But the land shall be divided by lot; they shall inherit 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.
- BSB Indeed, the land must be divided by lot; they shall receive their inheritance 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 33:54You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the more you shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer you shall give the less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.
- Num 34:13Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, “This is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which Yahweh has commanded to give to the nine tribes, and to the half-tribe;
- Josh 14:2by the lot of their inheritance, as Yahweh commanded by Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half-tribe.
- Josh 11:23So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that Yahweh spoke to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. The land had rest from war.
- Prov 18:18The lot settles disputes, and keeps strong ones apart.
- Josh 19:10The third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families. The border of their inheritance was to Sarid.
- Josh 19:32The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.
- Acts 1:26They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles.
- Josh 18:10–11Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Yahweh. There Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.
- Josh 19:40The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.
- Josh 19:24The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.
- Rev 7:4–8I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
- Prov 16:33The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh.
- Josh 17:14The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me just one lot and one part for an inheritance, since we are a numerous people, because Yahweh has blessed us so far?”
- Col 1:12giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;
- Josh 19:1The second lot came out for Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. Their inheritance was in the middle of the inheritance of the children of Judah.
- Josh 18:6You 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.
- Josh 19:17The fourth lot came out for Issachar, even for the children of Issachar according to their families.
- Num 26:56According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between the more and the fewer.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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
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