Joshua 15:11

10. Et illinc gyrat terminus iste a Baala ad occidentem ad montem Seir, et illinc pertransit ad latus montis Jearim ab aquilone, ipsa est Chesalon, descenditque in Bethsemes, et pertransit in Timna. 11. And 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. 11. Egrediturque terminus ad latus Ecron ad Aquilonem, et circuit terminus iste ad Sichron, pertransitque ad montem Baala, et illinc egreditur in Jabneel, suntque exitus hujus termini ad mare. 12. And 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. 12. Porro terminus occidentalis ad mare magnum, et terminum, iste est terminus filiorum Jehuda per circuitum, per familias suas. 13. And 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. 13. Caleb autem filio Jephune dedit partem in medio filiorum Jehuda, secundum sermonem Jehovae ad Josue, Cirjath-arba patris Anac, ipsa est Hebron.

And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward,.... Which was one of the principalities of the Philistines; and which, though it fell to the lot of Judah, Joshua 15:45 , was not possessed by them: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to Mount Baalah; of which places we have no account elsewhere: and went unto Jabneel; which Masius makes no doubt was one of the Jamnias, and particularly that which was a seaport; which Strabo says (a) was distant from Azotus and Ashkelon about two hundred furlongs, or twenty five miles: and the goings out of the border were at the sea; the Mediterranean sea; here the northern border ended. (a) Geograph. l. 16. p. 522.

11 . unto the side of Ekron northward ] The boundary, still following a N.W. course, now tended towards a point lying near the Philistine city of Ekron (see above, ch. Joshua 13:3 ), whence it was drawn to Shicron , between Ekron and Jabneal (Yebna), and passed along to mount Baalah , “the short line of hills running almost parallel with the coast,” and so “went out unto Jabneel” the modern village of Yebna or Ibna, about two miles from the Sea, 11 miles south of Jaffa , and four from Ækir (Ekron), represents the ancient Jabneel or Jabneh ( 2 Chronicles 26:6 ), or, in its Greek garb, Jamnia ( 1Ma 4:5 ; 1Ma 5:58 ).

7. Achor—(see on [194]Jos 7:26). Adummim—a rising ground in the wilderness of Jericho, on the south of the little brook that flowed near Jericho (Jos 16:1). En-shemesh—"the fountain of the sun"; "either the present well of the apostle, below Bethany, on the road to Jericho, or the fountain near to St. Saba" [Robinson]. En-rogel—"the fuller's fountain," on the southeast of Jerusalem, below the spot where the valleys of Jehoshaphat and Hinnom unite.

Jabneel - The modern "Yebna", about three miles from the coast and twelve miles south of Joppa. It is called Jabneh in 2 Chronicles 26:6 , where Uzziah is recorded to have taken it from the Philistines and destroyed its fortifications. The town is repeatedly mentioned with its haven in the wars of the Maccabees (1 Macc. 4:15; 2 Macc. 12:8), and by Josephus under the name of Jamnia. It is described by Philo as a very populous town; and after the destruction of Jerusalem was, for a long time, the seat of the Sanhedrin, and was a famous school of Jewish learning. Its ruins, which are still considerable, stand on the brink of the "Wady Rubin".

Verse 11. - Ekron . This important Philistine city (see Joshua 13:3 ) lay close to the northern border of Judah. As a matter of fact, however, the tribe of Judah never succeeded in permanently occupying this territory, which only fell under their yoke during the reigns of David and Solomon. The cities of the Philistines were, it is true, most of them captured ( Judges 1:18 ), but we soon find the Philistines once more in possession of them (see 1 Samuel 5:8-10 ). Northward . The border turned sharply northward until past Ekron, when it once more turned westward until it reached the sea. Joshua 15:11

Thence "the border went out towards the north-west to the shoulder of Ekron (Akir: see at Joshua 13:3 ), then bent to Shichron, passed over to Mount Baalah, and went out to Jabneel." Shichron is possibly Sugheir, an hour to the south-west of Jebna (Knobel). But if this is correct, the mountain of Baalah cannot be the short range of hills to the west of Akir which runs almost parallel with the coast Rob. Pal. iii. p. 21), as Knobel supposes; but must be a mountain on the south side of the Wady Surar, since the boundary had already crossed this wady between Ekron and Shichron. Jabneel is the Philistine town of Jabneh, the walls of which were demolished by Uzziah ( 2 Chronicles 26:6 ), a place frequently mentioned in the books of Maccabees as well as by Josephus under the name of Jamnia. It still exists as a good-sized village, under the name of Jebnah, upon a small eminence on the western side of Nahr Rubin, four hours to the south of Joppa, and an hour and a half from the sea (Rob. Pal. iii. p. 22). From Jabneh the boundary went out to the (Mediterranean) Sea, probably along the course of the great valley, i.e., the Nahr Rubin, as Robinson supposes (Pal. ii. p. 343). The western boundary was the Great Sea, i.e., the Mediterranean.

and the border reached along from the top of the mountain toward the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and went out toward the cities of mount Ephron; and the border reached along to Baalah, that is, Kirjath-jearim; and the border turned from Baalah westwards toward mount Seir, and passed toward the side of Har-jearim, that is, Chesalon, northwards, and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed Timnah. And the border went out to the side of Ekron northwards, and the border reached along toward Shicron, and passed mount Baalah, and went toward Jabneel; and the border ended at the sea. -- And the west border is the great sea and [its] coast. This is the border of the children of Judah round about, according to their families. And to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a portion among the children of Judah according to the commandment of Jehovah to Joshua, the city of Arba, the father of Anak, that is, Hebron. And thence Caleb dispossessed the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, who were born of Anak. And from there he went up against the inhabitants of Debir; now the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher. And Caleb said, He that smites Kirjath-sepher and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. And it came to pass as she came, that she urged him to ask of her father a field; and she sprang down from the ass. And Caleb said to her, What wouldest thou?