Joshua 15

The Allotment of Judah

1 The allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah according to their families reached to the border of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin, {to the far south}.
2 Their southern border was from the end of the Salt Sea, from the bay facing southward;
3 it continues to [the] south to the ascent of Akrabbim, passes [along] to Zin, it goes up south of Kadesh Barnea, passes [along] Hezron, goes up to Addar, and makes a turn to Karka;
4 {it passes on} to Azmon, continues by the wadi of Egypt, and {it ends} at the sea. This will be your southern border.
5 [The] eastern border [is] the Salt Sea up to the mouth of the Jordan. [The] border on [the] northern side [runs] from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan;
6 the border goes up to Beth-hoglah and passes [along] north of Beth Arabah; and the border goes up the stone of Bohan son of Reuben;
7 and the border goes up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and to the north, turning to Gilgal, which [is] opposite the ascent of Adummim, which [is] south of the wadi; and the border passes on to the waters of En Shemesh, and it ends at En Rogel.
8 Then the border goes up [by] the Valley of Ben Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites from [the] south (that [is], Jerusalem); and the border goes up to the top of the mountain that [lies] opposite the valley of Hinnom to the west, which is at the end of the valley of Rephaim to the north;
9 then the border turns from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and continues from there to the cities of Mount Ephron; the border [then] turns [to] Baalah (that [is], Kiriath Jearim);
10 and the border goes around from Baalah to the west, to Mount Seir, and passes on to the slope of Mount Jearim from the north (that [is], Kesalon), and goes down [to] Beth Shemesh, and passes [along by] Timnah.
11 The border continues to the slope of Ekron to the north, [then] bends around to Shikkeron, it passes [on] to Mount Baalah and continues [to] Jabneel; and {the border ends} at the sea.
12 And [the] western border [is] to the Great Sea and its coast. This [is] the border surrounding the descendants of Judah according to their families.
13 {According to the commandment of Yahweh to Joshua}, he gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a plot of ground among the descendants of Judah, Kiriath Arba, which [is] Hebron ([Arba] was Anak's father).
14 Caleb drove out from there three of Anak's sons, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak.
15 And from there he went up against the inhabitants of Debir (the former name of Debir [was] Kiriath Sepher).
16 And Caleb said, "Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it, I will give to him my daughter Acsah as a wife."
17 Othniel son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it, and he gave to him Acsah his daughter as a wife.
18 When she came [to him] she urged him to ask her father for a field. So she dismounted from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, "{What do you want}?"
19 And she said to him, "Give to me a gift; you have given me the land of the Negev, and you must give to me a spring of water." And he gave to her the upper and lower spring.

The Cities of Judah

20 This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Judah according to their families:
21 the cities belonging to the tribe of the descendants of Judah to the far south, to [the] border of Edom to the south, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,
23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,
24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that [is], Hazor),
26 Amam, Shema, Moladah,
27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet,
28 Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,
29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah,
31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon; [in] all, twenty-nine cities and their villages.
33 In the Shephelah: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam,
35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities and their villages.
37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad,
38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel,
39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
40 Cabbon, Lahma, Kitlish,
41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities and their villages.
42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
43 Jephthah, Ashnah, Nezib,
44 Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah; nine cities and their villages.
45 Ekron, its towns and villages;
46 from Ekron to the sea, and all that {were near} Ashdod and their villages.
47 Ashdod, its towns and villages; Gaza, its towns and villages, up to the wadi of Egypt and the Great Sea and its coast.
48 And in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
49 Dannah, Kiriath Sanna (that [is], Debir),
50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,
51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities and their villages.
52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan,
53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,
54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that [is], Hebron), and Zior; nine cities and their villages.
55 Moan, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,
57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities and their villages.
58 Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,
59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon; six cities and their villages.
60 Kiriath Baal (that [is], Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah; two cities and their villages.
61 In the wilderness: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah,
62 Nibshan, the city of Salt, and En Gedi; six cities and their villages.
63 But the descendants of Judah were unable to drive out the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live with the descendants of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.

Joshua 15 Commentary

Chapter 15

The borders of the lot of Judah. (1-12) Caleb's portion, His daughter's blessing. (13-19) The cities of Judah. (20-63)

Verses 1-12 Joshua allotted to Judah, Ephraim, and the half of Manasseh, their inheritances before they left Gilgal. Afterwards removing to Shiloh, another survey was made, and the other tribes had their portion assigned. In due time all God's people are settled.

Verses 13-19 Achsah obtained some land by Caleb's free grant. He gave her a south land. Land indeed, but a south land, dry and apt to be parched. She obtained more, on her request, and he gave the upper and the nether springs. Those who understand it but of one field, watered both with the rain of heaven, and the springs that issued out of the earth, countenance the allusion commonly made to this, when we pray for spiritual and heavenly blessings which relate to our souls, as blessings of the upper springs, and those which relate to the body and the life that now is, as blessings of the nether springs. All the blessings, both of the upper and the nether springs, belong to the children of God. As related to Christ, they have them freely given of the Father, for the lot of their inheritance.

Verses 20-63 Here is a list of the cities of Judah. But we do not here find Bethlehem, afterwards the city of David, and ennobled by the birth of our Lord Jesus in it. That city, which, at the best, was but little among the thousands of Judah, ( Micah 5:2 ) , except that it was thus honoured, was now so little as not to be accounted one of the cities.

Footnotes 36

  • [a]. Or "sons"
  • [b]. Literally "to the south at the end of south"
  • [c]. That is, the Dead Sea
  • [d]. Hebrew "goes out"
  • [e]. Literally "it was to"
  • [f]. Hebrew "goes out"
  • [g]. Literally "the goings out of the border were"
  • [h]. That is, the Dead Sea
  • [i]. Or "end"
  • [j]. Or "end"
  • [k]. A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
  • [l]. Or "valley of the son of Hinnom"
  • [m]. Hebrew "Jebusite"
  • [n]. Hebrew "goes out"
  • [o]. "Hebrew "goes out"
  • [p]. Literally "the goings out of the border were"
  • [q]. That is, the Mediterranean
  • [r]. Or "sons"
  • [s]. Literally "according to the mouth of Yahweh to Joshua"
  • [t]. Or "sons"
  • [u]. Or "the city of Arba"
  • [v]. Or "children"
  • [w]. Literally "What [is] for you?"
  • [x]. Or "blessing"
  • [y]. An arid region south of the Judaean hills
  • [z]. Joshua 15:13-19 is almost identical to Judges 1:11-15
  • [aa]. Or "sons"
  • [ab]. Or "sons"
  • [ac]. Or "lowlands"; a geographical region on the western edge of the hills of Judea
  • [ad]. Literally "[were] on the hand of"
  • [ae]. A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
  • [af]. That is, the Mediterranean
  • [ag]. Literally "border"
  • [ah]. Or "the city of Arba"
  • [ai]. Or "sons"
  • [aj]. Or "sons"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 15

In this chapter are related the boundaries of the lot of the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:1-12; and the assignment of Hebron to Caleb, from whence he drove out the giants, and of Debir, which was taken by Othniel his brother, to whom, on that account, he gave his daughter in marriage, who made a further request to her father, which was granted, Jos 15:13-19; and then follows an account of the several cities by name, which fell to the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:20-63.

Joshua 15 Commentaries

Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.