftward, paffing along to Zin, (mentioned in the journeys of the Ifraelites, and there seems to be otherwise called Kadesh,) and thence going up on the South South fide to (the other Kadefh near the wilderness of Pa- CHAP. V. ran, and for diftinction fake called) Kadesh-barnea, and fo coming unto the river of Egypt, (lying, as has been already obferved, near Gaza on the weft fide,) and fo running along with the courfe of that river to the Mediterranean fea. Such was the fouth coast of the tribe of Judah. 6. Its east coast or border was the length of the Salt fea, from its fouthern point to its northern, even unto the end its aftern of Jordan, i. e. unto the north part of the Salt sea, where Jordan falls into it. Compare Josh. xviii. 19. border. Its northern The border in the north quarter was from the bay of the 7. Salt fea, which is at the uttermoft part of the river Jordan, border and (that is, where Jordan empties itself into the Salt sea; and weftern. fo this north border was in fhort from the north bay or end of the Salt fea.) Hence it ran weftward by the valley of Achor, and by Enrogel, and fo by the valley of the fon of Hinnom, to the fouth fide of Jerufalem, thence to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of Giants northward. Thence the border was drawn to Kirjath-jearim, and fo paffed along unto the fide of mount Jearim, and went down to Bethshemesh, and paffed on to Timnah; and fo to the fide of Ekron northward, and the goings out or end of this north border weftward were at the Mediterranean Sea. And this fame Great fea (the name whereby in Scripture is denoted the Mediterranean fea) was the weft border of this tribe. 8. The fitua meon. In Josh. xix. 1-9. we read that the lot came forth for the tribe of Simeon, and that its inheritance was within tion of the the inheritance of the children of Judah, or out of the por-tribe of Sition at first allotted to the children of Judah. 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. Accordingly the fame cities, which we find ch. xv. ver. 26-32. allotted at firft to the tribe of Judah, are afterwards, ch. xix. ver. 2-8. affigned to the tribe of Simeon. And, forafmuch as these cities appear from chap. xv. ver. 21. to be fome of the uttermoft cities of the PART 11. the tribe of the children of Judah, toward the coaft of Edom. 9. The fitua tion of the tribe of Dan. 10. tribe of Southward; hence it is not without good reason, that the tribe of Simeon is placed in the fouth part of the tribe of Judah, after fuch a manner as may be better apprehended by looking on the map belonging to this chapter, than described by words. In like manner, because by comparing Josh. xv. 33, &c. with xix. 41, &c. it appears, that fome other of the cities at first allotted to the tribe of Judah were afterwards affigned to the tribe of Dan; hence it is rationally supposed, that the inheritance of the tribe of Dan was within the inheritance of the tribe of Judah; and confequently it is, I think with univerfal agreement, placed by geographers in the western part of the portion at first allotted to the children of Judah. As to the more particular fituation thereof, there is not fo univerfal an agreement; fome making it to take up at the north-west part of the portion at first allotted to the tribe of Judah, and fo to join on to the tribe of Benjamin or Ephraim; others fuppofing fome part of the tribe of Judah to come in between those of Dan and Benjamin, or Ephraim. To the north, at least to the north-east, of the tribe of The fitua- Judah was fituated the tribe of Benjamin; as is evident tion of the from comparing Jofh. xviii. 15-19. with xv. 5-9. For Benjamin. the fame border, which is affigned in this last place for the north border of Judah, is in the former place affigned for the fouth border of Benjamin. Whence it follows, that these two tribes must be contiguous one to the other, Judah lying to the fouth, and Benjamin to the north. That Jordan was the border of this tribe on the eaft fide, we are exprefsly told Josh. xviii. 20. And we read in the fame chapter, ver. 12-14. that the border on the north fide was from Jordan to the fide of Jericho, on the north fide thereof, and went up through the mountains westward, and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth-aven. Hence feems to be reckoned the west border, when it is faid, ver. 13, 14. that the border went over from thence towards Bethel, to the fide of Bethel Jouthward, and thence de defcended near the hill that lies on the fouth fide of the ne- CHAP. V. ther Beth-horon; and was drawn thence, and compaffed the corner of the weft fouthward, from the hill that lies before Beth-horon fouthward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjath-jearim, a city of the children of Judah. This was the weft quarter. It is not to be omitted, that there are fome who make the tribe of Benjamin to extend from the river Jordan eastward to the Mediterranean fea weftward. And this opinion seems to be entirely grounded on the Hebrew expreffion used in the beginning of the fourteenth verse: where, according to a literal tranflation, it is faid of the west border, that it compassed the corner of the fea fouthward. But it is evident enough from what is faid in other places of Scripture, that the tribe of Benjamin did not reach to the fea weftward. And indeed it is, I think, plainly enough intimated in ver. 12. of this very chapter, that the Hebrew word fignifying the fea is not to be in this defcription understood literally, but figuratively, so as to import the west, on which fide the fea (i. e. the Great or Mediterranean fea) lay. Hence the word in our English translation is rendered ver. 12. as importing, not the fea, but the weft; and fo it would, I conceive, have been best rendered in the fourteenth verfe alfo. And the plain meaning of the expreffion there used, viz. compassed the corner of the weft, feems to be this, that the west border did there make an angle or corner, as may be seen in the map. 11. A difficulty cleared. 12. naffeh, weft. To the north of the tribe of Benjamin was fituated the lot that fell to the children of Jofeph; as is clear from Of the tribe Jofh. xviii. 11. where it is faid, that the coaft of the lot of and half of Ephraim, Benjamin came forth between the children of Judah and the tribe of Machildren of Jofeph. Since therefore the children of Judah of Jordan. lay to the fouth of the children of Benjamin, it follows, that the children of Joseph lay to the north of them. It is also evident from Jofh. xvi. 1-3. that the lot of the children of Jofeph reached from Jordan eastward to the Mediterranean fea weftward; and from comparing chap. xvi, |