65 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Joshua 15 In this chapter are related the boundaries of the lot of the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:1; and the assignment of Hebron to Caleb, from whence he drove out the giants, and of Debir, which was taken by Othniel his brother, to whom, on that account, he gave his daughter in marriage, who made a further request to her father,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families,.... The land of Canaan was divided by lot to the several tribes, and the tribe of Judah had its lot first; of the manner of casting lots, [See comments on Numbers 26:55]; It seems as if the lot was first cast for the tribes of Judah and Joseph, when the former had the...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
Though the land was not completely conquered, yet being (as was said in the close of the foregoing chapter) as rest from war for the present, and their armies all drawn out of the field to a general rendezvous at Gilgal, there they began to divide the land, though the work was afterwards perfected at Shiloh, ch. xviii. 1, &c. In this chapter we...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea,.... Sometimes called the dead sea, the sea of Sodom, and the lake Asphaltites, which, as Jarchi observes, was southeast of the land of Israel: from the bay that looketh southward; or the "tongue", as the Hebrew, which the Targum and Kimchi interpret of a rock or promontory, the point that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it went out to the south side of Maalehacrabbim,.... Or the ascent of Akrabbim, as it is called, [See comments on Numbers 34:4]: and passed along to Zin, and ascended upon the south side unto Kadeshbarnea; which perfectly agrees with the southern border of the land, as described in Numbers 34:4; and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
[From thence] it passed towards Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt,.... In like manner is this coast described, Numbers 34:5; it is called by Jerom (x) Asemona, and said to be a city in the desert, to the south of Judah, dividing Egypt, and the lot of the tribe of Judah, leading to the sea: and the outgoings of that coast were at the sea;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the east border [was] the salt sea, [even] unto the end of Jordan,.... To the place where Jordan fell into it; so that this border was the whole length of the salt sea, which Josephus says (y) was five hundred eighty furlongs; and, according to Pliny (z), an hundred miles: and [their] border in the north quarter [was] from the bay of the sea,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the border went up to Bethhoglah,.... A place in the tribe of Benjamin, mentioned along with Jericho, and probably near it, Joshua 18:21; Jerom (a) speaks of a place called Betagla, in his time, which was three miles from Jericho, and two from Jordan, and perhaps is this same place: and passed along by the north of Betharabah; another city...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the border went up towards Debir,.... This was neither the Debir in the tribe of Gad, on the other side Jordan, Joshua 13:26; nor that in the tribe of Judah near Hebron, Joshua 15:15; but a third city of that name, and was not far from Jericho: from the valley of Achor; where Achan was put to death, and had its name from thence; which,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom,.... Which belonged to a man of that name formerly; and was near Jerusalem, placed by Jerom (l) to the east of it; but Reland (m) rather thinks it is to the south. It was infamous for the sacrifices of children to Moloch in it, by burning them, or causing them to pass through fire: hence,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the border was drawn from the top of the hill,.... Mount Moriah, and went round in a circuit, so Jarchi and Kimchi: unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah; which lay at the bottom of it; which, according to the Jewish writers, is the same with the fountain of Etam, from whence a stream flowed to the dipping room in the water gate of the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto Mount Seir,.... Not that in Idumea, so famous for its being the seat of Esau, which lay remote from hence, but a third of that name near Kirjathjearim; and which Adrichomius (t) places on the borders of Azotus and Ashkelon: this compass is fetched from the north to the west: and passed along unto...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the west border [was] to the great sea, and the coast [thereof],.... The western border of the tribe of Judah went along by the Mediterranean sea, which lay west to the land of Canaan; and this border reached from Jabneel to the river of Egypt, where the southern border ended, Joshua 15:4; this [is] the coast of the children of Judah round...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah,.... That is, Joshua gave it to him. This account is inserted before the cities in the lot of the tribe of Judah were enumerated, to show what was to be excepted from them, and which had been given to Caleb previous to the lot: according to the commandment of the Lord...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak,.... Some think this was after the death of Joshua, and is here inserted by some other person divinely inspired, and thoroughly acquainted with this fact, that the gift and the possession of this place might appear in one view; but it rather seems to be done before: Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he went up from thence to the inhabitants of Debir,.... Having conquered Hebron, and got possession of that, Caleb marched to Debir, a city not many miles from Hebron, and seems to have been in the country, and part of the land, which was given him; of which [See comments on Joshua 10:38]; and the name of Debir before [was] Kirjathsepher; or...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Caleb said, he that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it,.... Which he ordered to be proclaimed through the army that was under his command; and which was done not so much on the account of the difficulty of taking the place, through the number of the inhabitants of it, and its fortifications, which it seems had fallen again into the hands of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it,.... The relation of Othniel to Caleb is a little intricate, and, as it is understood, occasions objections to the marriage of Caleb's daughter to him; it seems, at first sight, that he was Caleb's own brother, a younger brother, and so uncle to his daughter, and such marriages were...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass, as she came [unto him],.... To her husband, being conducted from her father's house to his, in order to consummate the marriage, just as we may suppose when she was got to her husband's house, before she lighted off the beast on which she rode: that she moved him to ask of her father a field; or persuaded him to make such a...