Joshua 19:1-48
Q.1. Where were each of the remaining tribes located in the Promised Land? How significant were each of them? – (Josh.19:1-48)
The territories of Judah and Simeon were prophesied by Jacob on his deathbed. Along with Levi, Simeon would be dispersed in Israel, whereas Judah would become the dominant tribe (Gen.49:7-8). Since Judah had claimed most of the southern part of the Promised Land, Simeon would share its territory. It is recorded that – the inheritance of the sons of Simeon was taken from the portion of the sons of Judah, for the share of the sons of Judah was too large for them; so the sons of Simeon received an inheritance in the midst of Judah’s inheritance (Josh.19:9 c.f. 18:5). In time, the tribe of Simeon would be taken up by Judah. Zebulun would be flanked by the tribes of Asher, Naphtali, and Issachar in the north. Issachar would be just south-west of the Sea of Galilee. Asher would be located north on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and Naphtali would be in the northern reaches of the Jordan River, where it runs into the Sea of Galilee. Dan started on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and was flanked by Ephraim, Benjamin, and Judah. However, Dan had to contend with the powerful Philistines, and after early success, eventually tried to find a better location – … in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day an inheritance had not been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel (Jdges.18:1 c.f. Josh.19:47). They relocated within a generation of the conquest of the Promised Land, at the time of the Judges. They captured a city named Laish – a city near Mount Hermon in the upper reaches of the Jordan Valley, colonized by the coastal Sidonians (Jdgs.18:27-29). Originally, and later, they lived by the Mediterranean Sea, and became sea-faring people, who quickly turned to idols. Nine times reference is given to Dan in the north, and Beersheba in the south, to describe the northern kingdom of Israel (c.f. Jdgs.20:1; 2 Chron.30:5 etc.). Dan is not mentioned among the tribes of Revelation chapter 7:4-8.