army, the council, or some similar authority. (85) The general-in-chief and
the council could consult God when they liked, but could only receive His
answers through the high priest; so that the utterances of God, as reported
by the high priest, were not decrees, as they were when reported by Moses,
but only answers; they were accepted by Joshua and the council, and only
then had the force of commands and decrees {Like the separation of powers in
the United States of America.}

(17:86) The high priest, both in the case of Aaron and of his son Eleazar,
was chosen by Moses; nor had anyone, after Moses' death, a right to elect to
the office, which became hereditary . (87) The general-in-chief of the army
was also chosen by Moses, and assumed his functions in virtue of the
commands, not of the high priest, but of Moses: indeed, after the death of
Joshua, the high priest did not appoint anyone in his place, and the
captains did not consult God afresh about a general-in-chief, but each
retained Joshua's power in respect to the contingent of his own tribe,
and all retained it collectively, in respect to the whole army. (88) There
seems to have been no need of a general-in-chief, except when they were
obliged to unite their forces against a common enemy. (89) This occurred
most frequently during the time of Joshua, when they had no fixed dwelling.
place, and possessed all things in common. [17:7] (90) After all the tribes
had gained their territories by right of conquest, and had divided their
allotted gains, they, became separated, having no longer their possessions
in common, so that the need for a single commander ceased, for the
different tribes should be considered rather in the light of confederated
states than of bodies of fellow-citizens. (91) In respect to their God and
their religion, they, were fellow-citizens; but, in respect to the rights
which one possessed with regard to another, they were only confederated:
they, were, in fact, in much the same position (if one excepts the Temple
common to all) as the United States of the Netherlands {or United States of