Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?
Now after the death Joshua - probably not a long period; because the Canaanites seem to have taken advantage of the demise of the Hebrew leader to attempt recovering their lost position, and the Israelites were obliged to renew the war.
The children of Israel asked the Lord. The divine counsel on this, as on other occasions, was sought by Urim and Thummim, by applying to the high priest, who, according to Josephus, was Phinehas.
Saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first? The elders, who exercised the government in their respective tribes, judged rightly, that in entering upon an important expedition, they should have a leader nominated by divine appointment; and in consulting the oracle, they adopted a prudent course, whether the object of their inquiry related to the choice of an individual commander or to the honour of precedency among the tribes.