John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

Joshua 17:1



INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 17



This chapter gives an account of the lot that fell to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the male children of Manasseh, and to the daughters of Zelophehad, Jos 17:1; and describes the coast of that lot,

Jos 17:7; and relates the request of the sons of Joseph, to have their lot enlarged, which was granted, Jos 17:14.



Ver. 1. There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh,.... As well as for the tribe of Ephraim:



for he [was] the firstborn of Joseph; and therefore ought to have his part and share in the lot of the children of Joseph, though Ephraim was preferred before him in the blessing of Jacob. Some think this is given as a reason why he had a double portion, one on the other side Jordan, and another in the land of Canaan:



[to wit], for Machir, the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead; who was the only son of Manasseh, and so through him, and by his son Gilead, the whole tribe sprung from that patriarch: and



because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan; which were given to his posterity by Moses, and lay on the other side Jordan, see De 3:13. This Machir very likely had shown his warlike disposition and courage in Egypt, and had fought under the kings there against the common enemy of that country; for it is highly probable he was dead before the children of Israel came out from thence, but the same warlike spirit continued in his posterity; they had their part assigned them on the other side Jordan, to defend that country, while the tribes of Reuben and Gad attended to the care of their flocks and herds.





Joshua 17:2



Ver. 2. There was also [a lot] for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families,.... For such that had no part in Gilead and Bashan on the other side Jordan, even for the other half tribe, whose families are particularly mentioned, as follows:



for the children of Abiezer; who is called Jeezer in Nu 26:30; and was a son of Gilead, the son of Machir, as the rest that follow were:



and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida; hence the families of the Jeezerites, Helekites, Asrielites, Shechemites, Hepherites, and Shemidaites, mentioned in

Nu 26:30; and for which families was the lot here spoken of:



these [were] the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families; which is observed for the sake of, and to lead unto what follows, otherwise in common none but males inherited; but the following is an excepted and remarkable case.





Joshua 17:3



Ver. 3. But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters,.... The descent of this man is particularly given, to show the truth and reality of it, upon which his daughters made their request, and that granted and now claimed:



and these [are] the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah,

Milcah, and Tirzah; by the same names, and in the same order they are called in Nu 26:33; the order is a little different in

Nu 36:11.





Joshua 17:4



Ver. 4. And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes,.... The ten princes, who, with Eleazar and Joshua, were appointed to divide the land,

Nu 34:17; and were now met together for that purpose,

Jos 14:1;



saying, the Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren; those of the same tribe with them; for upon their application to Moses he inquired of the Lord, who ordered him to grant their request, Nu 27:1;



therefore according to the commandment of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their fathers; that is, to the half tribe of Manasseh.





Joshua 17:5



Ver. 5. And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which [were] on the other side Jordan,.... The lot which fell to the half tribe of Manasseh was divided into ten parts: according to the Jewish writers, the six families before mentioned had six parts, and the daughters of Zelophehad had four parts; one on the account of Zelophehad their father, two on the account of their grandfather Hepher, who they say was the firstborn, and one on account of their uncle, their father's brother, who died in the wilderness without children; so Jarchi and Kimchi relate from the Talmud {k}; but the true case seems to be this, there were six portions for the six families, but there being no sons in Hepher's family, his part was divided into five, and given to the five daughters of Zelophehad:



beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which [were] on the other side Jordan: which were given to the other half tribe, as before observed,

Jos 13:29.



{k} T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 118. 2. & 119. 1.





Joshua 17:6



Ver. 6. Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons,.... Which occasioned such a number of portions; the daughters of Zelophehad are meant, who descended from Manasseh:



and the rest of Manasseh, some had the land of Gilead; that is, those besides the six families before expressed, namely, the two families of the Machirites and Gileadites, Nu 26:29.





Joshua 17:7



Ver. 7. And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher,.... Not from the border of the tribe of Asher, as Kimchi, in which he is followed by Vatablus; for that was at too great a distance; but a city of the tribe of Manasseh; and in Jerom's {l} time a village of this name was shown fifteen miles from Neapolis or Shechem, as you go from thence to Scythopolis, near the public road:



to Michmethah, that [lieth] before Shechem; the same place mentioned in the description of the border of Ephraim, See Gill on "Jos 16:6":



and the border went along on the right hand, unto the inhabitants of Entappuah; that is, leaving this place, and its inhabitants to the right, which was a place in the land of that name, next mentioned; and seems to be so called from a fountain in it, or near it, as well as from a multitude of apples growing there, and with which perhaps the country abounded, of which in Jos 17:8.



{l} De loc. Heb. fol. 88. G.





Joshua 17:8



Ver. 8. [Now] Manasseh had the land of Tappuah,.... The whole territory that went by that name, from a city of note in it, next mentioned; all the fields and villages in it belonged to the tribe of Manasseh:



but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh [belonged] to the children of Ephraim; and was one of those separate cities they had among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh; though it seems they had only the city, not the territory adjacent to it, and which was named from it.





Joshua 17:9



Ver. 9. And the coast descended unto the river Kanah, southward of the river,.... The same mentioned in the account of the coast of Ephraim,

Jos 16:8; which was north of that river, as Manasseh was to the south of it:



these cities of Ephraim [are] among the cities of Manasseh; that is, the cities before mentioned, Asher, Michmethah, Entappuah, and Tappuah; though they were in the tribe of Manasseh, yet they were inhabited by the Ephraimites:



the coast of Manasseh also [was] on the north side of the river; of the river Kanah, as well as on the south of it; it had cities there, though possessed by the tribe of Ephraim:



and the outgoings of it were at the sea; the Mediterranean sea.





Joshua 17:10



Ver. 10. Southward [it was] Ephraim's, and northward [it was] Manasseh's,.... As Ephraim lay to the south of Manasseh, Manasseh lay to the north of Ephraim:



and the sea is his border; the Mediterranean sea was their boundary on the west:



and they met together in Asher on the north; that is, on the northwest towards the Mediterranean sea, as, at Mount Carmel:



and in Issachar on the east; towards Jordan.





Joshua 17:11



Ver. 11. And Manasseh had in Issachar, and in Asher, Bethshean, and her towns,.... As Ephraim had cities in Manasseh, so had Manasseh cities in these two tribes, which in some parts bordered on it, before described, even the cities following, and the first that is named is Bethshean: this lay in the tribe of Issachar, and was the uttermost border of Manasseh that way; it was, as Josephus {m} says, called Scythopolis; but not from the Scythians, as Pliny {n} suggests, but from Succoth, a place where Jacob resided, and which was not far from it, Ge 33:17; it lay before the great plain of Jezreel, and was at the entrance into it,



"After this went they over Jordan into the great plain before Bethsan.'' (1 Maccabees 5:52)



and was six hundred furlongs, or seventy five miles, from Jerusalem, according to:



"From thence they departed to Scythopolis, which lieth six hundred furlongs from Jerusalem,'' (2 Maccabees 12:29)



and was one of the cities of Decapolis, from whence our Lord had hearers, Mt 4:25. It was such a pleasant place, that it is said in the Talmud {o}, that if the garden of Eden was in the land of Israel, Bethshean was the gate of it; on which the gloss says, that its fruits were the sweetest in the land of Israel:



and Ibleam and her towns; it seems to be the same with Bileam, by a transposition of the two first letters, 1Ch 6:70; and was a place not far from Megiddo, after mentioned, as appears from 2Ki 9:27;



and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns; this had been a royal city,

See Gill on "Jos 11:2" and

See Gill on "Jos 12:23";



and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns; this place became famous for a witch there in the times of Saul, 1Sa 28:7; in the times of Jerom {p} it was a large village near Mount Tabor, four miles to the south, which he calls Aeudor, of or in Jezreel; and elsewhere {q} he speaks of Endor, as near the town of Nain, where our Lord raised the widow's son the dead, and is about: Scythopolis:



and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns; this had been a royal city, See Gill on "Jos 12:22";



and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: this was another royal city mentioned with the former; See Gill on "Jos 12:21"; there



[even] three countries; the three last cities, with their towns, that are mentioned, Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo; all which perhaps belonged to Dor, and may be the Naphothdor spoken of Jos 11:2; where the same word is used as here; so Jarchi interprets it.



{m} Antiqu l. 12. c. 8. sect. 5. {n} Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 18. {o} T. Bab. Eruvin, fol. 19. 1. {p} De loc. Heb. fol. 88. L. {q} lbid. fol. 91. E.





Joshua 17:12



Ver. 12. Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out [the inhabitants] of these cities,.... Mentioned in Jos 17:11; they had not strength at first to do it, or either were negligent and slothful, and suffered them to dwell among them, and did not take the advantage they might have done; and afterwards it was too late, they became too strong and numerous for them, at least for a time:



but the Canaanites would dwell in the land; whether they would or not.





Joshua 17:13



Ver. 13. Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxed strong,.... Increased in numbers, and became superior to the Canaanites, not only those of the tribe of Manasseh, but of the other tribes also:



that they put the Canaanites to tribute; they did not take away their lives, as they were commanded to do, but made them tributaries to them, which seems to arise from a covetous disposition, and done for the sake of gain:



but did not utterly drive them out; which they were ordered to do, and could now have done; for if they were able to make them pay tribute to them, they had power sufficient to drive them out, or destroy them, and therefore broke the commandment of God, De 7:1.





Joshua 17:14



Ver. 14. And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua,.... Which some understand of the children of Manasseh only; and, indeed, the complaint and arguments used, as well as some circumstances in the account, best agree with them; yet certain it is, that the children of Ephraim accompanied the children of Manasseh, and were present at this interview, as appears from Jos 17:17; and if they did not join with them in the request and complaint expressly, they countenanced and encouraged the same by their presence:



saying, why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit: this seems to suit better with one than both; for there was a lot for the tribe of Manasseh also, as well as for Ephraim, Jos 17:1; by which it should seem that there were two, and if both made this expostulation, it was not fact; but it may be, that the inheritance which came to them by lot was not as yet divided, and so they called it one lot and one portion, and then it might with propriety be said by them both; and their sense be, that the lot or portion assigned them was only sufficient for one of them, and not for both:



seeing I [am] a great people; as especially both tribes put together were;



forasmuch as the Lord hath blessed me hitherto? this best agrees with the tribe of Manasseh, which, since their coming out of Egypt, was increased twenty thousand five hundred, whereas the tribe of Ephraim was decreased; compare Nu 1:33 with Nu 26:34. Now it might have been expected by them, that as Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim, that he would have favoured their cause on that account, and that they should have obtained the grant of an addition by that means; but Joshua was impartial in his administration, and showed no favour and affection on that score, as appears by what follows.





Joshua 17:15



Ver. 15. And Joshua answered them,.... By retorting their own argument upon them:



if thou [be] a great people; which he does not deny, as they were for numbers and power:



[then] get thee up to the wood [country]; which was near them, and within their borders, and lay on hills and mountains, perhaps the mountains of Gilboa, and therefore are bid to go up:



and cut down for thyself there; cut down the trees of the wood, clear the ground of them, and so make it habitable, and by that means enlarge the places of their habitation:



in the land of the Perizzites, and of the giants; or Rephaim; the former of these were one of the seven nations of the Canaanites, who from their name seem to have dwelt not in the cities, and walled towns, but in villages, and scattered houses, in desert places, and among the woods, where also the giants had retired and dwelt after Joshua had driven them out of the cities; and by driving these out of their present habitations, they would gain more room to dwell in, and would find their lot sufficient for them:



if Mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee; either meaning all Ephraim, and even the whole lot of the sons of Joseph, or rattler the mount particularly so called; for the words may be rendered, "for Mount Ephraim hastens for thee" {q}; was clear or open for thee; ready to be delivered to thee, and thou mayest possess it at once.



{q} Vid Gusset. Ebr. Comment, p. 21.





Joshua 17:16



Ver. 16. And the children of Joseph said, the hill is not enough for us,.... Meaning either Mount Ephraim, and all included in it; or it may be rather the wood country on the hills and mountains they were bid to go up to; signifying, that if they could gain that out of the hands of the Perizzites and giants, and clear it of the wood, and make it habitable, even that would not be sufficient for them; or that hill and mountain cannot be "found by us" {r} or obtained and possessed by us; we are not able to get it into our hands; there being a valley between us and that:



and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron; not chariots made of iron, but chariots with iron scythes fastened to the sides, or axle trees of them, which when driven with great force and fury, would cut down the infantry in battle, as grass is cut down with scythes, see Jud 4:2;



[both they] who [are] of Bethshean and her towns, and [they] who [are] of the valley of Jezreel; both which belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, or were on the borders of it, though as yet they had not got possession, see Jos 17:11; and this circumstance seems to favour the notion, that tribe of Manasseh were at least chiefly concerned in this address.



{r} wnl aumy al "non invenietur nobis", Montanus; "non possumus montem istum assequi", Tigurine version; "non obtinebitur a nobis", Masius.





Joshua 17:17



Ver. 17. And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, [even] to Ephraim and to Manasseh,.... From whence it is clear that some of both were present; and they being brethren, and their interests united, and their cities intermixed, it would be to their mutual advantage to have an enlargement; which the tribe of Manasseh wanted more especially, more of their cities that fell to their lot being in the hands of the Canaanites, than of any other:



saying, thou [art] a great people, and hast great power; were very numerous, and so able to contend with the Canaanites, and make themselves more room:



thou shalt not have one lot [only]; or only have what they were possessed of, but should have more; and, as they wanted more, they were able enough to get more; and if they exerted their power, relying on the providence of God, through his blessing on their endeavours, they would certainly have an increase of their portion.





Joshua 17:18



Ver. 18. But the mountains shall be thine,.... Or "for" {s} it shall be thine; thou shalt get the possession of it, though attended with difficulties that seem insuperable:



for, or "if, though" {t}



it [is] a wood; the habitation of the Perizzites, and giants, and so dangerous to go un to it, and full of trees, and so seems unprofitable and useless:



and thou shalt cut it down; both the inhabitants of it, and the trees of it, and clear it of both, and make it both safe and commodious to dwell in, which would be a fine enlargement for them:



and the outgoings of it shall be thine; all it produces when cultivated, and all the parts adjacent to it:



for thou shall drive out the Canaanites; this Joshua assures them of, to encourage them to attempt it:



though they have iron chariots, [and] though they [be] strong; be not afraid of their chariots, though terrible, nor of their giants and mighty men, God will be on your side, and you have nothing to fear from them, see Jos 11:4; whether the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh took this advice of Joshua is not said.



{s} yk "quia", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Gussetius, p. 378. {t} yk "si", Junius & Tremellius, "licet", Ar. vers. Lat.

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

Joshua 18:1



INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 18



This chapter informs us of the setting up of the tabernacle at Shiloh,

Jos 18:1; of the notice Joshua took, that seven tribes had not received their inheritance, Jos 18:2; of the instructions he gave them to send three men out of each tribe, and describe the land not yet disposed of, and bring the account to him, which was accordingly done,

Jos 18:3; and then he cast lots for them, and the first lot came up for Benjamin, Jos 18:10; the borders of whose lots are described,

Jos 18:12; and the several cities in it enumerated,

Jos 18:21.



Ver. 1. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh,.... The whole body of the people, men, women, and children, as well as the camp, Jos 18:9; at least all that had not received their inheritances in the land. Hither they came from Gilgal, where the camp and tabernacle had been ever since their passage over Jordan; but now the land being in the main subdued, that was too far off both for the camp and tabernacle, and therefore they moved further into the land, and nearer Jerusalem, where in time the tabernacle was to be placed. The place they assembled at, Shiloh, was in the tribe of Ephraim, of which tribe Joshua was, and whose lot and inheritance was now fixed, and it was not far from Jerusalem, about two leagues. Jerom says {u} it was ten miles from, Neapolis or Shechem, in the country of Acrabatena; and that there were scarce any ruins of it to be seen in his day, only an altar demolished was shown {w}. It seems to have its name from the peaceable condition the land was now in, and very likely was now given it on that account:



and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there; no doubt by the appointment and direction of God, signified to Eleazar the high priest, either by a voice, or by Urim and Thummim; and the removal of it seemed necessary, partly that because several camps which surrounded it were now broken up and settled in their cities, as Reuben, Judah, and Ephraim; and partly that it might be near where Joshua, the governor of Israel, resided, Ephraim being his tribe; and also since Gilgal, on the borders of the land, was too far off for the people to resort to the tabernacle, and therefore it was, proper it should be more in the heart of the country: when this was done, cannot certainly be determined; Kimchi says it was fourteen years after the Israelites came into the land of Canaan; and so says {x} their chronology; but it is highly probable it was before that time, and not longer than seven or eight years at most; here the tabernacle continued, according to the Jewish writers {y}, three hundred sixty nine years, even unto the times of Samuel, when for the sins of the sons of Eli it was removed. Eupolemus {z}, an Heathen writer, speaks of the holy temple being fixed at Shiloh by Joshua:



and the land was subdued before them: the far greater part of it, and all so as to have no disturbance from, or war with, the inhabitants.



{u} De loc. Heb. fol. 94. I. {w} Comment. in Soph. c. 1. fol. 94. I. Epitaph. Paul. fol. 59. L. {x} Seder Olam Rabba, c. 11. p. 32. {y} Maimon. in Misn. Zebachim, c. 14. sect. 6. Bartenora in ib. sect. 7. Seder Olam Rabba, ut supra. ({x}) {z} Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 30. p. 447.





Joshua 18:2



Ver. 2. And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes,.... Which were those of Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan:



which had not yet received their inheritance; and for which the lots were not cast.





Joshua 18:3



Ver. 3. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel,.... To those of the seven tribes:



how long [are] you slack to go to possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you? not that they might have taken possession of it of themselves, without having it assigned to them by lot; that they did not do this, is not what is complained of, and they stand reproved for; but that when two tribes and a half had received their inheritance, these seemed indifferent to it, showed no inclination and disposition towards it, and much less eagerness to have a settlement, and did not apply to the court for it; which dilatoriness might arise from the present affluence of all good things they enjoyed through the spoils of the enemy; and partly through slothfulness, being tired of the war, and perceiving that they must be involved in it again to dispossess the Canaanites of some of the cities that would fall to their lot; and, perhaps, their slackness might be the more increased, by observing the dissatisfaction of the tribes with the lot they had received, and therefore waited till things were adjusted to greater satisfaction.





Joshua 18:4



Ver. 4. Give out from among you three men for [each] tribe,.... That is, for each of the seven tribes, in all twenty one; though some think they were to be taken out of all the nine tribes and a half, and were thirty six; and so Josephus {a} seems to understand it; but then he makes but one out of each tribe to be sent, and but ten in all, which is a great oversight in that historian:



and I will send them; Joshua would not take upon him to name the persons, but left it to their own choice for their greater satisfaction; but when chosen and presented to him, he would give them a commission and directions what to do:



and they shall rise; gird themselves, and prepare for their journey, and set out:



and go through the land; of Canaan; not the whole of it, but that part which as yet was not disposed of; though some think they were to go through and describe the whole land; but I see no reason for that, for what was described was to be divided into seven parts only, and what belonged already to Judah and Joseph, seem plainly to be excepted in

Jos 18:5:



and describe it according to the inheritance of them; take the dimensions of it, and divide it into seven parts, according to the number of the tribes that had not received their inheritance. Jarchi thinks this description and division were not to be made equally, but according to the largeness and smallness of the tribes; but this could not be done by the measurers, since the inheritance of each depended on the lot that was afterward to be cast, which by this means would have been rendered needless:



and they shall come [again] to me; which seems to be not only a precept or instruction to them, that when they had done their business, they should come to Joshua and give him an account of it; but an assurance also of their safety, that they should receive no disturbance nor hurt from the remaining Canaanites, but should return safe and well.



{a} Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 21.





Joshua 18:5



Ver. 5. And they shall divide it into seven parts,.... According to the number of the seven tribes not yet settled; and this they were to describe and divide was all the land subdued, or not subdued, only the following excepted:



Judah shall abide in their coast on the south; on the south of the land of Canaan, where their lot fell, so that needed not to be measured and described; and this tribe was to retain what they were possessed of, unless it should appear they had too much, and others wanted, and they willing to part with some of it to their brethren, as they afterwards did to the tribes of Simeon and Dan:



and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coast on the north; on the north of the tribe of Judah; not of the land of Canaan, for some other tribes lay more northerly.





Joshua 18:6



Ver. 6. Ye shall therefore describe the land [into] seven parts,.... Or ye shall describe the land, even the seven parts of it when divided; it seems as if they were first to describe in general all the land not disposed of, and then divide it into seven parts, and make a particular description of each part, or form a plan, or draw a map of every part:



and bring [the description] hither to me; not by word of mouth, but as written in a book, or marked out in a map, and laid before him, see

Jos 18:9;



that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord your God; in Shiloh, at the door of the tabernacle, and so before the Lord who dwelt in it, at whose disposal the lot was, and by which everyone of the seven tribes would have their part and portion assigned them most fitting and convenient for them, according to the will and counsel of God, in which it became them to acquiesce.





Joshua 18:7



Ver. 7. But the Levites have no part among you,.... And so needed not to send any men out of their tribe to measure the land on their account, and is a reason why the remaining part of the land was to be divided into seven parts only:



for the priesthood of the Lord [is] his inheritance; not only the office, but what appertained to it, all the perquisites of it, the tithes, firstfruits, parts of the sacrifices, &c. see Jos 13:14;



and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them; and so had no share in the division of the land of Canaan, being sufficiently provided for.





Joshua 18:8



Ver. 8. And the men arose, and went away,.... The seven tribes took the advice of Joshua, chose three men out of each tribe, and presented them to him, who gave them their commission and instruction to go and describe the land of Canaan, not yet disposed of, and whether subdued, or not subdued; upon which they prepared for their journey, and took it, after he had given them the following charge:



and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land; before they departed from him:



saying, go and walk through the land; and take particular notice, and an exact survey of it, both of the quality and the quantity of it:



and describe it; its cities and towns, hills and dales, the goodness and badness of the soil, and put it down in a book, or lay it out in a map, that it may be discerned by the eye what number of cities, and what space of ground it contains, and what parts are hilly and woody, and what otherwise:



and come again to me; to make a report of it:



that I may cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh; that is, for the several tribes which they belonged to, and by whom they were chosen for this purpose.





Joshua 18:9



Ver. 9. And the men went and passed through the land,.... Undisturbed by the inhabitants that remained; the fear of the Israelites being still upon them, and the providence of God restraining them, so that the men passed through the whole country, and took a survey of it without any molestation:



and described it by cities, into seven parts, in a book; or map, or rather made seven maps of it, and set down the several cities in each division, with the places adjacent, hills and vales, and marked out a plain and exact chorography of the whole, by which it appears they must be men well skilled in geometry. Josephus {b} says, that Joshua added to them some that understood geometry; but doubtless the persons each tribe chose and sent were such whom they knew were well versed in that art, and so fit for the business; and which they had, no doubt, learned in Egypt, this being one part of the wisdom and learning of the Egyptians; who boasted of it as an invention of theirs, as Diodorus Siculus {c} relates; and indeed they were obliged to study it, their country being divided into several homes, and these into lesser districts, and which also were subdivided, and according thereunto were the king's taxes levied upon them; and what with the confusion frequently made by the overflowings of the Nile, they were frequently obliged to measure their land over again; and hence they became expert in this science, which is commonly believed took its rise from them, and passed into Greece, as Herodotus {d}, and Strabo {e}, and other authors relate; however, it is certain from this instance in the time of Joshua, that geometry was not the invention of Anaximander, about five hundred years before Christ, as some have asserted {f}:



and came [again] to Joshua to the host at Shiloh; where the camp, as well as the people in common, and the tabernacle, were; they returned, as Josephus {g} says, at the end of seven months; and to measure so much land, and make such divisions of it, and give the plans and maps of each division, must take up a considerable time.



{b} Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 21. {c} Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 63. {d} Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 109. {e} Geograph. l. 17. p. 541, 542. Vid. Suidam in voce gewmetria. {f} Vid. Strabo. Geograph. l. 1. p. 5. Lar. l. 2. Vit. Anaximan I. {g} Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 21.)





Joshua 18:10



Ver. 10. And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord,.... For the seven tribes, as he had for the two tribes and a half at Gilgal; of the manner of casting lots, See Gill on "Nu 26:55";



and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their division: the land that was divided into seven parts, he distributed to the seven tribes, as the lot came up for them, and then divided these several parts according to the families and households in each tribe.





Joshua 18:11



Ver. 11. And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families,.... This was the first lot of the seven that came up; it was but a small lot, and therefore called "little Benjamin", Ps 68:27; but the land was very pleasant and fruitful. Josephus {h} says, this lot was very strait, because of the goodness of the soil, for it took in Jericho, and the city of Jerusalem:



and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph; having Judah on the south, and Joseph on the north; this was so ordered by the providence of God, that Benjamin should lie close to Joseph, being own brothers, and the only children of Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife; and that it should be next to Judah, with whom it was to unite, both in religious and civil affairs, and both met in and had a part of Jerusalem, the metropolis of Israel; and this lot fell exactly according to the prediction of Moses, and the order of it, who places Benjamin between Judah and Joseph, the tribe of Levi having no share in the division of the land, De 33:7.



{h} Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22.





Joshua 18:12



Ver. 12. And their border on the north side was from Jordan,.... Which was the eastern boundary of the tribe, and hence proceeded from east to west, and formed its northern border, which is described in like manner as the lot of the children of Joseph, Jos 16:1;



and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side; from Jordan it went to the north of Jericho, and so took in that place, which was within the tribe of Benjamin, Jos 18:21;



and went up through the mountains westward; the mountains that were on the north of Jericho; for, as Strabo says {i}, Jericho was surrounded with mountains, see Jos 2:16; through these mountains the coast went on towards the western border of the tribe:



and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven: a place near Bethel and Ai, to which there was a wilderness adjoining, see Jos 7:2; here ended the northern border.



{i} Geograph. l. 16. p. 525.





Joshua 18:13



Ver. 13. And the border went over from thence towards Luz,.... From Bethaven, where the northern border ended, the western began, and went on to Luz:



to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; that is, passed along, leaving that city to the south, which formerly was called Luz, but now Bethel, which though distinct places formerly, yet being very near, might in process of time be joined; See Gill on "Jos 16:2";



and the border descended to Atarothadar, the same with Archiataroth,

See Gill on "Jos 16:2", and

See Gill on "Jos 16:5":



near the hill that [lieth] on the south side of the nether Bethhoron; so called to distinguish it from Bethhoron the upper, situated on an hill or mountain, Jos 16:5; this was rebuilt by Solomon, 1Ki 9:17.





Joshua 18:14



Ver. 14. And the border was drawn [thence],.... From Bethhoron:



and compassed the corner of the sea southward; it is hard to say what sea is meant, or what by it. Fuller {k} conjectures, that as the Hebrews call any confluence of water a sea, as we call such a "mere", the great waters in Gibeon may be meant, Jer 41:12; for it cannot mean the Mediterranean sea, for Dan lay between Benjamin and that; and yet if a sea is meant, no other can be; wherefore it is best to render it the "west quarter", as it is in the latter part of this verse; and so the same word is translated, Jos 18:12; the "west", and not the "sea", as it sometimes is; for the border of Benjamin did not reach the sea any where; though Josephus {l} makes it to extend to it, and says, that the length of it was from the river Jordan to the sea:



the hill that [lieth] before Bethhoron southward; the hill that lay to the south of nether Bethhoron, as in Jos 18:13:



and the goings out thereof, the end of the western coast,



were at Kirjathbaal, which [is] Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah; of which see Jos 15:9;



this [was] the west quarter; as thus described.



{k} Pisgah Sight, B. 2. c. 12. p. 251. {l} Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22.)





Joshua 18:15



Ver. 15. And the south quarter [was] from the end of Kirjathjearim,.... Where the western quarter ended:



and the border went out on the west; not directly south, but somewhat westerly. It is, in the original, "the sea", and should be rendered, "from the sea", or "from the west" {m}; and Jarchi confesses his ignorance, and says, I know not what sea it is; and well he might, for there was no sea here; but the Mediterranean sea, being to the west of the land of Israel, it is often used for the west in the Hebrew language, and so here:



and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah;

See Gill on "Jos 15:9";



{m} hmy "a mari", Masius; "ab occidente", Noldius, No. 1083. p. 239.





Joshua 18:16



Ver. 16. And the border came down,.... In the description of the border of Judah, hereabout, it is said to go up, Jos 15:5; because there, as Jarchi observes, the measure was from east to west, but here from west to east:



to the end of the mountain that [lieth] before the valley of the son of Hinnom; this south border of Benjamin is the same with the north border of Judah; and the same places are mentioned in the description of the one as of the other, see Jos 15:8. The mountain is Mount Moriah,



[and] which [is] in the valley of the giants on the north; on the north of the valley of Rephaim:



and descended to the valley of Hinnom; the border from the end of Mount Moriah to that valley:



to the side of Jebusi on the south; to the south side of Jerusalem, having that city on the south;



and descended to Enrogel; of which See Gill on "Jos 15:7".





Joshua 18:17



Ver. 17. And was drawn from the north,.... Turning northward, and looking that way from the west to the east:



and went forth to Enshemesh; or the fountain of the sun, see

Jos 15:7;



and went forth toward Geliloth; called Gilgal, Jos 15:7;



which [is] over against the going up to Adummim; a place between Jerusalem and Jericho, see Jos 15:7;



and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben; see

Jos 15:6.





Joshua 18:18



Ver. 18. And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward,.... The same with Betharabah, Jos 15:6; and so it is called here in the Greek version:



and went down unto Arabah; the same as before, and included it, for it is mentioned among the cities of this tribe, Jos 18:22.





Joshua 18:19



Ver. 19. And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward,.... Inclining somewhat toward the north, but not leaving the city to the north, for it is included in the lot of Benjamin,

Jos 18:21; of which place see Jos 15:6;



and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea; here ended the southern border of Benjamin, even at the bay or creek of the salt sea, which looked northward, as the southern border of Judah began at that bay of it, which looked southward, Jos 15:2;



at the south end of Jordan; where it fell into the salt sea:



this [was] the south coast; as before described.





Joshua 18:20



Ver. 20. And Jordan was the border of it on the east side,.... It had Jordan on the east, Dan on the west, Judah on the south, and Joseph or Ephraim on the north:



this [was] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families; this is the general description of the limits of this tribe, the particular cities in it follow.





Joshua 18:21



Ver. 21. Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin,

according to their families, were Jericho,.... Which though destroyed, and not to be rebuilt as a city, was yet a place inhabited, and in future times was rebuilt, and in great splendour, and continued to the time of Christ; of which see Jos 2:1;



and Bethhoglah, where or near to which was the threshing floor of Atad, at which lamentation was made for Jacob, See Gill on "Ge 1:10", and

See Gill on "Jos 15:6";



and the valley of Keziz; or Emekkeziz; so the Greek version calls it Amecasis: it is highly probable it was in the valley or plain of Jericho, and perhaps might have its name from the incision of the balsam tree there; which, as Pliny {n} says, was cut with glass or a stone, or with knives made of bone; if cut with iron, it kills it.



{n} Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 25.





Joshua 18:22



Ver. 22. And Betharabah,.... Of the first of these,

See Gill on "Jos 15:6";



and Zemaraim; one of the sons of Canaan was named Zemira,

Ge 10:18; by whom this city Zemaraim might be built, or however have its name given it, in memory of him; there was a mountain of this name in the tribe of Ephraim, near to which this city might be, 2Ch 13:4.



and Bethel; of the last of these, See Gill on "Jos 7:2".





Joshua 18:23



Ver. 23. And Avim, and Parah,.... Of the two first of these we read nowhere else;



and Ophrah is not the same with Ophrah in Jud 6:11; that belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, but rather that which was in the land of Shuah, 1Sa 13:17. Jerom calls this place Aphrah, in the tribe of Benjamin, and says {o}, in his time there was a village called Effrem, five miles from Bethel to the east, which very probably is the same with this.



{o} De loc. Heb. fol. 88. H.





Joshua 18:24



Ver. 24. And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni,.... Of the two first of these no mention is made elsewhere;



and Gaba is the same with Gibeah, a well known place, because of the foul fact committed there, which had like to have been the ruin of this tribe, Jud 19:14; and for being the native place of King Saul, hence called "Gibeah of Saul", 1Sa 11:4; it was about six or seven miles from Jerusalem, See Gill on "Ho 5:8"; twelve cities with their villages; which agrees with the account of them.





Joshua 18:25



Ver. 25. Gibeon,.... Gibeon is the place from whence the Gibeonites came, who deceived Joshua, Jos 9:3. Jerom says {p}, in his time there was a village shown of this name, four miles from Bethel to the east, near Ramah, next mentioned;



and Ramah, which Jerom relates {q} was six miles from Aelia or Jerusalem to the north, against Bethel. Rauwolff, a traveller in those parts, says {r}, that the town of Rama is situated on an ascent, in plain fields, which extend themselves for two leagues to the hill of the city of Jerusalem; these fields are very fruitful and well tilled, and sown with corn, cotton, and Indian millet; the town is pretty large, but very open, like unto a village, very pitifully built, where one may still see here and there some signs of old buildings;



and Beeroth was a city that belonged to the Gibeonites, Jos 9:17; and Jerom says {s}, in his time was shown the village, seven miles from Aelia or Jerusalem, as you go to Neapolis or Shechem.



{p} De loc. Heb. fol. 92. A. {q} Ibid. fol. 94. B. {r} Travels, par. 3. c. 1. p. 215. Ed. Ray. {s} Vid. Reland. Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 618.





Joshua 18:26



Ver. 26. And Mizpeh,.... Frequent mention is made of Mizpeh in Scripture; according to Fuller {t}, it was about eight miles from Gibeah; it was near Ramathon, which Josephus says {u} was forty furlongs from Jerusalem;



and Chephirah was one of the cities subject to Gibeon, Jos 9:17.



and Mozah; there was a place called Motza, near to Jerusalem, where they used to go to get willows at the feast of tabernacles {w}.



{t} Pisgah-Sight, B. 2. c. 12. p. 209. {u} Antiqu. l. 8. c. 12. sect. 3. {w} Misn. Succah, c. 4. sect. 5.





Joshua 18:27



Ver. 27. And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah. Of these cities there is no mention made elsewhere.





Joshua 18:28



Ver. 28. And Zelaheath,.... Zelah was the buryingplace of Saul and his family, 2Sa 21:14.



Eleph is nowhere else mentioned; some join it with Zelah, and make one city of it, but then the number of cities given could not be completed; both Jarchi and Kimchi say they were two cities, as doubtless they were;



and Jebusi, which [is] Jerusalem; of Jerusalem being called Jebusi, see Jos 15:63; it belonged partly to the tribe of Judah, and partly to the tribe of Benjamin; Mount Zion belonged to Judah, and Moriah to Benjamin;



Gibeath was a distinct city both from Gaba and Gibeon; by its being mentioned with Jerusalem, it should seem to be near it. Jerom {y} speaks of Gabaatha in the tribe of Benjamin, twelve miles from Eleutheropolis, where the grave of the Prophet Habakkuk was shown;



[and] Kirjath signifies a city, but what city is meant is not known:



fourteen cities with their villages; and just so many are mentioned by name:



this [is] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families; these cities, with others perhaps not mentioned, were allotted to the tribe of Benjamin for their families to dwell in.



{y} De loc. Heb. fol. 92. C.

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

Joshua 19:1



INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 19



In this chapter an account is given of the lots of the six remaining tribes, and the cities in them, as of Simeon, whose cities were chiefly within the tribe of Judah, Jos 19:1; of Zebulun, its border and cities, Jos 19:10; of Issachar, its border and cities,

Jos 19:17; of Asher, its border and cities, Jos 19:24; of Naphtali, its border and cities, Jos 19:32; of Dan, its border and titles, Jos 19:40; and lastly of a gift of inheritance to Joshua, Jos 19:49.



Ver. 1. And the second lot came forth to Simeon,.... That is, the second of the seven lots, of which Benjamin's was the first; otherwise there were the two lots of Judah and Joseph, which preceded both these:



[even] for the tribe of the children of Simeon, according to their families; for though many of their cities had been given by lot to the tribe of Judah, yet it seems as if there were others they had by a special lot cast for them, as many as were sufficient for their families:



and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah; which was done partly because this was but a small tribe, and particularly because the lot put up, which fell to the tribe of Judah, was too large for it, more than they could occupy, too much being put to this lot by the first measurers of the land; and partly to fulfil the prophecy of Jacob, that the Simeonites should be scattered in Jacob, and divided in Israel, Ge 49:7; and hence it is that the lots of these two tribes lying together, and being so intermixed, that the tribe of Judah called upon that of Simeon to join them in fighting against the Canaanites, and taking out of their hands the cities that belonged to them, Jud 1:3.





Joshua 19:2



Ver. 2. And they had in their inheritance Beersheba and Sheba,.... Or, Beersheba, that is, Sheba; for so the particle "vau" is sometimes used {z}, and must be so used here; or otherwise, instead of thirteen, it will appear that there are fourteen cities, contrary to the account of them, Jos 19:6; so Kimchi and Ben Melech make them one city. And it may be observed, that in the enumeration of the cities of Simeon, 1Ch 4:28; Sheba is left out, and only Beersheba is mentioned; which, was a well known place in, the farthest border of the land of Israel southward, and the reason of its name is manifest, Ge 21:31;

See Gill on "Jos 15:28";



and Moladah; another of the cities of Judah, Jos 15:26.



{z} Vid. Noldium, p. 280. No. 1200.





Joshua 19:3



Ver. 3. And Hazarshual,.... See Gill on "Jos 15:28";



and Balah, and Azem; of these places see Gill "Jos 15:29"; for Balah is the same with Baalah there, and with Bilhah 1Ch 4:29; and Azem with Ezem there.





Joshua 19:4



Ver. 4. And Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah. These were all cities of Judah, Jos 15:30; Eltolad is the same with Tolad, and Bethul with Bethuel, 1Ch 4:29, and with Chesil, Jos 15:30, mentioned there along with Hormah; See Gill on "Jos 15:30".





Joshua 19:5



Ver. 5. And Ziklag,.... Another of the cities of Judah,

See Gill on "Jos 15:31";



and Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusah; or Hazarsusim, as in 1Ch 4:31; the one signifies a chariot house, and the other a court or stable for horses, which made Bochart conjecture {a}, that they were places where Solomon kept his chariots and horses; but it should be observed that these were the names by which these places went in the times of the old Canaanites; and seem to me rather where some of their kings had their horses and chariots; or rather where there were temples dedicated to the horses and chariots of the sun; see 2Ki 23:11.



{a} Hierozoic. l. 2. c. 9. col. 158.





Joshua 19:6



Ver. 6. And Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen,.... Whether the first is the same with Lebaoth, a city of Judah, Jos 15:32; and with the Bethleptepha of Josephus {b}, and the Betholene of Pliny {c}, is not certain: in this place secret to have been an idol temple of the Canaanites, dedicated to lions, as in Egypt there was a city called Leontopolis, from whence was the Leontopolitan nome, the inhabitants of which worshipped lions {d}; and the Egyptians had temples dedicated to them, as Aelianus {e} relates. Both these places are thought to be the same with Bethbirei and Shaaraim in 1Ch 4:31; of the latter of which see Jos 15:36. Those who take Sheba, Jos 19:2, to be the same with Shema, Jos 15:26, make but one city here, and take away the last, as the Greek version does, and render the word "and their fields", and so the number still is as follows:



thirteen cities and their villages; the sum total of those enumerated above.



{b} De Jud. Bell. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 1. {c} Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 14. {d} Strabo. Geograph. l. 17. p. 559. {e} De Animal. l. 12. c. 7.





Joshua 19:7



Ver. 7. Ain, Remmon,.... Of the two first, which were cities of Judah,

See Gill on "Jos 15:32";



and Ether, and Ashan; of the two last, see Gill "Jos 19:42";



four cities and their villages; Ain, Remmon, therefore, could not be one city, at this time, as it seems to have been in the times of Nehemiah, Ne 11:29; or otherwise there would have been but three cities.





Joshua 19:8



Ver. 8. And all the villages that [were] round about these cities,.... Not only the suburbs adjoining to those cities which are mentioned before, but the several small distinct towns and villages, scattered up and down in the country:



to Baalathbeer, Ramath of the south: this is the same with Baal in 1Ch 4:33; and with Ramath of the south, or south Ramoth, as it is called 1Sa 30:27; all these are the names of one and the same city:



this [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon,

according to their families; that is, the above named cities fell to the lot of the inheritance of the Simeonites, and were divided among them according to the number of their respective families; at least, these were the chief and principal of them; for all that they possessed are not mentioned, particularly one called Tochen, 1Ch 4:32; and another, the name of which is Etam there, unless that is thought to be the same with Ether here in Jos 19:7. Josephus says {f}, this tribe took by lot that part of Idumea which lay near to Egypt and Arabia.



{f} Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22.





Joshua 19:9



Ver. 9. Out of the portion of the children of Judah [was] the inheritance of the children of Simeon,.... Which is the reason why no description is given of the border of their inheritance, because that is before given in the account of the lot of Judah:



for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: they had more cities than they could fill with people, and more land than they could cultivate; they had an hundred fourteen cities with their villages:



therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them; the one being a small tribe, and the other large, and for the reasons given; See Gill on "Jos 19:1".





Joshua 19:10



Ver. 10. And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun,

according to their families,.... Who, though younger than Issachar, has his lot before him, agreeably to the order in which his blessing is predicted, both by Jacob and Moses, Ge 49:13;



and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid; or "by Sarid", as Masius, who takes this to be the southwest border of Zebulun, being near Carmel; in which he seems to be right.





Joshua 19:11



Ver. 11. And their border went up toward the sea,.... Westward towards the Mediterranean sea, which fulfilled the prophecies of Jacob and Moses, that Zebulun should dwell by the sea, be an haven of ships, and take of the abundance of the seas, as in the places before referred to; and so Josephus says, the Zebulunites took the land unto the lake of Gennesaret, by or about Carmel and the sea:



and Maralah; which Jerom calls {g} the ascent of Zebulun; for from hence it went up from the sea, and reached to Dabbasheth; which Jerom calls Dasbath; the word signifies a hump that is on a camel's back,

Isa 30:6; so called because when that is hurt by burdens it is cured with honey {h}; it seems to denote some place or city at a point of land or promontory, that stood out towards the sea, as that of Carmel; or some city on the back of Carmel, resembling a camel's hump:



and reached to the river that [is] before Jokneam; of Jokneam,

See Gill on "Jos 12:22"; and this river was either the river Kishon, or Belus, sometimes called Pagida; from whence sand was taken to make glass of {k}, and was near Carmel, as Jokneam was.



{g} De loc. Heb. fol. 90. K. {h} T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 154. 2. {k} Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19. & l. 36. c. 26.





Joshua 19:12



Ver. 12. And turned from Sarid eastward,.... This describes the southern border, going on from west to east:



towards the sunrising, unto the border of Chislothtabor; this Jerom places in the tribe of Issachar, it bordered on both tribes; and he says {l}, that in his time there was a little village called Chaselus, eight miles from Diocaesarea, at the foot of Mount Tabor in the plains:



and then goeth out to Daberath; which also was a city in the tribe of Issachar, given to the Levites, Jos 21:28. Jerom {m} speaks of a little village of the Jews by Mount Tabor, of the country belonging to Diocaesarea, called Dabira; this place is still in being. Mr. Maundrell says {n}, at the bottom of Tabor westward stands Debarah, supposed by some to take its name from Deborah, the famous judge and deliverer of Israel:



and goeth up to Japhia; this Jerom {o} says is the town called Sycamine, as you go from Caesarea to Ptolemais, above the sea, because of Mount Carmel, called Epha, thought by some to be the Jebba of Pliny {p}. It seems, however, to be the Japha of Josephus {q}, which he speaks of as being a strong fortified place both by nature and art.



{l} De loc. Heb. fol. 88. D. H. {m} lbid. fol. 90. I. {n} Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 115. {o} De loc. Heb. fol. 92. K. {p} Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19. {q} De Bello Jud. l. 3. c. 6. sect. 31.





Joshua 19:13



Ver. 13. And from thence passeth on along on the east to Gittahhepher,.... Which was the native place of Jonah the prophet, 2Ki 14:25; and where Jerom says {r} his grave was shown, and was a small village in his time two miles from Sippore, then called Diocaesarea,



to Ittahkazin; of this place we have no account elsewhere, but it was not far from the former:



and goeth out to Remmonmethoar to Neah; where the eastern border ended. Some versions make Remmonmethoar distinct places; but where either of them were exactly is not known: some, as the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, render the word "Methoar which goes about"; that is, the border went about from Remmon to Neah, which by Jerom is called Anna, and who observes {s}, that there is another village called Anna, ten miles from Neapolis, as you go to Aelia; and by whom also Methoar is reckoned a distinct place, and called Amathar.



{r} Praefat. in Jonam. {s} De loc. Heb. fol. 38. H.





Joshua 19:14



Ver. 14. And the border compasseth it from the north side to Hannathon,.... This is the northern border of the tribe, which took a circuit from the last place to this; of which and the following place we have no account; Jerom only makes mention of them as in the tribe of Zebulun:



and the outgoings thereof are in the valley of Jiphthahel; here the northern border ended, which, Masius conjectures, was part of the valley of Carmel.





Joshua 19:15



Ver. 15. And Kattath, and Nahallal,.... Of the two first of these we read nowhere else, but in Jos 21:34;



and Shimron was a royal city, the king of which Joshua took and hanged, Jos 11:1;



and Idalah is a place Bochart conjectures {t} where the goddess Venus was worshipped, Idalia being one of her names;



and Bethlehem is a different place from that which was the birthplace of our Lord, called Bethlehem of Judah, to distinguish it from this:



twelve cities with their villages; more are named, but some of them belonged to other tribes, and only lay on the borders of this; and others might not be properly cities, but small towns.



{t} Canaan, l. 1. c. 3. col. 356.





Joshua 19:16



Ver. 16. This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun, according to their families,.... Which was allotted to it and divided, according to the number of its families:



these cities with their villages; before enumerated, excepting such as only bordered on them; though indeed there were other cities which belonged to them, or might be after given them, not here mentioned, as Kartah and Dimnah, Jos 21:34.





Joshua 19:17



Ver. 17. [And] the fourth lot came out to Issachar,.... The fourth of the seven drawn at Shiloh:



for the children of Issachar, according to their families: among whom the inheritance that came to them by the lot was divided, according to the number of them.





Joshua 19:18



Ver. 18. And their border was towards Jezreel,.... Which was a royal seat in the time of Ahab, 1Ki 21:1; and according to Jerom was near to Maximianopolis; See Gill on "Ho 1:5"; and the same writer {u} says in his day a large village of this name was shown in the great plain between Scythopolis and Legion (he means the plain of Jezreel), and it was the border of Issachar:



and Chesulloth was different from the Chislothtabor, Jos 19:12; that, as Masius observes, was to the north, this to the south of Mount Tabor;



and Shunem is a place well known for being the dwelling place of a certain woman in the times of Elisha, whose son the prophet raised from the dead, 2Ki 4:8; Jerom calls it Sonam, where was the Shunammite woman; but this city here seems to be what he calls Salem, in the tribe of Issachar; and he adds, that there was shown in his day a village by this name, five miles from Mount Tabor to the south {w}: according to Bunting {x}, it was forty eight miles from Jerusalem to the north, not far from Nain.



{u} De loc. Heb. fol. 92. I. {w} De loc. Heb. fol. 94. K. L. {x} Travels, p. 143.





Joshua 19:19



Ver. 19. And Hapharaim,.... The first of these is by Jerom {y} called Aphraim, a city of the tribe of Issachar; and adds, there is at this day a village called Affarea, six miles from Legion to the north;



and Shion; of Seon or Soen, the same with Shion here, he says {z}, there was a village of this name shown in his time near Mount Tabor;



and Anaharath, of which we have no account elsewhere.



{y} Ut supra, (De loc. Heb.) fol. 88. I. {z} lbid. fol. 94. K.





Joshua 19:20



Ver. 20. And Rabbith,.... The first of these Jerom calls {a} Rabboth in the tribe of Issachar;



and Kishion, as Masius notes, seems to given name to the river Kishon near it; some take it to be the same with Kedesh, 1Ch 6:72;



and Abez, of which no mention is made elsewhere.



{a} De loc. Heb. fol. 94. B.





Joshua 19:21



Ver. 21. And Remeth,.... Remeth seems to be the same with Jarmuth,

Jos 21:29; and with Ramoth, 1Ch 6:73;



and Engannim seems to be the same with Anem in 1Ch 6:73: there were several of this name, which seem to have been places full of gardens, and well watered; for the word signifies a fountain of gardens. Engannim is now called Jenine, distant from Tabor twenty two miles, a place of gardens, of water, and of pleasure, as a traveller {b} of ours tells us; who also declares {c}, that, in his whole journey from Damascus to Jerusalem, he saw not more fruitful ground, and so much together, than he did in twenty two miles of riding between Mount Tabor and Engannim. This seems to be the same place Mr. Maundrell {d} calls Jeneen, a large old town on the outskirts of Esdraelon. Dr. Lightfoot {e} is inclined to believe, that Nain, where the widow's son was raised to life, Lu 7:11, is the same with Engannim, for which he gives various reasons;



and Enhaddah; Jerom says, in his time {f} there was a village called Enadda, ten miles from Eleutheropolis, as you go from thence to Aelia; but seems not to be the same with Enhaddah here;



and Bethpazzez; of Bethpazzez no mention is made elsewhere. "Beth" signifies a "house", and "Pazzez" in the Arabic tongue signifies "silver"; so this with the old Canaanites might be a treasure city, like those in Egypt, Ex 1:11. But where a word begins with "Beth", as the name of a place, I always suspect there was an idol temple there; now as the word in Hebrew signifies the same as "Peor", opening, here might be a temple to that deity, or to one that was similar to the god of the Moabites, and design a Priapus, among the Canaanites like that; or as the word in the Syriac and Chaldee languages signifies to redeem, deliver, and save, this temple might be dedicated to some idol as their deliverer and saviour.



{b} Biddulph apud Lightfoot. Talmud. Exercitat. in John iv. 1. {c} lb. apud Fuller's Pisgah Sight, p. 161. {d} Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 111. {e} Chorograph. notes in Luke, p. 370. {f} Ut supra. (De. loc. Heb. fol. 94. B.)





Joshua 19:22



Ver. 22. And the coast reacheth to Tabor,.... Tabor was the name of a mountain in those parts; it is generally supposed to be the mountain on which our Lord was transfigured, though it is not sufficiently evident;

See Gill on "Jer 46:18". There was a city of this name near it, 1Ch 6:77, and which is meant here, and which either gave unto or received name from the mount. The Greeks call it Itabyrium, and it is described by Polybius {g} as situated on a hill rising in the form of a pap or breast, and has an ascent of more than fifteen furlongs, and he calls it a city;



and Shahazimah is not mentioned any where else;



and Bethshemesh; there seem to have been several cities, at least more than one, of the name of Bethshemesh; one in the tribe of Judah,

Jos 21:16; and another in the tribe of Naphtali, Jos 19:38; which perhaps may be the same with this, it lying on the borders of both tribes. In this, and so in others of the same name, was a temple dedicated to the sun by the Heathens, as there was one of the same name in Egypt for the same reason, Jer 43:13;



and the outgoings of their border were at Jordan; here it ended: so Josephus says, that the border of this tribe in the length of it were Mount Carmel (at one end), and the river (i.e. Jordan, at the other); and at the breadth of it the mountain Itabyrium, or Mount Tabor: it had Jordan on the east, the sea on the west, Zebulun on the north, and Manasseh on the south:



sixteen cities with their villages; which was the sum total of them.



{g} Hist. l. 5. p. 413.





Joshua 19:23



Ver. 23. This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar,.... Which fell to them by lot, as before described:



according to their families; was divided among them, according to the number of them:



the cities and their villages; the cities before enumerated, and the villages adjacent to them.





Joshua 19:24



Ver. 24. And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher,.... Which entitled them to an inheritance next described:



according to their families; which was sufficient for them, and divided to them according to their number.





Joshua 19:25



Ver. 25. And their border was Helkath,.... Helkath seems to be the same with Hukok, 1Ch 6:75; and according to Masius it lay ten or twelve miles above Ptolemais;



and Hali, of which we read nowhere else.



and Beten is by Jerom {h} called Bathne, and was in his time a village by the name of Bethebem, eight miles from Ptolemais to the east. Reland {i} seems to think it might be the Ecbatana of Pliny {k}, which he speaks of as near Mount Carmel, and not far from Ptolemais;



and Achshaph was a royal city, whose king was taken by Joshua,

See Gill on "Jos 11:1".



{h} De loc. Heb. fol. 89. H. {i} Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 617. {k} Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19.





Joshua 19:26



Ver. 26. And Alammelech, and Amad,.... Of the two first of these there is no mention elsewhere;



and Misheal is the same with Mashal, 1Ch 6:74; and is by Jerom {l} called Masan, and said to be near Carmel to the sea:



and reacheth to Carmel westward; or, "to the sea", as Carmel is called "Carmel by the sea", See Gill on "Jer 46:18": it is hereby distinguished from Carmel in the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:55; (Pliny {m} calls it a promontory):



and to Shihorlibnath; the Vulgate Latin and Septuagint versions make two places of it: but the sum of the cities after given will not admit of it: more rightly Junius renders it Sihor by Libhath, and takes Sihor to be the river Belus, or Pagidus; so called either because of its likeness to the Nile, one of whose names is Sihor, Jer 2:18; or because its waters might be black and muddy; it was the river out of which sand was fetched to make glass of: and Libnath, which has its name from whiteness, the same writer thinks may be the Album Promontorium, or white promontory of Pliny {n}, which he places near Ptolemais, between Ecdippa and Tyre, and is very probable.



{l} De loc. Heb. fol. 93. E. {m} Ut supra. (Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19.) {n} Ibid.





Joshua 19:27



Ver. 27. And turneth towards the sunrising,.... Or eastward,



to Bethdagon; there was a city of this name in the tribe of Judah,

See Gill on "Jos 15:41". Dagon, being a god of the Phoenicians, had temples built for him in various places in Canaan:



and reacheth to Zebulun; not the tribe of Zebulun, but a city so called, the same Josephus {o} calls a strong city of Galilee, which had the name of Men, perhaps from the populousness of it, and separated Ptolemais from Judea;



and to the valley of Jiphthahel; see Jos 19:14;



toward the north side of Bethemek; of Bethemek no mention is made elsewhere: perhaps here was an idol temple before dedicated to the god of the valleys; see 1Ki 20:28;



and Neiel; which the Greek version calls Inael, of which Jerom says {p}, it is a certain village called Betoaenea, fifteen miles from Caesarea, situated on a mountain to the east, on which are said to be wholesome baths:



and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand; not the land of Cabul, 1Ki 9:13; but a city, which Josephus {q} calls a village on the borders of Ptolemais. The Jews {r} speak of a city of this name, destroyed because of contentions in it.



{o} De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 18. sect. 9. {p} De loc. Heb. fol. 88. I. {q} Vita ejus, sect. 43. {r} Echa Rabbati, fol. 75. 4.





Joshua 19:28



Ver. 28. And Hebron,.... Hebron seems to be the same with Abdon,

Jos 21:30; r and d being changed, of which there are other instances; and hereby this is distinguished from another Hebron in the tribe of Judah, more commonly known, Jos 15:54;



and Rehob; in the time of Jerom {s}, there was a village called Rooba, four miles from Scythopolis, and which he says was a city separated to the Levites, as this was, or one of the same name in this tribe; for there was another, Jos 19:30; see Jos 21:31; but whether either of them is the same with this is not certain;



and Hammon; of this city we read nowhere else:



and Kanah; this Kanah is generally thought to be the same where Christ wrought his first miracle, Joh 2:1. Jerom expressly says {u}, there was a Cana in the tribe of Asher, where our Lord and Saviour turned water into wine, Joh 2:1, and from whence was Nathanael,

Joh 21:2; and it is at this day, adds he, a town in Galilee of the Gentiles. Phocas {w} places Cana between Sippori and Nazareth, which is now shown six Roman miles from Sippori to the west, a little inclining to the north; and there is also in the same tract Cephar Cana, four miles from Nazareth to the north, inclining to the east; and it is disputed which of these two is Cana of Galilee the New Testament: with this account agrees pretty much what our countryman Mr. Maundrell {x} gives of his travels in those parts:



"taking leave of Nazareth, (he says,) and going at first northward, we crossed the hills that encompassed the vale of Nazareth at that side; after which we turned to the westward, and passed in view of Cana of Galilee, the place signalized with the beginning of Christ's miracles, Joh 2:11; in an hour and a half more we came to Sepharia;''



or Sippori:



[even] unto great Zidon; of great Zidon, and why so called,

See Gill on "Jos 11:8".



{s} De loc. Heb. fol. 94. A. {u} Ibid. fol. 90. B. {w} Apud Reland. Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 680. {x} Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 117.





Joshua 19:29



Ver. 29. And [then] the coast turneth to Ramah,.... Which was a city in the tribe of Naphtali, Jos 19:36; and on the borders of Asher; though Jerom {y} distinguishes them, and speaks of a Ramah in Asher, and another in Naphtali, as different cities of the same name; as there were several of this name, so called from their being built on an eminence. Masius conjectures it is the same with Sarepta, Lu 4:26; famous for its wine; and Bacchus, as the poet says, loves the hills:



and to the strong city Tyre; it is thought this is not to be understood of the famous city, so much spoken of in other parts of Scripture, and in profane history; since, as it is observed, that is not mentioned in Scripture until the times of David; and though Homer makes frequent mention of Sidon, yet never of Tyre. The words signify the strong fortress of a rock, or a fortress on a high rock; so Kimchi and Ben Melech; and it might be a fortified city, which being built on a rock, might have the name of Zor or Tyre, and not be the famous city of that name. Jerom {z} renders it the fortified city of the Assyrians:



and the coast turneth to Hosah; of which we nowhere else read:



and the outgoings thereof are at the sea; the Mediterranean sea; where the coast ended this way:



from the coast to Achzib; this Jerom {a} says is Ecdippa, nine miles from Ptolemais, as you go to Tyre; and this is confirmed by a learned traveller of our own nation {b}; it is now called Zib;

See Gill on "Mic 1:14".



{y} De loc. Heb. fol. 94. B. {z} De loc. Heb. fol. 94. B. {a} Ibid. fol. 88. I. {b} Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 53.





Joshua 19:30



Ver. 30. Ummah also,.... Ummah is not mentioned any where else;



and Aphek; of which, See Gill on "Jos 12:18";



and Rehob; of which, See Gill on "Jos 19:28";



twenty and two cities with their villages: there are more set down in the account, but some of them did not belong to the tribe, only were on the border of it.





Joshua 19:31



Ver. 31. This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher,.... As before described, a goodly heritage; it was, according to the prediction of Jacob and Moses, Ge 49:20; a very fruitful country. Josephus {c} says, the country from Carmel called the valley, because it was such, even all over against Sidon, fell to the Asherites, Asher had Mount Libanus on the north, Naphtali on the east, Zebulun on the south and southeast, the sea on the west:



according to their families; the number of them, so their lot was divided to them:



these cities with their villages; before named.



{c} Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22.





Joshua 19:32



Ver. 32. The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali,.... The tribe of Naphtali, and directed what should be the inheritance of this tribe:



[even] for the children of Naphtali, according to their families; which was to be divided among them, according to the number of their, families.





Joshua 19:33



Ver. 33. And their coast was from Heleph,.... That is, their northern coast, reaching from west to east, as appears by the ending of it at Jordan; the Alexandrian copy of the Greek version calls it Mlepeh, the Targum, Meheleph, and Jerom, Mealeb, which he calls the border of Naphtali; which, though to the north, cannot be expressly said what and where it was:



from Allon to Zaanannim; or rather from the oak, or from the plain in Zaanannim {d}; for it seems to be the same with the plain of Zanaaim, Jud 4:11.



and Adami, Nekeb; some make these to be but one city, and the latter only an epithet of the former; but the Talmudists {e} make them two, as we do, and call the first Damin, and the latter Ziadetha; but what and where either of them were exactly is not known; for Adami cannot be the same with Adam, Jos 3:16; as some think; for that was in Peraea, on the other side Jordan; See Gill on "Jos 3:16":



and Jabneel; Jabneel is different from that which was on the borders of Judah, Jos 15:11; and is called by the Jews {f} since Cepherjamah;



unto Lakum; of which we nowhere else read:



and the outgoings thereof were at Jordan; here the coast ended this way.



{d} "Ab querceto in Tzahanannimis", Junius & Tremellius; so Piscator. {e} T. Hieros. Megillah, fol. 70. 1. {f} T. Hieros. Megillah, fol. 70. 1.





Joshua 19:34



Ver. 34. And [then] the coast turneth westward to Aznothtabor,.... This was the southern border, reaching from east to west; it began at Aznothtabor, which Jerom {g} says was a village in his time belonging to the country of Diocaesarea, in the plains; there is another place called Chislothtabor, on the borders of Zebulun, Jos 19:12;



and goeth out from thence to Hukkok: there the southern border ended, which was in the border of Asher, and is the same with Helkath,

Jos 19:25; with which compare 1Ch 6:75;



and reacheth to Zebulun on the south side, and reacheth to Asher on the west side and to Judah upon Jordan towards the sunrising; so that as it was bounded by Lebanon, on the north, near to which some of the cities were, mentioned in Jos 19:33, it had Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Jordan to the east; for by Judah is not meant the tribe of Judah, from which Naphtali was at a great distance, but a city so called, as Fuller {h} seems rightly to conjecture.



{g} De loc. Heb. fol. 88. I. {h} Pisgah-Sight, B. 2. c. 4. p. 104.





Joshua 19:35



Ver. 35. And the fenced cities [are] Ziddim,.... The later name of Ziddim, according to the Talmud {i}, was Cepharchitiya, or the village of wheat, perhaps from the large quantity or goodness of wheat there;



Zer is called by Jerom {k} Sor, and interpreted Tyre, the metropolis of Phoenicia, very wrongly, and, in the tribe of Naphtali;



and Hammath probably was built by the youngest son of Canaan,

Ge 10:18; or had its name in memory of him; it lay to the north of the land of Israel; see Nu 34:8;



Rakkath, and Chinnereth; Rakkath according to the Jewish writers {l} is the same with Tiberias, as Chinnereth with Gennesaret, from whence the lake or sea of Tiberias, and the country and lake of Gennesaret, had their names, often mentioned in the New Testament. Gennesaret was a most delicious and fruitful spot, and fulfilled the prophecy of Moses,

De 33:23; concerning Naphtali.



{i} Ut supra. (T. Hieros. Megillah, fol. 70. 1.) {k} De loc. Heb. fol. 95. A. {l} T. Hieros. ut supra. (Megillah, fol. 70. 1.)





Joshua 19:36



Ver. 36. And Adamah,.... Adamah is different from Adami,

Jos 19:33; and may seem to confirm the notion of some, that Nekeb there is an epithet of it, and so distinguishes it from Adamah here;



and Ramah; of Ramah, as there were several places of this name,

See Gill on "Jos 19:29";



and Hazor was a royal city, of which, See Gill on "Jos 11:1".





Joshua 19:37



Ver. 37. And Kedesh,.... This is Kedesh in Galilee, in Mount Naphtali, to distinguish it from others of the same name; it was one of the cities of refuge, Jos 20:7. Jerom says {m} in his day it was called Cidissus, and was twenty miles from Tyre by Paneas;

See Gill on "Jos 12:22".



and Edrei is a different place from one of that name in the kingdom of Og, Nu 21:33;



and Enhazor, of which we read nowhere else.



{m} Ut supra, (De loc. Heb.) fol. 90. B.





Joshua 19:38



Ver. 38. And Iron,.... Of Iron no mention is made elsewhere;



and Migdalel, which Jerom calls Magdiel, he says {m} was shown a small village, five miles from Dara, as you go to Ptolemais;



and Horem is not mentioned anywhere elsewhere;



and Bethanath; Jerom also relates {n}, that Bathana, in the tribe of Naphtali, was a village that went by the name of Betbanes, fifteen miles from Caesarea;



and Bethshemesh was another city, in which was a temple dedicated to the sun, when inhabited by the Canaanites; see Jos 19:22; and so in Bethanath there might be a temple dedicated to some deity, though now uncertain what:



nineteen cities with their villages; there are more mentioned, but some of them might be only boundaries, and so belonged to another tribe.



{m} De loc. Heb. fol. 93. L. {n} Ibid. fol. 89. H.





Joshua 19:39



Ver. 39. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali,.... Which Josephus {o} thus describes;



"the country to the east, as far as Damascus the city, and upper Galilee, the Naphtalites took, unto Mount Lebanon, and the fountains of Jordan, which flow out of the mount, reaching the northern border of the city Arce:''



according to their families; which was divided among them, according to the number of their families:



the cities and their villages; before enumerated.



{o} Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22.





Joshua 19:40



Ver. 40. [And] the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan,.... Which was the last lot drawn, and which appointed an inheritance to this tribe:



according to their families; the number of them.





Joshua 19:41



Ver. 41. And the coast of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol,.... The tribe of Dan is not described by places the boundaries of it, as other tribes, but by its cities, which were chiefly, at least several of them, taken out of the tribe of Judah, as the two first of these most manifestly were; See Gill on "Jos 15:33";



and Irshemesh signifies the city of the sun, as the Targum interprets it, and was so called very probably from a temple in it, dedicated to the idolatrous worship of the sun, but a different place from Bethshemesh in other tribes; though those of that name, as this, had it for the like reason; and so Heliopolis, in Egypt, which signifies the same, where was a temple of the same kind; as there was another city of this name, between the mountains of Libanus and Antilibanus, now called Balbec {p}, where the ruins of the temple are yet to be seen: but this was a different place, the Septuagint version calls it Sammaus, and it was, according to Jerom {q}, the same with Emmaus, afterwards called Nicopolis; which, if the same Emmaus with that in Lu 24:13; though some doubt it, was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, or seven miles and a half.



{p} See Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 120, 138. {q} Comment. in Ezek. xlviii. fol. 263. A.





Joshua 19:42



Ver. 42. And Shaalabbin,.... The first of these is the same with Shaalbim, Jud 1:35; and which Jerom {r} calls Selab, in the tribe of Dan; and which he says was in his day shown a large village on the borders of Sebaste, by the name of Selaba.



and Ajalon is famous for the standing still of the moon in its valley while Joshua pursued his enemies, See Gill on "Jos 10:12";



and Jethlah, of which we read nowhere else.



{r} De loc. Heb. fol. 94. K.





Joshua 19:43



Ver. 43. And Elon,.... Of Elon no mention is made elsewhere;



and Thimnathah is a different place from Timnah in the tribe of Judah,

Jos 15:10. Jerom {s} speaks of the Thamnitic country, so called from the village Thamna, which seems to be this;



and Ekron was one of the five principalities of the Philistines, and never possessed by the Israelites; it first fell by lot to the tribe of Judah, and afterwards given to the tribe of Dan, Jos 15:45.



{s} De loc. Heb. fol. 88. E.





Joshua 19:44



Ver. 44. And Eltekeh,.... Eltekeh was a city given to the Levites,

Jos 21:23; and supposed by some to be the same with Eltekon in the tribe of Judah given to the Danites, Jos 15:59;



and Gibbethon was in the hands of the Philistines in the reign of Asa,

1Ki 15:21; and in the same place Jerom {t} calls Gabatha a city of the strangers, or Philistines; and which lie places near Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah;



and Baalath is not the same with Baalah, Jos 15:29; but the Baalath rebuilt by Solomon, 1Ki 9:18; called by Josephus {u} Baleth, and spoken of by him as near to Gazara in the land of the Philistines; of these two last cities, the Talmudists {w} say that their houses belonged to Judah, and their fields to Dan.



{t} De loc. Heb. fol. 92. C. {u} Antiqu. l. 8. c. 6. sect. 1. {w} T. Hieros. Sanhedrin, fol. 18. 3.





Joshua 19:45



Ver. 45. And Jehud,.... Of Jehud no mention is made elsewhere;



and Beneberak signifies sons of lightning; see Mr 3:17. Jerom {x} speaks of tills as the name of two places, Bane in the tribe of Dan, and Barach in the same tribe, and which was in his day near Azotus. This place was famous in later times among the Jews for being a place where one of their noted Rabbins, R. Akiba, abode and taught for some time {y}:



and Gathrimmon was in Jerom's {z} time a very large village, twelve miles from Diospolis, or Lydda, as you go from Eleutheropolis to it; it was a city given to the Levites, Jos 21:24.



{x} De loc. Heb. fol. 89. H. {y} T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 32. 2. {z} De loc. Heb. fol. 92. C.





Joshua 19:46



Ver. 46. And Mejarkon, and Rakkon,.... Of the two first of these we read no where else.



with the border before Japho; Japho is the same with Joppa, now called at this day Jaffa, a port in the Mediterranean sea, famous for being the place where Jonah took shipping, See Gill on "Jon 1:3"; and where the Apostle Peter resided some time, See Gill on "Ac 9:36"; and

See Gill on "Ac 9:38". It is not certain whether Joppa itself was in the tribe of Dan, or only on the borders of it; the coast of Dan reached "over against" it, as it may be rendered, and included the villages and little cities that were near it; for such there were, as Josephus {b} testifies.



{b} De Bello Jud. l. 3. c. 8. sect. 4.





Joshua 19:47



Ver. 47. And the coast of the children of Dan went out [too little] for them,.... Being a very numerous tribe, the cities allotted them were not sufficient for them; or rather, leaving out the supplement "too little", the words will run, it "went out from them"; they lost part of it, being driven out of the valley into the mountain by the Amorites, Jud 1:34; which obliged them to seek out elsewhere for habitations:



therefore the children of Dan went out to fight against Leshem; called Laish, Jud 18:1, where the whole story is related of their lighting against this place and taking it; which, though some time after the death of Joshua, is here recorded to give at once an account of the inheritance of Dan; and which is no argument against Joshua's being the writer of this book, as is urged; since it might be inserted by another hand, Ezra, or some other inspired man, for the reason before given:



and took and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it,

and dwelt therein; being a Canaanitish city, they put all in it to the sword, as the Lord had commanded, and took possession of it for an habitation:



and called Leshem Dan, after the name of Dan their father; this is the place which is always meant, where the phrase is used "from Dan to Beersheba", Jud 20:1, this being at the utmost northern border of the land of Canaan, as Beersheba was at the further part of the southern coast of it. It was, according to Jerom {c}, situated near Paneas, out of which the river Jordan flowed; and Kimchi on the text observes, their Rabbins {d} say, that Leshem is Pamias (i.e. Paneas), and that Jordan flows from the cave of Pamias, and had its name Ndm ddwyv because it descended from Dan; and so Josephus {e} says, that Panium is a cave under a mountain, from whence rise the springs of Jordan, and is the fountain of it; and Pliny also says {f}, the river Jordan rises out of the fountain Paneas. This city was enlarged and beautified by Philip Herod, and he called it by the name of Caesarea Philippi, both in honour of Tiberius Caesar {g} and after his own name, by which name it goes in Mt 16:13; and is called in the Jerusalem Targum on Ge 14:14, Dan of Caesarea.



{c} De loc. Heb. fol. 93. A. {d} T. Bab. Megillah, fol. 6. 1. & Bava Bathra, fol. 74. 2. {e} Antiqu. l. 15. c. 10. sect. 3. De Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 21. sect. 3. & l. 3. c. 9. sect. 7. {f} Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 15. {g} Joseph. Antiqu. l. 18. c. 2. sect. 1.





Joshua 19:48



Ver. 48. This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan,.... Before described by its cities, which were in it. This tribe was bounded by Ephraim on the north, by Judah on the east, by Simeon on the south, and by the Mediterranean sea on the west. Josephus {h} says, the Danites enjoyed the vale which lies to the setting sun, bounded by Azotus and Doris, and all Jamnia and Getta, from Accaron (or Ekron) to the mountain from whence the tribe of Judah begins:



according to their families; which inheritance was distributed according to the number of their families:



their cities with their villages; before named.



{h} Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22.





Joshua 19:49



Ver. 49. And when they made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their coasts,.... That is, Eleazar, Joshua, and the ten men appointed for this, purpose; when all the lots were drawn, and the several inheritances which came up to them were divided among the families of the respective tribes, this work being finished:



the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them; most interpreters observe the modesty of Joshua, that though the oldest and the greatest man in the nation, the chief governor, yet had his inheritance last of all; nor did he take any part to himself, it was given to him by the people, who had the whole land divided among them; in which he was a type of Christ; see 2Co 8:9 Php 2:6.





Joshua 19:50



Ver. 50. According to the word of the Lord,.... Or mouth of the Lord; either according to the oracle of Urim and Thummim, which Eleazar consulted on this occasion; or according to what the Lord had said to Moses, at the same time that Hebron was ordered to Caleb, Jos 14:6; and



they gave him the city which he asked, [even] Timnathserah in Mount Ephraim; he chose a place in his own tribe, for he was of the tribe of Ephraim; and it seems that what he chose was none of the best of places; for Paula, as Jerom {i} relates, when she travelled into those parts, wondered that the distributor of the possessions of the children of Israel should choose such a rough and mountainous place for himself; of its situation, see Jos 24:30;



and he built the city, and dwelt therein; he rebuilt it, and fitted it for his own habitation, and for those that belonged to him.



(Timnathserah means "an abundant portion" or "a place in the sun". Joshua great reward was in seeing the promises of God fulfilled before his very eyes Jos 21:45 and the children of Israel serving the Lord's during his lifetime Jos 24:31. Joshua may have received but a small inheritance in the promised land but this was just an earnest of his future glorious inheritance in eternity. The saints of God have the best portion saved for the last Joh 2:10 whereas the worldling has his best portion now; his worst is yet to come. Editor.)



{i} Epitaph. Paulae, fol. 59. L.





Joshua 19:51



Ver. 51. These [are] the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun,.... The one the high priest, and the other the chief governor of the nation:



and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel; the princes appointed for this service, whose names are given

Nu 34:18; the inheritances before described in the preceding chapters by their boundaries and cities, these the said persons



divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh; and so has particular reference to the seven lots drawn there for seven of the tribes, by which their inheritances were assigned to them: and this was done



before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; see

Jos 18:1;



so they made an end of dividing the country; though it was not as yet wholly subdued.

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

Joshua 20:1



INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 20



The contents of this chapter are the renewal of the order to appoint cities of refuge for such that commit manslaughter ignorantly, to flee unto, and have shelter in from the avenger of blood, Jos 20:1; and the execution of this order, Jos 20:7.



Ver. 1. The Lord also spake unto Joshua,.... Out of the tabernacle, at the door of which he with the high priest and princes were; the Lord had spoken to him before concerning dividing the land among the tribes,

Jos 13:1; and this being done he speaks to him again:



saying: as follows.





Joshua 20:2



Ver. 2. Speak to the children of Israel, saying,.... Whom the affair concerned the Lord spake to Joshua about, they having now the whole land divided among them:



appoint out for you cities of refuge; of the name, nature, use, and number of these cities, See Gill on "Nu 35:6";



whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: Nu 35:1.





Joshua 20:3



Ver. 3. That the slayer that killeth [any] person unawares, [and] unwittingly, may flee thither,.... Who through mere accident, and without design, killed a person, friend or foe, one of his own kindred, or a stranger, without any malice against him, or intention to take away his life:



and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood; from any of the relations of the deceased, who might be stirred up to avenge the blood of his kinsman on the slayer; see Nu 35:12.





Joshua 20:4



Ver. 4. And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities,.... Any one of them, that was nearest to him:



shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city; for he might not rush in without leave:



and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city; lay before them the whole matter, how that he had killed a person unawares, by what means it came about, and that it was merely through error, without any malicious design, and was a mere accident:



they shall take him into the city unto them; directly, lest the avenger of blood should come and seize on him, and kill him; and they were to take him into the city, not only to prevent that, but to examine him still more closely about the matter, and get further satisfaction; and being satisfied, were to continue him in it:



and give him a place, that he might dwell among them; until his death, or the death of the high priest, if that was first. Kimchi observes from their Rabbins, the he was not to hire a house all the time of his dwelling there, but was to have one freely, because it is said, "and give him", &c.





Joshua 20:5



Ver. 5. And if the avenger of blood pursue after him,.... To the city of refuge, whither he is fled, and demand him:



then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hands; to be slain by him, but shall protect him:



because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime; See Gill on "Nu 35:22",

See Gill on "Nu 35:23", and

See Gill on "De 19:6".





Joshua 20:6



Ver. 6. And he shall dwell in that city until he shall stand before the congregation for judgment,.... That is, until his cause was heard in the court of judicature in his own city, or in any other to which the avenger of blood should appeal: see Nu 35:24; who if they found him guilty of death, they put him to death; but if only guilty of accidental manslaughter, then they delivered him up to his city of refuge for safety, where he was to abide



until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days; see

Nu 35:25;



then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled; and live with his family in the enjoyment of his possessions and estates, honours, and privileges belonging to him, as before; see Nu 35:28.





Joshua 20:7



Ver. 7. And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in Mount Naphtali,.... Of which see Jos 19:37; the appointment of this and the two cities following was made by the children of Israel at this time:



and Shechem in Mount Ephraim; called Sichem, Ge 12:6; and Shechem from a prince of that name that possessed it, Ge 34:2; it fell to the lot of the tribe of Ephraim; its name in the New Testament is Sychar, Joh 4:5; and it is now called Neapolis, or Naplouse:



and Kirjatharba, which [is] Hebron, in the mountain of Judah; it stood in the hill country of Judea, Lu 1:39; of which see Jos 14:15. There seems to be a difficulty here, since this city was before given to Caleb, Jos 14:13; and yet afterwards given to the Levites, and appointed a city of refuge. The Jews reconcile this by observing, that the city and suburbs were given to the Levites, and fixed for a city of refuge; but the villages and fields, and country around it, and belonging to it, were given to Caleb, Jos 21:12; and Abarbinel makes no doubt that the children of Judah gave something else to Caleb in lieu of it. As these cities of refuge were typical of Christ, as has been observed on Nu 35:29; their names are applicable to him. "Kedesh" signifies "holy" or "holiness"; Christ is holy in both his natures, divine and human; and so abundantly qualified to be the Mediator, Saviour, and Redeemer; and is the fountain of holiness to his people, and is made sanctification to them, Ps 16:10 1Co 1:30; and "Shechem" signifies the "shoulder"; and not only the government of the church and people of God is on the shoulder of Christ, but all their sins have been laid upon him, and bore by him; and every particular soul in conversion, every lost sheep, is looked up by him, and taken up and brought home on his shoulder, Isa 9:6

Lu 15:4. "Hebron" signifies "fellowship"; in the effectual calling, the saints are called into fellowship with Christ, and their fellowship is with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ; through him they have access to God, and communion with him now, and shall have uninterrupted communion with him to all eternity, 1Co 1:9

Joh 17:24.





Joshua 20:8



Ver. 8. And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward,.... In the country possessed by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh:



they assigned Bezer in the wilderness, upon the plain, out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh; of these places, and the signification of their names, and of the application of them to Christ, the antitype of the cities of refuge, See Gill on "De 4:43". These last cities were not appointed now, they were appointed in the times of Moses, and severed by him, De 4:41; nor are they here said to be appointed, but to be assigned or "given" {c}; they were now delivered up into the hands of the Levites for cities of refuge, for they were before severed for that use; they were not, according to the Jews {d}, made use of as such, until the other three were appointed.



{c} wntn "dederunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. {d} Misn. Maccot, c. 2. sect. 4. Maimon. Hilchot Rotzeach, c. 8. sect. 2, 3.





Joshua 20:9



Ver. 9. These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel,.... For the common use of them all, and not for that tribe only in which they stood:



and for the stranger that sojourneth among them; not only for the proselytes of righteousness, but for the proselytes of the gate also, as well as for the natives of Israel; Christ is a refuge for Jews and Gentiles, for all sinners that flee to him:



that whosoever killeth any person unawares might flee thither; and find shelter and safety:



and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood; getting thither before he could overtake him:



until he stood before the congregation: either before the congregation, the elders of the city, or court of judicature in the city of refuge, or before the court of his own city, from whence he fled, if summoned thither.

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

Joshua 21:1



INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 21



This chapter contains the address of the Levites to the court, to have the cities and suburbs given them according to the command of God by Moses, Jos 21:1; the grant of them by lot out of the several tribes, Jos 21:3; the particular cities out of the tribes of Judah and Simeon are mentioned by name, Jos 21:9; then those out of the tribe of Benjamin, Jos 21:17; next those out of the tribe of Ephraim, Jos 21:20; afterwards those out of the tribe of Dan,

Jos 21:23; then those out of the half tribe of Manasseh,

Jos 21:27; and out of the tribe of Issachar, Jos 21:28; and out of the tribe of Asher, Jos 21:30; and of Naphtali,

Jos 21:32; and of Zebulun, Jos 21:34; and of Reuben,

Jos 21:36; and of Gad, Jos 21:38; which in all made forty eight, Jos 21:41; and the chapter is concluded with observing, that God gave Israel all the land of Canaan, and rest in it, according to his promise, very faithfully and punctually,

Jos 21:43.



Ver. 1. Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites,.... When the land was divided to the several tribes, and everyone knew the cities that belonged to them, and what they could and should part with to the Levites, and when the six cities of refuge were fixed; the Levites came to put in their claim for cities of habitation, they having no share in the division of the land; and yet it was necessary they should have habitations; the persons that undertook to put in a claim for them were the principal men among them; the fathers of them were Kohath, Gershon, and Merari; the heads of those were the chief men that were then living: these came



unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun; the high priest and chief magistrate:



and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel; the princes appointed to divide the land with the two great personages before mentioned, Nu 34:17.





Joshua 21:2



Ver. 2. And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan,.... Where the tabernacle was fixed, at or near which the above persons met to cast lots for the division of the land to the seven tribes that had not received their inheritance:



saying, the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle; this command is extant in Nu 35:2.





Joshua 21:3



Ver. 3. And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance,.... Knowing full well there was such a command, made no objection to their motion, but freely gave them cities out of the portion of inheritance allotted to them; this they did



at the commandment of the Lord, and in obedience to it, even gave these cities and suburbs; after mentioned: this was done by the tribes themselves; as there were a certain number fixed by the commandment of God, they agreed among themselves how many and what cities should be given out of each tribe; and then lots were cast for them by Joshua, what and which cities should be appropriated to their several divisions, as the Kohathites that sprang from Aaron, and the rest of them that did not, and the Gershonites and Merarites, as follows.





Joshua 21:4



Ver. 4. And the lot came out for the family of the Kohathites,.... The first lot that was drawn out of the pot or urn was for the descendants of Kohath, a son of Levi:



and the children of Aaron the priest, [which were] of the Levites; who descended from Amram, the eldest son of Kohath, and these were not only Levites, but priests: these



had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon,

and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities; which are after mentioned by name; and as these were priests, whose business was to serve in the temple, and at the altar, the cities assigned them by the lot, were, by the wise disposal of divine Providence, ordered them out of those tribes which lay nearest to Jerusalem; the place God had chosen to put his name in, where the temple would be built, and the altars erected for sacrifices and incense.





Joshua 21:5



Ver. 5. And the rest of the children of Kohath,.... Which did not descend from him in the line of Amram and Aaron, but of Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, who were not priests, but Levites:



[had] by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities; these other sort of Kohathites had their cities in tribes next to the other three where the Kohathites that were priests had theirs.





Joshua 21:6



Ver. 6. And the children of Gershon [had] by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar,.... These were Levites who descended from Gershon, the eldest son of Levi, and had their cities by lot assigned them in tribes at a greater distance, not only out of Issachar, but



out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan; which was the other half of the tribe beyond Jordan:



thirteen cities; as many as were given out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.





Joshua 21:7



Ver. 7. The children of Merari by their families,.... The descendants of Merari, the third son of Levi:



[had] out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad; which were both on the other side Jordan:



and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities; in all forty eight, as the Lord commanded, Nu 35:7.





Joshua 21:8



Ver. 8. And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs,.... Reaching two thousand cubits from the cities all around: these cities did not lie all together, and so could not be described by their coasts; but in the several tribes, and intermixed with their cities; which fulfilled Jacob's prophecy, that they should be divided and scattered in Israel, Ge 49:7; as well as it was so ordered for the benefit of the several tribes, that they might have the assistance of the priests and Levites, to instruct them in the knowledge of the laws and commandments of God, and all divine things:



as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses; Nu 35:2.





Joshua 21:9



Ver. 9. And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah,.... Here follows a particular account of the several cities which were given out of each tribe, and first out of this:



and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon; which is joined with that of Judah, because the cities of it lay within it, Jos 19:1;



these cities which are [here] mentioned by name; Jos 21:13.





Joshua 21:10



Ver. 10. Which the children of Aaron, [being] of the families of the Kohathites,.... Who descending from Kohath, in the line of Aaron, were priests:



[who were] of the children of Levi, had; they were Levites, as descending from Levi, but were priests also, as being of the stock of Aaron, and the cities hereafter mentioned in the said tribe fell to their portion:



for theirs was the first lot; for being of the line of Aaron, and priests, they had the honour and privilege to have the first lot drawn for them, and out of the tribe for which the first lot was also drawn, the tribe of Judah; here they had their cities allotted them, for a reason before given.





Joshua 21:11



Ver. 11. And they gave them the city of Arba, the father of Anak,.... Which from him was called Kirjatharba, Jos 14:15; and Anak, according to Kimchi, is not the name of a man, but a general name, comprehending the Anakims, a race of giants, among whom Arba was the chief and principal man, a prince and ruler over them, as Ben Melech:



which [city is] Hebron in the hill [country] of Judah; as in

Jos 14:15; see Lu 1:39;



with the suburbs thereof round about it; as far as two thousand cubits, which were to put their cattle in, and provision for them.





Joshua 21:12



Ver. 12. But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof,.... Which lay beyond the two thousand cubits:



gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh, for his possession; as Moses had promised, and Joshua had confirmed to him; and now the children of Israel gave them to him, and put him in the possession of,

Jos 14:6; and the same is to be observed of all the other cities given to the Levites, that they and their suburbs, extending to such a distance only, were given to them; but the fields and villages, which belonged to them, continued the inheritance of the tribes in which they were.





Joshua 21:13



Ver. 13. Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest,.... The families of the Kohathites, that part of them which descended from him, and were priests:



Hebron with her suburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for the slayer; that had slain a person unawares, and without design; see on Jos 20:3;



and Libnah with her suburbs; a royal city, of which see

Jos 10:29.





Joshua 21:14



Ver. 14. And Jattir with her suburbs,.... See Gill on "Jos 15:48";



and Eshtemoa with her suburbs; See Gill on "Jos 15:50".





Joshua 21:15



Ver. 15. And Holon with her suburbs,.... See Gill on "Jos 15:51";



and Debir with her suburbs; See Gill on "Jos 15:49".





Joshua 21:16



Ver. 16. And Ain with her suburbs,.... See Gill on "Jos 15:32";



and Juttah with her suburbs; See Gill on "Jos 15:55";



[and] Bethshemesh with her suburbs; which is not mentioned among the cities of Judah, Jos 15:21; only as in the borders of it,

Jos 21:10; and perhaps is the same Bethshemesh to which the ark was directed by the Philistines from Ashdod, 1Sa 6:9; in it formerly was a temple dedicated to the sun, from whence it had its name:



nine cities out of those two tribes; and they seem all but one, which is Ain, to be of the tribe of Judah, and that originally belonged to it; and as that tribe had the largest number of cities in its lot, the more were given out of it to the Levites, according to a rule prescribed, Nu 35:8.





Joshua 21:17



Ver. 17. And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs,.... See Gill "Jos 18:25"; from which came the Gibeonites.



Geba with her suburbs. Of which See Gill on "Jos 18:24".





Joshua 21:18



Ver. 18. Anathoth with her suburbs,.... This is not mentioned among the cities of Benjamin, Jos 18:11; it was the native place of the Prophet Jeremiah, See Gill on "Jer 1:1"; it lay about two or three miles north of Jerusalem; three, says, Jerom {k}. Rauwolff {l} speaks of it as a small village, when he travelled into those parts, and as lying on a height or eminence, and which was within twenty furlongs of Jerusalem, as Josephus writes {m}:



and Almon with her suburbs; this also is not mentioned among the cities of Benjamin, Jos 18:11; it is called Alemeth, 1Ch 6:60. Jarchi and Kimchi say it is the same with Bahurim, 2Sa 3:16; where the Targum renders it by Almeth, and both words signify the same thing, "youth":



four cities; which were a large number for so small a tribe as little Benjamin to give.



{k} De loc. Heb. fol. 88. H. {l} Travels, par. 3. c. 2. p. 216. {m} Antiqu. l. 10. c. 7. sect. 3.





Joshua 21:19



Ver. 19. All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests,.... Those of the Kohathites that came from him:



[were] thirteen cities with their suburbs; and just so many are mentioned by name in Jos 21:11.





Joshua 21:20



Ver. 20. And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites,.... Who were not priests:



which remained of the children of Kohath; these are the children of Moses, as Jarchi says, and those that descended from Kohath in the lines of Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel,



even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim; and were as follow.





Joshua 21:21



Ver. 21. For they gave them Shechem, with her suburbs, in Mount Ephraim,.... Of which see Jos 20:7;



[to be] a city of refuge for the slayer; which being on a mountain, was the more conspicuous, and the fitter for this purpose, as was Hebron in the hill country of Judea, Jos 21:11; this is the second; city of refuge mentioned:



and Gezer with her suburbs: a place from whence the Canaanites were not expelled; See Gill on "Jos 16:10".





Joshua 21:22



Ver. 22. And Kibzaim with her suburbs,.... Which seems to, be the same with Jokneam, 1Ch 6:68; of it we read nowhere else;



and Bethhoron with her suburbs; upper Bethhoron, for there were two, an upper and a nether: see Jos 16:3;



four cities; as mentioned by name.





Joshua 21:23



Ver. 23. And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs,....

See Gill on "Jos 19:44";



Gibbethon with her suburbs, See Gill on "Jos 19:44".





Joshua 21:24



Ver. 24. Aijalon with her suburbs,.... See Gill on "Jos 19:42";



Gathrimmon with her suburbs, four cities; See Gill on "Jos 19:45".





Joshua 21:25



Ver. 25. And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with her suburbs,.... Of which see Jos 17:10;



and Gathrimmon with her suburbs, there was a city of this name in Dan, as in Jos 21:24; nor was it unusual for cities to be called by the same name in different tribes:



two cities; these are called Aner and Bilean in 1Ch 6:70; in process of time cities changed their names; two cities were a proper proportion for this half tribe; two more were given out of the other half tribe on the other side Jordan, as appears by what follows.





Joshua 21:26



Ver. 26. All the cities [were] ten, with their suburbs,.... Four out of Ephraim, four out of Dan, and two out of the half tribe of Manasseh: which were



for the families of the children of Kohath that remained: who were of the other branch of the Kohathites, and who did not descend from Aaron, and were only Levites, and not priests; See Gill on "Jos 21:20".





Joshua 21:27



Ver. 27. And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites,.... The descendants of the second son of Levi:



out of the [other] half tribe of Manasseh; that which was settled beyond Jordan:



[they gave] Golan in Bashan, with her suburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for the slayer; see Jos 20:8; this is the third city of refuge mentioned:



and Beeshterah with her suburbs; called Ashtaroth, 1Ch 6:71; which had been the royal city of Og, king of Bashan, where he had his palace, De 1:4. Here seems to have been formerly a temple dedicated to the goddess Astarte; for Beeshterah is a compound of "Beth" and "Ashterah", or Astarte; that is, the house or temple of Astarte, but now become a city of the Levites:



two cities; two more having been before given out of the other half tribe.





Joshua 21:28



Ver. 28. And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs,.... From whence the river Kishon probably had its name, or the city from that; it is the same with Kishion, Jos 19:20; and called Kedesh, 1Ch 6:72.



Dabareh with her suburbs; the same with Daberath on the border of Zebulun, See Gill on "Jos 19:12".





Joshua 21:29



Ver. 29. Jarmuth with her suburbs,.... Called Ramoth, 1Ch 6:73; very probably the same with Remeth, Jos 19:21;



Engannim with her suburbs; called Anem, 1Ch 6:73;



four cities; so many are mentioned by name.





Joshua 21:30



Ver. 30. And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs,.... The same with Misheal, Jos 19:26; called Mashal, 1Ch 6:74;



Abdon with her suburbs; not mentioned among the cities of Asher, unless the same with Hebron, Jos 19:28.





Joshua 21:31



Ver. 31. Helkath with her suburbs,.... See Gill on "Jos 19:25"; the same with Hukok in 1Ch 6:75;



and Rehob with her suburbs, four cities; See Gill on "Jos 19:28".





Joshua 21:32



Ver. 32. And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs,.... Of which see Jos 20:7;



[to be] a city of refuge for the slayer; this is the fourth city of refuge mentioned:



and Hammothdor with her suburbs; the same with Hammon, 1Ch 6:76; and with Hammath, Jos 19:35; and is thought by some to be Tiberias, so called from the hot baths in or near it:



and Kartan with her suburbs; called Kirjathaim, 1Ch 6:76; but cannot be the Kirjathaim in Nu 32:37; for that belonged to the tribe of Reuben, and was on the other side Jordan:



three cities; this being a lesser tribe than some others gave fewer cities, according to the rule in Nu 35:8.





Joshua 21:33



Ver. 33. All the cities of the Gershonites, according to their families,.... Which were divided among them, according to the number of their families:



[were] thirteen cities with their suburbs; two out of the half tribe of Manasseh beyond Jordan, four out of Issachar, four out of Asher, and three out of Naphtali.





Joshua 21:34



Ver. 34. And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites,.... The descendants of the youngest son of Levi, who were all that remained of the Levites unprovided of cities:



out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs; which lay near Carmel, and was a royal city; See Gill on "Jos 12:22";



and Kartah with her suburbs; perhaps the same with Kattath,

Jos 19:15.





Joshua 21:35



Ver. 35. Dimnah with her suburbs,.... Nowhere mentioned, unless the same with Rimmon, 1Ch 6:77;



Nahalal with her suburbs; see Jos 19:15;



four cities; only two are mentioned, 1Ch 6:77; and they by different names; the one is Rimmon, before observed, and the other Tabor; perhaps the same with Chislothtabor, Jos 19:12.





Joshua 21:36



Ver. 36. And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs,.... Which was a city of refuge, and the fifth of them in this account, though not observed as such here, but is in the Greek version; see

Jos 20:8;



and Jahazah with her suburbs; called Jahaz, See Gill on "Nu 21:23".





Joshua 21:37



Ver. 37. Kedemoth with her suburbs,.... Near to which was a wilderness of that name; see De 2:26;



and Mephaath with her suburbs; of which See Gill on "Jos 13:18"; where the two preceding cities are mentioned along with it:



four cities, Jos 21:35, are not in some ancient copies of the Hebrew Bible, as is noted by the Masorites; but are in some others, as Kimchi owns, and stand in the Targum, in the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, and in a manuscript referred to by Hottinger {e}; and the same words are to be, found in 1Ch 6:78, and are absolutely necessary to be retained, since without them there would be but eight cities for the Merarites, whereas they are expressly said to be twelve,

Jos 21:40.



{e} Thesaur. Philolog. l. 1. c. 2. p. 181, &c.





Joshua 21:38



Ver. 38. And out of the tribe of Gad,.... Which also, as that of Reuben, lay on the other side Jordan:



Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs; of which see Jos 20:8;



[to be] a city of refuge for the slayer; and is the sixth and last city of refuge in this account:



and Mahanaim with her suburbs; here it was the angels met Jacob, which gave rise to the name of the place, Ge 32:1; afterwards a city was built here, and was on the borders of the tribe of Gad, and belonged to it, Jos 13:26; mention is made of it in other places, 2Sa 2:8 1Ki 2:8.





Joshua 21:39



Ver. 39. Heshbon with her suburbs,.... Which was formerly the royal city of Sihon king of the Amorites, and was first given to and rebuilt by the Reubenites, but was upon the border of the tribe of Gad; and appears from hence to have been one of their cities, Nu 21:26;



Jazer with her suburbs; sometimes called Jaazer, another city in the same country, and near Heshbon; see Nu 21:32;



four cities in all: which were Ramothgilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer.





Joshua 21:40



Ver. 40. So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families,.... Which were distributed by lot to them, according to the number of their families, and were sufficient for them:



which were remaining of the families of the Levites; the last division of them, besides those of the Kohathites, Levites, and the Gershonites:



were [by] their lot twelve cities; four out of the tribe of Zebulun, four out of the tribe of Reuben, and four out of the tribe of Gad, whose names are before given,





Joshua 21:41



Ver. 41. All the cities of the Levites, within the possession of the children of Israel,.... As comprised in one sum total:



[were] forty and eight cities with their suburbs; which is just the number that Moses from the mouth of God ordered to be given unto them, before they entered into the land, and before they were in possession of one city in it, Nu 35:7; which, as it is a proof of the omniscience, prescience, and predetermination of God; so of the sure and true prediction of Moses, who could not be otherwise certain than from the Lord of the Israelites being able to give so many cities to them, out of each of their tribes: and it is to be observed, that this tribe of Levi, though it had no share in the division of the land, yet had more cities by lot given to it than any other, excepting the tribe of Judah; though indeed, in the account of some of the tribes, all the cities in them are not mentioned; and besides, they had only the cities they had with their suburbs round about them, but not the lands belonging to them, nor the villages; however this shows that a large and liberal maintenance of the ministers of the Lord, that serve in his sanctuary should be allowed and made for them, as in the legal, so under the Gospel dispensation





Joshua 21:42



Ver. 42. These cities were everyone with their suburbs round about them,.... Which reached to the space of two thousand cubits on every side; and such a space was assigned to everyone of the above cities for their cattle, to keep them in and lay up provision for them:



thus [were] all their cities; six of them cities of refuge, and forty two for the priests and Levites to dwell in, and for the commodious use of their herds and flocks.





Joshua 21:43



Ver. 43. And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers,.... It was all given them by lot, whether subdued or not subdued, and the far greater part was actually put into their hands, and they had as much as they could for the present occupy and cultivate; and such as were in the hands of the Canaanites, were subject to pay tribute to them; and it was owing to their own slothfulness and sluggishness that they did not possess more hereafter; though it was the will of God that their enemies should be driven out by little and little, until the Israelites were so increased as to occupy the whole, lest any part of the land should lie waste and become barren, and lest the wild beasts of the field should multiply upon them:



and they possessed it, and dwelt therein; each according to their lot in the several places assigned them, as many cities as they could at present people, and as much land as they could now manage.





Joshua 21:44



Ver. 44. And the Lord gave them rest round about,.... Not only from their travels, with which they had been fatigued forty years in the wilderness, but from wars with the Canaanites they had been engaged in for some years past:



according to all that he sware unto their fathers; not only to give them the land, but peace, rest, and safety in it:



and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; for whenever any rose up to oppose them, they were immediately cut off: this is to be understood while Joshua was living; for afterwards, sinning against God, they were again and again delivered up into the hands of their enemies:



the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands; that is, that made war with them.





Joshua 21:45



Ver. 45. There failed not ought of any good thing,.... Not only every good thing in general, but every part and particular of that good thing; that, with all that was included in it, or were appendages to it, or circumstances of it:



which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel; as of their deliverance out of Egypt, and passage through the Red sea and wilderness, with all conveniences for them therein; so of their passage through Jordan, success of their arms, the conquest of their enemies, possession of their land, a land flowing with milk and honey:



all came to pass; exactly, precisely, and punctually, even everything relative to their temporal and spiritual good: so all that God promises to his spiritual Israel, with respect to their present comfort or everlasting happiness, all is exactly fulfilled, all his promises in Christ are yea and amen.

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

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