And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.
The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh. The main body of the Israelites had been diminished by the separation of the three tribes, Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh, into their respective allotments; and the country having been in a great measure subdued, the camp was removed to Shiloh, anciently Taanath (Joshua 16:6; according to Kurtz, vol. 2:, p. 70), now Seilun. "Shiloh," denoting 'rest,' was a name given in allusion to the ark being now placed in a permanent station. It was 20 or 25 miles north of Jerusalem, twelve north of Beth-el, and ten south of Shechem, and embosomed in a rugged and romantic glen. This sequestered spot in the heart of the country might have been recommended by the dictates of convenience: there the allotment of the territory could be most conveniently made, north, south, east, and west, to the different tribes. But, 'the tabernacle of the congregation was also set up there, and its removal therefore must have been made or sanctioned by divine intimation (Deuteronomy 12:11). It remained in Shiloh for more than 300 years (1 Samuel 4:1-11).