THE CITIES INHERITED BY THE TRIBE OF SIMEON

JOS 15:1 The allotment for the tribe of Judah, clan by clan, extended down to the territory of Edom, to the Desert of Zin in the extreme south.

JOS 15:2 Their southern boundary started from the bay at the southern end of the Salt Sea,

[Notice that the context is all about the outer boundaries of the territorial inheritance of the clans of each tribe - in this case of the tribe of Judah - and the towns within those boundaries]

JOS 15:5 The eastern boundary is the Salt Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan.

The northern boundary started from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan, 6 went up to Beth Hoglah and continued north of Beth Arabah to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

JOS 15:12 The western boundary is the coastline of the Great Sea. These are the boundaries around the people of Judah by their clans.

JOS 15:20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, clan by clan:

JOS 15:21 The southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the boundary of Edom were:

Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, 28 Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain and Rimmon--a total of twenty-nine towns and their villages.

[Just five pages later there is a more specific statement that addresses the towns italicized above which are within the boundaries of Judah and stated as ‘the southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah’ but are not more specifically stipulated as belonging to the tribe of Simeon - similar to a rule of exception often appearing in legal documents in ancient and modern times which conveys the following idea: ‘All of these towns belong to Judah… with the exception of Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen--thirteen towns and their villages which are apportioned to Simeon because Judah had more than they needed‘]:

JOS 19:1 The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon, clan by clan. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah. 2 It included:

Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen--thirteen towns and their villages;

JOS 19:7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan--four towns and their villages-- 8 and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev).

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, clan by clan. 9 The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah's portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.

Notice that Scripture declares that the inheritance of Simeon fell within the outer boundaries of Judah (Josh 19:1, 9). Just as one can legitimately say within the normative rules of language, context and logic relative to the sense of location, ‘I used to live in Colonial Oaks Apts which is located in St. Petersburg, Florida’ or ‘I used to live in Colonial Oaks Apts which is located in Kenneth City, Florida [a completely separate incorporate city from St. Petersburg] because Kenneth City lies wholly within St. Petersburg in the sense of within its outer boundaries; so in accordance with the normative rules of language, context and logic, it is proper and accurate to speak of those specifically named cities of the inheritance of Simeon as in the territory of Simeon or is an inheritance of Simeon or those specifically named cities are in the territory of Judah - in the sense of location, i.e., they are within Judah’s outer boundaries. All these statements are accurate and not contradictory. In no place in the bible are those specific cities declared part of Judah’s inheritance but are declared to be within Judah’s territory. They may lie within the territorial boundaries given to Judah, but they are not part of Judah’s inheritance and are very quickly stipulated as part of the tribe of Simeon.

The defining verse on this is Joshua 19:9 “The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah's portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.” Joshua 19:9 comes just 5 pages afterward, quickly clarifying that these specific cities were apportioned to Simeon so as not to provide a possibility for a contradiction arising over who owns these cities. So those cities apportioned to Simeon were all within Judah’s territory, but not part of Judah, they were part of Simeon. There is no contradiction here.