Commentary - Joshua 19:1-9

Bird's-eye view

In this brief but theologically dense passage, we witness the outworking of God's sovereign and meticulous providence in the allotment of the promised land. The casting of lots was not a game of chance; it was a divinely ordained process to reveal God's will for each tribe's inheritance. The case of Simeon is particularly instructive. Here we see the direct fulfillment of a centuries-old patriarchal prophecy, a curse that God in His mercy transforms into a peculiar kind of blessing. Simeon's inheritance is not a standalone territory but is situated entirely within the borders of Judah, the royal tribe. This arrangement is a stunning display of God's faithfulness to His word, both His warnings and His promises. It serves as a powerful illustration of covenantal discipline, dependence, and the way in which God's people find their true inheritance not in themselves, but by being incorporated into the portion of the King.

The central lesson is that God's judgments are never arbitrary, and His solutions are never clumsy. The fact that Judah's initial portion was "too large" was not an oversight by Joshua but a perfect providential setup to fulfill the word spoken by Jacob in Genesis 49. Simeon, due to the sin of its progenitor, was to be scattered. And so he is. But he is scattered within the safest place in Israel, under the shadow of the scepter of Judah. This is a picture of the Gospel: our deserved curse is not ignored, but is dealt with in such a way that we are brought into the household and inheritance of the true King, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In Joshua

This passage comes in the second major section of the book of Joshua, which deals with the division of the land among the tribes (Joshua 13-21). The conquest phase is largely complete, and now the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are being translated into specific geographical boundaries. The process began with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the Jordan. Then, Judah and the tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) received their large allotments. Now, at Shiloh, the remaining seven tribes are receiving their portions by lot before the Lord. Simeon's allotment is the second to be named in this final round, and its unique nature, being contained entirely within Judah's, sets it apart and demands a theological explanation, which the text itself provides.

Key Issues

The Curse Fulfilled

To understand what is happening with Simeon, we must go back to the deathbed of Jacob. In Genesis 49, the patriarch pronounces blessings and curses on his sons, which function as prophecies over their future tribes. Regarding Simeon and Levi, he says, "Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul not enter into their council... For in their anger they killed a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel" (Gen 49:5-7). This was a judicial sentence for their treacherous massacre of the Shechemites (Genesis 34).

Now, hundreds of years later, that sentence is executed by lot. God is demonstrating His long memory and the unswerving certainty of His word. Levi was indeed scattered, receiving no tribal inheritance but rather forty-eight cities throughout all the tribes, a scattering that God transformed into a blessing as they became the priestly tribe. Here we see Simeon's sentence carried out. He is not given a distinct border but is dispersed within the towns of another tribe. This is not a coincidence. This is the Lord of history working out His righteous decrees with precision. The lot did not fall by chance; it fell by decree.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Then the second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families, and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah.

The process is orderly and divinely superintended. The second lot comes forth, designating Simeon. The inheritance is assigned according to their families, reminding us that God deals with His people not just as a mass, but in their covenantal structures, family by family. The stunning statement is the last one: their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah. This is unique. They are not neighbors; they are tenants. They are not a sovereign territory; they are an enclave. This geographical reality is a direct consequence of their spiritual history. The curse of scattering is being fulfilled, but in a most peculiar way. They are being scattered into the arms of the strongest tribe, the tribe from which the Messiah would come.

2-6 So they had as their inheritance Beersheba or Sheba and Moladah, and Hazar-shual and Balah and Ezem, and Eltolad and Bethul and Hormah, and Ziklag and Beth-marcaboth and Hazar-susah, and Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages;

This is not just a dusty list of forgotten towns. This is the concrete reality of God's provision. He doesn't just give them a vague promise; He gives them addresses. Notice the first city mentioned: Beersheba, the "Well of the Oath." This was a place of immense patriarchal significance, where both Abraham and Isaac made covenants and called on the name of the Lord (Gen 21:31; 26:33). It is as though God is placing this disciplined tribe right at the historical heart of His covenant promises. The list of thirteen cities with their surrounding villages shows that this was a substantial provision, even if it was not a distinct territory. God's discipline is never stingy.

7-8 Ain, Rimmon and Ether and Ashan; four cities with their villages; and all the villages which were around these cities as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negev. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families.

The accounting continues, adding four more cities and their surrounding villages, bringing the total to seventeen (or eighteen, depending on how one counts Beersheba and Sheba). The boundary extends to Ramah of the Negev, indicating a real, defined area, albeit one contained within a larger whole. The verse concludes by reiterating the main point: This was the inheritance. God gave it. It was not a consolation prize or a result of poor planning. It was their designated portion, assigned by the sovereign Lord according to His purposes and their history.

9 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.

Here is the inspired explanation, the divine logic behind the arrangement. First, the practical reason is given: the share of the sons of Judah was too large for them. But we must ask, who made it too large? The lot was from the Lord. God, in His providence, gave Judah more than they could manage precisely so that there would be room for Simeon. This was not a mistake that needed correcting; it was a design that needed fulfilling. God's left hand knows exactly what His right hand is doing. The result is stated again for emphasis: so the sons of Simeon received an inheritance in the midst of Judah's inheritance. The curse of being scattered is not abrogated, but it is mitigated by grace. To be scattered is a judgment. But to be scattered within the royal tribe, to be brought under the protection and influence of the line of David, is a mercy. Simeon is disciplined, but he is not disinherited. He is chastened, but he is not cast out.

Application

There are several points of direct application for us as Christians. First, we must recognize that God's Word never fails. Centuries-old prophecies concerning family lines are fulfilled to the letter. This should give us profound confidence that all His promises and warnings in Christ are just as certain.

Second, we see the nature of God's fatherly discipline. The sin of Simeon was real and had real, historical consequences. God does not sweep sin under the rug. But His discipline is restorative, not merely punitive. He fulfilled the curse in a way that tethered the disciplined tribe to the tribe of promise. In the same way, when God disciplines us as His children, it is always to draw us closer to Christ, not to push us away. "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves" (Heb 12:6).

Finally, and most importantly, Simeon's inheritance is a picture of our own. By nature, because of our sin, we deserve to be scattered and disinherited completely. We have no land, no portion, and no hope in ourselves. But in the gospel, God does not give us an inheritance of our own. Rather, our inheritance is in Christ. Like Simeon, we are given a portion "in the midst of" the inheritance of the true King from the tribe of Judah. Our inheritance is Christ Himself. We are brought into His portion, we share in His riches, and we find our place under His authority and protection. We were deserving of the curse, but in Christ, we are made co-heirs with the Son. Simeon's story is a faint shadow of this glorious reality: our only hope is to have our portion swallowed up by the portion of the King.