Joshua 16:3

3 and it went down westward to the border of the Yafleti, to the border of Beit-Horon the lower, even to Gezer; and the goings out of it were at the sea.

Joshua 16:3 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 16:3

And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti
This place is now unknown, though no doubt well known to the sons of Joseph, when this lot fell to them, and its border was described:

unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether:
so called to distinguish it from Bethhoron the upper, ( Joshua 16:5 ) ; this was about twelve miles from Jerusalem; (See Gill on Joshua 10:10); and to Gezer: which was about a day's journey from Bethhoron, as appears from the passages in the Apocrypha:

``39 So Nicanor went out of Jerusalem, and pitched his tents in Bethhoron, where an host out of Syria met him. 40 But Judas pitched in Adasa with three thousand men, and there he prayed, saying, ... 45 Then they pursued after them a day's journey, from Adasa unto Gazera, sounding an alarm after them with their trumpets.'' (1 Maccabees 7)

Jerom ^F3 says in his time it was a village called Gazara, four miles from Nicopolis, or Emmaus. It is the same with Gadara, as it is sometimes called by Josephus, who says ^F4, the tribe of Ephraim took in the land from the river Jordan to Gadara; this was a royal city; see ( Joshua 10:33 ) ;

and the outgoings thereof are at the sea:
the Mediterranean sea.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F3 De loc. Heb. fol. 92. A.
F4 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22.

Joshua 16:3 In-Context

1 The lot came out for the children of Yosef from the Yarden at Yericho, at the waters of Yericho on the east, even the wilderness, going up from Yericho through the hill-country to Beit-El;

2 and it went out from Beit-El to Luz, and passed along to the border of the Arki to `Atrot;

3 and it went down westward to the border of the Yafleti, to the border of Beit-Horon the lower, even to Gezer; and the goings out of it were at the sea.

4 The children of Yosef, Menashsheh and Efrayim, took their inheritance.

5 The border of the children of Efrayim according to their families was [thus]: the border of their inheritance eastward was `Atarot-Addar, to Beit-Horon the upper;