The  country  west  of  the  Jordan  was  now  divided  between
the  nine  and  a  half  remaining  tribes  by  casting  lots  before
the  Tabernacle,  and  their  territories  may  be  better  given
under  the  threefold  division  of  (a)  the  South,  (£)  the  Cen
tre,  (c)  the  North.
(a)  The  South.  The  four  southern  tribes  were  Simeon,
Juda,  Benjamin  and  Dan.  The  most  southerly  district  was
assigned  first  to  the  tribe  of  Juda,  but  afterwards  the  south
western  portion  of  this  territory  was  given  to  Simeon,  which
thus  became  the  southernmost  tribe.  Next  to  Simeon,  on  the
north,  was  Juda,  which  extended  across  the  whole  Western
Palestine  from  the  Dead  Sea  westward  to  the  Mediterranean,
and  from  the  territory  of  Simeon  and  the  River  of  Egypt,
on  the  south,  to  an  irregular  line  starting  from  a  little  to  the
southeast  of  Jericho,  passing  south  of  Jerusalem  and  reach
ing  the  Mediterranean  some  four  miles  below  Joppe.  To  the
northeast  of  Juda  was  the  warlike  little  tribe  of  Benjamin,
with  a  territory  of  about  25  miles  in  length  by  12  in  breadth,
bounded  on  the  north  by  Ephraim,  on  the  east  by  the  Jordan,
on  the  south  by  Juda,  and  on  the  west  by  the  tribe  of  Dan.
The  last  tribe  of  the  south  was  that  of  Dan,  whose  fertile
territory  was  so  compressed  between  the  northwestern  hills
of  Juda  and  the  Mediterranean,  that  later  on  they  had  to
seek  another  home  in  the  north  of  Palestine.
(£)  The  Centre.     The  central  portion  of  Chanaan  was


T42  OUTLINES    OF    JEWISH    HISTORY.
