Joshua 15:1

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}.

Joshua 15:1 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 15:1

This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by
their families
The land of Canaan was divided by lot to the several tribes, and the tribe of Judah had its lot first; of the manner of casting lots, (See Gill on Numbers 26:55); It seems as if the lot was first cast for the tribes of Judah and Joseph, when the former had the southern, and the latter the northern part of the land for their portion, which was done in Gilgal; after this lots were cast in Shiloh for the other seven tribes, who had the land divided among them, which lay between Judah and Joseph, or between the southern and northern parts of the land, see ( Joshua 18:1 ) and it seems that not only the land was divided to the tribes by lot, but that the portion of land which belonged to each tribe was divided in the same way to the several families and households belonging thereunto; as is here suggested, with respect to the tribe of Judah, whose lot reached

[even] to the border of Edom;
or Idumea, which lay to the south of the land of Canaan:

the wilderness of Zin southward [was] the uttermost part of the south
coast;
the same with Kadesh, and lay upon the borders of Edom; see ( Numbers 33:36 ) ( 34:3 ) .

Joshua 15:1 In-Context

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;

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "sons"
• [b]. Literally "to the south at the end of south"