Beer-sheba. Mentioned above (16:28). There was another Beer-sheba belonging to Judah (I Kings 19:3), which is not mentioned among the boundaries of the land.

And Sheba. It is not mentioned there, nor in I Chronicles 4:28. And Moladah. Mentioned above (15:26).

And Hazar-shual. Mentioned there (verse 28).

And Balah. This is Baalah, mentioned there (verse 29), and Bilhah in Chronicles (ibid.).

And Ezem. Mentioned there.

And Eltolad. Mentioned there (verse 30), and called Tolad in Chronicles.

And Bethul. This is Chesil, mentioned there in the same verse, and it is called Bethuel in Chronicles.

And Hormah. Mentioned in both places.

Ziklag. Mentioned in both places; see what I wrote concerning it above.

And Beth-marcaboth and Hazar-susah. They are not mentioned in the account of Judah’s inheritance. In Chronicles, they are called Beth-marcaboth and Hazar-susim.

And Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen. These are Lebaoth and Shilhim (there, verse 32). Chronicles instead calls them Beth-biri and Shaaraim, reflecting a still greater change in pronunciation.

Thirteen cities. Yet when counted individually, fourteen are found. It is difficult to say that Beer-sheba and Sheba were one city, for Scripture’s practice here is to enumerate three cities in each verse and place the remaining cities in the final verse. If Beer-sheba and Sheba were one city, it should therefore have listed Beer-sheba, Sheba, Moladah, and Hazar-shual in a single verse, as Chronicles indeed does. Rather, as I proved above (15:32), Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen were one city. The meaning is Beth-lebaoth together with the area extending before the city. Therefore, it is called above “Shilhim,” related to the expression “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates” (Song of Songs 4:13), referring to the cultivated fields extending before the city. Here it is called “Sharuhen,” because those fields subsequently ceased to exist, leaving only an extension attached to the city. By the time the Book of Chronicles was written, gates had been constructed there before the city, and it was therefore called “Shaaraim.” Ziklag was counted among Simeon’s cities only until the days of David, for afterward it was given to the kings of Judah, as stated in I Samuel 27:6. This explains the statement in Chronicles (ibid., verse 31): “These were their cities until the reign of David.”

En-rimmon. Mentioned above (15:32).

Ether and Ashan. Mentioned there (verse 42). Chronicles enumerates Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan. Etam is Ether, while Tochen was an additional city built later.

As far as Baalath. That is, the areas surrounding the cities extending as far as Baalah contained settlements called Beer and Ramath-negev. Therefore, Chronicles mentions only “as far as Baal” without listing them separately.

And it was. Zebulun’s territory lay at the northwestern extremity of the Land of Israel. Its boundary began at a point in the land’s northwest, where the city of Sarid was situated.

And it ascended. Scripture enumerates the western boundary from north to south.

It ascended westward. Toward the sea. On this side, it reached Dabbesheth and reached the brook east of Jokneam, for Jokneam belonged to Zebulun (below, 21:34). The brook lay west of Jokneam and marked the end of this boundary at Zebulun’s southwestern corner. Some identify it as the Kishon River.

And it turned back. Scripture now enumerates the northern boundary from west to east.

At the border of Chisloth-tabor. There this boundary line ended. From there it extended southward along the eastern side, proceeding from north to south toward Daberath, which belonged to Issachar. At that point Zebulun bordered Issachar on the east, for both Tabor and Daberath belonged to Issachar. From there, it ascended to Japhia, likewise proceeding from north to south.

And from there it passed eastward. Along the eastern side, the boundary passed the city of Gath-hepher, the hometown of the prophet Jonah, and the city of Eth-kazin. And it went out. From there it extended eastward to the city of Rimmon, curved around it on three sides, and then turned back from east to west toward the city of Neah. It was called Rimmon-hamethoar, “Rimmon that was curved around,” because Zebulun’s boundary encircled it; the city projected eastward from the boundary like a horn.

And it turned. The boundary turned around the city of Neah on two sides, in the shape of the letter dalet, while Neah itself remained outside the boundary line. It then passed north of Hannathon, which likewise lay outside the boundary. Here Scripture enumerates the southern boundary from east to west.

And its extremities were at the Valley of Iphtah-el. There this boundary line ended.

There the boundary turned inward and proceeded through Kattath—which is Kitron, mentioned in Judges 1:30—as far as Bethlehem. From there it extended opposite the initial boundary, namely the brook east of Jokneam. Thus, Zebulun’s boundaries on all four sides have been described.

Twelve. These were Sarid, Maralah, Jokneam, Japhia, Gath-hepher, Eth-kazin, Rimmon, and the five cities listed in verse 15. Concerning Dabbesheth, Scripture says that the boundary “reached” it, indicating that it was not included within Zebulun’s territory. I have already explained that Daberath belonged to Issachar; and the Valley of Iphtah-el was a valley, not a city.

To Issachar. Issachar’s inheritance lay north of Ephraim and east of Manasseh. The projection of Ephraim’s territory that extended along its northwestern side as far as Michmethath lay southwest of Issachar, as explained above. Michmethath was opposite Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (17:7), while the Valley of Jezreel lay in the plain opposite the hill country of Ephraim, as is evident from the passage above (ibid., verse 16). Thus, Scripture says:

And their boundary was toward Jezreel. This was Issachar’s southern boundary on its western side. The cities of Jezreel and Chesulloth stood at the southwestern corner of its territory. From there, the boundary line turned from south to north along its western side, encompassing the places listed in verses 19–21. When it reached the northern side and proceeded from west to east, then:

The boundary reached Tabor. This was opposite Chisloth-tabor in Zebulun’s territory, mentioned above (verse 12). Alternatively, Tabor may be the name of a city, as stated in I Chronicles 6:62: “Tabor and its pasturelands.”

And the extremities of their boundaries were. That is, the two boundary lines on the north and south both ended at the Jordan. Below we will explain that Issachar’s territory did not actually extend to the Jordan itself; rather, the boundary lines from the two sides met one another there, as with Joseph’s territory. The area immediately adjoining the Jordan belonged to Naphtali, as will be explained.

And their boundary was. Asher’s territory lay alongside Manasseh’s border, as explained above (17:11), and west of Issachar’s border. Scripture first enumerates its southern boundary from east to west, along Manasseh’s border: there were Helkath and Hali. The southern boundary began at Helkath, which stood at Asher’s southeastern corner.

Beten and Achshaph. All these cities, as far as Mishal, stood along the southern boundary in the order listed here, from east to west.

And it reached Carmel by the sea. Where the boundary ended at the Great Sea, it terminated beside Carmel on the south, while Shihor-libnath, near the sea, lay on Asher’s northern side. Thus, Asher’s southern boundary extended from Helkath to the sea near Carmel, while its western boundary followed the sea from Carmel to Shihor-libnath. The commentators write that Shihor-libnath is the name of a river. To distinguish it from the River of Egypt, which is called simply Shihor, this one was called Shihor-libnath. It is now known as the Belus. In ancient times, materials for making glass were found there, as related in the chronicles of the kingdom of Tyre, and it may have been called Libnath after white glass.

And it turned back. From Shihor-libnath, which stood at the northwestern corner, the boundary turned from west to east. This describes Asher’s northern border, which extended from Shihor to Beth-dagon and afterward reached Zebulun, whose territory lay north of Asher. Thus, Scripture says, “and the Valley of Iphtah-el to the north,” meaning that it lay north of Asher’s boundary. Scripture already explained (verse 14) that the Valley of Iphtah-el lay on Zebulun’s southern boundary, where Zebulun bordered Asher. Afterward came Beth-emek and Neiel, which likewise stood along that line from west to east.

And it went out. After Neiel, the boundary line extended from south to north as far as the northern extremity of the Land of Israel, where Cabul was located. Thus, Scripture says, “on the left,” meaning on the left side of the Land of Israel—that is, the north. Accordingly, the line passed along the entire eastern boundary of Zebulun. Some explain that Cabul was the city that Solomon gave to Hiram, who called the surrounding region the Land of Cabul after its capital city, Cabul (I Kings 9:12). (28) And Ebron. There, in the north of the Land of Israel, the boundary passed Ebron and Rehob as far as Great Sidon, which likewise belonged to Asher, as stated: “Asher did not dispossess the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon” (Judges 1:31). Acco lies in the north of the Land of Israel, as explained at the beginning of tractate Gittin. This was not the Sidon near Tyre, but another Sidon.

And the boundary turned back. At Sidon, the northern boundary ended, with Sidon situated at Asher’s northeastern corner. The boundary then turned from north to south, marking Asher’s eastern side as far as Ramah and the fortified city of Tyre, which stood at Asher’s southeastern corner; the fortified city of Tyre itself belonged to Naphtali. This was not the great city of Tyre on the seacoast, which, as is known, had not yet been built at that time. Some explain that it was a fortress built upon a high rock or crag.

And the boundary turned back to Hosah. From there, the boundary began to turn from east to west, proceeding toward Hosah, which lay to the west, and from there to the region of Achzib.

And from the region of Achzib its extremities were at the sea. That is, the boundary proceeded toward Helkath and from there to Carmel by the sea. Thus, Scripture has described Asher’s boundaries on all four sides.

And Ummah. From Achzib southward were these additional cities:

Twenty-two cities. These were the four cities listed in verse 25; Elimelech, Amad, and Mishal; Beth-dagon, Beth-emek, Neiel, and Cabul; the five cities in verse 28; Ramah, Hosah, and Achzib—for the fortified city of Tyre belonged to Naphtali—and the three cities listed in verse 30.

And their boundary was. Every part of the Land of Israel that still remained after the aforementioned divisions belonged to the children of Naphtali, except for Dan’s territory in the west. Along the Jordan, the entire width of the land facing the river remained unassigned. For we have already explained (16:7) that Joseph’s eastern boundary lines met one another diagonally near the waters of Jericho and did not extend as far as the Jordan. Likewise, although Benjamin’s eastern boundary ascended from the Jordan toward the northern slope of Jericho, Benjamin possessed only the territory from Jericho onward. As the Sages said (Sifrei on Numbers, paragraph 81), the fertile district of Jericho was not apportioned among the tribes, and Benjamin did not receive it until the days of David or Solomon, when the Temple was built within Benjamin’s portion. Similarly, Issachar, whose territory came after Benjamin’s and concerning whom Scripture says, “the extremities of their boundary were at the Jordan,” did not extend to the Jordan itself. Thus, the entire eastern strip of the Land of Israel along the Jordan remained for Naphtali; see what I wrote above (16:6). This explains the statement here that Naphtali bordered Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrise. Accordingly, the eastern side of Naphtali’s territory extended along the entire length of the Jordan, while opposite it, on the western side, its boundary extended from Heleph, from the oak at Zaanannim, as far as Lakkum. All this described its western side, while on the east, “its extremities were at the Jordan,” for the Jordan bounded its eastern territory.

And it turned back. On the northern side, Naphtali’s boundary extended from east to west as far as Aznoth-tabor. And it went out. It extended still farther northward until reaching the northern part of the Land of Israel, where Hukkok was situated. Zebulun’s northern boundary had ascended from Sarid to the border of Chisloth-tabor and from there extended southward toward Daberath, which belonged to Issachar, as explained above (verse 12). Consequently, the area to the left of the line running directly toward Chisloth-tabor, extending as far as the extreme north of the Land of Israel, remained unassigned; likewise, the region from Daberath northward to the northern extremity of the land remained unassigned. Naphtali’s boundary descended into this territory and encompassed everything remaining north of Zebulun as far as the northern extremity of the Land of Israel. This explains the statement here that Naphtali bordered Zebulun on the south. We have also explained (verses 27–28) that Asher’s inheritance included a strip east of Zebulun extending to the northern extremity of the Land of Israel, and that this boundary turned from Ramah to the fortified city of Tyre, proceeding from north to south. Both Ramah and the fortified city of Tyre belonged to Naphtali (verses 35–36). Accordingly, as Naphtali’s boundary descended westward, it passed through Ramah and the fortified city of Tyre from south to north, with Asher lying west of Naphtali. Thus, Scripture says that Naphtali bordered Asher on the west. It follows that the cities mentioned along Asher’s northern boundary were not situated at the absolute northern extremity of the Land of Israel; beyond them lay an additional strip belonging to Naphtali, through which Naphtali’s boundary descended and encircled Zebulun on the north. Otherwise, it would be impossible for Naphtali’s boundary to extend north of Zebulun without interruption.

Nineteen cities. These were the fifteen cities enumerated among the fortified cities, together with Adami-nekeb, Jabneel, Lakkum, and Hukkok, making nineteen in all. Heleph and the oak were names of places, not cities.

And the boundary of their inheritance was. Dan received the western portion of Benjamin’s general region, for Benjamin had received only the eastern half of the territory extending from east to west. Dan received the western half, together with the area where Judah’s territory extended northward and thereby narrowed Benjamin’s western boundary.

And it went out. Because the tribe of Dan inherited at the extremity of the Land of Israel along the frontier, they were unable to dispossess the Amorites, as stated in Judges 1:34. Thus, Scripture says, “the territory of the children of Dan went out from them.” That is, they did not take possession of their territory, because the Amorites would not allow them to descend into the valley. This is explained in Judges 18: “For until that day no inheritance had fallen to him among the tribes of Israel.” This means that Dan’s inheritance did not fall within the territories of the other tribes, but at the western extremity along the frontier. Therefore, the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, which lay in the east of the Land of Israel. This occurred during the period of the Judges, and Leshem is the city called Laish there.

And they finished assigning the inheritances. This refers to the first division, which was conducted by lot. As we explained above (chapter 14), there were two stages of division. First came the lottery, which determined the territory of each tribe; concerning this, Scripture says here, “And they finished assigning the inheritances.” Second came the apportionment according to population, which Joshua performed by enlarging or reducing each tribe’s portion according to its size. Concerning this, verse 51 says, “And they finished dividing the land.” Immediately after the lots were drawn, but before the land was divided according to population, they gave Joshua an inheritance. Scripture explains why:

They gave it to him according to the word of Hashem. Therefore, Joshua’s inheritance was assigned in conjunction with the lottery, which likewise operated according to the word of Hashem. They did not wait until the second stage of division, which was conducted by Joshua, for Joshua would then have possessed the authority to assign the land to himself. This is the meaning of the statement in Bava Batra 121b: “‘Only by lot shall the land be divided’—this excludes Joshua and Caleb.” Although the detailed apportionment according to the number of individuals was not determined by lot—and for this reason Raavad asks in Shittah Mekubbetzet on Bava Batra 121b: According to his own view that only the tribal territories were determined by lot, not the individual portions, why was it necessary to exclude Joshua and Caleb, who were private individuals?—nevertheless, before the second division had been completed and the share due to each individual had been determined, it was impossible to assign portions to Joshua and Caleb in advance without a special apportionment. Their portions therefore had to be assigned according to the word of Hashem. One might consequently have thought that this too was done by lot. Scripture therefore explains that they gave Joshua the city that he requested, something impossible through a lottery and possible only through the direction of a prophet. Likewise, Caleb received Hebron at his own request and before the detailed apportionment.

And they finished dividing. This was explained in verse 50.