Joshua 15:19

19 And she answered, Give thou a blessing to me; thou hast given to me the south land and dry (thou hast given me the dry south land); join thou also thereto a moist land. And (so) Caleb gave to her the moist land, above and beneath.

Joshua 15:19 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 15:19

Who answered, give me a blessing
By which she meant not a paternal benediction, or that he would wish and pray for a blessing on her; nor food, or a maintenance, as Jarchi, that her husband would provide for her; but rather an inheritance or possession, as the Targum; or a gift, as Abendana, a present, or something over and above what he had already given her; or an addition to her portion, as Kimchi: the word is sometimes used for a fish pool, as well as a blessing, and so glances at what she had in view, pools of water, or a well watered land:

for thou hast given me a south land;
a dry land, as the Jewish writers

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 generally interpret this word, otherwise all the land belonging to the tribe of Judah was south land, and Caleb could give her no other; but Debir, as Hebron was, was in the hill country, was mountainous and so dry, and wanted watering:

give me also springs of water;
she means land in which there were springs of water; for unless she was possessed of the land in which they were, she would have no command of the springs, and so have little or no use of them:

and he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs;
such as were in the higher grounds, and such as were in the lower ones, that she might have a sufficiency to water all her lands and fields; or as she moved her husband to ask a field, and he put her on doing the same, Caleb gave her a field, in the upper part of which were springs, and also in the lower part; though he seems to have given more than she requested.

F1 So Jarchi and Kimchi in loc. R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 34. 1.

Joshua 15:19 In-Context

17 And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb, took the city: and Caleb gave Achsah, his daughter, (for a) wife to him.

18 And when she went together (with him), her husband counselled her, that she should ask of her father a field (that she should ask for a field from her father); and (so) she sighed, as she sat upon the ass; and Caleb said to her, What hast thou in thy mind?

19 And she answered, Give thou a blessing to me; thou hast given to me the south land and dry (thou hast given me the dry south land); join thou also thereto a moist land. And (so) Caleb gave to her the moist land, above and beneath.

20 This is the possession of the lineage of the sons of Judah, by their families.

21 And the cities from the last parts of the sons of Judah, beside the terms of Edom (beside the border with Edom), from the south were these cities; Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,