Yehoshua 16:3

3 And goeth down westward to the territory of Yaphleti, unto the territory of Lower Beit Choron, and to Gezer; ending at the Yam [Mediterranean Sea].

Yehoshua 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Yehoshua 16:3 In-Context

1 6 And the goral (lot) of the Bnei Yosef ran from the Yarden by Yericho, east of the spring at Yericho, to the midbar that goeth up from Yericho into the hill country of Beit-El,

2 And goeth out from Beit-El to Luz, and passeth along unto the territory of Arkhi to Atarot,

3 And goeth down westward to the territory of Yaphleti, unto the territory of Lower Beit Choron, and to Gezer; ending at the Yam [Mediterranean Sea].

4 So the Bnei Yosef, Menasheh and Ephrayim, inherited their nachalah.

5 And the boundary of the Bnei Ephrayim according to their mishpekhot was thus: the boundary of their nachalah on the east side was Atarot Addar, unto Upper Beit Choron;