1 Now the part of the land marked out for the children of Judah by families, went up to the edge of Edom, as far as the waste land of Zin to the south, to the farthest point of it on the south.
2 Their south limit was from the farthest part of the Salt Sea, from the inlet looking to the south:
3 From there it goes south of the slope up to Akrabbim, and on to Zin, then south past Kadesh-barnea, and on by Hezron and up to Addar, turning in the direction of Karka:
4 Then on to Azmon, ending at the stream of Egypt: and the end of the limit is at the sea; this will be your limit on the south.
5 And the east limit is the Salt Sea as far as the end of Jordan. And the limit of the north part of the land is from the inlet of the sea at the end of Jordan:
6 Then the line goes up to Beth-hoglah, past the north of Beth-arabah, and up to the stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben;
7 Then the line goes up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so to the north, in the direction of Gilgal, which is opposite the slope up to Adummim, on the south side of the river: and the line goes on to the waters of En-shemesh, ending at En-rogel:
8 Then the line goes up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the south side of the Jebusite (which is Jerusalem): then up to the top of the mountain in front of the valley of Hinnom to the west, which is at the farthest point of the valley of Rephaim on the north:
9 And the limit is marked out from the top of the mountain to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah, and out to the towns of Mount Ephron, as far as Baalah (which is Kiriath-jearim):
10 Then turning west, the line goes from Baalah to Mount Seir, and on to the side of Mount Jearim (which is Chesalon) on the north, then down to Beth-shemesh, and on past Timnah:
11 And out to the side of Ekron to the north: then it is marked out to Shikkeron and on to Mount Baalah, ending at Jabneel; the end of the line is at the sea.
12 And the limit on the west is the edge of the Great Sea. This is the line going round the land marked out for the children of Judah, by their families.
13 And to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, he gave a part among the children of Judah, as the Lord had given orders to Joshua, that is, Kiriath-arba, named after Arba, the father of Anak which is Hebron.
14 And the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak, were forced out from there by Caleb.
15 From there he went up against the people of Debir: (now the name of Debir before that was Kiriath-sepher.)
16 And Caleb said, I will give Achsah, my daughter, as wife to the man who overcomes Kiriath-sepher and takes it.
17 And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, took it: so he gave him his daughter Achsah for his wife.
18 Now when she came to him, he put into her mind the idea of requesting a field from her father: and she got down from her ass; and Caleb said to her, What is it?
19 And she said, Give me a blessing; because you have put me in dry south-land, now give me springs of water. So he gave her the higher spring and the lower spring.
20 This is the heritage of the tribe of Judah, by their families.
21 The farthest towns of the tribe of Judah in the direction of the limits of Edom to the south, were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur;
22 And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah;
23 And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan;
24 Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth;
25 And Hazor-hadattah, and Kerioth-hezron (which is Hazor);
26 Amam, and Shema, and Moladah;
27 And Hazar-gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth-pelet;
28 And Hazar-shual, and Beer-sheba, and Biziothiah;
29 Baalah, and Iim, and Ezem;
30 And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah;
31 And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah;
32 And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon; all the towns are twenty-nine, with their unwalled places.
33 In the lowland, Eshtaol, and Zorah, and Ashnah;
34 And Zanoah, and En-gannim, Tappuah, and Enam;
35 Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah;
36 And Shaaraim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen towns with their unwalled places.
37 Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal-gad;
38 And Dilan, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel;
39 Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon;
40 And Cabbon, and Lahmas, and Chithlish;
41 And Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen towns with their unwalled places.
42 Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan;
43 And Iphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib;
44 And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine towns with their unwalled places.
45 Ekron, with her daughter-towns and her unwalled places;
46 From Ekron to the sea, all the towns by the side of Ashdod, with their unwalled places.
47 Ashdod, with her daughter-towns and her unwalled places; Gaza, with her daughter-towns and her unwalled places, to the stream of Egypt, with the Great Sea as a limit.
48 And in the hill-country, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh;
49 And Dannah, and Kiriath-sannah (which is Debir);
50 And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim;
51 And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven towns with their unwalled places.
52 Arab, and Dumah, and Eshan;
53 And Janim, and Beth-tappuah, and Aphekah;
54 And Humtah, and Kiriath-arba (which is Hebron), and Zior; nine towns with their unwalled places.
55 Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Jutah;
56 And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah;
57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten towns with their unwalled places.
58 Halhul, Beth-zur, and Gedor;
59 And Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six towns with their unwalled places.
60 Kiriath-baal (which is Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah; two towns with their unwalled places.
61 In the waste land, Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah;
62 And Nibshan, and the Town of Salt, and En-gedi; six towns with their unwalled places.
63 And as for the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, the children of Judah were unable to make them go out; but the Jebusites are living with the children of Judah at Jerusalem, to this day.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Joshua 15
Commentary on Joshua 15 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 15
Jos 15:1-12. Borders of the Lot of Judah.
1. This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah—In what manner the lot was drawn on this occasion the sacred historian does not say; but it is probable that the method adopted was similar to that described in Jos 18:10. Though the general survey of the country had not been completed, some rough draft or delineation of the first conquered part must have been made, and satisfactory evidence obtained that it was large enough to furnish three cantons, before all the tribes cast lots for them; and they fell to Judah, Ephraim, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. The lot of Judah came first, in token of the pre-eminence of that tribe over all the others; and its destined superiority thus received the visible sanction of God. The territory, assigned to it as a possession, was large and extensive, being bounded on the south by the wilderness of Zin, and the southern extremity of the Salt Sea (Nu 34:3-5); on the east, by that sea, extending to the point where it receives the waters of the Jordan; on the north, by a line drawn nearly parallel to Jerusalem, across the country, from the northern extremity of the Salt Sea to the southern limits of the Philistine territory, and to the Mediterranean; and on the west this sea was its boundary, as far as Sihor (Wady El-Arish).
2. the bay—Hebrew, "tongue." It pushes its waters out in this form to a great distance [Robinson].
3. Maaleh-akrabbim—Hebrew, "the ascent of scorpions"; a pass in the "bald mountain" (see on Jos 11:17), probably much infested by these venomous reptiles.
5. the end—that is, the mouth of the Jordan.
6. Beth-hogla—now Ain Hajla, a fine spring of clear and sweet water, at the northern extremity of the Dead Sea, about two miles from the Jordan [Robinson].
Beth-arabah—"the house," or "place of solitude," in the desert of Judah (Jos 15:61).
stone of Bohan the son of Reuben—the sepulchral monument of a Reubenite leader, who had been distinguished for his bravery, and had fallen in the Canaanite war.
7. Achor—(see on Jos 7:26).
Adummim—a rising ground in the wilderness of Jericho, on the south of the little brook that flowed near Jericho (Jos 16:1).
En-shemesh—"the fountain of the sun"; "either the present well of the apostle, below Bethany, on the road to Jericho, or the fountain near to St. Saba" [Robinson].
En-rogel—"the fuller's fountain," on the southeast of Jerusalem, below the spot where the valleys of Jehoshaphat and Hinnom unite.
Jos 15:13-15. Caleb's Portion and Conquest.
13. unto Caleb he gave a part among the children of Judah—(See on Jos 14:6).
14. drove thence the three sons of Anak—rather three chiefs of the Anakim race. This exploit is recorded to the honor of Caleb, as the success of it was the reward of his trust in God.
15. Debir—"oracle." Its former name, Kirjath-sepher, signifies "city of the book," being probably a place where public registers were kept.
Jos 15:16-20. Othniel, for His Valor, Has Achsah to Wife.
16-20. He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher—This offer was made as an incentive to youthful bravery (see on 1Sa 17:25); and the prize was won by Othniel, Caleb's younger brother (Jud 1:13; 3:9). This was the occasion of drawing out the latent energies of him who was destined to be the first judge in Israel.
18, 19. as she came unto him—that is, when about to remove from her father's to her husband's house. She suddenly alighted from her travelling equipage—a mark of respect to her father, and a sign of making some request. She had urged Othniel to broach the matter, but he not wishing to do what appeared like evincing a grasping disposition, she resolved herself to speak out. Taking advantage of the parting scene when a parent's heart was likely to be tender, she begged (as her marriage portion consisted of a field which, having a southern exposure, was comparatively an arid and barren waste) he would add the adjoining one, which abounded in excellent springs. The request being reasonable, it was granted; and the story conveys this important lesson in religion, that if earthly parents are ready to bestow on their children that which is good, much more will our heavenly Father give every necessary blessing to them who ask Him.
Jos 15:21-63. Cities of Judah.
21-63. the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah—There is given a list of cities within the tribal territory of Judah, arranged in four divisions, corresponding to the districts of which it consisted—the cities in the southern part (Jos 15:21-32), those in the lowlands (Jos 15:33-47), those in the highlands (Jos 15:48-60), and those in the desert (Jos 15:61, 62). One gets the best idea of the relative situation of these cities by looking at the map.