Joshua 15:20-63
Summary for Josh 15:20-63: 15:20-63 a Not all of these locations can be identified with certainty. Many are unknown except for their occurrence in this and other lists. Some receive passing reference in other texts.15:21 b in the extreme south: Or in the Negev (see study note on 1:4). The Hebrew word negeb can refer either to the general direction (“south”) or the desert region named “Negev.”
• The location of Eder is otherwise unknown. Some propose translating this word as “Arad” because Arad should be about here in the list and was too important to have been left out. This translation would simply reverse two Hebrew letters that are very similar in shape.
15:33 c From the perspective of the highlanders of the Judean hill country, the lower hills between them and the coastal plain were the western foothills. These hills were separated geologically from the hill country by a series of north–south valleys. In this list, the western foothills are divided into four districts.
Summary for Josh 15:45-47: 15:45-47 d The fourth district of the western foothills included most of the territory soon to be occupied by the Philistines—the tribe of Judah held it only briefly.
15:48 e The hill country was in the central highlands of Judah from Jerusalem in the north to just past Debir (15:15 f) in the south. It was divided into five districts.
15:56 g This Jezreel in Judah was not the northern Jezreel. This city was the hometown of Ahinoam, David’s wife and the mother of his eldest son, Amnon (2 Sam 3:2 h).
15:59 i Following this verse, the Greek Old Testament includes another district of 11 cities: Tekoa, Ephrathah (that is, Bethlehem), Phagor, Etam, Kulon, Tatam, Saris, Karem, Gallim, Bether, Manoch—eleven towns with their surrounding villages. The inclusion of this district accounts for Bethlehem; this town’s omission would be surprising. Perhaps an early copyist of the Hebrew text accidentally omitted this twelfth district.
15:61 j The wilderness of Judea included the eastern slopes of the central mountain highlands and extended to the western shore of the Dead Sea; three of its six towns were on or near that shoreline.
15:63 k Even though Jerusalem was assigned to the tribe of Benjamin (18:28 l), it was not conquered in Joshua’s day.
• to this day: The Jebusites’ continued presence later caused Judah trouble (Judg 1:21 m).
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