Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the
coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar-enan, the
border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are
his sides east and west; a portion for Dan. And by the border of
Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher. And
by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side,
a portion for Naphtali. And by the border of Naphtali, from the east
side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh. And by the border
of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for
Ephraim. And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto
the west side, a portion for Reuben. And by the border of Reuben,
from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah.
And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side,
shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty
thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts,
from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in
the midst of it (verses 1-8).
The division of the land to the twelve tribes, then fully restored, is
by lot (xlvii:22) but the disposing of it will be by the Lord (Prov.
xvi:33). The order is entirely different from the one found in the Book
of Joshua (Josh. xv-xix). Up to the time of the carrying away of the ten
tribes and the captivity of Judah, the tribes possessed the territory
assigned to them by lot when they entered the land under Joshua. The ten
tribes never returned from the captivity, and therefore the division of
the land as given here has never been in the history of Israel. It is
future. The division is in twelve portions all alike in dimensions,
running alongside of each other, from west to east. Seven tribes are in
the north, and five in the south. Between the seven tribes in the north
and the tribes in the south is the oblation, the heave offering, the
portion of the prince, the Levites and the priests, the Temple and the
city with its surrounding territory. The tribe of Dan has its portion in
the extreme north. It is the furthest away from the sanctuary. Dan was a
corrupt tribe, semi-heathen (Judges xviii). Dan is not mentioned among
the sealed one in Revelation vii. All the other tribes are placed in a
different order from the former position.