Text -- Joshua 15:1-47 (NET)

15:1 The land allotted to the tribe of Judah by its clans reached to the border of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin in the Negev far to the south. 15:2 Their southern border started at the southern tip of the Salt Sea, 15:3 extended south of the Scorpion Ascent, crossed to Zin, went up from the south to Kadesh Barnea, crossed to Hezron, went up to Addar, and turned toward Karka. 15:4 It then crossed to Azmon, extended to the Stream of Egypt, and ended at the sea. This was their southern border. 15:5 The eastern border was the Salt Sea to the mouth of the Jordan River. The northern border started north of the Salt Sea at the mouth of the Jordan, 15:6 went up to Beth Hoglah, crossed north of Beth Arabah, and went up to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 15:7 It then went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning northward to Gilgal (which is opposite the Pass of Adummim south of the valley), crossed to the waters of En Shemesh and extended to En Rogel. 15:8 It then went up the Valley of Ben Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites on the south (that is, Jerusalem), going up to the top of the hill opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom to the west, which is at the end of the Valley of the Rephaites to the north. 15:9 It then went from the top of the hill to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, extended to the cities of Mount Ephron, and went to Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim). 15:10 It then turned from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, crossed to the slope of Mount Jearim on the north (that is Kesalon), descended to Beth Shemesh, and crossed to Timnah. 15:11 It then extended to the slope of Ekron to the north, went toward Shikkeron, crossed to Mount Baalah, extended to Jabneel, and ended at the sea. 15:12 The western border was the Mediterranean Sea. These were the borders of the tribe of Judah and its clans. 15:13 Caleb son of Jephunneh was assigned Kiriath Arba (that is Hebron) within the tribe of Judah, according to the Lord’s instructions to Joshua. (Arba was the father of Anak.) 15:14 Caleb drove out from there three Anakites– Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. 15:15 From there he attacked the people of Debir. (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) 15:16 Caleb said, “To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Acsah as a wife.” 15:17 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, captured it, Caleb gave Acsah his daughter to him as a wife. 15:18 One time Acsah came and charmed her father so that she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What would you like?” 15:19 She answered, “Please give me a special present. Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water. So he gave her both upper and lower springs. 15:20 This is the land assigned to the tribe of Judah by its clans: 15:21 These cities were located at the southern extremity of Judah’s tribal land near the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 15:22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 15:23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 15:24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 15:25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor), 15:26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 15:27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshbon, Beth Pelet, 15:28 Hazar Shual, Beer Sheba, Biziothiah, 15:29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 15:30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 15:31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 15:32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon– a total of twenty-nine cities and their towns. 15:33 These cities were in the lowlands: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 15:34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 15:35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 15:36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (or Gederothaim)– a total of fourteen cities and their towns. 15:37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, 15:38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, 15:39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 15:40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, 15:41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah– a total of sixteen cities and their towns. 15:42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 15:43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 15:44 Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah– a total of nine cities and their towns. 15:45 Ekron and its surrounding towns and settlements; 15:46 from Ekron westward, all those in the vicinity of Ashdod and their towns; 15:47 Ashdod with its surrounding towns and settlements, and Gaza with its surrounding towns and settlements, as far as the Stream of Egypt and the border at the Mediterranean Sea.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Jos 15:1

¹ tn Heb “The lot was to the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans to the border of Edom, the wilderness of Zin toward the south, southward.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:2

¹ tn Heb “Their southern border was from the end of the Salt Sea, from the tongue that faces to the south.”

sn The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (also in v. 5).

NET Notes: Jos 15:3

¹ tn Heb “went out.”

² tn Or “the Ascent of Scorpions” (עַקְרַבִּים [’aqrabbim] means “scorpions” in Hebrew).

NET Notes: Jos 15:4

¹ tn Traditionally “the Brook of Egypt,” although a number of recent translations have “the Wadi of Egypt” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).

² tn The translation follows the LXX at this point. The MT reads, “This will be your southern border.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:5

¹ tn Heb “end.”

² tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.

³ tn Heb “the border on the northern side was from the tongue of the sea, from the end of the Jordan.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:7

¹ tn Or “ascent.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:8

¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

NET Notes: Jos 15:12

¹ tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.

² tn Heb “this was the border of the sons of Judah round about, by their clans.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:13

¹ tn Heb “To Caleb son of Jephunneh he gave a portion in the midst of the sons of Judah according to the mouth [i.e., command] of the Lord to Joshua, Kiriath Arba (the father of Anak), it is Hebron.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:14

¹ tn Or “dispossessed.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:15

¹ tn Heb “he went up against the inhabitants of Debir.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:17

¹ tn “Caleb’s brother” may refer either to Othniel or to Kenaz. If Kenaz was the brother of Caleb, Othniel is Caleb’s nephew.

² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Caleb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: Jos 15:18

¹ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Acsah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “him.” The referent of the pronoun could be Othniel, in which case the translation would be, “she incited him [Othniel] to ask her father for a field.” This is problematic, however, for Acsah, not Othniel, makes the request in v. 19. The LXX has “he [Othniel] urged her to ask her father for a field.” This appears to be an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency and probably does not reflect the original text. If Caleb is understood as the referent of the pronoun, the problem disappears. For a fuller discussion of the issue, see P. G. Mosca, “Who Seduced Whom? A Note on Joshua 15:18//Judges 1:14,” CBQ 46 (1984): 18-22. This incident is also recorded in Judg 1:14.

NET Notes: Jos 15:19

¹ tn Elsewhere this Hebrew word (בְּרָכָה, bÿrakhah) is often translated “blessing,” but here it refers to a gift (as in Gen 33:11; 1 Sam 25:27; 30:26; and 2 Kgs 5:15).

NET Notes: Jos 15:20

¹ tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:21

¹ tn Heb “and the cities were at the end of the tribe of the sons of Judah, at the border of Edom, to the south.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:23

¹ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.

NET Notes: Jos 15:32

¹ tn The total number of names in the list is thirty-six, not twenty-nine. Perhaps (1) some of the names are alternatives (though the text appears to delineate clearly such alternative names here and elsewhere, see vv. 8, 9, 10, 13, 25b) or (2), more likely, later scribes added to a list originally numbering twenty-nine and failed to harmonize the concluding summary statement with the expanded list.

NET Notes: Jos 15:33

¹ tn The words “these cities were” have been supplied for English stylistic reasons.

² tn Or “the foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:45

¹ tn Heb “daughters.”

NET Notes: Jos 15:47

¹ tn See the note on this place name in 15:4.

² tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.