Joshua Chapter 14

“And these [are the countries] which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, etc.] Of which an exact account is given in the following chapters, particularly in the (<061501>Joshua 15:1-19:51); which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for an inheritance unto them; namely, ten princes, one of each tribe, who, with Eleazar and Joshua, were appointed of the Lord by name to do this business, even seven years ago, before their entrance into the land of Canaan, (<043417>Numbers 34:17-29).”

“THE NINE TRIBES AND A HALF TO HAVE THEIR INHERITANCE BY LOT. (Jos 14:1-5) these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan--This chapter forms the introduction to an account of the allocation of the land west of Jordan, or Canaan proper, to the nine tribes and a half. It was also made by lot in presence of a select number of superintendents, appointed according to divine directions given to Moses (see on Num 34:16). In everything pertaining to civil government, and even the division of the land, Joshua was the acknowledged chief. But in a matter to be determined by lot, a…”

“By lot - We are not told in what manner the lot was cast. Perhaps two urns were employed, one containing a description of the several districts to be allotted, the other the names of the tribes; and the portion of each tribe would then be determined by a simultaneous drawing from the two urns. Or a drawing might be made by some appointed person, or by a delegate of each tribe from one urn containing the description of the ten inheritances. The lot only determined in a general way the position in the country of the particular tribe concerned, whether north or south, etc.; the dimensions of each territory being…”

“Eleazar the priest - He best understood the laws of God by which this division was to be regulated. Heads of the fathers - Twelve persons, each the head of his tribe, who were appointed and named by God, Num 34:19, and if any of them were now dead, no doubt Joshua and Eleazar, by God's direction, put others in their stead. Joshua 14:2”

“14:1–19:51 The allotment of land to the tribes on the west side of the Jordan describes what God intended for each tribe to possess. • The narrator frames this section with the assignment of land to Caleb at the beginning (14:6-15) and to Joshua at the end (19:49-51). Only Caleb and Joshua had expressed faith in God that Israel could conquer the land (Num 13:30; 14:6-9). 14:1 Eleazar . . . Joshua . . . and the tribal leaders supervised the distribution of the land to ensure that the process was honest and just.”

“which Eleazar: Num 34:17-29 Joshua 14:2”

“Jos 14:1-5 form the heading and introduction to the account of the division of the land among the nine tribes and a half, which reaches to Josh 19, and is brought to a close by the concluding formula in Jos 19:51. The division of the land of Canaan according to the boundaries laid down in Num 34:2-12 was carried out, in accordance with the instructions in Num 34:16-29, by the high priest Eleazar, Joshua, and ten heads of fathers' houses of the nine tribes and a half, whose names are given in Num 34:18-28. "By the lot of their inheritance," i.e., by casting lots for it: this is dependent upon the previous clause,…”