Joshua 15:54

2. And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba. It appears from Joshua 15:54, that this was the more ancient name of the city, which afterwards began to be called Hebron. But there is a difference of opinion respecting the etymology. Some think the name is derived from the fact, that the city consisted of four parts; as the Greeks call the city divided into three orders, Tripoli, and a given region, Decapolis, from the ten cities it contained. Others suppose that Arba is the name of a giant, whom they believe to have been the king or the founder of the city. Others again prefer the notion, that the name was given to the place from four of the Fathers, Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were buried there with their wives. I willingly suspend my judgment on a matter of uncertainty, and not very necessary to be known. It more concerns the present history to inquire, how it happened that Sarah died in a different place from that in which Abraham dwelt. If any one should reply, that they had both changed their abode, the words of Moses are opposed to that, for he says that Abraham came to bury his dead. It is hence easily inferred, that he was not present at her death; nor is it probable that they were separated, merely by being in different tents; so that he might walk ten or twenty paces for the sake of mourning, while a more important duty had been neglected. For this reason, some suspect that he was on a journey at the time.

Which shows that Kirjathjearim is not the name of a man, or of any of Shobal's sons, who are next mentioned, but of a place of which he was prince: the first is Haroeh, who is called Reaiah, 1 Chronicles 4:2 a word of the same signification: and half of the Manahethites; which Kimchi takes to be the proper name of a man called Chatzihamanaheth, another son of Shobal's; but Jarchi interprets it of the name of a place or province called Manahath, 1 Chronicles 8:6 over half of which Haroeh was governor. 1 Chronicles 2:53 Ver. 53. And the families of Kirjathjearim,.... That dwelt there, of which Shobal was prince, and who sprung from him, are as follow: the Ithrite, and the Puhites, and the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; who had their names from Jether, Putha, Shumath, and Mishra, descendants of Shobal: of them came the Zareathites, and the Eshtaulites; that is, from the Mishraites sprung the inhabitants of Zeroth and Eshtaol, places in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:33. 1 Chronicles 2:54 Ver. 54. The sons of Salma,....

Which cannot be that Gath which was one of the principalities of the Philistines, but a city in the tribe of Judah; though of it we nowhere else read; unless this is the same with Moreshethgath, Micah 1:14, which is probable, since it follows: and Mareshah; the birth place of Micah the prophet, Micah 1:1, and Ziph; there were two cities of this name in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:24. 2 Chronicles 11:9 Ver. 9. And Adoraim,.... Called by Josephus {d} Adora, which he mentions along with Mareshah, or Marissa: and Lachish: a royal city in the time of the Canaanites, and which fell to the lot of Judah, Joshua 12:11, and Azekah; a city situated in the plain of Judah, Joshua 10:10. {d} Antiqu. l. 13. c. 9. sect. 1. 2 Chronicles 11:10 Ver. 10. And Zorah,.... The same with Zoreah, Joshua 15:33, and Aijalon; there was a city of the tribe of Dan of this name, in the valley of which the moon stood still in the times of Joshua, Joshua 10:12, but whether the same with this, and now belonging to Judah, or another of the same name, is not certain: and Hebron; a city in the mountainous part of Judah, and a city of refuge, about twenty miles from Jerusalem, Joshua 15:54, which are in Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities; as they were now made by Rehoboam. 2 Chronicles 11:11 Ver. 11. And he fortified the strong holds,....

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 Humtah,.... Of Humtah we nowhere else read: and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron; of Kirjatharba we read frequently; See Gill on Joshua 14:15, and Zior; Jerom says (o), that in his time there was a village shown by the name of Sihor, between Aelia (or Jerusalem) and Eleutheropolis, in the tribe of Judah: nine cities with their villages; which is exactly their number, as expressed; here ends the second division, or of the cities in the hill country of Judea; a third follows. (o) De loc. Heb. fol. 94. H.

And Zorah,.... The same with Zoreah, Joshua 15:33 , and Aijalon; there was a city of the tribe of Dan of this name, in the valley of which the moon stood still in the times of Joshua, Joshua 10:12, but whether the same with this, and now belonging to Judah, or another of the same name, is not certain: and Hebron; a city in the mountainous part of Judah, and a city of refuge, about twenty miles from Jerusalem, Joshua 15:54, which are in Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities; as they were now made by Rehoboam.

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.

Second group of nine towns, situated somewhat to the north of the last mentioned. Of these Dumah is perhaps the ruined village "Ed Daumeh," in the neighborhood of Hebron; and Beth-tappuah, i. e. "house of apples," "Teffuh," a place which has still a good number of inhabitants, is conspicuous for its olive groves and vineyards, and bears on every side the traces of industry and thrift.