Dividing the Land
“By lot was their inheritance, as Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe” (Joshua 14:2).
Joshua and the Israelites had spent six years conquering Canaan west of the Jordan River. Two large coalitions had been overcome, one in the south, and a larger one in the north. The cities involved in these two campaigns are listed in Joshua 12, whose last verse, 24, says “All the kings [were] thirty and one” that Israel had subdued. Perhaps the two coalitions have something to do prophetically with the two world wars that led to refounding the nation of Israel. World War I began in 1914, World War II ended in 1945, and there are 31 years from one date to the other.
Joshua 13:1 then says, “Jehovah said unto him [Joshua], Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.” Nevertheless, the time had come to divide the land among the tribes of Israel, and the remaining efforts to secure unresolved areas would proceed thereafter.
Joshua chapter 13 reminds us that 2½ tribes had already received their inheritance on the east side of Jordan, before the passing of Moses. As long as 50 years ago, a lesson by Br. Stuart Sowers, at the Jersey City Convention, interpreted the meaning of those 2½ tribes.
[1] He suggested that they represented the Church class (Reuben, the firstborn), the Great Company class (Gad, “a troop,” the larger number of spiritual Israel), and the Ancient Worthies (Manasseh). One half of Manasseh received land east of Jordan, and the other half would settle west of Jordan, depicting the Ancient Worthies as a class connecting the heavenly and earthly phases of the Millennial Kingdom. We think this is correct.
Aside from Levi, who would have 48 Levitical cities sprinkled among all the tribes of Israel, this left 9½ tribes remaining to receive their portions west of the Jordan, after the opening six year campaign to dispossess the Canaanites. Dividing the land west of the Jordan among these 9½ tribes is the subject of Joshua chapters 14-19.
JOSHUA 14
This chapter begins the narrative with assigning Caleb, of the tribe of Judah, a special portion. Caleb and Joshua were the two spies sent out 45 years earlier who brought back a good report, encouraging Israel to trust God for victory and take possession of the land of promise. Ten other spies discouraged the people, and as a consequence God mandated that Israel would wander another 39 years (40 total) before again authorizing them to take the land. In Joshua 14:7,10, Caleb remembered that he was 40 years old when sent as a spy, that 45 years had passed since then, and that he was now 85 years of age, but still robust and willing to secure his inheritance. For Caleb’s fidelity, Moses had committed to Caleb that “the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance” (verse 9), and so it turned out. “Joshua blessed him and gave unto Caleb … Hebron for an inheritance” (verse 13). Caleb successfully secured the land and settled in his inheritance (verse 15).
JOSHUA 15
Joshua 15 then describes the land possessed by the whole of Judah, the tribe of which Caleb was part. Notice on the map that Judah was given the southland. Simeon obtained a portion of land within Judah, and more on this will follow later.
Beginning with Joshua 15:21, the remainder of this lengthy chapter specifies 120 cities included in the large tribal allotment of the tribe of Judah.[2] If the land divisions east of Jordan have meaning symbolically relating to the Plan of God, perhaps the division of land west of Jordan does also. We think it is so, and this meaning is explored in this study.
However, the two pictures are distinct. In the first case the Church, Great Company, and Ancient Worthies are pictured as receiving a reward for faithfulness at the outset of the Kingdom, before mankind. West of Jordan we have a picture of how things are structured during the Kingdom respecting mankind. Included here is another view of the Church, shown in the tribe of Judah, representing that the Church will govern mankind for their blessing.
Judah was the royal tribe. King David and his successors were from Judah, as was King Jesus, and the saints are promised to share the throne of Christ during the Millennium (Revelation 3:21, 20:6).
Zechariah 14:4 is a well known prophecy that speaks of the Kingdom of God pictured by the Mount of Olives, divided into two portions, north and south, representing the heavenly and earthly phases of the Kingdom. In Judah, with its large southern territory, we have a picture of the church reigning over earth for the uplift of mankind in the Kingdom.
Caleb, one of the two faithful spies, was from Judah, enhancing the view that the faithful of the Gospel Age are represented here as ruling earth during the kingdom. The other faithful spy was Joshua himself, of Ephraim, who was from Joseph, and Joseph’s heirs are the next tribe to receive an inheritance. This is described in chapters 16 and 17.
Joshua viewing the land
The 120 cities given in the portion of Judah are numerically the product of 12 x 10. Twelve is the spiritual number of scripture, as in the 12 tribes of spiritual Israel (Revelation 7), the 12 x 12 thousand of the Bride class (Revelation 14:1), the 12,000 x 12,000 furlong layout of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:16), and the 12 x 12 dimension of walls of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:17).[3] Ten is an earthly number. Thus, the product of these two suggest the Church as the spiritual governing force over earth in the Kingdom.
JOSHUA 16, 17
Joshua 16:1 says, “and the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel,” and much more, through verse 3. “So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.”
As the reader can see from the map, Ephraim, and the remainder of Manasseh, received their inheritance in portions adjoining each other, somewhat north of Judah. Judah and Joseph shared something in common. As a result of an infraction by Reuben, Judah and Joseph each received part of the favor that Reuben would have been due. This matter is explained in 1 Chronicles 5:1,2. “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn; but … his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s).” [4]
The two tribes from Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, express the firstborn portion, which was always a double portion compared to other heirs. Thus Judah in the south expresses the earthly dominion of the saints during the Kingdom, but Ephraim and Manasseh express the remarkable heavenly inheritance of the saints, the firstborn class, whose glory will continue in the everlasting ages beyond the Millennium.[5]
Describing the portions for Joseph’s sons take two chapters. In part of this, Joshua 17:3, there is mention of the five daughters of Zelophehad. These are referred to earlier in the Book of Numbers (26:33, 27:1, and 36:2) where they seem to represent the church.[6] That meaning is consistent with their appearance in this context.
Notably, in these two chapters no tally of a number of cities is given for Ephraim or Manasseh, unlike what is common for other tribes. This suggests also that these two tribes represent the heavenly inheritance of the saints, rather than one relating to earth.[7]
JOSHUA 18
“And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.” This statement comes after Judah and Joseph received their inheritance, as though to divide these two from the seven tribes remaining. “And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance” (verse 2).
Shiloh is where the tabernacle would reside for many years. It was the location that represented the presence of God among the Israelites, and now God would overrule the allotments for the seven remaining tribes. Verses 4 and 5 explain that three men of each tribe were to search out the remaining land and divide it into seven portions, without knowing which portions would be assigned which tribes. Thereafter the seven portions were to be assigned by casting lots, which, as Proverbs 16:33 says, is determined by Jehovah.
The first lot fell to Benjamin. “And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph” (Joshua 18:11).
Benjamin sometimes represents the Great Company class, as for example in Genesis 35:16-19, which recounts the passing of Rachel after the troubled birth of Benjamin. So, when the Great Company is delivered, the spiritual part of the Abrahamic Covenant will have completed its role, and will pass away.
Here also, in Joshua 18:11, Benjamin represents the Great Company class. Notice that their inheritance is directly between the two depictions of the heavenly church, “between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.” The Great Company will share a heavenly reward with the saints in the heavenly sphere. They will not be on the throne, and will not receive the firstborn blessing. But they will be in company with, and assisting, the Church during the Kingdom.
JOSHUA 19
The second lot came to Simeon. “Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon … the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them” (verse 1). This odd location can be observed on the map included in this article.
Simeon perhaps represents natural Israel, the people and nation that will become the center of the Kingdom on earth, that is ruled by the saints, pictured by Judah. Thus Simeon’s portion within Judah expresses Israel’s position as the earthly representative of the heavenly kingdom.
Israel, as a nation, lost the privilege of embracing Messiah at the first advent. Other than the remnant of faith, the bulk of the nation was brutalized by the Romans and driven from their land, for their sin of rejecting and crucifying Messiah. Recall that Joseph in Egypt, a picture of Christ, chose Simeon to be imprisoned while the other sons went free, associating Simeon, in particular, with the guilt of Israel in rejecting Jesus (Genesis 42:24).
Another link of Simeon as Israel may be indicated in Luke 2:25. There an aged Israelite named Simeon, presumably of the tribe reflected by his name, “was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel.” When Mary approached with her infant son, Simeon, with “the holy Spirit … upon him,” took the babe into his arms “and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace … for mine eyes have seen thy salvation … A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:28-32). Perhaps Simeon here represents Israel as the first people to see Messiah, as distinguished from the Gentiles whose appreciation would be deferred a number of years.
The cities numbered to Simeon were 17 (Joshua 19:6,7). This reminds us that when Jeremiah predicted that Israel would be removed from their land, God instructed Jeremiah to purchase a portion of land as a token that Israel would later return. Jeremiah was to secure the deed and preserve it for many years to come, as a sign that God would regather Israel at a later time. The price Jeremiah paid was 17 shekels of silver (Jeremiah 32:9). Thus, Simeon’s 17 cities may represent regathered Israel at the outset of the Kingdom.
THE REMAINDER OF JOSHUA 19
Joshua 19:10-51 then quickly itemizes the distribution of the remaining tribes. Zebulun would have 12 cities, Issachar 16 cities (from verse 17), Asher 22 cities (from verse 24), Naphtali 19 cities (from verse 32), Dan 17 cities (from verse 40). This segment closes out with a record of five tribes, apparently representing mankind in the kingdom. However, if we add to this number Simeon, natural Israel, as part of the earthly kingdom, we have six tribes. This is an appropriate number to represent the earthly kingdom, for the six sons of Keturah, in Genesis, also represent the world to be blessed in the Kingdom.
The six portions of land refer to mankind, as do Keturah’s six sons.
Before Abraham died he sent the six sons of Keturah “eastward, unto the east country” (Genesis 25:6). That direction reminds us of the location of the original home of man, “eastward in Eden” (Genesis 2:8).
Joshua 19:47, however, adds something peculiar about the tribe of Dan. Quoting from the King James version, but omitting the two italicized (supplied) words, “And the coast of the children of Dan went out … for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it … and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.”
This refers to the experience recorded at greater length in Judges chapter 18, explaining that the Danites (or some portion of them) left their original inheritance in the southwest, relocating to a lush portion northward and inland, adjacent to Naphtali. These Danites did not retain the inheritance of their first opportunity, but found another more to their liking.
Notice on the accompanying map that Dan’s original allotment was next to Benjamin. As with Benjamin, it was nestled between Judah and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh). Perhaps Dan here represents a large number of the Christian world who had an opportunity for the heavenly kingdom, but failing to appreciate the opportunity, find themselves in the earthly kingdom, a place of their liking. In the distribution geographically, they became adjacent to the other tribes that represent mankind in the kingdom.
AGGREGATE CITIES
The aggregate number of cities listed for these tribes representing mankind is the sum of the following numbers, given in the text — 12, 16, 22, 19, 17 — which is 86. As the numbers are specific, perhaps there is meaning intended here. The number 86 can be divided into 43 plus 43, but not further, as 43 is a prime number. So, the digits come into play, 4 and 3 sum to seven — the two 43s in this way yield 14. [8]
If this is the intention, and as this is about mankind in the earthly phase of the Kingdom, then we observe that the number 14 elsewhere is associated with the Millennial Kingdom in a number of cases. For example, on each day of the Feast of Tabernacles (the Kingdom), 14 lambs were to be offered. Whereas on each day of the Feast of Unleavened bread (the Gospel Age), 7 lambs were to be offered. The first age of redemption is associated with 7, the second age of redemption with double seven, 14.[9]
14 Lambs were offered each day on the Feast of Tabernacles.
In Isaiah 36-38 Israel was attacked by Sennacherib, but delivered as a miracle from God. This event is often considered to represent God’s deliverance of Israel at the outset of the Kingdom. The date of this episode was the 14th year of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36:1). Another example: Ezekiel 40:1 begins Ezekiel’s vision of the Kingdom, in “the 14th year after that the city was smitten.”
Acts 27 describes a storm of 14 days that is often understood to represent the final turmoils that take us into the Kingdom. The generations counting from Abraham to Jesus, who is to rule the world in the Kingdom, is given in three parts of 14 generations each (Matthew 1:17).[10]
GOD’S MASTERY
The many details in this lesson, and what they may represent, illustrate our Heavenly Father’s mastery of human history. When God’s plan is discerned by the world, the depth and evidence that He has prepared a wonderful destiny for mankind, will reveal His love and care for them. How we thank Him for the blessings He has prepared for the human family.
— Class Studies in San Diego
[1] We are told that even earlier, Br. Edward Fay had a similar view.
[2] The first number of this 120 total is given in Joshua 15:22 as “29,” but this number is often considered to be an error, as it does not reflect the itemized names of the cities listed in verses 21-32, which tally to 37. The remainder of the reported subtotals in chapter 15 are correct. These are given as 14, 16, 9, 11, 9, 10, 6, 2, and 6, which sum to 83 cities. Adding this to the 37 named cities in the first segment yields the sum of 120.
[3] The number 12 (a spiritual number), 10 (an earthly number), and 6 (a number for imperfection) are all three derived from the core number 7. For the number 7 is the sum of 3 + 4, 2 + 5, and 1 + 6, and the product of each pair gives 12, 10, 6, respectively. Six being 1 deficient of the perfect number seven represents imperfection. The two other numbers represent wholeness or completion of things spiritual or earthly, respectively.
[4] Judah was the fourth born of Leah. When Reuben was disqualified, one might suppose the genealogical blessing would pass to the second born, Simeon, or the third born, Levi, but both of these were disqualified because of the intensity of their anger and vengeance in the matter of Dinah (Genesis 34:25). “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations” (Genesis 49:5). Thus that part of the blessing passed them by and came to Judah, and thus the descent of Jesus came through Judah.
For the offense of Simeon and Levi, God would “scatter them in Israel” (Genesis 49:7). Subsequently Levi redeemed himself by standing with Moses in the matter of the golden calf, so Levi was scattered in a good way. They were distributed in 48 Levitical cities to be a spiritual influence among the tribes of Israel. Simeon ultimately was scattered also, apparently further north, for they became associated with the 10 tribe kingdom when Israel split following the reign of Solomon. Later in this article we suggest that Simeon represents Israel, and Israel collectively was taken from their land and scattered among the nations.
[5] Zechariah 14:4, “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” This well known prophecy expresses the two phases of the kingdom, the heavenly and the earthly, by the northern and southern divisions of the Mount of Olives. This is compatible with Judah representing the earthly dominion of the saints in the Kingdom, and Ephraim and Manasseh representing the everlasting heavenly reward of the saints.
[6] See the article “Numbers,” November 2019, page 8, paragraph 4.
[7] Some may wonder whether Manasseh in this case is intended to represent the Ancient Worthies, rather than, together with Ephraim, the heavenly Bride class — remembering that when Moses divided the land east of Jordan, Manasseh, split on both sides of the Jordan, represents the Ancient Worthies. Of course interpretation is involved, and we do not wish to be insistent. However, the two divisions of the land form distinct pictures. On the east side, the Church is represented by Reuben, on the west side by Judah and Joseph. On the east side the Great Company is represented by Gad, on the west side by Benjamin. In dividing the land west of Jordan, Ephraim and Manasseh are joined in the name “Joseph” in Joshua 14:4. Joseph and Benjamin were sons of Rachel who, like Sarah, represents the spiritual part of the Abraham covenant. Thus our inclination to recognize the inheritance given “Joseph” as heavenly.
[8] Nebuchadnezzar’s reign also involved the number 43, as that was the period of his reign, and his kingdom of Babylon was the first of four kingdoms to rule Israel for “seven times” — suggesting an intended connection between 43 and the number 7.
[9] An editor observes that sheba, seven, is the number of an oath. The seven for the Gospel Age, and double seven for the Millennial Age, reminds us that in these two ages God’s oath bound covenant is fulfilled.
[10] Genesis 14:5 speaks of “The fourteenth year” of Chedorlaomer, the time of Abraham’s victory over a coalition from the east. If this has some meaning symbolically to the close of this age, as for example the judgment of Sodom does, then we have another testimony connecting 14 to the Kingdom.