Joshua 15:2

_AND THEIR SOUTH BORDER WAS FROM THE SHORE OF THE SALT SEA, FROM THE BAY THAT LOOKETH SOUTHWARD:_ Their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, х_ MIQTSEEH_ (H7097)] - from the extremity, explained in the following clause. FROM THE BAY THAT LOOKETH SOUTHWARD, х_ HALAASHON_ (H3956), the tongue (cf. Joshua 15:5; Joshua 18:19)] - a projecting point of land, called by the Arabs el lisan, 'the tongue;' not that, however, which on the eastern side forms so striking a feature of the lake, as it could not have formed the boundary either of Judah or Benjamin, but that which forms the extreme point on the south....

1-12 Joshua allotted to Judah, Ephraim, and the half of Manasseh, their inheritances before they left Gilgal. Afterwards removing to Shiloh, another survey was made, and the other tribes had their portion assigned. In due time all God's people are settled....

Verse Joshua 15:2. _FROM THE BAY THAT LOOKETH SOUTHWARD_] These were the southern limits of the tribe of Judah, which commenced at the extremity of the lake Asphaltites or Dead Sea, and terminated at _Sihor_ or the river of Egypt, and Mediterranean Sea; though some think it extended to the _Nile_....

EXPOSITION THE LOT OF JUDAH. JOSHUA 15:1 THE LOT OF THE TRIBE OF THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH. The first twelve verses of this chapter define the boundaries of Judah. With it compare Numbers 34:3, which gives the southern border of the Israelitish territory, corresponding closely with this account of the southern border of Judah. The word _tribe _here is, as might be expected from the context מַטֶה and not שֶּׁבֶט. EVEN TO THE BORDER OF EDOM. The literal translation, which makes the passage clearer, is, "the border of Edom, the wilderness of Zin towards the dry region (נֶגְבָּה) from the extreme limit of the south תֵימָן. The latter of these words, derived from יָמִי

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 ran out into the sea, looking to the southeast....

3. THE PORTION OF JUDAH CHAPTER 15 _ 1. The south-border of Judah's portion (Joshua 15:1)_ 2. The eastern and northern border (Joshua 15:5) 3. The western border (Joshua 15:12) 4. Caleb's conquest (Joshua 15:13) 5. Inheritance according to families (Joshua 15:20) This is a chapter which contains many names; nearly one hundred and fifty are recorded. With the help of a good concordance, or dictionary of Hebrew names, the English meaning may be ascertained. However, many of these names may be derived from

JOSHUA 15:1 reads rather confusedly. The statement is made that the following is the inheritance of Israel a late writer, wishing to be more exact, says the 9½ tribes, and then proceeds to point out how the number 9½ was obtained....

_And their south border_ The general account of the position of the tribe of Judah is followed by a more particular description of its boundaries. And first _the southern boundary_is described. _from the shore_ The southern border of Canaan has already been described in Numbers 34:3-5. It is here given in still greater detail. It commenced (_a_) from the "shore (or end) of the Salt Sea," or more exactly, _the tongue which turneth southward_(see margin), "fro the tonge of it that biholdith to the south," Wyclif. By this "tongue" is meant the southern portion of the Dead Sea reaching from the peninsula, which runs at a great distance from the Sea on the west of Karah, and extends quite to the south point at the so-called Salt-hill and Salt-Marsh." Keil. "We were now in the most desolate and dreary corner of that desolate shore, without one trace of vegetable life, n

_Samson Is Denied His Wife Judges 15:1-2_ But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go into my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. 2 And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her. _1._ What was the time of the wheat harvest? Judges 15:1 Wheat harvest comes in Palestine in the early part of June. By that time, several weeks of the dry season have elapsed, and the fields are in full bloom. Samson went down to Philistia at this very interesting and beautiful time of the year. With him, he took a present for his wife.

THE ASSIGNMENT OF THE TERRITORY It has been noticed that there are many incidental features in this narrative which point to a contemporary document. Thus in the lot of Judah we have a full description, both of the frontier-lines (Joshua 15:1), and also of the chief cities contained within them (Joshua 15:21): and the same is true of Benjamin (Joshua 18:11). But these are the tribes which seem to have conquered their territory soonest and most completely. Ephraim and Manasseh, on the contrary, have only their boundaries mentioned without any list of cities (16). As a matter of fact, the children of Joseph seem to have had more difficulties with the Canaanites ...