Chapter 18 in Sefer Yehoshua is a turning point in the story of the settlement of the land: the Mishkan moves from Gilgal to Shiloh, and from that moment the orderly division of the land begins for the seven tribes that had not yet received their inheritance. Yehoshua rebukes the people for their slackness, sends emissaries to map the land, and casts lots before Hashem in Shiloh. The chapter concludes with a description of the inheritance of Binyamin. We will study the chapter according to the order of the pesukim, mainly following the explanations of the Malbim.
The Mishkan in Shiloh - and the Land Was Subdued Before Them
וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׁלֹה וַיַּשְׁכִּינוּ שָׁם אֶת־אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְהָאָרֶץ נִכְבְּשָׁה לִפְנֵיהֶם׃ - The whole congregation of Bnei Yisrael assembled at Shiloh and set up there the Ohel Moed, and the land was subdued before them.
The people gathered at Shiloh and set up the Ohel Moed there. Rashi says: this is the Ohel Moed they made in the wilderness, and there it had no roof, but rather a house of stones below and curtains above, as we learned in Masechet Zevachim. That is: the walls below were of stone, but the roof was not a rigid roof but curtains.
Here Rashi reveals to us the connection between the beginning of the pasuk and its end: what is the connection between the setting up of the Ohel Moed and "and the land was subdued before them"? The answer is that the moment the Mishkan was established, through the power of the Mishkan the land became easy to subdue before them. This reinforces what we explained above regarding "and its name formerly was Dvir" - Kiryat Sefer, that through conquering the portion in Torah they merited to conquer another portion in the land. We see that the physical, material conquest always depends on the spiritual conquest. The more one is a "mighty one who conquers his inclination," the more he will merit to conquer in the land, and the opposite when it is reversed. Here, the moment the Mishkan was established and there was a dwelling place for the Shechina and for spirituality, it was brought about that we too would have a dwelling place in the land, and the land became easy to subdue before us.
The Radak clarifies when this took place: after fourteen years - seven years of conquest and seven years of division. During all those fourteen years the Ohel Moed was in Gilgal, and only afterward did they take it and set it up in Shiloh. And as long as the Ohel Moed was in Shiloh the bamot were forbidden, and it was prohibited to offer upon them.
And from where did Chazal learn that there was a house of stones below and curtains above? From an apparent contradiction between two pesukim. It is written "and she brought him to the House of Hashem in Shiloh" - the House of Hashem, implying there was a house there. And regarding this it is said "He forsook the Mishkan of Shiloh, the tent He had placed among men" - implying a tent. So which is it, a house or a tent? How can this be? This teaches that there was no roof there, but rather a house of stones below and curtains above. Both things are correct: a house in its lower part, a tent in its upper part. And how long did it stand there? This was the longest period - three hundred and eighty nine years, until the Pelishtim exiled the Aron, and about this it is said "He forsook the Mishkan of Shiloh, the tent He had placed among men."
The Malbim adds depth here: until now the Mishkan was beneath the tent, and now they made a Mishkan that also included stones, and this Mishkan was intermediate between a house and a tent. That is: there is the Mishkan, there is the Beit HaMikdash, and there is the intermediate stage between them. The place of the resting of the Shechina in the Mishkan is a wandering place, a non-permanent place. Afterward, "a house of habitation have I built for You" - a permanent house for the holy Shechina. And between the non-permanent place, which moves from place to place, portable and foldable, and the permanent place, there was a stage in which the Shechina rested in a half-permanent place: walls of stone and a roof of curtains. An intermediate state, which apparently comes to symbolize that the Shechina rested among us in an intermediate state, not as a permanent dwelling for the Shechina in our midst.
And regarding "and the land was subdued before them," the Malbim says that this refers to the southern part of the land, where the Mishkan of Shiloh was - this part had already been conquered.
Seven Tribes That Did Not Receive Their Inheritance
וַיִּוָּתְרוּ בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־חָלְקוּ אֶת־נַחֲלָתָם שִׁבְעָה שְׁבָטִים׃ - There remained among Bnei Yisrael seven tribes that had not divided their inheritance.
Rashi does the calculation: Reuven, Gad and half the tribe of Menashe received an inheritance - these already received it in the days of Moshe in the eastern side of the Yarden. And in the land of Canaan, Yehuda, Efrayim and half the tribe of Menashe received. It turns out that in total five tribes received an inheritance, and seven more remained. And this is what is said: "There remained among Bnei Yisrael seven tribes that had not divided their inheritance."
And why specifically did Yehudah and Yosef go first? The Malbim explains: because from them the scepter of kingship is destined to sprout - Mashiach ben David from Yehudah and Mashiach ben Yosef from Yosef, two anointed ones - therefore they went first to take their portion, and they were the first to inherit in the land. The other tribes had not yet had their portion fall by lot.
How long will you be slack
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד־אָנָה אַתֶּם מִתְרַפִּים לָבוֹא לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָכֶם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם׃ - And Yehoshua said to Bnei Yisrael: How long will you be slack to go in and possess the land which Hashem, the God of your fathers, has given you?
Yehoshua rebukes them: how long will you be lax, in the language of Rashi. For the Holy One, blessed be He, had said to Yehoshua "you have grown old... I will drive them out," but He commanded him "cause it to fall as an inheritance" - the land you must cause to fall as an inheritance, to divide it. And after you divide the land, says Hashem, I will already drive them out, even if this be after the death of Yehoshua. But Yehoshua must do his part, and his part is to cause it to fall as an inheritance: that each tribe know its place and its portion. And since you have not yet divided it by lot, in this you are slack to go in and possess the land - for if there be a division by lot and each one receives his portion and knows his place, then the place is ready for inheritance. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: first of all divide it, this is the first thing you must do.
And why in truth did they not divide it? What held them back, for seemingly they should have hurried to divide it so as to receive the land? The Abarbanel explains: they did not wish to divide it until now out of their fear, since then each would not help his fellow to drive out the inhabitants of his portion. They wanted all of them to conquer together and only afterward divide. And there is much logic in this: the moment each one knows what his portion is, each will be forced to fight for his portion alone. I am less interested in your portion and you are less interested in mine, and if your portion is already conquered, it will be hard to get you out of your house to fight for my portion. Therefore they said: come, let us not divide, and all the land not yet divided will remain for now belonging to all of us, and then shoulder to shoulder we will all fight, for everyone's territory is here. But the moment there is a division, each one will be forced to fight for his own, and we do not have enough numbers for each tribe to be able to make war alone and inherit its portion. Only Yehudah and Yosef took their portion first, because their heart was bold as heroes - they were strong and mighty, the tribe of Yehudah and the sons of Yosef, they went and acted. And about this Yehoshua says to the rest of the tribes: how long will you be slack - you are lax and weak.
הָבוּ לָכֶם שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים לַשָּׁבֶט וְאֶשְׁלָחֵם וְיָקֻמוּ וְיִתְהַלְּכוּ בָאָרֶץ וְיִכְתְּבוּ אוֹתָהּ לְפִי נַחֲלָתָם וְיָבֹאוּ אֵלָי׃ - Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe, and I will send them, and they shall rise and walk through the land and describe it according to their inheritance, and they shall come to me.
From each of the seven tribes they will bring three men, and then the land will be divided "according to their inheritance" - not an equal division, but according to the tribes, that each tribe deserves to receive its portion, to the many according to their multitude and to the few according to their fewness, in the language of Rashi, as it is said "to the many you shall give more inheritance and to the few you shall give less inheritance."
Casting, letting fall, and shooting - a wonderful precision of the Malbim
The Malbim draws a wonderful distinction between the various expressions for a lot. "Shooting" (yeriyah) or "casting" (hashlachah) come from the standpoint of that from which it is thrown: when I distance a thing from myself I cast it from my hand, not necessarily so that it reach a particular point. If I have a burning coal in my hand I cast it away - I have rid myself of it, and I am not particular where it lands and I do not look toward the recipient. In contrast, the expression "mapil" (letting fall) means to let a thing fall upon a particular object, to aim at a particular object, that he causes it to fall upon one of those included in the lot - "I have caused this to fall upon you."
And in every lot, says the Malbim, both expressions are possible. For at first I cast the lot from my hand - say dice bearing numbers - and this is the expression of casting, that I throw the thing away from me. And afterward it necessarily falls upon one of those included in the lot: upon Reuven, upon Shimon, upon Levi, and one of them is the winner - and this is the expression "caused to fall." "To cast" teaches from what source the thing goes out, "to cause to fall" teaches to what destination it arrives. And by this you will understand what is said "he cast pur, that is the lot," or "they cast lots."
But this is with a lot that falls by chance. With a providential lot, that from Heaven falls specifically upon one man and not upon another - "the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Hashem" - there the man is the caster and Hashem is the one who causes the lot to fall. This is no chance falling, but planned that this one receive and not that one. And therefore take note, says the Malbim, that with the lots of the inheritance of the land it is said "this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance," "the districts of Menashe fell" - Scripture attributes the falling to the lot itself and not to the man. It is not the man who causes it to fall, but the lot itself, as it were, falls, for all you did was cast, and the lot went of itself and fell upon the one for whom it was written and to whom it was destined.
And there is yet another difference, between the one who casts and the one who shoots. "To shoot" too is an expression of casting, as in "He hurled into the sea," except that the one who casts does not aim at a particular point - wherever it falls, it falls, like that man who had a burning coal fall into his hand and casts it away without being particular where it lands. Opposite him, the one who shoots aims at a particular point, like archers who shoot arrows that hit the target. If so, in all the lots the expression of shooting does not fit, for if so the game is fixed - why would you shoot the lot so that it fall upon a particular one? For the falling must be by chance and unknown!
Except for one place, and that is the place before us: "and I will cast lots for you." How so? The Malbim explains: in truth Yehoshua knew through tradition the portion of each tribe within its territory, how and where the lot would fall. Yaakov Avinu in his blessing characterized each tribe according to its location: "Zevulun shall dwell at the shore of the seas," "they shall draw from the abundance of the seas," and Yosef, "his land is blessed by Hashem." We see that the locations of the tribes were known in advance. If so, Yehoshua was directing the lot and not merely tossing it, for he knew where it would fall. And the intent is not, God forbid, that he deliberately placed the lot upon someone's head and performed a dishonest act; it is still a genuine lot here. Rather, since he knew through tradition where each tribe's portion lay, even though to the eye it appeared as if he were casting a lot and uncertain where it would fall, in truth he directed it through his holy spirit so that the lot would fall to the territory known to him through tradition: through his holy spirit he directed that the tribe of Zevulun would fall to the shore of the seas, for so it came to him through tradition. And this is the meaning of the verses here: Yehoshua reveals to Israel that they should prepare three men from each tribe who will arise and travel through the land and record it according to their inheritance, and the holy spirit will appear in the deeds of these agents, until they direct it precisely to the place recorded for each tribe in its inheritance.
And they shall divide it into seven portions
וְהִתְחַלְּקוּ אֹתָהּ לְשִׁבְעָה חֲלָקִים יְהוּדָה יַעֲמֹד עַל־גְּבוּלוֹ מִנֶּגֶב וּבֵית יוֹסֵף יַעַמְדוּ עַל־גְּבוּלָם מִצָּפוֹן׃ - And they shall divide it into seven portions; Yehuda shall stand upon his border in the south, and the house of Yosef shall stand upon their border in the north.
The Radak explains: you shall divide - the seven portions that still remain to be divided, divide them among the seven tribes. How so? Yehuda shall stand upon his border, for his lot has already fallen in the south of the Land of Israel, and the house of Yosef shall stand upon their border in the north of the Land of Israel, and the seven tribes will be in the middle: the house of Yosef in the north, Yehuda in the south, and the seven tribes who remain to divide in the center of the Land of Israel, which is yet to be conquered.
The Malbim dwells on the wording "and they shall divide themselves" (vehitchalku) rather than "and they shall divide" (vechilku). The Malbim has a rule which he mentions in many places, and other commentators wrote likewise: an expression that comes in the hitpael form teaches that the action is an apparent action and not one that truly occurs. "There is one who makes himself rich yet has nothing" - mitasher, he does not truly become rich. It does not say "maashir," which would mean he became rich, but "mitasher," as if making himself rich. Likewise "mitrosheish," as if he became poor when he is not truly poor. So too here "vehitchalku" - the hitpael form, an apparent action. And why? According to what we explained, the matter is wondrous: to the eye it appears as if they are the ones dividing it into seven portions, but in truth the division itself is done by the will of Hashem. Therefore it is stated in the hitpael form, as if they are the ones dividing, while in fact the division is according to Hashem.
And why only seven portions? The Malbim explains: Yehuda stands upon his border in the south and his border does not change, and the house of Yosef who took in the north likewise does not change, and therefore only seven tribes remain to take their portion by lot.
וְאַתֶּם תִּכְתְּבוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ שִׁבְעָה חֲלָקִים וַהֲבֵאתֶם אֵלַי הֵנָּה וְיָרִיתִי לָכֶם גּוֹרָל פֹּה לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃ - And you shall record the land in seven portions and bring it to me here, and I will cast lots for you here before Hashem our God.
He says to the agents: you shall record the land in seven portions, divide it and record each portion and where it is located. And by this, the Malbim explains, he comes to tell them not to rely on a miracle. For seemingly they might say: in any case everything is according to Hashem, and "vehitchalku" is an apparent action and we are not truly dividing, so let us rely on how Hashem will divide. He tells them: no and no, you shall actually record, so that it appears as though you are the ones dividing and you are the ones recording. "And I will cast lots for you here" - and I too will direct the lot here. And as we recall, the one who directs differs from the one who tosses: the one who tosses tosses something from himself without intending where it will fall, and the one who directs aims at a particular point. He tells them: according to what I know through tradition I direct the lot, each one which portion he will receive, and this will match what you divide, for from Heaven they reveal to me what you will divide. The division from Heaven is the "directing," and the physical action is done by them in an earthly manner.
The reckoning of the tribes
כִּי אֵין־חֵלֶק לַלְוִיִּם בְּקִרְבְּכֶם כִּי־כְהֻנַּת יְהֹוָה נַחֲלָתוֹ וְגָד וּרְאוּבֵן וַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט הַמְנַשֶּׁה לָקְחוּ נַחֲלָתָם מֵעֵבֶר לַיַּרְדֵּן מִזְרָחָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד יְהֹוָה׃ - For the Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of Hashem is their inheritance; and Gad and Reuven and half the tribe of Menashe have taken their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moshe the servant of Hashem gave them.
Here, the Malbim says, the verse comes to give us the detailed explanation of why there are only seven portions, while there are twelve tribes. First, the Levites received no portion, for the priesthood of Hashem is their inheritance. Second, Gad and Reuven and half the tribe of Menashe already received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, so three tribes are removed from the reckoning. And it is called simply "Menashe," for the other half received in the Land of Israel, so three tribes received in full. And we also have Yehuda who already received, and Ephraim who was mentioned in verse five - "and the house of Yosef shall stand upon their border in the north," referring to Ephraim and half of Menashe. So in total five tribes, and seven remain, and together twelve. And Menashe received half here and half across the Jordan, while Ephraim received its entire portion in the land.
And here I will cast lots for you - effort and trust
וַיָּקֻמוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיֵּלֵכוּ וַיְצַו יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת־הַהֹלְכִים לִכְתֹּב אֶת־הָאָרֶץ לֵאמֹר לְכוּ וְהִתְהַלְּכוּ בָאָרֶץ וְכִתְבוּ אוֹתָהּ וְשׁוּבוּ אֵלַי וּפֹה אַשְׁלִיךְ לָכֶם גּוֹרָל לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה בְּשִׁלֹה׃ - And the men arose and went, and Yehoshua commanded those who went to map the land, saying: Go and walk through the land and write it down, and return to me, and here I will cast a lot for you before Hashem in Shiloh.
The Malbim explains: to all of Israel Yehoshua stated every detail of the process, that everything is arranged by Hashem, and that from Hashem comes the whole ruling of the lot and the inheritance. This was meant to prevent arguments and disputes, for since everything is done by Hashem, no one can come and claim: why did I receive this and you received that? Each one received his portion by Hashem. But to the messengers he commands that they go and do these things as though by their own free choice, and not as one acting according to a prior condition and according to what Hashem had made known to Yehoshua. Go freely and choose the place that seems to you fitting for their settlement.
And notice how wonderful this is: here he does not say "and here I will point out a lot for you" but rather "and here I will cast a lot for you." And why? Because to outward appearance he is like one casting a lot, throwing it away from himself, distancing it from himself, and not knowing where it will fall. This is how you are to relate to matters: you go and choose the places by your own choice, and the lot that I perform is, from your perspective, like a casting, as though there were no prior knowledge of where the locations would be. But to all of Israel he said "and I will point out," I know where each portion will fall, and this truly is by Hashem. Yet nevertheless you must act with natural conduct, as though there were no heavenly direction here and no prior knowledge of how, what, and where the lot will fall.
And this is also the way we always live, except that we do not sense it. Every action a person performs in the physical world is an action already written in advance: how much I will earn and how much I will have, everything is written in advance. And if a person says: but the idea to open specifically this business, at a time when everyone thought otherwise, that idea is mine - well, "I am Hashem who gives you the strength to make wealth," and the Targum renders: counsel to acquire assets. Even the counsel comes from Hashem.
So what shall we say, that I will lie in bed to sleep and say everything is from Hashem, Hashem will direct the lot to the point where it needs to arrive? No and no. "And I will bless you in all that you do" - in your doing you must conduct yourself as though there were no heavenly decree at all, to act with effort. And what is effort? If I need to open a store, and there is a certain place with better prospects, there I will open. I will not say: everything is from Heaven, and open a store in some frozen spot in Antarctica.
And the truth is, that if you are a person of great trust, sit at home. Like that donkey driver who was with the holy Alshich, who reached a high level of trust, sitting at home reading Tehillim while they send a wagon full of gold coins to his house. But these are levels we are not discussing. And by the way, all the rest of the holy Alshich's students did not reach this, only he reached it, and they even came afterward with complaints. And he too reached it only after he went and sold his donkey and wagon. As long as he left them in his barn, that is to say "who knows when I will need this," it remained for him as a reserve for a time of pressure, and in a time of trouble he had something to fall back on. Only when he sold them, that was it, now I am cast entirely upon Hashem. And this is a very high level.
But in the natural way we must conduct ourselves exactly as it is written here: in my actions I am the one doing and I am the one earning, to trade sensibly and to do everything a person needs to do according to the rules of commerce, "and I will bless you in all that you do," but to believe and to know that in the end Hashem directs the lot, and that in all I do I will not earn a single coin more than what was decreed upon me from Heaven, and that all my deeds are effort alone. And this is the hardest test and struggle a person has day to day: there is no struggle harder than the test of trust and faith, to know each day that all I do is only, as it were, and that in truth everything has already been determined from Heaven.
The Mapping and the Lot in Shiloh
וַיֵּלְכוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיַּעַבְרוּ בָאָרֶץ וַיִּכְתְּבוּהָ לֶעָרִים לְשִׁבְעָה חֲלָקִים עַל־סֵפֶר וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל־הַמַּחֲנֶה שִׁלֹה׃ - And the men went and passed through the land and wrote it down by cities into seven portions in a book, and they came to Yehoshua at the camp in Shiloh.
The men go and pass through the land and map it: they write down the cities, divide it into seven portions, and record everything "in a book," that is, on a sheet, and bring it to Yehoshua at the camp in Shiloh.
וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ לָהֶם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ גּוֹרָל בְּשִׁלֹה לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה וַיְחַלֶּק־שָׁם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמַחְלְקֹתָם׃ - And Yehoshua cast for them a lot in Shiloh before Hashem, and there Yehoshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.
The Malbim explains: the lot shows the location of the boundaries. In broad terms the division was already known - "Zevulun shall dwell at the shore of the seas" and so on, and each tribe was known more or less as to where its place was. But the one who marked out the places precisely, how much each tribe would receive and from where to where its border would run, this Yehoshua did. The lot shows the location of the boundaries, and Yehoshua then divides according to the number of persons, each one according to his head count, how large his place would be and which portion exactly he would receive within the boundary determined for him in advance.
The Borders of the Portion of Binyamin
וַיַּעַל גּוֹרַל מַטֵּה בְנֵי־בִנְיָמִן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם וַיֵּצֵא גְּבוּל גּוֹרָלָם בֵּין בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וּבֵין בְּנֵי יוֹסֵף׃ - The lot of the tribe of the children of Binyamin came up according to their families, and the border of their lot came out between the children of Yehuda and the children of Yosef.
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 northern side was from the Yarden, and the border went up to the flank of Yericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward, and its outer limits were at the wilderness of Beit Aven.
וְעָבַר מִשָּׁם הַגְּבוּל לוּזָה אֶל־כֶּתֶף לוּזָה נֶגְבָּה הִיא בֵּית־אֵל וְיָרַד הַגְּבוּל עַטְרוֹת אַדָּר עַל־הָהָר אֲשֶׁר מִנֶּגֶב לְבֵית־חוֹרוֹן תַּחְתּוֹן׃ - From there the border passed on toward Luza, to the flank of Luza on the south, which is Beit El, and the border went down to Atrot Adar, by the hill that is to the south of Beit Choron the lower.
The Malbim explains: the "which is Beit El" stated here is the Beit El that Yaakov named, and it is not the Beit El located near Ai, for there were two "Beit El" places. The Beit El near Ai is the one in the portion of Binyamin, and where it is written that Beit El belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, it refers to Beit El Luza, which is a separate section from the portion of Binyamin. There were two Beit El.
וְתָאַר הַגְּבוּל וְנָסַב לִפְאַת־יָם נֶגְבָּה מִן־הָהָר אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵי בֵית־חוֹרוֹן נֶגְבָּה וְהָיוּ תֹצְאֹתָיו אֶל־קִרְיַת־בַּעַל הִיא קִרְיַת יְעָרִים עִיר בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה זֹאת פְּאַת־יָם׃ - The border extended and turned about on the western side southward, from the hill that faces Beit Choron on the south, and its outer limits were at Kiryat Baal, which is Kiryat Yearim, a city of the children of Yehuda. This was the western side.
"This was the western side" refers to the western section.
וּפְאַת־נֶגְבָּה מִקְצֵה קִרְיַת יְעָרִים וְיָצָא הַגְּבוּל יָמָּה וְיָצָא אֶל־מַעְיַן מֵי נֶפְתּוֹחַ׃ - The southern side began from the edge of Kiryat Yearim, and the border went out westward and came out at the spring of the waters of Neftoach.
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 went down to the edge of the hill that faces the Valley of Ben Hinnom, which is in the Valley of Refaim on the north, and it went down the Valley of Hinnom to the flank of the Yevusi on the south, and went down to Ein Rogel.
וְתָאַר מִצָּפוֹן וְיָצָא עֵין שֶׁמֶשׁ וְיָצָא אֶל־גְּלִילוֹת אֲשֶׁר־נֹכַח מַעֲלֵה אֲדֻמִּים וְיָרַד אֶבֶן בֹּהַן בֶּן־רְאוּבֵן׃ - It extended on the north and came out at Ein Shemesh, and came out toward Gelilot, which is opposite the ascent of Adumim, and went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuven.
וְעָבַר אֶל־כֶּתֶף מוּל־הָעֲרָבָה צָפוֹנָה וְיָרַד הָעֲרָבָתָה׃ - It passed on to the flank facing the Arava on the north, and went down 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 on to the flank of Beit Chogla on the north, and the outer limits of the border were at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the southern end of the Yarden. This was the southern border.
וְהַיַּרְדֵּן יִגְבֹּל־אֹתוֹ לִפְאַת־קֵדְמָה זֹאת נַחֲלַת בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן לִגְבוּלֹתֶיהָ סָבִיב לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם׃ - And the Jordan bounds it on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the children of Binyamin, by its borders round about, according to their families.
Why by Binyamin both inheritance and borders are stated
The Malbim dwells on the expression "this is the inheritance of the children of Binyamin by its borders." With the inheritance of the other tribes he does not mention "by its borders": by Shimon he says "this is the inheritance of the children of Shimon according to their families," and likewise by Zevulun, Yissachar, Asher, Naftali and Dan. By Yehuda, on the other hand, he says "this is the border of the children of Yehuda round about" and also "this is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Yehuda" - both border and inheritance. What is the difference?
The Malbim explains: by Yehuda, at first the verse notes only the border and not the inheritances. Why? Because we will see later that when Yehoshua came to divide Yehuda's portion according to their number, he saw that they had received a very large portion, and therefore he gave a portion to Shimon, and Shimon receives part of what was meant to belong to Yehuda. Therefore at first, when he notes what belonged to Yehuda, he notes only the border and not the inheritance: "this is the border of Yehuda" - I am showing you the extremities, since in practice the inheritance was divided to Shimon as well. Only from here onward, when he begins to detail the cities individually, does he say "this is the inheritance."
By Binyamin he mentions both the borders and the inheritance - "this is the inheritance of the children of Binyamin by its borders" - because no stranger passed among them: no one joined with him and no other entered with him in the inheritance, unlike Yehuda. Therefore he says "this is the inheritance" - the cities that they inherited, "by its borders" - these are its borders; they had both an inheritance and borders, and everything was theirs. By the other tribes, where he does not note the borders but only the cities, he says only "this is the inheritance... according to their families." In every place the verse is precise in accordance with what it details.
The cities of Binyamin - twelve or fourteen?
וְהָיוּ הֶעָרִים לְמַטֵּה בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן לְמִשְׁפְּחוֹתֵיהֶם יְרִיחוֹ וּבֵית־חָגְלָה וְעֵמֶק קְצִיץ׃ וּבֵית הָעֲרָבָה וּצְמָרַיִם וּבֵית־אֵל׃ וְהָעַוִּים וְהַפָּרָה וְעָפְרָה׃ וּכְפַר הָעַמֹּנָה וְהָעָפְנִי וָגָבַע עָרִים שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵה וְחַצְרֵיהֶן׃ - And the cities of the tribe of the children of Binyamin according to their families were Yericho, and Beit Chagla, and Emek Ketzitz; and Beit HaArava, and Tzemarayim, and Beit El; and HaAvvim, and HaPara, and Ofra; and Kefar HaAmmona, and HaOfni, and Gava: twelve cities with their villages.
גִּבְעוֹן וְהָרָמָה וּבְאֵרוֹת׃ וְהַמִּצְפֶּה וְהַכְּפִירָה וְהַמֹּצָה׃ וְרֶקֶם וְיִרְפְּאֵל וְתַרְאֲלָה׃ וְצֵלַע הָאֶלֶף וְהַיְבוּסִי הִיא יְרוּשָׁלַיִם גִּבְעַת קִרְיַת עָרִים אַרְבַּע־עֶשְׂרֵה וְחַצְרֵיהֶן זֹאת נַחֲלַת בְּנֵי־בִנְיָמִן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם׃ - Givon, and HaRama, and Beerot; and HaMitzpe, and HaKefira, and HaMotza; and Rekem, and Yirpeel, and Taréala; and Tzela, HaElef, and the Yevusi, which is Yerushalayim, Givat, Kiryat: fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Binyamin according to their families.
The Radak explains: "Tzela HaElef" - these are two cities, and so it says "in the land of Binyamin, in Tzela," and it is written "and Tzela, HaElef." And likewise "Givat, Kiryat" - two cities. And what is the difficulty that compelled the Radak to divide "Tzela HaElef" into two and "Givat Kiryat" into two? The difficulty that the Malbim too addresses: the verse says fourteen cities, but in the listing you count only twelve. Therefore the Radak takes two places and divides each into two: Tzela HaElef two, Givat Kiryat two.
The Yevusi is Yerushalayim - between Yehuda and Binyamin
The Radak continues: "and the Yevusi, which is Yerushalayim" - here it appears that Yerushalayim is in the territory of Binyamin, yet we know that the Yevusi, which is Yerushalayim, is in the portion of Yehuda. How is this reconciled? Chazal resolve that Yerushalayim belonged both to Yehuda and to Binyamin. A strip went out from the portion of Yehuda into the portion of Binyamin, and on it the altar was built, and Binyamin the righteous would grieve over it, longing to swallow it up, as it says "he hovers over him all the day" - over that strip which went out from his portion he grieved all the time. And some say that the altar was in the portion of Binyamin, as it says "and between his shoulders He dwells" - and between his shoulders there rested the Shechina, in the portion of Binyamin. And some say that the altar belonged to both, that is, it was between the two of them and belonged to both.
Another resolution: Anatot and Almon
The Malbim too addresses the difficulty of fourteen cities when you count only twelve, and he brings another view on the matter: In my opinion the list omitted Anatot and Almon. These two places are included among the fourteen, but they are not listed here because they are counted among the Levite cities that fall in the portion of Binyamin. Even so, they are cities of Binyamin: cities of Binyamin in which there were Levites, for the Levites were distributed throughout the cities of Israel in forty two cities. If so, there are here two cities that are not mentioned, and they are the Levite cities, making fourteen in all.
The Malbim adds a grammatical proof that "Tzela HaElef" is not two places but a single expression: "Tzela HaElef" and not "Tzela and HaElef." We have a rule: a word containing a long vowel, when it comes in the construct state, the long vowel becomes a short vowel. For example, "בָּיִת" is written with a kamatz, which is a long vowel, and when I say "בֵּית ספר" (school) in the construct, the kamatz becomes a tzere, which is a short vowel. Now look here: it is written "וְצֵלַע הָאֶלֶף" with a patach under the lamed. If this were a place in its own right it would have to be with a kamatz under the lamed, "וצלָע," and HaElef a place in its own right. But since it is written "צֵלַע" with a patach, this is a short vowel, telling you that it is in the construct: "Tzela HaElef," a single expression like "beit sefer." This is the proof that we are dealing with one construct expression and not two separate places.
Summary:
Chapter 18 opens with the setting up of the Ohel Moed in Shiloh, and teaches us that the physical conquest depends on the spiritual conquest: "and the land was subdued before them" by the power of the Mishkan. The Mishkan in Shiloh was intermediate between a house and a tent, stones below and curtains above, a middle stage between the wandering Mishkan and the permanent House. Seven tribes had not yet inherited, and Yehoshua rebukes them for their slackness, for the command of Hashem upon him was "cast it as an inheritance," and only afterward "I will drive them out." The tribes were reluctant to divide up the land so that their cooperation in war would not weaken, and only Yehuda and Yosef, whose hearts were valiant among the mighty, hastened to inherit, and from them the two Mashichim are destined to emerge. From this division we learned the foundation of trust: Yehoshua "casts" the lot, for everything is already known and fixed from Heaven, and even so the emissaries are commanded to go, to map and to write like those who choose by free choice: "I will cast" before their eyes and "I have cast" in truth. So too in our lives: to make reasonable effort and to do everything necessary, "and I will bless you in all that you do," and to know that we will not gain a single coin more than what has been decreed. The chapter concludes with the borders of Binyamin and its cities, among them Yerushalayim in which Yehuda and Binyamin were partners, and righteous Binyamin longs to absorb it, and between his shoulders it rested.