Joshua 15:9

9 And the border from the top of the mountain terminates at the fountain of the water of Naphtho, and terminates at mount Ephron; and the border will lead to Baal; this is the city of Jarim.

Joshua 15:9 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 15:9

And the border was drawn from the top of the hill
Mount Moriah, and went round in a circuit, so Jarchi and Kimchi:

unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah;
which lay at the bottom of it; which, according to the Jewish writers, is the same with the fountain of Etam, from whence a stream flowed to the dipping room in the water gate of the temple, where the high priest for the first time dipped himself on the day of atonement ^F16;

and went out to the cities of Mount Ephron;
Jerom ^F17 speaks of an Ephron in the tribe of Judah, which was a very large village in his time, and went by the name of Ephraea, and was twenty miles from Aelia or Jerusalem to the north; and which Eusebius better places eight miles from it; and Jarchi observes, that the line went to the north side, and the border enlarged to this place; near to this mountain were cities, and it is not improbable that one of them might have its name from it; but whether this, or what mountain is here meant, is uncertain: some have thought of Ephraim, with its towns, mentioned in ( 2 Chronicles 13:19 ) ; which seems to have been in the tribe of Ephraim; though Reland ^F18 places it in the tribe of Benjamin:

and the border was drawn to Baalah, which [is] Kirjathjearim;
called Kirjathbaal, or the city of Baal, ( Joshua 15:60 ) ; where it is probable there was a temple of Baal; and when it came into the hands of the Israelites, they changed its name to Kirjathjearim, or the city of the woods, because of the great number of trees which grew about it; for which reason it might have been pitched upon by the Heathens for their idolatrous service; it was one of the cities of the Gibeonites, ( Joshua 9:17 ) ; and, according to Eusebius and Jerom ^F19, it was nine or ten miles from Jerusalem, as you go to Lydda; it is also called Baalah in ( 1 Chronicles 13:6 ) ; and Baale of Judah, ( 2 Samuel 6:2 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 31. 1. & Gloss. in ib. & T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 54. 2. Kimchi in loc.
F17 De loc. Heb. fol. 91. A.
F18 Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 765.
F19 Apud ib. tom. 1. p. 488.

Joshua 15:9 In-Context

7 And the borders continue on to the fourth part of the valley of Achor, and go down to Galgal, which is before the approach of Adammin, which is southward in the valley, and terminate at the water of the fountain of the sun; and their going forth shall be the fountain of Rogel.

8 And the borders go up to the valley of Ennom, behind Jebus southward; this is Jerusalem: and the borders terminate at the top of the mountain, which is before the valley of Ennom toward the sea, which is by the side of the land of Raphain northward.

9 And the border from the top of the mountain terminates at the fountain of the water of Naphtho, and terminates at mount Ephron; and the border will lead to Baal; this is the city of Jarim.

10 And the border will go round from Baal to the sea, and will go on to the mount of Assar behind the city of Jarin northwards; this is Chaslon: and it will come down to the city of Sun, and will go on to the south.

11 And the border terminates behind Accaron northward, and the borders will terminate at Socchoth, and the borders will go on to the south, and will terminate at Lebna, and the issue of the borders will be at the sea; and their borders toward the sea, the great sea shall be the boundary.