Joshua 19:29

29 then the border turns [to] Ramah, and up to the fortified city of Tyre, [where] the border turns [to] Hosah; {it ends} at the sea, from Hebel to Aczib.

Joshua 19:29 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 19:29

And [then] the coast turneth to Ramah
Which was a city in the tribe of Naphtali, ( Joshua 19:36 ) ; and on the borders of Asher; though Jerom ^F25 distinguishes them, and speaks of a Ramah in Asher, and another in Naphtali, as different cities of the same name; as there were several of this name, so called from their being built on an eminence. Masius conjectures it is the same with Sarepta, ( Luke 4:26 ) ; famous for its wine; and Bacchus, as the poet says, loves the hills:

and to the strong city Tyre;
it is thought this is not to be understood of the famous city, so much spoken of in other parts of Scripture, and in profane history; since, as it is observed, that is not mentioned in Scripture until the times of David; and though Homer makes frequent mention of Sidon, yet never of Tyre. The words signify the strong fortress of a rock, or a fortress on a high rock; so Kimchi and Ben Melech; and it might be a fortified city, which being built on a rock, might have the name of Zor or Tyre, and not be the famous city of that name. Jerom ^F26 renders it the fortified city of the Assyrians:

and the coast turneth to Hosah;
of which we nowhere else read:

and the outgoings thereof are at the sea;
the Mediterranean sea; where the coast ended this way:

from the coast to Achzib;
this Jerom ^F1 says is Ecdippa, nine miles from Ptolemais, as you go to Tyre; and this is confirmed by a learned traveller of our own nation ^F2; it is now called Zib; (See Gill on Micah 1:14).

---

FOOTNOTES:

F25 De loc. Heb. fol. 94. B.
F26 De loc. Heb. fol. 94. B.
F1 Ibid. fol. 88. I.
F2 Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo p. 53.

Joshua 19:29 In-Context

27 Then it turns {eastward} to Beth-dagon and touches Zebulun and the valley of Yiptah-El to the north to Beth Emeck and Neiel; it continues to Cabul from [the] north,

28 and Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah up to Great Sidon;

29 then the border turns [to] Ramah, and up to the fortified city of Tyre, [where] the border turns [to] Hosah; {it ends} at the sea, from Hebel to Aczib.

30 [Included were] Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob; twenty-two cities and their villages.

31 This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Asher according to their families, these cities and their villages.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "the goings out of it were"