The Church Fathers on this verse

Joshua 18:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Divide to yourselves the land into seven parts: let Juda be in his bounds on the south side, and the house of Joseph on the north.

Douay-Rheims

וְהִֽתְחַלְּק֥וּ אֹתָ֖הּ לְשִׁבְעָ֣ה חֲלָקִ֑ים יְהוּדָ֞ה יַעֲמֹ֤ד עַל־גְּבוּלוֹ֙ מִנֶּ֔גֶב וּבֵ֥ית יוֹסֵ֛ף יַעַמְד֥וּ עַל־גְּבוּלָ֖ם מִצָּפֽוֹן׃

Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

One Church Father comments on this verse

Beda Venerabilis

7th centuryChurch Father

The turbulent, salty waves of the boundless ocean may represent the transgressions that lead the unrighteous to face destruction in the wickedness of their earthly existence and the depths of their ultimate demise. At the Last Judgment, they will be cast into Gehenna alongside the devil. It is crucial to note that when the Tabernacle was erected on Mount Sinai, the Red Sea lay to its west, and when it was transported to Shiloh and established there by Joshua, the Mediterranean Sea similarly extended in that direction. In the profound symbolism of Scripture, we can interpret that the saints who devote themselves to the Lord in this life create a dwelling place for Him within their hearts, turning away from the arrogant self-adulation of the ungodly, as they discern its impending end.

Read more (56 words)

The righteous will reside in their eternal home alongside the Lord, witnessing the everlasting judgment of the wicked without any detriment to their blissful state. Thus, our forebears also offer their praises to the Lord, as they not only experience the blessings granted by Him but also perceive the evil from which He has rescued them.

Cross references

Passages read together with this verse.