The division of the land among the Twelve Tribes took place in three stages. 1. After the conquest of Eastern Palestine, during the lifetime of Moses, the two tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh received their portion, on condition that their warriors should aid their kinsmen in the war for the rest of the land. (Num. 32.) 2. After the campaigns in Western Palestine (see last map and explanations), the two leading tribes of Judah and Ephraim and the remaining half of Manasseh received their inheritance, and took possession of it, as far as conquered: Judah in the south, Ephraim a small but choice portion in the centre, and Manasseh immediately north of it. (Josh. 15-17.) 3. The remaining seven tribes delayed long in obtaining their portions in the land, but at last, after a rebuke from the aged Joshua for their slowness, made the division by lot, and entered upon their inheritance. (Josh. 18, 19.) The cities of refuge, and those for the priests and Levites, were last of all appointed, late in the life of Joshua, and then "the land had rest from war," and Israel entered upon its history in its own land.

It is not easy to fix the tribal boundary lines, since some tribes possessed cities within the domain of other tribes, and the boundaries, if not entirely indeterminate, varied greatly in different ages. Geographers are agreed upon the general position, but not upon the precise boundary lines. We follow the map of Dr. James Strong, in McClintock and Strong's Cyclopedia.

I. The Tribe of Reuben (Num. 32:1-38; Josh. 13:15-23) had the river Arnon for its southern border, this river separating it from Moab. It was bounded on the east by the Syrian desert, and on the west by the Dead Sea and the lower end of the Jordan. Its northern line began at Beth-jeshimoth, and extended northeasterly to near Rabbath Ammon. Its territory consisted of a low region by the sea and the river, a precipitous mountain range, and a rolling plateau eastward, well adapted for pasture. Among its prominent localities were: Heshbon, the capital of the Amorite king, Sihon; Dibon, where recently the Moabite stone was discovered; Mount Nebo, where Moses died; Bezer, a city of refuge; Aroer, Ataroth, Medeba, Kiriathaim, and Kedemoth.

II. The Tribe of Gad (Num. 32:34-36; Josh. 13:24-28) was located north of Reuben. Its boundary on the west was the river Jordan, from the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee) almost to its mouth. Its eastern border was the desert, from Rabbath Ammon to Mahanaim, from which point its line ran northwest to the Sea of Chinnereth. Like the land of Reuben, its territory embraced portions of the Jordan Valley; the eastern mountains, divided by the torrent Jabbok; and the table-land, a rich and well-watered district. The part in the Jordan Valley was, however, never possessed by the Israelites, but remained in the hands of the native Canaanites. In the valley, its cities were Beth-nimrah and Succoth. Among the mountains the places were: Jazer, near the border of Reuben; Ramoth-gilead, a famous fortress, often the scene of war; Penuel, the place of Jacob's wrestling with the angel (Gen. 32:24-32); Jabesh-gilead, whose warriors rescued the bodies of Saul and Jonathan (1 Sam. 31:11-13); Mahanaim, a place of refuge both for the son of Saul, and afterward for David (2 Sam. 2:8; 2 Sam. 17:24); and Gadara, a foreign city, on the northern frontier.

III. The Half Tribe of Manasseh, East (Num. 32:39-42; Josh. 13:29-31), occupied the northern portion of Eastern Palestine, generally known in the Old Testament as Bashan, larger than the portion assigned to any one tribe. It extended from Mahanaim northward to Mount Hermon, and from the river Jordan and its two northern lakes eastward to the desert. Though some of this land is a desert, yet most of it is fertile, and even now it is called "the granary of Palestine." It consists of undulating plains between two masses of mountains; the one on the east, now known as el Ledja, and the other on the side of the Jordan Valley. On its western hills were Aphek, and Golan, a city of refuge; near its centre were Ashtaroth, the former capital of Og, who reigned over Bashan before the conquest, and Edrei. Kenath, taken by Nobah, was at the foot of el Ledja, east of the line of the map. Its people never conquered the Geshurites on the east, and were separated from their brethren by the Canaanites in the Jordan Valley (see map on page 50), so that they were not closely identified with the history of Israel, and were the first to be carried away captive. (2 Kings 10:32, 33.)

IV. The Tribe of Simeon (Josh. 19:1-9) received a portion of the land previously given to Judah. Its location was on the extreme south, and its boundaries were indeterminate, being indicated only by the list of eighteen towns belonging to it. It was the strip of grazing land between the mountains and the desert of the wandering, where Abraham and Isaac spent most of their lives. Its most important place was the historic Beersheba; but it included also Gerar, on the Philistine border; Arad, whose king twice resisted the Israelites' progress during the wandering; Hormah, in the South Country; and Ziklag, at one time the home of David. Nothing is known of this tribe's history. From its frontier position it probably lost its individuality, a part of its people becoming merged with the wandering races of the desert, and a part with its more powerful neighbor, Judah. Most of its cities were held by the Philistines until the reign of David.

V. The Tribe of Judah (Josh. 15:1-63) occupied the most valuable portion of the land, and for three centuries was the rival of Ephraim in the leadership of the nation. Its boundary line on the north is described with great minuteness, but was changed after the building of the Temple to include a part of the city of Jerusalem. It ran from the northern end of the Dead Sea, south of Jerusalem, in a direction generally east, though with many turnings, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. The region embraced five sections. 1. The Philistine plain, by the sea, never conquered. 2. The Shefelah, or low hills, a boundary disputed with the Philistines. 3. The "hill country," the home of the tribe. 4. The Negeb, or South Country, extending from Hebron southward. 5. The wild, uninhabitable Jeshimon, called in later history "the wilderness of JudÆa," on the western shore of the Dead Sea. Omitting the Philistine cities by the Mediterranean, its most important cities were: Hebron, the inheritance of Caleb; Debir, the conquest of Othniel; Bethlehem, the birthplace of David, and, in after ages, of his greater Son; Maon, Carmel; En-gedi, a haunt of David during his exile; Lachish and Libnah, on the Shefelah; and Kirjath-jearim, at one time the abode of the ark.

VI. The Tribe of Benjamin (Josh. 18:11-28) was located between Judah and Ephraim, having the Jordan on the east, and Dan on the west. It was a small country, 25 miles long by 12 wide, yet rich in natural advantages; and many events of Bible history took place within its borders. It included 26 cities, of which the most important were: Gilgal, the military capital during the conquest; Jericho, the first town taken on the west of the Jordan; Jerusalem, long held by the Jebusites, but from the time of David the capital of the country; Bethel, connected with many events; Ramah, the home of Samuel; Gibeah, the residence of King Saul; Michmash, Gibeon and Mizpeh, the places of famous battles. No portion of the land contains more of Jewish history than Benjamin, the smallest of all the tribes of Israel.

VII. The Tribe of Dan (Josh. 19:40-48; Judges 18) was situated between Benjamin and the sea, and, though apparently large, was in reality very small, since nearly all its territory was held by the original inhabitants, the Canaanites. Its southernmost town was Timnath, a small village not on the map, but two miles west of Beth-shemesh; its northern limit was a brook just north of Joppa. The original inhabitants proved too strong for the Danites, who were compelled to maintain a sort of fortified camp in and between the villages of Zorah and Eshtaol, called "the camp of Dan." (Judges 13:25.) A part of the tribe migrated northward, as related in the interesting account in Judges 17, 18; and, by a surprise, seized the Phoenician village of Laish, or Leshem, in the far north of Palestine, changed its name to Dan, and made it a new rallying centre for the tribe. This place, with Beersheba on the south, was named, in the expression "from Dan to Beersheba," as one of the limits of the land. It remained for centuries the place of an idolatrous worship, perpetuated under all the changes of government, down to the final captivity of the land.

VIII. The Tribe of Ephraim (Josh. 16) was located on the north of Benjamin and Dan, and extended from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, in the centre of the country. But inasmuch as the Canaanites were able to resist the power of the Ephraimites on both sides of the mountain, toward the river Jordan and toward the sea, the haughty tribe deemed its possession too small for its needs, and asked a larger space of Joshua. They were answered in a half-jesting, half-rebuking manner by the leader, and urged to drive out the enemy and make for themselves more room, a counsel which they followed only in part. (Josh. 17:14-18; Judges 1:22-26.) The principal places in "Mount Ephraim" (as the district of this tribe was generally called) were: Shechem, between the twin mountains of Ebal and Gerizim; Shiloh, the place of the ark, and the religious centre of the land; Beth-horon, the field where the decisive victory of the conquest was won; Timnath, the burial place of Joshua; and Samaria, built during the kingdom as the capital of the Ten Tribes.

IX. The Half Tribe of Manasseh, West (Josh. 17), was located north of Ephraim, and extended from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. Its boundary followed the northern slope of Mount Carmel, except by the sea, where the mountain was given to Asher. The lowlands on the Jordan, the Plain of Esdraelon, and the Mediterranean, were held by the Canaanites, in the cities of Dor, Megiddo, Taanach and Beth-shean, a chain of fortresses which gave control of the larger portion of the province, so that the Manassites were restricted to the mountains, where they occupied Geba, Dothan and Jarmuth.

X. The Tribe of Issachar (Josh. 19:17-23) was allotted the Plain of Esdraelon (which it was never able to possess), and the mountains of Tabor and Little Hermon ("Hill of Moreh"), extending to the Jordan south of the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee). Both the plain and the Jordan Valley were held by the Canaanites, but the tribe occupied the mountains. Its cities were En-gannim, Shunem, Haphraim, Daberath, and Beth-shemesh. The towns of Cana, Nain and Nazareth, in New Testament history, were located in this tribe.

XI. The Tribe of Asher (Josh. 19:24-31) lay along the sea-coast, and extended from Mount Carmel to Zidon. Nearly all its cities were controlled by the Canaanites and Phoenicians, and the people soon entered into friendly relations with them, and lost their power. A part of the tribe, however, occupied the mountain range, and retained their relationship with the rest of the Israelites.

XII. The Tribe of Zebulon (Josh. 19:10-16) occupied a triangle between Mount Carmel, the Sea of Chinnereth (afterward the Sea of Galilee), and the village of Aijalon; having as its base the mountain border north of the Plain of Esdraelon, and its western line the mountain chain following the Mediterranean. As this belonged to the mountain region, it was controlled mainly by the Israelites, though the Canaanites held two towns, Kitron and Nahalol. (Judges 1:30.) Its principal places were: Gath-hepher, the home of the prophet Jonah; Bethlehem (to be distinguished from the town of the same name in Judah); and, in later times, most of the cities of Galilee visited by our Lord.

XIII. The Tribe of Naphtali (Josh. 19:32-39) was the farthest to the north in all Israel. It occupied a section running north and south, between the Jordan and the Sea of Chinnereth on one side, and the Phoenician border on the other. Its central city was Kedesh, a city of refuge. Other towns were Hazor, Abel-beth-maachah, Beth-rehob (the extreme point visited by the spies, Num. 13:21) and Beth-shemesh. Dan (see on Tribe of Dan) was also in the limits of this tribe.

XIV. The Tribe of Levi was the priestly caste, and received no separate province in the land, but was allotted certain cities throughout the tribes. These cities were given up to the Levites, either wholly or in part; though it is evident that they were not the only places occupied by the priests, and that others besides the Levites dwelt in them. These "Levitical cities" were divided into two classes: those for the priests proper, or descendants of Aaron, thirteen in number, and all in the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin (a remarkable arrangement, since the altar and the Tabernacle were in the tribe of Ephraim); and those for the Levites, or subordinate priests, thirty-five in number, divided among the other tribes. Thus there were in all forty-eight Levitical cities. These were so arranged that in each tribe four cities were assigned to the priests, except in Judah (which had more), and Simeon and Naphtali, the frontier tribes, which had less. As far as they have been identified and located, they are indicated upon the map: the priests' cities by the tiara, or head-dress, worn by the priests; the Levites' cities by a trumpet, as they formed the choral bands in the worship of the Temple. Six of these cities were assigned as "cities of refuge" for the innocent man-slayer. (Josh. 20.) Three cities were chosen on each side of the Jordan; in the south, the centre and the north of the land. These were: Bezer, in Reuben; Ramoth-gilead, in Gad; Golan, in Manasseh, East; Hebron, in Judah; Shechem, in Ephraim; and Kedesh, in Naphtali. Each of these is indicated on the map by a tower.

Draw a rough map of Palestine, omitting mountains and all other lines except the river and the seas. Do not attempt to make it accurate. In presence of the class, draw the boundary lines of the tribes, not attempting an accurate copy, but roughly indicating them. With each tribe indicate the most important places by their initial letters. Review all the places before beginning another tribe, and occasionally go back to the beginning and review all the work done. Let the class, on slate or paper, also draw the map, and locate the places. At the close, call upon the scholars to give the location and name the places of the tribes.

I. Reuben. Heshbon, Dibon, Mount Nebo, Bezer, Aroer, Ataroth, Medeba, Kiriathaim, Kedemoth.

II. Gad. Beth-nimrah, Succoth, Jazer, Ramoth-gilead, Penuel, Jabesh-gilead, Mahanaim, Gadara.

III. Manasseh, East. Aphek, Golan, Ashtaroth, Edrei, Kenath.

IV. Simeon. Beersheba, Gerar, Arad, Hormah, Ziklag.

V. Judah (5 sections). Hebron, Debir, Bethlehem, Maon, Carmel, En-gedi, Lachish, Libnah, Kirjath-jearim.

VI. Benjamin. Gilgal, Jericho, Jerusalem, Bethel, Ramah, Gibeah, Michmash, Gibeon, Mizpeh.

VII. Dan. Zorah, Eshtaol, Dan.

VIII. Ephraim. Shechem, Shiloh, Beth-horon, Timnath, Samaria.

IX. Manasseh, West. Dor, Megiddo, Taanach, Beth-shean, Geba, Dothan, Jarmuth.

X. Issachar. En-gannim, Shunem, Haphraim, Daberath, Beth-shemesh, Cana, Nain, Nazareth (in New Testament History).

XI. Asher.

XII. Zebulon. Gath-hepher, Bethlehem.

XIII. Naphtali. Kedesh, Hazor, Abel-beth-maachah, Beth-rehob, Beth-shemesh.

XIV. Levi. Forty-eight Levitical cities in all. Six of these were cities of refuge, as follows: Bezer, Ramoth-gilead, Golan, Hebron, Shechem, Kedesh.