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Seven tribes still were without territory. Joshua commanded each to appoint three men; these walked through the land, writing down descriptions of seven allotments. When they returned, Joshua cast lots for each tribe’s assignment. The descriptions that follow may well have their ultimate source in the book that the survey party compiled.
Benjamin, as second son of Jacob’s favorite wife and twelfth of Jacob’s sons, received a central but small portion between Judah and Joseph. Simeon, though older than Judah, had forfeited his right to a central role by his violence against Shechem. His inheritance was on the southern periphery of Judah.
The five final tribes were descendants of five of the six sons born in the contest between Rachel and Leah for their husband’s affection. Dan and Naphtali were Bilhah’s (Rachel’s maid). Gad and Asher were Zilpah’s (Leah’s maid); Gad already had received his allotment in Transjordan. Issachar and Zebulun were Leah’s own, conceived when she “hired” her husband for the mandrakes her son Reuben had found (Ge 30:16). All these—with Reuben, who had forfeited his birthright (Ge 35:22; 49:3-4)—received tribal allotments on the periphery of the national territory. They were small tribes and generally had little influence in the affairs of the nation.
As Caleb’s allotment opened the apportioning of land to the tribes, so Joshua’s closed it. This is another example of the author’s literary framing of his material. Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim; thus he requested and received Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. With that, Joshua finished apportioning the land.