JOS 15

Joshua 15:21

WEB

The farthest cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the border of Edom in the South were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

BSB

These were the southernmost cities of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

KJV

And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,

Matthew Henry

Verses 20–63

Joshua 15:20–63

We have here a list of the several cities that fell within the lot of the tribe of Judah, which are mentioned by name, that they might know their own, and both keep it and keep to it, and might neither through cowardice nor sloth lose the possession of what was their own.

I. The cities are here named, and numbered in several classes, which they then could account for the reason of better than we can now. Here are, 1. Some that are said to be the uttermost cities towards the coast of Edom, Jos 15:21-32. Here are thirty-eight named, and yet said to be twenty-nine (Jos 15:32), because nine of these were afterwards transferred to the lot of Simeon, and are reckoned as belonging to that, as appears by comparing Jos 19:2, etc.; therefore those only are counted (though the rest are named) which remained to Judah. 2. Others that are said to be in the valley (Jos 15:33) are counted to be fourteen, yet fifteen are named; but it is probable that Gederah and Gederathaim were either two names or two parts of one and the same city. 3. Then sixteen are named without any head of distinction, Jos 15:37-41, and nine more, Jos 15:42-44. 4. Then the three Philistine-cities, Ekron, Ashdod, and Gaza, Jos 15:45-47. 5. Cities in the mountains, eleven in all (Jos 15:48-51), nine more (Jos 15:52-54), ten more (Jos 15:55-57), six more (Jos 15:58, Jos 15:59), then two (Jos 15:60), and six in the wilderness, a part of the country not so thick of inhabitants as some others were.

II. Now here, 1. We do not find Bethlehem, which was afterwards the city of David, and was ennobled by the birth of our Lord Jesus in it. But that city, which at the best was but little among the thousands of Judah (Mic 5:2), except that it was thus dignified, was now so little as not to be accounted one of the cities, but perhaps was one of the villages not named. Christ came to give honour to the places he was related to, not to receive honour from them. 2. Jerusalem is said to continue in the hands of the Jebusites (Jos 15:63), for the children of Judah could not drive them out, through their sluggishness, stupidity, and unbelief. Had they attempted it with vigour and resolution, we have reason to think God would not have been wanting to them to give them success; but they could not do it, because they would not. Jerusalem was afterwards to be the holy city, the royal city, the city of the great King, the brightest ornament of all the land of Israel. God has designed it should be so. It may therefore be justly looked upon as a punishment of their neglect to conquer other cities which God had given them that they were so long kept out of this. 3. Among the cities of Judah (in all 114) we meet with Libnah, which in Joram's days revolted, and probably set up for a free independent state (Kg2 8:22), and Lachish, where king Amaziah was slain (Kg1 14:19); it led the dance in idolatry (Mic 1:13); it was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion. Giloh, Ahithophel's town, is here mentioned, and Tekoa, of which the prophet Amos was, and near which Jehoshaphat obtained that glorious victory, Ch2 20:20, etc., and Maresha, where Asa was a conqueror. Many of the cities of this tribe occur in the history of David's troubles. Adullam, Ziph, Keilah, Maon, Engedi, Ziklag, here reckoned in this tribe, were places near which David had most of his haunts; for, though sometimes Saul drove him out from the inheritance of the Lord, yet he kept as close to it as he could. The wilderness of Judah he frequented much, and in it John Baptist preached, and there the kingdom of heaven commenced, Mat 3:1. The riches of this country no doubt answered Jacob's blessing of this tribe, that he should wash his garments in wine, Gen 49:11. And, in general, Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise, not envy.

Cross-references: Josh 15:21 · Josh 15:32 · Josh 19:2 · Josh 15:33 · Josh 15:37 · Josh 15:42 · Josh 15:45 · Josh 15:48 · Josh 15:52 · Josh 15:55 · Josh 15:58 · Josh 15:59 · Josh 15:60 · Mic 5:2 · Josh 15:63 · 2Kgs 8:22 · 1Kgs 14:19 · Mic 1:13 · 2Chr 20:20 · Matt 3:1 · Gen 49:11

Hebrew interlinear

H1961

הָיָהhâyâh/haw-yaw/

v — exist, be, become, come to pass

Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.

הָיָה

vb — fall out

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

I.

1.

a. Fall out, happen

b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

a.

(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

II. Come into being, become

1.

a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

b. sq. prep.

2. become

a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

b. sq. pred. adj.

c. become like

d. sq. pred. לְ pers.

e. sq. לְ pred.

f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

g. with עַל and לְ

h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

1. exist, be in existence

2. abide, remain, continue

3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.

5. periphrastic conjug.

Niph.

1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass

2. be done, finished, gone

H5892

עִירʻîyr/eer/

n-m — city, waking, encampment, post

Derivation: or (in the plural) עָר; or עָיַר; (Judges 10:4), from 5782

a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)

KJV: Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.

עִיר

n.f — city

עִיר 1092 n.f. city, town

1. city, town, abode of men

2. of fortress in a city

3. appar. fortified place, of any size

עִיר

n.[m.] — excitement

עִיר n.[m.] excitement;—of terror; of rage

H7097

קָצֶהqâtseh/kaw-tseh'/

n-m — extremity

Derivation: or (negative only) קֵצֶה; from 7096; (used in a great variety of applications and idioms; compare 7093)

an extremity

KJV: × after, border, brim, brink, edge, end, (in-) finite, frontier, outmost coast, quarter, shore, (out-) side, × some, ut(-ter-) most (part).

קֵ֫צֶה

n.[m.] — end

קֵ֫צֶה n.[m.] end

קָצֶה

n.[m.] — end

קָצֶה 92 n.[m.] end, extremity

H4294

מַטֶּהmaṭṭeh/mat-teh'/

n-m — branch, extending, tribe, rod, correction, sceptre, lance, staff, support

Derivation: or (feminine) מַטָּה; from 5186;

a branch (as extending); figuratively, a tribe; also a rod, whether for chastising (figuratively, correction), ruling (a sceptre), throwing (a lance), or walking (a staff; figuratively, a support of life, e.g. bread)

KJV: rod, staff, tribe.

מַטֶּה

n.m — branch

מַטֶּה 251 n.m.

1. staff, rod, shaft

2. branch

3. tribe

H1121

בֵּןbên/bane/

n-m — son

Derivation: from 1129;

a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)

KJV: afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ( ) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, (young) bullock, (young) calf, × came up in, child, colt, × common, × corn, daughter, × of first, firstborn, foal, very fruitful, postage, × in, kid, lamb, ( ) man, meet, mighty, nephew, old, ( ) people, rebel, robber, × servant born, × soldier, son, spark, steward, stranger, × surely, them of, tumultuous one, valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.

בֵּן

n.m — son

בֵּן 4870 n.m. son

1. son, male child, born of a woman

2. children (male and female)

3. youth, young men

4. the young of animals

5. of plant shoots

6. fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows

7.

a. member of a guild, order or class

b. of animals son of (the) herd

8. ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.

9. n. relat. of age

בְּנוֹ

n.pr.m — his son

בְּנוֹ 1 Ch 24:26, 27 as n.pr.m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son, cf. VB & Be Öt.

H3063

יְהוּדָהYᵉhûwdâh/yeh-hoo-daw'/

n-pr-m — Jehudah

Derivation: from 3034; celebrated;

Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory

KJV: Judah.

יְהוּדָה

n.pr.m — Judah

יְהוּדָה 820 n.pr.m. et terr. Judah

I. n.pr.m.

1. son of Jacob and Leah

2. tribe descended from Judah

3. nation, of southern kingdom under dynasty of David, as distinguished from northern kingdom of Ephraim or Israel

4. Levite, Ezra’s time

5. an overseer of Jerus.

6. Levite musician

7. priest

II. n.pr.terr. land of Judah

H413

אֵלʼêl/ale/

prep — near, with, among, to

Derivation: (but only used in the shortened constructive form אֶל ); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e.

near, with or among; often in general, to

KJV: about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, × hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).

אֶל

prep — motion to

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).

1. of motion to or unto a person or place

2. Where the limit is actually entered, into

3. Of direction towards anything

4. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

5. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

6. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

7. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

8. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

9. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

H1366

גְּבוּלgᵉbûwl/gheb-ool'/

n-m — cord, twisted, boundary, territory

Derivation: or גְּבֻל; (shortened) from 1379;

properly, a cord (as twisted), i.e. (by implication) a boundary; by extension the territory inclosed

KJV: border, bound, coast, × great, landmark, limit, quarter, space.

גְּבוּל

n.m — border

גְּבוּל 240 n.m. border, boundary, territory

1. border, boundary

2. territory (enclosed within boundary)

H123

אֱדֹםʼĔdôm/ed-ome'/

n-pr-m — Edom

Derivation: or (fully) אֱדוֹם ; from 122; red (see Genesis 25:25);

Edom, the elder twin-brother of Jacob; hence the region (Idumaea) occupied by him

KJV: Edom, Edomites, Idumea.

אֱדוֹם

n.pr.m — Edom

אֱדוֹם († אֱדֹם Ez 25:11) n.pr.m.

1. Edom

2. coll. Edomites, Idumeans as descend. of Esau

3. land of Edom, Idumaea

H5045

נֶגֶבnegeb/neh'-gheb/

n-m — south, Negeb, Egypt

Derivation: from an unused root meaning to be parched;

the south (from its drought); specifically, the Negeb or southern district of Judah, occasionally, Egypt (as south to Palestine)

KJV: south (country, side, -ward).

נֶ֫גֶב

n.[m.] — south-country

נֶ֫גֶב n.[m.] south-country, Negeb, south

H6909

קַבְצְאֵלQabtsᵉʼêl/kab-tseh-ale'/

n-pr-loc — Kabtseel

Derivation: from 6908 and 410; God has gathered;

Kabtseel, a place in Palestine

KJV: Kabzeel. Compare 3343.

קַבְצְאֵל

n.pr.loc — Jekabzeel. Compare

קַבְצְאֵל, [יְקַבְצְאֵל] n.pr.loc. in S. of Judah (gathering of Ēl, or Ēl gathereth)

H5740

עֵדֶרʻÊder/ay'-der/

n-pr-m n-pr-loc — Eder

Derivation: the same as 5739;

Eder, the name of an Israelite and of two places in Palestine

KJV: Edar, Eder.

עֵ֫דֶר

n.pr.loc — Edar

עֵ֫דֶר n.pr.loc. in extreme S. of Judah Jos 15:21, site unknown

עֵ֫דֶר

n.pr.m — Edar

עֵ֫דֶר n.pr.m. a Levite

H3017

יָגוּרYâgûwr/yaw-goor'/

n-pr-loc — Jagur

Derivation: probably from 1481; a lodging;

Jagur, a place in Palestine

KJV: Jagur.

יָגוּר

n.pr.loc — Jagur

יָגוּר n.pr.loc. a southern city of Judah, toward Edom Jos 15:21.

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