7 And the border H1366 went up H5927 toward Debir H1688 from the valley H6010 of Achor, H5911 and so northward, H6828 looking H6437 toward Gilgal, H1537 that is before H5227 the going up H4608 to Adummim, H131 which is on the south side H5045 of the river: H5158 and the border H1366 passed H5674 toward the waters H4325 of Enshemesh, H5885 and the goings out H8444 thereof were at Enrogel: H5883
Now Jonathan H3083 and Ahimaaz H290 stayed H5975 by Enrogel; H5883 for they might H3201 not be seen H7200 to come H935 into the city: H5892 and a wench H8198 went H1980 and told H5046 them; and they went H3212 and told H5046 king H4428 David. H1732
And Adonijah H138 slew H2076 sheep H6629 and oxen H1241 and fat cattle H4806 by the stone H68 of Zoheleth, H2120 which is by H681 Enrogel, H5883 and called H7121 all his brethren H251 the king's H4428 sons, H1121 and all the men H582 of Judah H3063 the king's H4428 servants: H5650
And they raised H6965 over him a great H1419 heap H1530 of stones H68 unto this day. H3117 So the LORD H3068 turned H7725 from the fierceness H2740 of his anger. H639 Wherefore the name H8034 of that place H4725 was called, H7121 The valley H6010 of Achor, H5911 unto this day. H3117
And the people H5971 came up H5927 out of Jordan H3383 on the tenth H6218 day of the first H7223 month, H2320 and encamped H2583 in Gilgal, H1537 in the east H4217 border H7097 of Jericho. H3405
And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto Joshua, H3091 This day H3117 have I rolled away H1556 the reproach H2781 of Egypt H4714 from off you. Wherefore the name H8034 of the place H4725 is called H7121 Gilgal H1537 unto this day. H3117 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 encamped H2583 in Gilgal, H1537 and kept H6213 the passover H6453 on the fourteenth H702 H6240 day H3117 of the month H2320 at even H6153 in the plains H6160 of Jericho. H3405
And Joshua, H3091 and all Israel H3478 with him, took H3947 Achan H5912 the son H1121 of Zerah, H2226 and the silver, H3701 and the garment, H155 and the wedge H3956 of gold, H2091 and his sons, H1121 and his daughters, H1323 and his oxen, H7794 and his asses, H2543 and his sheep, H6629 and his tent, H168 and all that he had: and they brought H5927 them unto the valley H6010 of Achor. H5911
And Joshua H3091 returned, H7725 and all Israel H3478 with him, to Debir; H1688 and fought H3898 against it: And he took H3920 it, and the king H4428 thereof, and all the cities H5892 thereof; and they smote H5221 them with the edge H6310 of the sword, H2719 and utterly destroyed H2763 all the souls H5315 that were therein; he left H7604 none remaining: H8300 as he had done H6213 to Hebron, H2275 so he did H6213 to Debir, H1688 and to the king H4428 thereof; as he had done H6213 also to Libnah, H3841 and to her king. H4428
And Sharon H8289 shall be a fold H5116 of flocks, H6629 and the valley H6010 of Achor H5911 a place for the herds H1241 to lie down in, H7258 for my people H5971 that have sought H1875 me.
For their mother H517 hath played the harlot: H2181 she that conceived H2029 them hath done shamefully: H3001 for she said, H559 I will go H3212 after H310 my lovers, H157 that give H5414 me my bread H3899 and my water, H4325 my wool H6785 and my flax, H6593 mine oil H8081 and my drink. H8250
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Joshua 15
Commentary on Joshua 15 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 15
Though the land was not completely conquered, yet being (as was said in the close of the foregoing chapter) as rest from war for the present, and their armies all drawn out of the field to a general rendezvous at Gilgal, there they began to divide the land, though the work was afterwards perfected at Shiloh, ch. 18:1, etc. In this chapter we have the lot of the tribe of Judah, which in this, as in other things, had the precedency.
Jos 15:1-12
Judah and Joseph were the two sons of Jacob on whom Reuben's forfeited birth-right devolved. Judah had the dominion entailed on him, and Joseph the double portion, and therefore these two tribes were first seated, Judah in the southern part of the land of Canaan and Joseph in the northern part, and on them the other seven did attend, and had their respective lots as appurtenances to these two; the lots of Benjamin, Simeon, and Dan, were appendant to Judah, and those of Issachar and Zebulun, Naphtali and Asher, to Joseph. These two were first set up to be provided for, it should seem, before there was such an exact survey of the land as we find afterwards, ch. 18:9. It is probable that the most considerable parts of the northern and southern countries, and those that lay nearest to Gilgal, and which the people were best acquainted with, were first put into two portions, and the lot was cast upon them between these two principal tribes, of the one of which Joshua was, and of the other Caleb, who was the first commissioner in this writ of partition; and, by the decision of that lot, the southern country, of which we have an account in this chapter, fell to Judah, and the northern, of which we have an account in the two following chapters, to Joseph. And when this was done there was a more equal dividend (either in quantity or quality) of the remainder among the seven tribes. And this, probably, was intended in that general rule which was given concerning this partition (Num. 33:54), to the more you shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer you shall give the less, and every man's inheritance shall be where his lot falleth; that is, "You shall appoint two greater portions which shall be determined by lot to those more numerous tribes of Judah and Joseph, and then the rest shall be less portions to be allotted to the less numerous tribes.' The former was done in Gilgal, the latter in Shiloh.
In these verses, we have the borders of the lot of Judah, which, as the rest, is said to be by their families, that is, with an eye to the number of their families. And it intimates that Joshua and Eleazar, and the rest of the commissioners, when they had by lot given each tribe its portion, did afterwards (it is probable by lot likewise) subdivide those larger portions, and assign to each family its inheritance, and then to each household, which would be better done by this supreme authority, and be apt to give less disgust than if it had been left to the inferior magistrates of each tribe to make that distribution. The borders of this tribe are here largely fixed, yet not unalterably, for a good deal of that which lies within these bounds was afterwards assigned to the lots of Simeon and Dan.
Jos 15:13-19
The historian seems pleased with every occasion to make mention of Caleb and to do him honour, because he had honoured God in following him fully. Observe,
From this story we learn,
Jos 15:20-63
We have here a list of the several cities that fell within the lot of the tribe of Judah, which are mentioned by name, that they might know their own, and both keep it and keep to it, and might neither through cowardice nor sloth lose the possession of what was their own.