Their inheritance was assigned by lot for the nine and a half tribes, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
Parallel translations
- WEB by the lot of their inheritance, as Yahweh commanded by Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half-tribe.
- KJV By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.
- NKJV Their inheritance was by lot, as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe.
- NASB by the lot of their inheritance, just as the Lord commanded through Moses, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe.
- NLT These nine and a half tribes received their grants of land by means of sacred lots, in accordance with the Lord’s command through Moses.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The inheritances were assigned by lot, as the Lord had commanded through Moses, for the nine and a half western tribes.
Overview
The use of the lot (Numbers 26:55-56) entrusted the outcome to God's providence rather than human preference, so that 'the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh' (Proverbs 16:33). This guarded the division from favoritism and affirmed that each tribe's portion came directly from God's sovereign hand.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Num 33:54And you are to divide the land by lot according to your clans. Give a larger inheritance to a larger clan and a smaller inheritance to a smaller one. Whatever falls to each one by lot will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers.
- Num 34:13So Moses commanded the Israelites, “Apportion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has commanded that it be given to the nine and a half tribes.
- Num 26:55–56Indeed, the land must be divided by lot; they shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.
- Prov 16:33The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
- Ps 16:5–6The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.
- Matt 25:34Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
- Prov 18:18Casting the lot ends quarrels and separates strong opponents.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 14:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.