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Atomic Bible
Joshua 19:32-39·~1 min

Naphtali’s Inheritance

The sixth lot assigns Naphtali a bordered territory with neighboring tribes on each side, then lists its fortified cities and closes with the inheritance formula.

T32he sixth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Naphtali: 33Their border started at Heleph and the great tree of Zaanannim, passing Adami-nekeb and Jabneel as far as Lakkum and ending at the Jordan. 34Then the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor and ran from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun on the south side, Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan on the east. 35The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, 36Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh. There were nineteen cities, along with their villages. 39This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Naphtali, including these cities and their villages.

Section summaryNaphtali’s lot is set out by a border running from northern landmarks to the Jordan and back westward beside neighboring tribes. The section then names its fortified cities and villages, giving Naphtali a defined and defensible place in the land.
Role in the chapterThis section continues the northern allotments and situates Naphtali among Zebulun, Asher, Judah, and the Jordan. It strengthens the sense that the land is now fully ordered tribe by tribe.