The Meaning of Joshua 18:4 Explained

Joshua 18:4

KJV: Give 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.

YLT: Give 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,

Darby: Provide 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.

ASV: Appoint 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Give 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. 

What does Joshua 18:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 18:1-10 - Dividing The Remaining Territory
The Tabernacle had remained in Gilgal. It must now be removed to Shiloh, a site selected by God himself, Deuteronomy 12:11; Psalms 78:60. Shiloh means rest, and it commemorated the ending of the war. The honor of having God's dwelling-place within its border was probably given to Ephraim as the tribe to which Joshua belonged.
As an inducement to occupy the land, this further commission was sent forth. How many of us are equally slack to appropriate the blessings stored up in the Savior! Well is it that God, through the ages, has sent pioneers to tell us what we are missing and to stimulate our zeal.
The veteran leader had earned a good reward. His portion was called "the portion of the sun," probably because of its aspect. Let us live and walk in the light. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 18

1  The tabernacle is set up at Shiloh
2  The remainder of the land is described, and divided into seven parts
10  Joshua distributes it by lot
11  The lot and border of Benjamin
21  Their cities

What do the individual words in Joshua 18:4 mean?

Pick out from among you three men for [each] tribe and I will send them and they shall rise and go through the land and survey it according to their inheritance and come [back] to me
הָב֥וּ לָכֶ֛ם שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה אֲנָשִׁ֖ים לַשָּׁ֑בֶט וְאֶשְׁלָחֵ֗ם וְיָקֻ֜מוּ וְיִֽתְהַלְּכ֥וּ בָאָ֛רֶץ וְיִכְתְּב֥וּ אוֹתָ֛הּ לְפִ֥י נַֽחֲלָתָ֖ם וְיָבֹ֥אוּ אֵלָֽי

הָב֥וּ  Pick  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הַב 
Sense: to give, provide, ascribe, come.
לָכֶ֛ם  from  among  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה  three 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
אֲנָשִׁ֖ים  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
לַשָּׁ֑בֶט  for  [each]  tribe 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֵׁבֶט  
Sense: rod, staff, branch, offshoot, club, sceptre, tribe.
וְאֶשְׁלָחֵ֗ם  and  I  will  send  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
וְיָקֻ֜מוּ  and  they  shall  rise 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
וְיִֽתְהַלְּכ֥וּ  and  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בָאָ֛רֶץ  through  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְיִכְתְּב֥וּ  and  survey 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: כָּתַב  
Sense: to write, record, enrol.
לְפִ֥י  according  to 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
נַֽחֲלָתָ֖ם  their  inheritance 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: נַחֲלָה  
Sense: possession, property, inheritance, heritage.
וְיָבֹ֥אוּ  and  come  [back] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֵלָֽי  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).