Benjamin (territory)

Overview

• Type: Region
• Testament: Old
• Modern Location: The hill country immediately north of Jerusalem, central Israel

Biblical Significance

The territory of Benjamin was the tribal inheritance assigned to the descendants of Jacob’s youngest son when the land was divided by lot at Shiloh (Joshua 18:11-28). It was a small but strategically vital allotment lying between the powerful tribes of Judah to the south and Ephraim (the house of Joseph) to the north. Its borders enclosed or bounded many of the land’s most significant sites: Jericho in the Jordan valley, Bethel on its northern frontier, Gibeah which became the home and capital of King Saul, Gibeon, and Jerusalem itself, which sat on the boundary between Benjamin and Judah. Because of its position guarding the approaches to the central highlands and Jerusalem, Benjamin was a frequent theater of war and intrigue. Saul, Israel’s first king, was a Benjamite (1 Samuel 9:1-2), and after the kingdom divided, Benjamin remained joined to Judah, forming the southern kingdom from which the line of David and ultimately the Messiah would come.

Key Events

• The tribal allotment of Benjamin distributed at Shiloh (Joshua 18:11-28)
• Saul, a Benjamite, anointed as Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 9-10)

Key People Associated

• Saul — Israel’s first king, from the tribe of Benjamin
• Paul (Apostle) — described himself as of the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5)

Important Verses

• Joshua 18:11-28

Cross-References

• Joshua — the casting of lots for Benjamin’s inheritance
• Judges — the tribe nearly destroyed after the outrage at Gibeah (Judges 19-21)

Notes

• Though “little Benjamin” (Psalm 68:27) was the smallest tribe, it gave Israel both its first king, Saul, and the apostle Paul.