Joshua 19:6

6 And Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen; thirteen towns with their unwalled places;

Joshua 19:6 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 19:6

And Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen
Whether the first is the same with Lebaoth, a city of Judah, ( Joshua 15:32 ) ; and with the Bethleptepha of Josephus ^F2, and the Betholene of Pliny ^F3, is not certain: in this place secret to have been an idol temple of the Canaanites, dedicated to lions, as in Egypt there was a city called Leontopolis, from whence was the Leontopolitan nome, the inhabitants of which worshipped lions ^F4; and the Egyptians had temples dedicated to them, as Aelianus ^F5 relates. Both these places are thought to be the same with Bethbirei and Shaaraim in ( 1 Chronicles 4:31 ) ; of the latter of which see ( Joshua 15:36 ) . Those who take Sheba, ( Joshua 19:2 ) , to be the same with Shema, ( Joshua 15:26 ) , make but one city here, and take away the last, as the Greek version does, and render the word "and their fields", and so the number still is as follows:

thirteen cities and their villages;
the sum total of those enumerated above.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 De Jud. Bell. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 1.
F3 Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 14.
F4 Strabo. Geograph. l. 17. p. 559.
F5 De Animal. l. 12. c. 7.

Joshua 19:6 In-Context

4 And Eltolad and Bethul and Hormah

5 And Ziklag and Beth-marcaboth and Hazar-susah

6 And Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen; thirteen towns with their unwalled places;

7 Ain, Rimmon, and Ether and Ashan; four towns with their unwalled places;

8 And all the unwalled places round about these towns as far as Baalath-beer-ramah to the south. This is the heritage of the tribe of Simeon by their families.