Joshua 14:1 kjv
And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them.
Joshua 14:1 nkjv
These are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed as an inheritance to them.
Joshua 14:1 niv
Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel allotted to them.
Joshua 14:1 esv
These are the inheritances that the people of Israel received in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel gave them to inherit.
Joshua 14:1 nlt
The remaining tribes of Israel received land in Canaan as allotted by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the tribal leaders.
Joshua 14 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Promise & Fulfillment | ||
| Gen 12:7 | "To your offspring I will give this land." | God's initial promise of land to Abraham. |
| Gen 13:15 | "...all the land that you see I will give to you..." | Reinforcement of the land promise. |
| Gen 15:18 | "...To your descendants I have given this land..." | Covenant sealing the land promise. |
| Ex 3:8 | "...to bring them up from that land to a good and broad land..." | God's intention to bring Israel to Canaan. |
| Josh 21:43 | "So the LORD gave Israel all the land of which He had sworn..." | Direct fulfillment of God's land promise. |
| Josh 21:44 | "...and He gave them rest all around..." | Resulting peace and security in the land. |
| Josh 21:45 | "Not a word failed of any good thing...all came to pass." | Emphasizes God's absolute faithfulness to His word. |
| Neh 9:8 | "...and performed Your words, for You are righteous." | Affirmation of God's word being fulfilled. |
| Psa 105:11 | "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance..." | Reiterates the divine inheritance of Canaan. |
| Inheritance & Possession | ||
| Num 34:1-12 | Outlines the specific boundaries of the land of Canaan. | God pre-defining the promised land's extent. |
| Deut 1:8 | "See, I have set the land before you..." | Moses calling Israel to possess the land. |
| Deut 9:5 | "...not because of your righteousness...but to confirm the word..." | God's faithfulness, not human merit, grants the land. |
| Isa 60:21 | "Your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever..." | Future and spiritual inheritance of the land. |
| Acts 7:5 | "Yet He gave him no inheritance...though He promised that He would..." | Abraham's promise fulfilled in his descendants. |
| Eph 1:11 | "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance..." | Believers' spiritual inheritance in Christ. |
| Col 1:12 | "...who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints..." | The spiritual heritage of God's people. |
| Heb 4:8 | "For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not afterward have spoken..." | Points to a greater spiritual rest in Christ. |
| 1 Pet 1:4 | "...to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled..." | Heavenly, eternal, and undefiled inheritance. |
| Rev 21:7 | "He who overcomes shall inherit all things..." | Ultimate, eternal inheritance for believers. |
| Leadership & Authority | ||
| Num 34:17 | "These are the names of the men who shall divide the land among you..." | God specifically appoints the distributors of the land. |
| Deut 34:9 | "Now Joshua...was full of the spirit of wisdom..." | Joshua's divine equipping for leadership. |
| 1 Cor 14:33 | "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace..." | The orderly process reflects God's character. |
| Psa 16:5-6 | "The LORD is the portion of my inheritance..." | God as the ultimate source and object of inheritance. |
Joshua 14 verses
Joshua 14 1 Meaning
Joshua 14:1 introduces the formal commencement of the land distribution among the tribes of Israel within Canaan. This pivotal moment signifies the fulfillment of God's centuries-old promise to Abraham regarding a homeland for his descendants. The verse highlights the authoritative leadership responsible for this task: Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the appointed heads of the tribal families, ensuring the process was carried out with divine oversight and communal consent.
Joshua 14 1 Context
Joshua 14:1 marks a crucial transition in the book of Joshua. Chapters 1-12 recount the initial conquest of the land of Canaan, detailing the military campaigns against its inhabitants. With the major enemies subdued and their territories captured, the focus shifts to the fulfillment of the primary promise: the distribution of the land to the Israelite tribes as their permanent inheritance. This verse formally initiates this administrative phase.
The historical context places Israel after forty years of wilderness wanderings, now occupying a significant portion of the Promised Land. Culturally, land was foundational to identity, security, and sustenance in the ancient Near East, deeply connected to tribal lineage and family. The carefully outlined distribution, supervised by divinely appointed leaders, stands in stark contrast to arbitrary land grabs or might-makes-right acquisition common in pagan cultures. This process emphasizes that the land is a divine grant, allotted through a God-ordained system, not by human ambition alone, serving as a subtle polemic against contemporary pagan ideas of territory and ownership derived from conquest without divine sanction.
Joshua 14 1 Word analysis
- "These are the inheritances": This phrase functions as a direct introduction, signifying that the following details (in the subsequent verses/chapters) are the actual portions allotted. It links back to divine promise and future descriptions of the divisions.
- "inheritances": The Hebrew word is nachalah (נַחֲלָה), which signifies not merely ownership, but a lasting, often perpetual possession, a legacy handed down, particularly a land-holding. This emphasizes God's faithfulness in fulfilling the long-standing covenant with Abraham, giving them a heritage (Gen 12:7; Psa 105:11).
- "which the children of Israel received": "Children of Israel" (bene Yisra'el) denotes the entire covenant community, underscoring that the promised blessing was for the collective people, organized as tribes, fulfilling their identity as God's chosen nation. Their reception of the land marks a milestone in their history.
- "in the land of Canaan": Hebrew eretz Kena'an (אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן). This specifies the exact geographical domain, which God promised to Abraham, establishing it as the rightful and historical homeland of Israel (Gen 17:8; Ex 3:8). Its repeated mention underscores the concrete fulfillment.
- "which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed as an inheritance to them":
- "Eleazar the priest": Eleazar (עֵלָזָר הַכֹּהֵן) succeeded his father Aaron (Num 20:28). His involvement signifies the religious sanction and divine authorization of the process, ensuring its compliance with God's will (Num 27:21). The priest's presence emphasizes the sacredness of the land and the divine oversight of the allotment.
- "Joshua the son of Nun": Joshua (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן־נוּן) was Moses' successor (Deut 34:9). His inclusion represents the military and administrative leadership, vital for the practical execution of the division and maintaining order. He embodies the continuation of leadership appointed by God.
- "heads of the fathers' houses": Hebrew rashei avot (רָאשֵׁי אֲבֹת), meaning tribal chiefs or heads of ancestral families. These individuals represented their respective tribes (Num 34:18-29), ensuring that the distribution was just, equitable, and recognized by each tribal unit, affirming communal consent and order. This collaborative leadership structure reflects God's design for an ordered society (1 Cor 14:33).
- "distributed as an inheritance": The Hebrew verb hinchilu (הִנְחִילוּ), the Hiphil form of nachal, means "to cause to inherit," or "to give as an inheritance." This highlights the active role of the leaders in administering the divine gift. They were not merely dividing, but formally establishing and assigning the future patrimony, perpetuating the promised heritage.
Joshua 14 1 Bonus section
The division of the land, though executed by human leaders, was understood to be guided by divine providence, notably through the casting of lots (not explicitly mentioned in 14:1 but key to subsequent verses like 14:2 and Josh 18:6). The lot was seen as a means for God to reveal His will, reinforcing that the land's distribution was ultimately God's decision for each tribe and family, down to the last portion (Prov 16:33). The careful and official commencement described in Josh 14:1 lays the groundwork for this theocratic method of allotment.
Joshua 14 1 Commentary
Joshua 14:1 serves as a legal and theological prologue to the detailed account of Israel's land allotment. It emphasizes the faithful fulfillment of God's covenant promise to Abraham, a central theme throughout the Pentateuch and Joshua. The deliberate listing of Eleazar, Joshua, and the tribal heads underscores the orderly, legitimate, and divinely sanctioned nature of the distribution. This tripartite leadership ensures spiritual oversight, administrative efficacy, and tribal representation, guaranteeing a just division according to God's directives. It establishes that Israel's possession of the land was not by chance or human might alone, but by divine decree and provision, cementing their identity and future as a settled nation.