Joshua 15:49

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.

And Dannah,.... Dannah is not mentioned elsewhere: and Kirjathsannah, which is Debir; Kirjathsannah had three names, this and Debir, and Kirjathsepher; See Gill on Joshua 15:15; all which are of much the same signification; for "Sanna" with the Arabs (f), and so with the Phoenicians, signifies law, doctrine, and manner of life; and with the Mahometans the secondary law to the Koran, and answers to the Jewish Misnah; and the Greek version interprets this name "the city of letters". Jerom (g) calls it Daenna, and seems to confound it with Dannah. (f) "mos vivendi, lex", Golius, col. 1221. Castell. col. 2567. Vid. Bochart. Canaan, 50:2. c. 17. col. 771. (g) De loc. Heb. fol. 90. I.

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.

This highland district extends from the Negeb on the south to Jerusalem, and is bounded by the Shephelah on the west, and the "wilderness" Joshua 15:61-62 on the east. The mountains, which are of limestone, rise to a height of near 3,000 feet. At present, the highlands of Judah present a somewhat dreary and monotonous aspect. The peaks are for the most part barren, though crowned almost everywhere with the ruins of ancient towns, and bearing on their sides marks of former cultivation. Many of the valleys, especially toward the south, are, however, still very productive. The towns here enumerated are given in six groups. Joshua 15:48-51 First group: towns on the southwest. Dannah (is identified with "Idnah" (Conder)). Jattir ("Attir"), and Eshtemoh ("Semua") were priestly cities Joshua 21:14; 1 Chronicles 6:57, and the place to which David, after routing the Amalekites, sent presents 1 Samuel 30:27-28. Socoh is "Suweikeh."

Dannah (Sept., Syr., Renna) is unknown. Knobel imagines that Dannah should be Danah, for Deanah, plur. Deanoth, which would then be suggestive of Zanute, the last inhabited place upon the mountains, five hours from Hebron, between Shuweikeh and Attir (see Rob. ii. p. 626; Seetzen, iii. p. 27, 29). Kirjath-sannah, or Debir, has not been traced (see at Joshua 10:38 ).

42–49. The Descendants of Caleb 42 . Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel ] Called Chelubai ( 1 Chronicles 2:9 ) and Caleb the son of Hezron ( 1 Chronicles 2:18 ). There is nothing to shew what relationship existed between this Caleb and Caleb son of Jephunneh ( 1 Chronicles 4:15 and Numbers 13:6 ). Perhaps they are to be identified; cp. 1 Chronicles 2:49 , note. Both are assigned to the tribe of Judah. Several of the names, viz. Ziph ( Joshua 15:24 or 55), Mareshah ( 2 Chronicles 11:8 ), Hebron, Tappuah ( Joshua 15:34 ), Maon ( Joshua 15:55 ), and Beth-zur ( Joshua 15:58 ) are names of towns in the S. or S.W. of Judah, and consequently may represent here the respective populations of those towns, and not individual descendants of Caleb. Mesha ] The Moabite king whose deeds are recorded on the Moabite stone bore this name. It means Victory, enlargement . LXX. reads Mareshah ( Μαρεισά ) as in the latter part of the verse.

17 . the Arabah also, and Jordan for a border ] The territory included the E. strip of the ‘Arabah—hence eastwards at the end of the verse—with the Jordan as its W. limit, and this between Chinnereth on the N. and the Sea of the ‘Arabah on the S. On the ‘Arabah see Deuteronomy 1:1 . Kinnéreth was a town ( Joshua 11:2 ; Joshua 19:35 ; the plur. Kinneroth a district, 1 Kings 15:20 ) either giving its name to, or taking its name from, the Sea of Kinnéreth ( Numbers 34:11 , P); probably the latter, if K. be from kinnôr, harp , as this suits the shape of the Lake; in later times called the L. of Gennesaret, a name frequently but not plausibly derived from Kinnereth ( HGHL , 443). The Sea of the ‘Arabah (so Deuteronomy 4:49 ; 2 Kings 14:25 ), the Salt Sea (so Genesis 14:3 ; Numbers 34:3 ; Numbers 34:12 ; Joshua 15:2 ; Joshua 15:5 ; Joshua 18:19 ); both names as here in Joshua 3:16 ; Joshua 12:23 ; called also front or E. Sea ( Ezekiel 47:18 ; Joel 2:20 ; Zechariah 14:8 ) in contrast to the Mediterranean the back or W. Sea , Deuteronomy 11:24 . The Greeks gave the name Asphaltitis. ‘The Dead Sea’ first occurs under Augustus. Ar. Baḥr Lût, ‘Lot’s Sea.’ the slopes of Pisgah ] So Deuteronomy 4:49 ; Joshua 12:3 ; Joshua 13:20 .

[Reformed Biblical] There were divers other cities of that name. ## Ver. 28. Which is Jerusalem: so it seems this city did properly and primarily belong to Benjamin, although the tribe of Judah had also an interest in it, either because some part of it was allotted to them, or because the Benjamites gave them a share in it, for the assistance which either they had received or did expect from that potent tribe, for the getting or defending of that very important place. See Poole "Joshua 15:63" . It is more than probable that all the cities belonging to this tribe are not here named, because Anathoth and Almon are omitted here, but expressed #Joshua 21:18 . ## JOSHUA CHAPTER 19 The second lot falls to Simeon; his borders among the tribe of Judah, whose inheritance was too great for them, #Joshua 19:1-9 . The third lot falls to Zebulun, #Joshua 19:10-16 . The fourth to Issachar, #Joshua 19:17-23 . The fifth to Asher, #Joshua 19:24-31 . The sixth to ## Naphtali, #Joshua 19:32-39 . The seventh to Dan, #Joshua 19:40-48 . The children of Israel give an inheritance to Joshua, #Joshua 19:49,50 . The division of the land finished, #Joshua 19:51 . Ver. 1.