The Book of Joshua
Joshua 15
Chapter XV · Vol. I, pp. 562–564
1 The borders of the lot of Judah. 13 Caleb's portion and conquest. 16 Othniel, for his valour, hath Achsah, Caleb's daughter, to wife. 18 She obtaineth a blessing of her father. 21 The cities of Judah. 63 The Jebusites not conquered.
1 This then was the alot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; beven to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin, southward, was the uttermost part of the south coast.
2 And their south border was from the shore of cthe salt sea, from the bay1 that looketh southward:
c Ge.14.3. Nu.34.3,12. De.3.17. ch.3.16; ver.5. Eze.47.8,18.
1 Heb. tongue.
3 And it went out to the south side to dMaaleh-acrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto eKadesh-barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa:
4 From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the friver of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at gthe sea. This shall be your south coast.2
f Nu.34.5. ch.12.3. Je.2.18. Ge.15.18. The eastern branch of the Nile.
g ver.12.
2 The south border commenced at the south end of the Dead Sea, ran in a south-western direction along the Arabah to Kadesh-barnea, on the confines of Edom; then turned westward, and ran across the desert of Tih to the 'torrent of Egypt'—Wady el-Arish.—P.
5 And hthe east border was the salt sea, even unto the end of Jordan: and their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea, at the uttermost part of Jordan.
h Nu.34.10,12. Eze.47.18.
6 And the border went up to iBeth-hogla, and passed along by the north of kBeth-arabah; and the border went up to the stone of lBohan the son of Reuben.3
7 And the border went up toward mDebir, from nthe valley of Achor,4 and so northward, looking toward oGilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of pEn-shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at qEn-rogel.5
A.M. 2560. B.C. 1444.
m Not that ch.13.26, nor ver.15.
4 Achor, pain, trouble. Here Achan underwent the terrible punishment of covetousness and disobedience. Yet the valley of Achor is pronounced as 'a door of hope' to Israel, Ho.2.15, and so it is, when trouble has shown to experience the folly and sin of loving the world, the soul is just prepared for cherishing the hope of better things.—C.
o ch.4.19; 5.10; 10.43.
p ch.18.17.
q Fuller's fountain, 1 Ki.1.9. 2 Sa.17.17. Is.7.3.
5 The foot-fountain. From 1 Ki. 1. 9 it appears to have been near Jerusalem, or, according to some, the Fuller's Fountain.—C.
8 And the border went up by the rvalley of the son of Hinnom, unto the south side of thes Jebusite, the same is Jerusalem; and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom6 westward, which is at the end of the valley of the tgiants northward.
r ch.18.16. 2 Ki.23.10. 2 Ch.28.3. Je.7.31-33; 19.11-14.
s ver.63; ch.18.28; 10.1. Ju.19.10; 1.8.
6 A lovely valley to the south-west of Jerusalem, which was deformed by the cruel and abominable worship of Moloch, 2 Ki. 23. 10. Even so is it, that man still continues by sin to deface and deform the fairest of the works of God.—C.
t Or, Rephaim, 2 Sa.5.18,22; 23.13. ch.18.16. 1 Ch.11.15; 14.9,13. Is.17.5.
9 And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah,u and went out to the cities of mount Ephron;x and the border was drawn to yBaalah, which is Kirjath-jearim.
10 And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto zmount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim, (which is Chesalon,) on the north side, and went down to Beth-shemesh,a and passed on to bTimnah.
11 And the border went out unto the side of Ekronc northward; and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to dmount Baalah, and went out unto eJabniel; and the goings out of the border were at fthe sea.
12 And the west border was to the great sea, and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about, according to their families.
13 Andg unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even7 the city of Arba, the father of Anak, which city is hHebron.
14 And iCaleb drove thence the three sons of Anak,8 Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.
i Nu.13.23. Ju.1.10-15. ch.10.36,37; 11.21.
8 See note on ch. 14. 12, from which it will appear that the Anakims were driven out from the city of Hebron, and must therefore have returned to it in the interval since the conquest of Joshua.—Note, This is an apt illustration of the Christian warfare, enemies always returning, and always to be driven valiantly out.—C.
15 And he kwent up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher.
k ch.10.38. Ju.1.11, or Kirjath-sannah, ver.49.
16 And Caleb said, lHe that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I mgive Achsah my daughter to wife.
l Ju.1.12. 1 Co.1.19,25. He.11.26; 12.2.
17 And nOthniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him oAchsah his daughter to wife.
18 And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and pshe lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?
p Ge.24.64. 1 Sa.25.23. Ju.1.14.
19 Who answered, Give me a qblessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.9
q Ge.33.11. 1 Sa.25.18,27. Ju.1.15.
9 Higher and lower ground well watered.—[The country to the south of Hebron, round Debir, is extremely dry. Water can scarcely be procured at any price. There are some small fountains near Hebron, and probably Caleb's daughter asked for these. To a semi-pastoral people land was of little value without an abundant supply of water.—P.]
20 Thisr is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah, according to their families.
r Ge.49.8-12. De.33.7.
21 And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah, toward the coast of Edom, southward,1 were sKabziel, and tEder, and Jagur,
25 And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor,
32 And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and kAin, and lRimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine,3 with their villages:4
k Not ch.19.7. Nu.34.11.
3 The cities enumerated are really thirty-six. To solve the apparent contradiction, some suppose that nine cities, afterwards given to the tribe of Simeon, are omitted; others suppose the twenty-nine to be cities, and the nine villages. Either view may be correct, and either will remove the apparent contradiction, and is greatly to be preferred to the admission of an erroneous reading; unless, which is not the case here, when supported by the best Hebrew MSS.—C.
4 This last enumerates the cities towards the desert.—C.
33 And in the 5valley, mEshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,
5 In the province of the Shephelah, or plain of Philistia.—P.
m ch.19.41. Ju.13.2,25; 16.31; 18.2,11. 2 Ch.11.10.
34 And Zanoah, and nEn-gannim, oTappuah,6 and Enam,
n Not ch.19.21.
o ch.12.17, not ch.16.8; 17.8.
6 Engannim-Tappuah may be one name.—P.
36 And sSharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and7 Gederothaim: fourteen cities with their villages.8
s 1 Sa.17.52.
7 Or, or.
8 There are fifteen names given, but probably some two may describe but one coalesced city. London and Westminster may serve as a modern example. In municipal rights they are two, in commercial nomenclature they are one.—C.
37 Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal-gad,
40 And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish,
41 And Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah, and aMakkedah: sixteen cities with their villages.9
A.M. 2560. B.C. 1444.
a ch.10.21,28; 12.16.
9 The constant repetition of the 'cities and their villages'? indicates some state of political dependence, perhaps not now easily understood.—C.
43 And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib,
47 Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gazai with her towns and her villages, unto the kriver of Egypt,2 and the lgreat sea, and the border thereof.
50 And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim,
51 And pGoshen,3 and qHolon, and rGiloh: eleven cities with their villages.
p ch.10.41; 11.16.
3 Not Goshen in Egypt, but another place of the same name.—C.
q ch.21.15. 1 Ch.6.58.
r 2 Sa.15.12.
52 Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean,
54 And Humtah, and tKirjath-arba, (which is Hebron,) and Zior: nine cities with their villages.
t ch.14.15; 10.3. Ge.23.2.
55 Maon,u Carmel, and xZiph, and Juttah,
u 1 Sa.23.25; 25.2.
x 1 Sa.23.14,15; 26.1,2.
58 Halhul, Beth-zur, and aGedor,
a Perhaps not that 1 Ch.4.39, but 1 Ch.4.4,18.
59 And Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon: six cities with their villages.
60 Kirjath-baal,b (which is Kirjath-jearim,) and cRabbah: two cities with their villages.
b ch.9.17; 18.14. 1 Sa.7.1,2.
c Not that De.3.11.
62 And Nibshan, and the city of Salt,5 and En-gedi:e six cities with their villages.6
5 Salt is in all countries an article of great commercial importance, being both a necessary and a luxury. This city most probably received the name from salt springs in its neighbourhood, from which salt was formed by evaporation in the sun—as is common in many warm countries—or from salt being found in the desert, or in pits in its neighbourhood.—C.
e 1 Sa.23.29. 2 Ch.20.2. Ca.1.14.
6 All these cities are arranged in groups, each group occupying a small province. The 'wilderness' was that section of the mountains of Judah which reached from Jerusalem and Hebron on the one side to the Dead Sea on the other. The 'city of Salt' was probably so called because it stood at or near the range of salt hills at the south western? shore of the Dead Sea.—P.
Notes
[Ver. 1. The lot of the tribe of the children of Judah. This lot to Judah seems disproportionately large, but is a fulfilment of Jacob's prophecy. Two things in it are very remarkable. (1) Two parts of it were subsequently given to Simeon and Dan—a lesson of princely generosity to unprovided brethren. (2) The part next Egypt never was conquered—emblem of the Christian's state. He has an enemy yet to be 'destroyed,' a part of his inheritance yet to be redeemed, 1 Co. 15. 26; Ro. 8. 19, 21, 23. C.]
Ver. 11. [This is one of the most minute and accurate examples of topography in any ancient writing extant. Almost every foot of the boundary line can still be traced. Commencing at the mouth of the Jordan it ran north-west to the site of Jericho; then up the steep pass of Adummim, on the south bank of Wady el-Kelt ('the river,' or rather torrent-bed); then along the highway to Jerusalem past the fountain of Haud (Enshemesh); then over Olivet to En-rogel, along Wady Hinnom, and across the mountain tops to Kirjath-jearim; then down to Bethshemesh, and across the plain to Mount Baalah, which lies between Ekron and Jabniel; and then to the Mediterranean. P.]
Ver. 19. [He gave her the upper springs and the nether springs. This peculiar record seems introduced, (1) To demonstrate the difference between the power that Caleb exercised over his possession, derived from his peculiar right, and how far it surpassed that of other Israelites. They, when there were sons in a family—as there were in Caleb's—had no right to alienate land to a daughter's husband, Nu. 27. 1-11. (2) The narrative seems intended to establish the right of rewarding extraordinary bravery in an extraordinary manner. (3) To instance the duty of parents to provide, according to their best ability, for the children God has given them. C.]
Ver. 21. [Uttermost cities. This list of cities and villages may appear to many very uninteresting, and perhaps useless. It is, however, highly interesting and useful: (1) As an internal evidence of the truth of the narrative; since nothing but truth could have drawn up such a narrative, and then given it interest to be preserved and read. (2) As a legal document to prevent litigation, by definition of property. C.]
Ver. 25. ['Hazor-hadattah, and Kerioth-hezron—it is Hazor.' There are but two cities in this verse. It seems probable also that 'Amam' in ver. 26 ought to be joined to Hazor, making one name. P.]
Ver. 62. [En-gedi. En-gedi, according to Jerome, lay in the desert west of the Dead Sea; and Josephus places it about 33 miles from Jerusalem, so that it must have been situate near the estuary of the Jordan. It does not seem, as is commonly supposed, to be the city of palm-trees mentioned Ju. 3. 13, for in Ca. 1. 14 it is celebrated for its vineyards, a production for which the district is still superior to all the rest of Judea. Had it been also remarkable for palms, such a noble ornament of the landscape is not likely to have been omitted. If it be true, as many travellers affirm, that fish do not live in the Dead Sea, then, according to Eze. 37. 10, En-gedi must have been situate on or near the banks of the Jordan. C.]
Reflections.—It is very necessary to have everything relating to property exactly fixed and distinguished, in order to prevent after-contentions. The Lord greatly delights to honour such as have honoured him in a day of general apostasy; to reward such as have followed him fully; and to assist such as have firmly trusted in him. Happy is that marriage where the union of hearts, the consent of parents, and the blessing of God, remarkably meet. And if children may ask the necessaries or conveniences of life from natural parents in hopes to succeed, with what boldness may we come to God's throne of grace, to ask grace and mercy to help us in a time of need—to ask all the sprital blessings of heaven and earth! Yes, large and delightful is the portion of such as are connected with Christ: and his spiritual brethren are blessed for his sake with the most extensive and everlasting blessings. But let us remember that the larger our mercies are, the more abundant is our work and warfare to improve and defend the same. And have we not reason to lament that our sinful sloth and cowardice should deprive us of part of that which the Lord our God giveth us to possess?