וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׁלֹה וַיַּשְׁכִּינוּ שָׁם אֶת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְהָאָרֶץ נִכְבְּשָׁה לִפְנֵיהֶם

The entire congregation of the children of Israel assembled at Shilo. The central camp of Israel moved from Gilgal to Shilo, and they erected the Tent of Meeting there. Apparently, the tent in Shilo was surrounded by a walled structure of stone, and covered by the Tabernacle curtains. The Tabernacle remained there until the end of the period of the Judges. And the land was conquered before them. Although not all the land had actually been conquered, and there was a lengthy truce between Israel and some of the remaining Canaanites who lived alongside them, the conquest had effectively ended, as there was no one left who could confront the Israelites.

וַיִּוָּתְרוּ בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר לֹא חָלְקוּ אֶת נַחֲלָתָם שִׁבְעָה שְׁבָטִים

There remained seven tribes among the children of Israel that had not received their inheritance.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד אָנָה אַתֶּם מִתְרַפִּים לָבוֹא לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָכֶם ה' אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם!

Joshua said to the children of Israel: Until when will you be irresolute about coming to take possession of the land that the Lord, God of your fathers, has given you? Seven tribes have not yet settled in their portions; consequently, many places have not yet been conquered.

הָבוּ לָכֶם שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים לשָּׁבֶט וְאֶשְׁלָחֵם וְיָקֻמוּ וְיִתְהַלְּכוּ בָאָרֶץ וְיִכְתְּבוּ אוֹתָהּ לְפִי נַחֲלָתָם וְיָבֹאוּ אֵלָי

Get for you three men for each tribe; I will send them, and they will arise and walk through the land; they will write of it according to their needs in determining and dividing their inheritance, and they will come to me to report their findings.

וְהִתְחַלְּקוּ אֹתָהּ לְשִׁבְעָה חֲלָקִים; יְהוּדָה יַעֲמֹד עַל גְּבוּלוֹ מִנֶּגֶב וּבֵית יוֹסֵף יַעַמְדוּ עַל גְּבוּלָם מִצָּפוֹן

Divide it into seven portions: Judah will remain at his border to the south. It is likely that Judah received this territory on account of Caleb, who had already taken his portion in the south of the land. And the house of Joseph will remain at their border to the north of the tribe of Judah, although there was a vacant area between them.

וְאַתֶּם תִּכְתְּבוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ שִׁבְעָה חֲלָקִים וַהֲבֵאתֶם אֵלַי הֵנָּה וְיָרִיתִי לָכֶם גּוֹרָל פֹּה לִפְנֵי ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ

You will write of the land and divide it in seven portions, and you will bring it, the written description, here to me; and I will cast lots for you here in Shilo, before the Lord our God, so that each tribe can receive its inheritance.

כִּי אֵין חֵלֶק לַלְוִיִּם בְּקִרְבְּכֶם כִּי כְהֻנַּת ה'נַחֲלָתוֹ וגָד וּרְאוּבֵן וַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט הַמְנַשֶּׁה לָקְחוּ נַחֲלָתָם מֵעֵבֶר לַיַּרְדֵּן מִזְרָחָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד ה'

Only seven portions are mentioned, for the Levites do not have a portion in your midst, as the service of the Lord is their inheritance over the generations, and they will receive no portion of land. In addition, Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh took their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses servant of the Lord gave them. Since Judah and the remainder of Joseph have already taken their portions, seven tribes are left.

וַיָּקֻמוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיֵּלֵכוּ וַיְצַו יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת הַהֹלְכִים לִכְתֹּב אֶת הָאָרֶץ לֵאמֹר לְכוּ וְהִתְהַלְּכוּ בָאָרֶץ וְכִתְבוּ אוֹתָהּ וְשׁוּבוּ אֵלַי וּפֹה אַשְׁלִיךְ לָכֶם גּוֹרָל לִפְנֵי ה' בְּשִׁלֹה

The men rose and went. Joshua commanded those who went to write of the land, in accordance with his previous statement to the Israelites, saying: Go, and walk through the land, and write of it, and come back to me, and I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shilo.

וַיֵּלְכוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיַּעַבְרוּ בָאָרֶץ וַיִּכְתְּבוּהָ לֶעָרִים לְשִׁבְעָה חֲלָקִים עַל סֵפֶר וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה שִׁלֹה

The men went and passed through the land, and they wrote of it according to the cities. They prepared a list of cities by names, and presumably noted their sizes as well. Based on this rudimentary list, they divided the land in seven portions, in a scroll, and they came to Joshua, to the central camp at Shilo.

וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ לָהֶם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ גּוֹרָל בְּשִׁלֹה לִפְנֵי ה'וַיְחַלֶּק שָׁם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת הָאָרֶץ לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמַחְלְקֹתָם

Joshua cast lots for them in Shilo before the Lord, in front of the Tabernacle (see 19:51); and Joshua apportioned the land to the children of Israel according to their portions, as divided into sections by the messengers.

וַיַּעַל גּוֹרַל מַטֵּה בְנֵי בִנְיָמִן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם וַיֵּצֵא גְּבוּל גּוֹרָלָם בֵּין בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וּבֵין בְּנֵי יוֹסֵף

The lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up first according to their families; the border of their allotment came out in the vacant area between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

וַיְהִי לָהֶם הַגְּבוּל לִפְאַת צָפוֹנָה מִן הַיַּרְדֵּן וְעָלָה הַגְּבוּל אֶל כֶּתֶף יְרִיחוֹ מִצָּפוֹן וְעָלָה בָהָר יָמָּה וְהָיוּ תֹּצְאֹתָיו מִדְבַּרָה בֵּית אָוֶן

Their border on the north side was from the Jordan in the east, and the border went up to the shoulder, the edge, of Jericho on the north of the city, and the border also went up through the highlands westward, and its terminus, the perimeter, was at the wilderness of Beit Aven.

וְעָבַר מִשָּׁם הַגְּבוּל לוּזָה אֶל כֶּתֶף לוּזָה נֶגְבָּה הִיא בֵּית אֵל ְיָרַד הַגְּבוּל עַטְרוֹת אַדָּר עַל הָהָר אֲשֶׁר מִנֶּגֶב לְבֵית חֹרוֹן תַּחְתּוֹן

The border passed from there to Luz, to the shoulder of Luz on the south, the south side of the tip of Luz, which is Beit El. Luz and Beit El were apparently located very close to one another, although they were not the same place (see 16:2). And the border descended to Atrot Adar, and from there, it went to the mountain that is south of Lower Beit Horon.

וְתָאַר הַגְּבוּל וְנָסַב לִפְאַת יָם נֶגְבָּה מִן הָהָר אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי בֵית חֹרוֹן נֶגְבָּה וְהָיוּ תֹצְאֹתָיו אֶל קִרְיַת בַּעַל הִיא קִרְיַת יְעָרִים עִיר בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה זֹאת פְּאַת יָם

The border curved and turned, and it continued to the west side, southward from the mountain that faces Beit Horon on the south, and its terminus was at Kiryat Baal, which is Kiryat Ye’arim, a city of the children of Judah. This was the west side. On its south side, the portion of Benjamin bordered Judah, with the northern cities of Judah marking its boundary.

וּפְאַת נֶגְבָּה מִקְצֵה קִרְיַת יְעָרִים וְיָצָא הַגְּבוּל יָמָּה וְיָצָא אֶל מַעְיַן מֵי נֶפְתּוֹחַ

The south side was from the edge of Kiryat Ye’arim; the border came out westward [yamma] from Kiryat Ye’arim, or alternatively, toward a body of water [yam], and came out to the spring of the waters of Nefto’ah.

וְיָרַד הַגְּבוּל אֶל קְצֵה הָהָר אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי גֵּי בֶן הִנֹּם אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵמֶק רְפָאִים צָפוֹנָה וְיָרַד גֵּי הִנֹּם אֶל כֶּתֶף הַיְבוּסִי נֶגְבָּה וְיָרַד עֵין רֹגֵל

The border descended to the edge of the ridge that faces the Valley of the Son of Hinom, which is to the north of the Valley of Refaim, and it descended to the Valley of Hinom, to the shoulder of the Yevusites, which is probably the place known nowadays as Mount Zion, southward, and descended to Ein Rogel. Thus, the tribe of Benjamin received part of Mount Moriah.

וְתָאַר מִצָּפוֹן וְיָצָא עֵין שֶׁמֶשׁ וְיָצָא אֶל גְּלִילוֹת אֲשֶׁר נֹכַח מַעֲלֵה אֲדֻמִּים וְיָרַד אֶבֶן בֹּהַן בֶּן רְאוּבֵן

It curved to the north, and came out to Ein Shemesh, and came out to Gelilot, which is Gilgal mentioned above, which faces Maaleh Adumim, and it descended to the place called the stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

וְעָבַר אֶל כֶּתֶף מוּל הָעֲרָבָה צָפוֹנָה וְיָרַד הָעֲרָבָתָה

It passed to the shoulder opposite the Arava northward, and descended to the Arava.

וְעָבַר הַגְּבוּל אֶל כֶּתֶף בֵּית חָגְלָה צָפוֹנָה וְהָיוּ תֹּצְאוֹת הַגְּבוּל אֶל לְשׁוֹן יָם הַמֶּלַח צָפוֹנָה אֶל קְצֵה הַיַּרְדֵּן נֶגְבָּה זֶה גְּבוּל נֶגֶב

The border passed to the northern side of the shoulder of Beit Hogla, and the terminus of the border was at the northern inlet of the Dead Sea, at the southern edge of the Jordan. This was the southern border of the tribe of Benjamin.

וְהַיַּרְדֵּן יִגְבֹּל אֹתוֹ לִפְאַת קֵדְמָה זֹאת נַחֲלַת בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן לִגְבוּלֹתֶיהָ סָבִיב לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם

The Jordan bordered it, the tribe of Benjamin, on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, according to its borders all around, according to their families.

וְהָיוּ הֶעָרִים לְמַטֵּה בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן לְמִשְׁפְּחוֹתֵיהֶם יְרִיחוֹ וּבֵית חָגְלָה וְעֵמֶק קְצִיץ

The cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beit Hogla, and Emek Ketzitz;

וּבֵית הָעֲרָבָה וּצְמָרַיִם וּבֵית אֵל

and Beit Arava, Tzemarayim, and Beit El;

וְהָעַוִּים וְהַפָּרָה וְעָפְרָה

and Avim, Para, and Ofra;

וּכְפַר הָעַמֹּנָה וְהָעָפְנִי וָגָבַע עָרִים שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה וְחַצְרֵיהֶן

and Kefar HaAmona, Ofni, and Geva; a total of twelve cities and their surrounding areas.

גִּבְעוֹן וְהָרָמָה וּבְאֵרוֹת

Likewise, Givon, Rama, and Be’erot became cities of the tribe of Benjamin. Givon was already populated, but its residents became subjugated to Israel. Be’erot was also mentioned as a Givonite settlement (9:17), but Israelites settled there over time.

וְהַמִּצְפֶּה וְהַכְּפִירָה וְהַמֹּצָה

And Mitzpe, Kefira, and Motza, perhaps the same place as modern-day Motza;

וְרֶקֶם וְיִרְפְּאֵל וְתַרְאֲלָה

and Rekem, Yirpe’el, and Tarala;

וְצֵלַע הָאֶלֶף וְהַיְבוּסִי הִיא יְרוּשָׁלִַם גִּבְעַת קִרְיַת עָרִים אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה וְחַצְרֵיהֶן זֹאת נַחֲלַת בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם

and Tzela, where King Saul, his son Yonatan, and his father Kish were buried; HaElef, a high place, perhaps the Ofel; and the Yevusites, which is Jerusalem, and also Givat, and Kiryat; all these were fourteen cities and their surrounding areas. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.