Indeed, the land must be divided by lot; they shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.
Parallel translations
- WEB Notwithstanding, the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
- KJV Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
- NKJV But the land shall be divided by lot; they shall inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.
- NASB But the land shall be divided by lot. They shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.
- NLT But you must assign the land by lot, and give land to each ancestral tribe according to the number of names on the list.
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
Although portions are sized by population, the actual locations are assigned by lot.
Overview
God ordains that the land be divided by lot, so that placement rested on His sovereign choice rather than human preference (Proverbs 16:33). Combining proportion by size with location by lot held together fairness and divine appointment, teaching Israel that their inheritance came wholly from the Lord's hand.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- 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.
- Josh 14:2Their inheritance was assigned by lot for the nine and a half tribes, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
- Josh 11:23So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to the allotments to their tribes. Then the land had rest from war.
- Prov 18:18Casting the lot ends quarrels and separates strong opponents.
- Josh 19:10The third lot came up for the clans of the tribe of Zebulun: The border of their inheritance stretched as far as Sarid.
- Josh 19:32The sixth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Naphtali:
- Acts 1:26Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
- Josh 18:10–11And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.
- Josh 19:40The seventh lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Dan:
- Josh 19:24The fifth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Asher:
- Rev 7:4–8And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:
- Prov 16:33The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
- Josh 17:14Then the sons of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one portion as an inheritance? We have many people, because the LORD has blessed us abundantly.”
- Col 1:12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
- Josh 19:1The second lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Simeon: Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah
- Josh 18:6When you have mapped out the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the LORD our God.
- Josh 19:17The fourth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Issachar:
- Num 26:56Each inheritance is to be divided by lot among the larger and smaller tribes.”
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 26:55 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.