יהושע, פרק י״ח, פסוק ו׳

Joshua assigns a specific delegation the task of mapping the land and dividing it into seven distinct regions. As these messengers travel and survey the territory, they act as representatives for the entire nation [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. The practical requirement for them to physically record the land serves an important purpose: it teaches that the people must not rely on miracles alone. Human effort is essential. The messengers must carry out the actual work of documenting the regions, making it appear as though they themselves are dividing the territory. Only after they complete this physical effort will a divine lottery intervene to finalize the inheritance [מלבי״ם].

Once the land is mapped into seven parts, the written records are to be brought back directly to Joshua, who is stationed in the city of Shiloh [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. There, the final lottery is held to determine the exact portion for each tribe. The primary approach among commentators is that Joshua physically throws or casts the lots to make this determination. However, a deeper understanding of this action compares the casting of the lots to aiming at a specific target. According to this view, Joshua directs the lottery so that it lands exactly on the proper region for each tribe, perfectly matching the tradition and knowledge he already possesses [מלבי״ם].