Joshua 15

This was the land assigned by lot to the tribe of Judah, clan by clan. It reached down to the border of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin, at the far southern end.

1This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast.

Note"Lot" here does not mean chance in the modern sense. Land was divided by casting lots, marked stones or sticks drawn or thrown, a procedure Israel used to settle allocations without human favoritism. "Clan by clan" means the tribe's share was then subdivided among its extended family groups. Edom was the territory southeast of Judah, occupied by the descendants of Esau.

2Their southern border began at the bay at the southern tip of the Salt Sea.

2And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward:

NoteThe Salt Sea is the Dead Sea, so called because its water is far too saline to drink or to support fish.

3It ran south of the pass called Maalehacrabbim, went on to Zin, climbed south of Kadeshbarnea, ran past Hezron, went up to Adar, and curved around toward Karkaa.

3And it went out to the south side to Maalehacrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadeshbarnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa:

NoteMaalehacrabbim means "the ascent of scorpions", a steep pass climbing out of the Dead Sea depression. Kadeshbarnea was the desert oasis where Israel had camped for years before entering the land; it was a well-known landmark, not just a name on a list.

4From there it went on to Azmon, joined the brook of Egypt, and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This was to be their southern border.

4From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at the sea: this shall be your south coast.

NoteThe "brook of Egypt" is not the Nile but the Wadi el-Arish, a seasonal streambed in northern Sinai that runs with water only after rain. It was the customary dividing line between Canaan and Egypt.

5The eastern border was the Salt Sea, all the way to the mouth of the Jordan River. The northern border began at the bay of the sea where the Jordan empties into it.

5And the east border was the salt sea, even unto the end of Jordan. And their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan:

Note"The mouth of the Jordan" is the point at the northern end of the Dead Sea where the river empties into it.

6The northern border went up to Bethhogla, passed north of Betharabah, and went up to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

6And the border went up to Bethhogla, and passed along by the north of Betharabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben:

NoteThe Stone of Bohan was a standing stone serving as a boundary marker. Ancient property and tribal lines were fixed by such stones rather than by maps.

7Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and turned north toward Gilgal, which faces the pass of Adummim south of the ravine. It went on past the waters of Enshemesh and ended at Enrogel.

7And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of Enshemesh, and the goings out thereof were at Enrogel:

NoteAchor means "trouble"; the valley was named after an earlier incident there. This Debir is a place on the northern boundary, not the southern town of the same name mentioned later in the chapter.

8From there the border went up the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, along the southern slope of the city of the Jebusites, that is, Jerusalem. It then went up to the top of the hill west of the Hinnom Valley, at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim.

8And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:

NoteThe Jebusites were the people holding Jerusalem before Israel took it; the writer adds "that is, Jerusalem" because the older name was going out of use. The Valley of Rephaim is called "the valley of the giants" in older English because Rephaim was the name of a people remembered as unusually tall.

9From the hilltop the border curved to the spring called the Waters of Nephtoah, ran out to the towns of Mount Ephron, and then bent around to Baalah, that is, Kirjathjearim.

9And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjathjearim:

10The border curved west from Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the north slope of Mount Jearim, that is, Chesalon, went down to Bethshemesh, and crossed over to Timnah.

10And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Bethshemesh, and passed on to Timnah:

11Then it went out to the north slope of Ekron, bent toward Shicron, passed Mount Baalah, went on to Jabneel, and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.

11And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea.

12The western border was the coastline of the Great Sea, the Mediterranean. These were the borders all around the land of Judah, clan by clan.

12And the west border was to the great sea, and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about according to their families.

NoteThe Great Sea is the Mediterranean, called "great" because it was the largest body of water the writers knew.

13Following the LORD's command to Joshua, Caleb son of Jephunneh was given a share of land among the people of Judah: the city of Arba, that is, Hebron. Arba was the ancestor of Anak.

13And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron.

NoteCaleb was one of the two spies who, a generation earlier, had urged Israel to go into the land; the grant of Hebron is the promise made to him then being paid out. Anak's descendants had a reputation for great size and were the reason the earlier generation had refused to invade.

14Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, who were descended from Anak.

14And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.

15From there he marched against the people living in Debir. Debir used to be called Kirjathsepher.

15And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher.

16Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the man who attacks Kirjathsepher and captures it."

16And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

NoteOffering a daughter in marriage as the reward for a military feat was a recognized way of sealing an alliance and settling a claim: the man who took the town gained both the family tie and standing within it. Kirjathsepher means roughly "town of the book" or "town of the scribe."

17Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, captured the city, so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife.

17And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

NoteThe Hebrew is ambiguous about whether "Caleb's brother" describes Othniel or his father Kenaz: that is, whether Othniel was Caleb's brother or his nephew. Translations differ, and the wording here leaves it open.

18When Achsah came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she got down off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?"

18And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?

NoteThe Hebrew is uncertain about who urged whom: some manuscripts and ancient translations have Othniel urging Achsah to make the request. Getting down off her donkey was a deliberate gesture, dismounting in front of someone signaled that a formal request was coming.

19She answered, "Do me a favor. You have given me land in the dry south country, so give me springs of water too." So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

19Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.

Note"Give me a blessing" was an ordinary idiom for asking a favor or a gift, not a religious formula. The point of the request is practical: land in the dry southern country is worthless without a water source, so she asks for the springs that make it farmable.

20This was the land that the tribe of Judah received, clan by clan.

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

Note"Inheritance" here does not mean property received from someone who has died. It is the technical term for land held permanently by a family or tribe, which was not supposed to be sold away from them.

21These were the southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah, in the dry south country toward the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

21And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,

Note"The dry south country" translates the Negev, the arid region south of the Judean hills, semi-desert grazing land rather than farmland.

22Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,

22And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah,

23Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,

23And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan,

24Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,

24Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth,

25Hazor Hadattah, and Kerioth-hezron, which is Hazor,

25And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor,

NoteSeveral towns in this list share the name Hazor, which simply means "enclosure" and was a common place name. None of them is the large northern city of Hazor mentioned elsewhere in Joshua.

26Amam, Shema, Moladah,

26Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,

27Hazargaddah, Heshmon, Bethpalet,

27And Hazargaddah, and Heshmon, and Bethpalet,

28Hazarshual, Beersheba, Bizjothjah,

28And Hazarshual, and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah,

29Baalah, Iim, Azem,

29Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,

30Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,

30And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah,

31Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,

31And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah,

32Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. That is twenty-nine towns in all, together with the villages around them.

32And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages:

NoteThe stated total of twenty-nine does not match the thirty-six names actually listed. The discrepancy is in the Hebrew text itself; it may be that some names are alternative forms of the same place, or that the total was counted from a shorter version of the list.

33In the western foothills: Eshtaol, Zoreah, Ashnah,

33And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,

NoteThe "western foothills" translate the Shephelah, the belt of low chalk hills between the coastal plain and the high country of Judah, a distinct and well-known region, not just any low ground.

34Zanoah, Engannim, Tappuah, Enam,

34And Zanoah, and Engannim, Tappuah, and Enam,

35Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,

35Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,

36Sharaim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim. That is fourteen towns, together with the villages around them.

36And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages:

NoteAs with the earlier total, fifteen names are listed but fourteen are counted. Gederah and Gederothaim are probably two spellings of one town that both found their way into the list.

37Zenan, Hadashah, Migdalgad,

37Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdalgad,

38Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel,

38And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel,

39Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,

39Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon,

40Cabbon, Lahmam, Kithlish,

40And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish,

41Gederoth, Bethdagon, Naamah, and Makkedah. That is sixteen towns, together with the villages around them.

41And Gederoth, Bethdagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages:

NoteBethdagon means "house of Dagon," a temple town named for a god worshiped along the Philistine coast.

42Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

42Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan,

43Jiphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,

43And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib,

44Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah. That is nine towns, together with the villages around them.

44And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages:

45Ekron, with its surrounding towns and villages;

45Ekron, with her towns and her villages:

Note"Towns and villages" renders a Hebrew phrase that literally calls the smaller settlements the "daughters" of the main town, outlying places that depended on it economically and for defense.

46everything from Ekron west to the sea, all the places near Ashdod, with their villages;

46From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages:

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

47Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof:

NoteAshdod, Gaza and Ekron were Philistine cities. Listing them among Judah's towns records the territory assigned to the tribe, not territory it actually controlled; the Philistines held these cities for centuries afterwards.

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

48And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,

49Dannah, Kirjathsannah, that is, Debir,

49And Dannah, and Kirjathsannah, which is Debir,

NoteKirjathsannah is an alternative name for Debir, the town Othniel captured earlier in the chapter.

50Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,

50And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim,

51Goshen, Holon, and Giloh. That is eleven towns, together with the villages around them.

51And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages:

52Arab, Dumah, Eshean,

52Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean,

53Janum, Bethtappuah, Aphekah,

53And Janum, and Bethtappuah, and Aphekah,

54Humtah, Kirjatharba, that is, Hebron, and Zior. That is nine towns, together with the villages around them.

54And Humtah, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages:

NoteKirjatharba means "town of Arba," named after the ancestor mentioned in verse 13.

55Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,

55Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah,

56Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,

56And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah,

57Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah. That is ten towns, together with the villages around them.

57Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:

58Halhul, Bethzur, Gedor,

58Halhul, Bethzur, and Gedor,

59Maarath, Bethanoth, and Eltekon. That is six towns, together with the villages around them.

59And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages:

NoteThe ancient Greek translation of Joshua includes an extra group of eleven towns at this point, among them Bethlehem. The line appears to have dropped out of the Hebrew text this translation follows.

60Kirjathbaal, that is, Kirjathjearim, and Rabbah. That is two towns, together with the villages around them.

60Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages:

NoteKirjathbaal means "town of Baal" and Kirjathjearim "town of forests." Places were often renamed when a name tied to a Canaanite god became unwelcome, and both forms survived in use.

61In the wilderness: Betharabah, Middin, Secacah,

61In the wilderness, Betharabah, Middin, and Secacah,

62Nibshan, the City of Salt, and Engedi. That is six towns, together with the villages around them.

62And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and Engedi; six cities with their villages.

63But the people of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites still live there among the people of Judah, right up to the day this was written.

63As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

Note"To this day" means the day the account was written, not the reader's day. Jerusalem was not taken from the Jebusites until David's reign, generations later.