Joshua 19:25

19:17-51 Joshua waited till all the tribes were settled, before he asked any provision for himself. He was content to be unfixed, till he saw them all placed, and herein is an example to all in public places, to prefer the common welfare before private advantage. Those who labour most to do good to others, seek an inheritance in the Canaan above: but it will be soon enough to enter thereon, when they have done all the service to their brethren of which they are capable. Nor can any thing more effectually assure them of their title to it, than endeavouring to bring others to desire, to seek, and to obtain it. Our Lord Jesus came and dwelt on earth, not in pomp but poverty, providing rest for man, yet himself not having where to lay his head; for Christ pleased not himself. Nor would he enter upon his inheritance, till by his obedience to death he secured the eternal inheritance for all his people; nor will he account his own glory completed, till every ransomed sinner is put in possession of his heavenly rest.

And their border was Helkath,.... Helkath seems to be the same with Hukok, 1 Chronicles 6:75 ; and according to Masius it lay ten or twelve miles above Ptolemais: and Hali, of which we read nowhere else. and Beten is by Jerom (h) called Bathne, and was in his time a village by the name of Bethebem, eight miles from Ptolemais to the east. Reland (i) seems to think it might be the Ecbatana of Pliny (k), which he speaks of as near Mount Carmel, and not far from Ptolemais: and Achshaph was a royal city, whose king was taken by Joshua; see Gill on Joshua 11:1. (h) De loc. Heb. fol. 89. H. (i) Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 617. (k) Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19.

(25) Their border. —The border of Asher on the west is the Mediterranean. On the east of Asher lies the tribe of Naphtali, but most of the towns named in these verses lie well within the territory of Asher. The northern end of the territory of this tribe lies beyond the limits of the Ordnance Survey, for it reaches “unto great Zidon” ( Joshua 19:28 ). The southern boundary is said to be Carmel ( Joshua 19:26 ), but no town is identified south of Cabul ( Kabûl, south-east of Akkah, sheet 5). The towns identified are as follows:— (25) El B’aneh, EL-Yasif or Kefr Yasif (sheet 3). (26) Khurbet-el-Amûd, and M’aîsleh (? Kh.-Muslih) (sheet 3). Shihor-libnath (river of glass), the river Belus (sheet 5). (27) Beth-dagon (Tell-’ Daûk), near the mouth of the Belus. Neiel.—(Y’Arûn, sheet 5). Cabul.—(Kabûl, south-east of Akkah, sheet 5). (28) Hebron.—(Abdon, Kh.-Abdeh, sheet 3). Hammon (El Hama, sheet 3). Kanah (south-east of Tyre, sheet 1). (29) Tyre.—(es-Sûr, sheet 1). Hosah (‘Ozziyeh, sheet 1). Achzib (es-Zib, sheet 3, on the coast). (See Joshua 15:44 for another place of same name.) Ummah (Kh.-Almah, north of Achzib).

25 . And their border ] The general position of the tribe was on the slope of the Galilean mountains from Carmel northwards, with Manasseh on the south, Zebulun and Issachar on the south-east, and Naphtali on the north-east, a narrow, but beautiful and fertile region. And their border was Helkath ] The first boundary given us is that formed by the cities of Helkath , afterwards given to the Levites (ch. Joshua 21:31 ), Hali, Beten , and Achshaph (ch. Joshua 12:20 ), of none of which cities is the situation known to us.

Helkath, a Levitical town Joshua 21:31 , is probably Yerka, a village about seven or eight miles north-west of Acre, in a Wady of the same name. Alammelech was in the "Wady Melik," which joins the Kishon from the northeast, not far from the sea. Shihor-libnath - i. e. "black-white." The two words are now generally admitted to be the name of a river, probably the modern "Nahr Zerka," or Blue River, which reaches the sea about 8 miles south of Dor, and whose name has a correspondence both to black and white. Possibly we have in the occurrence of the term Shihor here a trace of the contact, which was close and continuous in ancient times, between Phoenicia and Egypt Joshua 13:3. Cabul Joshua 19:27 still retains its ancient name; it lies between four and five miles west of Jotapata and about ten miles southeast of Acre.

The territory of the Asherites was as follows. Helkath, which was given up to the Levites ( Joshua 21:31 , and 1 Chronicles 6:75 , where Hukok is an old copyist's error), is the present Jelka, three hours to the east of Acco (Akka: Scholz, Reise, p. 257), or Jerka, a Druse village situated upon an eminence, and judging from the remains, an ancient place (Van de Velde, R. i. p. 214; Rob. iii. App.). Hali, according to Knobel possibly Julis, between Jerka and Akka, in which case the present name arose from the form Halit, and t was changed into s. Beten, according to the Onom. (s. v. Βατναι%: Bathne) as vicus Bethbeten, eight Roman miles to the east of Ptolemais, has not yet been found. Achshaph is also unknown (see at Joshua 11:1 ). The Onom. (s. v. Achsaph) says nothing more about its situation than that it was in tribu Aser, whilst the statement made s. v. Acsaph (Ἀκσάφ), that it was villula Chasalus (κώμη Ἐξάδους), eight Roman miles from Diocaesarea ad radicem montis Thabor, leads into the territory of Zebulun.

( 1 Chronicles 6:56-61 ). The cities of the Gershonites; cf. Joshua 21:27-33 . "To the sons of Gershon (they gave) out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan and Ashtaroth;" see on Joshua 21:27 . In 1 Chronicles 6:72 , קדשׁ is a mistake for קשׁיון, Joshua 21:28 (see on Joshua 19:20 ); in 1 Chronicles 6:73 , ראמות for the more correct ירמות, Joshua 21:29 , a city which was also called רמת, Joshua 19:21 , or had been so called originally; and ענם for עין־גּנּים (Josh.), as the city is called also in Joshua 19:21 . It cannot be determined whether ענם is a transcriber's error, or another name for עין־גּנּים. In 1 Chronicles 6:74 , משׁל (which should perhaps be pointed משׁל) is a contracted form of משׁאל, Joshua 31:30 ; Joshua 19:26 ; and in 1 Chronicles 6:75 , חוּקק is probably an error for חלקת, Joshua 21:31 ; Joshua 19:25 , occasioned by its being confounded with חקּק in the tribe of Naphtali, Joshua 19:34 . In 1 Chronicles 6:76 the fact that Kadesh was a city of refuge is not mentioned, as it is in Joshua 21:32 . חמּון is a shortened form of חמּות־דּאר, Joshua 21:32 ; for this city is called in Joshua 19:35 חמּת, from the warm springs in the neighbourhood. Finally, Kirjathaim is contracted in Joshua 21:32 into קרתּן.

( 1 Chronicles 6:56-61 ). The cities of the Gershonites; cf. Joshua 21:27-33 . "To the sons of Gershon (they gave) out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan and Ashtaroth;" see on Joshua 21:27 . In 1 Chronicles 6:72 , קדשׁ is a mistake for קשׁיון, Joshua 21:28 (see on Joshua 19:20 ); in 1 Chronicles 6:73 , ראמות for the more correct ירמות, Joshua 21:29 , a city which was also called רמת, Joshua 19:21 , or had been so called originally; and ענם for עין־גּנּים (Josh.), as the city is called also in Joshua 19:21 . It cannot be determined whether ענם is a transcriber's error, or another name for עין־גּנּים. In 1 Chronicles 6:74 , משׁל (which should perhaps be pointed משׁל) is a contracted form of משׁאל, Joshua 31:30 ; Joshua 19:26 ; and in 1 Chronicles 6:75 , חוּקק is probably an error for חלקת, Joshua 21:31 ; Joshua 19:25 , occasioned by its being confounded with חקּק in the tribe of Naphtali, Joshua 19:34 . In 1 Chronicles 6:76 the fact that Kadesh was a city of refuge is not mentioned, as it is in Joshua 21:32 . חמּון is a shortened form of חמּות־דּאר, Joshua 21:32 ; for this city is called in Joshua 19:35 חמּת, from the warm springs in the neighbourhood. Finally, Kirjathaim is contracted in Joshua 21:32 into קרתּן.