Joshua15chapter 15

Joshua 15:14

“These giants having either recovered their cities, or defended themselves in the mountains. Three sons of Anak - Either the same who are mentioned, Num. xiii, 33, and so they were long-lived men, such as mainly were in those times and places: or their sons, called by their father's names, which is very usual.”

Joshua 15:15

“The name Debir belonged to two other places; namely,, that named in Jos 15:7, between Jerusalem and Jericho, and the Gadite town mentioned in Jos 13:26. The Debir here meant appears (and its site has been conjecturally placed at Dhaheriyeh (Conder)) to have been situated in the mountain district south of Hebron. It was one of the towns afterward assigned to the Levites.”

Joshua 15:15

“Debir--"oracle." Its former name, Kirjath-sepher, signifies "city of the book," being probably a place where public registers were kept. OTHNIEL, FOR HIS VALOR, HAS ACHSAH TO WIFE.”

Joshua 15:16

“Will I give Achsah my daughter - In ancient times fathers assumed an absolute right over their children, especially in disposing of them in marriage; and it was customary for a king or great man to promise his daughter in marriage to him who should take a city, kill an enemy, etc. So Saul promised his daughter in marriage to him who should kill Goliath, 1Sa 17:25; and Caleb offers his on this occasion to him who should take Kirjath-sepher. Profane writers furnish many similar examples.”

Joshua 15:17

“And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it,.... The relation of Othniel to Caleb is a little intricate, and, as it is understood, occasions objections to the marriage of Caleb's daughter to him; it seems, at first sight, that he was Caleb's own brother, a younger brother, and so uncle to his daughter, and such marriages were forbidden, Lev 18:”

Joshua 15:17

“Othniel was probably Caleb’s younger brother; the expression “son of Kenaz” being only an equivalent for the “Kenezite” Jos 14:6.”

Joshua 15:18

“As she came - As she was now departing from the house of her father to go to that of her husband. She moved him - Othniel, to ask of her father a field, one on which she had set her heart, as contiguous to the patrimony already granted. She lighted off her ass - ותצנח vattitsnach, she hastily, suddenly alighted, as if she had forgotten something, or was about to return to her father’s house. Which being perceived by her father, he said, What wouldest thou? What is the matter? What dost thou want?”

Joshua 15:19

“A south land - This term (“negeb”) which is often equivalent to a proper name Jos 15:21, importing the well-defined district which formed the south of the promised land (Num 13:17 note), seems here used in its more general sense Psa 126:4, for a dry or barren land. The rendering of this passage adopted by Septuagint, several versions, and Commentators, etc., “thou hast given me into a south land,” i. e. “hast given me in marriage into a south land” is forced; the construction of the verb “to give,” with two accusatives, is natural and common to many languages.”

Joshua 15:19

“A blessing - That is, a gift, as that word signifies, Gen. xxxiii, 11. A south land - That is, a dry land, much exposed to the south wind, which in those parts was very hot and drying, as coming from the deserts of Arabia.”

Joshua 15:21

“List of the towns of the tribe of Judah. These are arranged in four divisions, according to the natural features of the district; namely,, those of the Negeb or south country Jos 15:21-32; of “the valley,” or “the plain” (“Shephelah”, Jos 15:33-47); of “the mountains” Jos 15:48-60; and of “the wilderness” Jos 15:61-62. Many of the identifications are still conjectural only. Jos 15:21-32. The Negeb was for the most part rocky and arid, and cannot have been at any time very thickly populated.”

Joshua 15:22

“And Kinah,.... Of this city we read of nowhere else: and Dimonah; the second city is thought to be the same with Dibon, Neh 11:25; and Jerom (b) observes, that a place elsewhere was indifferently called in his time Dibon and Dimon; and Adadah; the last of these cities is nowhere met with. (b) Comment. in Esaiam, c. 15. 9.”

Joshua 15:23

“And Kedesh,.... The first of these cities seems to be Kadeshbarnea, which was to the south of the land, and on the borders of Edom, from whence the spies were sent, Num 32:8, and Hazor is another city from that which is mentioned, Jos 11:1; and was in the tribe of Naphtali: and Ithnan, which Jerom (c) calls Jedna, was, according to him, six miles from Eleutheropolis, as you go to Hebron; the Greek version joins this and the former city together, and makes them one. (c) De loc. Heb. fol. 92. H.”

Joshua 15:24

“Ziph,.... Ziph was of the tribe of Judah in the south, on the borders of Eleutheropolis, as Jerom says (d) and was eight miles from Hebron to the east; and in his time a village was shown, where David was hid; but that Ziph seems to be in another part of this tribe near Carmel, and from whence a wilderness had its name; see Jos 15:55, and Telem is supposed to be the same with Telaim, 1Sa 15:4, and Bealoth; of this city we read nowhere else. (d) De loc. Heb. fol. 95. G.”

Joshua 15:26

“Amam,.... Of Amam we read nowhere else: and Shema is thought by some to be the same with Sheba, though wrongly, given afterwards to the tribe of Simeon, as was also Moladah, mentioned with it, Jos 19:2, and Moladah; it is also spoken of in 1Ch 4:28, and seems to be the same with Malathi or Malatis, about twenty miles from Hebron (f). (f) Vid. Reland. Palest. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 885, 886.”

Joshua 15:27

“And Hazargaddah,.... The first of these, it is probable, is the same, Jerom (g) calls Gadda, in the tribe of Judah, which was in his day a village in the extreme borders of Daroma to the east, hanging over the dead sea: and Heshmon is met with nowhere else: and Bethpalet is in Neh 11:26, where it is called Bethphelet. (g) Ut supra, (De loc. Heb.) fol. 92. B.”

Joshua 15:28

“Beer-sheba - A city, famous in the book of Genesis as the residence of the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, Gen 22:19; Gen 28:10; Gen 46:1. See the note on Gen 21:31. It lay on the way between Canaan and Egypt, about forty miles from Jerusalem.”

Joshua 15:29

“Baalah,.... Baalah was given to the tribe of Simeon, Jos 19:3; for Baalah is the same with Balah there, as it is with Bilba, 1Ch 4:29; though according to the Jerusalem Talmud (i) it is the same with Baalah, given to the tribe of Dan, Jos 19:44; and was one of those places whose houses were in Judah and their fields in Dan: and Azem was also given to the tribe of Simeon, Jos 19:3; it is the same with Ezem, 1Ch 4:29, and Iim, of which we read nowhere else. (i) Hieros. Sanhedrin, fol. 18. 3.”

Joshua 15:30

“And Eltolad,.... The first of these cities is called Tolad, 1Ch 4:29, and Chesil seems to be the same with Bethul and Bethuel, Jos 19:4 1Ch 4:30; and here the Greek version calls it Baithel: and Hormah is the same with Zephath, Jdg 1:17. All these three cities were given to the tribe of Simeon, Jos 19:4.”

Joshua 15:31

“And Ziklag,.... Ziklag was also given to the tribe of Simeon, Jos 19:5, it was in the bands of the king of Gath, in the times of David, who gave it to him; it bordered on the Amalekites, and is placed by Jerom (c) in Daroma, on the south of the lot of Judah or Simeon. and Madmannah, according to the same writer (d), was in his time called Menois, a town near the city Gaza: and Sansannah, of which no mention is made elsewhere. (c) De loc. Heb. fol. 94. I. (d) Ibid. fol. 93. E.”

Joshua 15:31

“Ziklag - The Philistines seem to have kept possession of this city till the time of David, who received it from Achish, king of Gath, 1Sa 27:6; after which time it remained in the possession of the kings of Judah.”

Joshua 15:32

“And Lebaoth,.... Whether Lebaoth is the same with Bethlebaoth, given to the tribe of Simeon, Jos 19:6; is not certain: and Shilhim is nowhere else spoken of: and Ain seems to be the same with that in Num 34:11; also See Gill on Num 34:11. and Rimmon, the place Jerom (e) calls Eremmon, which he says was a large village of the Jews, sixteen miles from Eleutheropolis to the south, in Daroma; this and the preceding are joined together as one, and called Enrimmon, Neh 11:”

Joshua 15:32

“All the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages - But on a careful examination we shall find thirty-eight; but it is supposed that nine of these are excepted; viz., Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual, Baalah, Azem, Hormah, Ziklag, Ain, and Rimmon, which were afterwards given to the tribe of Simeon. This may appear satisfactory, but perhaps the truth will be found to be this: Several cities in the promised land are expressed by compound terms; not knowing the places, different translations combine what should be separated, and in many cases separate what should be combined.”

Joshua 15:33

“Eshtaol, and Zoreah - Here Samson was buried, it being the burial-place of his fathers; see Jdg 16:31. These places though first given to Judah, afterwards fell to the lot of Dan, Jos 19:41.”

Joshua 15:34

“And Zanoah,.... The first of these, Jerom says (i), is in the borders of Eleutheropolis, as you go to Aelia (or Jerusalem); there is at this day a village called Zanua: and Engannim, which signifies a fountain of gardens, is now (according to the same writer (k)) a village near Bethel: and Tappuah was a royal city, of which see Jos 12:”

Joshua 15:35

“Jarmuth - See the note on Jos 10:3. Adullam - See the note on Jos 12:15. Socoh - It was near this place that David fought with and slew Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, 1Sa 17:1.”

Joshua 15:36

“And Sharaim,.... Sharaim seems to be the Saara of Jerom, which he describes as a village on the borders of Eleutheropolis, to the north as you go to Nicopolis (or Emmaus), about ten miles from it in the tribe of Dan or Judah (o); there was a place called Bethshaaraim, where the sanhedrim sometimes sat (p), and where R. Judah was buried (q).”

Joshua 15:36

“Gederah - See the note on Jos 12:13. Fourteen cities - Well reckoned, we shall find fifteen cities here; but probably Gederah and Gederothaim (Jos 15:36) are the same. See the note on Jos 15:32.”

Joshua 15:38

“And Dilean,.... Of the first of these nothing is to be said: and Mizpeh, of which name there were cities in other tribes; this in the tribe of Judah was in the times of Jerom (w) called Mapha, on the borders of Eleutheropolis to the south, as you go to Aelia, or Jerusalem: and Joktheel, of which nothing is to be said. (w) De loc. Heb. fol. 93. D.”

Joshua 15:39

“Lachish,.... Lachish and Eglon were royal cities, of which see Jos 10:3, and Bozkath, is called Boscath, of which place was the mother of King Josiah, 2Ki 21:1; some take it to be the same with Bascana, as in the Apocrypha:"And when he came near to Bascama he slew Jonathan, who was buried there.'' (1 Maccabees 13:23) and Eglon also was a royal city, of which see Jos 10:3.”

Joshua 15:41

“Beth-dagon - The house or temple of Dagon. This is a well known idol of the Philistines, and probably the place mentioned here was in some part of their territories; but the situation at present is unknown.”

Joshua 15:43

“And Jiphtah,.... Jiphtah is nowhere else mentioned: and Ashnah; there was another Ashnah of this tribe, and which was in the vale also, met with already in Jos 15:33, and Nezib was in Jerom's (a) times called Nasib, seven miles from Eleutheropolis, as you go to Hebron. (a) De loc. Heb. fol. 93. I.”

Joshua 15:44

“Keilah - This town was near Hebron, and is said to have been the burying-place of the prophet Habakkuk. David obliged the Philistines to raise the siege of it; (see 1Sa 23:1-13); but finding that its inhabitants had purposed to deliver him into the hands of Saul, who was coming in pursuit of him, he made his escape. See this remarkable case explained in the note on Deu 32:15 (note). Mareshah - Called also Maresheth and Marasthi; it was the birth-place of the prophet Micah.”

Joshua 15:45

“Ekron, with her towns and her villages. One of the five principalities of the Philistines, which with two more next mentioned, though they fell to the lot of the tribe of Judah, were never possessed by them; for which reason perhaps Gath and Ascalon are not mentioned, and these are put for the rest; see Jos 13:3.”

Joshua 15:46

“From Ekron even unto the sea,.... The Mediterranean sea, or the west, as the Targum: all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages; this is the Azotus of the New Testament, Act 8:40, another of the principalities of the Philistines, of which and Ekron See Gill on Amo 1:8 and See Gill on Zep 2:4.”

Joshua 15:49

“And Dannah,.... Dannah is not mentioned elsewhere: and Kirjathsannah, which is Debir; Kirjathsannah had three names, this and Debir, and Kirjathsepher; See Gill on Jos 15:15; all which are of much the same signification; for "Sanna" with the Arabs (f), and so with the Phoenicians, signifies law, doctrine, and manner of life; and with the Mahometans the secondary law to the Koran, and answers to the Jewish Misnah; and the Greek version interprets this name "the city of letters". Jerom (g) calls it Daenna, and seems to confound it with Dannah. (f) "mos vivendi, lex", Golius, col. 1221. Castell. col.”

Joshua 15:50

“And Anab,.... Of Anab; see Gill on Jos 11:21, and Eshtemoh Jerom calls (h) Astemech, a village in the tribe of Judah, and belongs to the Jews in Daroma, and is to the north of a place called Anem, perhaps the same with Anim here; and Anim Jerom says is the village Anea, near another of the same name; which he places to the south of Hebron, as he does this to the east, the inhabitants of which in his time were all Christians. (h) De loc. Heb. fol. 88. G.”

Joshua 15:51

“And Goshen,.... Of Goshen in the land of Canaan; see Gill on Jos 10:41, and Holon, of which there is no other mention: and Giloh was the city of Ahitophel, 2Sa 15:12, eleven cities with their villages; the number agrees; this is the first division of cities in the mountains; a second follows.”

Joshua 15:52

“Arab,.... Arab is the same Jerom (i) calls Ereb, and was in his time a village in the south, and was called Heromith: and Dumah; Duma, Jerom says (k), was a large village in the south, also on the borders of Eleutheropolis, seventeen miles from it: and Eshean, of which we have no account. (i) De loc. Heb. fol. 91. B. (k) Ibid. fol. 90. K.”

Joshua 15:53

“Beth-tappuah - The house of the apple or citron tree. Probably a place where these grew in great abundance and perfection. Aphekah - See the note on Jos 12:18.”

Joshua 15:55

“Maon - In a desert to which this town gave name, David took refuge for a considerable time from the persecution of Saul; and in this place Nabal the Carmelite had great possessions. See 1Sa 23:24, 1Sa 23:25; 1Sa 25:2. Carmel - Not the celebrated mount of that name, but a village, the residence of Nabal. See 1Sa 25:2. It was near Maon, mentioned above, and was about ten miles eastward of Hebron. It is the place where Saul erected a trophy to himself after the defeat of the Amalekites; see 1Sa 15:12. Ziph - See on Jos 15:24 (note).”

Joshua 15:56

“And Jezreel,.... This Jezreel in the tribe of Judah is different from that which was once a royal seat of some of the kings of Israel, and from whence the famous valley of Jezreel or Esdraelon had its name: of this we have no other account elsewhere: and Jokdeam; of which we have no other mention: and Zanoah is a distinct place from the city of the same name in the valley, Jos 15:34.”

Joshua 15:57

“Cain,.... Cain, or Hakain, "that Cain", we nowhere else read of; whether the name was given it by the old Canaanites, in memory of Cain, the son of Adam, is not certain: Gibeah; there were other places that went by the name of Gibeah; there was a Gibeah in Benjamin, Jdg 20:4, and another in the same tribe called Gibeah of Saul, 1Sa 11:4, to distinguish it from that; but this was in the tribe of Judah. Masius conjectures it is the same with that in 1Sa 23:19 which was near Ziph; and not amiss.”

Joshua 15:58

“Gedor - See the note on Jos 12:13. In this place the Alexandrian MS. of the Septuagint and the Codex Vaticanus add the eleven following towns: Theca, and Ephratha, (that is, Bethlehem), and Phagor, and Etan, and Kulon, and Tatam, and Thebes, and Karam, and Galam, and Thether, and Manocho; eleven cities and their villages. St. Jerome, on Mic 5:1, mentions them, so that we find they were in the copies he used.”

Joshua 15:60

“But that city, which at the best was but little among the thousands of Judah ( Mic. v. 2 ), except that it was thus dignified, was now so little as not to be accounted one of the cities, but perhaps was one of the villages not named. Christ came to give honour to the places he was related to, not to receive honour from them.”

Joshua 15:61

“In the wilderness,.... The wilderness of Judea, which was not a desert and uninhabited but had many cities and villages in it, those that follow: Betharabah; the first of these seems to be in the borders of Judah and Benjamin, and so is ascribed to both; see Jos 15:6, Middin, and Secacah; of the two last we read nowhere else, only in Jdg 5:10; what we translate "ye that sit in judgment", Kimchi interprets, "ye that dwell by Middin", and says it is the name of a place in Joshua, and mentions this passage.”

Joshua 15:62

“The city of Salt - Or of Melach. This city was somewhere in the vicinity of the lake Asphaltites, the waters of which are the saltest perhaps in the world. The whole country abounds with salt: see the note on Gen 19:25. Some suppose that it is the same as Zoar, the place to which Lot escaped after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. En-gedi - The well of the kid: it was situated between Jericho and the lake of Sodom or Dead Sea.”

Joshua 15:63

“The Jebusites dwell - at Jerusalem unto this day - The whole history of Jerusalem, previously to the time of David, is encumbered with many difficulties. Sometimes it is attributed to Judah, sometimes to Benjamin, and it is probable that, being on the frontiers of both those tribes, each possessed a part of it.”

Joshua 15:63

“Could not drive them out - Namely, because of their unbelief, as Christ could do no mighty work, because of the peoples unbelief, Mark vi, 5, 6 Matt. xiii, 58, and because of their sloth, and cowardice, and wickedness, whereby they forfeited God's help. The children of Judah - The same things which are here said of the children of Judah, are said of the Benjamites, Judg. i, 21.”