Ver. 50. According to the word of the Lord, they gave him the city which he asked— The commands of God, upon this occasion, which probably were signified by the mouth of Eleazar, the high-priest, or at the time when provision was made for Caleb, ch. Judges 14:6 had authorised Joshua to choose whatever district should please him in the land of Canaan, to be possessed by him as his own property: this great general, however, postponed his claim till every one was settled; and then what is his choice? Timnath-serah in mount Ephraim: too modest to think of appropriating to himself the best part of the country, he not only shuts himself up in his own tribe, but chooses precisely the roughest, most uncultivated, and, at first, most difficult spot thereabout. See ch. Joshua 17:18. Timnath-serah seems to have been an old cattle or village, standing north of the mountain called Gaash, chap. Joshua 24:30.
He built the city, and dwelt therein— He fitted up the ruins, built a new city, and, as we may suppose, by cutting down the forests which covered the mountain every where about, made the place both strong, and respectable for its height; and by that means, in other respects, a very agreeable station, according to the taste of the ancients, who were fond of building upon high places. See Dionys. Halicarn. lib. i. c. 12. Here it was that Joshua settled with his family, concerning which we have no further information from the history: so true it is, that this great man neither thought of taking upon him the dignity of a sovereign, nor of aggrandizing his own house! The Scripture, as Pelican observes, says nothing of Joshua's sons or daughters, because he considered all the Israelites as his children.
Note; Joshua's dwelling-place was near the tabernacle: and in the choice of our dwelling, to be near a gospel-ministry should be the first recommendation.