Joshua 13:15-23

REUBEN’S LOT, Joshua 13:15-23.

[From this point on through chapter 19 follows a minute description of the territorial possessions assigned by Joshua to the tribes of Israel, and, while to a modern reader these chapters may appear as a dry and tiresome list of names, we should remember that they were as necessary and important as are the details of a modern deed of real estate to prevent future litigation. These lists of cities and borders were evidently compiled from the most ancient registers, and in all probability are substantially identical with those written by Joshua’s own hand, or under his supervision and direction. Their minuteness not only shows the care of the commissioners who determined them, but also the progress already made in the art of mensuration. See notes on Joshua 18:4; Joshua 18:9.