Joshua 15:26

19. Illa respondit, Da mihi benedictionem: quandoquidem terram aridam dedisti mihi, da mihi fontes aquarum. Et dedit ei fontes superiores, et fontes inferiores. 20. ¶ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families. 20. Ista est haereditas tribus filiorum Jehuda per familias suas. 21. And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, 21. Fuerunt autem urbes in extremitate tribus filiorum Jehudae juxta terminum Edom ad meridiem, Cabseel, et Eder, et Jagur. 22. And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, 22. Et Cina, et Dimona, et Adada, 23. And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, 23. Et Cedes, et Hasor, et Ithnan, 24. Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, 24. Ziph, et Telem, et Bealoth, 25. And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor, 25. Et Hasor in Hadatha, et Cerioth, Hesron, ipsa est Hasor, 26. Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, 26. Amam, et Sema, et Molada, 27. And Hazargaddah, and Heshmon, and Bethpalet, 27. Et Hasar-gadda, et Hesmon, Beth-phelet, 28. And Hazarshual, and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah, 28. Et Hasar-sual, et Beerseba, et Bizjotheja, 29. Baalah, and Iim, and Azem, 29. Baala, et Iim, et Asem, 30. And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah, 30. Et Eltholad, et Chesil, et Horma, 31. And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah, 31. Et Siclag, et Madmannah, et Sensannah, 32. And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages:

15:20-63 Here is a list of the cities of Judah. But we do not here find Bethlehem, afterwards the city of David, and ennobled by the birth of our Lord Jesus in it. That city, which, at the best, was but little among the thousands of Judah, Mic 5:2, except that it was thus honoured, was now so little as not to be accounted one of the cities.

Amam,.... Of Amam we read nowhere else: and Shema is thought by some to be the same with Sheba, though wrongly, given afterwards to the tribe of Simeon, as was also Moladah, mentioned with it, Joshua 19:2, and Moladah; it is also spoken of in 1 Chronicles 4:28, and seems to be the same with Malathi or Malatis, about twenty miles from Hebron (f). (f) Vid. Reland. Palest. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 885, 886.

26 . Amam ( c ) Third group of nine cities :— (1) Amam , unknown; (2) Shema , a place of the Simeonites (ch. Joshua 19:2 ); (3) Moladah , called Malatua by the Greeks and Romans = the modern El-Milh , four English miles from Tell Arad and nine or ten due east of Beersheba; (4) Hazar-gaddah , unknown; (5) Heshmon , unknown; (6) Beth-palet , unknown; (7) Hazar-shual = “ village of jackals ,” inhabited after the Captivity by men of Judah ( Nehemiah 11:27 ); (8) Beer-sheba = either ( a ) “ Well of Seven ” or ( b ) “ Well of the Oath ” ( Genesis 21:28-32 ). We find Beer-sheba visited by Abraham, who dug the well ( Genesis 21:31 ); the place where Samuel’s sons judged Israel ( 1 Samuel 8:2 ); constituting, with Dan in the north, the established formula for the whole of the Promised Land—“Dan to Beer-sheba” ( 2 Samuel 24:2 ); the seat of an idolatrous worship in the time of Amos ( Amos 5:5 ; Amos 8:14 ). It still retains as nearly as possible its ancient name, Bîr-es-Sebâ . There are at present two principal wells and five smaller ones. The curb-stones round the mouth are worn into deep grooves by the action of the ropes of so many centuries, and look as if “frilled or fluted all round”; (9) Bizjothjah , unknown. Joshua 15:26

Jos 15:21-63. Cities of Judah. 21-63. the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah—There is given a list of cities within the tribal territory of Judah, arranged in four divisions, corresponding to the districts of which it consisted—the cities in the southern part (Jos 15:21-32), those in the lowlands (Jos 15:33-47), those in the highlands (Jos 15:48-60), and those in the desert (Jos 15:61, 62). One gets the best idea of the relative situation of these cities by looking at the map.

Third group of nine towns. - Joshua 15:26 . Amam is not mentioned again, and is quite unknown. Shema, which is called Sheba in Joshua 19:2 , and is mentioned among the towns of the Simeonites between Beersheba and Moladah, is supposed by Knobel to the ruins of Sawe (Sweh) between Milh and Beersheba (see V. de Velde, ii. p. 148). Molada, which was given to the Simeonites ( Joshua 19:2 ; 1 Chronicles 4:28 ) and was still inhabited by Jews after the captivity ( Nehemiah 11:26 ), was the later Μάλαδα, an Idumaean fortress (Josephus, Ant. 18:6, 2), which Eusebius and Jerome describe as being twenty Roman miles, i.e., eight hours, to the south of Hebron on the road to Aila (Elath). It has been identified by Robinson (Pal. ii. p. 621) in the ruins of el Milh, by the Wady Malath or Malahh.

The ancient dwelling-places of the Simeonites, which they received within the tribal domain of Judah at the division of the land by Joshua; cf. Joshua 19:1 . - There are in all eighteen cities, divided into two groups, numbering thirteen and five respectively, as in Joshua 19:2-6 , where these same cities are enumerated in the same order. The only difference is, that in Joshua thirteen cities are reckoned in the first group and four in the second, although the first group contains fourteen names. Between Beersheba and Moladah there stands there a שׁבע which is not found in our list, and which might be considered to be a repetition of the second part of בּאר־שׁבע, if it were not that in the list of the cities, Joshua 15:26 , the name שׁמע before Moladah corresponds to it. The other differences between the two passages arise partly from different forms of the same name being used, - as, for example, בּלהה for בּלה (Josh.), תּולד for אלתּולד, בּתוּאל for בּתוּל; and partly from different names being used of the same city, - e.g., בּית־בּראי ( 1 Chronicles 4:31 ) instead of בּית־לבאות, "the house of lions" (Josh.), שׁערים instead of שׁרוּחן (Josh.). All these cities lie in the south land of Judah, and have therefore been named in Joshua 15:26-32 among the cities of that district. As to Beersheba, now Bir es Seba, see on Genesis 21:31 ; and for Moladah, which is to be identified with the ruin el Milh to the south of Hebron, on the road to Ailah, see on Joshua 15:26 .

The ancient dwelling-places of the Simeonites, which they received within the tribal domain of Judah at the division of the land by Joshua; cf. Joshua 19:1 . - There are in all eighteen cities, divided into two groups, numbering thirteen and five respectively, as in Joshua 19:2-6 , where these same cities are enumerated in the same order. The only difference is, that in Joshua thirteen cities are reckoned in the first group and four in the second, although the first group contains fourteen names. Between Beersheba and Moladah there stands there a שׁבע which is not found in our list, and which might be considered to be a repetition of the second part of בּאר־שׁבע, if it were not that in the list of the cities, Joshua 15:26 , the name שׁמע before Moladah corresponds to it. The other differences between the two passages arise partly from different forms of the same name being used, - as, for example, בּלהה for בּלה (Josh.), תּולד for אלתּולד, בּתוּאל for בּתוּל; and partly from different names being used of the same city, - e.g., בּית־בּראי ( 1 Chronicles 4:31 ) instead of בּית־לבאות, "the house of lions" (Josh.), שׁערים instead of שׁרוּחן (Josh.). All these cities lie in the south land of Judah, and have therefore been named in Joshua 15:26-32 among the cities of that district. As to Beersheba, now Bir es Seba, see on Genesis 21:31 ; and for Moladah, which is to be identified with the ruin el Milh to the south of Hebron, on the road to Ailah, see on Joshua 15:26 .