Joshua 18:2-10 Meaning: How Long Will You Be Slack?
2Seven tribes remained among the children of Israel, which had not yet divided their inheritance.
3Joshua said to the children of Israel, “How long will you neglect to go in to possess the land, which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you?
4Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe. I will send them, and they shall arise, walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance; then they shall come to me.
5They shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall live in his borders on the south, and the house of Joseph shall live in their borders on the north.
6You shall survey the land into seven parts, and bring the description here to me; and I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God.
7However, the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance east of the Jordan, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them.”
8The men arose and went. Joshua commanded those who went to survey the land, saying, “Go walk through the land, survey it, and come again to me. I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh in Shiloh.”
9The men went and passed through the land, and surveyed it by cities into seven portions in a book. They came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.
10Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Yahweh. There Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.
2And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.
3And 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?
4Give 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.
5And 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.
6Ye 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.
7But 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.
8And 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.
9And 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.
10And 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.
2And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet divided their inheritance.
3And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah, the God of your fathers, hath given you?
4Appoint for you three men of each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall arise, and walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance; and they shall come unto me.
5And they shall divide it into seven portions: Judah shall abide in his border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their border on the north.
6And ye shall describe the land into seven portions, and bring the description hither to me; and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah our God.
7For the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance: and Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them.
8And the men arose, and went: 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; and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah in Shiloh.
9And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven portions in a book; and they came to Joshua unto the camp at Shiloh.
10And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Jehovah: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.
2And there are left among the sons of Israel who have not shared their inheritance, seven tribes,
3and Joshua saith unto the sons of Israel, `Till when are ye remiss to go in to possess the land which He hath given to you, Jehovah, God of your fathers?
4Give for you three men for a tribe, and I send them, and they rise and go up and down through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance, and come in unto me,
5and they have divided it into seven portions--Judah doth stay by its border on the south, and the house of Joseph do stay by their border on the north--
6and ye describe the land in seven portions, and have brought it in unto me hither, and I have cast for you a lot here before Jehovah our God;
7for there is no portion to the Levites in your midst, for the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance, and Gad, and Reuben, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses servant of Jehovah gave to them.'
8And the men rise and go; and Joshua commandeth those who are going to describe the land, saying, `Go, and walk up and down through the land, and describe it, and turn back unto me, and here I cast for you a lot before Jehovah in Shiloh.'
9And the men go, and pass over through the land, and describe it by cities, in seven portions, on a book, and they come in unto Joshua, unto the camp, at Shiloh.
10And Joshua casteth for them a lot in Shiloh before Jehovah, and there Joshua apportioneth the land to the sons of Israel, according to their divisions.
2And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not been distributed to them.
3And Joshua said to the children of Israel, How long will ye shew yourselves slack to go to take possession of the land which Jehovah the God of your fathers hath given you?
4Provide you three men for a tribe; that I may send them, and they shall rise and go through the land, and describe it according to the proportion of their inheritance, and they shall come to me.
5And they shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall remain in their border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their border on the north;
6and ye shall describe the land into seven portions, and bring [the description] hither to me, and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah our God.
7But the Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance. And Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them.
8And 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, and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah in Shiloh.
9And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven portions, in a book, and they came to Joshua, to the camp at Shiloh.
10And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Jehovah. And there Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.
Meaning in one sentence
Joshua asks seven tribes why they delay possessing the land God gave them. Discover why they lingered and what it means for faith in action.
Context
The congregation of Israel had set up the Tabernacle at Shiloh, and the land lay subdued before them. But seven tribes had not yet received their inheritance. Judah, Ephraim, and half of Manasseh had already settled into their territories. The others remained in the camp, comfortable but unfinished. Joshua confronts this hesitation. He appoints twenty-one men, three from each of the seven tribes, to survey the remaining land and record it by cities. They divide it into seven portions, bring the description back, and Joshua casts lots before the Lord at Shiloh. What should have been joy became a prompt. The land was given, but it had to be taken.
Key Words
The Hebrew word behind Joshua’s question holds a picture. Raphah (H7503) means to sink, relax, let drop, or become disheartened. The tribes were not actively running from the task; they had simply gone slack, like a rope loosening its tension. The land was given, but their hands had opened.
Another word carries the opposite energy: kathav (H3789), to write, inscribe, or record. Joshua sends men to walk through the land and describe it in writing, city by city. They are not guessing or dreaming. They are putting down what is real, on a scroll, so that the inheritance can be claimed with clarity. This is faith becoming specific.
And when Joshua casts the goral (H1486), the lot, he does it before the Lord. The word means a pebble used for deciding, but here it becomes the means of trusting God with the outcome. Three words tell a story: loosen your grip, write down what God has given, then let Him determine the portion.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this scene in different ways. Some, like Matthew Henry, see a rebuke against spiritual laziness. The tribes had grown comfortable in the camp and needed to be stirred into action. Others, like Calvin, emphasize the careful surveying. He notes the men walked through hostile territory unharmed, which he attributes to God’s protection and a sign of favour on Joshua’s plan. Anglican commentators like the Cambridge Bible point to the removal to Shiloh as a unifying step, moving worship to a central place before the land was fully settled. Wesley saw the slackness arising from weariness of war and from doubting that a regular division was possible. Each tradition highlights a different colour: the need for initiative, the reliance on divine guidance, or the wisdom of preparation. All agree that the land was a gift, but the gift required movement toward it.
A common misunderstanding
A casual reader might assume the seven tribes simply refused to act out of laziness or rebellion. In fact, commentators note they were tired of war, accustomed to camp life, and perhaps intimidated by the Canaanites who remained in the land. The issue was not defiance but drift. They had stopped pressing forward. Joshua does not call them rebels; he calls them slack, a word that pictures hands that have relaxed their grip. The correction is not dramatic repentance but a simple, steady return to action: send men, survey the land, come back, cast lots.
Living This Out
What land has God given you that you have not yet possessed? It might be a call you keep postponing, a relationship waiting to be restored, a gift you are afraid to use. Joshua’s question reaches across the centuries: How long will you be slack? This week, choose one step. Survey what God has already set before you. Write it down. Ask a friend to help you see it clearly. Then move toward it. The land is given, that part is done. Now it waits for your feet to walk it. Faith is not only believing the promise; it is acting on it one step at a time.
Main takeaway: God gives the land, but we must move to possess it, turning a promise into a possession through steady, faithful action.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God gave the people a land with houses and fields. But seven of the tribes did not go to live there. Joshua said, “Why are you waiting? Go take what God gave you!” Don’t wait too long to do what God says.
For ages 9, 12
After years of war, the Israelites finally had the land of Canaan under control. But seven tribes stayed in the camp instead of moving into their new homes. Joshua asked them, “How long will you put this off?” He sent men to map out the land, and then they decided by lot who would live where. Sometimes we know what God wants us to do, but we keep putting it off. Joshua reminds us that waiting too long can become neglect. It’s time to get up and go.
Questions People Ask
Why were seven tribes of Israel still without their inheritance when everything else was done?
The land was subdued, but the tribes had grown comfortable in camp and were slow to move into their territories. They may have been tired of war, intimidated by remaining Canaanites, or simply content with the provisions of camp life. Joshua’s question confronts their hesitation directly.
What does the Hebrew word for 'slack' mean in Joshua 18:3?
The word is raphah (H7503). It means to sink, relax, let drop, or become disheartened. It pictures hands that have loosened their grip on a task. The tribes were not actively opposed to God’s plan; they had simply let the urgency slip away.
Why did Joshua send men to survey the land before casting lots?
Joshua wanted the division to be orderly and based on real information. The surveyors walked through the land, recorded cities and features, and divided it into seven portions. This ensured that each tribe received a portion suited to its needs, while still leaving the final decision to the Lord through the casting of lots.
What does the casting of lots in Shiloh teach us about God’s guidance?
Casting lots was a way of letting God choose, since the outcome was understood to be in His hands. Joshua did this publicly, before the Lord at the Tabernacle. It shows that human planning and divine sovereignty work together: we survey, prepare, and trust God with the result.
How does this passage apply to Christians today?
Many of us know what God has given us or called us to do, yet we hold back out of comfort, fear, or weariness. This passage challenges us to stop drifting and take the next step. Faith requires action. Write down what God has placed before you, then move toward it, trusting that He will provide along the way.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study