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Joshua 18

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1 POI tutta la raunanza de’ figliuoli d’Israele si adunò in Silo, e quivi posarono il Tabernacolo della convenenza. Or bene aveano soggiogato il paese;

2 ma restavano ancora fra i figliuoli d’Israele sette tribù, alle quali non era stata assegnata la parte della loro eredità.

3 Laonde Giosuè disse a’ figliuoli d’Israele: Infino a quando starete voi a bada, senza entrare a possedere il paese, il quale il Signore Iddio de’ padri vostri vi ha dato?

4 Ordinatevi tre uomini per tribù, ed io li manderò, acciocchè si levino, e vadano attorno per lo paese, e lo descrivano, secondo l’eredità che hanno da avere; e poi ritorneranno a me.

5 E partiranno il paese in sette parti: Giuda rimarrà ne’ suoi confini dal Mezzodì, e la casa di Giuseppe rimarrà ne’ suoi confini dal Settentrione.

6 Voi dunque fate una descrizione del paese, spartendolo in sette parti, e portatemela qua, e io vi trarrò qui le sorti, nel cospetto del Signore Iddio nostro.

7 Perciocchè i Leviti non hanno da aver parte alcuna per mezzo voi, conciossiachè il sacerdozio del Signore sia la loro eredità; e Gad, e Ruben, e la metà della tribù di Manasse, hanno già ricevuta la loro eredità di là dal Giordano, verso Oriente, la quale Mosè, servitor del Signore, ha data loro.

8 Quegli uomini adunque si levarono, e andarono; e Giosuè comandò a quelli che andavano a descrivere il paese, dicendo: Andate, e camminate attorno per lo paese, e fatene la descrizione; e poi ritornate a me, e io vi trarrò qui le sorti davanti al Signore, in Silo.

9 E quegli uomini andarono, e traversarono il paese, e lo descrissero a città a città in un libro, facendone sette parti; poi ritornarono a Giosuè nel campo in Silo.

10 E Giosuè trasse loro le sorti, in Silo, davanti al Signore, e quivi spartì il paese a’ figliuoli d’Israele, assegnando a ciascuna tribù la sua parte.

11 E LA sorte della tribù de’ figliuoli di Beniamino, secondo le lor nazioni, fu tratta fuori; e i confini della lor sorte scaddero fra i figliuoli di Giuda e i figliuoli di Giuseppe.

12 E dal lato settentrionale, il lor confine fu dal Giordano; e quel confine saliva allato a Gerico, dal Settentrione; poi saliva per lo monte, verso l’Occidente, e faceva capo a Bet-aven, verso il deserto.

13 E di là passava verso Luz, allato a Luz che è Betel, verso il Mezzodì; poi scendeva in Atrot-addar, presso al monte, che è dal lato meridionale di Bet-horon disotto.

14 Poi questo confine girava, e si rivolgeva al canto occidentale, verso il Mezzodì, dal monte che è dirimpetto a Bet-horon, dal Mezzodì, e faceva capo a Chiriat-Baal, che è Chiriat-iearim, città de’ figliuoli di Giuda. Questo era il canto occidentale.

15 E il lato meridionale era dall’estremità di Chiriat-iearim; e questo confine si stendeva verso l’Occidente, fino alla fonte delle acque di Neftoa.

16 Poi scendeva all’estremità del monte che è a fronte alla valle de’ figliuoli di Hinnom, che è nella valle de’ Rafei verso il Settentrione; poi scendeva per la valle di Hinnom fino allato alla città de’ Gebusei verso il Mezzodì, e di là scendeva in En-roghel.

17 E dal Settentrione girava, e si stendeva fino ad En-semes; e di là a Ghelilot, che è a fronte alla salita di Adummim; poi scendeva al Sasso di Bohan Rubenita.

18 Poi passava al lato che è dirimpetto alla campagna verso il Settentrione, e scendeva alla campagna.

19 Poi questo confine passava allato a Bet-hogla, verso il Settentrione, e faceva capo alla punta del mar salso, la quale è verso il Settentrione, all’estremità del Giordano, verso il Mezzodì. Questo fu il confine meridionale.

20 E il Giordano faceva confine a Beniamino dal lato orientale. Questa fu l’eredità de’ figliuoli di Beniamino, per li suoi confini d’ogn’intorno, secondo le lor nazioni.

21 E queste città furono date alla tribù de’ figliuoli di Beniamino, secondo le lor nazioni: Gerico, e Bet-Hogla, e la valle di Chesis;

22 e Bet-araba, e Semaraim, e Betel;

23 e Avvim, e Para, ed Ofra;

24 e Chefar-ammonai, ed Ofni, e Gheba; dodici città, con le lor villate;

25 poi Ghibon, e Rama, e Beerot;

26 e Mispe, e Chefira, e Mosa;

27 e Rechem, e Irpeel, e Tareala;

28 e Sela, ed Elef, e la città dei Gebusei, che è Gerusalemme, e Ghibeat, e Chiriat; quattordici città, con le lor villate. Questa fu l’eredità de’ figliuoli di Beniamino, secondo le lor nazioni.

   


To many Protestant and Evangelical Italians, the Bibles translated by Giovanni Diodati are an important part of their history. Diodati’s first Italian Bible edition was printed in 1607, and his second in 1641. He died in 1649. Throughout the 1800s two editions of Diodati’s text were printed by the British Foreign Bible Society. This is the more recent 1894 edition, translated by Claudiana.

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Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 18

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Joshua 18: The rest of the land is divided up among the 7 remaining tribes, and the tribe of Benjamin receives its lot.

After several chapters covering the allocation of the land for Reuben, Gad, Judah, Ephraim and Manasseh, there were still seven tribes to be provided for. Before this was done, Joshua gathered these seven tribes together and told them to choose three men from each tribe. These men went and surveyed the region, divided up all the land and cities into seven parts, and recorded everything in a book. Then they came back to Joshua, who cast lots to decide where the seven remaining tribes would live.

The first of the seven allocations was for the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was the youngest of the sons of Jacob, and he was a full brother to Joseph. Their mother, Rachel, whom Jacob had loved so much, died giving birth to Benjamin.

The city of Jerusalem was first allocated to Benjamin, but in time became more associated with Judah. In fact, these were the two tribes which later made up the kingdom of Judah, as opposed to the ten northern tribes forming the kingdom of Israel. Benjamin’s territory included the cities of Jericho, Ai and Gibeon, all of which had been significant soon after Israel crossed the River Jordan. Saul, the first king of Israel, was a Benjamite.

This story about surveying the land represents our need to know things as they truly are. This could mean many things: for example, exploring the idea of heaven, or hell, or life in this world, or a spiritual teaching such as providence. It might be to learn about justice and compassion, or true freedom. It may be our need to look honestly within ourselves and recognize some of our self-centred ways (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 1612).

The Israelite’s findings about the land were recorded in a book, which really would have been a scroll. This is like our ‘book of life’, in which everything about us down to the least detail is preserved so that in eternity, we shall know who we are (see Swedenborg’s Apocalypse Explained 199). Joshua drew lots so the Lord’s will would be clear to the people of Israel.

The spiritual meaning of Benjamin needs some careful explanation. Technically, it means ’the spiritual of the celestial’, and this is our ability to understand the reason for the most loving experiences we can have. It is heightened thinking joining with heightened feeling. Benjamin was the youngest son, the special brother of Joseph, who stands for the Lord (Arcana Caelestia 4585).

With this in mind, it is useful to know that Bethlehem, the town where Jesus was born, lay in the territory of Benjamin. Bethlehem’s name means ‘house of bread’ giving us the idea of nourishment for our physical and our spiritual lives. God came into the world to bring us the food of heaven and nourishment from the Word, so that we may fight our evils and choose what is good (Arcana Caelestia 6247, 4594).

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Joshua 18

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1 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.

2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.

3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?

4 Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.

5 And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north.

6 Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.

8 And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.

9 And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.

10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.

11 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.

12 And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

13 And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Ataroth-adar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Beth-horon.

14 And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Beth-horon southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.

15 And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjath-jearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah:

16 And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to En-rogel,

17 And was drawn from the north, and went forth to En-shemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,

18 And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah:

19 And the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the south coast.

20 And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Beth-hoglah, and the valley of Keziz,

22 And Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,

23 And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,

24 And Chephar-haammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages:

25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

26 And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,

27 And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,

28 And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.