Joshua 15

Territory of Judah

1 Now ¹the lot for the tribe of the sons of Judah according to their families reached the ²border of Edom, southward to the ³wilderness of Zin at the extreme south.

2 Their south border was from the lower end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that turns to the south.

3 Then it proceeded southward to the ascent of Akrabbim and continued to Zin, then went up by the south of Kadesh-barnea and continued to Hezron, and went up to Addar and turned about to Karka.

4 It ⁴continued to Azmon and proceeded to the ⁵brook of Egypt, and the border ended * at the sea. This shall be your south border.

5 The ⁶east border was the Salt Sea, as far as the mouth of the Jordan. And the ⁷border of the north side was from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan.

6 Then the border went up to Beth-hoglah, and continued on the north of Beth-arabah, and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.

7 The border went up to Debir from ⁸the valley of Achor, and turned northward toward Gilgal which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south of the valley; and the border continued to the waters of En-shemesh and it ended * at En-rogel.

8 Then the border went up the valley of Ben-hinnom * to the slope of the ⁹Jebusite on the south (that is, Jerusalem ); and the border went up to the top of the mountain which is before * the valley of Hinnom to the west, which is at the end of the valley of Rephaim toward the north.

9 From the top of the mountain the border curved to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah and proceeded to the cities of Mount Ephron, then the border curved to ¹⁰Baalah (that is, ¹¹Kiriath-jearim ).

10 The border turned about from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and continued to the slope of Mount Jearim on the north (that is, Chesalon ), and went down to Beth-shemesh and continued through ¹²Timnah.

11 The border proceeded to the side of Ekron northward. Then the border curved to Shikkeron and continued to Mount Baalah and proceeded to Jabneel, and the border ended * at the sea.

12 The west border was ¹³at the Great Sea, even its coastline. This is the border around the sons of Judah according to their families.

13 Now ¹⁴he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion ¹⁵among the sons of Judah, according to the command of the LORD to Joshua, namely, Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron ).

14 ¹⁶Caleb drove out from there the three ¹⁷sons of Anak: Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak.

15 Then ¹⁸he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir; now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher.

16 And Caleb said, "The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter as a wife."

17 ¹⁹Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it; so he gave him Achsah his daughter as a wife.

18 ²⁰It came about that when she came to him, she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. So she alighted from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What do you want?"

19 Then she said, "Give me a blessing; since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also springs of water." So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah according to their families.

21 Now the cities at the extremity of the tribe of the sons of Judah toward the border of Edom in the south were Kabzeel and ²¹Eder and Jagur,

22 and Kinah and Dimonah and Adadah,

23 and Kedesh and Hazor and Ithnan,

24 Ziph and Telem and Bealoth,

25 and Hazor-hadattah and Kerioth-hezron * (that is, Hazor ),

26 Amam and Shema and Moladah,

27 and Hazar-gaddah and Heshmon and Beth-pelet,

28 and Hazar-shual and ²²Beersheba and Biziothiah,

29 Baalah and Iim and Ezem,

30 and Eltolad and Chesil and Hormah,

31 and ²³Ziklag and Madmannah and Sansannah,

32 and Lebaoth and Shilhim and Ain and Rimmon; in all, twenty-nine * cities with their villages.

33 In the lowland: ²⁴Eshtaol and Zorah and Ashnah,

34 and Zanoah and En-gannim, Tappuah and Enam,

35 Jarmuth and ²⁵Adullam, Socoh and Azekah,

36 and Shaaraim and Adithaim and Gederah and Gederothaim; fourteen * cities with their villages.

37 Zenan and Hadashah and Migdal-gad,

38 and Dilean and Mizpeh and Joktheel,

39 ²⁶Lachish and Bozkath and Eglon,

40 and Cabbon and Lahmas and Chitlish,

41 and Gederoth, Beth-dagon and Naamah and Makkedah; sixteen * cities with their villages.

42 Libnah and Ether and Ashan,

43 and Iphtah and Ashnah and Nezib,

44 and Keilah and Achzib and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.

45 Ekron, with its towns and its villages;

46 from Ekron even to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages.

47 Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; as far as ²⁷the brook of Egypt and the Great Sea, even its coastline.

48 In the hill country: Shamir and Jattir and Socoh,

49 and Dannah and Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir ),

50 and Anab and Eshtemoh and Anim,

51 and Goshen and Holon and Giloh; eleven * cities with their villages.

52 Arab and Dumah and Eshan,

53 and Janum and Beth-tappuah and Aphekah,

54 and Humtah and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron ), and Zior; nine cities with their villages.

55 Maon, Carmel and Ziph and Juttah,

56 and Jezreel and Jokdeam and Zanoah,

57 Kain, Gibeah and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.

58 Halhul, Beth-zur and Gedor,

59 and Maarath and Beth-anoth and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

60 Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim ), and Rabbah; two cities with their villages.

61 In the wilderness: Beth-arabah, Middin and Secacah,

62 and Nibshan and the City of Salt and Engedi; six cities with their villages.

63 Now as for the ²⁸Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not drive them out; so the Jebusites live with the sons of Judah at Jerusalem until this day.

Joshua 15 Commentary

Chapter 15

The borders of the lot of Judah. (1-12) Caleb's portion, His daughter's blessing. (13-19) The cities of Judah. (20-63)

Verses 1-12 Joshua allotted to Judah, Ephraim, and the half of Manasseh, their inheritances before they left Gilgal. Afterwards removing to Shiloh, another survey was made, and the other tribes had their portion assigned. In due time all God's people are settled.

Verses 13-19 Achsah obtained some land by Caleb's free grant. He gave her a south land. Land indeed, but a south land, dry and apt to be parched. She obtained more, on her request, and he gave the upper and the nether springs. Those who understand it but of one field, watered both with the rain of heaven, and the springs that issued out of the earth, countenance the allusion commonly made to this, when we pray for spiritual and heavenly blessings which relate to our souls, as blessings of the upper springs, and those which relate to the body and the life that now is, as blessings of the nether springs. All the blessings, both of the upper and the nether springs, belong to the children of God. As related to Christ, they have them freely given of the Father, for the lot of their inheritance.

Verses 20-63 Here is a list of the cities of Judah. But we do not here find Bethlehem, afterwards the city of David, and ennobled by the birth of our Lord Jesus in it. That city, which, at the best, was but little among the thousands of Judah, ( Micah 5:2 ) , except that it was thus honoured, was now so little as not to be accounted one of the cities.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 34:3, 4
• 2. Numbers 20:16
• 3. Deuteronomy 32:51
• 4. Numbers 34:5
• 5. Genesis 15:18; 1 Kings 8:65
• 6. Num 34:3, 10-12
• 7. Joshua 18:15-19
• 8. Joshua 7:24
• 9. Joshua 15:63
• 10. 1 Chronicles 13:6
• 11. Judges 18:12
• 12. Genesis 38:13; Judges 14:1
• 13. Numbers 34:6
• 14. Joshua 14:13-15
• 15. Numbers 13:6
• 16. Joshua 11:21, 22
• 17. Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 9:2
• 18. Joshua 10:38
• 19. Judges 1:13; Judges 3:9
• 20. Judges 1:14
• 21. Genesis 35:21
• 22. Genesis 21:31
• 23. 1 Samuel 27:6; 1 Samuel 30:1
• 24. Judges 13:25; Judges 16:31
• 25. 1 Samuel 22:1
• 26. Joshua 10:3; 2 Kings 14:19
• 27. Joshua 15:4
• 28. Judges 1:21; 2 Samuel 5:6; 1 Chronicles 11:4

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "was to"
• [b]. Or "wadi"
• [c]. Lit "goings out of the border were"
• [d]. Lit "end"
• [e]. Lit "end"
• [f]. Lit "the goings out of it were"
• [g]. Lit "goings out...were"
• [h]. Lit "border"
• [i]. Lit "mouth"
• [j]. I.e. the city of Arba
• [k]. Or "dispossessed"
• [l]. Lit "smites"
• [m]. Lit "and I"
• [n]. I.e. South country
• [o]. Lit "hand"
• [p]. Or "wadi"
• [q]. Lit "border"
• [r]. Or "dispossess them"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 15

In this chapter are related the boundaries of the lot of the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:1-12; and the assignment of Hebron to Caleb, from whence he drove out the giants, and of Debir, which was taken by Othniel his brother, to whom, on that account, he gave his daughter in marriage, who made a further request to her father, which was granted, Jos 15:13-19; and then follows an account of the several cities by name, which fell to the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:20-63.