Joshua 15:17-63

15:17 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, ¹  captured it, Caleb ²  gave Acsah his daughter to him as a wife.

15:18 One time Acsah ³  came and charmed her father ⁴  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. ⁵  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: ⁶  15:21 These cities were located at the southern extremity of Judah’s tribal land near the border of Edom: ⁷  Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 15:22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 15:23 Kedesh, Hazor, ⁸  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. ⁹ 

15:33 These cities were ¹⁰  in the lowlands: ¹¹  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 ¹²  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 ¹³  and the border at the Mediterranean Sea. ¹⁴ 

15:48 These cities were ¹⁵  in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 15:49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir), 15:50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 15:51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh – a total of eleven cities and their towns.

15:52 Arab, Dumah, ¹⁶  Eshan, 15:53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, 15:54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior – a total of nine cities and their towns.

15:55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 15:56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 15:57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah – a total of ten cities and their towns.

15:58 Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 15:59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon – a total of six cities and their towns.

15:60 Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah – a total of two cities and their towns.

15:61 These cities were ¹⁷  in the desert: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, 15:62 Nibshan, the city of Salt, and En Gedi – a total of six cities and their towns.

15:63 The men of Judah were unable to conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. ¹⁸  The Jebusites live with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this very day. ¹⁹ 

[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.

[15:17]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Caleb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:18]  ³ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Acsah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:18]  ⁴ 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.

[15:19]  ⁵ 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).

[15:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans.”

[15:21]  ⁷ 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.”

[15:23]  ⁸ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.

[15:32]  ⁹ 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.

[15:33]  ¹⁰ tn The words “these cities were” have been supplied for English stylistic reasons.

[15:33]  ¹¹ tn Or “the foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”

[15:45]  ¹² tn Heb “daughters.”

[15:47]  ¹³ tn See the note on this place name in 15:4.

[15:47]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.

[15:48]  ¹⁵ tn The words “These cities were” have been supplied in the translation for English stylistic reasons.

[15:52]  ¹⁶ tc Some Hebrew mss and some mss of the LXX read “Rumah” in place of “Dumah.”

[15:61]  ¹⁷ tn The words “These cities were” have been supplied for English stylistic reasons.

[15:63]  ¹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[15:63]  ¹⁹ sn The statement to this very day reflects the perspective of the author, who must have written prior to David’s conquest of the Jebusites (see 2 Sam 5:6-7).