Joshua 15:59

_AND MAARATH, AND BETHANOTH, AND ELTEKON; SIX CITIES WITH THEIR VILLAGES:_ Maarath (bare place, Gesenius) [Septuagint, Magarooth] - a town north of Hebron; not yet identified. BETH-ANOTH, х_ BEEYT-`ANOWT_ (H1042) (house of response, perhaps of echo, Gesenius); Septuagint, Baithanam] - probably the modern Beit-'Ainun, 40 degrees N. W. Hebron (Robinson's 'Biblical Researches,' ii., p. 186; 'Later Researches,' p. 281). ELTEKON, х_ 'ELTªQON_ (H515), God is its foundation; Septuagint, Thekoum; Alexandrian, Eltheken] - a few miles north of Hebron, but not yet identified. It is uncertain on what principle this group also was associated. The Septuagint inserts here the names of 11 cities not in the Hebrew text. Jerome alludes to these in his Commentary on Micah 5:

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, Micah 5:2, except that it was thus honoured, was now so little as not to be accounted one of the cities....

List of the towns of the tribe of Judah. These are arranged in four divisions, according to the natural features of the district; namely,, those of the Negeb or south country Joshua 15:21; of “the valley,” or “the plain” (“Shephelah”, Joshua 15:33); of “the mountains” Joshua 15:48; and of “the wilderness” Joshua 15:61. Many of the identifications are still conjectural only. Joshua 15:21. The Negeb was for the most part rocky and arid, and cannot have been at any time very thickly popul

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 MAARATH, AND BETHANOTH, AND ELTEKON,.... Of these cities we have no account elsewhere; only mention is made of Eltekeh, in the tribe of Dan, Joshua 19:44; SIX CITIES WITH THEIR VILLAGES; these were all in the mountainous part of Judea, as were the two following....

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....

The Cities in the Mountains 48. _And in the mountains_ This section treats of the Cities in the Mountains or "the Hill Country," (see above, Joshua 15:20), and includes _five groups_. _Shamir Group I_. consists of _eleven cities_on the south-western portion of the "hill Country:...

_Cities of Judah Joshua 15:20-63_ 20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families. 21 And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, 22 And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, 23 And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, 24 Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, 25 And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor, 26 Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, 27 And Hazar-gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth-palet, 28 And Hazar-shual, and Beer-sheba, and Bizjothjah, 29 Baalah, and Iim, and Azem, 30 And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah, 31 And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah, 32 And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages: 32 And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,

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 ...