THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES \ \ ^C THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. .r- > I. AN ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES. With Refekenxe to the Heukkw (jra.mmak ok Gesenius, ANU Notes, Ckitical and Exi'lanatokv. To wliich is added the Book of Ecclesiastes in Hebrew and English, in parallel columns. ^to, Cioth, 3^. 6ci. With Gesenius's Hebrew Grammar, 8s. 6d. II. GESENIUS'S HEBREW GRAMMAR. ENI.AK(a5l) A.M) l.Ml-iiOVIil) IIY PkOI-ESSOR E. RiiDlGEU. With a Hebrew Reading IJool:. 275 //•! 4'", Cloth, 5.V. With Lloyd's Analysis of Genesis I.— XI., 8s. 6d. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. §. €x'iixcRl unb (L^vpositorn Commcntari) HEBREW TEXT. KY IHE REV. JOHN LLOYD, M.A, F. R. Hist. Soc, KECTOK OF I.LA.WAI'LKY, MONMOUTHSHIKE ; Author o/ •'Analysis of Hebrew 'lext C^ Gen. i. to .if.," " Analysis of llc.breiv Text of Ecclesiastes" etc. ^'jcriviixnt ; 11 ODDER AND STOUGHTON, 27, PATERNOSTER ROW. MUCLCLXXXVI. I'riiUcU by Hazcll, Watson, & Viney, Ld., Lon.'on and Aylesbury. 55 PREFACE TH E following Commentary comprises notes grammatical, exegetical, historical, and ethi- cal. The Grammar followed is that of Gesenius, not only in the syntax, but the ortho- graphy ; for thus, when Hebrew words are written in their corresponding English letters, p is always expressed by (/, and ^ by fs, instead of by /C' and ^ respectively, as in many grammars. Further, in giving the derivation and meaning of the Hebrew names of persons, places, towns, etc., the Eexicon of Gesenius has been chiefly consulted. Many also of the renderings which differ from those in the Authorised Version will be found to agree with those in the Revised Version, which had not been published when this work was finished. The author acknowledges his obligations to the Com- 2032(il7 vi PREFA CE. mentarics of Kcil, RosenmuUcr, Knobcl, Fay, and others, for much help in the exegesis of the Hebrew text ; and to Dean Stanley's Sinai and Palestine, Robinson's Palestine and Later IJiblical Researehes, Walton's Negeb, Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, and many other works, for illustrations of the history and geography of the book. The ethical remarks, which are interspersed here and there throughout the notes, are, in a great measure, drawn from Bishop Wordsworth's Conimcntaiy, who has done more perhaps than any other recent expositor to call attention to the typical and spiritual meaning of the " Book of Joshua." It is well known that the Palestine Exploration Fund has been successful in discovering the probable sites of many of the towns mentioned in this book, which had been previously unrecognised. Some allusions to these will be found in this Commentary, but many of the positions assigned cannot be established according to the boundaries of the tribes as marked out in existing maps. Such is the case with regard to the Biblical Atlas, which the author of this Commentary has mainly followed, and which is that of Clark, edited by that eminent historio- PREFACE. vii grapher, Sir George Grove, who has written many of the articles on Scripture places in Dr. Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. It onl}^ remains for the author to add that, having taken much pains to render this work useful to biblical students, he devoutly hopes that the blessing of the Great Mead of the Church, the true Joshua, may rest upon it. INTRODUCTION. THE title of this book does not necessarily imply that Joshua was its author, for, like the books of Ruth and Esther, it may have been named from its subject-matter, as giving an account of the deeds of Joshua, by whom God, accord- ing to His promise, brought His people into Canaan, and portioned it out among them. It has, however, been most generally ascribed to Joshua, in accordance with the testimony of the early Hebrew Church, which says, "Joshua scripsit librum suum et octo versus in lege" (Tr. Bava Bathra, fol. 14, c. 2). Certainly, none could have been better fitted to write it than Joshua, who was not only present in all the great transactions which it records, but received personal communications from Jehovah, which no one but himself could, in the first instance, have divulged to others ; who also spoke the speeches recorded in chapters xxiii., xxiv., and is expressly said to have added to the Book of the Law some account of his own acts (xxiv. 26). As, however, Joshua could not have recorded his own death (xxiv. 29), whoever added that account might have written the rest of the book, mainly from records I THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. left probably by Joshua himself. Thus the author- ship has been attributed to Phinehas (Lightfoot), or to one of the elders who survived Joshua (Keil). Though the exact date of its composition cannot be fixed, it is clear that the book must have been written before the time of David (see notes on xv. 63 and xi. 8) ; also by one who was living at the time when Rahab was still alive (vi. 25). The oft-repeated expression, " to this day," ^ does not necessarily denote a long period, not at farthest more than twenty-five or thirty years (comp. the use of the same phrase in Matt, xxviii. 15). The writer speaks of himself as one of those who had crossed over Jordan (v. i)," and to whom the land had been promised (v. 6) ; describes Gibeon " as one of the royal cities " of Canaan (x. 2) ; and mentions the Canaanitish names of the towns at the time of the invasion, e.g., Kirjath-Arba, afterwards called Hebron (xiv. i 5), Kirjath-Scpher, afterwards Debir (xv. 15). Other indications of an early date are fur- nished by the style and diction of the book. Thus, the scriptio defectiva, which is the ancient form,'^ prevails far more throughout than the scriptio plena. Old forms of words occur which are not found in the later books, e.g.,^^:^?^ (hi. 4, iv. 18, xx. 5), as in the Pentateuch, for "ptoj^n (i Sam. iv. 7 ; 2 Sam. v. 2) ; ' See iv. g, v. 9, vi. 25, vii. 26, viii. 28, 29, ix. 2-], xiii. 13, xiv. 14, XV. 63, xvi. 10, xxii. 3, i;, xxiii. 8, 9. '■^ "The reading of the Q'ri D"12L' (till theyy^&x^ passed over) is nothing but an arbitrary and needless conjecture, and ought not to have been preferred by Bleek and others, notwithstanding the fact that the ancient versions and some IMSS. also adopt it " (Keil). The majority of the MSS. read •■ : T ^ Ges., Gram., % 8, 4 b. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. ^•ir^rix (Micah ii. 8 ; Isa. xxx. 33); jnriN (xxi. 9), cf, Dnnji. (Gen. xxxii. i), njb'Xi. (xxi. 10), only used again in Job XV. 7; nnL;'N; (x. 40); 3.3T (x. 19), cf. Dent. XXV. 18; •i:>>) from \h, to murmur (ix. 18), found only besides in the books of Exodus and Numbers ; the unusual form ''L'*N' (xiii. 14) ; ty for X'N, though it occurs as early as Judges, is not found in Joshua. The old suffix D- is repeatedly used, but the later form Dnv, only in xi. 6, 9, xviii. 21. Phrases common to the Pentateuch are occasionally met with, such as "wrought folly in Israel" (vii. 15) ; " people even as the sand shore for multitude " (xi. 4) ; "a land flowing with milk and honey " (v. 6) ; " heads of the fathers," or " of the house of the fathers" (xiv. i, xix. 51, xxii. 14), etc. But though the book thus bears resemblance to the Pentateuch in its style and diction, it is quite independent or distinct from it. This is evident from the references made in it to the Pentateuch (cf. Josh. xiii. 14, 33, xiv. 4, with Numb, xviii. 20 ; Deut. xviii. i, 2), and its repetition, but with additional particulars, of the conquest of the country on the east of Jordan, Also from the fact that certain archaisms in the Pentateuch are not found in it, e.g., N-in, used as a fem. (Ges., Gr., % 32, 6) ; ■pNn for n^x (§ 34) ; ir: for nny; (§ 2, 3 Rem.) Again, Jericho, which throughout the Pentateuch is spelt inT, is always spelt in Joshua fnn^ or "fn"]^ ; the form ri52PD, used in the Pentateuch, is changed to nn'ppp in Josh, xiii., where it five times occurs. The following forms also are not found in the Pentateuch, viz., ynb' (Josh. vi. 27, ix. 9) ; NIHp, (xxiv. 19) ; x'-); (xxii. 25 j ; !?:nn nn^ (i. 14, vi. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 2, viii. 3), but '^'n ^35 (Deut. iii. 18) ; nxj, a bottle (ix. 4, 13), for non (Gen. xxi, 14, 15, 19); n^-Vn, to set on fire or burn (viii. 8, 19) ; njy, to spring down (xv. 1 8) ; pVi'?, a prince or leader (x. 24); Di^l", to rest (xi. 23, xiv. 15). Thus the book may be said to occupy in style and diction a middle place between the Pentateuch and the books which follow. It affords also internal evidence of being the composition of one author, and not of several ; for on no other supposition can we account for the easy flow of the narrative in the historical part, where event follows event, if not always in the exact order of time, yet of thought ; and the whole is narrated with a vividness which bespeaks an eye- witness of the various scenes depicted. It is true that there is a difference in the style of that portion of the book which records the partition of the land,' and that which relates its conquest ; but this is what might be expected from the nature of the subject-matter, and from the fact that this portion of the book was apparently in the main derived from written surveys, made previously to the appor- tionment of the conquered territory (see ch. xviii.) Yet in this part, as well as in the foregoing, there is connection and method, the transactions following one another in chronological order, and all serving to show (what was evidently a principal design of the author) the fulfilment of God's promise to give the land of Canaan to His people Israel. Hence the supplementary theory of Ewald, Knobel, and others, according to which the hand of several authors is traceable in the book, does not seem at all applicable to it. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. The Divine authority of this book is established by the references made to it in Holy Writ^ ; also by the fact of its having been included in the Canon of Scripture by the early Hebrew Church, and tacitly acknowledged by our Saviour, when, " beginning at Moses and the Prophets, He expounded to His dis- ciples in all the scriptures the things concerning "Himself." Various objections, indeed, have been raised to its credibility, and, therefore, to its Divine inspiration. One of these is drawn from the apparent discrepancies which are met with in the book, as, e.g., the state- merit in xi, 23, xxi. 43-5, that the whole land was subjugated ; whereas in xiii. 1-3 and xviii. 3 we read that a great part was yet unoccupied by the Israelites ; for an answer to which the notes on those passages in the annexed commentary may be con- sulted. Again, the statement, in xi. 21, that Joshua cut off the Anakim from Hebron, Debir, etc., is not irreconcilable with their subsequent extirpation, recorded in xv. 13, 14 (see note on x. 37). Nor is the promise of God that the boundaries of Israel should extend to the Euphrates (i. 4) at variance with the fact that the country which Joshua divided does not reach so far (xiii. 6 ; see note on i. 4). Another and more serious objection is the alleged injustice of depriving the Canaanites of their country, and dooming them all to destruction. This has been satisfactorily answered by many commentators (see especially Dr. Fairbairn's Typol., vol. ii., chap. ' See, e.g., i Kings xvi. 34 ; i Chron. ii. 7 ; Psalm cxiv. 3, 5 ; Isa. xxviii. 21 ; Hab. iii. 11-13 ; Acts vii. 45, xiii. 19; Heb. iv. 8, xi. 30-1, xiii. 5 ; James ii. 25. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. iv.). Here it may suffice to remark that God is tlic supreme Ruler and Judge of the universe, and, being infinitely just and holy, must do right. It was His command that the Canaanites, on account of their flagrant and long-continued enormities,^ should, when the cup of their iniquity was full, be extirpated from off the earth. The Israelites were but instru- ments in executing the Divine purpose ; and they had been forbidden by God to spare those nations or to receive them into covenant."^ They were thus em- phatically warned against the great sin of idolatry, to which they were themselves but too prone ; and so far were they from being rendered hard-hearted and sanguinary by the work of vengeance in which they were employed, that we find from the history that they executed their commission with reluctance, and far less completely than they ought ; nor were they allowed by God to wage aggressive war on other nations besides the Canaanites. The fact that innocent children were involved in the fate of their guilty parents is analogous to what happens in other judgments, such as a plague or earthquake, and can present no difficulty to the minds of those who believe in a future state, where all apparent inequali- ties in God's dealings now will be redressed. No less futile is the objection which has been raised to ' See Lev. xviii. 21-25 ; Deut. xii. 30, 31. ^ Deut. vii. i, 2; Exod. xxiii. 32, xxxiv. 12. God, however, made a marked distinction between the inhabitants of Canaan and other neighbouring nations ; peace might be made with the latter, if they submitted, but not with the former (see Deut. XX. 10-18). The case of the Gibeonites does not prove the contrary ; for the fact that they obtained peace by fraud shows that they were aware that they had no hope of escap- ing destruction in any other way (see ix. 24). THE BOOF: of JOSHUA. the historical fidelity of this book on account of the miracles recorded in it. The whole history of God's people is miraculous, and the Book of Joshua does but continue that series of wonders which we meet with in the Pentateuch. Miracles were necessary in order to put the Israelites into possession of the Promised Land, for otherwise it is difficult to see how, being scarcely more numerous than the Canaanites, and inferior to them in military skill and equipment, having neither horses nor chariots, nor warlike engines for attacking the great and fortified cities, they could possibly have proved successful. Moreover, nothing could have more tended than God's visible interpo- sition in their behalf, to encourage and strengthen their faith in Him, and to convince them that in the subjugation of Canaan they were doing His work rather than their own. This objection, however, to miracles proceeds from those only who deny the continued agency of an Omnipotent and Personal God, Who, at His own good pleasure, may depart from those settled laws whereby He governs the universe (cf. John v. 17). But further, to be rightly understood the Book of Joshua must be regarded, not only as a literal, but as a prophetic and spiritual history. It was classed by the Jews as the first of those books called by them " The early Prophets," U':iV^^-\. D^X^n^, not only as written by inspired men or prophets, but as pro- phetical and typical of God's dealings with His Church, or people, to the end of time. Thus, Joshua means the same as Jesus ('li^crov?), Jehovah-Saviour; and in his office as general of the armies of Israel he was a type of Jesus, the Captain of our salvation THE BOOK OP lOSIIUA. (Hcb. ii. lo). The Canaan, into the possession of which he brought the children of Israel, was a type of heaven, and also of the state of true believers here on earth, whilst they are yet carrying on a warfare with their spiritual enemies, but are, at the same time, " seated together with Christ in heavenly places," and have "their conversation " (or citizenship) " in heaven." It must not be forgotten that the Israelites who were brought by Joshua into Canaan were very different in character from those who perished in the wilderness. The long course of discipline which they had undergone during their thirty-eight years' wanderings, the instructions of Moses, and, above all, the influence of Divine grace, seem to have humbled and inclined them readily to obey the will of God.^ With these, therefore, God renewed His covenant, as we read in Deut. xxix. I ; and these, under the conduct of Joshua, having passed through the Jordan, and having been circumcised, and partaken of the Passover (v. lo), entered at once on the work of conquest to which they were called. In all which we may see a prophetic reference to Christians now, who, having been baptized into Christ, circumcised with the true circumcision of the Spirit, and strengthened by the Bread of Life, are both qualified and pledged to fight, under the banner of their Divine Leader, against His and their spiritual foes, and, as far as in them lies, to establish His empire here on earth. Viewed in this light, there is a striking parallel between the Book of Joshua and St. Paul's Epistle to the '■ This their character seems clearly indicated in this book ; see, e.g., the note at the end of .\xii. 34. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. Ephesians, where the great privileges which all Christ's followers already enjoy by union with Him, their risen Head, and their corresponding spiritual duties, are forcibly delineated. But Canaan, as has been already said, was a type also of heaven itself, whither Christ has gone before " to prepare a place " for us. As Moses, who typified the Law, could not bring the Israelites into the Promised Land, so " l>_y the deeds of the Laiv shall no flesh be justified; but now the righteousness of God without the Law is manifested, even the righteousness of God zvhich is by faith of fesns Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe" (Rom. iii. 20-22). This spiritual character of the Book of Joshua has, however, been often dwelt upon by Christian commentators, and it may suffice, therefore, to refer to such well-known works as Bishop Pearson, On the Creed, art. ii., pp. 1 1 5-1 1 8 ; Dr. Barrow, Sermons on the Creed, sen xvii., p. 230 ; Mather, On the Types, vol. i., pp. 134-7 ; ^"<^ o^ more ancient authors, Origenis Opera, torn, ii., PP- 397 — 457> ed. Benedict, Paris, 1733. The number of years comprised in this history cannot be exactly determined, for we know not certainly the age of Joshua at the time of the invasion, nor the length of his war with the Canaan- ites, nor of his life after that war was ended. Some light, however, is thrown on this subject by Joshua xiv. 7, 10. There Caleb, who not improbably may have been of the same age as Joshua, who is called a young man in Exod. xxxiii. 11, declares himself to have been forty years old when he was sent by Moses from Kadesh to spy out the land, but eighty-five when, after the conquest of Canaan, to THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. he came before Joshua to claim Hebron for his possession. As, then, the mission of the spies took place in the second year after the exodus (Numb, xiii. 20), and the period from the exodus (B.C. 1 49 1, Usher) to the crossing of the Jordan (b.C. 1451) was forty years, Caleb must have been thirty-eight years old when he passed through the Red Sea, and seventy-eight when he passed through Jordan. Thus, a period of seven years is left for Joshua's conquest of Canaan^ ; and, as Joshua died at the age of one hundred and ten (xxiv. 29), he must, if of the same age as Caleb, have survived the conquest twenty-five years, which, added to the seven years, would embrace a period of thirty-two years as comprised in this book, and quite bear out the assertion in xxiii. i, that "a long time after that the Lord had given rest, Joshua waxed old and stricken in years." Josephus, however, says {Ant., v., I., 19) that the war with Canaan lasted five years, and in Ant., v., i., 29, that Joshua lived forty years with Moses before the invasion of Canaan ; and after Moses' death was head over Israel for twenty-five years ; which, since he lived to the age of one hundred and ten, would make him to have been forty-five years old at the time of the exodus (^.^., 45 440+ 25== i 10). This view is adopted by Ewald, Knobel, and Fiirst, and is not very different from the first-mentioned, if we suppose Caleb to have used round numbers. Others {e.g., Theoph., Ad. AntoL, iii., 24 ; Clem. Alex., Strom., i., 21 ; Euseb., CJwon., i.) reckon twenty-seven years as ' Theodoret, C. a Lap., Keil, and most modern com- mentators think this was the length of the war. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. ii the length of Joshua's government. Eupolcmus (ap. Euseb., Prap. Evang., ix., 30, x., 14) names thirty- years. C. a Lap., on xxiv. 29, says that the two most generally supported views are those which assign to his government seventeen (or eighteen) or twenty-seven years. The book may be divided into two parts. The first has reference to the conquest of the land, and contains : i. The campaign against the south (i. — x.); 2, The campaign against the north (xi. i — 18) ; 3, The war against the Anakim (xi. 21-23) ; 4, A general summary of the conquest (xi. 23 to the end of xii.). The second describes the division of the land and the settlement of the tribes : 1, The territory assigned by Moses to the trans- Jordanic tribes, and Caleb's inheritance (xiii., xiv.) ; 2, The allotments of Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh (xv. — xvii.) ; 3, The setting up of the tabernacle at Shiloh, and the distribution of territory among the remaining seven tribes (xviii., xix.) ; 4, The cities of refuge (xx.) ; 5, The cities of the priests and Levites (xxi.) ; 6, The dismissal of the trans- Jordanic tribes to their homes (xxii.) ; 7, The two last addresses of Joshua, renewal of the covenant, Joshua's and Eleazar's death. 12 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [ciiAr. i. CHAPTER I. Vers. 1-9. — Introduction to the Book. Joshua, before Moses' death, had been nominated as his successor (Numb, xxvii. 18, etc.), and had received a solemn charge from Jehovah ; but now, Moses being dead, he is called to the active perform- ance of the duties of his office. Jehovah renews to him His promises, and, as a condition of their fulfil- ment, requires of him a faithful observance of His law. Ver. I. — ^r\% '' And it came to pass" : 1 consec. (Ges., Gr., § 49, 2), connecting this book with the close of Deuteronomy (see Dr. Pusey, On Daniel, p. 309, and note \ of Ges., Gr., § 49, 2), but not so intimately as to indicate a sameness of authorship (cf. Ruth i. I, where the " Vav " has the same power in reference to Judges, of which Ruth is an appendix). "After the death of Moses" : i.e., after the expiration of the thirty days' mourning for Moses (Deut. xxxiv. 8). " The servant of the Lord" : i.e., one commissioned by Jehovah and sent by Him to do His work. It was, therefore, Moses' regular official title (see Deut. xxxiv. 5 ; Josh. i. 13, 15, viii. 31, 33, ix. 24, xi. 15, xii. 6, xiii, 8, xiv. 7, xviii. 7, xxii. 4, 5), applied to Joshua also, after he had succeeded Moses VER. I.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 13 (Josh. xxiv. 29 with Judges ii. 8), a higher title than that of riTJ'p, borne by Samuel when a boy (i Sam. ii. 1 1, iii. i). Dean Perowneon Psalm xviii. (inscription of) remarks that the title mn'' "ini; is never applied by the individual to himself, and in this respect, therefore, differs from the "^ovko^ ©eou {^pidTOv) of the New Test. (Phil. i. i ; Titus i. i). " TJie Lord spake unto JosJina " : Either in a dream or vision, or through the intervention of the High Priest by means of the Urim and Thummim, or by a direct revelation to his mind ; for it is not said that God appeared to him. The occasion being one of great importance, it is likely that the address was immediate and personal. ^'Joshua " : A prince of the tribe of Ephraim, and originally named Hoshea, ri;in (Numb. xiii. 8), i.e., help, to which Moses, on some occasion not mentioned, prefixed the name iT, whence, by contraction, yt^nn*, "Jehovah-help" (Numb. xiii. 16), written vy:i^\ (Neh. viii. 17) ; Sept. 'iTycroO?, so in Greek Test. (Acts. vii. 45 ; Heb. iv. 8) ; a type of the Messiah, Whose name Jesus, therefore, means a Divine Saviour (Matt. i. 21). |-13-|?, the form "bin" for " ben " is rare (Ges., Gram., § 96, 2), but always used when followed by the pr. n. " Nun " (Ges., Lex). " Moses' minister " : The piel participle is here used as a noun in construe. (Ges,, Gr., § 135, i, 2). The term is never equal to nnr, and is translated in the~Sept. by v7rovpyo<; or Xetrov/Dyos (see here), or 6 iTapeaTr]Kco<; (Exod. xxiv. 13, and cf. Deut. i. 38, where r\yS"a is interchanged with '•23'? np'yii, one who stands before another, waiting instructions), but never by SovXo<;. It might be rendered " assistant," and answer to our 14 THE BOOK OF /OSIIUA. [chap. I. word adjutant or aide-de-camp. When a young man, Joshua filled this office, and continued in it up to the time of Moses' death. Having thus been long trained to obedience, and being intimately acquainted with the counsels of Moses, and eminent for his courage, skill, and fidelity (see Exod. xvii. 8, etc. ; Numb. xiv. 6-14), he was better fitted than any other to be Moses' successor.-^ As the minister of Moses he was also a type of Christ, Who was " made under the Laiv " (Gal. iv. 4). Ver. 2. — r\nv], ''And now" : Sept. vdv ovu (cf. A. Ver.). The adverb seems to be here not so much a particle of time, as of inference, as frequently the Greek vvp. With the imperative it has an hortatory power (cf. Gen. xxxi, i 3 ; Isa. xxx. 8 ; Micah iv. 14). " T/iis Jordan " : The pronoun is used SeuKTiKcos, as the Jordan was within sight of Shittim, where the Israelites were encamped ; n.1*ri, always with the art, in prose, prop. " the Descender ; " from it, to descend (Ges., Lex. ; Reland, Pal., iii., 6;^), so called from its rapid descent. The Arabic name is now EsJi-Sheriah, the watering-place, or Sheriat el KJiebir, the great watering-place, to distinguish it from Sheriat el MandJinr, the Hieromax. Between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is its most rapid descent ; but, though its course for that distance is ' In Eccles. xlvi. i he is called the successor of Moses in :prophecies (cf. Joseph, Antiq., iv., c. 7, 2, and Sherlock, On Proj)h. Disc, vi., p. 128). Had he, however, been strictly a prophet, it is strange that he should have been directed to seek the Divine will through Eleazar, the priest (Numb, xxvii, 21). Most probably he was only qualified by Divine wisdom to be the leader and governor of Israel after the death of Moses. VER. 3-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 15 only sixty miles, it is increased to two hundred^ by its multiplied windings (Dean Stanley's Sin. and Pal., pp. 283-4, note 2). It rises in Antilebanon, flows into the Dead Sea, and forms the eastern boundary of Canaan proper. " TJiou and all this people'' : The Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh, who had received their possessions on the east side of Jordan, being excepted, though under the conditions mentioned in vers. 12-15 (cf- Numb, xxxii.). " Which I do give" : The Vulg. renders by " quam dabo" but the present jni, " am giving^' implies that the bestowal of the gift had already begun. '•stiN* is emphatic ; and the fact that Canaan was thus God's own gift shows that the Israelites were not chargeable with the crime of unjustly invading it. Vl ''J3, at the end of the verse, is explanatory of the succeeding suff. Dn (cf. Exod. ii. 6). " SJie sazv him, the child" : It may throughout this book be rendered sons, rather than children, of Israel, because, in a political sense, males were regarded as representatives of the whole nation. Note that in this verse, as in the preceding, there is a typical reference to Christ, Who brings all true believers into the heavenly Canaan, thus doing what the Law, of which Moses v/as the representative, could not do, owing to the weakness, i.e., depravity, of man (see Rom. iii. 19, etc., vii. 4, viii. 3). Ver. 3. — n'ipQ"'?3, a nom. absol. {Gr., % 145, 2 ; cf, xiii. 6). " On ivhich the sole of your foot shall tread" : ' So Lieutenant Lynch {Official Letter, p. 265. of Narrat.), who published the tirst authentic account of this river, after actual survey ; some, however, make the distance to be increased to only 1 13 miles. i6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. i. The expression implies, as in xiv. 9, posses' 3n in its utmost entirety. " / Jiave given it " : The perfect denotes the certainty of the gift (Cr., § 126, 4). In the last clause the reference is to Deut. xi. 24, where the same promise is given from God by Moses, nearly word for word as here and in the next verse. ^^ I spoke'' : On the distinction between 13'^ and) "ipx*, see Ges., Lex.^ under the latter verb. Ver. 4. — The general statement, " Ever e that the sole, etc." (ver. 3) is here explained by a olmeation of the farthermost boundaries. " From the wilder- ness " : i,e., the Arabian desert, the southe'n boundary. " This Lebanon" (the white) : The Sep'., has Anti- lebanon, but both are parts of the same mountain, and formed the northern boundary ;^ ' tJiis ' indicates that the mountain was within sight of the Israel itish camp. " Unto tJie great river'' : The Euphrates (Heb. Perath) was so called kojt l^o-yy]v (cf. Gen. xv. 18 , Deut. i. 7) ; also simply "insn (Gen. xxxi. 2 i ; Exod. xxiii. 31 ; 2 Sam. x. 16, etc.) ; "irn always means a constantly-flowing stream, like the Euphrates or Nile, and is never used of fleeting brooks or torrents ; rt. "in3, to flow. The Heb. Perath is derived by Ges. {Lex.) from " parath," an unused rt., meaning in Syr. and Chal. " to break ; " but in Arab., " to be sweet ; " Sept. Ei»)paT7^9 ; in Old Persian, Ufrata, " the good and fertile stream " (Delitzsch) ; now " Frath." The great sea " : i.e., the Mediterranean, called " great " in contrast to the Dead Sea and Lake of Genesa- ' The Arabic poets say of this mountain, " He bears the Winter on his head, the Spring on his shoulders, in his bosom the Autumn, and Summer slumbers at his feet" (Volner, i., 243)- VER. 4.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 17 reth. ;"iJ:'p'^n Nfap, accusative of place {Gr.,% 118, i), literally " at the entrance," i.e., the setting, " of the sun " (cf. Deut. xi.30 ; Psalm 1. i) ; hence the West. " Your eoast": The Hebrew word >nii denotes properly the cord by which the limit of a field or region is marked out, rt. "pni, to twist, or to wreathe, hence " a bomdary." The intermediate statement " all the ,kiid of the Chittites" (see note on iii. 10) has occa- sion ^^w ' difficulty. The Sept. omits the words, and the At-s tc version must have read "pi; for ^3, for it renders "" ultima terrain CJiittcconnn." But probably the wordsiwefe intended to mark out the limits of the land J!"" Canaan strictly so called, the Chittites, as one of the principal nations of Canaan, being taken as a representative of the rest ; yet we need not wath Keil regard the broad description of the land given in this verse as rhetorical, i.e., as merely indicating, in a general way, certain well-known •points within which the land to be given to the Israelites would lie. In the reign of Solomon the kingdom reached to Eloth and Eziongeber, on the GElanitic gulf of the Red Sea (i Kings ix. 26), and to Tiphsah on the river, i.e., the Euphrates (i Kings iv. 24), having for its western boundary the sea of the Philistines (Exod.xxiii. 3 i), i.e., the Mediterranean, and for its southern boundary the Desert, i.e., the wilderness of Shur and Paran.^ God's promise, how- ever, of this enlarged dominion was conditional (Deut. xi. 22-4), and it was His people's sinfulness which, after Solomon's death, deprived them of it ; yea, as regards the Canaan strictly so-called, we are ' Probably identical with the desert of Et Tih {Grove). 2 i8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. i. told that in consequence of their sloth and wicked- ness they could not, after Joshua's death, fully drive out their enemies (Judges ii. 20-1). Ver. 5. — In this and the next verse the order of events in the book is briefly indicated, viz., i. The Conquest ; 2, The Division of the Land. With the first clause cf. Deut. xi. 25, v^rhere the same promise is made to all the people. V.?"? ^.Vljn'., literally " shall place himself before^' is varied to \;32 'r^\T\\ (Deut. vii. 24, xi. 25), ''all the days of thy life": for after Joshua's death the Canaanites, owing to the supine- ness and sinfulness of the children of Israel, re-esta- blished themselves in many places, whence they had been driven out (Judges i. 27, etc). " / zvill be ivith thee" i.e., I will assist thee (cf. v. i 7). "q— , in pause for t;- (§ 103, 2 (^). "/ zvill not fail thee" (Auth. Vers.) : nsn, used intrans., means properly " to be let down or relaxed," and is applied to the letting of the hands hang down (Zeph. iii. 1 6) ; hence it may be used metaphorically of the mind, and be rendered here in Hiphil, "/ zvill not let thee despond" Better, how- ever, " / will not relax my hand from iipJiolding thee" (cf. Deut. iv. 31, xxxi. 6 ; i Chron. xxviii. 20 ; Heb. xiii. 5, ov ixrj ere dpo)). Ver. 6. — "Be strong and of a good courage " (Auth. Vers.). The first verb pm means lit. " to hold fast," i.q., pex (Ges., Lex. [2], p. 72) ; hence "to strengthen," but more often " to be or to become strong," and like npn (ver. 5), is used of the hands (Judges vii. 1 1 ; 2 Sam. xvi. 21 ; Isa. xxxv. 3). The second verb, |*px, "to be alert," and hence " to be firm," refers primarily to alertness of the feet (Ges., Lex^, or to strength of knees (see Isa. xxxv. 3). The two expressions to- VER. 7.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 19 gether denote firmness and resolution of mind (cf. Deut. xxxi. 7, 23). The concluding words of the verse do not imply a reason for firmness and resolution, viz., that without such qualities Joshua could never put the people in possession of Canaan, but are rather a promise to inspire him with courage (cf. Deut. i. 38, xxxi. 7, 23). ^^T^?^l, Hiph. imperf, ^' thou sJialt cause to inJierit" with an accus. of person and of thing (§ I39> I ; ^'^- Deut. i. 38), from "pm, primarily "to receive as a possession," " to possess," but spec. " to receive as an inheritance"; and in Hiph., "to cause to inherit," which latter, according to Keil and Fay, is the meaning here (cf. Auth. Vers.). ]nNri-nx : Some MSS. read "^^ for Tix, whence Maurer thought that they must have read also ^^^3n, tJioii sJialt lead, but as ?n3 in Hiph. is applicable rather to the leading of a flock than of an army, it would not here be suitable, and doubtless 'h^ is the emendation of a transcriber. Ver. 7. — pi, " only^' here implies a condition. The two following verbs are repeated from the first clause of ver. 6, but are rendered more forcible by the addi- tion of "I'sp to the latter verb. " Tiirn not from it to tJie right hand and to the left " (cf, Deut. v. 29 [Heb. Bib.], xxviii. 14) : "i-lD here answers to npj in Numb. XX. 1 7. The masc. suffix in -IDJpp may refer either to the foregoing words, " which Moses . . . commanded thee," or to 12?, understood before nninn. The " Vav" before 'PINOb is better rendered ''and" than " ^r," which, however allowable in some passages (see Gcs., Lex. [3], p. 235), here rather weakens the sense. Ihe allusion is to travellers who avoid all paths deviating from the main road, ^'•sb'ri l^o'?, " That tJum mayest act zuisely": Sept., tVa Gvvfj^) Vulg., " nt intelligas"j 20 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. r. but Chald. and Auth. Vers., " tliat thou mayest prosper." As wisdom in conducting affairs is connected with prosperity, the word 75b' sometimes denotes " to pros- per " (see, e.g-., Prov. xvii. 8), but here the primary- meaning " to be wise " (in Hiph., " to make wise," " to act wisely ") seems preferable, because in ver. 8 ^''3L"ri is distinguished from n''?^:^. In the last clause, '?b3 is = '?i''3-5t"?3?, " in all thy ways," i.e., in all thy actions (cf. I Sam. xviii. 14^. Ver. 8. — nin may refer to the Book of the Law as having been already mentioned, ver. 7 ; or, perhaps, indicates that Jehovah was addressing Joshua from the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, where the Penta- teuch was deposited. The frequent allusions to the Book of the Law throughout this Book of Joshua are a testimony to the genuineness of the former. " Shall not depart out of thy inonth " : i.e., Joshua's judgments and orders were to be in accordance with the Divine Law ; on all occasions he was to speak in accordance with it ; and evidently he had a written copy of the Law, as the kings afterwards were required to have (Deut. xvii. 18, 19). ''And thoit shalt meditate in it day and night " : i.e., he was to be continually pondering it in his mind with a view to compliance with all its directions ; Psalm i. 2 appears to allude to this verse. " For then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou act wisely " (see note on ver. 7). Ver. 9. — Nf'pn is here equal to a strong positive asser- tion (§ 153, 2. Rem.J. It is generally employed by those who wish to infuse into another courage and alacrity. The Sept. uses npn in place of it, translating by 'iSov. rinn, Niph. imperf. 2 p. m. s. in pause, VER. 10.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 21 from nrin, to break or to be broken, used here meta- phorically of a mind broken by terror. This and the preceding verb, with the negative '?5^, give greater force to the foregoing positive injunction, "^^ stj'ong" etc. (cf Deut. xxxi. 6, 8). Let us remember that the same encouragements which were given to Joshua are also given to our- selves in our spiritual warfare. God will be with us (Heb, xiii. 6) to aid us in our conflicts, and to bring us ultimately into possession of the heavenly Canaan. Only we, like Joshua, must be very courageous, and firm in rendering an undeviating obedience to the revealed will of God (Matt. vii. 2 i ; John XV. 14). Vers. 10-18. — JosJmds Commaiid to the Overseers of the People, and his Appeal to the Reiibenites, Gadites, and Half Tribe of ManasseJi. Dnpb', lit. scribes, from la'^, to write ; Sept. ypafx- /jtaret? ; so the Syriac and Samaritan versions. The rendering " overseers " or " superintendents I' though not etymologically correct, perhaps sufficiently ex- presses the meaning. They appear to have been Hebrews, Avho drew up the Hebrew genealogies, and were generally in attendance on the elders, captains, and judges. Joshua employed them on this occa- sion to convey his orders to the people, and to see them executed. On Egyptian monuments they are frequently represented giving in written accounts to their immediate superiors. Passages in which they are mentioned are Exod. v. 6 ; Numb. xi. 16 ; Deut, 22 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. r. xvi. 1 8, xxix. lo, xxxi. 28; Josh. viii. 33, xxiii. 2, xxiv. I. After the death of David it would seem that they, as well as the judges (to whom the genealogical knowledge of the sJioteriin must have been highly useful in determining cases re- lating to property, etc.), were chosen from the Levites (i Chron. xxiii. 4 ; 2 Chron. xix. 1 1, xxxiv. I 3). Ver. 1 1 . — " Pass tJirough the midst of the camp " (cf. Vulg., "transite per medium castrorum"). nnv, properly '^Jlesh zvhich is taken in hniiting," from "(-l^, to hunt ; also any food, but especially ^^ provision for a joiirncy " (Gen. xlii. 25 ; Exod. xii. 39). The manna had not yet, as Keil asserts, ceased (see Josh. v. 1 2), but when Joshua issued this command, he doubtless knew that the manna would cease when the people had crossed the Jordan (Exod. xvi. 35), and because it would not keep fresh beyond the first day, and there may have been no time to collect and prepare it, he commanded other food to be gathered. Indeed, manna never form^ed the sole sustenance of the people (see Deut. ii. 6, 26-28) ; and the country of Sihon and Og, which they had lately conquered, would furnish them with the supplies they now needed. " Within j/et three days" (cf. Gen. xl. 13), Sept. ert rpet? r]\x.ipai : A question has been raised whether the three days here mentioned are identical with those in iii. 2. Most commentators think so, and suppose that this chapter anticipates the regular course of events ; in other words, that we have the order of thought rather than of time. The sacred writer, having a religions, rather than an historical, design in view, may have wished to put prominently VERS. 12, 13.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 23 forward God's faithfulness in the performance of His promise to give Canaan for an inheritance to His people, and, therefore, mentioned first God's com- mand to Joshua, and Joshua's immediate proceedings thereupon, and then returned in the second chapter to state what had taken place before this command of God to Joshua, and immediately after the thirty da}-s' mourning for Moses (Deut. xxxiv. 8), viz., the sending forth of the spies to Jericho, etc. On any other supposition it is difficult to understand how the collecting of provisions for the vast host of the Israelites, the sending forth and return of the spies, and the removal of the camp from Shittim to Jordan, could all have been accomplished within the period mentioned (i. ii). According, however, to the above view, the order of events was probably the following : On the third of the first month, Abib, or Nisan, the spies were sent out (ii. i), on the sixth they return (ii. 23), on the seventh the camp is removed from Shittim to Jordan (iii. i), and the command (i. 11) is issued, and on the tenth the river is crossed (iv. 1 9). For other views, viz., those of Keil, Maurer, Knobel, etc., see note in Keil's Comment., pp. 72 — 75, Clark, pub. 1857. n'^''"!^> " to possess^' or '^ to take possession of" : Sept., KaTaa^elv ; Vulg., " ad possidendam " (cf. I Kings xxi. 15J. This is the primary meaning of K'T, whence the secondary meaning " to inherit " (Gen. xxi. 10 ; see Gesen., Lex.). Ver. I 2. — The tribes here mentioned had received their inheritance on the east of Jordan (Numb, xxxii.) Ver. 13. — The infin. absol. "il^T is here used for the imperative (§ 131,4 l>). " T/ie luord," but also in 24 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. i. Hebrew '^ the mandate" \ so in Esther i. 19 and in Exod. xxxiv. 28, Deut. iv. 1 3, x. 4, the " ten words" mean the " ten commandments." The quotation which follows is not literal, and bears a greater resem- blance to Deut. iii. 18-20 than to Numb, xxxii. 20, 29. n^jp, Hiph. part, (is), "giving rest" i.e., by assigning to them settled habitations in place of a wandering life. Ver. 14. — " Your little ones" : From ^15*0, to trip along. The sing. f|t5 is often used, as here, collectively (§ 108, i). Hh& '■'' wives and little children" were to dwell in fenced cities for protection from the inhabi- tants of the land (Numb, xxxii. 1 7). mpp, " cattle " : From nj^, to possess (cf. KTijvr] from KTaofiai). Wealth in early times chiefly consisted in them. — '*n "i.^y?, " on the other side of the Jordan" Sept. irepav rov 'lopSdvov, is explained in ver. 15 by '' toward the sun-rising." The Auth. Vers, here and in Numb. xxii. I ; Deut. i. 5, iii. 8, etc., renders it " on this side Jordan" but in Deut. iii. 20, 25, " beyond Jordan" as the Sept. and other versions generally. The phrase means lit., " at the side, or passage, of Jordan," and was usually applied to the district east of Jordan, and corresponded closely to the Greek name Percea. Here, and often elsewhere, it is used quite irrespec- tively of the actual position of the speaker or writer. U^^'on is derived by Ges. from c^'pn, nearly allied to the roots D?3n and ^^on, " to be eager or sharp ;" hence " eager, or ready prepared, for fighting " ; Aq. eVwTrXt- a^ivoi ; Symm. KaOajTrXtcrfxivoL ; Vulg. armati. But perhaps a better rendering is " arrayed" Arab, in- structi, marshalled, lit. with their loins girt (cf. Eph. vi. 14; I Peter i. 13), from L*'?on, lumbus, synony- VEK. 15.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 25 mous with C"'V-l'?n (Numb, xxxii. 32; Deut. iii. 18), from Div'jn (only in the dual), " tJie two loins" Sept. evtfMVOi. Ewald {Gesch. des Volkes Israel, ii., p. 54) would render it " arrayed in Jive divisions^' from *J^pn, five, whence perhaps the strange rendering of the Sept., TrefXTTTr) yevea (Exod. xiii. 18), but this rendering, says Keil {Couiment., A.D. 1857), assumes the reading D''"J'pn to be correct, the evidence for which is less than that for D^u'pn or CL-'-IDn. '•;).?i'?, " before " (Auth. Ver.), Sept., Vat., TrporepoL t(x)v dSeA.- (pcop vixwv, but Masius and Drusius " in the presence of" as the word means in Exod. vii. 10, which render- ing seems less suitable here, for it was obviously fitting that these tribes, in return for the concessions made to them by Moses, should be exposed more than the others to the brunt of battle, 'n n"f35 "pb, ''all the strong heroes" (§ 108, 3, cf. vi. 2, viii. 3) : The expression is not found in the Pentateuch ; in Deut. iii. i 8 we have ^Ti ''J2"'?3. It is incredible that all the armed men ... y from these tribes are here included. The number of fighting men in each of these tribes is given in Numb, xxvi. 7, 18, 34, and their aggregate number was 136,930 men, of twenty years old and upward, able to go out to war (Numb. xxvi. 2). "pb, therefore, is not to be taken here in its full sense. The real number which passed over is stated in iv. 1 3 as forty thousand. Ver. 15. — ''Until tJie Lord have given . . . rest" (cf. Deut. iii. 20, and see note on ver. 13. " Then ye shall return " (Auth. Ver.). ) begins the apodosis (§ 155, I «, Srd par.) For the form Dri:f'T., see § 69, 3, Rem. 4, and cf xxiii. 5 ; for nc^T we have njnx, in Josh. xxii. 4, 9. The words " toivard the snn-rising" qualify the preceding " on this side Jordan" and deter- 26 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. i. mine their sense, for the phrase is in itself anribiguous, being sometimes used of cis-Jordanic, sometimes of trans-Jordanic, territory (cf. Josh. ix. i with Numb, xxii. I, xxxii. 32). Ver. 16. — '' A Jid they answered" eic: The "they'^ does not include all the tribes, but only the two tribes and a half whom Joshua had just been addressing, for such is the natural and obvious reference. Ver. 1 7. — X'x ^33, " in all respects as " : pi, " oidy" : here expressing with what follows not a condition but a wish. Ver. 18. — nnp;:, Hiph. \vc\^crL/' shall I'cbel against." " Thy commandment " (cf , for this meaning of ''3, Eccles. viii. 2). Usually, as Keil remarks, nnpn, fol- lowed by this noun, is used of rebellion against God (see Deut. i. 26, 43, ix. 23 ; i Sam. xii. 14), but here of rebellion against a ruler, nov, Hoph. (in pause), " shall be pnt to death " : So the Jewish law prescribed (Deut. xvii. 12). The words '■^ only be strong" etc. (cf ver. 6) further show the desire of these tribes to encourage Joshua in his undertaking, and their resolve to aid him and their brethren. Several of the Christian Fathers saw in these two tribes and a half a type of true believers under the Old Testament dispensation. Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh were all elder sons, and the conduct of their descendants, as here recorded, shows remark- able faith in the promises of God and ready obedience to His will. But as these two and a half tribes had their inheritance assigned only to them by Moses, but were put into actual possession of it by Joshua, so the believers under the Old Testament VER. iS.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 27 dispensation inherited the promises not through the Law, but by faith in the Messiah (Heb. xi. 39, 40). See Origen, Horn. 3 and 16 ; Bede, Qu. in Josh., c. 4; Theodoret, in Josh. Qu., 1 6. CHAPTER II. Vers. 1-7. — The Mission oj the Spies to Jericho. Ver. I. — n^v'n. : Though not grammatically a plu- ? perfect, yet is so as to sense, since it refers to what had occurred prior to i. 1 1 (see note). " Shittim " (lit., the acacias), mentioned in connection with the history of Balaam (Numb. xxv. i ; Micah vi. 5). It was not far from Jordan (sixty furlongs, says Josephus), and was the last place in which the Israelites encamped in the plains of Moab. It is called D^pL^n ^dn, " the acacia meadow " (Numb, xxxiii. 49), and Josephus is supposed to refer to it under the name Adi/a {Abel, " meadow," or " moist place"), Antig., iv. 8, i, v. i, i ; Bel. Jiid. iv. 7, 6. D''L^•J^' is rendered by the Sept, v€avLaKOV<;, under the idea that they were probably young and active men, which, though not implied here in the Hebrew word, accords with vi. 23. D'''?0^, Piel part, from hi"), to go, to tread, and hence " to explore " (cf. Gen. xlii. 9 ; i Sam. xxvi. 4 ; 2 Sam. XV. 10). :^^^, lit, "silence," but here used as an adverb, "secretly" (§ 1 00, 2 I?) ; the conjunctive accent shows that it is to be construed with "ioab, i.e., Joshua gave these spies their directions in secret, fearing, perhaps, that the people, if they knew of their mission, would be alarmed, as in the time of Moses 28 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap.i (Numb. xiV. i), by the tidings they might bring. •INI, " vieiv ye ": i.e., explore ye (of. Gen. xlii. 9). ''Even Jericho " (Auth. Vcr.) : The \ has perhaps the force of especially (Ges., Lex., (r), p. 234), "frT""]^, always so written in this book, but in the Pentateuch "liTi.l ; once nnn'; (i Kings xvi. 34). The word means, according to some, '* a place of fragrance," from n-n, to breathe ; nnn, to smell ; being celebrated for its palms and balsam (Pliny, Hist. Nat., lib. xii., cap. 25) ; but the older Commentators and Gesenius derive it in the form T^y from HT, the moon, which was the principal deity there worshipped ^ (cf Helio- polis, city of the sun). It was situated in a plain, and was a key to the entrance of Canaan on the south- east side (Joseph., De Bel. Jud., iv., cap. 8, § 2, 3 ; Robinson's Pales., ii., p. 523, etc., and 544, etc.) Every trace of the ancient town has disappeared, but the present dirty and miserable village, called Eriha, or Riha, by the Wady Kelt, is supposed to be near the site. HJtT nD\\\ " a woman, a harlot " : Written T T • ' ' without nu'ii in Gen. xxxviii. 15 ; Deut. xxiii. 19 ; but with it, here and in Judges xi. i ; Lev. xxi. 7 ; Sept. yvpaiKO^ Tropvr)^ ; so the Syriac and Arabic ; and in Greek Testament, 7] TTopviq (Heb. xi. 31; James ii. 25) ; but an '' i?inkeeper" TravhoKevrpia (S. Chrysos., Epis. to Cor. ; the Targum ; Joseph., Antiq., v., 1,2; and some of the Rabbis and modern Commentators), as though the word was derived from ilT, to feed or to nourish, a rendering not accordant with the use of the word elsewhere in Scripture, and probably designed to avoid the obloquy implied in ' Or rather, Ashtoreth, of whom the moon was a symbol, was there worshipped. VER. 2.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 29 the epithet njn. Women, however, of that class may have kept houses of entertainment, as anciently the women in Egypt (see Herodotus, ii. 35). " RacJuibh " : Meaning " to be wide or spacious " (cf. the name of Japheth, Gen. ix. 27). She is evidently the same as the Rachabh mentioned as the wife of Salmon in the genealogy of the Messiah (Matt. i. 5), and Josephus {Antiq., v., i) calls her r) Pa;^^/^^- ^^e Fathers regarded her as a type of the Christian Church (Clemens, Rom. ad. Cor., % 12 ; Justin Martyr, c. Tryphon., § 112 ; Irena^us, iv. 37 ; Origen, //o7/i., 3). Probably she was at this time a believer, though she had not openly renounced heathenism ; and the spies may have been directed to her house by Joshua, who, having formerly visited the country as a spy (Numb, xiii. 16), may have known something of her faith ; at all events, the convenient situation of her house on the town wall, and perhaps the fact that she may have kept a lodging for travellers, easily accounts for their coming thither. " A^id they lay down thei'e" : With the intention of sleeping, as they had arrived at the beginning of the night. Ver. 2. — "And it zvas told tJie king of Jericho" : Josephus (y4w//^., v., I, 2) says the news was brought to the king while at supper. If Rachabh kept a house for travellers, some one lodging there may have informed the king, or, since it was known that the Hebrews were on the other side of Jordan watchers may have been set at the gates to report any suspicious persons who entered in. " To-night " (Auth. Ver.), lit. " the niglitT It appears from ver, 5 that it was the beginning of the night, just before the gates were shut, ibn^, properly " to dig," as a 30 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [cHAr. ii. well or pit, and hence " to explore " (cf. Deut. i. 22.) V"ixn-nN\ " the land" ' V T T V ' Ver. 3. — '^ Bring forth" : The respect which is paid in the East to women's apartments explains why the king's messengers did not search the house. " Who have come to thee " : These words are omitted in the Sept. and Syr., perhaps to avoid tautology. Ver. 4. — " And the zvoinan took . . . a7td hid tJiem " : ni27 here means, as in Esther ii. 8, 16, to bring or to conduct. Probably Rachabh did this before the king's messengers arrived, for to have kept them waiting at the door would have excited suspicion. But this is no reason for rendering the verbs as pluperfects. " The historian," says Keil, " has merely arranged the particular occurrences in such a manner that he describes first what was done by the king, and then all that was done by the woman. The king sent to Rachabh, and commanded her to deliver up the spies, but she took them and con- cealed them, and then said to the servants of the king, and so on." If Rachabh suspected that information had been sent, or might be sent, to the king, she would naturally at once hide the spies. The sing, suffix in tJSV? is distributive, meaning each of them (cf. Deut. xxi. 10; Jer. xxxi. 15). |3, so, or // is true. D^t^'JtJn, " tlie men " : i.e., those referred to. |.''xp, " whence " : Everywhere else this word is used as an interrogative. True that in Psalm cxxi. i the Auth. Vers, renders it as a relative, ^'tvhence cometh my help," but there also the interrogative sense is better. Ver. 5. — If-ip'? . . . \'i.''l, *^ and when the gate teas about to be shut " (see for this construction § 132, 3 ; VER. 2.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 31 Rem., 1,2): Less accurately the Sept. renders by iKXeUro, " was being closed " ; for, had the closing actually begun, the spies in going out could scarcely have escaped observation. Tfi^?. '''ivhen it was dark" (Auth. Vers.), not " when it grew dusk " (De Wette) : In the East there is very Httle twilight, and the Hebrew word for it, viz., fiiJ'J, sometimes means night (see Isa. v. 1 1, xxi. 4, lix. 10). " Pursue ye quickly'' : The infinitive ini? is here used as an adverb. More often the finite verb which governs the infinitive is so used (see Exod. ii. 18, and § 142, 4, Rem. i.). The deceit of Rachabh cannot be justified on the ground of expediency, or of the goodness of her motives. All falsehood must be sin ; but, being in her case a sin of weakness and ignorance, it was doubtless pardoned by reason of her faith and devotion to the cause of God and His people. Ver. 6. — Her mode of concealing the spies is here described. The roof was Jiat (cf. 2 Sam. xi. 2 ; Matt. X. 27 ; Acts x. 9). The word used throughout the Sept. for 35 is Sw/xa, which is also used in Luke v. 19, xii. 3, xviii. 3 i ; Acts x. 9. By the law it was required that, for safety's sake, the roof should have a battlement (Deut. xxii. 8). yvn ^n^'sg, lit. " iu tJic flaxes of wood',' i.e., " in the stalks of flax " : Sept. eV rfj \ivoKakdjxrj, " the flax which is not yet removed from its stalk"; Vulg., stipiild lini ; less fitly, '' tree flax I' or ''pods of cotton" (Arab. Vers.).^ The flax (nril"S or nriV'?) was ripe at that season (the month Nisan) in Egypt (Exod. ix. 31), the climate ' So Gesenius {Lex., p. 595), but the season was early spring-, and cotton is not g-athered till autumn ; it is improbable also that cotton was cultivated in Palestine at so early a period. 32 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. ii. of which is nearly similar to that of Canaan ; and in both countries it grows more than three feet in height, with a stalk as thick as a cane. Rachabh was probably a manufacturer of linen. 'nS m3"}yn, "ti'/iich zuere set in order for her upon the roof : viz., for the purpose of being dried in the sun ; ^ n^ is here a dativus commodi. Vcr. 7. — " And the men " : i.e., those sent by the king of Jericho. 'i:n ij^n, " the way of the fordan " : Accus. denoting the direction taken (§ 1 18). Jsn ^y: The prep, ^y does not here denote " beside " or " near to" nor nr, ^^ as far as^' nor ""px, "towards ;" but retains its primitive meaning "over" (Keil). The words should be connected with the foregoing, e.g., " The zvay of the fordan over the foras," i.e., which led over the fords ; Vulg., " per viam quae ducit ad vadum Jordanis." The fords meant were opposite Jericho, and are called in Judges iii. 28 '^ the fords of fordan towards Moab." It is, however, improbable that the pursuers crossed the fords, for the Israelitish camp was in the vicinity. -nJD, " they shut " : The indeterminate third person (§ 137, 3). x;'X3 nnj^ is an unusual form for TJ'X-nnx (§ i 5 5, 2 ^; cf. nc's* p^nnx, Gen. vi. 4). The gates were shut in case the spies should be yet in the town, but the narrative which follows shows how useless was such a precaution. Vers. 8-21. — Rachabh helps the Spies to escape, having first stipulated with them for the Security op Herself and Family. Ver. 8. — Dnn, " not yet'' : Lit. " a cutting off," fol- ' This custom is alluded to by Josephus, Ant., v., i, § 2. VERS. 9, lo.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 33 lowed by an imperfect coming within the sphere of the past, ^^ and they had not yet laid dozun" (§ 127, 4, a ; and Ges., Lex. [3], p. 325) : It seems that they intended to sleep upon tlie roof, a common practice in the East. Ver. 9. — The '•3, which thrice follows WT in this verse, means " //^^z:/" 1= ^//^<^, as often after verbs of knowing (§ i 5 5, i , ^, 3rd par.). "Jehovah ": This cove- nant-name of the God of Israel she may have heard of by report, and may here use without a knowledge of its import : see ver. 1 1, where she only speaks of Jehovah as a God (Elohim) " in heaven above and upon the earth beneath." " Your terror " : i.e., that of which you are the object, or which you inspire (§ 121, 5). •IJIDJ, " have melted away " : Niph. of J-ia, to flow, to flow down, a metaphor taken from the melting of ice or snow, or of wax before the fire. Like expressions to those in this verse are found in Exod. xv. 15, 16, where we have a prophecy of which we here see the fulfilment. DD''32'p, "■because of you" (Auth, Vers.) : or "frojn the face of you" i.e., " before you " (cf ver. i o, where the Sept. has (xtto TTpocrcoiTov vjxmp). Ver. 10. — ''3, "for": This verse gives the reason why Rachabh knew that Jehovah had given the land of Canaan to the Israelites, viz., the great miracles which He had wrought for them, two of the most striking of which are here mentioned. "iV.*^, ri.NJ (see § 155, i, e, 3rd par.) fi"iD-D;, lit., "the sea of weeds," Coptic, Schari-sca (weedy, or reedy sea), i.e., the Arabian Gulf, which abounds in seaweed ; always in the Sept. 17 ipvOpa OoXacraa, except in Judges xi. 16, where fj-ID is rendered ^i(\). " Sichon" lit., " a sweeping away," i.e., a leader carrying evcry- 3 34 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. ii. thing before him, rt. n-lD, /.iV, i.e., in stature, long-necked, gigantic (Ges., Lex.). Hercules, thought to be the same with Joshua, is by Lucian {In Heraile) called Ogmius, from slaying Og, as is supposed (Dickenson, DelpJi. Phaiiic, c. 4, p. 44). onpinn, "ye devoted" or, "ye put tDider a haul' from Dnn, properly, " to shut up " (cf, nnn, a net), hence " to prohibit to common use," " to consecrate ; " and in Hiphil, "to dedicate to God in an irredeemable manner," whence "to extirpate," "to destroy utterly" (cf. Auth. Vers.), because the unholy object so dedi- cated was abominable to God, and could not be used in His service (Lev. xxvii. 29 ; Deut. vii. 23, etc.). For the events alluded to in this verse, see Exod. xiv. I 5, etc. ; Numb. xxi. 24-35 ; Deut. ii. 31, iii. 10. Ver. 1 1. — DfS'', Niph. imperfect from Dp?p, to melt, to flow^ down (see on >1?0, ver. 9, and cf. v. i, vii. 5). nrpp^-wsbl, " and there remained not " : D-lp, " to stand," and hence " to remain." nn, " courage " (Auth. Vers.) ; or, more simply, ^^ breatJi" from nn, to breathe. In 1 Kings X. 5, nearly the same expression is used of great astonishment. In her confession at the end of the verse Rachabh seems to contrast the supremacy of Jehovah with that of the heathen deities, who were supposed to preside over particular localities only ; but she was not yet so enlightened as to acknowledge Him the one only true God (cf. Deut. iv. 39). Note, however, the dififerent effect produced upon her and her countrymen by the reports they had heard : in her they wrought faith ; in them terror and astonishment (cf. Luke ii. 34 ; 2 Cor. ii. 16). VERS. 12, 13.] THE BOOK OF fOSHUA. 35 Vcr. 12. — "3 is either here causal, and ^ because. [" since " (Auth. Vers.)], or, is introductory to the oath and = tliat, e.g.^ " sivear unto me . . . tJiat I have shozvn yon kindness, and ye tvill also shoiu kindness " {i.e., according to the English idiom, " that as I have shown kindness to you, so you will also show kind- ness," etc.), and will give me a token of truth, and will save alive . . . and zv ill deliver" etc. Here all the verbs which follow ■iy3L*'n are subordinate to it, and dependent upon 3, though the three last may be rendered as imperatives [e.g., " a?id give," " and save alive" etc.], and, therefore, as co-ordinate with •ly^v'n, and independent of the ^2. noj? nfN, "« sig?i (or token) of truth " : Keil identifies this token with the oath itself, which the spies were required to take, but thus there seems to have been no occasion for mentioning it separately, as it would have been implied in thv. words, " Swear unto me by the Lord." Rather, mx means here, as often in Scripture, something outward and visible (cf 2 Kings xx. 8, 9 ; Isa. vii. 11, 14, xxxviii. 7, 22 ; and arjixeiov in Luke ii. i 2 ; 2 Thess. iii. 17), and was the token referred to in ver. 18. True that the spies were let down from the window by Rachabh before she had received this token, but this ma}' be easily accounted for on the supposition that after their oath (ver. 14) she was satisfied, and at once lowered them, whereupon they gave her the outward pledge which assured safety to herself and relatives. Ver. I 3. — This verse explains more fully the ex- pression " my father's house " in ver. i 2, and indicates that .she had neither husband nor children, Dn^n.m, "■and (that) 7^ will save alive" (cf note on vcr. 12), o 6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. ii. The usual pointing (._....) is changed to the shorter (...) (§ 27, Rem. 5), after \ consec. Dnb x/x-^a : Not their material property, but the children and other relatives of her brothers and sisters (see vi. 23, 25). -"UTib's: : The plural suffix shows that, though in the previous part of the verse she speaks of her relatives only, she included herself among them. Yet her jinselfislincss, which is one of the signs of a true conversion, beauti- fully appears in this part of the narrative. Ver. 1 4. — T\V,:h ■ ■ • -irj'?:, lit., " cmr life instead of yon to die " : A form of oath by which they invoked the vengeance of Jehovah on themselves if they proved false to their word. A more frequent form is " as tJiy sold livetJi" (i Sam. i. 26, xvii. 55, xx. 3 ; 2 Kings ii. 24). The pi. m. suffix in DD'^rinri refers to Rachabh and her father's house. To this oath is annexed the condition, " if ye tell not (lit., if ye bring not to light) tJiis our business." n\i'!, " and it shall be " (§ 126, 6, Rem. 2), nfn.'' nna, ^' ivlicn felwvah shall give'' (§ 132, 2). The infinitive here expresses future time. ^y^Vi'V\ : The 1. equals then, and introduces the apodosis. npxi ion, " mercy and trntJi " : Not an hendiadys for " sincere kindness," which rendering weakens the sense, but kindness together with fidelity in the performance of their promise. Ver. 15. — ^5^5, the article in the prep, may refer, says Lyra, to a rope by which Rachabh had before been wont to draw up or let down those who visited her. 1V2, tJiroiigJi (Auth. Vers.) : This prep., according to Ges. {Lex), is derived from an obsolete verb ira, " to be without " (opposed to " to be within "), " to be near or beside." Often it may be rendered " behind," as in Gen. xxvi. 8 ; Judges iv. 2 3 ; and so perhaps VER. i6.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 37 here, as implying that Rachabh stood behind the window (n^nn) whilst lowering the spies. Prof. Lee says {Hcb. Lex) that the cognate word in Arabic means " after " or " behind." Cf. the account of the escape of David (i Sam. xix. 12), and of St. Paul [2 Cor. xi. 2>3)^ where the words Stol BvpiSos (through a little door or aperture) i-^akdcrOrjv, arc similar to the Sept. Vers, here, viz., KaTe)(a\acrev avrou9 Sta Trj<; ^uptSo?]. St. James (ii. 25) alludes to this window or aperture, when he speaks of Rachabh as " having thrust forth [ck /Boko vera) the spies erepa ohco, " dj^ another ti'ay," i.e., other than that by which they had come, npinn T'p?, " on the side of the zvalT' : T'P here answers to the Latin paries, Greek ToZ^o "in is here used coll. Jericho was surrounded by mountains on the north, south, and west ; those here referred to were probably situated on the northern side, and were the jagged range of the white limestone mountains of Judaea, afterwards called Qnarafitania (Arabic, Kuruntid), from the belief that they were the scene of our Lord's forty days' temptation ; they rise from 1,200 to 1,500 feet above the sea, and 38 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [ciiAr. ii. abound in caves (Robinson, ii., p. 289 ; Dean Stanley, Syria and Palestine, p. 307-S). DpSn^"!, ''and hide yo?iJ'sclves" : Niph. pcrf. with 1 consec. of the imper., from nnn, i.g., to hide ; ( - ) for ( .) before the guttural n (§22, 2, a). Ver. 17. — " ]Ve {^xo) free from this thy oath which tJiOiL hast made us to sivear " [supply, " unless thou observest the following conditions] ; iii^^ (in the passive) " to be cleansed or freed from pollution," hence " to be accounted innocent or guiltless ; " here, therefore, C'p: followed by |p means pure or free from the guilt of having violated our oath (cf. ver. 19 ; Gen. xxiv. 8, 41 ; Numb, xxxii. 22). r\jn, with a fem. noun is an anomaly, explained by the fact that HT is often used without regard to gender (Ewald, Lhrd., § I 83, a). •"i:riL'2L''n : The more usual form of the 2nd pers. sing. f. with suffix would be •lJ''ni;?i;^'n, or, without "< •I3rir?t:'n (cf Jer. xv. 10 ; Cant. iv. 9 ; Exod. ii. 10) ; but the masc. form is here used (§ 59, 4, with Parad. C, p. 280-1), or the suffix -IJ- is joined to the fem. form, riy3L"n (Lee's Hel?. Gr., Art. 209, 8). Ver. 18. — pN'3 . . -nnn, lit. ''Behold! zve eoniino- I V IT T •• • J O into this land" i.e., when we shall have entered into this land : The apodosis follows in the next clause. T\)X} ■ • ■ nipriTix, " the line of this crimson tJireadl^ i.e., this line spun out of crimson thread : The gender of the pronoun is here determined by the uomen recttim (Ewald, Lehrb., % 307, r). nipn is = ip_ or n^p., a line, rt. np^, to twist ; in Psalm xix. 5, according to Ges. and Simonis, " the string of a harp," whence the Sept. ^Q6yyo%, but more usually " a measuring line." Here, probably, not identical with the cord or rope by which Rachabh had lowered the spies, for which a different term ("^^n) VERS. 19, 21.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 39 is emplo}-ed. So J. D. Michaclis, Schulz, Maurer, and Keil {Coiiniient., 1857). The spies may have given this Hne to Rachabh by fastening it to the rope by which they had been lowered, which she then drew up to the window where she was standing. ''2::' equals ••J^' ny^fn (Exod. XXV. 4), the cochineal or coccus ilicis, an insect from which this crimson colour is procured. tAs: refers to the " window," not the " cord " (cf. Sept.). In -liniTn, the (. .) takes the place of ( . ) (§ 59, 4). The bright crimson colour of this rope would render it a very conspicuous object, but it was more than a pledge of the preservation of the life of Rachabh and her relatives. Christian expositors, from the days of the Apostles, have regarded it as a type of salvation by the blood of Christ. See, for the use of scarlet in rites of purification for sin, Levit. xiv. 4, 6, 5 I ; Numb. xix. 6. Ver. 19. — n^ni. (cf note ver. 14). With the ex- pression f"'Xi3 fO-^, cf. 13 vm (Lev. XX. 9, I 1-13, 16). The fuller form used here by Joshua occurs also in Ezek. xxxiii. 4. Yen 21. — xin |3, ''so it is" i.e., so let it be. Dn^'J'ni, "and she dismissed them " : Not meaning, as some think, that she lowered them from the window, for that had been already done (see note ver. 1 2). '' And she bound" etc.: Perhaps not immediately, but when the Israelites advanced against the city ; for, though a crimson line would have been less con- spicuous than a crimson cord, yet it might have excited suspicion, and, moreover, as a means of security was not at once necessary. The historian, says Keil, mentions the circumstance here for the purpose of bringing the subject to a close. 40 IIJE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. hi. Vers. 22-24. — Return of the Spies to Jos/ma. Vcr. 22. — mnn, see on ver, 16. T T T ' Ver. 23. — ■'n^y^l, '' and crossed over" viz., the Jordan, as is evident from the context. DnfwX nixy^^n-^a, " all that befell them." X>"?o, followed by an accus. of the person, often means " to overtake," or " to befall any 1/one" (Gcs., Lex., 3, p. 499 ; cf ny^, Gen. xlii. 29). •; Ver. 24. — ^3, ''truly" (Auth. Vers.) : But rather j " that" quod, as often in quotations (§ i 5 5, i, ^, «; of I I Sam. X. 19 ; Ruth i. 10). DM., "and also," rather than ''for even " (Auth. Vers.) : The words following are a quotation of those of Rachabh (ver. 9). CHAPTER III. Vers. 1-6.— Preliminary Regulations for the Passage of the fordan. Ver. I. — This verse properly belongs to chap. ii. DSL";"], the verb is used in Hiph. only, and is a denom. of DDt^^, and means lit. " to put a load on the shoulder of beasts of burden," which among nomads was done very early in the morning. The word is sometimes used without "ip.33 (e.g., in Gen. xix, 2 ; Exod. xxxii. 6 ; Josh. viii. 14), sometimes with, as here and in Gen. xix. 2, 27, xx. 8, xxii. 3, Here perhaps "ip.35 is used to signify that the removal of the camp took place in the twilight or early dawn, -irp-i, " and they broke up their encampment " : vd:, to pull up the stakes of a tent. n"':2D''np (see ii. i). '*n""Ti' : The prep, can here mean only " near to," not " to the actual brink ; " otherwise the distance of two thousand cubits between VERS. 2, 3.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 41 the ark and the camp could not have been kept (ver. 4). ^h% "■and they tarried''': Vulg., " morati sunt," viz., for three days (ver. 2). p^, properly, " to pass the night," frequently means " to tarry " (cf. Prov. XV. 31 ; Psalm xxv. 13, xlix. 13 ; Job xli. 14). Ver. 2. — D-ipj . • . nvpp, lit., ''from the end of three days" i.e., after three days, or at the end of the third day (see note on i. 11). nnpb'H (see i. 10). '?5n 37i.i?3, "through the midst of the camp'' (cf. i. 11). Ver. 3. — CDj-iS-i? : Some MSS. read DSrisi?. Of the two particles 3 prop, expresses indefinite time, " zvJien ye seel' or, " at the sight of ; " 3 definite time, " zuhilst ye see" (Ewald, Lchrb., § 221 and 327, r.) ; yet this distinction is not always observed. " Ark of the covenant" '. The symbol of the Divine Presence (Numb. X, 33), called the ark of the covenant, because it contained the Law, which was the covenant between God and the people. " TJie priests — tJie Levites" (cf viii. 33). Vulg., " sacredotes Leviticae stirpis ;" the Sept., Chald., Syr., and several Hebrew MSS. arbitrarily interpose "i ; but the word " Levites " is evidently put in apposition to the word " Priests," probably to distinguish the priests of true Levitical descent from the unlawful, non-Levitical priests, who may at this time have sprung up. For the same reason, perhaps, the like expression so often occurs in the book of Deuteronomy, whereas in the earlier books of the Pentateuch the priests and Levites are generally mentioned apart. To bear the ark was indeed one of the duties of the Levites, but that it was sometimes undertaken by the priests is evident not only from this j^assage, but from vi. 6 ; 2 Sam. 42 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. iii. XV. 24; I Kings viii. 3. ^V'Di^ Di^xi, lit., '^ tJicn yc sJiall break up" {c.{. ver. i). Ver. 4. — "^x, only, pfrri is generally used as an adjective, but here as a substantive, of the form nns, {Parad., iii.), " a distance " (cf. the use of ecr^arov in a substantive sense, i Peter i. 20 ; Alford), The K^thibh "!:''3, is probably more correct than the O^ri r:''2, the plural W'^ being almost exclusively restricted to those cases in which the suffix also has the plural sense (Ewald's Lchrlnich, § 266, ci). "■About two thousand cubits',^ which, according to rabbinical tra- dition, was the distance between the Tabernacle and the furthest point of the camp in the wilderness, and the prescribed distance for the suburbs of Levitical cities (Numb. xxxv. 5) ; afterwards called a Sabbath- day's journey (Acts i. 1 2). This, if we reckon the cubit at twenty-one inches, would be five furlongs and twenty feet, or a little more than five-eighths of a mile. This distance was to be observed not merely out of reverence for the ark, but that, as they came down the heights above the Jordan, they might see the direction they were to take, and how a way for them through the waters would be miraculously opened, xi^h'^ "^T^J^P, lit., ''since yestevday and {\\\q thir d day." i.e.) th e day before yesterday" (Ges., Lex. ; cL Gr., % 1^^, I, a^ . The form 'pTO ny. whi£h_jOccurs in I Sam. iv. 7, x. 1 1, xiv. 21, xix. 7 ; 2 Sam.jy. 2 ; IMicah ii. "8 ; Isa. xxx. 33, is not found in the b6oT<^or7oshu^a71iorTrrihF7entateuch (see Gen. xxxi. 2 ; Exod. ivno, v. 8 ; Deut._xix-_6_; Josh^Jv. 18, xxT^ — The^expression refers not merely to time just past, but to any more remote period, as in Gen. xxxi. 2, 5 ; Ruth ii. 11, etc.; cf. xdil,a koI irpoSilp., {II., VERS. 5-S.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 43 ii. 303), where the reference's to many y ears^past. The " way " here meant is that miraculous passage which the ark would open for the Israelites. Y&^^^^^'^micti^' yourselves'' cf. Exod. xix. 10, though we may suppose that there, as here, the, command relates to spiritual, as well as outward, purification, viz., to that preparation of the heart implied in a belief of God's promises, and a readi- ness to do His will. " To-niorozu " : Which, according to iv. 19, would be the tenth day of Abib or Nisan. nfx'p?^ is used also in Exod. iii. 20, xxxiv. 10, con- cerning the miracles which God covenanted to perform for His people (cf. Psalm ix. i). Ver. 6. — The command issued by Joshua in this and the previous verse, and the prediction of the miracle (ver. 5) show that he had already received his instructions from God. The concluding sentence of the verse anticipates the course of events, for it is unlikely that the command of God to Joshua (vers. 7, 8), and Joshua's address to the people (vers. 9-13) were delivered after the priests had once set forward with the ark. It is a custom, says Keil, peculiar to Hebrew historical literature, to mark the close of each section by a sentence embracing the whole transaction, and forming a temporary conclusion. Hence the repetitions which occur in this and the next chapter. Vers. 7, 8 {Jehovah encourages Joshua).. — Ver. 7. — "priN, '' I zvill be^hi" \ Hiph. future of 'iin. The passage of the Jordan was the first of that series of wonders which Jehovah was about to perform, in order to put His people into possession of the Promised Land. One great design of it is here 44 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. hi. intimated, viz., the establishment of the authority of Joshua (iv. 14), just as the miracle at the Red Sea established the authority of Moses. A second design is mentioned in ver. 10, and a third may be inferred from V. I. "i"*iS, '' i-i^ order that.'' Ver. 8. — nnxi, emphatic, n.vp, lit., " the extremity of^' refers not to the opposite bank, but to that on the east side, at which the Israelites were ; here equal to " the border" or " beginning of" (cf. ver. i 5 with Exod. xvi. 35). " Ye sJiall stand stiir : The object of their doins^ so was not to mark out to the Israelites the ford by which they were to pass, but to form a dam, as it were, against the force of the water, which was miraculously arrested in its course, and piled up in a heap. The command itself was a trial of the faith of the priests ; and the safety of the ark, which they carried on their shoulders, may be regarded as typical of the safety of Christ's Church amid the dangers which surround it. Vers. 9-13 {Joshua encourages the People). — Ver. 9. — •1t^'■l for ■IL*'-! (cf. Ruth ii. 14 ; i Sam. xiv. 38), from L"^3, the accent retracted, because the fol- lowing word is accented on the penultima (§ 29, 3,/^); the half vowel ( :) gives place to f (§ 29, 4, b). Ver. I o. — A second design of the miracle (see on ver. 7). niT?, " by this" viz., the miracle announced in ver. i i. b^, from "p-IN, to be strong, is used of the true God in two hundred and four passages of the Old Testament, "n, " living," opposed to idols which are uhh)^, " nothings" (Psalm xcvi. 5) and D'-'pin, "breaths" (Deut. xxxii. 21 ; cf. i Cor. viii. 4, x. 19). Render VER. 10.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 45 " a Living God " (cf. Psalm xlii. 2, Ixxxiv. 2 ; Hosea i. 10 ; the only other places where the same form of expression occurs). This Living God is a personal Being, and, therefore, very different from " Chance^' or the " Order of Nature." L:?2-ip3, " in ike midst of yoii" i.e., so as to protect and to powerfully aid you. " Ajid %vill certainly drive out " (see for this force of the infin. absol., § 131, 3, '^). trnfn, "to cause a person to possess," and hence " to drive out another in order to make room for him." " The Keitaanite" (lit., a low- lander, rt. L'j2), used here coll. (§ 109, i), though the Hebrews have also the form D''Jr;3. In its widest sense the term includes all the people of Canaan, but here is limited to the tribe which dwelt on the Mediterranean coast, and in the valley on the west of Jordan (cf Numb. xiii. 29; Deut. xi. 30; Josh. v. i). " The CJiittite " : A people who dwelt at first in the south of the Promised Land, chiefly in the mountain- ous parts, near to Hebron (Gen. xxiii. 3, 7), and perhaps extended as far as Beersheba (Gen. xxvi. 33, 34). In Numb. xiii. 29 they are mentioned as inhabiting the hill country. At a still later period they, or at least a portion of the tribe, seem to have been settled in the north of Palestine, on the borders of Syria (see Judges i. 26 ; i Kings x. 29 ; 2 Kings vii. 6). These have been supposed identical with the Katti, mentioned in the Assyrian inscriptions as dwelling in the valley of the Orontes (see Art. on Hittites in Dr. Smith's Bib. Diet). In Josh. i. 4 they are put for all the nations of Canaan. " TJte Chivvite" from n-jn = njn, a family or tribe (Ges., Lex.) ; they dwelt near to Shechem (Gen. xxxiv. 2), and at Gibcon (Josh. ix. 7, xi. 19), also at the 46 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. hi. foot of Ilei'mon and Antilibanus (Josh. xi. 3 ; Judges iii. 3). They appear to have been a peaceable people, addicted to the pursuits of trade and com- merce. " The Pei'izzite'' : A people not mentioned in Gen. X. among the descendants of Canaan, and, therefore, perhaps not of Hamitic origin, though fre- quently enumerated among the nations inhabiting Canaan (see Gen. xiii. 7, xv. 20 ; Exod. iii. 8, 17). Gesenius and Hengstenberg suppose them to have had their name from their living originally in un- walled villages (riftn?, from T13, to separate), and addicting themselves to agriculture and the rearing of cattle ; but they also appear to have lived in fountains and woods (see xi. 3, xvii. 15). The GirgasJiitc [" dwelling in a clayey soil " from C'n^, clay (Ges., Lcx^\ mentioned in Gen. x. 1 6, xv. 2 1 ; Deut. vii. i; Josh. xxiv. 1 1 ; i Chron. i. 14; Neh. ix. 8; but nothing is known as to their exact position and character (Joseph., Antiq , i., 6, § 2). According to an Armenian tradition they migrated in the days of Joshua to Armenia. It would seem from Josh, xxiv. I I that they were on the west of Jordan. The Emoritc (Gen. x. 16) : Mountaineers or highlanders, from "ibx, elevation (Simonis and Gesen.), for thus they are frequently described as dwelling in the mountains (Numb. xiii. 29 ; Deut. i. 20, 44 ; Josh. x. 6, xi. 3). They were the most powerful of all the nations of Canaan, and first inhabited the mountainous region afterwards occupied by the tribe of Judah, where they were subject to five kings (Gen. xiv. 7, i 3) ; and thence many of them passed over Jordan, made war on the Ammonites and Moabites, and seized on Heshbon and Bashan, and all the country between VER. II.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 47 the rivers Jabbok and Anion, which lands IMoses wrested from them, and gave to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Numb. xxi. 26-29 with Deut. xxix. 7, 8). The prophet Amos (ii. 9) speaks of their gigantic stature and strength. Frequently their name is used to denote the Canaanites universally (Gen. xv. 16, xlviii. 22; Josh. xxiv. 18 ; Judges vi. 10, etc.). The Y^bhiisite (Gen. X, 1 6) : A small mountain tribe, whose principal city was Vbhus, (lit., " a place trodden down," as a threshing floor," rt. D13, to tread with the feet ; or meaning in Canaanitish " the waterless " hill), after- wards Jerusalem, from the fortress or citadel of which they could not be expelled till the time of David (2 Sam. v. 6). With a slight variation in the order, the same list of seven races is given in Deut. vii. I (see also Josh. ix. i, xi. 3, xxiv. i i). The remnants of five of them are mentioned in i Kings ix. 2 I as forced to labour for Solomon. Ver. I I . — " The ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth" : So the Sept., Vulg., Syr., and Arab., but since in the Hebrew there is a great distinctive accent over T\'''\l^^y Masius takes jnx as a noun in apposition to the foregoing " ark of the covenant ; " it seems, however, inappropriate to speak of the ark, though a symbol of the Divine Presence, as " The Lord of the whole earth." Others, as Kimchi, repeat ;ns before ]nx, e.g., " the ark of the covenant, the ark of the Lord," etc. ; but Keil rightly remarks that the words are all dependent on one another, but the first two are drawn more closely together, so as to express a single idea, and are specially defined by the article, w^iilst the connexion between the second member of 4S THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. hi. the constructive state (]'nN'n-'?3 jinx) and the first is slackened in consequence, which the punctators indi- cated by the zaqcph-qaton between the two members. The title here given to God, viz., " The Lord of the whole earth," occurs elsewhere five times only in the Old Testament, viz., in v. 13; Micah iv. 3 ; Zech. iv. 14, vi. 5. It was well suited to encourage the Israelites when about to enter on the conquest of Canaan. HI-?? " ^'^^^ (Auth. Vers.), not through (as Vulg.) the Jordan " : For the ark did not go before the Israelites from one bank of the Jordan to the other, but remained stationary in the river (see vers. 8, i 5). Ver. 12. — Though the command in this verse appears again in iv. 2, there is no reason to suppose (as Meyer) that it has been here inserted by the mis- take of some ancient copyist, or that the author anticipated the order of events. Joshua gave the command doubtless by God's direction, for the next verse shows that he was divinely inspired. T\w is emphatic, denoting the time when the election was to take place, viz., before the crossing began, that the twelve men, as representatives of the people, might be eyewitnesses of the miracle, and, having taken their station near Joshua and the bearers of the ark of the covenant, might be at hand to execute the orders afterwards given them (iv. 3). So Keil, -inp, " take ye" i.e., " choose ye," imper. of n\h. " Tivclve men out of the tribes of Israel": In all matters which concerned the entire nation we find that all the tribes were represented (cf. viii. 33 ; Numb xiii. 2 ; I Kings xviii. 31). The word t^Tj/, here used for tribe, means literally a rod or sceptre ; it is employed in the historical portions of this book to denote a VERS. 13,' 14.] THE BOOK OF JOSHbA. 49 tribe in its political or corporate sense, as being under one sceptre, and is thus distinguished from Husp, a term used in the geographical chapters of the book, and denoting a tribe, as genealogically descended from one stem or root. The different meaning, there- fore, of these words furnishes no ground for the sup- position of some that the history was compiled from the narratives of two different authors. Ver. 13. — 121 D.^sn are put in apposition to nijin ■•!?. Render " the tuaters of Jordan shall be cut off, vie, the waters ivhich come down from above, and they shall stand in one heap " (or, " as one heap "). So the Chald., Arab., and Luther, though the two latter for perspicuity omit the words '*n ''p. Less fitly the Sept. and Vulg. regard wo "ri D''On as a nom. absol., and 1 before -nnr^ as a sign of the apodosis or sub- ordinate clause; e.^:, '^ as to the waters zuhieh come down from above, they shall standi' etc. " Shall be cut off" i.e., so as no longer to flow down from above. *inx n3 : Accus. (§ i i8), defining the shape the waters assumed. Gesenius renders " like one heap " {Lex.) ; the expression is evidently poetic, and taken from Exod. XV. 8 (cf. Psalm xxxiii. 7, Ixxviii. i 3), where it is used of the waves of the sea. Vers. 14-17. — Commencement of the Passage. The apodosis to vers. 14, 15 begins at ver. 1 6. In the second hemistich of ver. 14 either the substantive verb should be understood before the participle, e.g., " and t/ie priests (were) carrying" etc., or yb:3 should be repeated, e.g., " and ivhen the priests set out carry- inzl' etc. On the construction nnan . . • \xb'j, see ^ I I o, 2, r. Some, as Prof. Lee {Hcb. Gr., Art. 221,6), 4 so THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. hi. suppose an ellipsis of ffrix before nnan, " tJie bearers of the ark, the ark of the covenant" (of. Exod. xxxviii. 2 i). Vcr. I 5. — In the second clause the construction is changed from the infinitive to the finite verb (•l'?3p3), as frequently in Hebrew (§ 132, Rem. 2 ; cf. iv. 18, X. 20). The meaning of the last clause is correctly given by Auth. Vers., ''for the Jordan overflotoctJi' all its banks" ^y means " over,"^ not " against," or "up to," implying merely (according to the rendering of the Sept. and Vulg.)'^ that the Jordan ran with full banks, or was brimful. " There are, as it were, two banks to the Jordan. The first is that of this river in its natural state, the second is that of its overflowings " (Calmet's Diet.) So Kitto : " On leaving the Lake of Gennesareth the river enters a very broad valley or Ghor, within which valley there is a lower one, and within that, in some parts, another still lower, through which the river flows ; the inner valley is about half a mile wide, and is generally green and beautiful, covered with trees and bushes, whereas the upper or large valley is for the most part sandy or barren. In the season of flood, in April and early in May, the river is full, and some- times overflozvs its lower banks, to which fact there are several allusions in Scripture (Josh. iii. 1 5 ; I Chron. xii. 15; Jer. xii. 5, xlix. 19, 1. 44)." {Encyelop. of Bib. Lit) n^VP, '^r^l' " ^^^ ^'^^^ ^^U'^ ^f harvest " (accus. of time, § 118,2): Barley-harvest ' Or literall)'-, " was filed over" (Keil) ; cf. Ges., Lex., on Nbrp(2), p.473. - As in Isa. viii. 7, the Euphrates " s/zall come tcp over (yV\ all its chamiels ajid go over (*?!') all its banks. '' Sept., li{kr\pov Ka& oKr]v rrjv Kp7]7rL8a avTov ; Vulg"., " Jordanis autem ripas alvei sui tempore messis impleverat." VER. i6.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 51 is meant, which took place in the month called Abib, the month of ears, ^''njjtn unn (Exod. xiii. 4), and afterwards Nisan (Neh. ii. i ; Esther iii. 7), beginning at the new moon of April, the first month of the old year, as instituted when the Israelites came out of Egypt (of, Exod. xxiii. 15 ; Deut. xvi. i). The overflow of the Jordan is owing to the melting of the snow of Hermon during the hot days of April. When the melted snow has filled the lakes of Merom and Tiberias, the flood is discharged in a torrent through the Jordan into the Dead Sea. At such a season the river is impassable by any of the usual fords, and, therefore, the passage of the vast host of the Israelites through it was clearly miraculotis. Ver. 1 6. — in^""'?. (see ver. i 3). According to Keil and others, the ICthibh nnx?, " at," or " near Adam," is a better rendering than the Cri mx?3, " from Adam," the meaning being (say they) that the waters stood in a heap, very far from the spot where the Israelites crossed, near Adam. The Q^ri, how- ever, is followed by the Auth. Vers., the Vulg., and other ancient versions, and expresses the more general and popular view, viz., that the waters were piled up in one continuous heap in the rear of the place of crossing, where the priests stood with the ark, and as far as the city Adam, where the current of the stream from above was arrested. As the bed of the river lies greatly beneath the level of the country, such a pile of water may have been attended with little or no inundation. This view accords with what Keil himself says on ver. 8 (see note above), also greatly heightens the impressive- 52 THE BOOK OF /OSHUA. [chap. hi. ness of the miracle, and explains the haste of the children of Israel to effect the passage (iv. lo), which would have been hard to account for, if the waters had receded as far as Adam. This city, the name of which may have been derived from the colour of the clay in the neighbourhood, is now unknown, and is mentioned here only ; its position is further defined by the words " tJie city zvJiich is beside Zaretan " (Tsar^than). This latter is probably the same as that in i Kings vii. 46, and identical with the modern Kurn Sartabeh, a lofty, rocky ridge, about seventeen miles north of Jericho (Robinson, Knobel). As the rocks here on both sides converge and contract the valley to its narrowest point, it seems to have been a suitable place for damming up the waters. Render the next clause, " and those luhich were coming doivn to the sea of the plai)i, the sea of salt, were altogether cut off." >\12ir\ here serves for an adverb (§ 142, 3, b). " The sea of the Arabah (or Desert-plain)," (cf. xii. 3). Sept., 7y]v ddkacraav "Apa/Ba ; Vulg., " mare solitudinis." The word nanr, derived from 2"}^, to be dry, arid, was the name given, in its widest sense, to the Ghor, or deep valley, extending from Mount Hermon even to the CElanitic Gulf; but in its more limited sense to the district which extends along the valley of the Jordan, from the Dead Sea to the Lake of Gennesareth, about one hundred and fifty miles in length, and now called by the Arabs El Ghor (see Dean Stanley's Sinai and Palestine, Appendix, p. 487).^ ' This deep valley lies 625 feet below the Mediterranean, where the Jordan leaves the Sea of Gennesareth, and 1231 feet where it empties into the Dead Sea. In it there is no tillable VER. 17.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 5J At the present da}' the Arabs confine the name Arabah to that portion of the Ghor which h'cs south of the Holy Land (Clarke's Biblical Atlas, note p. 13). " The sea of salt '^ : The usual and perhaps most ancient name (Gen. xiv. 3). According to Josephus, this sea or lake is five hundred and eighty furlongs in length, and one hundred and fifty in breadth. Now called the Dead Sea (a name not found in the Bible, but first used in Greek by Pausanias, and in Latin by Justin) ; in Arabic Bahr Lut, the " Sea of Lot " (Smith's Bid. Diet.) Ver. 1 7. — " /« t/ic midst of Jordan, i.e., not in the mid-channel, but in the bed of the river, as opposed to its bank (so in iv. 3, 8, 18), = " z;z Jordan" iii. 8 (cf. Ezek. xxvi. 5, where Tyre is described as "in the midst of the sea," though it was but a short distance from the continent). JDH, ^^ firmly" Hiph. infin. absol. taken adverbially (§131,2). nil : A word often used in the singular to denote the Israelitish nation (see Exod. xix. 6, XXX. 13 ; Josh. iv. i, v. 6, 8, x. 13), but in the plural the Gentiles, or nations of the earth, as distinguished from the Jews {e.g., in Psalm ii. i, ix. 5, 15, 17). nnyb -irsn, lit., " had finished crossing" (cf. iv. I, v. 8). soil, except at Bethshean, in the north, and about Jericho, at the south end of the Ghor (Von Raumer, p. 58). The word "Arab " comes from the same root, and denotes an inhabi- tant of a dr}', arid region. 54 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. iv. CHAPTER IV. Vers. i-i8. — Completion of the Passage. Ver. I . — " A lid it came to pass . . . that Jehovah spake j{7ito Joshua" : As the command of Jehovah to Joshua (vers. 1-3) has not been expressly mentioned before (see iii. 12), Knobel, Bleek, and Maurer sup- pose that we have here the blending of two separate accounts ; while others, e.g., Kimchi, Calvin, Masius, and Rosenm., regard ver. i/;-3 as parenthetical, and render "lON^l in the pluperfect (" Now Jehovah had spoken," etc.), the apodosis to the first hemistich of ver. I commencing, according to them, at ver. 4 ; but, as in i. 1 1, ii. i,the order o{ thought, rather than of time, seems to be followed, so likewise here. The sacred writer, wishing to give due importance to the particular incident he is about to relate, represents it not merely as having been commanded by Joshua, but, as it really was, by Jehovah Himself.^ The Pisqua (o) at the end of the first clause of ver. I is an old pre-Masoretic mark, denoting a pause in the middle of the verse (see marg. note), and the commencement of a parashah or section. 1 " So far as the meaning is concerned, Kimchi, Calvin, and many others, were perfectly correct in taking- vers, ib — 3 as a parenthesis, and rendering "lp^^•''1 as a plnperi^ect, though, grammatically considered, and from a Hebrew point of view, the historical sense with " Vav" consec does not correspond to our pluperfect, but always expresses the succession either of time or thought. This early Hebrew form of thought and narrative is completely overlooked by Knobel, when he pro- nounces 1(5-3 an interpolation from a second document, and finds the apodosis to ver. la in ver. 4." — Keil. VEPxS. 2-6.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 55 Ver. 2. — -irii? (cf. iii. 1 2) : Though the command was given to Joshua, the phiral is here used, because the twelve men were to be chosen by the tribes them- selves (cf. iii. 12), but subject, doubtless, to Joshua's approbation, and, therefore, spoken of in ver. 4 as ^'prepared'' by him. Ver. 3. — 2V^, lit, '' the standing place (of)": From 3V3, to set, to place. |''3n, firmly (cf iii. 1 7) : Connected here with 3>??*?, e.g., ''from the spot zulicre the priests' feet stood firm ; " so Auth. Vers., Maurer, Gesen, Keil. Others, Walton (Pi?/j'^.),Rosenm., regard it as a gerund, '•' praeparando, aptando," and as referring to the selec- tion of suitable stones ; Sept., eToijaou? SwScKa XlOovs ', Vulg., " duodecim durissimos lapides ; " Syr., " parate duodecim lapides." " And lajy dozen," lit., " make to rest." " /// the lodging-plaee" i.e., in the place of encampment, viz., Gilgal (ver. 20). DnfX : m. pron. (§ 117, 2) referring to fem. noun [Q''J3S*, fem. with plural m. ending] (§ 121,6, Rem. i) ; cf, nr for nxT (ii. 17). Ver. 4. — 'if.~\J>%'''and Joshna called": I does not commence the apodosis, and = " then " (Auth. Vers.), see note on ver. i. " U7/o/n he had prepared" : see note on ver. 2. Probably these twelve men had not crossed over with the rest of the Israelites, but remained with Joshua on the hither bank of the river, waiting to receive his orders. Vers. 6, 7 (The Object of the Divine Command stated^ — nxr, this, viz., their taking of twelve stones with them, and setting of them up. "'3, " ivhen yonr children shall ask" etc. (cf. Exod. xii. 26, etc. ; Deut. vi. 20, 21). "in^, ^^ in future time" (cf xxii. 24 ; Gen. XXX. 1''^ ; Exod. xiii. 14). no, " zuhat^' is rarely S^ THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. iv. pointed with ( ^ ) before a word beginning with n^ as here and in ver. 21 (sec § 37, i, Rem.) Ver. 7. — Tl^'s;, ''that'" (Auth. Vers.); Sept., on, after a verb of saying (cf Esther iii. 4) ; but Vulg. " q7iia^' as in Gen. xxxiv. 27 ; i Kings viii. ■^t^. The words " the waters . . . 7C'c'rc ait off" are repeated for emphasis. " Shall be for a viemoriar' (of Numb, xvii. 5 [xvi. 40, A. v.] ; Psalm cxi. 4). "For ever" : i.e., to all posterity. Ver. 8. — What was done by the twelve men is here ascribed to " the sons of Israel',' because the former having been chosen, each from a tribe, were repre- sentatives of all the people. For the masc. suffix in D-liay* and in D-ins^ referring to a fem. noun, see §121, 6, Rem. i. " There," i.e., in Gilgal, as the place of their encampment was afterwards called (ver. 20). The word -inr denotes that at first they only deposited the stones, afterwards they set them up as a memorial (see the word D''|'pn, ver. 20).^ Ver. 9. — It is evident that the twelve stones men- tioned in this verse were different from those in ver. 8, otherwise the article would not have been omitted, and the verse would have begun with the historical Dp.^l. To mark this difference, the Sept. inserts aXXovs (Vulg., alios^ before ScoS. XiOov^. These stones may have been collected by the people from the adjacent fields. The verse is not a gloss, as some think, for it occurs in all MSS. and versions (so Keil, p. 120). ' Besides being a memorial of the literal passage of the Jordan, these stones may have been typical of the testimony borne by the preaching of the twelve apostles to that still greater event, our true Joshua's victorious passage through the Jordan of death, and His opening of the kingdom of heaven to all believers. VER. 10.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 57 " III the midst of Jordan" see on iii. i 7. " U]ito this day" i.e., to the time when the writer of this book Hv^ed. As a memorial these stones indicated the exact place of the crossing, as those at Gilgal the place where, after the crossing, the Israelites first encamped. ^ Ver. 10. — '^ And tJic priests — (were) standing!' In the next clause Dh, infin. of L)?3n, is used intrans. 12'^, T - T ' T T' either ''word " or "thing." ''According to all that Moses commanded" : refers not to any special commands of Moses about the crossing, but indicates that Joshua's obedience to the commands of the Lord accorded with the injunctions giv^en by Moses. "And the people hasted" etc. : Such haste was necessary, not only because the priests bearing the ark were to remain standing till all the people should have crossed (Knobel), or because the people may have feared a sudden return of the waters (see note on iii. 16), but because the passage had to be completed by so vast a multitude in one day (Keil). ' Keil well remarks that " the monument did not fail of its object, even if it only existed for a short time. The account of its erection, which was handed down by tradition, would necessarily help to preserve the rernembrance of the miracu- lous occurrence. Nor can it be absolutely affirmed that these stones would be carried away at once by the stream, so that they could never be seen any more. As the priests did not stand in the middle or deepest part of the river, but just in the bed of the river, and close to its eastern bank, and it was upon this spot that the stones were set up, and as we neither know their size nor the firmness with which they stood, we cannot pronounce any positive opinion as to the possibility of their remaining. It is not likely that they remained there for cen- turies ; but they were intended rather as a memorial for the existing- generation and their children, than for a later age, which would be perpetually reminded of the miraculous help of God by the monument erected in Gilgal." 58 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, iv Ver. II. — "■hi the presence of the people" (Auth. Vers.) : But as "•JS^ elsewhere in this book means "before" (see iii. 6, 14, vi. 4, 6, 7, 8, 9), the same sense should perhaps be retained here, the meaning being that the priests crossed the river, and passed through the multitude on the opposite bank, till they took up their station in front of the people. Vulg., " ante populum." Vers. 12, 13. — -"nnu*! : The imperfect herewith 1 consec. denotes not the order of time but of thought (cf iv. i). The author, having stated that all the people crossed, while the priests bearing the ark stood in the river, takes occasion here to add that the tribes of Reuben, Gad, etc., had obeyed the com- mands of Moses (Numb, xxxii. 20, 29) by crossing over before their brethren. D''t:'ori (see i. 14). Yej". 13. — '^ Prepared for the ivar" : evt,oivoi et? IJidxW (Sept.) : The participle D^V-l^O is derived by Gesenius from yhn, " to be active," " to be manful ; " but see for another derivation note on i. 14. " The plains of fericho " formed the higher terrace of the Ghor or Jordan valley, where, by the retreat of the mountains of Judsea, it widened towards the west, and is about seven miles broad. The p\ma\ " a ral?oth" is always used without the article (cf. v. 10, xiii. 32; Dean Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, Appendix, I 10). From the palm-trees which flourished in those plains Jericho derived its name o^' the city of palms''' (Deut. xxxiv. 3 ; Judges i. 16, iii. 13 ; Josephus, \'l. Jiid., iv., 8, § 3). Ver. 14. — Cf iii. 7 (note). Vers. 15-18. — The crossing of the priests with the ark had been already recorded (ver. 1 1), but as a VERS. 16-19.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 59 leading feature in the narrative it is again mentioned here with additional particulars, which clearly show that the passage of the Jordan by the Israelites must have been miraculous. Ver. 16. — n-nrn ''the testimony^' rt. nii;, "to say again and again," " to affirm strongly " : The name " ark of the testimony " denoted that the Tables of the Law, kept in the ark (Exod. xxv. 16), con- tained the testimony of Jehovah against sin in man ; (cf. what is said of the whole book of the Law, which was laid up by the side of the ark, Deut. xxxi. 26, 27). -i^y;) : The \ = " t/mt," Lat., ?^^' (§ i 5 5, i, ^ ; cf. Judges xiv. 15 ; i Sam. xi. 12). Ver, I 8. — The verb -ipjTiJ with "^x has a pregnant sense, viz., " lucre plucked up (from the muddy channel) and set on (the dry ground)," (§ 141)- " As heretofore " (see note on iii. 4). hv, over (cf. iii. 15). Vers. 19-24. — Erection of the Memorial at Gilgal. Ver. 19. — '■'The first month" i.e., Abib, afterwards called Nisan (see end of the note on iii. 15). The year is not mentioned, but it appears to have been the fortieth after the exodus (cf v. 6). If, therefore, we assume the date of the exodus to be 1491 B.C. (Usher), that of the invasion of Canaan would be 145 I B.C. " The tenth day',' i.e., the same day of the month on which the paschal lamb was set apart to be killed on the fourteenth (see Exod. xii. 3). Thus the Israelites were reminded that their departure out of Egypt and their entrance into Canaan were owing to God's redeeming mercy. So, under the Gospel, our salvation from first to last is the fruit of Christ's 6o THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. iv. atonement. " /;/ [the] Gilgar' (lit., a circle or wheel, rt. T>i, to roll, generally with the art. when a place ; (see Cr., § 109, 3) : So called by anticipation (see v. 9). It was apparently on a hillock or rising ground, and, according to Josephus {Antiq., lib. v., cap. i, § 4j, was fifty stadia, or about five miles (Dean Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 307), from the river Jordan, and ten stadia from Jericho. Here the camp of the Israelites remained for some time, and was probably fortified ; also the Tabernacle was set up, though afterwards removed to Shiloh (viii. i).^ Ver. 20. — npn, "erected," or " set tip" as a memo- rial. The stones had before been merely deposited (ver. 8). Ver. 21. — "irx, '' when " : Sept., oTav, Vulg., quando (cf. Levit. iv. 22), though it less often than ''3 bears this sense (§ 155, i, e). With this verse cf. ver. 6. Ver. 23. — "ir,:'X, '' deea7/se " : (Chald. and Syr.) ' The site thus chosen for the encampment has been for- tunately identified, after more than three thousand years, by the intelligent labours of the members of the Palestine Survey. The name Jiljulieh, which is the same word as Gilgal, still clings to a mound about three miles south-east from the spot where, apparently, the city of Jericho must have stood, near the beautiful fountain known as the Sultan's Spring, and close to the steep background of the limestone hills of Judah. The host of the Hebrews, at the camp thus chosen for them, were about five hundred feet above the bed of the Jordan, and had the stream from the Wady el Kelt close on the south. The river they had crossed lay underneath them, about four and a-half miles to the east. An open plain stretched on a)l sides, and permitted free movement ; the wall of the hills of Judah, rising one thousand feet above the level of the camp, at the distance of about three miles to the west. (Conder's 7'en^ TVoj-k, p. 201, f. ; Palestine Fund Large Map of Palestine, sheet 18 ; Geikie's Hours with the Bible, vol. ii., P- 391)- VER. 24.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 61 " quia " (Vulg.). -innipK, " until zvc had passed over" : The suff. of the infin. refers to the Israelites as being essentially the same nation as that which came out of Egypt. Ver. 24. — It is here declared that the miracle was to serve a twofold purpose, viz., (i) To impress the heathen with a sense of the omnipotence of Jehovah ; (2) To keep the children of Israel steadfast in the fear, i.e., the worship, of their God (cf. Exod. xiv. 31), 'Xn ■'tey^s, " a// tlie peoples of the earth " : There seems no reason here to limit, with Keil, the term " erets " to the land of Canaan, for though in v. i the Canaanites are mentioned as an example of the effect produced by the miracle, yet it was one example out of many more to follow. " The hand of Jehovah . . . mighty " (cf. Exod. iii. 19, vi. i) : In the last clause, for Dpi^T Ewald, Maurer, and Knobel would read DriN")';, the infin. construe, with plur. masc. suffix, " that they [the heathen] may fear ;" but the perfect, says Keil, may be here used to express the speaker's certainty of the duty of such holy fear ; to which the heathen could not, as the Israelites, be suitably exhorted. Further, all the ancient versions follow the reading in the text. n''P^*n"'pzi, " always " : cf rjfxaTa Travra, in the Greek poets. 62 THE BOOK OF /OSIIUA. [chap. v. CHAPTER V. Ver. I. — T/ic Effect of the Invasion on the InJiabitants of the Land. Concerning the Emorites and Canaanites, see iii. lo (note). Here the former stand as the representatives of the highlanders, the latter of the lowlanders. ;*n "15^3, " on the other side of the fordan " : Not referring to the country on the east side of the Jordan, as in i. 14, 15, but on the west ; hence the addition of nipi (cf ix. i, xii. 7, xxii. 7). X'X nx (cf ii. 10). -in^y-nL', " nnti/ zve had passed over" : The O^ri reads D^?^, so the ancient versions, and some MSS., but a change of persons is common in Hebrew (§ 137, Rem. 3 ; cf. v. 6 below). The expression seems that of an eyewitness, but we cannot, says Keil, infer from it either that the book was written by Joshua himself, or that it was composed during his lifetime. The historian may have spoken col- lectively, just as Joshua (in iv. 23) refers to what he and a few of his contemporaries had witnessed, as though it had been seen by all the people. D'3*i (cf ii. 11): They had probably thought that the swollen waters of the Jordan would prove for a time an insuperable barrier to Israel. Vers. 2-12, — The Cirennieision of the People, and Celebration of the Passover at Gilgal. Ver. 2. — ^^ At that time'' : Probably not later than the eleventh of the month Abib, or Nisan, the day after the arrival at Gilgal, for the Passover took place VER. 3.] THE BOOK OF [OSHUA. 63 on the fourteenth day of the same month (see vcr. i o). Dn>* nnnn, ht, " knives of rocks " (or, of flints) : So Sept., Vulg., Syr., and Arab. (of. Exod. iv. 25). These were the most ancient kind of knives, and were especially used in embalming (Herod., ii., 86) and in emasculation (Juv., Sat., vi. 514; Ovid, Fasti, iv., 237, '^acuto silicc"). The Auth. Vers. ^^ sJiarp knives" or " knives of edges,'' though agreeing with the use of "iVi, in Psalm Ixxxix. 44, is not here required. INIany ancient ^ and modern commentators have seen in the term " rock " a reference to Christ, through whom we receive the circumcision of the spirit (cf. I Cor. X. 4; Rom. ii. 29; Col. ii. 11). avj'. "again" (§ 142, 4, Rem. i), the latter of the two verbs is generally put in the abbreviated form (cf. Exod. iv. 1 9). rT'JL;', " a sceond time " : Gives a greater force to nvi:^ (cf. Isa. xi. i i), and to Sevrepov (Jude 5) : The meaning is not that the same persons should be circumcised a second time, but that all the Israelites, who had not before been circumcised, should now undergo that rite, so that the whole nation should be a circumcised people, as it had been at the exodus from Egypt (cf. Keil, in loe). Ver. 3. — •" TJie Iiill of the foreskins" i.e., the hill which was afterwards so called, because the foreskins (the emblem of the sins of the flesh, Col. ii. i 1-13, iii. 1-6) were buried there. This "hill" (Gibeah) is probably one of the argillaceous hills which form the highest terrace of the Jordan (Dean Stanley's Sinai and Palestine, vii., p. 307, note i). ' E.g., Tertullian, adv. Jud., c. 9 ; and c. Marcion., iii., 16; Origen, Homil. in Jos. ; Justin Martyr, c. Tryp/wn.,% 24; S. Aug., in loc. ; Tlieodoret, Qu. 4. 64 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. v. Vers. 4-7 {A Reason given for the Command in vcr.2). — Vcr.4. — X"X "i2"nn,"//^^ reason that" or ''zvhy" (cf. X'X i5T'?i?, Deut. xxii. 24; 2 Sam. xiii. 22). ''All the people that came out of Egypt" i.e., those who were twenty years old and upward at the time of the rebel- lion at Kadesh (see Numb. xiv. 29,32). nny^P Dnx:;3^, not, " after they had come out of Egypt " (Le Clerc and Rosenm.), but "on their coming out of Egypt" i.e., during the journey. The words more strongly define the preceding "T^"!J?. Ver. 5. — ""B, /^T, not now (Auth. Vers.), -vn n^^p : The participle with the substantive verb is not here used as a preterite or pluperfect, but as an adjective, " were circumcised " men (Keil). A general circum- cision of the people by Moses, before they left Egypt, is not recorded in Scripture. The statement in the remainder of the verse can refer to those Israelites only who were born in the wilderness, after the re- bellion at Kadesh, for all children born in the interval between the exodus and the passover celebrated at Sinai in the first month of the second year, must have been circumcised (see Numb. ix. 1-5 ; Exod. xii. 48). Ver. 6. — " Forty years" a round number, for the period was strictly thirty-eight years (see Deut. ii. 1 4}, " Till all the nation, the men of war " : The " ^ncn of war" are specially mentioned, because such were those who had been numbered from twenty years old and upwards (Numb. i. 45), and whose doom waS to perish in the wilderness (Numb. xiv. 29-31); 7* • ■ • I'^'S^, not " because " (or " wherefore ") fehovah had siuorn " (Rosenm.), but giving a relative sense to on) (§ 123); Render " / ivJiom" etc., as in Auth. Vers., Sept., and Vulg. " To give to us " : Some VER. 7.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 65 MSS., and the Sept., Syr., Arab., and Chald., read cn^ for -IJ^, but the K'^thibh is preferable, for the word ''fathers " refers to the patriarchs, to whom and their posterity the promise was made, " A laud floivingzvitJi milk and homy " : An expression frequent in the Pentateuch (see Exod. iii. 8, 17, xiii. 5, xxxiii. 3; Levit. xx. 24; Numb. xiii. 27; Deut. vi. 3, etc.), and denoting a land rich in grass and flowers. The same phrase, after its use here in the Book of Joshua, does not re-occur till met with in Jer. xi. 5, xxxii. 22 ; Ezek. xx. 6, 15. Ver. 7. — ''And their sons He raised j
^h[> n''3X, " ears of corn
baked by the fire " (Lev. ii. 14), a food much relished
still by the Arabs. These and the unleavened cakes
(nti^) pertained to the produce of the new year,
whereas the unleavened bread, which the Lsraelites
ate with the pa.schal lamb on the fourteenth day
of Abib, must have been of old corn of the land.
'□Vra, " in this self-savic day" (see § 124, Rem. 3).
70 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. v.
Ver. 12. — "And the manna ceased," etc. (cf. Exod.
xvi. 3 5, and see on " Manna " the article in Smith's
Bib. Diet.) : This total cessation of the manna shows
that it had been a niiraeidoits gift from God, but was
now withdrawn, because it had served the purpose
for which it was given. So in the Christian Church
miraculous gifts and powers ceased when no longer
necessary.
Vers. 13-15, vi. 1-5. — These verses, with the ex-
ception of vi. I, are closely connected, and record
the appearance of the Angel of the Lord to Joshua,
and the message He gave to him.
Ver. 13. — inn>3, ''by" (Auth. Vers.), i.e., near
^^ Jericho" : For this meaning of 3 see § 154, 3, a,
2 ; and cf x. 16, xxiv. 26 ; Gen. xiii. 18 ; Vulg., "in
agro Jericho." Keil thinks it implies not only that
Joshua was on the outskirts of Jericho, but that in
imagination he was already in it, i.e., was occupied
with the thought of conquering the town, "//r lifted
iip Jus eyes and looked''' : An expression, says Keil,
which denotes the unexpected sight of an object (cf.
Gen. xviii. 2, xxxiii. i) ; it may also be classed
among the instances of the pictorial style of writing,
so common to the Hebrews, by which not only the
doing of a thing, but the manner of doing it, is
stated (cf such phrases as " he arose and zvent," " he
opened his lips and spake," " he put forth his hand and
took "). &^, " a man " : Some say a created angel in
human form, but the ancient Jewish Church, and the
majority of the Christian Fathers, agree in the belief
that it was the Second Person of the Ever Blessed
Trinity, The Word, He Who said, " No man hath
seen God (the Father) at any time. The Only
VER. 14.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 71
Begotten, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He
hath declared Him" (John i. 18). This view is
confirmed by the command to Joshua in ver. i 5, and
by vi. 2, where the Person Who here appears to him
is called Jehovah, and issues His commands with
authority. " Ajid His sivord drawn in His hand"
(cf. Numb. xxii. 23, 31 ; Rev. i. 16, ii. 12, 16,
xix. 15, 22, where the Son of God is represented
as having a sharp two-edged sword). " And Joshua
wetit unto Him and spoke to Hivi" : Clearly, therefore,
this was not a dream nor vision.
Ver. 14. — N^, "Nay" (Auth. Vers., Chald., and
Vulg.): More suitable than t>, the reading adopted by
the Sept. and Syr., and found in some MSS. The
Masora does not include this verse among the fifteen
examples where iih is used for f'?. ''3, " /?nt " : After a
negative (§ 155, i, d, p. 272). '•JX includes the subs,
verb (§ 121, i). lb, "captain (of)," (A.V.), as in Gen.
xxi. 22, or "prince (of)" (cf. Dan. x. 13, 20, xii. i) ;
"the host of Jehovah" : This expression does not refer
to the Israelitish army, which is never so called,
though twice described by the plural, " tJic hosts of
the Lord" (Exod. vii. 4, xii. 41) ; the singular can
only refer to the angels, as in Psalm cxlviii. 2 (fX3V,
K'thibh); cf i Kings xxii. 19, D^ptJ'n n3V. " Noiv
I have come": Either the sentence is abrupt, and He
was about to explain the object of His coming, when
He was interrupted by Joshua's falling down before
Him, and addressing Him (so Keil) ; or the expression
is simply a solemn announcement of His Presence.
•inrip'^^ : As this word is used of reverence paid to
' For this form see Gr., § 75, Rem. v., 18.
72 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. vi.
men (2 Sam. ix. 6, 8 ; 2 Sam. xiv. 33), it does not
necessarily imply here Divine worship. Joshua seems
at first not to have recognized the true nature of the
Being Who appeared to him, for he calls him Adoni,
" my lord," not Adonai, " The Lord."
Vcr. I 5. — ^t^' : Imper. per. aphoer. for X'3, "pull," or
" pluck off." hm : Rt. "pyj, to bolt or to fasten, means
a sandal, or sole attached to the foot by thongs, Sept.
vTToSrjixa or crapSdXLOP (so in Josh. ix. 5> ^3 J ^^■
cravSdkia, Mark vi. 9). On this, as an act of Divine
homage, see note ver. 13, above, l^np for tinp-npix,
Exod. iii. 5. The ground of Gilgal was the first
portion of Palestine which was pronounced holy (Dean
Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, vii., p. 308).
CHAPTER VI.
Vers. 1-27. — TJie Conquest of Jericho.
Ver. I. — This verse is parenthetical (see note v.
13-15), and is introductory to ver. 2, being designed
to show that so strong a city as Jericho could not
have been overcome by the Israelites without the
Divine aid. n^app-l T\'\p, " lit., (was) slmtting its
^ gates, and closely shut 2ip " : The participles express
a state of continuance, and the Pual participle, being
intensive, denotes that the city was secured with
bolts and bars, the Qal part, simply that the gates
were shut (Ges., Lex., p. 579). The last clause
of the verse is added for emphasis.
Ver. 2. — Here the "Captain of Jehovah's host" is
identified with ''Jehovah" and speaks with authority
VERS. 3, 4.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 73
as such. " / have give )i " : The perfect denoting the
certainty of accompHshment (cf i. 3). """in^, (cf i. 14) :
Putin opposition to Jericho {i.e., the inhabitants) and
its king.
Vers. 3-7 {Instructions how the City was to be taken).
— Ver. 3. — Dn3Di, " and ye shall compass" (Auth.
Vers.) : But here (says Ges., Lchrgcb., p. 76J, 5, b) it
has the force of an imperative (cf. Sept., TrepLcrrrjaov,
Vulg,, circuite). ^"i^^ri, ''in going round" : Written more
usually fiitiri, as in ver. i i. Hiph. inf absol. of fji^J, to
go in a circle (Ges., Lex., p. 566) ; here it defines
more accurately the preceding verb. " Once," lit. in
Heb., " one tread or stroke." " Six days " : The
marchings on these six consecutive days, and that
which was repeated seven times on the seventh
day, were a trial of the people's faith, patience,
and obedience (cf. Heb. xi. 30). To mere human
reason the means to be employed would have
seemed utterly inadequate.
Ver. 4. — The number seven occurring four times
in this verse denotes completeness, and was a sacred
number ;^ it was, therefore, symbolic of the Divine
agency in the overthrow of Jericho. " Before the ark'' :
The seat of God's special presence. '*n nnsit^', lit.,
" cornets of soundings" and hence " cornets of
Jubilee!' bnr, according to Gesenius {Thes., ii., 561)
is an onomatopoetic word, meaning jubilum, or a
joyful sound, formed from the syllable r, denoting
' So likewise among the Persians (Esther i. 10, 14); among
the ancient Indians (Von Bohlen's Alt. Indien, ii., 224, etc.) ;
among the Greeks and Romans to a certain extent, and prob-
ably among all nations whcjre the week of seven days was
established, as in China, Egypt, Arabia, etc. (Ideler's C/ironol.
i., 88, 178, ii., 473).
74 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. vi.
" a crying out," like the Greek tw and loO, (cf. the
name "pnv, given to the inventor of stringed and
wind instruments, Gen. iv. 21). Others, with
Carpzov, derive it from "pT, " to flow copiously and
with some violence," and hence ^av, a rushing,
penetrating sound. The Auth. Vers. " rams'
Jiornsl' is from an unused rt. '?n^\ to be compressed,
to be hard, strong; whence h'y or h'lV, the strong,
and in Arab, a ram ; thus the Chaldee Targum
generally translates b'lV pp., " trumpet of ram's horn."
But many Arabic scholars deny that P^'f ever means
" a ram " in Arabic, and a ram's horn, being solid,
could not emit sound. "iSftJ' [so called from its clear
and sharp sound, rt. ~i2'^, to be bright (Ges., Zrx)], i.q.,
\'\\>,, ver. 5, means a bent trumpet, Lat., litmis. Ac-
cording to Engel {Hist, of Music, p. 292) it is the
only Hebrew musical instrument which has been
preserved to the present day in the religious services
of the Jews, being blown at the Jewish new year's
festival, according to the command of Moses (Numb.
xxix. i). The word differs from iTiVVn, the silver
trumpet used to summon to war (Numb. x. 2), and
which was straight in form. Thus these horns of
jubilee, associated with occasions of peace, served,
like the other particulars mentioned, to teach the
Israelites that the conquest of Jericho would be
effected by Divine power. 'tJ'n -iripn^ " tJiey shall bloiu
(lit., shall strike by blowing into) the trumpets!'
Ver. 5. — 'Hipa "^ibpa, lit., " wlie^i they drazv zvith the
jubilee Jiorn,' i.e., when they blow the jubilee horn
with long drawn notes (cf. Exod. xix. 13). Hi?^ may
be here taken collec. for ntiDft^' (ver. 4). ni?-"nri : Is used
specially of ?i joyful shout (i Sam. iv. 5), and of a zvaV"
VERS. 6, 7.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 75
like shout, dXaXay/xo? (Jer. iv. 19) ; this latter may
be meant here and in ver. 20. n''^nFi, lit., ^'- under
itself" : The meaning is not "the city wall shall sink
into the earth " (Chaldee Vers., "absorbebitur sub se "),
but (as Keil) ''shall be overt liJ-oivn from the foiDida-
tions ; " Vulg., " muri funditus corruent civitatis."
The Sept. ix^'jeiTo.i avToixara to. Tei-^r], k.t.X., though
not a literal rendering of the Hebrew, indicates that
the overthrow of the wall would be effected not
by any assault of the Israelites, but by miraculous
agency. Hi?., "straight before him',' i.e., passing over
the fallen wall, and keeping as far as possible in
the same direction (cf Joel ii. 7, " they shall
march ev^ery one on his ways "). hv, "-shall ascend" :
Refers to the ruins of the wall, by passing over which
they were to press into the city.
Vers. 6, 7. — Joshua announces first to the priests
and then to the people the instructions he had
received. In ver. 7 the O'^ri has " he said " (so
the Auth. Vers.) for the K'thibh "they said," but
the plural, as being the more difficult reading, was
probably altered to the singular, and may be
explained by supposing that Joshua issued his com-
mands through the Shoterim (see i. 10, ii, iii. 2).
•liaL', " move on" or " march forward" : So in the next
hemistich, and in ver. 8 (cf Psalm xlii. 5, Heb. Bib.).
V'l'pnn : Used collectively for Nnyn ivi^n (iv. 13, see
note). Cor. a Lap., Rosenmiiller, and Knobel under-
stand the term here to refer to the warriors of all the
tribes, and ^itNon (the rereward,^ Auth. Vers. ; see ver.
9) to the rest of the people, or the unarmed multi-
' An old English word, /.y., rearg-uard, used also in Numb.
X. 25 ; I Sam. xxix. 2 ; Isa. Iii. 12, Iviii. 8.
76 THE BOOK OF fOSHUA. [chap, vi,
tude, Vulg., " reliquum vulgus ; " but Keil and others,
after Kimchi and Rashi, limit the former term to the
armed men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half
tribe of Manasseh (who may have been intended to
take the lead not only on the occasion of the passage
of the Jordan [iv. 12], but on all other occasions, till
the conquest of Canaan), but include under the latter
term the warriors of the other tribes. This view
seems to accord with ver. 3, where the command to
go round the city is given to " the men of war "
only, which command is here, and in ver. 9, more
fully stated. Since, however, the tribe of Dan in the
march through the wilderness always brought up the
rear (Numb. x. 25), fi&Npn may possibly refer to that
tribe, and p'^C? include all the rest of the men of
war.
Vers. 8-1 I [TJic First Day's Procession and Order
of March). — Ver. 8. — n^ -)bJ^5 ''nn_, " and it came to pass
when JosJiiia had spoken " (Auth. Vers.) : The Syr.
renders, " And it Jiappened according to the words of
foshna ; " but 3 prefixed to the infin. often means
" when," or " as soon as " (see Ges., Lex., 5, /;) ; and
^■^''.^, though generally followed by the imperfect with
1 conversive in the second clause, is often followed by
the perfect (see, e.g., Gen. xxii. i ; i Kings viii. 54 ; Isa.
xxxvii. 38) (Keil). 1 before ^V2iy begins the apodosis
(§ 155, I, a, 3rd par,). The art. before D^Nb'J is
omitted (cf. ver. 13, and see § iii, 2, d). "Before
Jehovah," i.e., before the ark, which was the symbol of
the Divine presence, and also called here "the ark of
the covenant" because containing the tables on which
the covenant was written.
Ver. 9. — The K^'thibh, -irpn, requires an ellipsis of
VERS. lo, II.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 77
TJ>* (§ 123, 3), and though more often followed by
3, here governs an accus., as in Judges vii. 22 ; Psalm
Ixxxi. 4 ; Jer. iv. 5, etc. ^^Npn, ^^ tlie rcrezuard"
(Auth. Vers.), lit., " the gathering (host) " : Piel part,
with art. used as a noun, from fipx, " to collect," and
"to bring up the rear," "agmen claudere " (Isa. Iviii. 8) ;
so here in Piel (cf. Numb. x. 2 5 ; Isa. Hi. 1 2 ; see note
on ver. 7). 'rii Tj^n, ^' going on and blowing" (Auth.
Vers.), i.e., trumpeting continually (§ 131, 3, /-') :
The meaning is that during the march the trumpets
(cornets) continued to sound.
Ver. 10. — njv, "had commanded'^ (Auth. Vers.,
Rosenm. and Keil) : This verse is parenthetical, and
throws light on ver. 5. " Ye shall not shont " : They
were to shout on the seventh day only (see ver. 1 6), for
not till that day would the victory be obtained. On
the other days the deep silence observed was befitting
the solemnity of the occasion, when God Himself,
under the symbol of the ark, was going before them,
and about to discomfit so signally their enemies (cf.
Hab. ii. 20; Zech. ii. 13).
Ver. I I. — nD*i : The Arab. Vers., Kimchi, Masius,
Rosenm., and others, render " and (Joshua) caiised to
go round;" but as ver. 10 is parenthetical, the
nominative "Joshua" can hardly with propriety be
borrowed from it, and Hiphil often has an intrans.
signification (see, e.g., 3pn in 2 Sam. v. 23, and ''3pp,
Psalm cxl. 10; Gcs., Zra'., 4, p. 577); hence the
Vulg., Syr., Chald., and Auth. Vers, render it here
intrans. : so Winer, Gesen., and Keil.
Vers. 12-14. — The same order of march, as on
the first day, is repeated on the second and four
following days.
78 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. vi.
Vers. 12. — '' Rose early" \ Activity and prompti-
tude were characteri.stics of Joshua.
Ver. 13. — "qi'pn D'-^'pn, (were) '' eontiimal/y proceed-
ing " : The participle has here the same construction
with the infin. absol. as the finite verb (§131, 3,
Rem. 3). -irpni, the finite verb frequently succeeds
in Hebrew to the participle (§ 134, Rem. 2).
Gesenius, indeed (in § 131, 3, d), says that this is an
instance of the finite verb being put instead of the
infin. (rfpn, ver. 9) ; but rather it here corresponds
with -luprn. in ver. 8. In the last clause the O'^ri
Tjf'pn need not be read for the I-C'thibh -qbtn, for the
latter, as expressive of continuance, differs little from
the former, and frequently the infin. absol. and the
participle are interchanged, see, c.g:, Gen. xxvi, 13,
Judges iv. 24, 2 Sam. xvi. 5, where an infin. absol.
is followed by a participle instead of by another
infin. absol.
Vers. 15-19 ( ^li^ SeventJi Day's Proceedings,
and Joshuas Final Coviniands respecting Jericho).
— Ver. 15. — '^ On the seventh day": According to
Jewish writers, the Sabbath day. To the objection
of Marcion, that thus the Sabbath was violated,
Tertullian replies that the work here commanded
was not a human but a Divine work (Tertul., c.
Marcion., iv., 12). n^p, the O^ri is nfe, " about the
time that (the morn) arose " : On the distinction
between 3 and 3 see iii. 3. n:Tn t:3"i?733, lit., " according
to this rule" i.e., " in the same prescribed manner "
(cf. Lev. V. 10, ix. 16). " Seven times" : As Jericho
was of considerable size, and an interval of rest was
probably required after each circuit, the seven circuits
may not have been finished till the close of the
VERS. i6-i8.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 79
Sabbath, and thus the slaughter, which followed,
may not have taken place on that day.
Ver. 1 6. — " WJien the priests blew " (Auth. Vers.) :
The word " zu/ie7i " is not in the original. Keil more
correctly renders " t/ie priests Jiad blown the trumpets,
then Joshua said^' etc.
Ver. 17. — D^ri, once D^n (Zech. xiv. 11), ''a thing
devoted": Sept. dm^e/xa, from Dnn, to shut up, and
hence, to devote, to consecrate, and to exterminate
(Ges., Lex.\ see Levit. xxvii. 21, 28, 29). Jericho,
as being the first city captured in Canaan, was to be
devoted with all its inhabitants (except Rachabh and
her household) and property to destruction, in vin-
dication of the Divine justice in the punishment
of the wicked, and as a kind of firstfruits to the
Lord, in acknowledgment of His gift of the land,
and of His help in its conquest. In the case of
the other Canaanitish cities the inhabitants only
were to be destroyed, but the cattle and other
possessions became the booty of the conquerors
(Josh. viii. 26-7), whereas in Jericho nothing was to
be preserved (ver. 21), except the silver and gold,
etc. (ver. 19), which, being indestructible, were to be
brought into the treasury of the Lord (cf. Joseph.,
Antiq., v., 1,5). nnN4irin : Hiph. 3 p. f. s., with n parag.,
which is perhaps emphatic, " she carefully concealed"
written in ver. 25, riN^ann, but the form here is borrowed
from verbs rh (see § 75, Rem. vi., 21, a). Another
reason for her preservation was the oath of the spies
(ii. 14).
Ver. 18. — ^^ But only be ye on yoiir guard against
tJu; devoted tiling, lest ye devote a thing to God, and
take of the thing devoted " : WinjD'lS has not, accord-
So THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. vi.
ing to the Auth. Vers., a reflex sense, " lest ye make
yourselves aceurscd," nor, as Kimchi and Drusius
say, is the -i before D^iii'^'? explanatory of the fore-
going verb, e.g., ''that is, lest ye take ;" but Joshua
here warns the Israelites not to appropriate to them-
selves what they had previously devoted to God
(cf. Deut xiii. 17). Among the ancient Gauls and
Germans there were similar enactments with regard
to what had been devoted to their deities (see
Caesar's Bell. Gall., vi., 17 ; Tacit., Aiinal, xiii., 57).
In the last clause, DriiDi? may contain an allusion to
Achan (vii. 25), or may be used by the author un-
designedly, since the same verb in the same sense
occurs in Gen. xxxiv. 30.
Ver. 19.— "iVtN*: Accus. loci. (§ 118, i, a). The
reference is to the treasury in the Tabernacle (cf.
ver. 24 and Numb. xxxi. 54).
Vers. 20-25 {Execution of the above-mentioned
Commands of Joshua). — Ver. 20. — Di;n ynji, "and so
the people shouted" : Hiph. imperf. apoc. of r-n, to
make a loud noise : 1 (see § 49, 2). It might seem
from the words which next follow, viz., " and they
blcivl' etc., that the shouting preceded the blowing
of the trumpets, but the next clause shows that
such was not the case. As Joshua, in ver. 16, had
mentioned shouting only, this, as Keil conjectures,
may explain the order of the words here. On the
remainder of this verse see note ver. 5.
Vers. 2 1 . — nnn ^s"? • • ■ -"lOnn^i, " and they utterly
destroyed (devoted) with the edge of the szvord " (cf.
Deut. xiii. 16, where the same expression is used
synonymously with 2^ri ''27 nan), b is here used of
the instrument (see Ges., Lex.) ; it is a particle which
VERS. 22, 23.] THE BOOK OF /OSHUA. 81
properly denotes relation in the widest sense, and
is most commonly = " as to" " ivith respect to,"
the precise relation being left to be determined
by the context. The wholesale extermination of
the inhabitants of Jericho was justified by their
enormous wickedness, the time given them for
repentance, and the necessity of making them a
warning to others, and to the Israelites in particular,
of the awful consequences of sin. That many inno-
cent children were involved in the destruction shows
that the guilt of parents may be visited in this life
on their offspring, though doubtless all who die in
infancy are objects of the Divine mercy, being de-
livered from sin and its consequences, and made
partakers of eternal happiness.
Vers. 22. — Tpx is used here as a pluperfect
(Rosenm. and Keil), for it is hardly likely that this
order was given only when the carnage had begun,
and not when the commands of Joshua were issued
(ver. 17, etc.) " Go ye . . . /louse" : Hence it appears
that that portion of the wall, against which the house
of Rachabh had been built, had not fallen with the
rest ; a clear proof of the Divine interposition in her
favour. " As ye swore unto her " (see ii. 14).
Ver. 23. — Dny: : Not, as Kimchi, "servants,"
though "ir;, like puer, sometimes means a servant,
but "young- me?t," as in A. V., Sept. Svo veaviaKOL,
Vulg. juvenes (cf. Gen. xxii. 3, xxxiv. 19, xxxvii. 2;
Judges viii. 20). ''Her brothers": But including
sisters, who are mentioned ii. 13. i^^ • : • ^'STi^*, " a/l
who belonged to her," i.e., all her household, not all
her goods, of which no more could have been re-
moved than each person could carry (cf ii. 1 3).
6
82 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. vi.
" All lier families" (Hebrew), i.e., all her relatives by
blood or marriage. ''And they left thevi (lit., made
them to rest) outside the camp" etc. Till they had
been proselytized to the Jewish religion, they could
not be admitted to the camp, which was hallowed by
the ark, the seat of God's presence.
Ver. 24. — ''And they burnt'' (see note, ver. 17):
Rachabh's house was no doubt consumed also, and,
therefore, when " travellers of the middle ages pre-
tend that they found the house still standing, we
must set this down as one of the many delusions
which were kept alive for centuries by pious supersti-
tion in the Holy Land " (Keil). " The house of
/ehovah" i.e., the Tabernacle (cf. 2 Sam. xii. 20 ;
Psalm V. 8) : The term n^3 is also used of a tent, or
movable dwelling, in Gen. xxvii. 15.
Ver. 25. — "And she dwelt . . . unto this day" :
Hence it seems that she was alive when this history
was written, and the fact that she dwelt in Israel
implies that she had embraced the Hebrew religion.
Ver. 26 {Curse on the Rebuilder of fericho). —
" And foshna adjured (them)," i.e., " he solemnly
charged them" (cf. i Kings xxii. 16), or "made to
swear " (cf. Gen. xxiv. 3, and the Greek i^opKL^o),
Matt. xxvi. 63). "inN, "cursed" (cf. the curse of
Agamemnon on Ilium, Strabo, xiii., ch. i, § 42 ;
and of Scipio on Carthage, Appian, lib. i., cap. 20).
" Before feJiovaJi" i.e., Jehovah Himself being the
judge, and inflicting the punishment. " Who riseth
up and buildeth" i.e., who shall attempt to build (cf.
Neh. ii. 1 8, " Let us rise up and build" i.e., let us
begin or attempt to build). Knobel, Kitto {Encyc. of
Bib. Lit.), and ethers, understand nJ2 here in its
VER. 27.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. S3
ordinary sense, " to build ; " but it rather denotes " to
fortify," for it has that meaning in 2 Chron. xiv.,
where, after it is said that Asa built fenced cities in
Judah (ver. 6), it is added that he said unto Judah,
" Let us build these cities " (i.e., let us fortify these
cities which have been already built), and make about
them walls and towers, etc.; so in i Kings xv. 22,
" Asa built " (i.e., fortified) wit/i tJmn Geba of Benja-
min and Mizpeh." It is clear, too, that before Hiel, in
the reign of Asa, incurred this curse (i Kings xvi.
34), Jericho had been rebuilt (see Josh, xviii. 21;
Judges iii. i 3 ; 2 Sam. x. 5), and it is not stated that
it had been rebuilt on a different site from that of
the ancient town. Further, the expression " to set tip
the gates" is such as could be appropriately employed
in reference only to the fortification of the town.
nbn?, " In his first-born " : The prep. 2 denotes
the price in exchange for which a thing is procured
(Ges., Lex., B., 9). Keil and many others suppose
that the rebuilder of the city was threatened with
the loss of all his children, beginning from the eldest
to the youngest, but Josephus {Autiq., v., i., 8),
Theodoret, Knobel, and Bishop Wordsworth limit it
to the death of the eldest and youngest. Certainly,
there is no express mention made of any other
children, either here or in i Kings xvi. 34, where the
fulfilment of the curse is mentioned. Perhaps the
rhythmical form in which the curse is expressed may
have been designed to fix it in the memory of the
people (Bishop Wordsworth).
Ver. 27 { I OS hud s Renoiun). — ''Jehovah luas with
Joshua" (cf the promise, i. 5, 9). LW, ''report"
and hence ''Jaine" occurs again in ix. 9 ; Jcr. vi. 24 ;
84 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. vi.
Esther ix. 4, only ; in the Pentateuch the form used
is Viyyz* (see Gen. xxix. i 3 ; Exod. xxiii. i ; Numb.
xiv. I 5 ; Deut. ii. 25).
Note that the overthrow of Jericho cannot be
accounted for from natural causes, but was un-
doubtedly brought about by Divine interposition.
Not only is such interposition clearly indicated
throughout the narrative, but was obviously necessary,
because the Israelites, being a nomad people, and
unacquainted with the art of besieging cities, could
not have taken a place so strong as Jericho without
supernatural aid. The city also, by its position, was
the key of the eastern pass to Canaan, and, therefore,
its miraculous conquest at the outset of the invasion
was calculated to render the Israelites confident that
God was on their side, and would be with them
throughout their enterprise, while, at the same time, it
struck their enemies with dismay. Further, its over-
throw was prophetical and typical, for the vision of
the seven trumpets in the Apocalypse (Rev. viii. 2,
etc.), corresponds to the narrative of the siege and
capture of Jericho. Christ, our Divine Joshua, now
enables His people to overcome the world by faith
(i John V. 4), but at His second coming He will
" descend from heaven zvith a shotct, zvitJi the voice of
the archangel and the trtimp of God" (i Thess. iv.
16), and then will take place the final judgment
of all His enemies. Till, however, the full time
(denoted often in Scripture by the perfect number
seven) for the execution of God's final purposes
arrives, the overthrow of Satan's empire is being
carried on by means which, to the eye of sense,
appear inadequate to the purpose. Such a means is
VER. I.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 85
the preaching of the Gospel, which was " to the Jezus
a stiivibling-block and to the Greeks foolishness',' but
which was, and still is, " tJic power of God unto
salvation to every one zvho believeth." Ministers in
themselves are mere "earthen vessels" (2 Cor. iv.
7), but God magnifies His own power in the use of
them, for their weapons are " not carnal, but mighty
throng J I God to the pulling doiun of stf . ngholds. "
CHAPTER Vn.
Achans TJieft and Punishment.
Ver. I {The Crime of Aehan). — "pyo ^V^"! : For the
cognate accus. see § 138, i. Rem. i., and cf. ajxapToi-
vovTa ajxapTiav ( i John v. 1 6). h^'O, prim., " to cover"
(Ges., J.ex.), whence '?''yp, " an upper garment ; " then
" to act covertly," and hence " falsely, treacherously "
(Lev. v. 15), as here, construed with 2, of the thing,
and in xxii. 16, with 3, of the person, p'l^n?, " in that
which had been devoted to the Lord." The sin, there-
fore, was sacrilege. V) \33 : The sin of Achan is here
imputed to all the Israelites, because the whole nation
was in covenant with God (see ver. 11), and, there-
fore, the sin of one among them brought pollution
upon the whole as a body. The Sept., after rendering
" the children of Israel committed a transgression,"
adds, by way of explanation, koi ivoa(f)LaapTO diro
Tov dva6e[JLaro<;, " and purloined part of the accursed
thing" words similar to those used respecting the
sacrilege of Ananias, iuoa(jjLcraTO dtro Trj<; TLixrj<;
(Acts V. i). tpy, so in xxii. 20, but "idu, in i Chron.
86 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. vir.
ii. 7 (probably as a play upon the word "ipy, to trouble,
cf. ver. 25, below), and so in the Vat. Sept. {passim) ;
Josephus, ''A^i^apo? {Ajitiq., lib. v., c. i, § 10). ZabJi-
di, called Zimri (i Chron. ii. 6). Zerach, the twin-
brother of Perez, sons of Judah by Tamar (Gen.
xxxviii. 29, 30). Thus Achan was the fourth in
descent from Judah, but, as in other cases, so here,
some generations have been omitted, perhaps between
Zerach and Zabhdi. It is probable from the character
of his ancestry that he had not been religiously
brought up. On nt?o, see iii. 12. ''And the miger
of Jehovah^' etc. : Inasmuch as the whole nation was
contaminated by the sin of Achan, it justly incurred
Jehovah's displeasure.
Vers. 2-5 {The Defeat before 'Ay). — Ver. 2. —
'Ay,^ always written (with the article) in Hebrew
■•rn (§ 109, 3), except in Jer. xlix. 3, where a
different town belonging to the Ammonites is
referred to ; Sept., Fat, but 'Ayyat in Gen. xii. 8,
"written n^*y, Isa. x. 28, and N'*y in Chaldee, Neh. xi. 3 i :
These two latter names being probably variations only
of the name 'Ay here mentioned. '■'V means " a heap
of ruins" according to Gesen. {Lex.), but according
to Rosenm. is here ^r, ainudus, and refers to
its situation on a hill. The opinion of Dean
Stanley that Haai (the ruins) may have been a later
name to indicate the fall of the city {Sin. and Pal.,
p. 203) is irreconcilable with the fact that in the time
of Abraham the city was so called (Gen. xii. 8). Its
site, though known in the time of Eusebius (Onom.
' According to the Jewish pronunciation the "yodh " here
retains its consonant power {Gr., § 8, 5).
VER. 2.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 87
'Ayyai), has long been the subject of conjecture.
Dean Stanley places it at the head of IVady Harith ;
Krafft, Strauss, Ritter, and Keil identify its ruins
with those of Mcdinet Gai, five miles east of Bethel,
and between JVady FaraJi and Wady cs Stiweinit.
Probably, however, Van de Velde is correct in
supposing that the true site is Tell-el-Hajar, the
Mount of Stones, about forty-five minutes south-east
of Bethel (cf. Clark's Bih. Atlas, Plate X.). This
site answers in every way to the requirements of
the Scripture account of the conquest of 'Ay, (see
V. de Velde's narrative, ii., 278 — 282, and Pal.
Fwid Reports, 1881, p. 16). Dy, '^ near I' cf. Gen.
XXV. II (Ges., Lex.). ^rZ/z-'/^T/^w (house of vanity),
on the northern border of Benjamin, xviii. 1 2, and
east of Bethel, lying between it and Michmash
(i Sam, xiii. 5). The name was afterwards trans-
ferred by the Prophet Hosea to Bethel, to denote
that, though once the house of God, it had become
a house of idols (Hos. iv. 15, v. 8, x. 5). Beth-'EI
(house of God), anciently called Luz (^almond-tree),
Gen. xxviii. 19; Judges i. 23, but by anticipation
Bethel (Gen. xii. 8), one of the cities assigned to
Benjamin (Josh, xviii. 1 3), and situated on its
northern boundary, but afterwards taken by Ephraim
(Judges i. 22-26), and made one of the two principal
seats of Jeroboam's idolatry. It lay in the direct
thoroughfare of Palestine, whence the expressions
" the highway that goeth up to Bethel " (Judges xx.
31), "the highway that goeth up from Bethel to
Shechem " (Judges xxi. 19). No place (with the
single exception of Shechem) comprises a longer
series of remarkable scenes of sacred history {Sin.
88 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [ciiAr. vii.
and Pal., p. 217). It is probably the same as the
modern Beitdn or BcitiJi, twelve miles north of
Jerusalem, on the road from the latter to Sichem
(Nablus). (Robinson's Palestine, ii., p. 126). •I'py.
implies an ascent to the city from the plains of
Jericho. The valley of the Jordan is 3,000 feet
below the mountains of Judaea (Stanley's Sin. and
Pal., p. 283), and Bethel lay 2,890 feet above the
sea {Great Pal. Map).
Ver 3. — •IS.^l, '^ and let tJievi smite," i.e., let them
take by assault (Ges., Lex., on np3, Sept. eKTroXiopKrj-
ad-roicrav (cf. 2 Kings iii. 19; i Chron. xx. 1 ) nst^
I'iiri'^X seems to have a pregnant sense, viz., xvcary
not by leading tliither." "la, ^' for they " {i.e. the in-
habitants of 'Ay) " are few ; " it appears from viii. 2 5
that the total population of 'Ay was about twelve
thousand ; hence three thousand men might have been
supposed quite sufficient for its conquest.
Ver. 4. — "And they fled before the men of'Ay":
The Sept. has efjivyov a.770 TrpoacoTT w, k-t.X., as
though it had read ''.:;Q>'P ; and thus their rendering
might imply that the Israelites fled at the very sight
of their enemies : such a supposition, however, is
unnecessary ; there may have been an engagement,
and what caused the defeat of the Israelites was not
the prowess of the men of 'Ay, but the anger of God
on account of the sin of Achan ; see the warning
which had been given (Deut. xxiii. 9). Hence we
may learn how the sin of even one individual may
bring down calamity upon a whole people {c(. the
consequence of Saul's sin in breaking his covenant
with the Gibeonites, 2 Sam. xxi. i, and of David's
sin in numbering the people, 2 Sam. xxiv. 10-15) ;
VERS. 5, 6.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. S9
and be, therefore, the more careful individually to
avoid its commission, and to deter others from it.
Ver. 5. — Dnau'n-nr : Some take the noun as an
appellative, thus Gesenius (see "in;;*, Lex., 3, p. 803),
^^ even to destruction',' as in Prov. x\-i. 18 ; Isa. i. 28;
Lam. ii. 11, iii, 47; Sept. (Alex.), crvvijpi'^o.v
avTov<;, perhaps from a different reading ; Keil, " as
far as the stone quarries',' for 13^;^ means lit. " a
breaking." But perhaps the word has reference to
the deep fissures in the ground in that particular
locality ; thus Dean Stanley (^Sin. and Pal., ch. iv.,
p. 202) understands by it the breakings or fissures at
the opening of the passes. " /;/ the going down',' or
" declivity," viz., that into the Jordan valley. With
the expression '^ the hearts melted" cf ii. 11 ; here
it is rendered more emphatic by the simile in the
last clause.
Vers. 6-9 {Joshuas Prayer). — Ver. 6. — ''Rent Ids
clothes." n^cb properly denotes the ordinary outer
garment, but is here used in the plural, as in
Gen. xxxvii. 34, for clothes generally. Rending
of the clothes was designed to be a symbol of
rending of the heart (Joel ii. 13), '' And fell upon
Jus face" (cf. Numb. xx. 6). '''Before the ark',' i.e.,
before the Tabernacle, in which the ark was, and
with his face towards the ark. " Until the eventide " :
And, therefore, we may infer that they fasted during
the whole time (see 2 Sam. i. i 2). " The Elders" : The
term is applied to the heads of tribes, families, and
households. They were the representatives of the
people of Israel, and seem from the earliest period
to have formed a political council or senate (Exod. iii.
1 6, iv. 29). " And put " (lit. made to ascend) " dust "
90 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.- [chap. vii.
(cf. Job ii. 1 2 ; I Sam. iv. 1 2 ; 2 Sam. i. 2). So
Achilles, when he heard of the death of Patroclus,
//., ^, 22, etc., and Latimis, when he grieved for the
death of his queen {yEneid, xii., 609-61 1, " zV scissa
vestc Latinus, etc.").
Ver. 7. — T\']Vt\ so pointed, because it follows ""JIK
but to be pronounced Elohim (see Keil on Gen. ii. 4).
ninyn is an unusual form for T\-\2.vr\ (§63, Rem. 4),
cf. nbyn, for n^yn, Hab. i. 15. The infin. absol. Tnyn,
with the unusual i in the last syllable, is here put for
emphasis after the finite verb ('^ 131,3 Rem., i ), " Why
hast thou at all broiigJit over" (Auth, Vers.), or, " Wliy
hast thou in so zuouderful a inannei^ brought us over"
" The Emorite" iii. 10. y^i), ■ ■ ■ •l'?l, " And woidd that
we had been content to remain " : Sept., kcCi et Ka,Te\iei-
vafxev, K.T.X., where el = eWe, utinam (see for
the construction, § 142, 3, a) ; the primary meaning
of b^sin is " he willed" or " let himself be pleased,"
Hiph. of "px;, to will, to wish (Ges., in Thess.) ; cf. Keil
on Exod. ii. 2 i).
Ver. 8. — '•3, a particle of entreaty, " Pray" con-
tracted from ^y?, prayer, rt. nra, to ask ; always joined
with '•nx or ''px (Gen. xliii. 20, xliv. 18 ; Exod. iv.
10, 13). " What shall I say after that Israel hath
turned the neck before his enemies ? " tj^'y "^sn or njs
pj^'y (ver. i 2) corresponds to our expression, " to turn
the back," i.e., to flee.
Ver. 9. — " All the inhabitants of the land" : Here
probably the Philistines, who were not of Canaanitish
race (Gen. x. 14), but had established themselves in
place of the Avvim, whom they had exterminated
(Deut. ii. 23). 33p, followed by hv, means "to sur-
round in a hostile manner" (cf. Gen. xix. 4. " And
VERS. lo, II.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 91
wliat ivilt T]um do to {i.e., with re.<;ard to) Thy Great
Name ? " i.e., how wilt Thou preserve it from being
dishonoured among the heathen, who will impute
the destruction of Israel to a want of faithfulness, or
power, on Thy part to fulfil to them Thy promises .?
See a similar plea urged by Moses (Exod. xxxii. i 2 ;
Numb, xiv, 13 ; Deut. ix. 28). The (••) in the last
syllable of nb'J?ri is regarded by Gesenius as an
Aramaism (see § 75, Rem. v., 17). Maurer considers
such forms as instances of a constructive state in
verbs, analogous to that of nouns ending in n-, which
in construction become n— (§ 89, 2, c). Joshua's
piety was shown by this his concern for the Divine
glory, but, at the same time, the despondency and
unbelief, which his complaint and expostulation
evinced, are not to be excused, for he should have
called to mind God's past mercies, and have relied
upon His gracious promises. But here we see how
impartially Holy Scripture records the failings of
good men.
Vers. 10-15 {Jehovah's Answer and Directions to
Joshua). — Ver. 10. — "^ (in pause for ^17, § 103, 2, a)
gives greater intensity to the verb, nt, ''thus" (cf. Gen.
XXV. 22). This reproof on the part of God indicated
that the time spent in fruitless lamentation should be
employed in earnest reformation.
Ver. II. — '' Israel hath sinned" see on ver. i. D5,
''also;" the repetition of this word before each
clause of the indictment is intended to put their guilt
in the strongest light. " They have transgressed my
covenant" i.e., the covenant mentioned in Exod. xix.
8, xxiv. 7, in which they had pledged themselves to
obey all the commands of God (cf Josh. i. 16-18).
92 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. vii.
Some, as Drusius, think that the reference is to the
comnfiand given with respect to Jericho (vi. 18-19),
and render DJi. in the next clause "yi?r^z^^« " (cf.Auth.
Vers.), but the rendering " and also " marks their dis-
obedience with regard to Jericho as one particular
item of their general breach of the covenant. (See
above in this note.) Dnnn-ip, " of the ban" or
" devoted tiling" of which they had been expressly
charged not to take (vi. 18-19). •1EJ>n5 DJi, "■ and have
also lied" : Though no denial of the theft is recorded,
yet perhaps Joshua, after the destruction of Jericho,
may have inquired whether the silver and gold, etc.,
had been brought into the treasury of the Lord,
and all else destroyed, and may have been assured
that it had ; or, if no inquiry had been made, the
verb may here denote concealment of what ought
to have been confessed with penitence (Keil after
Schmidt). " Among their own stnff" (A.V.), or " Jiouse
furniture " : This was the climax of their offence,
viz., the appropriation to their own use of what had
been consecrated to God and stolen from Him.
Ver. 12. — "hy: n'pi, " TJierefore the sons of Israel
cannot stand" etc. 1 often means " therefore " at
the beginning of a sentence, when the reason is
contained in what preceded : see Ges., Lex. (5), p.
235. •'13D.'' ?ini;, ''they turn the neck" (cf. ver. 8).
oyin^ ■ • • '•3, ''for they have become a devoted thing"
i.e., have fallen under the ban (cf. vi. 18). "Neither
will I be with you any more, unless ye shall
destroy" etc. (cf. St. Paul's address to his Corin-
thian converts, i Cor. v. 6, 7, 13; 2 Cor. vi.
17, 18).
Ver. 13. — D|7, "arise": Not implying, as in ver. 10,
VER. 14.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA, 03
that Joshua was still lying on the ground, but inviting
him to activity. ''^ Sanctify the people" i.e., command
them to sanctify, or to purify themselves (cf. iii. 5).
" Thoit- canst not stand" etc. ; so in our spiritual con-
flicts one hidden, unrepented, sin may lead to our
discomfiture.
Ver. 14. — aPinipJl, " tJien ye shall approach" or lit,
^' ye shall be brought near" : The same word in Niphal
occurs again in Exod. xxii. 7 only, where it denotes,
as here, an involwitary approach, and is followed by
Cn'^Ji'''^^!? "to God," i.e.., to the place where judgment
was given in God's Name. " Which Jehovah shall
take": As idS is used of taking by lot in i Sam.
X. 20, xiv. 42, so probably here ; thus Josephus,
after recording this command of God, says that
Joshua Kara, (f)vXr]v eKXijpov (Antiq., lib. v., cap. i.,
§ 14). The Hebrew word for "lot" is 'pnfJi, a stone,
or pebble, which, having a name inscribed on it, was
cast into an urn, whence the expression, " the lot came
up" (Josh, xviii. 1 1) and "■came out" (xix. i). From
Prov. xvi. 33 it appears that the lot was thought to
be under the Divine direction. It was used on many
occasions among the Jews, as, e.g.., in the apportion-
ment of land (Numb. xxvi. 5 5 ; Josh. xiv. 2 [see
note], xviii. 10 ; Acts xiii. 19) ; the appointment of
persons to offices and duties (i Sam. x. 2C, 21 ;
Acts i. 24-26 ; cf. Herod., iii., 128, vi., 109); the divi-
sion of spoil or captives (Joel iii. 3 ; Nahum iii. 10 ;
Matt, xxvii. 35 ; cf. Xenophon, Cyroped., iv., 5, 55 ;
Thucyd., iii., 50) ; in the settlement of doubtful
questions (Prov. xvi. 33, xviii. i 8) ; in the detection
of guilty persons, as here of Achan, of Jonathan
(i Sam. xiv. 41, 42), of Jonah (Jonah i. 7), 'p,
94 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. vii.
'■'families": From n?"J', to spread out; each tribe
was divided into families, and each family into
houses, and each house into persons (Keil). In
Judges vi. 15, a " tJiousand " is used as =
" mishpach " (cf. i Sam. x. 19, 21), because the
number of the heads, or chiefs, of the families in a
tribe would, on the average, amount to that number.
(See Keil on Exod. xviii. 25 ; Numb. i. 16).
Ver. 15. — ann? '3n, "/^^ za/io is taken in (with) tJie
ban" i.e., he, on whom the lot falls, and who is
thus proved to have stolen what was devoted to God.
^'^'\ : The Niph. future is here used as an impers, ac-
tive, and followed by the object of the action in the
accus. (§ 143, I, a). As it appears from ver. 25 that
Achan was stoned, the burning can refer to his dead
body only. The severity of the penalty was increased
by this treatment of the body after death. " I/e liatk
transgressed the covenant of fcJiovah " (see ver. 11):
By his sacrilege he had brought himself under the
ban, ver. 12, vi. 18, and was justly doomed, like
Jericho, to destruction. " Folly" not only of the mind,
but of the heart ; so in Gen. xxxiv. 7 ; Judges xx. 6 ;
2 Sam. xiii. 12. The expression "wrought folly"
is not found in the later books.
Vers. 16-26 {TJie Detection of Achan, his Con-
fession, and Punishment). — Ver. 1 7. — " The family
of fiidah " : For the sing. " misJipachatJi" seven
MSS. (see De Rossi in Append. Varr. Led., vol.
iv., p. 227) read " inishp'-'choth," and are followed
by the Sept. and Vulg. Gesenius and Winer say
that it is here used loosely for t^9;^•, but rather,
according to Schmidt and Keil, it denotes col-
lectively, or distributively, all the families of Judah.
VER. 18-20.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 95
Dnn^*?," man by man " : Some MSS. have n'mh, which
reading is followed by the Aldine edition of the Sept.,
and by the Vulg., also by Dathe, Maurer, Rosenm.,
and others ; but the Alex, Vers, of the Sept. has
Kar dvhpa<;, Vat. Kar dvSpa, nor is there any reason
to alter the reading in the Hebrew text, since on^^?
may denote, not that all individuals composing the
houses, but only their chiefs, were present at the
casting of the lot. So Keil.
Ver. 18. — " Achan" (see note on vcr. i). The
detection of the sin of Achan strikingly displays the
awful omniscience of God, and the truth of the
declaration, " Evil shall ////;// the wicked man to
overthrow him " (Psalm cxl. 1 1).
Ver. 1 9. — " My son " : Spoken, not ironically, but
sincerely, and showing us that judges, while they
punish offences, ought, as far as justice permits, to
be merciful to the offender. " Give glory . . . and
make confession " : A form of adjuration (cf. John
ix. 24), calling on a man to tell the truth. The
confession of Achan would tend to the glory of
God's Omniscience, Truth, and Holiness. nnin,
" confession " (Ges., Lex.), or praise (Keil), cf. Ezra
X. 1 1 ; but as the latter meaning has been already
expressed by the word Tt23, the former seems
preferable, and the confession would be virtually a
giving of praise to God.
Vcr. 20. — n;DX, ''truly''' : Adverb of affirmation
(§ 15O) 3. c-'i cf. Gen. xx. 12), By his confession,
which was full and explicit, without any attempt at
excuse, Achan seems to have been truly penitent,
and therefore, though punished in this life, may have
been rendered happy in the next (see Prov. xxviii. i 3).
96 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [cnAr. vii.
Ver. 2 1. — nxiwVi, " a)id I saiv " : The vowels belonsf
to the apoc. form in theQ'^ri,but with " Vav" consec. the
full form without apocope frequently occurs in verbs
fh, especially in the first person (see § 75, Rem. i.,
3, e, second par.). Note that the loosely connected
sentences, " thus and thus have I done ; a/id I saw
. . . af/d I coveted," etc., exhibit the simplicity of
the Hebrew style (see Ges.,Z,^,r. on the letter % p. 233),
and well express the disturbed state of Achan's mind.
" A goodly robe (or cloak) of SJiinar " (see Gen. x. i o,
xi. 2). "^N, from "iix, to be wide, a garment worn by
kings on state occasions (Jonah iii. 6), also by prophets
(i Kings xix. 13 ; 2 Kings ii. 13, 14). Shinar was
the plain in which Babylon was situated (Gen. x. i o,
xi. 2). The Sept. renders the term in Isa. xi. 1 1 by
'Ba^vXojvia, and in Zech. v. 1 1 by yrj BaySvXuJ^'09 ;
and so here Aquila, and the Chald., Syr., and Arab.
Versions render ':i^ "IN, " a Babylonish cloak." These
cloaks were not hairy like that mentioned in Zech.
xiii. 4, but smooth, and embroidered with pictures of
men and animals (Pliny, Nist. Nat., lib. viii., ch. 48) ;
Sept. xfjiXrjv TTOLKiK-qv ; Vulg. " pallium-coccineum."
As Jericho lay in the route from Babylon to the
ports of the Mediterranean, it is not surprising that
articles of commerce from that city, or at least from
the district around (for it cannot be proved that
the garment was undoubtedly Babylonish) should
have been found in it. " Tiuo hundred shekels of
silver" : = £2^ in English money, if the shekel is
valued at 2s. 6d. The reference is to uncoined
money, as there is no mention of coined money in
Scripture before the Babylonish captivity. "'A tongue
of gold" : Probably a golden ornament shaped like a
VERS. 22, 23.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 97
tongue. The name " lingida " was given by the
Romans to a spoon (Pliny, N. //., xxi., 49), and to
an oblong dagger formed in the shape of a tongue
(GelHus, Nod. Attic, x., 25). Gesenius {Lex.) thinks
that here a bar of gold, resembling a tongue, is
meant ; Vulg., " regula aurea." " Fifty shekels in
respect to its tvcight " : i.e., = about 2 5 ounces, at
the rate of about half an ounce avoirdupois, or 220
English grains, to the shekel. " Ajid I coveted and
took tJiein " : He first saw,, and next coveted, and
next took (cf. the several steps in the sin of Eve,
Gen. iii. 6). D-Jpu, not merely "hid" (A. V.), but
"dtiried," as in Gen. xxxv. 4; Exod. ii. 12. Josephus
(Antiq., v., c. I, § 10) says that Achan dug a deep
hole, or ditch, in his tent, and put there the Baby-
lonish garment and the wedge of gold, supposing
that he should not only be concealed from his fellow-
soldiers, but from God Himself also. ^Sixn : The
article prefixed to a noun with a sufiix is contrary
to the rule (§ 1 10, 2) ; it may, however, be regarded
as either = a demonstrative pronoun, " t/iat my
tent" (cf. f^VnL', viii. 33, § iio, 2, Rem. a), or,
according to Hengstenberg (C/iristo/., iii., p. 362),
has lost its force, and become absorbed into the
noun. n''rinri, " iinderneatJi thein^' i.e., the cloak of
Shinar was probably put on the top, and below it
the tongue of gold, and underneath that the silver.
The fern. suff. is a neuter coll., and refers to all the
stolen property except the silver ; Sept. vTroKctTcu
avT(i)v.
Ver. 22. — n^nxn, ''to the tent'' n- loc. (§ 90, 2, a),
Ver. 23. — L)p-V!!l, '^ and tJiey placed theiu" : Sept.
K Wr]Kav avra. pi means to pour out, and so the
7.
98 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, vii,
Hiphil form p''Vfn (see 2 Kings iv. 5) ; but \>^^r\ has
nearly the same meaning as J"'-vn (Ges., Lex., p. 361),
and signifies here and in 2 Sam. xv, 24, " to p/acc"
or " to set!' " Before Jehovah^' i.e., before the Taber-
nacle, where was the Ark, the seat of the Divine
Presence (cf. vi. 8).
Ver. 24. — " The son of SeracJil' i.e., the great grand-
son of Serach (see ver. i ). " His sons and his
daiigJiters" : Because in Deut. xxiv. 16 it is forbidden
that children should be put to death for the sin of
their parents, Schulz, Hess, and others, have thought
that Achan's family were merely obliged to be spec-
tators of his punishment, that they might take
warning therefrom ; it is probable, however, that
they were privy to his guilt, since the stolen goods
had been hidden in the midst of the tent, and the
fact that the crime of Achan had brought himself
and family and property under the ban, would justly
involve all in the same fate (see ver. 15). Moreover,
it is a principle of God's government, to regard
children as represented in their parents, and parents
in their children ; see the case of Canaan, the son of
Ham (Gen. ix. 25), and the death of the firstborn of
the Egyptians (Exod. xii.), and confer the declaration
of Jeremiah (Jen xxxii. 1 8). nft^'-nxi : This and the
two accusatives which follow are used coll. (§ 108, i).
'h ■ ■ ■7'h ni<), " and all its fitrnitnre." The following
words, " and all Israel with him" are to be joined
with yc^in^ np.»i, at the beginning of the verse. The
reference is to all Israel as acting by their chiefs
and representatives, " The valley of Achor" {i.e., of
trouble). pOy is always translated " valley " by
A, v., rt, ryob, to be deep, but used rather of lateral
VER. 25.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 99
extension than depression, like ^aOiiq av\r) (//., v.,
142), and the expression deep, as opposed to shallow,
house ; thus the word is not applied to ravines, but
to the long broad sweeps sometimes found between
parallel ranges of hills. Such is the valley of
Jezreel, between Gilboa and Little Hermon (Dean
Stanley, S. and P., Append., p. 481). The valley of
Achor lay to the south or south-west of Jericho, and
was on the north border of Judah (xv. 7), and from the
camp of the Israelites at Gilgal there were probably
ridges to be ascended before the valley could be
reached, hence the use of the word h'ii^ here. The
name "Achor" is, like "Gilgal" in iv. 19, used
proleptically, or by anticipation (see ver. 26).
Ver. 25. — 1J1 np, " Why Jiast thou troubled us?"
(Auth. Vers.), or " What trouble hast thou brought upon
lis ? " So Ahab was the troubler of Israel (i Kings
xviii. 1 8). "And all Israel stoned Jiiniy DJn, prop, "to
pile " (Gesen.), " to overwhelm with stones" (Syr. and
Arab.) ; frequently in this latter sense in the Penta-
teuch ; here followed by two accus. (cf. Levit. xxiv. 23),
once with omission of jnx (Levit. xxiv. 14). Achan
only is referred to because the principal offender,
but that all the rest suffered the like punishment is
evident from the occurrence of Dn>< in vers. 24, 25.
Stoning was the ordinary mode of execution among
the Jews (Exod. xvii. 4; Deut. xiii. 10; Luke xx. 6 ;
John X. 3 I ; Acts xiv. 5). " And they burned t/iem"
{i.e., after they were dead). The Sept. omits this.
Burning alive docs not occur anywhere among the
punishments inflicted by the Jewish law, says Keil
after Michaelis {Mos. R., v., § 235), in which case,
however, Levit. xx. 14, xxi. 9 cannot be under-
100 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. vii.
stood without qualification. '-l^PpM. (omitted by the
Vulg., as well as by Sept.), ''and they pelted them
with stones": ^i2D, to pelt (Lee), "to overwhelm
with stones," rt. h\>€\ to be heavy (Ges., Lex^.
Michaelis thinks that stoning of the ashes of the
dead is meant ; Knobel, that the clause has been
inserted to prevent any misunderstanding of the
preceding inx ; Keil, that the allusion is to the
heaping of a pile of stones on the dead bodies. If
this latter meaning is here adopted, we must regard
the first clause of ver. 26 as intended to give only
a fuller description of the same fact. The punish-
ment thus inflicted for Achan's sin, though terrible,
was not too severe, for by that sin he had robbed
God, and endangered the safety of the whole nation.^
He had also committed it shortly after his renewal
of his covenant with God by circumcision and the
eating of the Passover, and after the recent proof of
God's power and love to Israel in the overthrow of
Jericho. From his history we may learn especially (i)
the deceitfulness of sin, inasmuch as it never affords
the gratifications expected from it ; (2) the certainty
of its exposure, because nothing can escape the all-
seeing eye of God ; (3) the awful retribution which
often overtakes it in this life, and will certainly do
so in the next, if not averted by repentance, con-
fession, and faith in Christ ; (4) its injuriousness to
others as well as to ourselves. " One sinner destroyeth
much good" (Eccles. ix. 18).
I See note on ver. i. There is an analogy between Achan's
sin and that of Ananias and Sapphira, and the severity of the
punishment in both cases, occurring at the outset of a new
career, was a salutary warning to future generations (cf.
Numb. XV. 32-36; 2 Sam. vi. 6-12).
VER. 26.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. loi
Ver. 26. — Sh " a rude cairn," or " pile of
stones " (D^J3X is generally added, as here) roughly
rolled together (Dean Stanley, Sin. and Pal., p. 1 19),
from hhi, to roll ; it was intended to be a memorial
of the punishment (cf. viii. 29 ; 2 Sam. xviii. 17).
A like custom prevailed among the Romans (Propert.,
i^'-. 5) 7S)> ^s still among the Arabs. It was not
always a mark of dishonour (Burkhardt, Bcdnincyi,
p. 81). '■^ Unto this day" (cf iv. 9, N"3i^, indeterm.
3rd pers., = passive, § 137, 3, a). ^' Achor" (see
ver. 24). The only other places in which the
name is found are xv. 7 ; Hos. ii. 1 7 (Heb.) ; Isa. Ixv.
8, 10.'
CHAPTER VIII.
Vers. 1-29. — The Conquest of 'Ay.
Ver. I. — ''Fear not . . . dismayed" (cf I. 9;
Deut. i. 2i,xxxi. 8). '^ All the people of ivar" : Vulg.
" onincni imdtitudinem pugnatormn ; " as, however,
out of all the fighting men of Reuben, Gad, and the
half-tribe of Manasseh, who were commanded to
cross over Jordan before their brethren (i. 14), the
actual number sent was only 40,000 (iv. 13); so
here the term all may imply not every man capable
of bearing arms, but the army generally, as compared
' Understood spiritually, every Achor (trouble) becomes "a
door of hope," when it is sanctified by repentance and faith.
Thus, in Achan's case, we may trust tliat his confession, if
sincere, was followed by pardon, and by happiness in a future
life (see note on ver. 20).
102 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. viii.
with the detachment which had been previously sent.
" Go 7tp " : 'Ay stood on higher ground than Jericho,
but nby is also used of the advance of an army
against a fortified place, because such a place was
regarded as a height to be scaled (Keil). " / Jiave
given " (see note vi. 2).
Ver. 2. — Only the . . . spoil for a prey^^ (see note
on vi. 17). n^'y, used coll., "■Hers in wait" from
n"iy, to weave, and hence " nectere insidias." " From
behind it" i.e., on its western side, see "iTnx, Isa. ix.
II (12 Auth. Vers.); Job xxiii. 8. On the sanction
given by God to the employment of stratagem in
war, Calvin (as quoted by Keil) remarks, " If war is
lawful at all, it is indisputably right to avail oneself
of those arts by which victory is usually obtained.
It is, of course, understood that neither must treaties
be violated, nor faith broken in any other way."
Ver. 3. — " Thirty thousand'' : There is difficulty
in reconciling this number with the number five
thousand in ver. 12. Some, as Ewald, Maurer,
and Knobel, unwarrantably assume that vers. 1 2,
1 3 have been inserted from another narrative by
a later editor, who omitted to harmonize them
with ver. 3. Others (Abarbanel, Clericus, etc.)
suppose that there were two distinct companies of
liers-in-wait, an opinion irreconcilable with vers,
9, 12, where the spot in which each was posted
is described as being betzveen Bethel and 'Ay, and
on the west of 'Ay. True, Abarbanel conjectures
that, though both ambushes were on the same side
of the city, the smaller was set nearer to it, and was
only intended to skirmish with the enemy when
they came out of the city, while the larger captured
VER. 4.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 103
the city itself ; but in the account of the execution
of Joshua's order (vers. 12, 13, 14, 19) there is
nothing to support this view. 3^tNn, in ver. 19,
clearly seems to indicate that there was one ambush
only. Nor is the difficulty solved by supposing,
with Bishops Patrick and Wordsworth, that the
5,000 men were sent as a reinforcement to the
30,000, for so large a force as 30,000, or 35,000,
could hardly have eluded observation while lying in
ambuscade near to, and between, two hostile cities,
apparently for two nights and an intervening day
(vers. 3, 9, 10, 13). Others, as Masius, Rosenmiiller,
and Calvin, conclude that the number 30,000 refers
to the entire army sent against 'Ay, and the number
5,000 to those placed in ambush. But thus the
words "sent tJieinl' in ver. 3, must denote by synec-
doche, " sent some of themi," a meaning rather forced,
and though the expressions " tJie people " (ver. i o)
and '■^ all Israel" (ver. 15) need not include every-
one capable of bearing arms (see note, ver. i), yet
they would seem to imply a much larger number
than 30,000. On the whole, therefore, the solution
of Keil is, perhaps, the most satisfactory, viz., that
for " thirty thousand " in ver. 3 should be read " five
thousand," the letter h (30) having, by the mistake
of a copyist, been substituted for n (5). That there
is sometimes an inaccuracy in the figures of the
historical books is evident on a comparison of those
in the earlier with those in the later books (see Keil
and Del., Coinin., p. 86).
Ver. 4. — 131 -isn, " see " (or " take heed ") "j'e ivho
are about to lie in ambush for the city . . . that ye go
7iot very far" etc. -IX"] should be construed with the
104 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. viii.
Avords •1p^■l■|^|-^^* (Rosenm.). D'-Jsj, ''prepared'' (cf.
Exod. xix. II, 15), />., to rise up and assault the
city.
Ver. 5. — ''At the first" viz., when the former
attack was made on 'Ay (vii. 4). •i:jp3'), " t/ien (or
" that ") we zvill flee," d-13, to flee ; \ with the apod.
Ver. 6. — "And they will come out after tis" : These
words need not be put in a parenthesis, as in the
Auth. Vers. ('• for they will come out," etc.) " Until
we have drazvn," lit., have torn away, Hiph. infin.
with suffix, see pni Render 1 in the last clause
•' and," not " therefore " (Auth. Vers.).
Ver. 7. — Dri-ifh.fn, ''j/e shall oceiipy',' lit, ye shall
make yourselves to possess " (cf. xvii. 1 2). mnp, '■'will
deliver it" : The perfect denotes, as in ver. i, God's
determinate purpose.
Ver. 8. — " When ye shall have taken " : In Deut.
XX. 19, bsri is also used of capturing a town, •in'^vn,
"■ye shall set on fire" : Hiphil imperfect of DV^, i.(/., n^;,
(§ 70> " to set on fire," a word not found in the Penta-
teuch. " According to the eonmiandnient " (word), etc. :
No express command had been given to burn the
city, but it was implied in the command to treat it
like Jericho (ver. 2). In the last clause, " See" etc.,
there is perhaps a covert allusion to the circumstances
of Achan's disobedience.
Ver. 9. — Here, as in iv. 8, an account of the
execution of the command follows on that of the
command itself n>s???n, " the place of ambush " : The
prefix o denotes place (§ 84, 14). Djp, "on the
west": til is so called, because the Mediterranean Sea
was on the west of Palestine. The exact site of the
ambush cannot be ascertained ; but, as between Bethel
VERS. lo, II.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 105
and 'Ay rise two rocky heights, it would seem that
the liers-in-wait took their position behind them
(Van de Velde, A^arrative, ii., p. 280). This could
not have been far from the site of Abraham's altar
(Gen. xii. 8). " /;/ the midst of the people" i.e., in the
camp, with the rest of the army.
Ver. 10, — ^1p?.*i, " and reviewed" Sept. iTTeaKexjjaTO :
Keil supposes that this had really been done before
the despatch of the liers-in-wait, and that the begin-
ning of this verse, *' And Joshua rose up" is only a
resume of the beginning of ver. 3, further particulars
being added ; there is, however, nothing in ver. 3
which forbids the conclusion that, after Joshua had
despatched the ambuscade, he proceeded, the follow-
ing morning, to review the remainder of his forces,
preparatory to their march with him against 'Ay.
" The elders of Israel" i.e., not as Masius says, " mili-
tary tribunes," who were called elders on account of
their superior military skill, but the heads, or repre-
sentatives, of the people, who attended Joshua as a
council, and whose presence and authority may have
been necessary to ensure a proper division of the
booty (Numb. xxxi. 27).
Ver. 1 1. — ''pan Dun : For the construction see §110,
2, c, and cf. iii. 14. '•yS ItDVP : Construe, state with
prep,, § 116, I. The Sept. and Arab, for north put
east, as though they had read D"i.i'?r?, which, however,
is not found in any of the MSS. ''irn, ''and the
ravine " (was). X.''^ or N"-!. and by omission of Aleph,
'•5> means properly a ravine or gorge, generally trans-
lated (pdpay^ by the Sept., but "valley" by Auth.
Vers, {passim}, rt. n;5. i.q., n^i, "to flow together,"
because water flows together there (Ges., Lex.) ; or rt.
io6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. viii.
n-5. " to break out," whence perhaps the name Gihon
(Stanley's Sin. and Pal., Append.). The article in-
dicates that the author is referring to a well-known
locality. Probably the allusion is to the deep and
steep-sided ravine to the north of Tell-el-Hajar (Van
de Velde). ij'^a should probably be pointed 13^2 (cf.
iii. 4).
Ver. 12. — T\'^\, ''and he took": Masius, Cor. a
Lapid., and others, render as a pluperfect ; but, though
the verb refers to what Joshua had already done
(ver. 3), it should rather be here regarded as a kind
of aorist (Keil), which in the New Testament often
has the force of a pluperfect (Winer, Gram, of New
Test., part iii., sect. xL). On the discrepancy between
the numbers five thousand here and thirty thousand
in ver. 3, see note above on that verse, "i''^^ evidently
refers to 'Ay, and, therefore, need not be altered to ''y^,
to correspond to ver. 9.
Ver. 13. — Render, ''and so the people posted the
ivJiole campy Dun may be best regarded as a noun-
collec, and as the subject of the verb (§ 146, i ; cf.
Vulg. and Chald.), for, if it was the object, as in the
Syr., Arab., and A. V., having njq?£)n-'?3-nx in apposi-
tion to it, TIvn:, the sign of the def. accus., would hardly
have been omitted (Keil). " And its ambuscade^' rt.
312^, to circumvent, to defraud (Gen. xxvii, 36) ; so in
Psalm xlix. 6. ''ni'p.y is rendered " my supplanters "
by Ewald, Hitzig (who refers to this passage), and
Delitzsch, who quotes other like forms. The render-
ing of Gesen. and Winer, " its rearguard" cannot be
supported, as they allege, by Gen. xlix. 19. The
word evidently here relates to what had been stated
in ver. 12, and corresponds to 2n"fN*, in ver. 12.
VERS. 14, 15.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 107
" That night" : Not that in which the liers-in-wait had
been sent out (ver. 9), but that on which Joshua and
the rest of the host had arrived on the north of 'Ay.
" The valley" (Auth. Vers.) : See note on the Hebrew
word in vii. 24. When Joshua went that night into
the valley, he was no doubt accompanied by a chosen
detachment from his main army, that thus at the
early dawn he might engage the attention of the
enemy, and give them no time to discover the ambush
in their rear.
Ver. 1 4. — " When the king of 'Ay sazo " : Either
with his own eyes, or by information from others.
After " saw," the Auth. Vers, supplies " it," viz.,
Joshua and the picked body of troops with him.
" Against " : The Hebrew word always indicates the
going forth to meet an enemy, see Deut. i. 44 ;
Psalm XXXV. 3 (Dean Perowne's critical note).
"irT'^b, " at (or " to ") the place appointed " (Ges., Lex.,
and Keil ; cf. i Sam. xx. 35). The reference seems
to be to a spot selected for a concentrated attack.
" Before the plain " (Auth. Vers.) : See iii. 1 6, i.e., at
the entrance of the tract sloping down into the Jordan
valley, and probably the same as the wilderness of
Bethaven (xviii. i 2).
Ver. 15. — ^^ And they feigned themselves to be
beaten " : So Gesen. (Lex.) and Masius, and cf Auth.
Vers. Niphal has here the signification of Hithpacl
(§ 51,2, e), for that the flight was designed is evident
from ver. 6. " By the way of the ivilderness " (Auth.
Vers.), "isnp properly means " a pasture ground,"
from in"!, to drive (to pasture), cf. the German trift
from treiben. " The idea" (says Dean Stanley) " is that
of a wide open space, with or without actual pasture;
io8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. viii.
the country of the nomads, as distinguished from
that of the agricultural and settled people. With
the article it is generally used for the desert of
Arabia, but sometimes for the barren tracts which
reach into the frontier of Palestine, as in the valley
of the Jordan (Josh. viii. 15), or in the southern
mountains of Jud;iia (Judges i. 16 ; Gen. xxi. 14)."
— Appendix to Sin. and Pal. Here and in vers.
20, 24, it seems to be used for the same region as
the Arabah in ver. 14.
Ver. 16. — -IpnJ, lit., "were torn away," i.e., were
completely separated (cf. ver. 6).
Ver. 17. — ET^N N^, i.e., no one of the fighting men,
for it appears from ver. 24 that some persons were
left in the town. "■ BetJiel" : This name is omitted
in the Sept., but in none of the other ancient versions.
Probably Bethel sent succour to 'Ay after Joshua's
first attack on the latter (vii.).
Ver. 18. — HD?, subau. '^T (cf. vers. 19, 26 ; Exod,
viii. i). n'T'33, zvith the javelin, Sept. Iv tco yaicrco
or " light spear," which is thrown, distinguished from
TT";!!, which was much heavier (i Sam. xvii. 7). Such
is its meaning in all the other passages where it
occurs, viz., in l Sam. xvii. 6, 45, where, though the
Vulg. renders it " clypeus," as here, and Auth. Vers.
" target," and " shield," it probably denotes a javelin
or spear, which was slung across the shoulders, as
often the sword in like manner (see //., ii., 45) ; so in
Jer. vi. 23, 1. 42 ; Job xxxix. 23, xlL 29. It may
have been furnished on this occasion with a flag at
the extremity, and being light could have been held
for some time without fatigue. Probably Joshua
stood on an eminence to render the signal (the raising
VERS. 19-22.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 109
of which, but not the time, was doubtless preconcerted)
the more visible.
Ver. 19. — •"in-'V:, for •IJT'V; (§ 72, Rem. v., 9), from
n-1V, i.q., riV^ to set on fire.
Ver. 20. — D.''T', lit., "two hands," hence metaph.
" strength," as in Psalm Ixxvi. 6, " None of the men
of might have found their hands " ; so the Vulg.,
Chald., Syr., Arab., Jarchi, Drusius, etc. The render-
ing "space" or "place" (Calvin, Masius, Clericus,
Ges., Lex^ would require Dn^ for Dn3. IJl Drni, ^' and
tJie people, which was fleeing to the zvilderness [ver. 15],
turned back upon the pursuers " : ) seems to have here
the force of " for," cf Ges., Lex. (4).
Ver. 21. — " And /osh^ta," etc.: Since it appears
from ver. 26 that Joshua remained apart from his
troops, holding out his spear till 'Ay had been
destroyed, Masius thinks that the name Joshua may
be here put for the detachment he had brought into
the valley, and " all Israel " for the rest of the army,
which now came to the aid of its comrades ; but this
supposition is unnecessary, since the mention of
Joshua may merely imply that what was done was
done by his orders. Vers. 21, 22 more fully explain
how all escape was cut off from the men of 'Ay.
Ver. 22. — npxi, "and these," viz., the men who had
been placed in ambush (ver. 19), contrasted with the
Israelites who had fled (ver. 20). Dnxnpip, " to ineet
them," i.e., the Israelites, who had turned round to
attack the 'Ayites (ver. 21). 'ph_^-'M:, "'until not" fol-
lowed here, according to Ges. [Lex., p. 124, 3, r), by
a pret., as in Numb. xxi. 35 ; Deut. iii. 3 ; Josh.
X. 33 ; but, rather, in all these passages the verb is
in the Iliph. infin., and the characteristic n has i
no THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. chap. viii.
instead of a (cf. npil'n, xi. 14 ; r^n^^, Jen 1. 34; Ewald,
Lehrb., § 238, d). D'^'psi T'lb', " a survivor, or one zvho
has escaped by flight" : Masius thinks that the former
word is = Tov ^coyprjOevTa, " one who had been
taken prisoner," a meaning not contained in the rt,
ijy, to escape ; the Sept. correctly renders by aecrojcr-
fxepop Kol SLaTTecjiev'yoTa.
Ver. 24. — "In the zvi/derness" (see ver. 15, note):
Here put in apposition to nYK'?- fn • • • T^x, i-^-, in which
the men of 'Ay had chased the Israelites (see vers.
15, 16). "'th, cf. vi. 21 ; the expression always
denotes a great slaughter of the enemy. D^rmy, lit.,
" 7/nto their finisJiing" i.e., wholly (Ges., Lex. ; cf. Deut.
xxxi. 24, 30). '-ITw"*!, '■'■ that all Israel returned unto
'Ay" ''And they smote it" : viz., all the inhabitants,
old men, women, and children, who had been left in
the town. Cf. ver. 14 for the construction, and iv. i
for the Pisqa in the middle of the verse.
Ver. 25. — "All the men of Ay" : This expression
taken in connection with the preceding n;^\s'-ni;) t:*^^^,
shows that the number twelve thousand comprised
the entire population (cf. note vii. 3). No mention is
made of the Bethelites, who probably shared the fate
of those 'Ayites who were slain outside the town.
Ver. 26. — The same custom of not lowering a
signal till the battle was finished prevailed among
other ancient nations : see Suidas in Xr^iiela (quoted
by Rosenm.). Some, however, think that this act of
Joshua, like that of Moses, recorded in Exod. xvii.
1 1, etc., carried with it a Divine efficacy, and was a
means of securing victory to the Israelites (see Poole's
Annot).
Ver. 2y. — They were allowed to take possession
VERS. 2S. 29.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. ill
of the cattle and spoil of 'Ay, because it was not
the intention of Jehovah to give to His people a
barren and empty land (see Deut. vi. 10, etc.), but in
the case of Jericho the cattle and spoil had been
offered to Jehovah as the firstfruits of the land.
" According wito the word" etc., see ver. 2.
Ver. 28. — ''Joshua burnt',' lit., "absorbed by fire,"
i.e., the town was totally burnt down, whereas before
(see ver. 19) it had been only set on fire. D^iy'pri, "«
permanent heap " : 7K from "p^n, to heap up, occurs
only here and in xi. 13 ; Deut. xiii. 16 ; Jer. xxx.
18, xlix. 2, and in the compound names of some
Babylonian cities (Ezek. iii. 15 ; Ezra ii. 59; Neh.
vii. 61). Q^ir, as in Deut. xv. 17 ; i Kings i. 31,
denotes a long time only, for 'Ay appears to have
been rebuilt, if not on the same site, yet near to it
(see Isa. x. 28 ; Ezra ii. 28 ; Neh. vii. 31).
Ver. 29. — ''He hanged on the tree" : The def. art.
before yv denotes the tree selected for the purpose.
rhn means simply "he suspended" and, therefore, does
not of itself authorize the rendering of the Sept.,
eKpeixacrev iirl ^vXov Si8v/xov, " he hung on a double
tree " (or wood), i.c., on two transverse pieces of wood,
viz., a cross ; nor that of the Targum of Jonathan,
and Arab. Vers., "he crucified" Hieron. " suspendit
super patibulo." Sometimes, however, the word
y;2"fn is used (see Numb. xxv. 4), which means to
rend, tear, or dislocate, and might be applied to im-
paling on a cross. Such suspension, whether from
cross or gallows, took place after the penalty of death
had been inflicted, and was used to enhance the dis-
grace of the punishment (see Numb. xxv. 4 ; Deut.
xxi. 22, 23). Hanging, or crucifixion, was not a
112 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. viii.
mode of execution among the ancient Jews (Light-
foot, Hor. Hebr., in Matt, xxvii. 31). " Until the
eventide" see Deut. xxi. 23. nns^'pjs*, the Sept. et
Tov ^oBpov, may have arisen from a transposition of
letters, viz., nns for nn?, or from a wish to assimilate
the rendering to that in 2 Sam. xviii. 1 7, where nna
is used. ?|. see note on vii. 26}
Vers. 30-35. — Erection of an Altar on Moimt
Ebal, and a RcJicarsal of the Blessings and
Curses upon Mount Gerizini and Hlount Ebal.
Though in the Vat. and Aldine copies of the
Sept. this paragraph is inserted after ix. 2, and some
commentators would assign it a place after xi. 3, yet
' It is not stated in this chapter whether Bethel, which had
taken part with 'Ay, was at this time taken by Joshua, nor is it
certain that the Bethel in xii. 16 is identical with it (see note
there). " With the conquest of Ai a sure footing in the land,"
Geikie {Hours with the Bible, vol. ii., p. 408, etc.) remarks,
" had been obtained, and such a dread of the invaders excited
among the inhabitants as of itself made them resistless. The
population of Central Palestine seems to have fled before them,
for no intimation of a struggle with them is found either in
Joshua or Judges. Perhaps the subdivision into small com-
munities, incapable of prompt united action, may have aided
the general demoralisation, and it is noticeable besides, that
very few fortified towns are mentioned in this region. But the
terrible fate of Jericho and Ai sufficiently account for a universal
panic and abandonment of all, before the advancing Hebrews.
. . . Some of the fugitives seem even to have emigrated to
Africa, if we can trust the statement of Procopius {De Bella
Vandalico, ii., 10) that two marble pillars were to be seen in
the Numidian town Tigisis, with a Phoenician inscription : —
' We are those who fled from the face of Jesus (Joshua), the
robber, the son of Nun.' Suidas states this also ; giving the
words as ' We are Canaanites, whom Jesus, the robber, drove
out ' {s. V. Xaj/adi/) ; and the Talmud states that the Girgasites,
driven out by Joshua, wandered to Africa (jferus.^ Tr. Schebiit,
vi., 36, 3)-"
VER. 30.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 113
there is no proof that it does not here occupy its
original and proper position. We might reasonably
suppose from the terms of the command in Deut.
xxvii. 4, 5, that Joshua would take the earliest op-
portunity of obeying that command, and such an
opportunity occurred, when the conquest of 'Ay had
laid open the road to Shechem, and " tJie terror of
the Lord" (cf. Gen. xxxv. 5) had fallen on the in-
habitants of the surrounding country. Moreover, as
Havernick has shown, the distance between 'Ay and
Ebal was not more than twenty miles, or less than
two days' journey {Eiiileit., ii., i, p. 17).
Ver. 30. — TN, followed by an imperf. (§ 127, 4, a;
cf. X. 12, xxii. I ; Exod. xv. i). This particle, says
Ewald (§ iT,6,b), is used in cases where the historian
either wishes to introduce contemporaneous facts,
which do not carry forward the main course of the
history, or loses sight for the time of the strictly his-
torical sequence, and simply takes note of the occur-
rence of some particular event. " God of Israel " :
The expression indicates that He only, as the true
God, was to be worshipped. " On Mount Ebal " :
In the Samaritan Pentateuch " Gerizim " is read for
Ebal {Deut. xxvii. 4), which reading is followed by
Kennicott, Semler, Colenso, etc., but is opposed to
the Hebrew MSS. and the ancient versions, and
no doubt arose from a wish to give a scriptural
sanction to the Samaritan worship. hy'V. means
" void of leaves," from "pau (unused), in Arab., " to
strip a tree of leaves " (Ges., Lex.). Dean Stanley,
however, says that the present aspect of the moun-
tain, as compared with Gerizim, is not so barren
as to justify this derivation {Sin. and Pal., ch. v.,
8
114 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, vm,
p. 237). It lies to the north of Sichcm, in the
tribe of Ephraim, and is about 2,700 feet in height.
The true situation of Ebal and Gerizim is evident
from Dcut, xi. 30 (see Stanley's Sin. and Pal.^
pp. 238-9), where it is shown that the opinion of
Jerome (which had been before held by Eusebius,
Procopius, and Epiphanius), that these mountains
were near Jericho, cannot be sustained. As Ebal
was the mount of cursing, the altar may have been
erected there, rather than on Gerizim, to signify that
by Christ, our true altar, the curse of the Law is
removed.
Ver. 3 I . — The words " as Moses .... lazv of
Moses" form a parenthesis, and nnrp in the next
clause must be joined to the preceding verse, e.g.^
''an altar (I say) of I' etc. nfob:^*, lit. '' sonnd',' i.e.,
stones which had been unviolated by any tool, rough,
unhewn. " On which ?io ojie hath lifted np (lit. hath
shaken) [any] iro7i" : See Exod. xx. 22 (25, Auth.
Vers.) ; Deut. xxvii. 5. ^I'^jn, with indeter. nomi-
native (§ 137, 3). The reason of this command
probably was that no image or figure might be carved
on the stones and afterwards worshipped. " Burnt-
offerings " : nVy means " what ascends," i.e., in smoke
and fragrance ; hence sometimes called h'h'z, because
the whole victim was consumed, Sept. oXo/cavrcu/xa.
Here these burnt-offerings were symbolic of the
dedication of the whole nation to the service of God.
" Peace-offerings," offered in thanksgiving (Levit, vii.
12) to God for bringing them to the Promised Land.
These burnt-offerings and peace-offerings had been
enjoined (Deut. xxvii. 6, 7).
Ver. 32. "270% T, Qamets-chatuph for f before
VER. 32.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 115
Maqqeph, § 47, 3, Rem. i. " The stones" not of the
altar (ver. 30), as Josephus {Antiq., iv., 8, § 44), the
Syr. \'ers., Maurer, Rosenm., but the great stones
mentioned in Deut. xxvii. 2, 4, and which are clearly-
distinct from those of the altar afterwards mentioned
in ver. 5. The fact that the setting up of the
former, and the plastering of them with plaster, is
not recorded in the brief narrative here before us,
but apparently assumed as a matter of course, it
having been so expressly enjoined by Moses, pro-
bably led to the above error ; cf John xxi., where
" the stone " is that mentioned, not by John himself,
but by the other Evangelists, and which, therefore,
John deemed it sufficient to allude to as already
well known. Evidently the Book of Deuteronomy
had been written before the time of Joshua. ^)]:^V,
properly " a duplicate or repetition of " (cf. Deut.
xvii. 18), Sept. Alex., to SevTepovofMLov, Vulg,
Deutcronomion. The meaning here has been much
disputed. According to Cor. a Lapid. the whole of
Deuteronomy was inscribed, which is very unlikely.
Keil, in his earlier commentary, supposes with Vater
and Hengstenberg that the commandments (not the
exhortations by which they were enforced) from
Deut. iv. to xxvi. 19, called the second Law, are
here meant ; others,, as Grotius and Kennicott, " the
Decalogue " : Masius, Maurer, and Rosenm., the
curses and blessings which had just been pronounced
(so Josephus, Antiq., iv., 8, § 44), which opinion
Bishop Patrick, on Deut. xxvii., thinks not impro-
bable, as in those curses and blessings several select
precepts are cited, and the last of them seems to
respect the whole law of Moses (Deut. xxvii. 26}.
ii6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [cHAr. viii.
]-)Ut neither of these two latter views accords with
the expression " all the zvords of this law " in
Deut. xxvii. 3, nor would the " lar^e stones " (ver. 2)
have been necessary to contain either the " Deca-
logue " or " the blessings and cursings." The choice,
therefore, seems to lie between the view of Vater
and Hengstenberg given above, and that of Micha-
elis (Laics of Moses, ii., § 60), Knobel on Deut.
xxvii. I, and of Keil on Deut. xxvii. 3, viz., that
all the legal enactments (not the historical, didactic,
ethnological, nor any other legislative matter) con-
tained in the Pentateuch were inscribed, — a thing not
impossible, as we know not the number of the large
stones.
Ver. 33. — '^ All Israel" i.e., all the congregation
above twenty years old, and not merely their
representatives who are next mentioned. onpy,
(were) " standing " : The Sept. has irapenopevovTO, as
though it had read Q''")?'!?. " Ou this side and on that
of the arkl' i.e., the ark was between them in the
valley, near to Shechem. " Priests and Levites," viz.,
those of the Levites who were priests, for the rest of
the tribe are mentioned in Deut. xxvii. 1 2 as among
the six tribes who stood on Mount Gerizim. " As
ivell the stranger" i.e., the proselyte (cf. ver. 35). ^' As
the native " : The term niTN! denotes primarily, accord-
ing to Gesenius, " a native tree," from nnr, to shoot
forth. '?-10'':'N?, " over against " (Auth. Vers.), which
may be understood as meaning that six tribes stood
on Mount Ebal, and six tribes on Gerizim over against
Ebal ; so Poole (on Deut. xxvii. 1 2) ; but Ges. (Lex.)
" toivards',' Sept. ttXtjctlov, Vulg. juxta. The prepo-
sition used in Deut. xxvii. 12 is 7;? upon (A. V.),
v:r. 34.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 117
which might also be translated " nigh," or " beside."
It is evident that, whether they stood on the top or
slopes of the mountain, half of the tribes were ranged
on the side of Sichem towards Gerizim, and half on
that towards Ebal. Gerizim was to the south of
Sichem, and rather less high than Ebal. Gesenius
derives it from "'•P3, " dwellers in a shorn {i.e., desert)
land," from ri^ to cut off; perhaps the tribe subdued
by David (i Sam. xxvii. 8 ; Stanley, Sin. and Pa/.,
p. 237). The sides of both Ebal and Gerizim, as
seen from the valley between, are alike bare and
sterile, the only exception in favour of the latter
being a small ravine coming down opposite the west
end of the town, which is full of fountains and trees
(Robinson's Pal., iii., 96-7). Gerizim may have been
chosen as the mount of blessing, because situated in
the south, the sunny region, symbolical of blessing ;
and Ebal, for the contrary reason, as the mount of
cursing. "fV^n, for the art see note on ha-Ooli, vii.
21. ny:;'Ni3 should be construed with niv, for Moses
T * T T ■ '
had given this command as early as Deut. xi. 29.
■qnn^ : The blessing is mentioned and not the cursing,
because the former concerned the whole people, and
was what God chiefly designed in giving the Law : if
they fell under the curse, the fault was their own.
Vcr. 34. — 15"''!inx'i, " and after it had been so done,"
i.e., after the altar had been erected, and the people
had taken the places assigned to them. N'i|5, lit. cried
out, proclaimed, and hence, " recited," or " read
aloud ; " here it probably means he caused to be read
by the Levitical priests. " The blessing and the cnrse" :
Apparently put in apposition to the preceding " all
the words of the Laio ; " but whether limited to the
ii8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, ix,
blessings and cursings in Deut. xxvii., xxviii., de-
pends on the extent here assigned to the term Law
(see note, ver. 32).
Ver. 35. — ''C\ "prip differs from 'b^ niy, which meant
the congregation represented by its elders (see Keil,
Exod. xii. 3, 21), Here are included not only men
but women, etc. If this vast multitude was assem-
bled on the lower slopes of Ebal and Gerizim, they
probably heard without difficulty the reading of the
Law, especially as in a clear atmosphere, like that
of Palestine, sound travels far.^
With vers. 33, 34 of this chapter cf Luke vi.
20-26, where the blessing and curse are set over
asjainst one another.
CHAPTER IX.
Vers. I and 2 are introductory to chapters ix.,
x., xi. The war, which had hitherto been limited
to attacks on single cities, was now to be waged
by the Israelites against their enemies in combi-
nation, first in the south, secondly in the north of
Canaan.
' In Tristram's La72d of Israel, p. 152, it is said, "A
single voice might be heard by many thousands, shut in and
conveyed up and down by the enclosing hills. In the early
morning we could not only see from Gerizim a man driving
his ass down a path on Mount Ebal, but could hear everj''
word he uttered, as he urged it ; and in order to test the
matter more certainly, on a subsequent occasion two of our
party stationed themselves on opposite sides of the valley, and
with perfect ease recited the commandments antiphonally."
VER. I.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 119
Vers. 1-2. — The First League of the Canaanites
against Israel,
This included the inhabitants of the land to the
utmost western and northern borders, though, owing
to subsequent events, detailed in this chapter, it
became limited at first to a confederacy of five kings
in Southern Canaan,
Vers. I. — rbL''3, the object, which is omitted, may-
be easily supplied, viz., what Joshua had done to
Jericho and 'Ay. '*" 15^3, here applied to the west
of Jordan, as in v. i, but with the omission of r\r^\.
"ina, ''ill tlie hill country" cf Numb. xiii. 17 ; Deut.
i. 7 ; not limited to the mountains of Judah, but em-
bracing the hill country of southern and central
Canaan. It commenced a few miles below Hebron,
and extended to the plain of Jezreel, going out in a
north-westerly direction to the headland of Carmel.
n^2V3, " in the plain " or " loiv countryl' from !?S'^, to
be low, always found with the definite article as the
designation of the maritime plain of Philistia, except
in Josh. xi. 16 ("the valley of the same") where it
seems to be used of the tract of Sharon. p|in, " coast"
or " shore" from fjiin, to rub off, to wash off. It is
used in poetry only, with the exception of this place
and Deut. i. 7 (see Gen. xlix. 13 ; Judges v. 17 ;
Jer. xlvii. 7; Ezek. xxv. i6j. ''Over against" (or
towards) Lebanony The Sept. and the Vulg. suppose
an omission of the copulative 1, and the former renders
KoX ol 7rpo9 Toj " kvTiKi^avca, the latter " hi quoque,
qui habitabant juxta Libanum ; " but the words in
the Hebrew are only added to define the line of the
sea coast more accurately, and the reference is to the
120 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. Ichap. ix.
coast of North Galilee and Phoenicia. " TJie Hittite "
(6ee note, iii. lo) : The Girgashites mentioned in this
latter passage are here omitted, perhaps because a
very small tribe. The name, however, is found in
many copies of the Sept.
Ver. 2. — ^NTis, " zuitli one month" or " voice" i.e., with
one accord (cf. i Kings xxii. 13; 2 Chron. xviii. 1 2),
adverb, accus. (§ 118, 3).
Vers. 3-15. — The Craft of the Gibeonites by which
they obtain a Separate Peace with Israel.
Ver. 3. — Itrna, rt. rnJi, to be high, situated, according
to its name, on a hill, and forty stadia from Jeru-
salem (Josephus, Antiq,, vii., i i, 7), fifty stadia,
according to his Bell, fiid., ii., 119. Eusebius says
that in his time it still went under its old name, and
was four miles west from Bethel. It was a city of
the Hivites (ver. 7), though said, in 2 Sam. xxi. 2,
to be of the " remnant of the Amorites," because
the Amorites, being a principal nation of Canaan,
these denote the Canaanites in general (cf Deut. i. 7).
It is described in x. 2 as a great city, because the
head of the powerful Hivite league, and the key of
the pass of Bethhoron, and, though not under royal
government, equal in rank to one of the royal cities,
celebrated for its strength, and the wisdom of its
inhabitants (ix. 4, x. 2). Its government under the
Hittites was republican, whence the expression " the
inhabitants of Gibeon " (ix. 3), and " our elders" and
" all the inhabitants of onr cowitry" (ver. 11). In
league with it, and under the same government,
were four other cities (ver. 17). It was afterwards
assigned to the tribe of Benjamin (xviii. 25), and to
VER. 4.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 121
the priests (xxi. 17) ; hard by it was the '■'great high
place" (i Kings iii, 4, ix. 2 ; 2 Chron. i. 3, 13),
whither the Tabernacle after the destruction of Nob
by Saul was brought (i Chron. xxi. 29, 30), and
which " high place " is probabh' identical with the
lofty height of Nebi Sanuiel, towering immediately
over El-Jib} the modern name of Gibeon (Stanley,
Sin. and Pal, ch. iv., pp. 215-16).
Ver. 4. — DJi, "also" (not translated in the Auth.
Vers.) is emphatic, and refers to what Joshua had
done (ver. 3), for, though Jericho was not taken by
stratagem, as 'Ay had been, yet the Gibeonites may
have imputed its capture to surprise, and resolved,
therefore, themselves to deal craftily ; Sept. /cat
eTTOirjcrav Kai ye avTol ixera rravovpyla';. •1"l*t?y^
Hithp. (n transposed and changed into n, § 54, 2, a),
from "i*V, not elsewhere used as a verb, " to go round
in a circle," whence TV, a hinge, or, as in Arabic, "to
go," whence ")% a messenger (Ges., Lex.), and, as Hith-
pael, sometimes implies simulation (§ 54, 3), hence
the A. v., " made as if tJtcy had been ambassadors"
or rather (as they actually were ambassadors, and
only feigned that they had come from a distant land),
" made themselves ambassadors" i.e., acted as such ;
Keil, " set out as ambassadors." The ancient versions
appear to have read •1Tpv^ " they furnished themselves
with vietnals" denom. from n"i''V, '^ provision for a
journey" which rendering Gesenius (Lex.) and others
prefer : it is, however, unnecessary here, and may
have arisen from the occurrence of the same word in
' Jib in Arabic is merely a contraction of the Hebrew
Gibeon (Kitto's Cyclop.).
122 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. ix.
vcr. 12. n^Sa, "zoom out" or ^'decayed" from n^3, to
fall away. The sacks were used to carry provisions
and baggage, because inns being then unknown,
travellers took with them what things they needed,
nx: for 1X3, a skin in which water is brought, i.q., non
in Gen. xxi, 14, 15, 19 (rt. 1X3 [unused], Arabic, to
give forth water), noun masc. with fern. term, in the
plur., but retaining the gender of the sing, (see § 87, 4) ;
hence here Dfix: is followed by three adjectives in
the masc. " Torn and bound together'' : The latter
word in Hebrew, from Tiy, " to bind together," has
reference to the mode of mending shoes by tying the
rents together, which was generally adopted when
there was not time to put in a patch.
Ver. 5. — nf"?!;?, a form used here only (Ges., Lex.) ;
on hv\, see v. 15. riNVop, Pual intens., "strongly
patehed np" Symm. im/SXijiJLaTa ey^ovra, Sept. Kara-
TTeTTeX/xarw/xeW, " patched in the soles," from TreX/x-a,
a sole: " e/o?ited" (Auth. Vers.), which also here
means " patched," being derived from the Anglo-
Saxon " clut," a clout or rag ; not " nailed," from the
French " clou," a nail, m^h^^, by transp. for n'f'pat^
Sept. i/xctrta, were outer garments, and sometimes the
term is used for clothes in general, as in Gen. xxxv.
2 ; Exod. iii. 22, etc. Travellers who were poor
were obliged to perform much of their journey on
foot, even though they had asses for their baggage,
and this would account for the worn condition of the
shoes and clothes of these Gibeonites. Wi\ii:i, " 7narked
zuit/i points (or little spots)" used of sheep and goats,
Ges. XXX. 32, etc., rt. Ip^, to prick or mark with
points. Some, as Kimchi, think that the term refers
to spots of mould, Sept. apro? evpojTLcou kol ^ejBpoD-
VER. 6.J THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 123
[xivo%, " bread, mouldy and corrupt ; " Theod., dproL
fie/SpcoixepoL : others, as Keil, " a'lcmblcd; " Aquila,
dpTOs i\l)aOvpcojjLei>o<; ; Vulg., " panes in frusta com-
minuti ; " so Gesen. (Lex.). The Auth. Vers. " dry
and mouldy" well conveys the sense. Kitto remarks
that the bread commonly used in the East is
calculated to last only for the day on which it is
baked ; and in a day or two more it becomes ex-
ceedingly hard and unfit for use. But besides this
sort of bread there is another, which will keep a con-
siderable time, though it ultimately becomes hard
and mouldy, and the use of this latter sort is almost
exclusively confined to travellers. " It is a kind of
biscuit, usually made in the shape of large rings,
nearly an inch thick, and four or five inches in
diameter. The bread is, when new, very firm, and
rather crisp when broken ; but not being so well
prepared as our biscuits, it becomes gradually harder,
and at last mouldy from the moisture, which the
baking had left in it. In general, it is seldom used
till previously soaked in water. The bread of the
Gibeonites may have been something of this sort "
{Illust. Family Bible).
Ver. 6. — In the Hebrew, " Gilgal " is put in appos.
to "the camp." A few MSS. read rhh^r^, with n
parag. Keil thinks that this is not the Gilgal
near Jericho, but another between Jerusalem and
Shechem, near Mount Ebal and Gerizim (sec Deut.
xi. 30), now known as Jiljilia : it seems, however,
strange that, after Gilgal has always in the preced-
ing chapters denoted the Gilgal near Jericho, it
should in chapters ix., x. refer to another town,
without any intimation to that effect. It is true
124 TFIE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. wc.
that the Gilgal near Jericho, at the south-east corner
of the land, may not have been advantageously
situated for the conquest of central and northern
Palestine, but the holy associations connected with
it as the spot where the twelve Memorial Stones had
been set up. Circumcision renewed, and the Pass-
over kept, are strong reasons for concluding that it
continued the headquarters of Joshua during the
early part of the conquest (see Smith's Diet, of
the Bible, vol. i., p. 700). 'b? B'''N, used collectively
as in the next verse, perhaps, however, not the same
as 'b; I??, but here meaning the principal men of
the congregation, for b''S sometimes refers to
eminence or rank [Psalm iv. 2 (3), xlix. 2 (3),
Ixii. 9 (10)] ; and that this is the force of the term
here may be gathered from vers. 15, 18, 19, 21.
" Fi'om a far eoujitrj," and, therefore (as they would
insinuate), they stood on a different footing from the
Canaanites (see Deut. xx. 11). '^ Make ye a league
tvith us " (Auth. Ver.), nna refers to the slaying and
dividing of the victims in making a covenant (Gen.
XV. 10) ; cf. opKia Teixvetv, II., B., 124, T., 25 2, and
Latin fa'dus ferire.
Ver. 7. — b''N, coll., cf, ver. 6, and hence the verb is
in the plur. (§ 146, i). The suffix in ''31P2 is also
collec. — ^'■And hoiu shall I make a league witJi you ? "
The allusion is to the prohibition in Exod. xxiii. 32-3 ;
Deut. vii. 2. Note that the O'^ri has "JTiax for the
K'^thibh "ri'npN, because, according to the accentuation,
Cholem (5) is changed by Maqqeph into chamets-
chatuph (6) (see § 16 with § 27, i).
Ver. 8. — " We (are) thy servants " : Probably only
an expression of obsequious courtesy, usual in the
VERS. 9-12.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 125
East, for they wished not to submit themsclv-es to
Joshua, but only to make a treaty with him. ^D used
in reference to the plur. (§ 122, 3). " WJience may
you have come ? " The imperfect (-IN^ri), says Maurer,
is here used out of modesty and poHteness (cf Judges
xvii. 9, xix. 1 7), whereas the perfect is used when the
question is asked emphatically and sternly, as in Gen.
xvi. 8, xlii. 7, "Whence have ye come .? " (Heb. op^^s).
Vers. 9, 10. — DP'^, according to Masius, Junius,
and Tremellius, " unto the naine" i.e., they were come
to profess it, and embrace the religion of the
Israelites ; but rather, " on account of the name." 7
expresses the cause or object with reference to which
anything has been done (Ewald, Lehrb., p. 41 i) : what
is here signified by the "name" of Jehovah is ex-
plained by what follows, viz., the fame of Him and
all that He did in Egypt, etc. With ver. 10 cf. ii.
10, Numb. xxi. 21, etc., 33, etc. "■ AsJitaroth" a city
of Bashan, in which Og dwelt (Deut. i. 4), called after
the Assyrian goddess Ashtoreth (the Astarte of the
Greeks and Romans), who was there worshipped.
This city was assigned by Moses to the half-tribe of
Manasseh (Josh. xiii. 29-31). Some identify it with
Ashtaroth Karnaim (Gen. xiv. 5), but see Smith's
Diet, of the Bible, vol. i., p. 122. The ambassadors
wisely abstain from mentioning what had really
alarmed them, viz., the overthrow of Jericho and 'Ay,
for to have betrayed their knowledge of such recent
events would have awakened suspicion.
Ver. II. — "■Our elders, i.e., the leaders of our
republic (see note, ver. 3).
Ver. 12. — ^yQvh r\\, "■this bread of ours" sc, look
at it (Kcil). nr, without the article, and prefixed to a
126 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. ix.
noun, is emphatically demonstrative [Ges., Lex. ; cf.
ver. 13 ; Exod. xxxii. I ; Psalm xlviii. 14 (15),
Ixxviii. 8 (9)]. -IJl^avi?, " "^c took as provision" denom.
of n^V, " provision for a journey." u for n transposed
6 54, 2, rt;; cf. ver. 4).
Ver. I 3 (cf vers. 4, 5). — In the last clause, "'by reason
of the very great length of the way " : nxp has here the
force of an adjective (cf. Isa. xlvii. 9).
Ver. 14. — " And the men {i.e., the elders of Israel,
vers. 18-21) took of their provision^' either to test
its quality by tasting it, or rather in token of friend-
ship (cf. Gen. xxvi. 30, xxxi. 46). " Bnt inquired
not at the mouth of fehovah" as they ought to have
done, viz., by means of the Urim and Thummim of
the High Priest (Numb, xxvii. 2 i). Not only priests,
but prophets are called " the mouth of Jehovah "
(see Isa. xxx. 2 ; Jer. xv. 19). From this neglect of
the princes of Israel to consult the Urim and Thum-
mim, Christians may learn their own duty to consult
" the lively oracles of God," and thereby to try the
claims of any who call themselves God's messengers
(see I John iv. i).
Ver. 15. — 'urh by^l, " and foshua granted to them
peaee" (see Ges., Lex., 2, i, p. 658), "and made a
covenant with them ; " urh, dat. commodi, " in their
favour." " To let them live " : There may have been
other articles of the covenant, but this is mentioned
as the principal, and because these Gibeonites, being
Canaanites, ought to have been destroyed (Deut. xx.
16, 17). The word rrir, which occurs fifteen times
in this book, means literally " an appointed meeting,"
from iv^, to appoint ; and is generally rendered
avpaycoyij (Sept.), " congregation " (Auth. Vers.).
VERS. i6, 17.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 127
Vers. 16-27. — ^^^^ Discovery and PimisJnnent
of tJuir Fraud.
Ver. 16. — The sing, suffixes in V^x and f2ii?3 are
collec, and refer to the Israehtes.
Ver. 17. — " 0)1 the third day" viz., after the dis-
covery of the deception which had been practised
on them. Gibeon was less than three days' journey
from Gilgal, and on a subsequent occasion Joshua, by
a forced march, accomplished the distance in a single
night (x. 9), but now there was no necessity for hurry,
and Eastern armies and caravans are proverbially
slow in their movements (see Stanley's Sin. and Pal.,
p. 2 1 9) ; yet had the Gilgal here mentioned been
that near to Bethel (see on ver. 6), it would not
have been easy to account for the time spent in the
journey. Hak-K^phirah (lit. the village or hamlet,
rt. 123, to cover, to shelter), situated eight or nine
miles west of Gibeon, afterwards assigned, together
with Gibeon and Beeroth, to Benjamin (xviii. 25, 26),
now Kefir, two miles east of Yalo. Its inhabitants,
and those of Beeroth and Kirjathjearim, are men-
tioned among those who returned from Babylon
(Ezra ii. 25 ; Neh. vii. 29). '' B'erdtk," lit. "wells,"
from 1X3, to dig, to bore, for the wells in Palestine
were deep holes bored far under the rocky surface by
the art of man {Sin. and Pal., p. 147), allotted to
Benjamin (xviii. 25) ; the murderers of Ishbosheth
dwelt there (2 Sam. iv. 2). It is said in the legends
of Palestine to have been the place where the parents
of the child Jesus discovered that He was not in their
company (Luke ii. 43-45), now called El-PircJt, the
customary resting-place at this day for caravans going
128 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. ix.
northward, at the end of the first day's journey from
Jerusalem {Sin. and Pal., p. 215), '' Qi)yathy^ 'arim"
(city of woods), called Baalah and Qir-yath-baal,
perhaps because sacred to the worship of Baal (xv. 9,
60, xviii. 14), apportioned to the tribe of Judah (xv.
60) ; hither the ark was removed from Bethshemesh,
and there remained twenty years (i Sam. vi. 20, 21,
vii. 2), whence it was transferred by David to the
house of Obededom (2 Sam. vi. 2, 10), an event
probably alluded to in Psalm cxxxii. 6. It is
situated about ten miles north-west of Jerusalem
(Eusebius and Jerome, Onojims.), and is perhaps
identical with the modern Kiiriet el Enab, the city
of grapes (Grove, Art. in Smith's Bib. Diet. ; Rob.,
Bib. Res., ii., 3 3 4" 3 3 6 ; Keil). '
Ver. t8. — 'D^sn-Nbl, " anel the Israelites smote them
not" i.e., killed them not by the sword. '•'lii>'*l, " and
all the cojigregation niunmu'-ed" : vi'?, to tarry, to con-
tinue, and hence, in Niphal, to show oneself obsti-
nate, to murmur, to complain, the signification of
remaining and persisting being applied in a bad sense
(Ges.). Elsewhere, the word in Niphal occurs in
Exodus and Numbers only (see Exod. xv. 24, xiv. 2 ;
Numb. xiv. 2, xvii. 6). The cause of the murmuring
on this occasion may not have been disappointment
of anticipated revenge and booty, but a fear of the
Divine displeasure for sparing these Canaanites (see
I Sam. XV. I i).
Ver. 19. — 3 i;J3, " to touch," but here ''to injure," as
in Gen. xxvi. 1 1 ; Zech. ii. i 2 (8, Auth. Vers.). Some,
asMasius, Munster, and Calvin, have said that the
ahth of the princes was not binding, the Gibeonites
having deceived them ; but Bishop Sanderson {PrcBlec.,
VERS. 20, 21.] THE BOOK 01' JOSHUA. 129
ii. and iv.), Cor. a Lap., Keil, and others, have judged
otherwise, for the oath, though illegal, was not to do
a thing in itself illegal, i.e., always and absolutely-
forbidden, such, e.g., as murder. Had the oath not
been kept, the Israelites would have been charged
with perfidy, and the name of God have been dis-
honoured among the heathen. The whole question,
too, is set at rest by the fact, that God prospered the
arms of Israel in defence of the Gibeonites (cf. x. 8),
and at a later period exacted satisfaction from the
descendants of Saul, because he had violated this
oath (2 Sam. xxi. i).
Ver. 20. — n*nn, Hiph. infin. absol., used empha-
tically for the finite verb in the fut., '' zvill let tliciit
live'' (§ 131, 4, rt). 'n'"?), ''that wrath may not come
upon Its." " On account of the oath " (cf. Matt. xiv. 9,
Sto. Tov<; 6pKOV<;).
Ver, 21. — ''Unto them," i.e., to the Israelites.
" Let them live" emphatic imper. vn*!, " and so tJicy
became" \, § 49, 2. Our Auth. Vers, renders "but
let tlmn be" and so Masius after the Sept. ; but this
would require V^n, or vn\ (§ 126, 6, c). The pre-
ceding sentence is called by the Hebrews aVi'^ Nnpp,
" an abbreviated discourse." Thus Kimchi supplies
after " let them live," the words " and let them become
hewers of wood " : so the Sept. and Arab, versions,
•vn'l, therefore, merely describes the final issue, or
result, of the deliberations of the princes ; cf. i Kings
XV. 22, where the execution of a command is re-
lated, but without previous mention of the terms of
that command. " To all the congregation" i.e., in
their collective capacity as a congregation of the
Lord (Numb, xxvii. \^). The Gibeonites were not
9
I30 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. ix.
reduced to domestic slavery, but were the servants of
the Levites (and thus indirectly of the congregation)
by discharging for them the more laborious duties of
the Sanctuary. By this measure the Gibeonites were
disabled from tempting the Israelites to idolatry, the
danger from which was assigned as a special reason
for destroying the Canaanites (Deut. vii. 2, 4). It
v/ould seem from Exod. xii. 48 that they must have
been circumcised, and from Deut. xxix. i i that they
were admitted to a share in the covenant of God with
His people. They were also an emblem and pledge
of the reception of the Gentiles into the Church of
God. Thus the curse of slavery, which fell on them
as descendants of Ham (Gen. ix. 25), was turned to a
blessing. Dn"?, " concerning them" i.e., the Gibeonites.
With this meaning of 'p, cf Gen. xx. i 3, h npN, " say
concerning me."
Vers. 22, 23 (Joshua here announces to the
Gibeonites the determination which the princes of
the congregation had come to concerning them). —
Ver. 23. — n?y • • • ^\ ''and there shall not be cut off
jrom you a slave" i.e., there shall not fail from you a
slave, ye shall be slaves for ever (cf 2 Sam. iii. 29 ;
I Kings ii. 4). n?y is here used coUec. for ''slaves ; "
the following ] is explicative (§ 155, i, a, 2nd par.),
" and that as zvoodcutters and tvater-drawers." These
were the lowest class of slaves (Deut. xxix. 11)
" For the house of my God," i.e., for the Tabernacle,
and afterwards for the Temple.
Ver. 24. — " // ^vas certainly told" : The absolute,
infin. (in the Hebrew) before the verb expresses in-
tensity (§ 13^,3, a). For the (..) in the final syllable
of n^n see § 53, 3, 10, and with that in the final
VER. 27.] THE BOOK OP JOSHUA. 131
syllable of n;"i'3, cf. vii. 9 (note). It is evident from
this verse that the motive which had actuated the
Gibeonites was /t^rr, not any religious feeling such as
had prompted Rachabh (ii. 9, etc.).
Ver. 27. — 'D.3j11*i, "and Joshua made (or "appointed")
them," Sept. KaricrTTjcrev avrovq : inj sometimes =
wy (Ges., Lex., 3, c?, p. 573). Some think that there-
fore they were from the first called Nethinim {given
or dedicated), but this title does not appear to have
been assigned to them till the reign of David (see
Ezra viii. 20), who probably enrolled among them
other captives taken in war. ''For the congregation'' :
see note on ver. 21. narc*? is added to define more
accurately their service as a religious one. Qip^n-'pN,
"to the place" ; grammatically dependent on jnj, but
not implying that Joshua sent them at once thither,
but assigned them to it as soon as it should have
been chosen by God. nria»-T_"x, " ivhich He (Jehovah)
should (or shall) choose " : The preceding words " unto
this dajy" show that, when this book was written, no
place had yet been definitely chosen (so Keil) ; but
as Shiloh, where after the subjugation of Canaan the
Tabernacle was set up (Josh, xviii. i), is expressly
called by God " My place, where I set My name at
first " (Jer. vii. i 2), there is no reason to think that
the Gibeonites were not employe*.! in their office till
Solomon's Temple had been built.
132 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. x.
CHAPTER X.
Vers. 1-27. — TJic Defection of the Gibconites catises
Five Kings in their Neighbourhood to Combine
against them. Joshua succours them, and gains
a Great Victory over the Five Kings.
Ver. I. — '■'■ Adonizedeky lit. "lord of righteous-
ness," cf. MclcJiizedec, " king of righteousness," pro-
bably an official title, as Pharaoh and Ptolemy of the
Egyptian kings, p^L"'n''. : See for the etymology and
orthography Ges., Lex., p. 367, and Smith's Diet, of
the Bible, p. 981. The name occurs here in the Old
Testament for the first time ; anciently the city was
called uh^ (Gen. xiv. 18 ; Psalm Ixxvi. 3 [2]), where
some think that the first half of the compound name
is dropped, for brevity's sake, as nnp for D''"iy*n nnip
(Josh, xviii. 28). It was allotted to Benjamin (xviii.
28), but stood on the edge of the territory of Judah (xv.
8), by whom the lower part of the city was conquered
after Joshua's death (Judges i. 8, with Joseph., Antiq.,
v., 2, § 2). The upper city and the citadel remained
in the hands of the Jebusites, the ancient inhabitants,
who not only could not be expelled by the men of
Judah and Benjamin (Josh. xv. 63 ; Judges i. 21),
but seem to have so far gradually gained possession
of the whole place, that it was called Jebus in the
time of the Judges (Judges xix. 10-12) ; they were
finally expelled in the reign of David (2 Sam. v. 6-9).
Before TJ'X? repeat ''3 with \, " aiui that." vr\% " and
were in the midst of them" z>., were living among
them on friendly terms.
VERS. 2, 3.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 133
Ver. 2. — -iXTi, " Then (or "that") they {i.e., Adoni-
zedec and his subjects) feared exceedingly." '^3,
" because Gibeon zuas a great city I' etc. : See note on
ix. 3. The fact that so powerful a city should have
been induced to make a league with Israel showed
how formidable the latter people must be.
Ver. 3. — The names of the kings mentioned in
this verse were probably characteristic, e.g., Ho-Jiam
(probably for Dnin*, " whom Jehovah drives," Ges.,
Lex?) ; Pir-ani (" the wild ass," rt. wsn|, to run swiftly) ;
Ya-phi-a ^ (splendid) ; D'bhir (the writer). Their
respective cities were (i) Hebroi (Chebh-ron), a city
of Judah (Josh. xv. 54), situated among the moun-
tains (xx. 7), and built seven years before Zoan in
Egypt (Numb. xiii. 22). The name signified coni-
mnnity or society, from lan, " to join together," and it
was the earliest seat of civilisation in Palestine,
where Abraham and the patriarchs had their first
home and abiding settlement (Gen. xiii. 18, xxxv.
27). It was called Kirjath-arba (Gen. xxiii. 2), or
" the city of Arba," from Arba, the progenitor of the
giants Anakim (Josh. xxi. 1 i, xv. 13, 14) ; afterwards
it came into the hands of the Chittites, and was
governed by PLphron the Chittite (Gen. xxiii. 10),
Many (Hengstenberg, Keil, etc.) think that Chebh-
ron was the original name, which, while the Israelites
were in Egypt, was changed into Kirjath-arba by the
Anakim when they took the city, but was again
restored by Caleb after its reconquest (Josh. xiv. i 5),
which opinion is confirmed by Gen. xiii. i 8. Euse-
bius and Jerome {De Loc. Hcb., fol. 87, E.) place it
' The same name was given to a son of David (2 Sam. v. 15).
134 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. x.
twenty- two miles south of Jerusalem. At the present
day it is called by the Mahommcdans El-K/urlil, " the
friend (of God)," because Abraham sojourned there.
The cave of Machpelah is still there, surrounded by a
mosque, and probably contains the dust of Sarah,
Abraham, and Isaac, and the embalmed body or
mummy of Jacob (Gen. 1. 13, see Stanley's Sin. and
Pa/., p. 102). (2) Yan)u)tli (high) from HD"), to be
hiL^h, a town of the Sh'^phelah, or low country, of
Judah (xv. 35 ; Neh. xi, 29), according to the Onoinast.
ten Roman miles south-west of Jerusalem, on the road
to Eleutheropolis,^ and probably identical with the
modern Yarmuk (Robin., B. /v., ii., i 7), on a hill called
Tell-Armuth, where are remains of ancient walls
and cisterns. (3) Lakhisli (obstinate, i.e.., hard to be
captured [Ges., Lex?^, also in the Sh'^phelah of Judah
(xv. 39), fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chron. xi. 9),
besieged and captured by Sennacherib (2 Kings xviii.
14-17, xix. 8 ; Layard's Nineveh, p. 150), reoccupied
by the Jews after the captivity (Neh. xi. 30), regarded
by Von Raumer, Keil, and Van de Velde, as probably
identical with the Um Ldkis, about twenty miles south-
west of Yarmuth, on the road to Gaza. (4) 'Eglilon
' Not mentioned in the Bible. It was a town of South
Palestine, at the foot of the hills of Judah, on the borders of
the great Philistine plain, and about twenty-five miles from
Jerusalem, on- the road to Gaza. Its ancient name was
Betogabra, which is first mentioned in the writings of Ptolemy
in the beginning of the second century. Its new name
Eleutheropolis first occurs upon coins in the reign of the
Emperor Septimius Severus, A.D. 202-3. I" ^^ time of Euse-
bius, Bishop of Csesarea, it was so important a place as the
capital of a large provinr:e and the seat of a bishop, that he
makes it in his 0/io/nasficon the central point in South Pales-
tine, from which the positions of more than twenty other
towns are determined. The name in Arabic is Beit Jibrin.
VERS. 4, 5.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 135
(large bull-calf [Simonis]) in the Sh^phelah of Judah
(xv. 39, xii. 12), less than three miles east of Lachish,
and the same as the modern Ajhhi (Robinson, B. R.,
ii., 249). In the Onoinasticon it is identified with
AduUam from the Sept. reading '08oXXa/x here and
in X. 34, but it is evident from Josh. xii. 12, 15, xv.
3 5; 39> that 'Eglon and Adullam were different
cities.
Ver. 4. — " Come ?// to vie',' in a military sense,
i.e.^ with forces. There had been a previous deter-
mination among the Canaanites in general to form
a league against Israel (ix. i); but, before any active
steps had been taken, the defection of Gibeon led at
once to the combination against it of the five kings
(ver. 3), in its immediate vicinity. The object of
these latter probably was not only to punish Gibeon,
and deter others from following its example, but by
its capture, and that of its dependent cities, to
impede the further advance of Israel. The king of
Jerusalem took the lead, his being, perhaps, the
principal city, and most exposed to attack, as lying
between Gibeon and the camp of the Israelites at
Gilgal,
Ver. 5. — (Of) " TJic Einorites,'' Sept. ra)v 'le/3ov-
aaioiv. Both were mountain tribes (iii. 10, note);
but the reading " Emorites " (Auth. Vers. "Amorites ")
is countenanced by ver. 6. As, however, Jarmuth,
Lachish, and 'Eglon were in the low-country (Josh.
^^'- 3 5) 39)> it appears as if the name Emorites was
not always confined to those who dwelt on the
mountains ; cf Judges i. 34, 35, where it would seem
that, having drawn the Danites into the mountain,
the Emorites themselves occupied the plain. Perhaps,
136 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. x.
however, as Kcil conjectures, the name is here
employed because the Emoritcs were the most
powerful of the Canaanites.
Ver. 6. — " Slack not" lit. " do not let down "
(cf. i. 5, note). '' And save //5," lit. "make ample
room for us." Ample space is in Hebrew applied to
deliverance from dangers (Ges., Lex.). The expres-
sions successively employed in this clause show the
urgency of the peril. •i:\'?x, " against 7(s " : When the
motion towards an object is hostile, -"pN has the
force of " against " (cf. Gen. iv. 8 ; Judges xii. 3 ;
Isa. ii. 4). nnn nw''', see note on ver. 5.
Ver. 7. — 'nnr'731., " ez>e7Z all the mighty men of
valour'' : Put in apposition to the preceding "all the
people of war." 1 is explicative (§ 155, i, a; cf.
ix. 23). It is probable that a selection was made
of the best warriors, and the rest were left to protect
the camp at Gilgal. On this assistance, so promptly
rendered by Joshua to the Gibeonites, Origen remarks,
" Even although thou art but a hewer of wood or a
drawer of water in Christ's Church, yet thou mayest
expect to be attacked by her enemies, but thou
mayest also hope for succour from Christ."
Ver. 8.- — "^^ii"] : Some (Masius, Drusius, Rosenm.)
render the imperfect here as a pluper^"., but unneces-
sarily. God may well have renewed at such a crisis
the assurance of special aid, which He had before
given (viii. i, vi. 2). TTr^, in the margin "^1,% and
the sing, is more commonly used in this expression
(see ii. 24, vi. 2, viii. i, 18).
Ver. 9. — Cf. Stanley's Sin. and Pal., iv., p. 219),
" As in the battle of Marathon, everything depended
on the suddenness of the blow which should break in
VER. lo.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. \yj
pieces the hostile confederation. On tlie former
occasion of Joshua's visit to Gibeon, it had been a
three days' journey from Gilgal, as, according to the
slow pace of Eastern armies and caravans, it might
well be. But now by a forced march ' Joshua came
unto them suddenly, and went up all night.' "
Ver. lo. — C'2n^, '' tJireiu thcui into confusion," from
Don, /.(/., c-in, " to put in motion " (Keil ; cf. Exod.
xiv. 24, xxiii. 27). This may have been effected by
inspiring them with a sudden panic, or h.}' terrifying
them by thunder and lightning (cf. i Sam. vii. 10,
and ver. 11 below), ^'At Gibeon": With this mean-
ing of 2, (viz., "at") cf. V. 13. "^1^1, ''on the zvay
ivJiicJi gocth up to Bcth-choron " (lit. " the house of
caves," in allusion to the rocky nature of the ground).
Beth-choron the Upper is meant, as distinguished from
Beth-choron the Nether (ver. 11). Both towns were
built by Sherah, the grand-daughter of Ephraim
(i Chron. vii. 24), and were on the boundary line
between Benjamin and Ephraim (Josh. xvi. 3, 5 ;
I Chron. vii. 24) ; they were afterwards fortified by
Solomon (2 Chron. viii. 5). Beth-choron the Upper was
about four miles north-west of Gibeon, and n^yo T]-!"!
denotes the hilly road which led from Gibeon to it.
The modern name is Beit-ur el Foka (the upper), as
Beit-iir el TaJUa (the lower) is that of Beth-choron
the Nether (Stanley, ^7/^. and Pal., p. 208 ; Grove,
Bib. Diet., i., 201). "'Aseqah " (a field dug over, broken
up), from pry, to dig or to till the ground (Ges.).
It lay to the north of the plain of Judah, and near
Beth-choron ; but its site is not now discernible
(Grove) ; it is mentioned along with Adullam and
Socoh, towns of Judah (Josh. xv. 35), and as near
138 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [ciiAi-. x.
Socoh (i Sam. xvii. i). It was fortified by
Rehoboam (2 Chron. xi. 9); besieged by Nebu-
chadnezzar (Jer. xxxiv. 7), and inhabited after the
return from the captivity (Neh. xi. 30). '' MaqqcdaJi''
(probably " place of shepherds " [Ges. Lex.]), its site
unknown. Eusebius {Onoiiiast.) says that it was
eight miles east of Eleutheropolis, where east, says
Keil, seems to be an error for west. Probably it
stood where the mountains sink into the plain, for
in XV. 41 it is mentioned as in the Sh^'phelah, or
maritime plain, of Judah (Stanley, Sin. and Pal.,
p. 211). It undoubtedly lay to the south of Beth-
choron the Nether, as the defeated Canaanites were
fleeing to the south in order to take refuge in their
fortified cities (ver. 19).^
Ver. I I. — 'n:iTO3, " /;/ t/ie descent of BctJi-cJidron" i.e.,
as they were descending the pass between Beth-
choron the Upper and Beth-choron the Nether.
The first stage of the flight of the Canaanites had
been in the long ascent from Gibeon to Beth-choron
the Upper (ver. 10). The second stage was when
having outstripped their pursuers, and crossed the
' Captain Warren, R.E., in 1871, proposed the village of El
Moghar (the caves) as the probable site of Maqqedah. "This
position," says he, "might well have been chosen for a royal
city. It is situated on the north side of a narrow tajo, wliich
the valley of Sorek has scooped through the sandstone hills.
Immediately south is Kutrak (Gederoth) ; to the west Ujan
(Beth-Dagon) ; north-east, Akir (Ekrom) ; and about three
miles further north-east, Nianeh (Naamah) (see Josh. xv. 41).
It is about seven miles south-west of Ramleh, in thepositio i, or
nearly so, where the writer of the article ' Makkedah ' in Sm th"s
Biblical DicfioJiory proposes it may be found." {Recent
Ex;plorati()ns in Bible Lands, Paper read at Church Cong ess,
1875.) This view has been more recently confirmed by the
sur\-eyors of the Pal. Explor. Eund {Report, January 1881).
VER. n.] THE BOOK OF JOSFILA. 139
high ridge of Beth-choron the Upper, they were in
full flight down the descent to Beth-choron the
Nether (Stanley's Sin. and Pal., ch. iv.). This pass
was rocky and rough, and was the scene not onh' of
this victory of Joshua, but that of Judas Maccabaeus
over the Syrians, under Seron (i Mace. iii. 13, etc.),
and, still later, of the destruction of the army of
Cestius Gallus by the Jews (Josephus, Bel. Jnd., ii.,
I9»§ § S. 9)- -^s the main road to the sea coast
from Jerusalem and the Jordan valley lay through
this pass, both Beth-choron the Upper and Nether
were strongly fortified by Solomon (2 Chron. viii. 5).
" Great stones^' explained in the next clause to be
hail-stones, Sept. \l6ov<; -)(^aXoL[,r]<;. Cf. Exod. ix. 19,
25 ; Job xxxviii. 2 2, 23 ; Psalm xviii. 13, 14, where
hail is represented as employed by God against His
enemies. Though terrific storms occasionally burst
over the hills in Palestine, yet this storm was
evidently miraculous, like that in Exod. ix. 24 ;
I Sam. vii. 10, for the stones were of unusual size,
and appear to have slain the Canaanites, but not the
Israelites. It must have served to convince the
Israelites, on the one hand, that God fought for
them, and their enemies, on the other, that a greater
than human power was the cause of their
discomfiture.^
' The student of ecclesiastical historj' need hardly be re-
minded of the story of the thundering legion, in answer to
whose prayers a great storm was sent to aid Marcus Aurelius
in his victory over the Guadi, A.D. 174 (Euseb., Hist., v., 5).
This particular wonder is, however, now given up, even by
those Protestants who insist on the perpetuity of miraculous
powers in the Church. (P. Smith's And. Hist., vol. iii.,
ch. 39, p. 520.)
I40 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. x.
Vers. 12-15. — The thread of the narrative is here
broken off, and not resumed till ver. 16. Some
regard the passage (vers. 12-15) as an interpolation
by a late reviser of this book, who took it from
some older historical narrative, in which was con-
tained the quotation from the Book of Yashar. But
for this opinion there is no good authority. It is
based on the questionable hypothesis that the Book
of Joshua is in part derived from older documents,
such as those of the Elohist and Jehovist. Nor can
we, consistently with any just conception of the
inspiration of the writer of our book, suppose that
he would have left wholly unnoticed the remarkable
incident recorded in the Book of Yashar, whatever
may be the explanation given of that incident.
Most probably, therefore, vers. 12-15 is a parenthesis
from our author's own hand, in which he inserted the
above mentioned quotation, in order to convey a
more vivid impression of the event which he wished
to record, than if he had simply related it in his own
historical narrative.
It is doubtful where the quotation begins and ends,
but reasons are given in the following notes for
regarding it as commencing with the word " Sun "
in the latter half of ver. i 2, and terminating with the
first half of ver. 13 ; all that follows the formula of
quotation to the end of ver. 14 being taken as a
comment of the author of our book, and ver. i 5 as
probably misplaced from ver. 43 by the error of some
ancient transcriber.
Ver. 12. — TiS. ''thai" Sept. roTe; Vulg. tunc;
followed by the imperf. in a past sense (§ 127, 4, a) ;
cf. viii, 30, where Keil remarks that there is not the
VEKS. 12.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 141
least foundation for the assertion of some critics,
adduced in support of their fragmentary hypothesis,
that every paragraph commencing with TX, and fol-
lowed by an imperfect, is either a fragment or an in-
terpolation. ~i5n\ ''spake" i.e., in prayer, as seems
implied by ver. 14. Joshua would not have presumed
to give the command which follows, unless he had
first prayed to the Lord, and believed that his prayer
had been answered (cf. i Kings xvii. i with James
V. 16-18)^. The Chald. renders hy n'^'€\'' dccantavit"
but when "12"^ has this sense, it is followed by "!''"♦, as
in Judges v. i 2. "'ps'? nn, " to give into the power of,"
cf. Deut. ii. 31, -:>i, 36; Judges xi. 9. V) \3;y^,
" before the ejrs of Israe/," i.e., *' in their presence,"
" coram iis " (Vulg.), so that they were witnesses of
his words (cf. Numb. xx. 8 ; Deut. xxxi. 7). EJ'O^,
a word which has reference to the /ight of the sun, as '
n^n and D^n have to its heat. The absence of the
article, which is usually found with the vocative in
prose (§ 109, 3, Rem. 2), indicates poetry; so n"i;: "
in the next clause (cf. the use of )*-ix, Job xvi. 18) ;
hence it is probable that our author begins his
quotation from the Book of Yashar (see ver, i 3 below)
at the word " shemesh " (see Lowth's Pnelec, vol. ii.,
lect. 23, p. 152). iwn;?, ''at'' or ";/" {i.e., over)
Gibeoii." DH, Qal. imper. of DO"n, properly " to be
dumb with astonishment," then " to be silent," then
' Other remarkable instances of the importance and efficacy
of prayer are Gen. XX. 17; 2 Kings xix. 2, etc.; Acts xii. 5, 11.
2 This word is masc, whereas HpZ!?, another name for the
moon, is fem. Both names are derived from colour, meaning-
respectively the yellow (or pale) and the white, and thus were
silent protests against the heathen notion that the moon was a
personal female deity.
142 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. X.
" to rest," " to be still," " to wait " (cf. i Sam. xiv. 9
and the synonymous use of C'nnn, in Gen. xxxiv. 5 ;
Exod. xiv. 14). It is here not unfitly rendered by
our Authorised Version '' stand still" (Sept. crrr^Vo)),
because "lOU in ver. 1 3 is parallel to it, as in i Sam.
xiv. 9. " And thou moon " : This direct address to
the moon implies that it was at the time visible ; cf.
Stanley's Sin. and Pal., p. 210, " In front, over the
western vale of Ajalon, was the faint figure of the
crescent moon visible above the hailstorm, which
was fast driving up from the sea in the valley below."
The time of day was probably about noon (cf. ver.
I 3, " in the midst of heaven,") not, as Cor. a Lap.,
Clericus, and others, late in the afternoon, for then
the sun would have appeared to Joshua not in the
east, but sinking below the horizon in the west.
Fay remarks that " the joint apparition of the sun
and moon is not very unusual ; on the contrary, it
may be witnessed in a clear sky at any time, during
the moon's first quarter, in the afternoon, and during
the last quarter, in the forenoon, and, indeed, from
what is kindly communicated to me by the
astronomer Madler, may be seen in the much
clearer southern heavens early in the afternoon,
during the moon's first quarter, and until late in the
forenoon during her third." X^\^ (place of deer
or gazelles, from buN a stag). The valley is iden-
tified by Robinson {Bib. Res., ii., 253, iii., 145) with
the modern Merj. Ibn Omeir, and described by him
as a broad and beautiful valley (now a valley of
cornfields), running in a westerly direction from the
mountains towards the great western plain (see also
Stanley's Sin. and Pal.,^^. 207). The town has been
VER. 13.J THE BOOK OF [OSHUA. 143
identified with the village Yalo, situated on a hill
skirting the south of the valley. After the conquest
it was allotted to the tribe of Dan (xix. 42),
but from it the Emorites could not be expelled
(Judges i. 35) ; was assigned with its suburbs to the
Levites (xxi. 24 ; i Chron. vi. 54, [69]). Saul and
Jonathan defeated the Philistines near it (i Sam. xiv.
3 i). It was fortified by Rehoboam after the revolt of
the ten tribes (2 Chron. xi. 10), and captured by the
Philistines in the reign of Ahaz (2 Chron. xxviii. i 8).
Ver. 13. — ni i.e., the people of Israel (cf iii. 17),
more usually designated by QL' ; thus the Chaldee here
renders by 'PN'^'"'? ^^W ; the omission of the article is a
sign of poetry. rn^V?, accusative, of those from whom
vengeance is sought to be taken, but the verb is
usually used with the prep. \0 or h (see Ges., Lex).
N'pn, nonnc ? = nsn (§ 153, 2, Rem.; see 2 Sam. i. i 8).
by. ''upon" for in writing the letters were inscribed
7ipon a tablet or parchment. -ry\r\ ipp, quoted here
and in 2 Sam. i. i 8 onl\', lit. " the book of the upright
o/ic" (cf margin of Auth. Vers., " book of the upright;"
Aldine and Complut. edition of Sept. eVt ^l(3Xlov
Tov evdovq, Vulg. "in libro justorum;" but the
Peshito Syr, ''the book of hymns" reading "T'u'ri for
X'>n).^ " Yashar," from tj'^\ to be upright, was probably
a poetical appellation of Israel as the covenant people
of God, cf. "Jeshurun " in Deut. xxxii. 15, and see
Numb, xxiii. 10, 21 ; Psalm cxi. i, whence, and from
' Lowth [Pro'lec , lee. 23, note 10) adopts this view, and
says, " I suppose the Book of Jashar to have been some collee-
tion of sacred songs, composed at different times and on
different occasions, and to have had this title, because the
book itself, and most of the songs, began in general with this
word ' veyashar.' "
144 THE HOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. ix.
David's elegy over Saul and Jonathan in 2 Sam. i.
I 8, it has been inferred that the Book of Yashar was
a collection of odes in praise of certain heroes of the
Thcocracv, with historical notices of their achieve-
mcnts interwoven, and that the collection was formed
by degrees, so that the quotation of it here is neither
a proof that the passage has been interpolated by a
later hand, nor that the work was composed at a
very late period (Kcil). The formula of quotation
" Is not this ivritten ? ''' is not found elsewhere in the
middle of a verse, but always either at its beginning
(Numb. xxi. 14, 27), or at its close (2 Kings xv. 21,
XX. 20, etc.) ; and hence some (as Maurer, Fay,
Kamphausen) are of opinion that the quotation itself
terminates in the first half oi ver. i 3. This view
seems also confirmed by the absence in vers. 13'''- 14
of the parallelism in I2'^-I3, and in its being simply
stated as a matter of fact that the sun stood still,
without any mention being made of the moon, and
then the whole account being closed with the prosaic
remark in \cr. 15. On the other hand, Keil, Heng-
stenberg, and others, think that the whole passage,
vers. 12-15, is taken from the Book of Yashar; but
on that supposition we must conclude that that book
was not entirely written in poetry, for ver. i 5 is cer-
tainly prose, and of vers. 13'''- 1 4 more can hardly
be said than that they are written in a somewhat
elevated style, such as is often used in prose itself.
'^'0 ^VD.?, not " /;/ the hemisphere" i.e., in the upper
heavens, those visible to the spectator, those above
the horizon (Cor. a Lap., Rosenm., Calmet {Frag., No.
154), but " /;/ the midst (or half) of heaven" (cf.
Stanley's Sin. and Pal., p. 210, note 5). "The em-
VERS. 14, 15.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 145
phatic expression (ver. 13), not simply ''in the midst"
but " in the bisection of tlie heavens" seems intended to
indicate noonday. '' And hasted 7iot" ]'"ix, " to hasten,"
in xvii. 15, " to be narrow, to be strait," a word used
in poetry, but also in prose (see Exod. v, i 3, and [in
Hiphil] Gen. xix. 1 5). D^pri Dt"?, not, as Clericus,
" zvhe)i the day had passed" nor, as Rosen m., ''as is
the case in a perfect day;" but " abont a zvhole day" i.e.,
about twelve hours, the time between sunrise and
sunset, cL novpn nrj', " a whole year " (Lev. xxv.
30), and for the particle 3 in the sense of " about,"
see Ges., Lex. (A) (3), p. 378.
Ver. 14. — " And there zuas not like that day before
and after it, that fehovah hearkened to the voice of a
man" etc. The Vulg. for " that day " has " tam
longa dies," for which there is no authority in the
Hebrew, which here gives prominence only to the
fact that the wonder (ver. 13) was effected by
Jehovah at the request of a man.^ In the last
clause ""S assigns a reason why the prayer of Joshua
was heard. God had before given a promise that
He would deliver these enemies into Joshua's hand
(ver. 8). "fehovah fonght" cf. Exod. xiv. 14 ; and
the title " man of zuar " given to Jehov^ah in Exod.
XV. 3. The ? before PXTJ"" denotes a dat. com modi
(cf I Sam. xxii. 15, ^-Vk'^^^).
Ver. f 5. — It is evident from ver. 43 that this verse
is not suitably placed here, and hence some MSS.,
and the Vat. and Alex, editions of the Sept., omit it,
though it is found in the Complut. and Aldine edition.
1 In Hezekiah's case the retrogression of the shadow on the
sun-dial was given to him as a sign, and not as an answer to
his prayer (2 Kings xx. 9-11).
10
146 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. X.
Masius, Drusius, and Cor. a Lapid. attempt to pre-
serve the connection with the remainder of the chapter
by rendering TJ"^! " and {]o'&\\\x-a) proposed to ntitni ; "
but this sense would rather have been expressed by
2VC'h 2b'n*i. Either, therefore, ver. i 5 may have been
intended to be merely a finish off to the preceding
narrative, after which the history is resumed from
ver. 11,^ or some ancient transcriber, misled by the
similar endings of vers. 14, 42, may have transposed
ver. 43, and inserted it here. So Ilgen, Rosenm.,
and others.
As to the remarkable event recorded in the above
passage (vers. 12-14), it cannot be accounted for
from natural causes, nor satisfactorily explained as a
mere poetical description, meaning nothing more
than that the day was made to seem to Joshua and
the Israelites longer than it really was.^ The re-
peated assertion that the sun stood still, and the
emphatic declaration in ver. 14 concerning the
unusual character of the event, are at variance with
any such supposition. Yet we are not required to
believe in an actual interruption of the course of the
sun,' for it is well known that Scripture speaks of
celestial phenomena not scientifically, but according
to their appearance, as we say in popular language
" the sun rises," or " the sun sets," because it seems
to do so. All, therefore, implied by a stoppage of
' See Bishop Wordsworth /// /oc, who remarks that this
practice of finishing off a subject, and of afterwards returning;
to a point in the narrative, is common to both Testaments.
-' Such is the view of Keil and Heng-stenberg, and was that
of the learned Jew Maimonides {AJore Neva, ii., c. <^t^). So
Herder, Heb. Fuesie, vol. i., p. 2-^'].
^ This literal interpretation is the most ancient.
VEK. 15.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. I47
the sun might be either that the revohition of the
earth on its axis was for a time interrupted (an event
which God could have so ordered by His power and
wisdom as to prevent any disastrous consequences
to the system of the universe), or that, in some way
unknown to us, God may have so interfered with
the phenomena of light, as to have prolonged the
daylight without interrupting the course of the
heavenly bodies/
Allusions to this miracle are probably made in
Isa. xxviii. 21, "He" (the Lord) "shall be wroth
as in the valley of Gibeon ;" and in Hab. iii. ii,
" The sun and moon stood still in their habitation.""'
There are also, as in the case of the Deluge, many
ancient traditions and fables, which possibly have a
' If, as some think (see Calmet's Frag., No. 154), "■' she-
mesh " and " c?iaiH»iah " are distinguished by denoting, the
one the light, the other the orb or substance of the sun, God
may, on this occasion, have continued the solar light, while
He permitted the solar orb to set. Professor Young [Science
a7id Scripture), in ilUistration of the manner in which the
miracle was possibly wrought, remarks that " light is not
merely an emanation of luminous particles, any more than
sound is an emanation of sonorous particles from a sonorous
body ; in each case a iiiedium of conveyance is necessary ;
and that the vehicle of light is luminiferous ether. Suppose
now a void had been introduced above the scene of Joshua's
operations, then, if the vibrations essential to light in the
lower region had not been suffered to cease, the light would
have continued to be supplied without any abatement of
intensity. Such a temporary separation of the upper and
lower portions of the luminous ethereal fluid would have been
analogous to the temporary separation of the two portions of
aqueous fluid in the miraculous passage of the Red Sea.
And as the water was held in suspense in both portions in the
one miracle, so might the light be held in suspense in the
two p.ortions in the other."
''■ npiT, "in (their) habitation ;" wheie the H— denotes a
general direction only to the place where an object is (cf. H'X"^
'* there," Jer. xviii. 2, oftener " thither,'' ^ 90, 2, d).
148 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. x.
reference to it ; such as the Chinese tradition that the
sun did not set for ten days (perhaps a mistake or
exaggeration for hours) in the reign of the seventh
Emperor Yao, who is conjectured to have Hved about
A.M. 2554, and, therefore, to have been nearly con-
temporary with the date of the miracle. (Martin,
Sinic. Hist., 1. i., p. 25) ; and the Egyptian tradition,
whicli may refer both to this and the miracle in
the time of Hezekiah (2 Kings xx.), viz., that the
sun had twice risen where it usually sets, and set
where it usually rises (Herod., ii., 142). The fable
also of Phaeton (Hesiod, TJieog., 985 ; Ovid, J/r/., i.,
fab. 17, 1. 2), and the poetical imagery in //., ii., 4,
where Agamemnon prays that the sun may not go
down till he has sacked Troy (cf. //., xviii., 232, etc, ;
Odyss., xxiii., 241, etc. ; Callim., Hymn to Diana),
may contain allusion to the same event. The
absence, however, of any positive testimony to it by
Pagan writers has been accounted for on the sup-
position that no Pagan records are so ancient as this
miracle, and that, like the darkness over the land of
Egypt, it may have been strictly local (see Comment.
of Keil and Delitz., p. i i i, and Bp. Wordsworth
in loc). Sufficient reasons why God should have
permitted the occurrence of so stupendous an event
are, that thus He put the highest honour on Joshua
as His servant, and gave the greatest encouragement
to His people Israel in their warfare against their
enemies. Also He signally rebuked the idolatry of
the Canaanites, who were worshippers of the sun
and moon, by showing that those objects of their
adoration were wholly subservient to His will, and,
therefore, powerless to aid them. Lastly, by this
VERS. 16-19.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 149
miracle He may have prefigured the glorious victory
which Christ, our true Joshua, will hereafter achieve
over His and His people's, enemies, when by a not
less exercise of omnipotence the sun will be " turned
into darkness and the moon into blood before the
great and terrible day of the Lord,"
Ver. 1 6. — The narrative is here resumed from ver.
I I. nnrrs?, " in the cave" (rt. i-ir, to excavate) : The
article denotes a cave which was well known (§ 109).
The hills in Palestine were chiefly of limestone, and,
therefore, abounded in caves, which were frequently
used as places of refuge (Stanley's Sin. and Pa!.,
p. 150) ; cf, the mention of the cave of Adullam in
the history of David (i Sam. xxii. i ; 2 Sam. xxiii,
13 ; I Chron. xi. 15). n"Ji"???3 : The prep., being the
same as that before n"ii;p, denotes that the town and
cave were close together. All efforts to discover it
have hitherto proved in vain. Captain Warren, R.E.
(see note on ver. 10 above), remarks, " It is quite pos-
sible that the cave itself may have remained closed to
this day, the tradition hanging to the spot, and the
Hebrew name, the Cave, being changed to the Arabic
name, the Caves (El-Moghar)," {Recent Explorations
in Bible Lands).
Ver. 17. — n\s3n3 for Dvsnn?., cf D\sv?p;i for n^xvp^,
I Sam. xiii. 1 5 ; Esther i. 5 ; from the singulars,
xnm, i<>:p^, the vowel ( ••• ) in the last syllable being
borrowed from verbs ri^ (§ 75, vi., 21, a).
Ver. 18. — "'2: So the entrance to a .cave is termed
" OS " by Tacitus {Annal., lib. iv., cap. 59). H'-^i; •1Ti:53ni.
^^ and appoint ye as guardians over it',' cf. Gen. xxxix.
5 ; Numb. i. 50 ; Isa. Ixii. 10.
Ver. 19. — DFiNi, emphatic, '^ bnt as for youT ipi'
ISO THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. x.
here means to stand still or stop, as in i Sam.
XX. I'i ; Numb. ix. 8. The Piel n.^T, found here and
in Deut. xxv. 18 only, is a denominative from 33r, a
tail, and means properly " to injure the tail," and
hence " to rout the rear-guard of an army" (§ 52, 2, c),
Sept. Kol KaTaXd/3eT€ rr)v ovpayiav avTMP', Chald.
and Syr. " asscquimcni eos," but more exactly the
Vulg, " et extremos quosque fugientium casdite."
Ver. 20. — m2p["iv, see viii. 24. In the last clause
•) before D''1''")1*'l) introduces the apodosis according to
our Auth. Vers., Jerome, and Michaelis, but it might
equally well be rendered " and " (e.g:, " and the sur-
vivors had fled from them, and had entered into for-
tified cities"), the apod, beginning at ver. 21, " ///^?/
all the people returned."
Ver. 21. — It appears from the first clause that
Joshua remained at Maqqedah with the guards who
kept watch over the cave, while the rest of his forces
pursued the enemy ; hence, at the beginning of
ver. 20, he is mentioned, only because his soldiers
acted by his authority. Dl'?t:'3, "in safety" cf. Gen.
xxviii. 21 ; Judges viii. 9. ]*"}n"4<^, ''sharpened not'''
(Ges., Lex}) ; the verb is either in the indeterminate
3rd pers. (§ 137, 3) ; or C'''X must be understood, or
perhaps 3^3 (see Exod. xi. 7, where the same proverb
[though nowhere else in the Bible] occurs ; also
Judith xi. 19, KoX ov ypv^ei kijcov rfj yXcLaarj avTOV
aTrivavTi aov)- f'^X*? is put in apposition to 'b\ "'pn^,
but Houbigant and Maurer think the h before L*'\v
arose frcKXi the error of a transcriber, and, if so, t:'\N:
would be the nominative ; Vulg. " nullusque contra
filios Israel mutire ausus est."
Vers. 22-28. What is here recorded doubtless took
VERS. 24, 25.] THE BOOK OF [OSHUA. 151
place on the day after the return from the pursuit of
the enemy.
Ver. 24. — L"^ l"\s-^3, i.e., all the soldiers in the
camp. |''Vi^/ lit. a judge, from nVi^, to decide, aiid
hence a military leader or commander (cf Judges
xi. 6). x-is^nn ; n for the rel. (§ log, 2nd par.) ; the
X, after Arabic orthography, is paragogic, or super-
fluous (§ 44, 2, Rem. 4 ; cf. Isa. xxviii. 12, N-UN for
•nx, and Nlb'J for -VCJ, Psalm cxxxix. 20). In the im-
T ' T t' /
perfect the form occurs only in X-lbr (Jer. x. 5). " Put
your feet on tJie necks" etc., an act symbolic of
complete subjection, but not one of haughty con-
tempt and insolence, as when Sapor I., King of Persia,
set his foot on the neck of the Emperor Valerian.
David says in Psalm xviii. 41 (Heb.), "Thou'hast given
me the neck of mine enemies." The same symbol
is used to denote Christ's dominion over His enemies
(Psalm ex. I ; Heb. i. i 3 ; i Cor. xv. 25). We may
hence learn, says Origen, to tread under foot our
carnal lusts and appetites, which are Christ's enemies
and ours {HojniL, i i and 1 2). Joshua's object on
this occasion was also to encourage the Israelites
(see next verse).
Ver. 25. — Fear not',' etc. For the greater en-
couragement of Israel Joshua quotes the very words
of Jehovah (see i. 9, viii. i). Thus in our Christian
warfare the victories which we have already gained
through God should animate us to rely on His
further help, till all our spiritual enemies arc subdued.
cn'?j here governs an accus., as in Psalm ci.x. 3 ;
' A word, like many others in this book, not found in the
Pentateuch.
152 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. x.
I Kinf];s XX. 25, xxii. 31. It is found elsewhere
with the prep. 3, or by (Neh. iv. 8), or Di; (2 Kings
xiii. 12), or ■'^N (Jer. i. 19), or \> (Exod. xiv. 14, 25).
Ver. 26. — " Hanged t/ievi" see viii. 29 (note).
n')iV, " frees," from DVV. to be firm (of Acts x. 39).
'• O^nt// tJic evening" of. Deut. xxi. 23.
Ver. 27. — 'L''n • • • nr'?, i.e., on the evening of the
day after that on which the soldiers of Joshua had
returned from the pursuit of the enemy (see note,
ver. 22). "Until this very day" i.e., up to the self-
same day on which the author wrote this history.^
On Dvr see § 124, 2, Rem. 3.
Vers. 28-43. — Conquest of StnttJiem Canaan.
Ver. 28. — N-inn DT*?, ''on that day" i.e., the day
when the five kings were executed, and were still
hanging on trees or crosses (ver. 26) ; hence Ipb, not
13^*1, is used. The capture, though it took place
before the evening of that day (ver. 27), is described
here on account of its connection with the subsequent
events (Keil). ann "s'? (cf vi. 21, viii. 24). Dnnn (see
ii. 10). Dntx, " them" i.e., the king and the inhabitants
' Keil, indeed, remarks that the formula T\\r\ D'rn DVy ir is
not elsewhere used to denote that a thing had continued till
the author's own day, but to call attention to the fact that the
day referred to is the very same day about which the author is
writing and no other (see v. 11 ; Gen. vii. 13, xvii. 23 ; Kxod.
xii. 17, 41, etc.). If, therefore, D>*1? (he says) has any meaning
at all here, the whole clause must be connected with the one
preceding, and rendered as a relative clause : " Where they
(the kings) had hidden themselves, a7id they (the Israelites)
had ;placed large stones at the mouth of the cave tintil tJiat
vciy day (on which the kings were fetched out and executed.)"
The demonstrative pronoun "that'' would, however, be rather
expressed by N-inn than T\^_T\ (see § 122, 1, Rem.). Thus in iv. 9,
vi. 25, vii. 26, viii. 29, n-M DPH "ly means " to this day."
VERS. 29-32.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 153
of the city. Many MSS. read nniN*, and the pronoun
is omitted altogether in the Sept., Vulg., and Syriac.
L"2r'?3 refers to human beings only, as HO^t'ps in
ver. 40, xi. 14 ; Deut. xx. 16, where it appears from
the following verse (ver. i 7) to refer to the inhabit-
ants of Canaan. " As he had done to the king of
Jericho": Nothing is said in vi. 21, etc., as to the
manner of the death of the King of Jericho, but it
is supposed from viii. 2, 29 that he was slain, and
then hung on a cross, or gallows.
Ver. 29. — '' All Israel" z.r., all the men selected for
this war. " Liblinali' (whiteness), a Canaanite capital
(xii. I 5), in the south part of the maritime lowland of
Judah (xv. 42) ; afterwards assigned to the priests
(xxi. 13). It revolted from King Joram, " because
he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers "
(2 Kings viii. 22 ; 2 Chron. xxi. 10). Sennacherib,
King of Assyria, warred in person against it (2
Kings xix. 8), but he is not said to have taken it.
On account of the meaning of the name Dean
Stanley identifies it with the Blanchegarde of the
Crusaders, a hill on the eastern border of the plain
of Philistia, opposite Ascalon {^Sin. and Pal., pp.
207, 257, 258) ; but Van de Velde places it at
Arak el Menshiyeh, a hill about four miles west of
Bcitjibrin (Plleutheropolis). It is described by
Eusebius and Jerome in the Ononiasticon as a
village of the district of Eleutheropolis, For the
prep. Di^ before n:n'? some MSS. read "pr. which is
more commonly used with Dn^3, in relation to
sieges (cf ver. 36) ; in ver, 3 i ? is used.
Ver. 3 I. — " Lachish," see ver. 3.
Ver. 32. — " On the second day" i.e., from that on
IS4 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. x.
which the siege began. No mention is made of the
king, because he had before been put to death
(ver. 23, etc.).
Ver. i-^. — rhv sec note viii. i. ''Gezcr'" (a place
cut ofQ, written often with the pause accent "iT^ and
twice, wlicre it occurs, translated Gazer by our
Auth. Ver., viz., in 2 Sam. v. 25 ; i Chron. xiv. 16,
but elsewhere (even when the first vowel in the
Hebrew is lengthened to t) translated Gezer (see, e.g..
Josh. xvi. 3, 10 ; Judges i 29 ; i Kings ix. 15, etc).
There was a town of this name^ on the south-west
border of Ephraim, between lower Bcth-choron and the
Mediterranean (Josh. xvi. 3), and which was assigned
to the Kohathite Levites (xxi. 2 i ; i Chron. vi. 6^^.
According to Condor [Hajidbook, ^. 412) now Tell
Jezer, a large ruin. This town was, however, at
least forty miles from Lachish (Um Lakis), and hence
Masius and others think that there may have been
another town of this name near Lachish, — an opinion
which receives some countenance from Josh. xii. i 2,
where Gezer is mentioned in connection with Chebh-
ron, Lachish, T'ghlon, and D^bhir. If, however, the
town on the border of Ephraim is meant, it probably
was not captured at this time,''^ but Joshua, having
signally defeated its troops and slain its king (xii. i 2),
proceeded with his conquests of the other towns in
the south. "'Jyl'73"^y, see note on viii. 22.
' In the time of Jerome it was a small town, called Gazara.
'■^ In xvi. 10, and Judges i. 29, we read that the Ephraim-
ites did not expel the inhabitants, but put them under
tribute, and in the time of Solomon the King of Kgypt took
and burnt the town, and slew the Canaan ites who dwelt there ;
afterwards he gave the place to his daughter, the wife of
Solomon, who rebuilt it (i Kings ix. 16).
VERS. 34-39] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 155
Vers. 34, 35. — 'Egh-lon (ver. 3) ; its king was one
of the five whom Joshua had put to death (ver. 23,
etc.). nnrin, of. ver. 28.
Vers. 36, 37, — CJicbJi-roii (ver. 3) : Its mountainous
situation is indicated by bi'l- " The king thereof' :
Probably the successor of the one whose death is
recorded ver. 23, etc. Ver. 37. — "A// the eities
t/iereof" i.e., certain towns which were subject to it.
"He left none remaining'': Yet we afterwards read
in xi. 21, 22 of Joshua's destroying the Anakim
in the mountains of Chebh-ron and D'^bhir ; and
again (in Judges i. 10-13) of their extermination by
Caleb; and hence some, as IMaurer, have thought that
the account here is interpolated, and not strictly
historical. We may suppose, however, that on this
occasion the Chittite inhabitants of Chebh-ron were
destroyed, but the Anakim retained their strong-
holds in the mountains near the city, and, though
afterwards expelled by Joshua and partially de-
stroyed (xi. 21, 22), yet those who fled to the cities
of the Philistines (xi. 22) reoccupied Chebh-ron and
D^'bhir, probably while Joshua was engaged in the
conquest of North Palestine, and were only finally
repulsed by Caleb (Josh. xiv. 12, xv. 13-17, com-
pared with Judges i. 10, etc). Masius remarks that
Joshua in this war only overran the country, and
did not stay to place garrisons in the captured
towns, nor to expel the enemy from every lurking-
place, but left the complete conquest to the
Israelites after they should have apportioned the
land and settled in it.
Vers. 38, 39. — 'n'J'>l, ''and JosJiua turned" i.e.,
changed the direction of his march. D'bhi-rah (the
156 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. X.
n- here is not local, cf. ver. 39), but elsewhere D^bhir
(na'i, and in Judges and Chron. "i^n'n), translated by
Jerome " oracle," from "131., to speak ; but, according
to Gesenius, "the hinder part," and hence the inmost
recess of a teniplC; rt. "in'i, to be behind ; formerly-
called Oiryath-sepher (Sept. ttoal^; ypafXjjLoiTcop ; Josh.
XV. 15), and Qiryath-sannah (xv. 49), perhaps "city
of palm-branches," but, according to Rochart, " city
of law, or sacred learning," and thus it would seem
that this city was the seat of ancient Canaanitish
learning. It was situated in the highlands of Judah
(xv. 49), but its site is not yet determined. " A// the
cities thereof^' i.e., the towns of which it was the
centre or metropolis (cf ver. 37). " Utterly destroyed"
see note on ver. 37.
Vers. 40-43 {Swniiiary of the Conquest of Southern
Canaan). — Ver. 40. — " Smote the ivJioIe land',' i.e., the
whole of Southern Canaan from Gibeon. "inn, i.e.,
the mountainous district of Judah and South Canaan
generally (see ix. i). 333n, ^' the Neghebh," or south
country, from 333, to be dry, the least fertile portion
of the land of Canaan. Its boundaries were from
Qa-dhesh, or from Mount Chalaq (xi. 1 7 ; Clark's Bib.
Atlas), to within a few miles of Chebh-ron, and from
the Dead Sea westward to the Mediterranean (cf.
Josh. XV. 21-32). rh^^"r\, see ix. i. nnp;xn, ''the
slopes," i.e., undulating ground between the foot of
the hills and the lowland, i.q., vTTwpeiai {II., T., v. 2 i 8) :
so it might be rendered in Deut. iii. 17, iv. 49, lit.
" the pouring forth of streams," and hence, the ravines
by which streams pour down from the mountains into
the plains, rt. TJ'S, to pour forth. The Sept., Vulg.,
and Syr. regard the word as a proper name, but the
VER. 4I-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 157
Chald. renders it xnp"j"P "^SV'P, " a pouring forth from
a height ; " it occurs only in this book and the Pen-
tateuch. n!pL'*3n-^3, ht, " every breath," and hence, by
metonymy, that which has breath, i.q., L**53n-'P2) (vers. 32,
35. 37). but restricted here, as there, to human beings
(see xi. i i, 14, and note on viii. 27). '^ As Jehovah
. . . covimandcd" sec Numb, xxxiii. 5 i , etc. ; Deut.
vii. I, etc., XX. 16.^
Ver. 41. — '^ Qa-dhesh-Barnca" : It is mentioned
sometimes as being in the wilderness of Paran
(Numb. xiii. 26, and at others as in the wilderness
of Zin, because the name Zin was given to the north
part of the great wilderness of Paran in which
Qa-dhesh lay. We read also of " t/ic luilderness of
Qa-dhcsh " (Psalm xxix. 8), because the name of the
city was extended to the district around it. If
Oa-dhesh is derived from E^•'^i^, to be holy, the word
' "If, on the one hand, the character of the religion of the
Canaanites be remembered, and, on the other, the Divine
purpose to develop among- the Israelites a pure and lofty-
Theocracy, through which, hereafter, the highest manifestation
of the kingdom of God on earth -was to be made known among
men, the apparent difficulty in accepting the policy commanded
to Joshua disappears. The heathenism of Palestine and
Syria was so foul and degrading in every sense, that there
is no State, even at this time, which would not put it down,
if necessary, by the severest penalties. Its spread to Rome
was bewailed 1,500 years later by the satirists of the day
as a calamity marking the utter decay of the times (Juv.,
Sai., iii., 62). It was imperative, therefore, that the land in
which the Chosen People were to be educated in the true
religion, so as to become the disseminators of its doctrines
through the world, should be cleared of whatever would so
certainly neutralise the gracious plans of the Almighty. Nor
is it wonderful that no other means of securing this great
end presented itself to the Hebrew legislator or reformer, in
the presence of such hideous immorality and corruption,
than the rooting it out with the edge of the sword."
(Dr. Geikie, Iluurswith the Bible, vol. ii., pp. 396, 397.)
I5S lllE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chai'. x.
perhaps denotes a religious centre, but no satisfactory
explanation has been given of the term " Barnea."
The Sept., in Numb, xxxiv. 4, renders it KaS-/^? tov
BappT], which may imply that Barnea was regarded
as a man's name, but elsewhere it has KctSr^? Bappyj.
I'Tirst suggests nria, "son of wandering," a Bedouin,
but in the Pentateuch, where the word Barnea first
occurs, "13 is never used for " son." Others derive it
from "12, a country or land (cf. Job xxxix. 4), and
rix to be shaken, supposing it to have allusion to a
volcanic convulsion in that neighbourhood. Keil
thinks that Barnea was the ancient name, .but that it
was called by anticipation Oa-dhesh in Gen. xiv. 7,
xvi. 14, XX. I ; Numb. xiii. 26 and xx. i, in reference
to that judgment (Numb, xiv.) by which the Lord
would sanctify Himself on Moses and Aaron, because
they would not sanctify Him before the people. It
is evident from a comparison of Numb. xiii. 26
with Numb, xxxii. 8, that Oa-dhesh and Oa-dhesh-
Barnea must denote one and the same place ; and
that Meribah Kadesh is also the same as Qa-dhesh-
Barnea is clear on comparing Ezek. xlvii. 19, xlviii.
28, with Numb, xxxiv.4 ; Josh. xv. 3; Deut. xxxii. 5 i.
Dean Stanley endeavours to identify Oa-dhesh-Barnea
with Petra, but that city lies far too much to the
south, to be described as on the frontier of Judah,
and is not " in the uttermost part of the border of
Kdom " (Numb. xx. 16), but rather in the centre
of Edom. Most probably, therefore, the site of
Qa-dhesh-Barnea is correctly identified by Robinson
(ii., 175) with the modern Ai/i el WeibeJi, which lies
in the Arabah, about ten miles north of the spot
where Mount Hor touches on that valley, and which
VER. 4I-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 159
is nearly opposite the Wady Ghuivciii, which affords
an access practicable for an army through the
mountainous country of Edom to the north-west, and
which might be fitly described as the " kings high-
way" (Numb. XX. i}). So Bishop Wordsworth,
Porter, and others. The Aiii-Kiides argued for by
Messrs. Rowlands and Williams {Holy City, i., 463,
etc)., and which is more than seventy miles to
westward, in a direct line from Mount Hor, and
sixt\' from the nearest spur of Mount Seir, does not
satisfy the requirements of the Scripture history,
which speaks of Oa-dhesh as " a city in the uttermost
part of the border of Edom'' (Numb. xx. 16), and
Edom did not, at that time, extend to the west
be)-ond the Arabah (Dean Stanley, Sin. and Pal..,
p. 194, note ; Clarke's Bib. Atlas, p. 26). Moreover,
the course from Mount Sinai to a city so far west
would not have been by the way of Mount Seir
(Deut. i. 2), but, rather, by way of Shur. Gaza, a
maritime city of Philistia, only an hour's journey
from the Mediterranean (Robinson, ii., 174), Heb.
" 'Assah," " strong," Sept. and New Testament (Acts
viii. 26) Tdt,a, the limit of the land of Canaan on
the south-west (Gen. x. 19), and on the direct route
between Egypt ^ and Syria. It was allotted to
Judah (xv. 47), and taken by it (Judges i. 18), but
soon recovered by the Philistines (Judges iii. 3), and
always mentioned afterwards as a Philistine city
' All the conquests of the Egyptians in the land of Palestine
appear, according to their monuments, to have been confined
to the maritime plain of Philistia, though they may have
passed through the country and exacted tributes. Thotmeslll.,
of the eighteenth dynasty, is recorded to have captured Gaza.
(See Philip Smith's Anct. Hist., vol. i., ch. vii., p. 117.)
i6o THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. x.
(Judges xvi. I, etc. ; i Sam. vi. 17; 2 King.s xviii. 8).
It was chiefly celebrated in profane history for its
memorable siege by Alexander the Great, who, after
its capture, treated the living body of 13atis, its
governor, with the same indignity as Achilles the
corpse of Hector (Plutarch, Alexand., 25 ; Q. Curt.,
iv. 6). Jonathan Maccabaeus (i Mace. xi. 61)
destroyed its suburbs ; Simon Maccabaeus (i Mace,
xiii. 43), after great efforts, captured the city itself.
Alexander Jannaeus, B.C. 96, dismantled it (Joseph.,
Antiq., xiii., 12, 3), but it was soon afterwards
restored by Gabinius (Joseph., xiv., 5, 3), and was
me of the cities given by Augustus to Herod
\Aiitiq., XV., 7, 3), after whose death it was united
to the province of Syria {^Antiq., xvii., 11,4) ; now
GuzzaJi^ a flourishing town, but on a different site
from the ancient Gaza, against which the threatenings
in Amos i. 6, 7 ; Zeph. ii. 4 ; Zech. ix. 5, were fully
accomplished. " All the country of Goshen " : Of
course, not the Goshen in Egypt, but a district
perhaps named after a city so called in the south
part of Judah (xv. 5 i), or from the Goshen in Egypt,
which it may have resembled in fertility.^ The words
"/roni Gos/ieu even unto Gibeoji " dc&cnhe the extent
of the conquered country from south to north on the
eastern side.
Ver. 42. — ''At one time" i.e., in one campaign,
which must have lasted a considerable time (xi. 1 8).
" For Jehovah . . . fought" etc. : This is added to
account for the marvellous rapidity of the conquest.
Ver. 43. — See note at the beginning of ver. 15.
' Hitzig derives the word from the Persian "gauzen," a cow
{Geschkhie, etc., p. 60).
VER. I.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. i6i
CHAPTER XI.
Vers. 1-15. — Defeat of the Second League formed
against the Israelites}
Ver. I. — V^'^"^ : The object of the verb is omitted,
viz., those deeds recorded in the previous chapter
(cf. ix. 1). " Ya-bhin " (lit. " he will understand," and
hence " wise," "intelligent"), a title of the kings of
Cha-tsor (Judges iv. 2 ; cf. x. i [note]). Cha-tsor
(lit. " a fortified place "), the principal city of North
Canaan (ver. 10), situated north-west of the Lake
Merom, on elevated ground (see ver. i 3), overlooking
the lake (Joseph., Antiq., v., 5, i), and apparently
between Ramah and Kedesh (Josh. xix. 36-7 with
2 Kings XV. 29), afterwards allotted to Naphtali
(xix. 36). Josephus calls it ^Acrwpo?, Eusebius 'Acrcop.
It is mentioned in Egyptian inscriptions of an early
date, was taken by Tothmosis III., and was again a
flourishing place under Ramasis II. (Chabas, Voyage
d'nn E^ypt., p. 183). Being on the north frontier it
was fortified by Solomon (i Kings ix. 15), and its
' This is generally called the northern league, but it was
not strictly limited to the north, as is evident from ver. 3.
Dean Stanley remarks, "Round Jabin were assembled the
heads of all the tribes who had not yet fallen under Joshua's
sword. As the British chiefs were driven to the Lands End
before the advance of the Saxon, so at this Land's End of
Palestine were gathered for this last struggle, not only the
kings of the north in the immediate neighbourhood, but from
the desert valley of the Jordan, south of the Sea of Galilee,
from the maritime plain of Philislia, from the heights above
Sharon, and from the still unconquercd Jebus, to the Hivite
who dwelt in the valley of Baalbec under Harmon." {Sin. and
Fal., chap, xi.)
I I
l62 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xi
inhabitants were carried away captive by Tiglath-
Pileser (2 Kings xv. 29). Once more we find
evident reference to it in i Mace. xi. G'j, where
the words " plain of Nasor," the scene of Jonathan's
victory over the Syrians, ought to be written " plain
of Asor," i.e., Chatsor, the "N" havingbeen erroneously
prefixed from the preceding Greek word TreStov.
Now, possibly, Tell KuraibcJi (Robinson, Bibl. Res.,
iii., 365). " Ma-d/ion" : Only mentioned again in
xii. 1 9, probably in North Canaan, and to the west of
Lake Merom (Knobel), or possibly represented by
the ruin Madin, west of the Sea of Galilee, (Conder's
Handbook, p. 425). " Shivi-ron" (watch) : Unknown,
perhaps the same as Shimron-Meron in xii. 20, after-
wards assigned to Zebulun (xix. 15). Some place it
on Lake Merom, but the territory of Zebulun never
reached so far north. It may possibly be identical,
accordingto the Talmud, with the Simmias of Josephus
( Vita, § 24), now Simuniyah, a village a few miles
west of Nazareth, for it appears from xix. 1 5 to
have been near to Bethlehem, in Zebulun. " Akh-
shapJi " (enchantment, rt. pil;'3, unused in Qal., but
meaning in Piel "to use enchantment" (Ges., Lex. ;
cf. xii. 20) : Perhaps the present Kesaf, nearly halfway
between Tyre and Banias, assigned to Asher (xix.
25, note).
Ver. 2. — "in3 |tD-VP, " northivards in the monntains^* :
Construe, state before a prep. (§ 116, i). The
mountains stretching through Naphtali seem to be
meant (cf. xx. 7). "/« the ArabaJi to the south of
Khnfroth " (Heb.), i.e., in the plain or Ghor
(iii. 16) to the south of the lake afterwards called
Gennesaret. Kinn'''r6th is either the town called
VER. 2.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 163
Chinnereth (A. V. ; xix. 35), which may have given
its name to the lake, or the lake itself, so called
perhaps from the oval, harp-like form ("ifUS, a harp)
of its basin (Stanley, Sin. and Pal., p. 373), or
from rj3, to be low, depressed ; but, according to
G. Grove, the name was probably an old Canaanitish
word, adopted into the Israelitish language. St.
Luke .only calls the lake '' Gennesaret'' (v. i) ;
St. Matthew and St. Mark " the Sea of Galilee "
(Matt. iv. 18, XV. 29 ; Mark i. 16, vii. 31) ; St. John
" t/ie Sea of Tiberias^' (vi. i, xxi. i), from the city
Tiberias ; now Bahr TnbanyeJi, remarkable for its
deep depression, being seven hundred feet below the
level of the ocean fRob., Pal., i., 613; Stanley,
Sin. and Pal., 370) ; its length is thirteen geogra-
phical miles, and its breadth six miles. n^Dp' (see
ix. i): Here the north part of that plain, extending
as far as Joppa ; it included the fertile valley of
Sharon, in nisjn, " in the Jiis-hlands of Dor " : ns^
i-g., fitj. a height. The Sept. joins Naphoth with
Dor, and renders as a proper name, e.^:, Ne(^eSSw|0
(cf. Jerome, Ono7/i., " Pornapheth"). The town Dor
was on the coast of the Mediterranean, below Carmel,
and about nine Roman miles north of Ca^sarea, and
was the extreme boundary of North Canaan toward
the west ; a royal city (xii. 23), which gave its name
to the district around it (xii. 23; i Kings iv. 11). It
was in the territory of Asher, but was assigned to
Manasseh (xvii. 11), by whom its Canaanite inhabit-
ants were not driven out (Judges i. 27); afterwards
it was taken possession of by the Ephrai mites.
Solomon made it the residence of one of his twelve
purveyors (i Kijigs iv. ii). In the time of
i64 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xi.
the Maccabees it was a fortified town (i Mace. xv. i i),
and so under the Romans (Joseph., Afitiq., xiv., 5, § 3).
Pliny {H. N., v., i 7) and Stephen Byzan. {s.v. Aa)posi = p"), rush-
ing, roaring, i.e., roaring stream. '^ Chermon," see xi. 3.
'^ And all the plain" (see note on Arabah, iii. 16):
Here is meant that portion of the depressed plain
now termed El-Ghor, on the east side of Jordan.
Ver. 2. — Chesh-bon (Heshbon, Auth. Ver.), the
capital of Sihon, the King of the Amorites (see
Numb. xxi. 21-26), assigned by Moses to Reuben
(Josh. xiii. 15, 17), by whom it was rebuilt (Numb,
xxxii. 37) ; afterwards it came into the possession of
the Gadites, probably (says Keil) because it stood on
' The word ?n3 is derived by Dean Stanley from ?7n, to per-
forate {Sin. a?id Pal., Append., p. 496); it answers to the
Arab. " Wady," or watercourse, which is sometimes an im-
petuous torrent, at others, a brook, a dry channel, or valley.
For its distinction from "IHJ, see i. 4 (note).
VER. 2.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. i8i
the border of their inheritance ; and it was assigned
to the Levites (Josh. xxi. 39). After the captivity
it was retaken by the Moabites, to whom it had
originally belonged (Numb. xxi. 26), and thus became
included in the prophetic denunciations against Moab
(Isa. XV. 4, xvi. 9 ; Jer. xlviii. 2, 45-47). At a
later period, according to Josephus {Antiq., xviii., 14,
§ 4), it was again in the possession of the Jews. It
lay on the border between Gad and Reuben, midway
between the Arnon and Jabbok, and nearly opposite
to the entrance of the Jordan into the Dead Sea.^
The ruins of the modern Hesbdn, or Hilsban, twenty
miles east of the Jordan, and, according to Von
Raumer, more than a mile in circuit, are supposed to
mark the site. 'Aro-cr (=" ruins," places of which
the foundations are laid bare ; rt. T]y, to be bare,
naked), a city on the north bank of the Arnon, assigned
to the tribe of Reuben (xiii. 9, 1 6), of which it formed
the most southerly city ; afterwards came into the
possession of the Moabites (Jer. xlviii. 19); now Ardir,
on the north edge of the ravine of the Mojeb (Clark's
Bib. Atlas). Burckhardt, in i 852, found the ruins on
the edge of a cliff overlooking the river [Travels,
pp. 372-4). It was distinct from the Aroer before
Rabbath Ammon, in the land of Gad (Josh. xiii. 25),
but appears to have been occupied on the first ac-
quisition of the territory by the Gadites, and by
them to have been rebuilt or fortified (see Keil on
Numb, xxxii. 34, and on Josh. xiii. 25). It is also
distinct from the Aroer in the tribe of Judah (i
' According to Kicpert's map it was over 4,000 feet above
the Dead Sea, and about 3,000 feet above the level of the
Mediterranean.
iS2 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xii.
Sam. XXX. 28). hnir\ -^itni, ''and in the midst of the
torrent (or watercourse) " (Do Wctte, Fay), i.e., the
city lay partly on, and partly in, the Arnon, on an
island, now Araayr. But perhaps the words are
elliptical, and more fully expressed in xiii. 9, 16 by
'?n3n -rjtni -ip;x. T-rn], " and (from) the city ivhich is in the
midst of the torrent" (valley, Keil). The city thus
referred to is, not Aroer, but Ar Moab (Numb. xxi.
I 5, 28 ; Deut. ii. ^G), near the spot where the upper
Arnon (Seil Saideh) receives the tributary Nahaliel
(Numb. xxi. 19), on a hill between the two torrents,
where are still the ruins of an ancient city (Burck-
hardt's Travels, pp. 372-4, and Art. "Arnon" in
Smith's Bib. Diet) ; probably Balak went hither to
meet Balaam (Numb. xxii. 36). It must not be
confounded with Rabbath-Moab, which lay ten or
fifteen miles south of the Arnon. See Hengstenberg
{Geschichte Bikanis, pp. 234, etc.) and also Ritter, in
opposition to Reland and many modern scholars who
identify the two. " Half-Gilead" ^ i.e., a mountainous
district south of the Jabbok. The other half-Gilead
belonged to Og, and the Jabbok was the division
between them (see note on ver. 5, and cf. Deut. iii.
12, 13). As is usual with geographical names in
Palestine, Gilead (Heb. Gil-'adh) describes the physi-
cal aspect of the country, and means " hard, rocky
region," contrasted with Bashan, " a level, fertile
tract." The name "ir^J, " heap of witness " (Gen.
xxxi. 47), may, by a change of vowels, have been
formed from this word. The ''Jabbok " (Yab-boq,
' Lit. " half of the Gilead," for, as the name of a place, the
word in Hebrew generally has the article (cf. xiii. 25, 31, xvii.
I, xxii. 9, see Gr., § 109, 3).
VERS. 2-3.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 1S3
either from pi^a, to pour forth, to gush forth, or from
Pnx, in Niph., to wrestle (Ges. ; Gen. xxxii. 24), rises
in the plateau east of Gilead, and, after receiving
some tributary streams, of which one comes from
Rabbath-Ammon, the capital of the Ammonites (2
Sam. xi.), falls into the Jordan, forty-five miles north
of the Arnon, about halfway between the Sea of Gali-
lee and the Dead Sea (Porter, Art. in Smith's Bib.
Diet?). It was crossed by Jacob on his road from
Haran (Gen. xxxii. 22 [23]), and is now called Wady
Zuj'ka, i.e., blue torrent. " The border of the ehildren of
Adwioii " : Popularly so called, both here and in Deut.
iii. 16, because the children of Ammon had held the
whole territory between the Arnon and Jabbok, till
dispossessed of it by the Amorites (Emorites), and
still continued to claim it (Judges xi. i 2-22). Others,
however (as Keil), think that the border here meant
is the Nahr Ammon, called the Upper Jabbok, on
the banks of which stands Rabbath Ammon, and
which, according to them, is the source of the Lower
Jabbok. In its course northward and westward,
between Rabbah and Gadara, it formed the boundary
between the Ammonites and the territory which had
been wrested from them by the Amorites.
Ver. 3. — Render, ''And (he reigned over) the
Arabah" etc. : i.e., the kingdom of Sihon comprised
the whole of the Arabah or Ghor between the Lake
of Tiberias and the Dead Sea. nn??, see xi. 2.
" Beth-jeshimoth" (house of the wastes; PIcb. Bcth-
ha^-y^shi-moth), in the deserts ot Moab, at the end of
' I'll is here written for *n, the dagesh forte being omitted
(§ 20, 3, b).
iS4 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xii.
the Dead Sea (Numb, xxxiii. 48, 49) ; allotted to
Reuben (Josh. xiii. 20), but afterwards in the pos-
session of Moab (Ezck. xxv. 9). "■AsJidoth-PisgaJi "
(Heb. 'Ash-doth-hap-Pis-gah), not known, used here
and in xiii. 20 ; Deut. iii, 17, as a proper name, but
in Deut. iv. 49 translated " Sprijigs of Pisgah!' As
to the meaning of Ashdoth (lit. " pourings out," from
It^'X, unused, " to pour out," see note on x. 40)
opinions differ, but whether translated springs, or
slopes, or roots, it probably denotes some peculiar
feature of the country, at the north-east border of
the desert, by the Dead Sea. " PisgaJi " ^ (" a part "
or "fragment," rt. JD3 [unused], Chald. to cut up,
divide), is unknown, but generally supposed to be a
ridge of the Abarim mountains, westward from Hesh-
bon, the most celebrated peak of which was Mount
Nebo (see Numb. xxi. 20, xxxiii. 47, xxvii. 12 ;
Deut. xxxii. 49). The name seems to have been
transferred under its Arabic form Feshkhah to the
opposite headland, on the west of the Dead Sea,
Ver. 4. — hl2i, here, as often, ^ the space included
within certain borders, ie., " territory ;" the accus. after
■IL*'"!*!, which is understood from ver. i. Og (Heb.
'Ogh, long-necked, gigantic (Ges., Lcx^, an Amoritish
king (Deut. iii. 8, iv. 47, xxxi. 4 ; Josh. ix. 10),
whence it seems that the Rephaim (giants), from
whom he was descended, were not, as Bertheau,
Ewald, and Lengerke say, aboriginal inhabitants of
Palestine, but a tribe or branch of the Amorites or
Canaanites, remarkable for their gigantic height (cf.
note on xi. 21). So Keil, "In the very earliest
' The word is always used in Hebrew with the article, " the
Pisgah" (§ 109, 3).
VER. 5.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 185
times they [i.e., the Rephidim] had obtained pos-
session of Palestine on the east of Jordan, but ai
a later period they were dispossessed and overthrown
by the Moabites and Ammonites (see Dent. ii. 20-1).
Subsequently, however, the Amorites, having been
reinforced by their kinsmen from West Canaan, again
obtained the upper hand, and under Sihon and Og
founded two powerful kingdoms, which were subdued
by the Israelites under Moses." "' AsJitaroth" ix. 10
(note), probably now Tcll-As/iterah, "rising to a height
of from 50 to 100 ft. above the plain, in which ruins
lie scattered. At the foot of the hill are ancient
wall-foundations and copious springs " (Von Raumer,
p. 243). "■ Edrei'' ('Edh-re-'i, " strong," from yiix,
Chald., i.q., rn*;!, " an arm," with k prosthetic), a capital
city of Bashan, situated on a rocky promontory at
the south-west corner of Argob, and on the northern
edge of the Hauran, or " Burnt Country," where Og
was defeated and slain by the Israelites (Numb. xxi.
33-35; Deut. iii. 1-3), still called Edra (Porter,
Damascus, p. 271, etc.). Others, following the doubtful
testimony of Eusebius [Onom.), place it a few miles
further south, at the modern Der'a ; but for reasons
against this site see Smith's Bible Diet., vol. i., p. 492.^
Ver. 5. The Limits of Ogs Territory. — Saleah
(Sal-khah),^ cf Deut. iii. 10, afterwards the limit of
' " Og's capital was in ordinary circumstances almost
unassailable, since it was, stran_s;'e to sa}', built in a hollow,
artificially scooped out of the top of a hill, which the deep
gorge of the Hieromax isolates from the country round. Its
streets may still be seen running in all directions beneath the
present town of Adraha." (Geikie's Hours with the Bible,
vol. ii., p. 360.)
-.The 3 being without daghesh, the word is here put for
nppP (Ges., Lex.).
i86 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xii.
the possessions of the Gadites (i Chron. v, i i),
situated on the south-east border of Bashan, now
Sulkhad{Vox\.Q.x, Five Years in Damascus), a town with
eight-hundred houses, and a castle of basaltic rock,
commanding an extensive view over the plain of the
great Euphrates desert. ''And over all Bashan^'
extending from Gilead to Hermon, and from the
Jordan valley to Salcah, and embracing the four
(later) provinces of Gaulanitis, Auranitis, Tracho-
nitis, and Batanaea. The present Ard-el-Bathanyeh
represents the last mentioned province. Bashan
was famous for its oak forests (Isa. ii. 13; Ezek.
xxvii. 6) and fat bulls and rams (Deut. xxxii. 14;
Amos. iv. I ; Psalm xxii. i 2 [13]). " The Gcshurites," a
people north-west (so Keil, Rosenm., and Gesen., Tkcs.,
i., 308) of Bashan, between that land and Aram, and
on the east side of the Upper Jordan, near Hermon.
Geshur means a bridge, and a bridge is now found
in that region, where the Jordan is crossed (Ges.,
Lex.). But Porter places them on the north-east
corner of Bashan, adjoining the province of Argob,
and the kingdom of Aram. David married a
daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur, and by her
was the father of Absolom (2 Sam. iii. 3) ; and to
Geshur Absolom fled after the murder of his brother
Amnon (2 Sam. xiii. 37). " The Maachathites" men-
tioned along with the Geshurites (Deut. iii. 14), with
whom they seem to have been closely allied (for
the daughter of Talmai was named Maachah), and
dwelling probably on the east of Geshur, and south of
Damascus (Keil). They took part with the Ammon-
ites against David (2 Sam. x. 6). ''And half-Gilcad;'
cf. ver. 2 : Before '•VO is either repeated ^urii?, or
VERS. 6-7.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 1S7
the preposition 2 is understood, z.t'., he ruled over
the half-Gilead, the other half of which was in the
dominions of Sihon, the Jabbok being the line of
separation between the two. That section, over
which Og reigned, lies between the Jabbok and the
Hieromax, and is now called Jebel Ajlun, while
that to the south of the Jabbok forms the modern
province of Bclka. The northern section is most
thickly timbered, the southern most fertile, and the
Arabs have a proverb, " Thou canst not find a coun-
try like the Belka " (Tristram, Land of Israel).
Sihon is represented by Josephus as the friend and
ally of Og {Aniiq., iv., 5, § 3).
Ver. 6. — D-13n, "-smote thevi'' (see Numb. xxi. 21,
etc.) T\irf\ : Two MSS. have ^17^% but the fern, suffix
n- evidently refers to the land on the east side of
Jordan. The actual possession of this was given by
Joshua according to Moses's directions (Josh. xxii.
1-6, with Numb, xxxii. 28).
Vers. 7-24. — A S?immary of the Kings and Coim-
try conquered by foslina on the J Vest Side of tJie
fordan}
Ver. 7. — "From Baal-gad,^' etc., see note xi. 17.
'^ And fosJiua gave it to tJic tribes of Israel" etc., cf.
xi. 23. This similarity of statement is inconsistent
with the view of Hasse, Bertholdt, and others, who
' Though as many as thirty-one kings are mentioned, yet
this is not surprising when we consider that in the earliest
times sovereignties often comprised no more than a single town
and a small surrounding district. Thus in the vale of Sodom
were five kings, one for each town (Gen. .xiv.). To the siege
of Troy a vast number of petty king.s were sent from Greece and
i88 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xii.
regard the following list as not authentic, but an
heterogeneous fragment.
Ver. 8. — " /// the moiintainoits district . . . in the
Am bah," see xi. 2 (note). nniLi'xa, x. 40. "isnp, viii.
15- "•Jjinr', etc., ix. I, iii. 10. Here, and in ix. i, xi.3,
the Girgashites are omitted. Nothing is known of
them beyond their name. Von Raumer thinks that
they settled as colonists on the west side of the Jordan
(see xxiv. 11). In Gen. x. 16 the Girgasite is men-
tioned as the fifth son of Canaan. Perhaps the race
became wholly extinct or absorbed in other tribes.
Ver. 9. — "Jericho," vi. i. "'Ay" vii. 2, viii. i, etc.
Vers. 10-18. This list refers to those who v/ere
conquered by Joshua in Southern Palestine, either
in the battle of Bethhoron (x. i, etc.), or in the cam-
paign immediately following it.
Ver. 10. — Cf X. I, 3,
Ver. I I. — Cf. X. 3.
Ver. 12. — Cf X. 3. " King of Gezcr" x. 33.
Ver. 13. — " King of Debir" see x. 39. "King of
Geder" (Gedher): The town has not been before
mentioned, and is thought by some to be the same
as Gedor (xv. 58), which lay between Hebron and
Bethlehem, /.^., the modern Jedur (Koh., Bibl. Res., ii.,
13), or identical with Gederah (xv. 36), in the low-
lands of Judah (Keil) ; but perhaps from its being
named along with Debir, Hormah, and Arad, it lay
her islands. Caesar tells us that in the county of Kent, in
Britain, were four kings ; also the Silures, Brig-antes, and other
small tribes, had each their own king. Gaul, Spain, and Ger-
many were in like manner subdivided into a vast number of
little states or kingdoms. Often one such little state has ab-
sorbed others into itself, or foreign invaders have united several
of them into one large kingdom.
VERS. 14. 15.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 189
more to the south, and was the same as the Gedor
mentioned in connection with the Simeonites, i
Chron. iv. 39 (Grove).
Ver. 14. — "Hormah" (Chor-mah, "a devoting" or
" ban," a place laid waste, Ges.) ; anc. called Zephath
(the watch-tower), Judges i. 17, though called by
anticipation Hormah in Numb. xiv. 45. The name
was changed to Hormah for the reason given in
Numb. xxi. 3. It stood in the south of Palestine,
in the territory of Judah (Josh. xv. 30), and was
allotted to Simeon (xix. 4). Perhaps at, or near,
the pass Es Sufa (Rob., Bib. Res., ii., 181).^ ''Arad"
('A-radh ; Numb. xxi. 1-3 ; Judges i. 16, 17), a royal
city, near the wilderness of Kadesh, on a small hill,
now called Tell-Arad (Rob., Bib. Res., ii., loi, 201),
twenty Roman miles south of Hebron (Euseb.,
Oiiojii), described as a barren-looking eminence,
rising above the country around.
Ver. I 5. — ''Libnah" see x. 29. ''Adtdlam" ('A-dhul-
1am, " the justice of the people," Ges., Lex.). This
town was evidently in the lowland (cf. Gen. xxxviii.
I, "Judah zuent doion," etc.), between Jarmuth and
Sokoh (Josh. XV. 35). Sept. '08oXXa/x, and so called
in 2 Mace. xii. 38 ; fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chron.
xi. 7) ; occupied by the Jews after the return from
Babylon (Neh. xi. 30). Near it was the celebrated
■ See Art. in Smith's Bib. Diet, vol. i., p. 826. " It was
the great point from which the roads across the desert, after
having been all united, again diverge towards Gaza and He-
bron, and its site is still marked by the ruins of a square tower
of hewn stones, with a large heap of stones adjoining, on the
top of a hill, which rises a thousand feet above the wady on
the edge of which it stands." (Dr. Geikie, Hours with the
Bibic, vol. ii., p. 331.)
I90 THE BOOK OF /OSHUA. [chap. xii.
cave (i Sam. xxii. i ; 2 Sam. xxiii. i 3 ; see Stanley's
Sin. and Pal, p. 258, note 8), thout^h monastic tra-
dition places it near the modern Khureitan, not far
from Bethlehem, a position which does not satisfy the
requirements of the sacred narrative. More recently
the site of the town has been identified by M. Cler-
mont Ganneau with ruins on a heiHit, overlookinfr
the valley of Elah (i Sam. xvii. 19), called Aid-el-
Ma. Here " the surveyors " (employed by the Pales-
tine Exploration Fund) " found a cave close to the
ruins of the ancient town, a cave sufficiently large
to have been the habitation of David, while his band
were garrisoning the hold or fortress." {Quarterly
Statement of Pal. Explor. Fund, January, 1 88 i, p. 44.)
Ver. 16. — '' Makkedah," d. x. 10, 28. ''Bethel,"
see vii. 2, viii. 17 ; but, as it is mentioned here
along with Makkedah, which was in Judah, Grove
thinks that it is identical with the Bethel in i Sam.
XXX. 27, which was in the south of Judah, and
apparently corresponds to the Bethul of xix. 4, and
the Chesil of xv. 30. (See Smith's Bibl. Diet., vol.
i., p. 199.)
Ver. I 7. — " Tappuah " (Tap-pu-ach, a place fruitful
in apples, n-IDn, an apple), not to be confounded, as by
Rosenmuller, with that mentioned in xvi. 8, which
was on the boundary of Ephraim and Manasseh, and
identical with En-tappuah (xvii. 7), but situated in
the lowland of Judah, apparently in the same district
as Adullam and Jarmuth (xv. 34), about twelve miles
west of Jerusalem (Grove), and now called Teffuh.
Like Bethel in ver. 16, the towns in this verse and
ver. 18 are not mentioned among those taken after
the battle of Beth-horon (x. 28-39), yet they may
VERS. I8-2I.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 191
have been in league with the others against Israel.
'' Hepher" (Che-phcr, a digging, a well, from 133, to
dig), unknown, but probably the town after which
was named the land of Hepher (i Kings iv. 10), near
Socoh, in Judah (xv. 35) ; quite distinct from Gath-
Hepher in Zebulun (xix. i 3).
Ver. 18. — '' Aphek" ("'A-pheq, strength), a name
given in Scripture to many strong places, not all
necessarily towns, but perhaps only encampments, as
that mentioned in i Sam. iv. i, xxix. i ; but here
probably identical with Aphekah (xv. 53), a town in
the mountains of Judah, near Hebron. " Lasharo?i "
(Lash-Sha-ron) : Vulg. "Sharon," a town which gave
its name to the plain so called (h being taken as a
sign of the genitive), but which lies too much to the
north. The Chald. and Arab. Vers, regard the b as
part of the noun, and there seems, says Grove (Art,
in Smith's Bzl?. Bicf.), no reason why the construction
in this particular place should differ from the rest in
the list. By the Sept. (Alex, and Vat.) the word is
omitted. Site unknown.
Vers. 19-24. The towns here mentioned were
connected with the northern confederacy (xi. i, etc.).
Ver. 19. — " Madon," see xi. i. "Hacor," xi. i, 11,
13-
Ver. 20. — Cf. xi. i.
Ver. 21. — " Taanach " (Ta-'a-nakh, sandy soil,
Ges., Lex.), a town in the tribe of Issachar, but
assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh (xvii. i i ; I
Chron. vii. 29), which did not drive out the native
inhabitants (Judges i. 27) ; afterwards bestowed on
the Kohathitc Levites (Josh. xxi. 25), the scene of
Barak's victory (Judges V. 19). Its name is preserved
192 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xii.
in the modern Taannilk, near Lejjun (Grove), a small
village, near to some ruins in the plain of Esdraelon.
" Megiddo " (M'-'ghid-do), generally associated with
the preceding city (xvii. i i ; Judges i. 27, v. 19 ; i
Kings iv. 12). Here Ahaziah died (2 Kings ix. 27),
and Josiah was fatally wounded in battle against
Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings xxiii. 29). Now probably
cl-Lcjji'in, the Roman " Legio " (Rob., Bibl. Res., i.
316, 328 ; Van de Velde, Memoir, p. 333).
Ver. 22. — ^' Kcdesh" (Qe-dhesh, sanctuary), in
Issachar, and, according to the list in i Chron. vi.
72, allotted to the Gershonite Levites, but in the
parallel list (Josh. xxi. 28) called Kishon. Being
mentioned along with Megiddo and Jokneam, it
seems more probably to have been this city in
Issachar than that of the same name in Naphtali
(xix. 37), with which it is identified by Keil and
others. '^Jokneam " (Yoq-n® 'am, " possessed by the
people," Ges., Lex.), in Zebulon (xix. i i), near
Carmel ; assigned to the Merarite Levites (xxi. 34);
probably the modern Te// Kaiinon, at the foot of the
east end of Carmel (Rob., Bib. Res., p. 114, 115),
and commanding the main pass from Phoenicia to
Egypt. Traces of this modern name are found in
Cyamon, Kvct/xcui^ (Judith vii. 3). ''Carmel" (hak-
Karmel, " the fruitful field," ^ or " garden "), a moun-
tainous range, on the northern border of the tribe of
Asher (xix. 26), the highest summit of which is
nearly 1,750 ft. above the sea. It was probably re-
garded by the ancient Canaanites as sacred, and the
' This word in Hebrew commonly has the article, which is
here involved in the prefix, prep. ? (§ 102, 2, b), "on, or in,
the Carmel."
VER. 23.] THE BOOK OF [OSHUA. 193
Israelites may have early established there an altar
of the Lord (see i Kings xviii. 30). Tacitus {Hist.
ii., ch. 78) says that Vespasian came thither to
consult the oracle of the god Carmel (the god
having the same name as the mountain itself), who
had neither image nor temple ; " ara tantum et
reverentia." In modern times the mountain became
celebrated for the convent of Barefooted Carmelite
Friars, built on its west headland by St. Louis.
This convent was used as a hospital by Napoleon I.
when he besieged Acre, was destro}'ed by the Arabs
after his retreat, and rebuilt in 1833. Carmel is
now called Jcbcl Mar Elias, in memory of the great
deeds of Elijah, and the same name Mar Elias is
usually given to the convent, though dedicated to
the Virgin Mary. See Smith's Bib. Diet., p. 279 ;
Stanley's Sin. and Pal, p. 352.
Ver. 23. — "/?^r," xi. 2. nn Tv^h, ''in" or '' per-
taining to, the highlands 0/ Dor," see note on xi. 2.
" King of the nations of Gilgal " (Auth. Vers.), or
''king of the Go-yini at Gilgal" (Keil) : Dnn being
taken as a proper name, referring to an aboriginal
tribe. It may, perhaps, denote an aggregate of mixed
and nomadic tribes, to whom Gilgal was a centre and
capital, cf the phrase " Galilee of the nations " (Isa.
ix. I ; Matt. iv. i 5). Gilgal (which cannot be the
Gilgal near Jericho) is supposed by Keil and others
to be the same as Galgulis, six miles north of Kefr
Saba, the ancient Antipatris (Euseb. and Jerome,
Onom.), on the main road from Egypt and Phoenicia,
in the plain of Sharon, and still to be seen in the
modern village of filjnleh, or Jiljulieh, now almost a
ruin (sec Robin., L'ib. Res., p. i 36). It is distinguished
13
194 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xii.
by Keil from the village of Jiljilia (see ix. 6), sup-
posed to be the site of the Gilgal from which Elijah
and Elisha went down to Bethel (2 Kings ii. i, 2).
Over the plains of Sharon the nomadic Goyim may
have spread themselves.
Ver. 24. — " Tit'-tsak" (" pleasantness," from nyn, to
be delighted), in the tribe of Ephraim (Clark's Bib.
Atlas) ; afterwards the capital of the ten tribes, till
the time of Omri (i Kings xiv. 17, xv. 33, xvi. 8-18,
24), alluded to for its beauty (Cant. vi. 4) ; the scene
of Menahem's conspiracy against Shallum (2 Kings
XV. 14, 16); probably the modern TcUilzaJi, an
elevated and beautiful place, three miles north of
Nablus (Shechem). See Robinson's Later Bib. Res.,
P- 303 j Van de Velde, Syr. and Pal., iii., 334.
The specification of each king by himself singly in
this chapter, says Bishop Wordsworth, and the sum-
ming-up of «// collectively, may be designed to remind
the reader of Holy Scripture that each individual par-
ticularly, and especially each individual in a place of
eminence and responsibility, will be judged by the
Divine Joshua ; as He Himself says, "Behold, I come
quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every
man according as his work shall be " (Rev. xxii. 1 2) ;
and that this judgment will be universal.
VER. I.] l^HE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 195
SECOND PART.
THE DIVISION OF THE LAND OF CANAAN}
(Chapters XIIL— XXIV.)
CHAPTER XIIL
Vers. 1-7. — God's Command to Joshua to Distribute
the Laud of Caiiaau on the West Side of Jorda?i
by Lot among the nine and a half Tribes ; and an
Enumeration of the still Unconquered Districts.
Ver. I . — 131 IP.T, [was^ old (and) far gojie in years " :
Cf. Gen. xviii. 11, xxiv. i ; i Kings i. i ; Luke i.
6, I 8 ; Q''^l = " years " or " time of life " (Ges., Lex.,
p. 342). The expression denotes great age in its
several stages even up to the near approach of death
(xxiii. i). It never seems used in Scripture of any
but holy persons ; the days of the wicked are con-
sumed in vanity (Psalm Ixxviii. 33) ; Bishop Words-
worth, nxp-nain, used adverb. (§ 131, 2). nrip'")'?,
'' to take possession of it " ; see on the word L''T, Ges.,
' We are expressly told concerning seven of the tribes that
this division was made according to previously prepared records
(see xviii. 8, 9), and it is probable that such was the case also
in reference to the other tribes on the west of Jordan. Topo-
graphical surveys of the land may have been made as soon as
it had been overrun by the armies of Joshua. Otherwise, as
Knobel remarks, a single Hebrew writer would hardly have
had so accurate a knowledge of the land as the author of this
book displays, especially in regard to the boundaries.
196 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xiii.
Lex. (i). For an explanation of the assertion in the
last clause of this verse see note on xi. 23.
Ver. 2. — This verse to the first half of ver. 6 is
parenthetical, and mentions the districts still uncon-
quered in the south and north. After JTiX'i^'in supply
nri;'h^. ''Borders'' (Auth. Vers.), lit circles/from ^S|,
to roll ; Vulg. Galilea ; but Sept. correctly opia. The
reference seems to be to carefully marked out districts
around the five principal towns of the Philistines.^
'■'And all Geslmri" : A district in the desert between
Arabia and Philistia ( i Sam. xxvii. 8), distinct from the
country of the Geshurites mentioned in ver. i 3, xii. 5.
Ver. 3. — "From the Sihor" (Shi-chor, black, turbid,
rt. int?', to be black) : Though the Nile is so called
(Isa. xxxiii..3 ; Jer. ii. 18 ; cf. Virg., Georg., iv., 291,
" viridem v^gyptum nigra fecundat arena "), yet here
the name probably refers to the Cnvp ^m (Numb.
xxxiv. 5), on the south border of Philistia, the 'Pivo-
Kopovpa of the Greeks, and the modern VVadj el
Arisk. In Josh. xix. 26 the same name Shichor is
given to a border stream of Asher. The Nile, which
flows through the middle of Egypt, could not be cor-
rectly described as " before Egypt." " Ekron " ('Eq-
ron, "eradication," from ij^y, to root out; cf Zeph.
ii. 4), ^AKKapcop, Sept. ; Accaron, Vulg. ; the most
northern town of Philistia, assigned first to the tribe
of Judah (xv. 11, 45), secondly to Dan (xix. 43) ;
after the death of Joshua conquered by Judah (Judges
i. 18), but soon recovered by the Philistines (i Sam.
V. 10), and though reconquered by Samuel (i Sam.
» No portion of the territory of the Philistines was conquered
in the lifetime of Joshua, nor after his death was any permanent
conquest effected (Judges iii. 3).
VER. 3.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 197
vii. 14), yet afterwards spoken of as a Philistine city
(i Sam. xvii. 52 ; 2 Kings i. 2, 16 ; Jer. xxv. 20 ;
Amos i. 8, etc.). It was the last place to which the
ark was carried before its return to Israel (i Sam.
V, 10), and was the seat of the worship of Beelzebub,
the fly-god (2 Kings i. 2, etc.). Now Akir, a small
mud village, five miles south-west of Ramleh (Rob.,
Bib. Res., ii., 227-9.). !^3f2y, nortJnvard, Sept. e^
evcjvviJicov, because " the north " is on the left of one
looking towards the east. " (Which) ts counted to the
Canaanitc " (Auth. Vers.) : The relative, as here, is
often omitted (§ 123, 3), or "it," i.e., the whole dis-
trict from Sichor to Ekron, "shall be counted," etc.
The rendering of Keil, " To the Canaanite is reckoned
(the territory of the) five lords of the Philistines," dis-
regards the athnach under 3L"nri. Though the Philis-
tines were not a Canaanitish, but a foreign race (Gen.
X. 14 ; Deut. ii. 23), yet their land having originally
belonged to Canaan, is here reckoned part of it.
^j"ip, lit. " ax/es (of)," the term being used metaphori-
cally of princes, as hinges of the state (cf. cardinal,
from cardo, a hinge). It is applied only to the five
princes of the Philistines (cf. Judges iii. 3, xvi. 5, etc. ;
I Sam. V. 8, etc.), and is interchanged with Dnb>
(i Sam. xxix. 6, compared with vers. 4, 9). In
Arabic a cognate term is used of a prince and com-
mander of an army. " T/ie GasatJiites" (the 'Az-za-
thite, see x. 41) : The Hebrew gentilic being in the
singular may agree with p.D understood (cf. Sept. tw
Talaio), k.t.K.) ; or it may be here used collectively,
as in Auth. Vers, and Vulg. " T/ie As/idotkites" (the
'Ash-do-dhite), xi. 22. " T/ie Es/d-aloJiites" ('Esh-
q'^lo-nite) : The gentile noun in Hebrew occurs here
198 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xiii.
only. Ashkelon^ lay on the seacoast between Ashdod
and Gaza ; it is not named among the Philistine
towns assigned to Jiidah (xv. 45-47 ; though men-
tioned by Josephus, Antig., v., i, § 22), but was
conquered by that tribe (Judges i, 18), yet soon
regained its independence (Judges xiv. 19 ; i Sam.
vi. 17). Herod the Great was born there (Euseb.,
H. E., i , 6). It was remarkable (like Gaza, Ashdod,
and Ekron) for the extreme beauty and profusion of
the gardens surrounding it, and for the temple of the
Syrian Venus with its sacred doves (Diod. Sic, ii., 4).
It became a bishop's see in the fourth century, was
unsuccessfully besieged by the crusaders in IIOOA.D.,
and again in i 148 A.D. Baldwin III. captured it in
I I 57, but it was retaken by Saladin in 11 87, and
burnt by him in i 1 9 i . Richard I. of England obtained
possession the same year, and restored the fortifica-
tions in I 192. "Within the walls and towers now
standing he held his court " (Stanley's Si)i. and Pal,
p. 257). Sultan Bibars destroyed its fortifications,
and filled up its harbour in 1270. The ruins of
massive walls and towers attest its former strength,
and it still bears the name Askulan. " The Gittites"
(Gittite or Gathite), see xi. 22. " The Avites" ('Av-vim,
" those who inhabit desert places," from mr, " over-
turning," Ges.), probably a remnant of those who had
been exterminated by the Caphtorim (Deut. ii. 23).
Some (Ewald and Lengerke) think that they were
aborigines of Palestine, but, more probably, they
were Canaanites, for the border of the latter extended
into Gaza (Gen. x. 19).
' This word is always so pointed in the Hebrew (see Ges.,
Lex.).
VER. 4.] THE BOOK OF^ JOSHUA. 199
Ver. 4. — '19^;^1P : According to the arrangement
of the Masoretic text the portion of Canaan here
meant must be that to the south of Gaza, viz., the
country of King Arad (Numb. xxi. i), bordering on
the deserts of Paran, Zin, Kadesh, etc. ; but as the
districts named in the rest of the verse belong to
North Canaan, and not to the quarter mentioned in
vers. 2 and 3, it is better, with the Sept., Vulg., and
Syr., to join ip^rip with the preceding verse, e.g., ''the
Avviui from (or 011) the south',' i.e., on the south of
PhiHstia between Gaza and the district of Shur. So
Keil. ''All the land of the Canaanites," i.e., all the
district here referred to, viz., that along the coast of
Phoenicia. " JlTearah" rendered "cave" in x. 18,
and so here by Keil and others after the Chald., Syr.,
and Arab. Versions, and supposed by some to be the
same as Mugr Jezzin (the cave of Jezzin), between
Tyre and Zidon ; but it seems unlikely that if a
cave was meant, the article would have been omitted
in the Hebrew. Probably, therefore, a town or
village is denoted, as in Auth. Vers., though, accord-
ing to Grove, there are no traces left of it. (See Art.
by Grove, in Smith's Bib. Diet.). Lieut. Conder
would identify it with Mogheiriyeh, north of Zidon.
-'? T.:/x, not as in Auth. Vers., " that is beside," but
*''zvhieh belongs to." " Unto Aphek": The n- in the Hcb.
noun is local(G'r.,§ 90,2, c). 'y^-/'/^r^(Heb.) = strength,
from p?vS, to hold fast, was probably the same city as
that assigned to Asher (xix. 30) ; and, therefore
different from that in xii. 1 8, of which that tribe
could not take possession (Judges i. 31). Gesenius
is probably right in identifying it with Aphaca, a city
on the north-western slopes of Lebanon, famous for
20O THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xiii
its temple of Venus, whose ruins are still called Afka
(Rob., Bib. Res., iii., 606-7) ; for though Afka is
beyond the proper limits of Asher, yet so was Gebal
(see next verse), and so was Kcdesh beyond Judah
on the south. " To the borders of the Amorites," i.e., to
the border of the land which was formerly inhabited
by the Amorites, and afterwards belonged to O""
King of Bashan. Thus the words give another ter-
minus ad quem, viz., in an easterly direction, and
describe the breadth of the unconquered district
(Keil).
Ver. 5. — " 77ie land of the Giblites," i.e., the terri-
tory belonging to the inhabitants of Gebal (mountain)
in Phoenicia, on the shore of the Mediterranean, under
Mount Lebanon, now called by the Arabs febail,
which stands on a rising ground, near the sea to the
north of Beirut. Gebal possessed a fleet in the time
of Alexander the Great {Exp. Alex., ii., 20), and was
renowned for its temple of Adonis (Strabo, xvi., 755).
The plur. D''^?^ is rendered by the Auth. Vers. " stone-
squarers'Mn i Kings v. 18 (32 Heb.), whence it
appears that the Giblites were so employed by the
Tyrians ; also as " calkers " (A. V., Ezek. xxvii. 9).
The Greeks called the place BtySXo? or Bu/3Xo9, hence
the Alex. Sept. BtySXtot (i Kings v. 18). Here, and
in other Phoenician cities, have been found huge stones
like those in the foundation of Solomon's Temple
(Ritter's Geog. Pal., ii., 214-15).! ''Baal-gad" see
xi. 17, and xii. 7. '' Hermon" k\. 3, 17. ''On the
• The "Gebal" mentioned in Psalm l.xxxiii. 7 (8), seems to
have been a different place. It was probably a tract of Edom,
south of the Dead Sea, and called Gabilene by Josephus,
Eusebius, and Jerome.
VEP. 6. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 201
entering into Ha-viath" (Ch^math, "defence," or citadel,
from non, " to surround with a wall ") was the name
of a distinguished city of Syria, on the Orontes, on
the northern frontier of the Holy Land (cf. Numb,
xiii. 21, xxxiv. 8 ; Judges iii. 3), the Epiphania of
the Greeks Qose^ph.^Antiq., i., 6, 2). The same name
" Hamath " appears to have been given to the terri-
tory or kingdom, as well as to its capital (see 2
Chron. viii. 4, where Solomon is said to have built
store-cities in Hamath), and in this wider meaning
the name is probably used here (Josh. xiii. 5). The
N"t3, or pass, was the gate of approach to Canaan
from Babylon and all the north (Zech. ix. 2 ; Jer.
xxxix. 5). The inhabitants of Hamath were de-
scendants of Ham (Cham) (Gen. x. 18). For its con-
nection with David see 2 Sam. viii. 10, and with
Solomon i Kings iv. 21-24; 2 Chron, viii. 4. After
the latter's death it seems to have recovered its
independence, but was reconquered by Jeroboam H.
(2 Kings xiv. 28); afterwards it was subjugated by
the Assyrians (2 Kings xvii. 24, xviii. 34, xix. 13 ;
Isa. X. 9, xi. I i), and again by the Chaldeans (Jer.
xxxix. 5). It is now Haina/i, the seat of a Greek
bishop, and, according to Winer, numbers 100,000
inhabitants. {Koh., Later Res., ^. 568 ; Burckhardt's
Travels in Syria, pp. 146-7 ; Stanley's Siji. and Pal.,
pp. 406-7.)
Ver. 6. — '' Misrephoth-viaini',' cf. xi. 8 (note). ''All
the Sidoiiiafis" : Put here for the Phoenicians jjene-
rally (cf Judges iii. 3 ; Homer, //., vi., 298). '•pix,
emphatic. D^^'nix, " / will dispossess them " (see iii.
10, note): The pron. suff. shows that the first sen-
tence of the verse is put absolutely (§ 145, 2). The
202 THE BOOK OF /OSHC/A. [chap. xiii.
words " otify assign it" to the end of the verse are
connected with the end of verse i (see note at the
beginning of verse 2). p-i, " only;' i.e., though thou
hast not yet conquered it. "Assign thou it by lot" lit.
"cause it to fall," ic, assign it by lot. There is an
ellipsis of ^yil (cf xxiii. 4 ; Ezek. xlvii. 22), by
which the verb is followed in Psalm xxii. 19 ; Prov,
i. 14 ; Isa. xxxiv. 17. ''As I have commanded" etc.^
see i. 6.
Ver. 7. — This command to apportion the land
among the nine and a half tribes before they had com-
pletely subdued it, was, as Calvin remarks, a pledge
on the part of God that He would put them in po.s-
session of it, if they were obedient to His will. It
was a trial of Joshua's faith. Before TH is an ellip-
sis of the foregoing prep. \ (cf. the Heb. in i. i 2), and
for the construction of the two followinsf nouns see
note on iii. 14, viii. i i.
Vers. 8-32. — From the mention of the inheritance
of the nine and a half tribes on the west of Jordan
a transition is made to the inheritance of the two and
a half tribes on the east. These latter were regarded
by some ancient expositors (Origen, Ham. 3 ; and
Theodoret, Qn. 16) as representative of the ancient
Jewish Church, to which the promises were made,
but which did not receive their accomplishment till
Chri.st came, and, therefore, had no advantage in this
respect over the Christian Church (cf. note on xi. 23).
Ver. 8.— n^r, " ivith it;' i.e., with the half tribe of
Manasseh, but that half which had received its in-
heritance on the east of Jordan ; hence the Arab.
Vers, paraphrases " Nam dimidia tribus altera Ma-
nasse," etc. The words " as Moses the servant of
VER. 9.] THE BOOK Of JOSHUA. 203
Jehovah gave them " are not a tautological repetition
of the clause " which Moses gave them," but imply-
that the arrangements which had been made in
general terms by Moses were now to be exactly
carried out by Joshua. For the fact alluded to see
Numb, xxxii. 33 ; Deut. iii. 13.
Vers. 9-13. — A general description is first given
of the borders of the territory beyond Jordan, and
afterwards the cities assigned to each tribe are enu-
merated (vers. 15-31).
Ver. 9. — " From Arocr, zvJiich is upon the bank
(lit. lip or edge) of the zvatercoursc of Arnon, and
(from) tJic city',' etc., see xii. 2 (note). " And all t/te
plain " (Auth. Vers.) : IIL"''??, from Ti^'J, to be straight,
even, level, is used with the article for the upland
downs or table land east of Jordan (cf. vers. 1 6, 1 7, 2 1 ;
XX. 8), apparently in contradistinction to the rocky
soil and more broken ground on the west, though in
later times this distinction was probably lost, and
plains on the west of the Jordan were so called.
(Stanley's Si)i. and Pal., Append. § 6, note i). The
term is here applied to the southern portion of the
territory of the Amorites, which was assigned to the
tribe of Reuben (Deut. iii. 10, iv. 43 ; Josh. xx. 8 ;
Jer. xlviii. 21), what is now the Belka, or pasture
ground, of the modern Arabs. The portion of it from
Medeba to Dibon is called (in Numb. xxi. 20) after
its former inhabitants " the field of Moab," and (in
Numb, xxiii. 14) "the field of the watchmen" (D^sV,
Keil). ''Medeba" (Me-dh"bha', "waters of rest," rt.
N3^ [unused], to rest), a town assigned to the Reu-
benites (ver. 1 6), but formerly belonging to Moab,
from whom it was taken by the Amorites (Numb.
204 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xiii.
xxi. 29, 30) ; afterwards recovered by the Moabites
(Isa. XV. 2) ; before it Joab defeated the Ammonites
(i Chron. xix. 7). It lay four or five miles south-
east of Ileshbon, on a round hill, on which there are
still ruins called Madeba (Burckhardt's Syr., p. 625).
" Dibon " (Di-bhon, " pining," rt. n-n, i.q., nj^-n, to pine
away, Ges., Lex^, a Moabitish city, about four miles
north of the Arnon, conquered by the Israelites
(Numb. xxi. 30) ; assigned by Moses to the Reu-
benites (ver. 17), but apparently at first occupied by
the Gadites, by whom it was rebuilt (Numb, xxxii.
34), and from whom it may have been called Dibon-
Gad (Numb, xxxiii. 45, 46); afterwards recaptured by
the Moabites (Isa. xv, 2 ; Jer. xlviii. 24). It is
mentioned by Eusebius and Jerome, in the Onouias.,
under the names Dabon or Debon, and as a very
large village beyond the Arnon. Its extensive ruins,
still called Dhtbdii, were seen by Seetzen and Burck-
hardt, and here the Moabite stone was discovered by
the Rev. T. Klein in 1868.
Ver. 10. — See xii. 2 ; Numb. xxi. 25.
Ver. II.—" (The) Gilead" (hag-Gil-'adh), i.e., the
whole of the territory so called on both sides of the
Jabbok (xii. 2, 5). For the remainder also of the
verse see note on xii. 5.
Ver. 1 2. — See xii. 4. The form n-ID^pa at the begin-
ning of the verse (cf. vers. 21, 27, 30, 31) is not
found in the Pentateuch, but JiD^pp (Numb, xxxii. 33 ;
Deut. iii. 4, 10) ; one proof that the Book of Joshua,
though resembling the Pentateuchinstyleand phraseo-
logy, yet has its own distinctive features.
Ver. 13. — Here we have the first notice of that
want of faith and perseverance which was afterwards
VERS. 14, 15.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 205
the cause of so much disaster to the Israelites (see
Books of Judges and of i Samuel). ''But the
Geslmrites . . , until this day" (see note on xii. 5) :
Even in the time of David they appear to have been
independent (2 Sam. iii. 3, x. 6, 8).
Ver. 1 4. — With what is here said of the portion of
Levi cf. ver. 33, xiv. 3, 4. ''L'*N, plural construe,
of nw'x/ a sacrifice, so called from the fire by which
it was burned (t."N), used primarily of sacrifices burnt
in honour of God, but, in a wider sense, of all kinds
of sacrifices, even of those not burned (Lev. xxiv.
7, 9) ; thus here it includes tithes and firstfruits (Lev.
xxvii. 30-32, compared with Numb, xviii. 21-32);
and is rendered in the Chald. N*33>lp, and by Jerome
"sacrificia et victimss." N-in, ''that (is)" (§ 121, 2,
with § 147, d, note*). "As He said" etc., see
Numb, xviii. 20 ; Deut. x. 8, 9, xviii. 2.
Vers. 15-23. — InJicritance of the Tribe of Reuben.
Their territory was the most southern of the allot-
ments of the trans-Jordanic tribes, and adjoined the
country of Moab, to which it had formerly belonged
before its conquest by the Amorites (sec Numb. xxi.
26, etc.). The latter, however, did not wholly extir-
pate the Moabites, who, dwelling at first as a subject
race among the Reubenites, seem to have gradually
recovered their old supremacy in the land.
\''er. 15. — After jFi.'' supply fn^n:. On the distinc-
tion between rs^'Q and ^'i^ see note on iii. 1 2.
"Reuben" (R'^'u-bhen, "see a son"), Gen. xxix. 32
' The word is used in only one other place besides the Pen-
tateuch, viz., in I Sam. ii. 28, and is there copied from it(Keil).
2o6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xiii.
Vcr. 1 6. — Cf. ver. 9. The Chald., Sept., Syr., and
Arab, read "ir for br, which is probably an emendation
on account of the jp before nrtiy (Maurer). Mcdeba,
see ver. 9.
Ver. 17. — ''Hcshbon" xii. 2. "ii:^'''r33, cf vcr. 9
(note). " Dibonl' ver. 9. '' Bamoth-baal" Ht. " the
high-places of Baal," more briefly written " Bamoth "
(Numb. xxi. 19 ; Isa. xv. 2), the spot whence Balaam
saw the outskirts of the camp of Israel (Numb. xxii.
41), and probably in the vicinity of the Anion (cf.
Onojnast., s. v. Bamoth). " Beth-baal-meoii" called
"Baal-meon" (place of habitation. Numb, xxxii. 38),
and, in a contracted form, '' Bcoii " (Numb, xxxii. 3).
The Moabites seem, at a later period, to have gained
possession of it, and to have called it Beth-meon
(Jer. xlviii. 23) or Baal-meon (Ezek. xxv. 9). Now
probably Mynui, nearly two miles south-east of
Heshbon (Burckhardt, ii., 624).
Ver. 18. — "Jahaaa" (Ya-h-^tsah, " a place trampled
down," perhaps " a threshing-floor," rt. )'n;, unused,
Arab. " to trample "), written Jahaz Isa. xv. 4 ; Jer.
xlviii, 34, where it is mentioned among the cities of
Moab, having been retaken by it. Close to it Sihon
was defeated by Moses and slain (Numb. xxi. 23-4 ;
Deut. ii. 32, 33) ; it was assigned by the Reubenites
to the Merarite Levites (xxi. 36 [not in the Hebrew
text] ; I Chron. vi. 78 [6t, Heb.]). Its site unknown,
though Eusebius {Onom., Tecrcra) says it lay between
Medeba and Dibon (Smith's Bib. Diet., vol. i., p. 91 5).
''Kedemoth" (QMhe-moth, "easternmost parts"), a
town in the neighbourhood of Jahaza, now unknown.
From the adjacent wilderness (midhbar), to which the
town seems to have given its name, Moses sent am-
VER. 19.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 207
bassadors to Sihon (Deut. ii. 26). It was given by
the Reubenites to the Merarite Levites (xxi. 37 [not
in the Heb. text] ; i Chron. vi. 79 [64 Heb.]).
" McphdatJi " (beauty, from r?;, to shine [the full
form of the Heb. word is nyD-a, i Chron. vii. 64]),
in the district of the plain (mishor, ver. 17), assigned
to the Levites (xxi. 37 [not in the Heb. text] ;
I Chron. vi. 79 [64]), apparently retaken by the
Moabites (Jer. xlviii. 21), mentioned by Eusebius
and Jerome {Onom., s. v., Mr](f)OL0) as a Roman
military post for keeping the inhabitants of the desert
in check. Site unknown.
Ver. 19. — '^ KirjatJiaim" (Oir-ya-tha-yim, "double
city "), first mentioned in Gen. xiv. 5 as in possession
of the Emim. In the time of Eusebius it was called
Karias, and he describes it as a village of Christians,
ten miles west of Medeba [Onouiast., Kapta^tet/x), but
Burckhardt places it three miles south of Heshbon, in
the ruins known as Et-Teym, half an hour west of
Medeba ; so Keil. In Numb, xxxii. 37, 38, it is
mentioned as between Elealeh and Nebo, and said
to have been built {i.e., rebuilt or fortified) by the
Reubenites, but appears to have been retaken at a
later period by the Moabites (Jer. xlviii. 23 ; Ezek.
XXV. 9). It is possibly Kiirciyat, close to Jebel attariis
(Grove). " Sibinah " (Sibh-mah, " coolness " or "sweet
smell," rt. uyy [unused], Arab., to be cold, or i.q., Db'3,
to be sweet-scented), see Numb, xxxii. 38 ; afterwards
famous among the cities of Moab for its vines (Isa.
xvi. 8 ; Jer. xlviii. 32). Its name is perhaps trace-
able in the ruins es-SamcJi, four miles east of Heshbon ;
but according to Jerome (Comment, on Isa. xvi. 8)
it was only five hundred paces from the latter city.
2oS THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xiii.
" Zareth-sJiaJiar" (Tse-reth-hash-sha-char, "the splen-
dour of the dawn "), mentioned here only. " On a
mount of the valley " : The valley may be that of the
Jordan (ver. 27), or of Shittim, on the side of the
Dead Sea (Numb, xxxiii. 49). Seetzen {Reisen, ii.,
369) would identify the town with a place called
Sara, or Zara, at the mouth of the Wady Zerka
Main, about a mile from the edge of the Dead Sea.
It is probable from the name that it stood upon a
sunny hill (Keil and Rosenm.).
Ver, 20. — '^ Beth-peor'' (house of Peor, an "open-
ing," Numb, xxiii. 28), a place where Baal was wor-
shipped (Numb. XXV. 3, 18). According to Eusebius
it was six miles above Libias or Beth-haran, on the
east of Jordan, opposite Jericho (Euseb., Ononiast.),
near the burial-place of Moses (Deut. xxxiv, 6), but
not known. On the two last-mentioned names in
this verse see xii. 3.
Ver. 21. — "And all the cities of the plain " (table-
land), i.e., all those which had not yet been mentioned
in ver. 17. "All the kingdom of Sihon" (Si-chon),
etc., i.e., so far as it extended over the plain, for the
northern portion of this kingdom was allotted to the
Gadites (ver. 27). " Whom Moses sleiv and the chief-
tains of Midian " : In Numb. xxxi. 8 these chieftains
are called |np "'s'???, i.e., petty kings or rulers. ''Dukes
of Sihon " '(A. V.), duces (Vulg.), so Syr., but D^s^p?
means "princes" in Psalm Ixxxiii. 11 (12); Ezek.
xxxii. 30; Micah v. 4, and is so rendered here by
Gesenius (Lex.) and Rosenm., from '^'D:, to anoint,
though the authority given by Gesenius {Lex., 3) for
this meaning of the verb, viz., Psalm ii. 6, is unsup-
ported by other examples. Hence Keil renders
VER. 22.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 209
"vassals of SiJionl' from "^iPJ in the sense of "to pour
melted metal into a mould," and then metaphorically
" to mould or enfeoff any one with power," a meaning,
which though supported by Gusset (Lex.) and Heng-
stenberg {Psalms, i., p. 35,), is rather forced. More
usually :iD3 means "to pour out a libation" (Exod.
XXX. 9 ; Hosea ix. 4), and hence, perhaps, here " to
dedicate or appoint with a libation." In any case
tributary princes are denoted. '^2v'\ " diucllers in the
land" i.e., as tributaries to Sihon.
Ver. 22. — "Balaam" (Bil-'am, perhaps derived, as
by Simonis, from rba and uv, " the destruction of the
people ; " or from i;^3, to devour, with a formative syl-
lable attached, and meaning "destroyer " or " glutton ").
"Beor" written " Bosor " (2 Peter ii. 15), an Aramaic
form of the word which St. Peter may have learnt in
Babylon.^ Balaam's residence was Pethor (Numb.
xxii. 5), in Mesopotamia (Deut. xxiii. 4). Dptpn,
" the soothsayer" (from Dpi^, to divine^), always denotes
a false prophet; see Isa. iii. 2, where he is distinguished
from the true prophet. Yet there is no sufficient
reason for concluding with Philo, Josephus, Origen,
S. Augustine, Cor. a Lap., and others, that Balaam
was a prophet of the devil, who was compelled by
God to bless where he wished to curse ; but rather
that he possessed a knowledge of the true God, and
the gift of prophesying, but under the influence of
ambition, pride, and covetousness, perverted both to
unrighteous purposes. Dn\'?^n-'?iX, "among" (A.V.), or
• Or ^odop is a Galilean mode of writing 1W?, the y being
pronounced 5- (Vitringa, Observ. Sacrce, vol. i., p. 936).
- 'J'he original meaning seems to be "to divide," or "to
partition out" (Ges., Lex.).
14
2IO THE BOOK OF /OSHUA. [cHAr. xiii.
" i>i addition to, their slain." Ges. says ■'PX sometimes
has the meaning of adding or superadding, as in
Levit. xviii. i8 {Lex., 6). In the parallel place
(Numb. xxxi. 8) there is h^ ; so in the Targum.
Ver. 23 {The Boundary of tJie Portion of Reuben at
its North- West Extremity). — " A nd the border of the
sons of Reuben %vas the fordan, and the border tJicreof^
"p-U]! at the end of the clause and in ver. 27 = ^S^\,
Chald. n^n-inn ; Keil regards it as explanatory, and
gives t0 the conjunction -i before it the force of ^^ or
rather" i.e., the actual boundary was not the river,
but the land immediately adjoining it. ''And their
villaors," lit. " enclosures," rt. "ivn, to surround, Sept.
e77avXi8e?, farm premises (Keil), enclosed by a fence,
but not by a wall (cf Lev. xxv. 31, and see Stanley's
Sin. and Pal., Append., § 83^). The plural feminine
suffix |n, refers to Dnr, which, though masculine in
termination, comes from a feminine noun. Some
MSS. read nn^vn, as in ver. 28, where the masculine
suffix is used, as often, for the feminine, in the 3rd
person (cf iv. 8).
The recently discovered Moabite stone proves
that most of the cities assigned by Joshua to the
Reubenites were either wholly, or in part, wrested
from them by the Moabites, with whom they
probably became gradually much intermixed (see
Schottmann, Die Siegcsdnle Mesds, p. 36, etc.). The
prediction " Thou shalt not excel " (Gen, xlix. 4)
' He remarks that topographically Cha-tser means a village,
generally a Bedouin village (Gen. xxv. 16 ; Sept. (TKr]vr]), such
as are formed of tent-cloths, spread over stone walls, the latter
often remaining long after the tribes which they sheltered, and
the tents which they supported, have vanished away.
VERS. 24, 25.] THE BOOK OF fOSHUA. 211
was remarkably fulfilled in this tribe, as no individual
in it is mentioned as having attained to eminence.
It degenerated into a tribe of shepherds (Judges v.
15, 16), became alienated from its western brethren,
and at length lapsed into idolatry (i Chron. v. 25).
Vers. 24-28. — Inheritance of the Tribe of Gad ("a
troop," Gen. xlix. 19 ; of xxx. 1 1).
This tribe was of a fierce, warlike character (Deut.
xxxiii. 20 ; i Chron. v. 18-22 ; xii. 8, etc.).
Ver. 25. — "And their border was fazer (Ya'-zer=
" which Jehovah aids "), a town taken from the
Amorites (Numb. xxi. 32), rebuilt by the children of
Gad (Numb, xxxii. 35), described by Eusebius
{Onomast) as ten miles west from Philadelphia (Rab-
bath-Amman), and fifteen from Heshbon ; identical,
as Keil and Van de Velde, after Seetzen, conjecture,
with the ruins of Sir or es Sir, consisting of a castle,
and a large walled pool, the latter probably the
remains of the "irr.^ Ul (Jer. xlviii. 32), It was
assigned to the Merarite Levites (Josh. xxi. 37
[39] ; I Chron. vi. 66 [81]), but belonged after the
exile to the Moabites (Isa. xvi. 8 ; Jer. xlviii. 32);
taken by Judas Maccabjeus (i Mace. v. 8). "All
the cities of Gilead',' i.e., the southern half of Gilead, in-
cluded in the territory of Sihon, for the northern half
came within the territory of Bashan, and was assigned
to the half-tribe of Manasseh. " And ha If the land
of the children of Amnion^' i.e., that portion of the
land between the Arnon and the Jabbok, which
Sihon had wrested from them, and which the
Israelites, when they conquered Sihon, took for their
own ; but the land which the Ammonites possessed
212 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xill.
in the time of. Moses the Israelites had been for-
bidden to attack (Deut. ii. 19). " Unto Aroer, which
is before Rabbah." '' Arocr" ('A-ro-er, naked; rt.
Tii;, to be bare), distinct from the city of the same
name on the Arnon (xii. 2, xiii. 9, 16), in the terri-
tory of Reuben. It is mentioned again in Judges
xi. 33 ; 2 Sam. xxiv. 5, only ; site unknown, but
Keil thinks it was on the north-east of Rabbah, in
the Wady Nahr Amman, where Kalat Zerka Gadda
is marked upon Kiepert's map. Rabbah (Great), the
chief city of the Ammonites, called " Rabbath of the
sons of Ammon " (Deut. iii. 1 1 ; 2 Sam. xii. 26,
xvii. 27). It seems to have been divided into two
parts, one (the lower town) named the city of waters
or the royal city, taken by Joab (2 Sam. xii. 26, 27) ;
the other (the upper town), containing the citadel,
and taken by David (ver. 29).^ At a later period it
appears again as an Ammonitish city (Amos i. i 3-1 5 5
Jer. xlix. 3 ; Ezek. xxx. 5) ; it was called Philadel-
phia by Ptolemy Philadelphus in the third century B.C.,
and by Polybius, 'Pa/3/3aTa/xet'a ; was captured by
Antiochus the Great (Polyb., v., 16), and in later times
became the seat of a Christian bishop. Its extensive
ruins now bear the name of Amman, and are about
twenty-two miles from the Jordan, on the bank of the
Wady Zerka, usually identified with the Jabbok. So
Abulfeda, Burckhardt, Seetzen.
' Applied to a capital city as great in size and importance.
The same name, " Rabbah," was given to Ar, the capital of
Moab (Euseb., Onomast., " Moab ").
'^ Josephus {Anfiq.,V\\., 7, §5) says that the citadel contained
only one small well of water, which would account for its
speedy capture, when communication with the perennial
stream in the lower town had been cut off.
VER. 26.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 213
Ver. 26. — '' Heshbon" xii. 2. "; Raniath- liavi-
mitspch " (" the high-place of the watch-tower "), here
only ; probably the spot where Jacob and Laban
erected their cairn of stones (Gen. xxxi. 43-53). and
identical with Ramoth-Gilead (xx, 8 ; Deut. iv. 43) ;
where also Ahab was slain (i Kings xxii.), and
Joram, his son, was wounded (2 Kings viii. 28).
The site unknown, though supposed by Gesenius
and Keil to be that of the modern Sj:a/t, or es-Salt,
situated, according to Porter, on a peak of Mount
Gilead (Jebel Jil'ad), seven miles south of the
Jabbok (Art. " Gilead," Dr. Smith's Bib. Did). Be-
tonim (" pistachio nuts," so called from being flat on
one side, and bellying out on the other, rt. j;?3, to be
empty, hollow ; Gen. xliii. 11), called Bothnia by
Jerome in the Onomasticoii ; site unknown. " MaJia-
naim (Ma-ch^na-yim, "double camp," or " two
hosts "), see Gen. xxxii. 2, north of the Jabbok
(Keil ; Clark's Bib. Atlas), on the border of Ma-
nasseh, but in the tribe of Gad ; assigned to the
Merarite Levites (xxi, 38). Here Ishbosheth was
crowned (2 Sam. ii. 8, 9), and hither David fled from
Absalom (2 Sam. xvii. 24) ; mentioned also as one
of Solomon's twelve provision cities (i Kings iv. 14).
Now probably MaJineh (Robinson, Grove). " Unto
the border of Debir " : There were two other places of
the same name, one in the mountainous part of
Judah (x. 39, XV. 49) ; the other between Jerusalem
and Jericho (xv. 7). The h here before the name is
taken as a sign of the genitive by all the versions,
but is unusual in the Book of Joshua ; hence Hitzig
considers it the error of a copyist, who doubled the
"? at the end of the preceding word ; Keil would
214 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xm.
make it part of the word, and reads " Lidhbir."
Reland {Pal., 734), J. D. Michaelis, and Knobel
would point the word Lo-dhebar, and identify it
with the town of the same name (2 Sam. ix. 4,
xvii. 27), whence provisions were brought to David
at Mahanaim. Whichever conjecture is adopted, the
site is unknown ; but if the rt. of the word is '\'l\ to
lead to pasture, the town probably lay in the grazing
country, on the high downs east of Jordan.
Ver. 27. — ppys, ''in the valley" i.e., the valley of
the Jordan, or the Arabah, which was along the east
side of the river from the Wady Heshbon, above the
Dead Sea, to the Sea of Galilee, and formed part of
the kingdom of Sihon (xii. 3), "■ Beth-aram" (Beth-
haram, "house of the height "), written Beth-Haran
(Numb, xxxii. 36), now Beit-haran ; in Aramaic,
Beth-rametha ; at the foot of Mount Peor, and near
the entrance of the Jordan into the Dead Sea ; it
afterwards was called Betharamptha, and was rebuilt
by Herod Antipas, and named by him Julias, or, ac-
cording to Eusebius, Livias, in honour of the wife of
Augustus (Josephus, Antiq., xviii., 2, § i ; Bel. Jnd.,
iv., 7, § 6), now er-Ramch. " Bclh-nimj'-ah" (house
of sweet waters, cf. Isa. xv. 6), called Nimrah, Numb.
xxxii. 3, five miles north of Libias (Beth-Haran),
according to Eusebius and Jerome {Oiwmast). Per-
haps identical with a ruined city called Nivirin, south
of Szalt (ver. 26), which Burckhardt mentions {Syria,
p. 355) as situated near the point where the Wady
Shoaib joins the Jordan (Kitto, Encyclo. of Bib, Lit) ;
Grove says it may possibly be Beth-abara (Smith's
Bib. Diet., i., p. 204). "Sticeoth " (Suk-koth, "booths"),
rt. -^ap, to weave (Gen. xxxiii. 17). Site unknown.
VERS. 28, 29.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 215
Jerome says, " Sochoth is to this day a city beyond
Jordan in Scythopolis" (Qu. Heb. on Gen, xxxiii. i 7),
Burckhardt (note to p. 345 [July 2nd]) speaks of the
ruins of Sukkot, near where he crossed the river
Jordan, and which were evidently on the east of
Jordan, and entirely distinct from the Sakut dis-
covered by Dr. Robinson {Bib. Res., iii., 309, etc.),
and by Van de Velde {Syr. and Pal., ii., 343), on the
west of the Jordan. The place is mentioned in con-
nection with the exploits of Gideon, and was evidently
on the east of Jordan (Judges viii. 4, 5, 13-17) ; so
in Psalm Ix. 6 (8) it represents the east of Jordan,
as Shechem does the west. " ZapJwii " (Tsa-phon,
"north "), near the south end of the Sea of Chinnereth.
Site unknown. " T/ie rest of the kingdom " : The
southern portion of that kingdom had been assigned
to the Reubenites (ver. 21). On 'pUJ-'i ii"!*!!, see ver.
23. "Sea of ChinneretJi" cf xi. 2,
Ver. 28. — ''Ajid their villages," cf. ver. 23 (note).
Vers. 29-31. — Inherit anee of the Half- Tribe of
Manasseh (Heb. M^'nash-sheh, " causing to for-
get," Gen. xli. 5 i).
Ver. 29. — After \Tf\, subau. nSnj, as in ver. 24'
"in^l, " rt';/(^ (it, viz., the possession assigned them) w^?j-.'
This half-tribe of Manasseh were descendants of
Machir, son of Manasseh, and their territory on the
east of Jordan was assigned to them probably on
account of their valour (sec xvii. i), not, as Aben
Ezra thinks, because they solicited it, for no such
request on their part is recorded in Numb, xxxii.
33-42.
2i6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xiii.
Ver. 30. — '^ Ulahatiaiin," see ver. 26 ; it was on
their southern border. "All the kingdom of Og"
comprehending not only the province of Bashan, but
Argob and the northern portion of Gilead (cf. Deut.
iii. I 3). nm denotes not " towns " (Auth. Vers.), but
" tent-villages" properly places where one lives and
dwells, from njn, life. The Bedouins of the present
day use the same word for their own villages
(Stanley's Sin. and Pal., Append., § 84). ''Jair"
(Ya-'ir, " whom He [God] enlightens "), was descended
on the father's side from Judah, on the mother's from
Manasseh (i Chron. ii. 21, 22). He was the con-
queror of Argob (Deut. iii. 14). " Threescore cities''
ic.'i. Deut, iii. 4) ; perhaps, though at first villages,
they afterwards grew into cities. In i Chron. ii. 22
Jair is said to have had three-and-twenty cities {p'^)f)
in Gilead (cf. Numb, xxxii. 41), which would seem
in I Kings iv. 13 to be distinguished from these
sixty cities in Argob.
Ver. II.— ^^ Half Gilead:' (lit, "half of the
Gilead," cf. xii. 2), viz., the northern half, see ver. 25.
Ashtaroth and Edrei, see xii. 4. "'J?'? " (belonged) to
the children, etc. (even) to the half of the children of
Machir," for the other half received their inheritance
on the west of Jordan (xviii. 2, etc.). The name
Machir here supersedes that of Manasseh used in
ver. 29, a token of the power which the descendants
of Machir had attained.
Ver. 32. — n|>x, ''these," not, as the Sept. ovtol, re-
ferring to the persons to whom the possessions were
assigned, but to the possessions themselves ; Vulg,
" hanc possessionem," which is confirmed by xiv. i,
xix. 51. " The plains of Aloab " (Auth. Vers.), rather
VER. 33-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 217
" the dry regions of Moab" the sunk district in the
tropical depths of the Jordan valley, where the
Israelites had their encampment (Numb, xxxiii. 49),
and which took its name from that of the great
valley itself (Arabah) : see Art. " Moab," Smith's Bib.
Diet., ii., p. 392. iil -inr:? (lit. '' beyond the Jordan —
Jerieho" i.e., on the other side of that part of Jordan
which skirted the territory of Jericho ; Vulg. " trans
Jordanem contra Jericho ;" Revis. Vers. " beyond
Jordan at Jericho ;" the same form of expression
occurs in xvi. i, xx. 8 ; also in Numb. xxii. i,
xxvi. 3, 6'^, xxxiii. 48, 50. These trans-Jordanic
tribes were eventually carried into captivity by Pul
and Tiglath-pileser, and placed in the districts on
and about the river Khabur, in the upper part of
Mesopotamia (i Chron. v. 26).
Ver. 33. — A repetition of ver. 14, and omitted by
the Sept.
CHAPTER XIV.
Coinmeneement of the Aceount of the Distributio?i of
the cis-Jordanic Canaan among the Nine Tribes
and the Half- Tribe of Manasseh, which terminates
at xix. 51. {Vers. 1-5 ai^e introductory)
Ver. I. — n^Ni, see xiii. 32. The account, however,
of the distribution does not begin till the fifteenth
chapter. -I^nj, '^ distributed for a possession" followed
by an accus. of person and of thing {§ 139, i).
The distribution, according to the command in
Numb, xxxiv. 16-29, was to be made by the high
2i8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xiv.
priest Eleazar and by Joshua. Eleazar'^ ('El-'a-zar,
" whom God helps ") is named here, and in xvii. 4, xix.
5 I, xxi. I ; Numb, xxxiv. 17, before Joshua, perhaps,
as the representative of the Divine government over
Israel ; so in Numb, xxvii. i 8-2 i Joshua is directed
to act in accordance with his direction.^ '' Atid the
heads (of the houses) of the fathers of the tribes of
the sons of Israel." n?. which is here omitted after
mn, is supplied in Exod. vi. 14 ; Numb. vii. 2 ;
I Chron. v. 24, vii, 2, 7, 40, ix. 13. Except in
the first book of Chronicles, where probably it is
borrowed from an ancient source, the phrase does not
occur except in the Pentateuch and Joshua, h is
used before '';? to prevent the repetition of the con-
strue, state (cf. xix. 5 i ; Ges., Gr., § 11$, 2, b). Each
tribe had its own prince (Numb, xxxiv. 1 8).
Ver. 2. — ''By lot (was) their inheritance" (Auth.
Vers.), but ^niJi being in the construe, form, Vatablus,
Keil, and Rosenm. properly connect the words with
•l^n? in the preceding verse, and render " by the lot of
their inheritance," i.e., by casting lots for the appor-
tionment of their inheritance. i;:?, " tJirough " (by
means of), where ^\ loses its force as a noun (Ges.,
Lex.,^. 330): More commonly it is used with rh'Z^
(see Exod. iv. i 3), and cf. the use of oiTToaTeXXco with
Ota (Rev. i, i). P"or the command referred to see
Numb. xxvi. 52-6,xxxiii. 54, xxxiv. 13. nmtpn nv^^rh,
' He was Aaron's third son (Exod. vi. 2^, 25), and succeeded
his father in the high priesthood (Numb. xx. 26-28 ; Deut. x.
6.). His death is recorded in Josh. xxiv. ;^;^.
- On the other hand, Moses is named before Aaron, except
where priority of age is indicated, as in Exod. vi. 20, 26 ;
Numb. iii. i.
VER. 2.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 219
not, as in the Sept., governed by njv, but by •"I'pm in
ver. I, "zi'/dch they distributed for iiiJieritajice to,''
etc. : In Numb, xxxiv. i 3 the same words '»n ny^'n^
are preceded by nnp, and so here in some MSS. and
editions, though probably it is an interpolation of
a later date. On the distribution of the land by
lot see Numb. xxvi. 53, etc. Calvin and Clericus
remark that the lot determined the position only of
the inheritances, but left their exact dimensions to be
afterwards settled according to the size of the tribes
to which they fell ; see, eg., the alteration made in
the extent of Judah's territory (ch. xix. 1-9). How
the lots were drawn is nowhere stated. There may
have been two urns containing, the one, descriptions
of the several inheritances, and the other, the names
of the nine and a-half tribes ; and the drawing from
each may have been simultaneous ; or the prince of
each tribe may have drawn in turn from the one urn
containing the descriptions of the inheritances. The
reason of this decision by lot was not only to prevent
jealousies and disputes between one tribe and another
(Prov. xviii. i 8), but that each tribe might be satis-
fied that its inheritance had been assigned to it
by God Himself (Prov. xvi. ■^'^). It may be also
remarked that the accordance in many particulars
between the prophecies of Jacob and Moses respect-
ing the inheritance of the tribes of Israel (Gen. xlviii.,
xlix. ; Deut. xxxiii.), and the distribution of the
territory recorded in the Book of Joshua, is a proof
of the inspiration of those prophecies. Among
heathen nations a like custom prevailed in the
division of territory among conquerors or colonists
(see Herod., v., yy \ vi., loc; Thucyd., iii., 50;
220 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xiv.
Cic, Epist. ad Div., xi., 20, " sorte agros legionibus
assignare").
Vers. 3-4. — Ver. 3 gives a reason why the land
was to be apportioned among nine and a-half tribes
only, viz., because two and a-half tribes had received
their inheritance, on the other side of Jordan, but,
inasmuch as the tribe of Levi received no share of
territory, ver, 4 declares that the number nine and a-
half was made up by the division of the tribe of
Joseph into two tribes, viz., Manasseh and Ephraim,
Ver. 4. — •iJnj-N'pl : The 1 is not here = " there-
fore " (Auth. Ver.), but = and, or with n"? = neither.
"Cities to divcll in" : Cf. Numb. xxxv. 3, where Keil
remarks that the Levites had not the whole of the
cities as their own property, but as many houses in
them as their necessities required, which houses
could be redeemed (Lev. xxv. 32-33), if sold at
any time, and reverted to them without com-
pensation in the year of Jubilee, even if not redeemed
before ; but any portion of the towns, which was not
taken possession of by them, together with the
fields and villages, continued the property of those
tribes to which they had been assigned by lot
(see also his note on xxi. 12). ''And their
suburbs " (Auth. Vers., Luther, and Vulg. " subur-
bana "), rather, " their pasture grounds" i.e., the dis-
tricts around their cities in which their cattle might
graze, from ^~\\, to drive, to drive out. For their
extent see Numb. xxxv. 4-5. With the m. suff. DH
referring to Dnr cf. xiii. 23 (note). '■'For their cattle
and for their {other) possessions": The latter word
(Heb. ;^^;p used here coll.) is rendered by the Vulg.
" pecora " (lesser cattle), Sept. KTrjvr], as by Chald.
VERS. 5, 6.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 221
Vers., but by the Syr. and Arab. " possessions," from
nji^, to possess (of. Gen. xxxiv. 23 ; Numb. xxxv.
3, where l'*-"iD"!, "substance," is used for it, as here by
A. v.). The Levites had no territorial inheritance,
hke the rest of the tribes, in order that their influence
on the nation at large might be increased.
Ver. 5. — ;" As Jehovah — Moscsl' cf. ver. 2. " And
they portioned out (divided, A. V.) tlie land!' This is
a general statement relating to the distribution of the
land, for we learn from chapter xviii., etc., that not all
the nine and a-half tribes received at once their
inheritance.
Vers. 6-15. — Before the Casting of the Lots an
Inheritance is assigned to Caleb.
Ver. 6. — ^'And the children (sons) of J?idah"
doubtless not all the tribe, but the principal men,
especially Caleb's relatives, whom he took with him
as able to testify to the integrity of his conduct. "/;«
(!' in the!' % 109, 3] Gilgal!' i.e., the Gilgal near
Jericho (ix. 6, note). '"Caleb" (Ka-lebh),^ "j^;« /
feplmnneh"- : A prince of Judah, and one of those
appointed to portion out Canaan (Numb, xxxiv. 19).
Keil thinks that he was the same as the Caleb in
I Chron. ii. 18, a descendant of ("3) Hezron, the
son of Pharaz, and grandson of Judah. The house
' Perhaps " do^^," ig'. 2^3, from 373 (unused), to bark (Ges.).
and the name may indicate fidcHty, couraj,^e, vigilance ; or
dng vehemently," from 3?3 (Furst), hence "bold, im-
seizmj
1 1
petuous.
2 "yt-p/iufz-ne/i" (perhaps meaning "for whom a way is
prepared," see Pual of n^B, Ges., Zex.), neither his father nor
ancestors are named.
222 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xiv.
of Caleb may have been incorporated into the house
of Hezron ; but doubtless the genealogy in i Chron.
ii., iv. is involved in much obscurity. " The Kenezite"
(the O'^niz-zite, hunter, rt. T^f^, to hunt), cf Numb.
xxxii. 1 2. The term may imply that Caleb was a
descendant of Kenez ; and as that was a name borne
by the dukes of Edom (Gen. xxxvi. i 5, 42 ; i Chron.
i. 53), and as in the genealogy of the family of
Caleb (i Chron. i., ii., iv.) there occur also other
Edomitish names, c.^<^., Shobal (i Chron. ii. 50, 52 ; cf
Gen. xxxvi. 20-23) ; Korah (i Chron. ii. 43 ; Gen.
xxxvi. 5, 16); Ithran (i Chron. i. 41; Gen. xxxvi. 26);
Elah (i Chron. iv. 15 ; Gen. xxxvi. 41) ; it has been
surmised that the family of Caleb was of Edomite
extraction, and incorporated as proselytes into the
family of Judah (see Smith's Bibl. Diet., Art. " Caleb,"
vol. i., p. 242). On the other hand, as Esau and Judah
were alike of Israelitish descent, the same names
might possibly be found among the descendants of
both. 'N'H L''\S, "the man of God" = N''33 (cf.
I Kings xiii. i, 18), and so rendered here in the
Chald. ; the same title is given to Moses in Deut.
xxxiii., I ; Ezra iii. 2, and in the inscription of Psalm
xc. "•nn'S hv, lit. " about my and your affairs"'^ i.e.,
" concerning me and thee " (Auth. Vers., Sept., and
Vulg.). For the promise referred to see Numb,
xiv. 24, 30. The express mention of Joshua refutes
the assertion of Knobel here that he was not one of
the spies. " Kadesh-barnea" x. 41.
Ver. 7. — 3.\y^) " and I brought back,'' followed by
an accusative both of person and thing (cf xxii.
■ Properly "turnings," from T^N, to bend, to turn.
VERS. S-io.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 223
32.) ''23^-Dy, " in (lit. " with ") my heart,'' i.e., accord-
ing to the best of my convictions, without fear of
man, or regard to any one's favour. The rendering
of the Sept., Kara tov vovv avrov, " according to his
mind," z.r., the mind or wish of Moses, though sup-
ported by one MS. of Kennicott, and approved by
Clericus, is rightly rejected by Maurer as containing
a most improbable statement.
Ver. 8. — "My brethrenl' i.e., the rest of the spies,
of course with the exception of Joshua, to whom he
was speaking, vppn, an Aramaism for -"iDpn (§75,
v. 17), from nprp, i.q. DTO, to melt (cf ii. i i).^ "'nx^p
nnx, construe, prsegnans (§ 141), subaud. DdS^ after
the verb, " / fully followed" lit. " fulfilled to follow"
(cf. Numb, xxxii. ii, 12 ; Deut. i. 36).
Ver. 9. — "Moses szvaj-c" : Keil thinks that, as we
do not elsewhere read of this oath of Moses, it is
here for the first time recorded ; but more probably
the oath of God, as made known through Moses, is
referred to (see Numb. xiv. 23, 24, 30; Deut. i. 34-36,
in which latter verse [ver. 36] a like expression to that
in this occurs, viz., " tlic land that he hath trod vpon"
in allusion, evidently, to the territory around Hebron).
On xVds*, to denote strong affirmation, see § 155,
2,/, 2nd par,
Ver. 10. — "feJiovah hath kept vie alive": Caleb's
piety appears in his thus attributing his preservation
not to his own care, or strength of constitution, but
to the kind providence of Jehovah. " Forty-and-five
years " : These are dated from the autumn of the
' According to Ewald {Lehrb., § 142, a), Vppn is really the
regular and earliest form, which the Hebrew lust, but the
Chaldee retained.
224 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xiv.
second year after the exodus. The Israehtes wan-
dered thirty-eight years in the wilderness after that
date, and were occupied seven years in subduing
Canaan (xi. i8, note), which seven years are here
reckoned in their wanderings, as they had not during
them any fixed settlements. "^J\ TJ'^s, '* during wJiick
Israel zvalkecV : On "i;;\s in this sense see Ewald,
LcJirb., § 321, c. ; it refers to the forty-five years.
Ver. 1 1. — ^3n.w, '' I am yet'' (§ 100, 5). r^\:> ■ ■ ■ n??,
" in the day tliat Moses sent me" infin. construc-
tive, with subject and object, the latter being
unusually placed after the infin. (§ 133, 3, Rem.).
••nb : Being followed by. a monosyllable, its accent is
retracted (§ 29, 3, b). \X\1\ nxv : Used to express
the performance of active duty (cf Numb, xxvii. 17;
Deut. xxxi. 2 ; i Kings iii. 7). Caleb, like Moses
(Deut. xxxiv. 7), was made, on account of his fidelity,
an especial exception to the infirmities incident to
old age (Psalm xc. 10).
Ver. 12. — njn for iri, imper. with n parag. (§ 66,
l). " This mountain, i.e., the mountainous country
around Hebron (xi. 2, xx. 7). " W/iereof Jehovah spake
in that day": We may, therefore, conclude that Jeho-
vah's promise in Numb, xiv., Deut. i., to give Caleb
an inheritance in Canaan had special reference to
Hebron. '^ For thou, didst hear in that day" (viz.,
what Jehovah spake) : The second '•3 is not = " that "
(ort) or " Jlow " (Auth. Vers.), but is co-ordinate
(Keil), and gives a farther reason why the mountain
should be given to him, " for (because) the Anakim
are there "... (cf the Sept. and Vulg.). Joshua
himself had been one of the spies (Numb. xiii. 8), and,
therefore, did not learn merely by report that there
VERS. 13-15.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 225
%vere Anakim in Hebron, h^^, "perhaps^' but here
expressing hope and desire, as in Gen. xvi. 2 ; Amos
V. 15. mx for m', '' ivith Vie" (^^ 103, i, Rem. i),
subau. 7\\\\. DTil-hini, " and I drive (or root)
tJieni out " : The perfect here expresses assurance
(§ 126, 4). How this declaration of Caleb is recon-
cilable with xi. 21, 22, see note there. His address
(vers. 6-12), while removed alike from false modesty
and self-presumption, blends gratitude with firm con-
fidence in God.
Ver. 13. — "And JosJuia blessed hiju" i.e., invoked
a blessing upon him, prayed God to prosper him.
''Hebron" (x. 3), not only the city so called, but the
neighbourhood ; the city was afterwards appointed a
city of refuge (xx. 7), and assigned to the Levites
(xxi. 1 1).
Ver. 14. — The expressions " Kenezite" and "God
of Israel " have been thought to indicate that Caleb
was a foreigner and a proselyte (see note on ver. 6).
Ver. 15. — '■'Before" (D"'ja^), z>., prior to the date
at which this book was written, but not necessarily
from the time of the city's origin. '' Kirjath-arba "
(Qir-yath-'Ar-ba', "city of Arba "), see note on x. 3.
rs-iN, " hero of Baal " (Furst), for ^y^ix ; like ^xnx,
" the lion {i.e., hero) of God ; " or, according to Ges.
{Lex), perhaps "homo quadratus." 'pH^n Q>sn, " the
greatest man" perhaps in size and strength, as well
as authority and renown. The adjective with the art.
has here the force of a superlative (§ 119, 2), and
D"JN = C'\S, which is more properly used of an in-
dividual (cf. Eccles. vii. 2 8). The strange rendering of
Jerome ''A damns maxiinus ibi inter Enakim sitns est"
is based on a Jewish tradition in the Beresh-Rabba,
15
226 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
that Kirjath-arba means " city of the four," because
Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried there.
"■And the land had rest',' etc. (cf. xi. 23): The
Canaanites were so far subdued as to be unable to
offer an effectual opposition to the partition of the
land, of which the author commences an account in
the following chapter.
CHAPTERS XV.— XVII.
TJie Lots belonging to Judah and Joseph.
The account of the distribution, which was inter-
rupted at the end of xiv. 1-5, is here resumed, and it
is in accordance with the preference given by Jacob
in his prophetic blessing (Gen. xlix.) to Judah and
Joseph, that their descendants first received their
share of the conquered territory (xv.-xvii.). How,
says Kitto, the lot was taken at the first division we
do not know, but it was probably the same in principle
as in the mode followed with respect to the remaining
seven tribes (xviii.). We may, therefore, conclude
that, when this first conquered portion of the land
had been surveyed and found sufficient to furnish
three cantons, all the tribes cast lots for them, and
they fell to Judah, Ephraim, and the half-tribe of
Manasseh. The difference was, that at the first
division the question was not only what lot should
be had, but whether any should at present be ob-
tained by a particular tribe ; at the second division
the former question was only to be determined, there
being then as many lots as there were tribes unpro-
vided for {Ilbist, Bible).
VERS. 2, 3.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
CHAPTER XV.
The Inheritance of the Tribe of fiidah (" praised,"
Gen, xlix. 8 ; see m*). Its General Boundaries
(1-12). Renewed Mention of Caleb's Inheritance,
because included in that of fudah (13-20). A
List of the Towfis of fudah (21-63).
Ver. I. {The General Position of fudah' s Territory).
— 1J1 ^'?."1, " a^id there was the lot to the tribe of the sons
of fudah according to their families, toward the frontier
of Edoni, toward the desert of Zin soictJnvard, on the
extreme south." In xvi. i, xix. i, •'n> is expressed
by n;^;., " there came out." *' By (according to) their
families^' see vii. 14. " Edom" ran parallel with the
desert of Zin on the east, and " Zin " (not to be con-
founded with " Sin ") was the north-east part of the
great desert of Paran. lO^ri nvpp, lit. "from the
extremity of the south," i.e., on the extreme south ;
see on \Q Ges., Lex. (3), c, p. 483.
Vers. 2-4. The Soutlu:rn Boundary, — corresponding
generally with that of Canaan (Numb, xxxiv. 3-5),
and including what was afterwards the territory of
Simeon (xix.).
Ver. 2. — '^n-rp, '^ from the bay (tongue) zvhich
lookcth (turneth) southward" (Auth. Vers.), z>., from
that southern point of the Dead Sea which now ter-
minates in a salt marsh (cf Isa, xi. 15," tongue of the
Egyptian Sea ").
Ver. 3. — "And it went out to the south side to (of)
Maaleh-Acrabbim " : On the composition of the par-
ticles h, ip, %, sec § 154, 2,(5'. " Ma-a-lch 'Aq-rab
228 THE BOOK OF fOSHUA. [chap. xv.
Uvil'' "the ascent of 'Aq-rabbim," the ''scorpion pass"^
between the south end of the Dead Sea and Zin,
perhaps the steep pass Nakb es SafdJi (Pass of the
Bare Rock), by which the final step is made from the
desert to the level of the actual land of Palestine
(Grove, Smith's Bib. Diet., i., p. 42). ''And passed
along (went across) to Zin " : n local (cf Numb,
xxxiv. 4). " Qa-dhesh-Bar-ne- a" see x, 41 (note).
" Chets-ron " (from "ivn, to enclose), perhaps a collec-
tion of nomad-hamlets, Dnvn, Deut. ii. 23 ; site
unknown, nn-^x, "to 'Addar" (rt. Ti^:, to be wide),
perhaps one of the nomad hamlets above referred to,
for in the parallel passage (Numb, xxxiv. 4) this and
the foregoing word are joined. It is possibly identical
with the modern Ain-el Kudeirdt, on the north side
of the ridge, between Canaan and the desert (Robin-
son, i., p. 280). 3p3i, "and turned itself I' Niph. of
nap. " Totvards haq-Qar-qa-a" (with art. and n loc),
lit. " the low-lying flat," eSac^o? (Symm.), not men-
tioned in Numb, xxxiv. 4, nor elsewhere in Scripture,
but Eusebius {Ononmst.) speaks of 'A/capKo,?, and
calls it a village. The Sept. has Kara 8fcrju,a9
KaSi^?, and may have read t;ni^ nsj.
Ver. 4. — " Toward' Ats-mo7i" (robust, rt. n^iv, to be
strong; see Numb, xxxiv. 5) : Its site unknown, though
the later Jewish Targum would identify it with Kesam,
the modern Kasaimeh, a group of springs at a short
distance to the west of Ain-el Kudeirat. Grove {Bid.
Diet.) thinks it may possibly be another form of the
word Heshmon (xv. 27). Eusebius and Jerome
' 2')pV, a scorpion. It is found in great numbers in the
Jordan valley below Jericho (Von Raumer, p. 103).
VERS. 5, 6.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 229
mention it in the Onouiast., but evidently it was not
actually known to them. " TIte torrent (water-course)
of Egypt" i.e., the Wady el Arish, on the confines of
Egypt and Palestine, which empties itself into the
Mediterranean. "And the goings out of the boundary
were to the sea " : D\ here means the Mediterranean.
For the sing. iTn, with a plural noun, see § 147, a,
and cf. xi. 22. The last words of the verse, " t/iis
shall be your southern boundary" refer to Numb.
xxxiv . 2-5, and show that the southern boundary of
Judah was also that of the land promised to the
Israelites.
Ver. 5 '^ {TJie Eastern Boundary^. — This was the
whole length of the Salt Sea to the end {i.e., the
mouth) of the Jordan, nvf^, " the extreme edge or
end," from nyi^, " to cut off the end," here denoting
the point of junction with the Dead Sea.
Ver. 5 '''-I I {The Northern Boundary^. — "And tlie
boundary of the side northwards (was) f-om the tongue
of the (salt) sea from the extremity {i.e., the mouth) of
fordan" The northern boundary of Judah corre-
sponded with the southern boundary of Benjamin,
traced in the opposite direction (xviii. 15-19).
Ver. 6. — " Beth-chdgh-lah" " house of partridge "
(Ges.) : Jerome {Onomast) identifies it with the
threshing floor of Atad, between the Jordan and
Jericho, the ruins of which are probably still to be seen
at or near a magnificent spring called Ain-Hajla and
Kusr-Hajla (Grove). It stood on the border of Ben-
jamin, as well as of Judah, and was assigned to the
former (xviii. 2 l). " Beih-hd-d-rd-bhah" (house of the
desert plain) : Doubtless so called because it lay in the
wilderness (midh-bar) of Judah (ver. 61). In xviii. 18
230 THE BOOK OF /OSHUA. [chap. xv.
it is simply called Arabah, and in xviii. 22 is reckoned
a Benjamite city. It probably stood on the border
between the two tribes; now Kaffr Hajla. " The
stone of Bohan": Perhaps erected to commemorate
some exploit by a Reubcnite leader in the wars of
Joshua (cf. I Sam. vii. 12); it was on the border
of Benjamin as well as of Judah (xviii. 1 7), and
apparently on the slope of a hill, but the site
unknown.
Ver. 7. — "To D'^bhir": Not the town mentioned in
vers. 15, 49, X. 38, nor that in Gad (xiii. 26), but
perhaps to be sought in the Wady Dabir, about half
way between Jericho and Jerusalem (Keil). " Valley
of 'A-khor," vii. 24. " And northward turning toward
(the) Gilgal " : According to Keil, Gilgal is here the
same as Geliloth in xviii. 17 ; but others, as Knobel,
identify it with the Gilgal in iv. 19. The name
Geliloth (says Grove) never occurs again in this
locality, and it, therefore, seems probable that Gilgal
is the right reading. Many glimpses of the Jordan
valley are obtained through the hills in the latter
part of the descent from Olivet to Jericho, along
which the boundary in question appears to have
run ; and it is very possible that from the ascent of
Adhummim, Gilgal appeared through one of these
gaps in the distance, over against the spectator, and
thus furnished a point by which to indicate the
direction of the line at that part " (Art, in Smith's
Bib. Die, vol. i., p. 661). " Which (is) over against tJie
ascent of ' Adhiinimini" : Probably the Pass of Jericho,
leading up from the Jordan valley to Jerusalem.
According to Jerome {Ono7n.) "A-dhum-mim" (red
places) alludes to the blood shed there by robbers,
VER. 7.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 231
or according to Stanley {Sin. and Pal., 424, note 4)
to the red colour of the hair of some Arab tribe
which infested the pass (cf. Sept. avd/Baac'^ Trvpfxov).
Here was the scene of the parable of the good
Samaritan (Stanley, Sin. and Pal., 424; Trench On
Par., p. 307-8); and the defence of travellers through
this pass led to the establishment of the Order of
the Templars, A.D. 11 18 (Wilke's Hist., p. 9), Keil
supposes that the name refers to the red colour of
the rocks, but Dean Stanley says, " There are no
red rocks, as some have fancied, in order to make
out a derivation. The whole pass is white limestone"
(Sin. and Pal., p. 424, note 4). " On the south side of
the watercourse" : Now the gorge of the Wady Kelt
(Robinson, Bib. Res., i., p. 5 5 8). " ' En-shc-mesh "
(fountain of the sun): About a mile below Bethany,
on the road to Jericho, now perhaps Ain-Haiid or
Ain-Chot, " the well of the apostles." The aspect
of Ain-Haud is such that the rays of the sun are on
it the whole day (Grove). ' En-roghcl, " fountain of
the fuller," rt. 7J"i, to tread : Probably now " the foun-
tain of the Virgin," near the walls of Jerusalem, which
supplies the pool of Siloam (Dr. Bonar's Land of
Promise, App. v.). Here Jonathan and Ahimaaz
concealed themselves after the rebellion of Absalom,
in order to gain news for David (2 Sam. xvii. 1 7),
and near it Adonijah held his feast (i Kings i. 9).
Keil, after Robinson and others, identifies it with the
vv^ell of Job or Nehemiah, at the south-east corner of
Jerusalem, where the valleys of Hinnom and Kedron
unite ; but see forcible reasons against this view in
the work of Dr. Bonar, above referred to, quoted
by Grove (Art. Bib. Die., i., p. 558).
2.32 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
Ver. 8. — ''And the border went up into the ravine
of the son of Hinno77t " : This ravine^ is first men-
tioned here, and next in xviii. 1 6 ; written " ravine
of the sons of Hinnom " (2 Kings xxiii. 10; Jer.
xix. 2, etc.), and " ravine of Hinnom" (Neh. xi. 30).
It surrounded Jerusalem on the south and west.
Stanley supposes that it derived its name from
Hinnom, an ancient hero who encamped in it (^Sin.
and Pal., p. 172); but Hitzig and Bottcher regard
Hinnom as an appellative ^" moaning," "wailing,"
in allusion to the cries of the innocent victims there
offered to Moloch, and to the drums beaten to drown
those cries. Tophet, at the south-east of the ravine,
was the scene of those sacrifices (2 Chron. xxviii. 3,
xxxiii. 6), and was defiled by Josiah (2 Kings xxiii.
10). The later Jews applied the name to the place
of torment, hence yeevva (DSn ''5, Matt. v. 22).^ " To
the side (lit. shoulder) of the febusite on the south":
The Gentile noun '•pn^ is either put ellip. for
''p"i2*n y]) (Judges xix. 11), or the name of the tribe
is mentioned instead of the city. The word occurs
again in xviii. 16, 28, where it is rendered,
"Jebusi " in the Auth. Vers, "And the border went
up to the summit of the mountain, tvhich (lieth) before
the ravine of Hin7iom zvestward, zuhich (is) at the end
of the valley of Rcphaim northward": in here denotes,
not one particular mountain, but a rocky ridge
curving westward on the left side of the road to
Joppa (Keil ; cf. Robinson, Bib. Res., i., 219). On
* '•I, see note, viii. i.
■ Compare Milton's Paradise Lost, i., 39, 2 ver., " First,
Moloch, horrid king, etc.,'' to ver. 405.
VER. 9.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 233
pDy see note vii. 24, This valley, or valley-plain,
of Rephaim was on the west of Jerusalem, and
extended as far south as Bethlehem (Joseph., Aniiq.,
vii., c. 12, § 4), but at its northern extremity was
separated from the ravine of Hinnom by a mountain
ridge. It was famous for the victories of David over
the Philistines (2 Sam. v. 18, 22, xxiii. 13). The
Rephaim Avere an ancient and gigantic tribe (Gen.
xiv. 5).
Ver. 9. — "ixn, " %vas marked out" or " was described "
(Ges., Lex.), cogn. to iin, to go round, whence "ixh,
form, outline. ];VD, lit. " a place watered by springs,"
but here=|.'';;, a fountain (cf Gen. vii. i i, viii. 2). " T/ie
zvaters of NcpJitoach " (" opening," rt. nns, to open), a
spring mentioned here and in xviii. 1 5 only ; now
probably Ai)i-Lifta, in a short valley which runs into
the east side of the great Wady Beit Hanina two
and a half miles north-west of Jerusalem (Van de
Velde, Memoir). The name Lifta is not less suitable
to this identification than its situation, since " N " and
" L " frequently take the place of each other, and the
rest of the word is almost entirely unchanged (Art.
by Grove in Dr. Smith's Bib. Diet.)} "Mount Ephron"
not mentioned elsewhere ; probably the range of
hills on the west side of the Wady Beit Hanina
(traditional valley of the Terebinth), opposite Lifta,
which stands on the east side (Grove). " Baalah,
which (is) Kirj'ath-jearijji " (Auth. Vers.). See note
on ix. 17. It seems that Baalah (mistress) was the
' Accordinj^r, however, to Lieut. Conder's proposed alteration
of the boundary line of Judah, Nephtoach is made identical
with the spring- 'Atdn, the Talmudic Etam, near the pools
of Solomon, south of Bethlehem (Map, sheet .wii).
234 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
early or Canaanitish name (cf. xviii. 28, " Jebusi,
which (is) Jerusalem ").
Ver. 10. — 1^i\ cf. ver. 3. ''Mount Sc-ir (hairy,
rough) ; " not that in Edom (xi. i 7, xii. 7, xxiv. 4),
but a shaggy or rugged mountain ridge running
south-west of Kirjath-jearim. The name may have
been derived from an ancient incursion of the
Edomites into these parts. ''Mount Y"a-fzm"^
(mount of forests) : Possibly the ridge separating
VVady Ghuzab from Wady Ismail (Grove). " ICsa-
lon " (" firm confidence," Ges.; or rather, from "ppB, in
reference to the " loins " of the mountain), a town
apparently on the shoulder (side) of mount Yearim,
probably A>j-/<^, eight miles west of Jerusalem (Grove,
Bib. Die). " Beth-shemesh " (house of the sun), called
" 'Ir-shemesh " xix. 41, when it had afterwards been
assigned to Dan, on whose border it stood ; one of
the cities allotted to the priests (xxi. 16). For its
further history see i Sam. vi. 9, etc. ; i Kings iv. 9 ;
2 Kings xiv. 1 1 ; 2 Chron. xxviii. 1 8 ; now called
Ain-Shems, on the north-west slopes of the moun-
tains of Judah, " a low plateau at the junction of
two fine plains " (Rob., iii., i 52), about two miles from
the great Philistine plain, and seven from Ekron
(ii., 224-6). " Tiinnah" ("a part assigned," rt. n:o,
to divide, Ges., unless the word rather refers to some
natural feature of the country. Grove), written also
Timnathah (xix. 43) and Timnath; assigned to Dan
(xix. 43), and thence Samson fetched his wife (Judges
xiv. I), probably distinct from the Timnath in Gen.
' "11?^ means a wood of some extent, a forest, as distinguished
from 5J''l'n, a thicket.
VER. II.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 235
xxxviii. I 2, which may have been identical with the
Timnah in Josh. xv. 57, in the mountains of Judah ;
now perhaps Tibnek, at the mouth of Wady Surar
two miles west of Ain-Shems (Beth-shemesh) (Rob.,
Pal., i., p. 344 ; Grove).
Ver. I I. — Here the border follows a north-western
course. ^''Eg-ron," see on xiii. 3. "■ Shik-Jfron''
(drunkenness, from "i?l?*, to drink to the full), on the
north-west border of Judah, probably between
'Eqron (Akir) and Yabhneel (Yebna), see Smith's
Bib. Die, iii., p. 1 273), or perhaps the modern Sugheir,
about three miles south of Yabhneel (Tobler and
Knobel). Because the word in Hebrew means
drunkenness, Simonis {Ononiast. V.T., p. 348, coll.
p. 209) conjectured that the locality abounded with
vines. ^"^ Mount Ba'alah": Mentioned here only ; the
name must have been given to one of the ranges
near the coast, in the vicinity of Yebna. " Yahh-
if-el" ("may God cause to be built"), called Yabneh
in 2 Chron. xxvi. 6, where Uzziah is said to have
taken it from the Philistines, and to have destroyed
its fortifications; also Jamnia in i Mace. iv. 15,
v. 58, etc., and in Joseph., Antiq., v., i, § 22, xii. 8,
§ 6. Once famous as a school of Jewish learning,
and the seat of the sanhedrim after the fall of
Jerusalem (Philo, (9/., ii., p. 575); now Yebna, ox,
more accurately, Ibna (Grove), about two miles from
the coast, and eleven miles south of Joppa. Its ruins
stand on the edge of the Nahr Rubin, along which
ran the boundary line between Judah and Benjamin
towards the coast (Robinson, Bib. Res., ii., 227,
Another town of the same name is mentioned in
xix. 33.
236 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
Ver. I 2. — "And the zvest border (was) to (or at) the
great sea {i.e. the Mediterranean) and the adjoining
territory (thereof)." On P-UJ-l in the last clause see
xiii. 23.
Vers. 13-20. — Inheritance of Caleb.
This narrative, though involving a repetition of xiv.
6-15, is properly inserted here, because Caleb's in-
heritance was included in the territory assigned by
lot to Judah, and it was fit that it should be men-
tioned before the enumeration of the cities of Judah
(ver. 2 I, etc.) commenced. As we meet with the same
narrative, almost verbatim, in Judges i. lo-i 5, among
the events described in that chapter as happening
after the death of Joshua (ver. i), it may have been
either inserted here from the Book of Judges by a later
hand, perhaps by Ezra, according to Bishop Patrick,
or, according to Keil, both accounts may have been
drawn from one common source. Caleb's delay in
taking possession of his inheritance till after Joshua's
death might be explained by his disinterestedness
in preferring the public service to his own private
interests ; cf. a like unselfishness on Joshua's part
(xix. 50, note).
Ver. I 3. — " He gave " : The nominative is not
expressed in the Hebrew, and is either, therefore,
"Joshua," or the verb is used impers. (§ 137, 3).
" A portion among (in the midst of) tJie cliihiren of
fiidah " : The expressions here used may imply that
Caleb was a foreigner by birth, and became a
proselyte (see note on xiv. 6). "According to the com-
mandment" etc. : Though that commandment is
nowhere expressly recorded, it is consistent with the
VERS. I4-I7-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 237
promise referred to in xiv. 9. " Arba" see xiv. 15.
"The father of Anak" i.e., the progenitor of the
Anakim (see note on xi, 21).
Ver. 14. — ::n^l, Hiph. imperf. apoc. (§ 49, 2, ^).
" And drove out," see note on :;*nin, iii. 10. " Shcshay"^
etc. : Probably names, not of individuals, but of three
principal families of Anakim, a supposition which
seems confirmed by the mention of their names here
after the first mention of them in Numb. xiii. 22.
At the end of the verse, ')iT\ n*^.'' is added as a still
further definition of 'yn ^;3, to prevent us from think-
ing of the actual sons of Anak.
Ver. 15. — D'-bhir, see x. 38.
Ver. 16. — '•riD^^I, '' then will I give" \ \ = "then" in
the apod., after a condit. protasis (cf. Judges iv. 8 ;
Psalm Ixxviii. 34; § 155, i {d). The perfect denotes
the certain fulfilment of the promise (§ 126, 4), Sept.
8wo-cj ; Vulg. " dabo." " 'Akh-sdh " (an anklet or
ring, worn as an ornament by women round their
ankles (cf. Isa. iii. i 8), mentioned also in i Chron. ii.
49, as Caleb's daughter, though the genealogy of
Caleb in that chapter is very obscure. Cf. with
Caleb's promise here that of Saul in i Sam. xvii. 25,
xviii. 17, and that of Creon, King of Thebes, who
promised his sister Jocaste in marriage to him who
should destroy the Sphinx (Hygin., Fab. Ixvii).
Ver. 17. — "'Oth-ni-el" (lion of God). "The son of
Kenas, tlie brother of Caleb " : The Hebrew accent
Tiphcha, after T3p, shows that in the opinion ot
the Masorites the word " brother " here refers to
' The according- to § 8, 5, retains its consonant power (cf.
vii. 2).
238 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xv
Othniel ; cf. the Vulg., " Othniel, filius Cenaz, frater
Caleb junior ; " but the Sept., Arab., and Syr. regard
it as referring to Kenaz, though in Judges i. i 3, iii. 9,
the Sept. agrees with the other view. According to
the canon of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman on Numb.
X. 29, designations of this nature generally refer to
the principal foregoing word ; thus in Isa, xxxvii. 2
(Heb.) ''prophet" refers not to Amon, but Isaiah (cf.
Jer. xxviii. i). ''Son of Kenaz ^' probably = Kenizzite
in xiv. 6. The Jewish law did not expressly pro-
hibit marriage with a niece (see Lev. xviii. 12, xx.
19, and cf. Talmud "Jebamoth," 62a, 63b).
Ver. I 8. — i^Nit33, " on her entering^' into the house
of Othniel to be his wife, -"innpni, " then she urged
him" Hiph. of niD or TT-p, not used in Qal, perhaps
"to be excited," whence in Hiph. "to excite."
Knobel thinks that by n^b the land belonging to
Debir is meant, but that would naturally be assigned
along with it, whereas the allusion is to some piece
of land in the neighbourhood of Debir, plentifully
supplied with water, njvrn, " and she lept " or " sprung
down quickly." The dismounting was a mark of
respect (cf. Gen. xxiv. 64; i Sam. xxv. 23). mv
occurs here and in Judges i. 1 4, iv. 2 i only, in which
latter place it is used of a nail, and is rendered by
Gesenius " went down " (into the earth). It is hardly
connected, says Keil, with y;y, to be lowly or humble
(Ges.), but rather means primarily, according to Furst,
" to press or force oneself away," being connected
with py\ =, in Piel, " to leap forth." Thus it corre-
sponds here with ^fsn in Gen. xxiv. 64. The Sept.
/cat e[B6-qarev e'/c tov ovov, and the Vulg. "suspiravitque
ut sedebat in asino," may have arisen from a different
VER. 19.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 239
reading, viz., pl'Vri. " What woiddest thou " (Auth.
Vers.), lit. " what is to thee ? " As nothing is said about
Othniel's making the request which Achsah had urged
him to make, ^ we may suppose that, because he hesi-
tated, she had determined herself to accost her father.
Ver. 1 9. — n3"i3, " a blessing" Sept. evXoylav (cf.
2 Cor. ix. 5), a gift expressing goodwill and affection,
or offered with prayers for a blessing on the recipient
(cf. Gen. xxxiii. 1 1 ; 2 Kings v. 1 5). 'ir\ ]nvNi, " a land
of the south country" evidently with allusion to its
aridity, for 333 comes from 233, to be dry (Syr., Chald.,
and Sam.), cf. Psalm cxxvi. 4, where " the south" =
" a dry or barren land." ^3riri3, either the accus. suff
is used briefly for the dat. (§ 121, 4), or the verb
governs two accusatives (Ewald, Lehrb., § 283, (5i).
The rendering of the Sept., Chald., Syr., and Arab.,
" Thou hast given me into a south land," i.e., sent me
thither by marriage, though followed by Michaelis,
Bertheau, and others, is forced, but not ungrammatical,
as 333n *,nx may be an accus. loci. " Give me spri?igs
of water" i.e., a piece of land with springs of water in
it (Keil). r\hl, lit. " bubblings," from h% to tumble
or roll over, perhaps in allusion to the globular form
in which springs bubble up (Stanley, Sin. and Pal.,
p. 5 12), used here, and in the parallel passage fjudges
i. 15), only. In Cant. iv. i 2 the shorter form h^ occurs.
The Alex. Sept. renders by rcuXa^-/xat/>t, a proper
name ; so Fijrst. " The upper and lozver springs"
cf. Bethhoron, the " Nether " and " Upper " (xvi. 3, 5).
Their site was no doubt a mountain slope, which had
' Perhaps he might have feared lest he should seem to have
married Achsah from self-interested motives, i.e., with a view
to the dowry he might get with her.
240 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
springs both on its higher and lower ground, possibly
the modern Knrmul(\\ ihon's Ncgeb, p. i6 ; Speaker's
Cojinii.).
This liberality of Caleb to his daughter, while it
teaches us that parents should make suitable provi-
sion for their children, should also remind us of those
words of Christ, " If ye being evil know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father which is in heaven give good things to
them that ask Him " (Matt. vii. 1 1).
Vers. 21-63. — -^ ^^^^ of the Towns of JndaJi, ar-
ranged according to the Four Districts ijito which
their Territory was Divided, viz., those in the
Negeb or South Land (vers. 21-32)/ those in
the Shephelah or Loivland Plain (vers. 33-47)/
tJiose in the Hill Country (vers. 48-60) ; and
those in the Wilderness (vers, 61, 62).
Vers. 21-32 ( The Tozuns in the NegJiebli ^). — The
towns in this district are arranged into four groups,
the names in each group being connected by the
copulative " Vav." First group of nine towns (vers.
21-23).
Ver. 2 I . — " A nd the towns from {i.e., at) the ex-
tremity of the tribe-territory of fndah towards the
border of Edom, in the region lying toivards the south
were (the following)." n3.333, can only be rendered,
as above, by a circumlocution. " Qabh-ts"' el" (God
gathers), probably the same as Jekabzeel (Neh. xi. 25),
the birthplace of the hero Benaiah, a slayer of lions
(2 Sam. xxiii. 20 ; i Chron. xi. 22), of which the
' See note on x. 40.
VERS. 22, 23.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 241
Negeb was a common haunt (Wilton's Negeb, p. 42,
etc.). " 'E-dher" (a flock) and " Yd-ghiir" (a lodging,
rt. I"!-!, to sojourn) are both unknown ; the latter name
is rendered in the Sept. 'Acrcop, and is joined by-
Wilton with Kinah in the following verse.
Ver. 22. — " Qf-ndh" (perhaps "a smithy," from yp
or |-ip [unused], to strike upon, to forge iron), un-
known. Knobel and Stanley {Sin. and Pal., p. 1 60)
would connect the name with the Kenites, who settled
in the south of Arad (Judges i. 16), but this settlement
probably took place after the period here referred to.
" Dt-md-7tak," mentioned in the Onoinasticon, but
evidently unknown to Eusebius and Jerome ; perhaps
the same as Di-bhon (" pining," rt. nn, i.q. to languish),
a town re-inhabited by the men of Judah after the
return from captivity (Neh. xi. 25) ; "M" and " B,"
letters of the same organ, are often interchanged
(§ 19, i) ; possibly identical with the ruins called el-
(or eh-) Dlieib (Van de Velde, Mem., 252), to the
north-east of Arad. " 'Adh-d-dhah " (Syr. "festival "),
not mentioned in the Onoinasticon of Eusebius ;
perhaps Sudeid (Robinson).
Ver. 2i.—~"Qe-dhesk" (sanctuary), possibly the
same as Oa-dhesh-Bar-ne-'a (ver. 3, Keil). " Clid-
tsor" ("enclosed"), mentioned nowhere else, and
unknown (Rob., ii., 34, note). Another of the same
name in Naphtali (xi. i). The Vat. Sept. joins it
with the following word, and the Alex. MSS. omit it
altogether. " Yitli-ndn " (" strong place," rt. |nv to be
firm, stable), probably on the borders of the desert, if
not actually in it, but no trace of it yet discovered.
The word is joined by the Alex. MSS. of the Sept.
with Ziph in the next verse.
16
242 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
Ver. 24, 25 {Second Group of Five or Six Toivns).
— Ver. 24. — '' Ziph " (perhaps " refining-place," rt. fi-it,
in Arab, " to become liquid "), omitted in the Vat,
Sept., and, therefore, thought by Wilton {Ncgeb, 85) to
be an interpolation, but found in the Alex, and Peshito
(Zib) ; perhaps now KnseifcJi (Knobel ; Rob., PaL, ii.,
191, 195), south-west of Arad. " Tc-leni " (oppression,
rt. D^p, to oppress), unknown. Kimchi, Raumer, and
others, would identify it with Telaim (" young lambs,"
rt. n^p, to be fresh [unused], i Sam. xv. 4), though this
latter word could have been more easily corrupted
into the former than vice versa. Possibly now cl-
Kuseir, a spot in the Negeb, occupied by the Arab
tribe Dhullam (Wilton, Negeb, ^^. 85-9). '' B"aldtk"
(ladies, mistresses), probably the same as Baalath-
Beer, the Ramath of the south, assigned to the
Simeonites (xix. 8), and called simply Baal (i Chron.
iv. 33), and South Ramoth (i Sam. xxx. 27),
Knobel and Wilton {Negeb, pp. 91, 92) would identify
it with the modern Kurniib.
Ver. 25. — '' Chd-tsdr-ch"-dhat-tah" (New Chatsor),
probably so called to distinguish it from the Chatsor
in ver. 23. The conjunctive accent under Chatsor in
the Hebrew text, and the absence of the copulative
V authorise this rendering ; Vulg. " Asor nova " ; but
omitted by Sept. Some identify it with el-Hu-
dhairah on the south of Jebel Khulil (Rob., Bib. Res.,
i., p- 151 ; Keil). Q'ri-yoth (cities, hamlets) : This
word has in the Hebrew a great distinctive accnet,
which is some authority for its being regarded by our
Auth. Vers, as the name of a separate city ; but,
on the other hand, there is no copulative " Vav"
between it and the following word, and with this
VERS. 26, 27.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 243
latter it is connected by the Sept. (at 7roXet'Acre/)coi/),
the Syr., and by Reland, Maurer, Keil, and others ;
the proper rendering, therefore, probably is, "Q'ri-
yoth-CJicts-ron, zvhich is Cha-tsor.'' The latter name,
meaning " an enclosure," or " hamlet," may have
been the original name, which, when the place was
taken by the Anakim and fortified, was changed to
Q'^ri-yoth, and afterwards by the tribe of Judah to
O^ri-yoth-Chets-ron, in honour of their ancestor,
Chets-ron (Gen. xlvi. I2 ; Ruth iv. 18). Possibly
now cl-Kuryctein, south of Hebron (Rob., Bib. Res.,
ii., 10 1 ; Wilton, Negeb, pp. 100-106). The name
'lorKapLcoTr]<; (Matt. x. 4) is thought by some to
mean ntnp L*'\s.
Vers. 26-28 {Third Group of Nine Towns). —
Ver. 26. — "'A-mdni" (gathering-place), in the south
of Judah, but quite unknown. " Sh^ma " (fame,
repute) : Probably the same as Sheba, in xix. 2
(where, as here, it precedes Moladah), the labials " M "
and "B " being often interchanged (cf. ver. 22). M6-la-
dhah (birth), a town afterwards given to the tribe of
Simeon (xix. 2 ; i Chron. iv. 28), inhabited after the
captivity by the children of Judah (Neh. xi. 26), and
perhaps identical with Malatha, mentioned by Jose-
phus as an Idumxan fortress {Antiq., xviii., 6, 2).
Now probably the ruins of el-Milh, seventeen or
eighteen Roman miles south of Hebron (Rob., Bib.
Res., ii., 201-2 ; Wilton, p. 109, etc.).
Ver. 27. — '' Ch"tsar-Gaddah" (village of good
fortune). Some think that Jurrah, near Moladah
(el-Milh), is the modern site. " Chesh-moti" (fatness,
fat soil, rt. DL''n, to be fat), possibly identical with
Atsmon, one of the landmarks of the southern
244 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
boundary of Judah (Numb, xxxiv. 4 ; Grove), or
with Chashmonah (Numb, xxxiii. 29), lying beyond
the natural frontier of the Holy Land in the extreme
north of the wilderness. " Beth-pa-let " {pa in pause
{ox pe ; "house of escape"), mentioned with Moladah
in Neh. xi. 26 as still inhabited by Judcxans.
Ver. 28. — "Ch"tsar-shH-ar (fox, or jackal, village'),
given up to Simeon (xix. 3), and after the captivity
inhabited by the children of Judah (Neh. xi. 27).
Perhaps " Saweh;' in Van de Velde's Map (1858),
may mark the site, and be a corruption of the original
name (Grove). ''B"er-s/ie-bha " (well of the oath;^
see Gen. xxi. 14, 31, xxii. 19), mentioned in Judges
XX. I ; 2 Sam. xvii. 11, as on the southern frontier
of Palestine ; given to the Simeonites (xix. 2), but in
I Kings xix. 3 said to belong to Judah, the Simeon-
ites being at that time absorbed into Judah ; after
the captivity still inhabited (Neh. xi. 27). It was in
the Wady es Seba, a wide watercourse, twelve miles
south of Hebron, where there are still relics of an
ancient town, called Bir-es-Seba, with two deep wells
(Rob., Bib. Res., i., p. 204 ; Wilton, p. 141) ; said by
Jerome to have been extant in his day (Qu. ad Gen.,
xxi. 31). " Biz-yo-t/fyah" (contempt of Jehovah),,
site unknown.
' Doubtless so called because those animals abounded in the
neighbourhood.
2 Or, "well of seven," the compact between Abraham and
Abimelech having been ratified by the setting apart of seven
ewe lambs (Gen. xxi. 28).
^ So Gesenius {Lex.), who seems to regard the final syllable
nj as = n; ; so in the forms nnn^ (2 Sam. xii. 25); n;!?3ND (Jer.
ii. 31) ; n^*nh?r, .T^l^n. (i Chron.'viii. 24) ; n;t:hy,* (ver.'27). Per-
haps, however, n^^ in these instances merely intensifies the
form of the word.
VERS. 29, 30.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 245
Vers. 29-32 {Fourth Group of Thirteen Tozvns in the
West Portion of the Negcb). — Ver. 29. — " Ba-a-lah"
afterwards assigned to the Simeonites (xix. 3, where it
is called Balah, but Bilhah i Chron. iv. 29); identified
by Knobel, Wilton, and others, with the present Deir-
el-Bclah, near Gaza. " 'I-yini " (ruinous heaps, rt.
nju, to overturn), not known ; the same name was
given to a city of the Moabites (Numb, xxxiii. 45).
"'A-tscm" (firmness, strength), in pause for 'E-tsem
(i Chron. iv% 29) ; afterwards assigned to the Simeon-
ites (xix. 3 ; I Chron. iv. 29). Wilton {Negeb, p. 156,
etc.) somewhat arbitrarily connects this word with the
foregoing, and traces the compound name Ije-Azem
in the modern el-AuJeh, a spot covered with ruins,
near the Wady-el-Ain, in the country of the Azazimeh
Arabs, whose name resembles Azem.
Ver. 30. — "■'El-to-ladh" ("whose posterity is from
God "). 'El is either the Arab, article, or means
"God;" written Toladh (i Chron. iv. 29), the first
part of a compound word being often omitted for
brevity, cf D^'^ for p^p'-n^ (Psalm Ixxvi. 3), U"]^^ for
D''PL*'n ^ax, but supposed by Wilton to be near the
Wady-el-Thoula, in the extreme south of the Negeb,
not far from the western extremity of the Jebel-el-
Mukreh. He thinks that Isaac was born there, and
that it was named after that great event. {The Ncgcb,
p. 180.) "K'str' (fool, impious), rt. "pDB, to be fleshy,
fat, applied in a bad sense to languor and inertness,
and hence to folly (Ges., Lex., 3), Sept. BaiOrfK, and,
therefore, perhaps the same as Bethul (xix. 4), and
Bethucl (i Chron. iv. 30), and identical with the
Bethel of i Sam. xxx. 27, and, therefore, not far
from Ziglag. The place may have been called K'-'sil
246 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [cuAr. xv,
(fool) by the Israelites, because it had been a scat of
idolatry, perhaps of the worship of Orion (which K^sil
means in Job xxxviii, 3 1 ; Amos v. 8), and they
may have changed its name to Bethel (the house of
God), as the name of the Bethel in Benjamin was
changed to Beth-aven (Hosea iv. i 5). Probably now
el KhidasaJi, the same as the Elusa of ecclesiastical
writers, about fifteen miles south-west of Beersheba
(Rob., Bib. Res., i., 202). Jerome, in the fourth cen-
tury, states that there was here a temple of Venus
Astarte, where Lucifer, the morning star, was wor-
shipped by the Saracens {Vit. Hilarion, c. 25).
" Chor-mah," see on xii. 14.
Ver. 31. — " Tsig-lagh" written jbpiv in i Chron.
xii. I, 20, perhaps from \h\> ■>>', "wilderness of de-
struction " (Ges.),^ eventually assigned to Simeon
(xix. 5) ; recovered by the Philistines, and given by
the King of Gath to David, in whose family it per-
manently remained (i Sam. xxvii. 6 ; ]ose^h., A ntig.,
vi., 13, 10); burnt by the Amalekites (i Sam, xxx. i);
after the captivity inhabited by the people of Judah
(Neh. xi. 28). The site unknown, but it appears from
I Sam. xxx. 9, 10, 21, to have been north of the
brook Besor. Kiepert, in his Map, places it about
twenty miles south-east of Beersheba, and nearly
fifty from Gath, on the edge of the desert. " MadJi-
man-na]i " (dunghill, rt. jO'^, unused, Arab., to dung),
not to be confounded, as in the Onom. {s.v. Made-
mena), with Madmena in Isa. x. 31, which was north
of Jerusalem, but probably identical with Menoi's, now
el-Minydy, on the caravan route south of Gaza. So
' Simonis derives it from ?l p\V\ an outflowing of a fountain
VER. 32.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 247
Keil and Robinson, and Kiepert [JMap, 1856). This,
and the next place '' Sansannah" (palm-branch), are
supposed by Reland, Keil, and others, to correspond
with '■'■ Bcth-Juxm-inar-ka-bhoth" (house of the chariots)
and " C/if^tsar-SHsah" (horse village) in xix. 5, i Chron.
iv. 31, names which indicate that the places so called
were stations or depots for horses and chariots, pro-
bably on the road between Eg-ypt and Palestine (Stanley,
Sin. and Pal., p. 1 60), by which the eunuch of Candace
was returning to Egypt when overtaken by Philip
(Wilton). They are perhaps rightly identified with the
modern Minyay and Wady-es-Suny, on the caravan
route south of Gaza. More recently it has been sup-
posed by Lieut. Conder that possibly Madmannah
may be identical with the ruin Uvivi Deivinch, north
of Beersheba [Pal. Explor. Fiind Map^ sheet xxiv.).
Ver. i2.—''Ubha-dth;' called Bcth-l=bha- oth
(house of lionesses, xix. 6), and Beth-bir-'i (" house
of my creation " [perhaps a corrupted form] i Chron.
iv. 31): The word indicates that the south of Judah
was the resort of lions. Site uncertain, though
Lebben, the first station between Gaza and Egypt,
bears a resemblance to the name. Wilton, with less
likelihood, places it at el-Bey-udh, near Mesada or
the Dead Sea. " Shil-c/iim " (armed men), written
by A, V. SharuJien^ (xix. 6) and Shaaraim (i Chron.
iv. 3 i), supposed by Van de Velde to be TeU-SJieriaJi,
between Gaza and Beersheba, but by Wilton to be
el-Birein, near Wady-es-Serum, much further to the
' Heb. Sha-rfi-chen, "dwelling of grace," or "pleasant
lodging-place; " for jn T\V\'d>, see X^^, Chald. to loose, specially
used of those who turn aside at evening to an inn and loose the
burdens of their beasts ; hence " to lodge " (Ges., Lex.).
248 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
south, and not far to the north-west of Kadesh-
Barnea. It is not mentioned by Eusebius and
Jerome. " 'A-yin" (a fountain^), and " Rzm-mou" (a
pomegranate) occur among the cities of the Simeonites
(xix. 7 ; I Chron. iv, 32), but without a connecting
" Vav," though they are evidently reckoned as separate
cities. Perhaps being close together, they afterwards
became one city (cf the modern Mezieres-Charlevillc),
for after the captivity we find the name "En-Rimmon"
in Neh. xi. 29. The fertility of the situation seems
indicated by the meaning of the word, viz., " Fountain
of the pomegranates." Rimmon is supposed to be
identical with Um-er-Rumamim, i.e., " mother of pome-
granates," about ten miles north of Beersheba. "■ All
the cities are twenty and 7iine." In the Hebrew they
are thirty-six, reckoning two only in ver. 25 (see
note). Of this discrepancy the best solution perhaps
is that of Keil, viz., that the number nine is the error
of some early copyist, who misread the Hebrew
numeral letters ; see a similar error in xix. 15, 38.
The Syrian version reads thirty-six. In this once
populous district there is now only desolation, the
waters once supplied by the rains having been
allowed to go to waste.
Vers. 33-47 {Towns in the Lowland or Shephela/i).
— These are arranged in four groups, of which the
first (vers. 33-36) contains fourteen towns, situated
in the north-east portion of the shephelah.
• Properly, an eye, " the spring in an Eastern country being
the eye of the landscape" (Stanley, Sin. and Pal., p. 509).
Many towns and places in Palestine are formed or compounded
of this Hebrew word, as is natural from the importance of
living springs in the East [id).
VERS. 33, 34.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 249
Ver. 33. — n^5V'?, see on ix. i ; it here includes the
foot-hills sloping off gradually into the lowland (x. 40).
'Esh-td-ol (perhaps " petition, request," as if infinitive
Hithp. of an Arab, form from the rt. h^'c* [Ges.]), and
Tsor-ah (place of hornets)^ were border-towns between
Judah and Dan, and were afterwards assigned to Dan
(xix, 41) ; the former is now perhaps Ktistid, east of
Kuriet el-Enab (Kirjath-jearim [Grove]) ; the latter,
which was the native place of Samson (Judges xiii. 2),
fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chron. xi. 10), and re-
inhabited by the Jews after the captivity (Neh. xi. 9),
is mentioned by Eusebius and Jerome {Ononiast^ as
ten Roman miles from Eleutheropolis, on the way to
Nicopolis, and is probably now Surah, at the head of
Wady Surah (Robinson, Grove). Between Tsorah
and Eshtaol was the Danish camp (Judges xiii. 25),
and the burial-place of Samson (Judges xvi. 31).
" 'Ash-naJi " (strong, rt. |:;'N*, to be hard, strong), pro-
bably north-west of Jerusalem, but unknown. Another
town of the same name is mentioned in ver. 43.
Ver. 34. — "■' Za-no-ach " (perhaps "a marshy place "
[Ges.], from mr, " to have an offensive smell "), now
Zdmm, not far from Surah towards the east, and on
the side of the Wady Ismail (Grove) ; it was reoccu-
pied by the people of Judah after the captivity (Neh.
xi. 30). The other Zanoach on the mountains (ver.
56) is unknown. "'En-gaji-mm" (fountain of gardens),
apparently the present ruin JJjmn Jina (Lieut. Conder,
Pal. Explor. Fund). " Tap-pu-ach " (" a place fruitful
in apples "), not to be confounded with the Beth-
Tappuach near Hebron (ver. 53), but situated on the
• The name seems to imply that hornets infested that part of
the country.
2S0 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
lower slopes of the mountains of the north-west
portion of Judah, about twelve miles west of Jerusalem
(Grove). " Jia- E-nain" contract, for ha- E-na-yim (the
two fountains), probably the same as Enayim (Gen.
xxxviii. 14), which was on the road from Adullam to
Timnath.
Ver. 35. — ''Yarnutth" see x. 3. "'A-dhul-lam;'
xii. 15. '' So-khoh" (hedge), near to Ephesdammim,
where the combat between David and Goliath took
place (i Sam. xvii. i) ; fortified by Rehoboam (2
Chron. xi. 7), and taken by the Philistines in the
reign of Ahaz (2 Chron. xxviii. 18). It is mentioned
in the Onomast. under the name Soccoth, and described
as two villages, an upper and lower, on the road to
Jerusalem, about eight or nine miles from Eleuthero-
polis. Robinson {Bib. Res., ii. 21) identifies it with
esh-S/mweikc/i, on the southern slope of Wady es-Sumt
(probably the valley of Elah, the scene of Goliath's
death), a mile south-west of Yarmuth. 'A-sc-gah,
see X. I o : Though it seems to have been to the
north of the shephelah, near Beth-horon, yet Eusebius
and Jerome speak of it as lying between (dm fxeo-ov)
Eleutheropolis and Jerusalem, i.e., farther south, and
in the mountains of Judah ; but perhaps, like Sokhoh,
Apheq, etc., there was more than one place of the
same name (Grove).
Ver. 36. — " S/ia-'a-ra-j'i7n" (two gates), mentioned
in connection with the defeat of the Philistines after
the death of Goliath (i Sam. xvii. 52) ; it was west-
ward of Sokhoh, and perhaps identical with Tell-
Zacharia on Wady es-Sumt (Rob., Bib. Res., ii., 16).
'^'A-d/ii-t/ia-j/iui" (twofold ornament), unknown.
^^ hag-G'dhe-rah'^ (the sheepcote), apparently in the
VERS. 37, 3S-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 251
east part of the shephelah, because Azeqah, Sokhoh,
etc., are mentioned just before (ver. 35) ; perhaps the
same as the Gederoth taken by the Philistines from
Ahaz (2 Chron. xxviii. 1 8), (so Keil), and as the
Gedrus of the 0)wniast., situated ten Roman miles
south of Diospolis (Lydda), and identified by Lieut.
Conder with the present ruin Jedireli {Pal. Explor.
Fund, 3Iap, sheet xvi). Grove thinks that the
Hebrew word here with the art. indicates a sheep-
breeding locality. So the following word G^'dhe-
ro-tha-yim (two sheepfolds) is connected by the Sept.
with the preceding, and rendered at eVavXet? avrrj?.
*' Foiu'tecn cities" : The correct number is fifteen, but
the discrepancy may be explained as in ver. 32, or
G^dherothayim may be taken as sj^nonymous with
Gederah (Kimchi, and margin of Auth. Vers.).
Vers. 37-41 {Second Group, containing tJie Toivns
in the Middle Portion of the Shephelah). — Ver. 37. —
" Ts^ndn," probably the same as Tsa-'a-nan (place of
flocks, Micah i. 11), supposed by Knobel to be the
ruins of Chirbet-es-Senat, a little north of Beit-jibrin
(Eleutheropolis). " Ch"dha-shah " (new) : According
to the Talmud the smallest city in Judaea, having
only fifty houses, perhaps the same as the Adasa of
I Mace. vii. 40, 45, a day's journey from Gazera
(Gezer), and thirty stadia from Bcthhoron (Joseph.,
Antiq., xii,, 10, § 5), but the site unknown (Grove).
" Migh-dal-Gadh" (tower of Gad), unknown, though
perhaps Mcj'del, two miles west of Ascalon (Grove).
Ver. 38. — ^^ Dil-'an" (cucumber-field), possibly
Tina, about three miles north of Tell-es-Safieh, in
the maritime plain of Philistia, south of Ekron (Van
de Vclde, ii., i Go). " ham-Mitspch " (the lofty place)
252 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
a name given to many places (see xi. 3). It stood,
according to the Onomast.^ north of Eleutheropolis,
and may be identical with the present Tell-es-Sdfiyeh,
the Blanche-garde of the crusaders (Van de Velde,
Grove). " Yoq-th'\H" (" subdued by God," for ^x nrip;,
from rt. nrii"^, to serve), probably near to Lakhish, but
undiscovered. Possibly the ruins KcitnlaiieJi in that
neighbourhood (Robinson, iii., App, 126).
Ver. 39. — On La-khish and 'Egh-loii see x. 3 ;
near to them was '^ Bots-qatJi " (" swelling ground," rt.
PV3, to swell up), the birthplace of the mother of
Josiah (2 Kings xxii. i, where it is written Boscath
in Auth. Vers.) ; site unknown.
Ver. 40, — ''Kab-bon" (" a bond." rt. nns, to bind),
perhaps the ruins called KubeibeJi, about ten miles
south of 'Eghlon, and once a strong fortification and
key to the mountainous passes (Van de Velde),
whence probably the name. " Lach-mas',' Sept.
Aa/xa<;j Vulg. Leheman : Thirty-two copies have
DDnp, and here A. V. " Lahmam." It is not mentioned
in the Onomasticon ; perhaps now the ruined site
called el-Lahem, discovered by Tobler {Dritte Wander-
wig, p. 129), a little south of Beit-jibrin. '' Kith-Iish"
(probably contracted from 7113 = "pna, a wall, perhaps
as made of compacted clay (Cant. ii. 9), and ^''^ (Ges.,
Lex.), not mentioned by Eusebius and Jerome, nor yet
discovered by any later traveller. Possibly to be
found in Tcll-C/nichis, S.S.E. of Beit-jibrin (Van de
Velde, Res., ii., p. 157; Keil).
Ver. 41. — ''Cdhe-roth" (folds), apparently not that
referred to in ver. 36, but in the middle portion of
the lowland (see Keil). Lieut. Conder suggests the
present village Katrah, near Yebnah, as proposed
VERS. 42, 43.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 253
also by Col. Warren, R.E. {Map, sheet xvi.). ''Beth-
Daghdn " (house of Dagon), according to Clark's Bib.
Atlas between Joppa and Lydda ; perhaps the Beth-
dedshan visited by Tobler on his fourth journey.
Another town of the same name was on the border
of Asher (xix. 27). '■' Na-a-maJi" (pleasant) : Proba-
bly Ndane/i, south of Ramleh/ as proposed by Col.
Warren, R.E. The situation is suitable (Lieut. Conder,
R.E., il/^/, sheet xvi.). " Mag-qe-dhahy" see on x. 10.
Vers. 42-44 {Third Group in the SoutJi of the
Shephelah). — Ver. 42. — '' Libh-nah" x. 29. " 'E-thcr "
(abundance) and "'A-shan" (smoke) were afterwards
given to the Simeonites (xix. 7). The former may
be the same as Tochen in i Chron. iv. 3 2, and is
mentioned twice by Eusebius {Oiioviast), who also
confuses it with Yattir (ver. 48). The name has not
yet been certainly identified with any existing remains,
but Van de Velde heard of a Tcl-AtJiar in this direc-
tion (Grove, Smith's Bib. Did., vol. i.), and more
recently Lieut. Conder has suggested the ruin eVAtr,
near Beit Jibrin, on the west, as a satisfactory situa-
tion. 'Ashan is perhaps identical with Kor- ashan
(i Sam. XXX. 30), and with 'Ayin (Josh. xxi. 16) ; it
was one of the cities of the priests (i Chron. vi. 59), in
the .south of Judah, on the border of the Negeb (Grove).
Ver. 43. — " Yiph-tach" (he will open), '''Ash-nah''
(cf ver. 3 3), and " N'tsibJi " (garrison, or station) have
not been discovered. In the Onomast. a " Neesib "
is mentioned as seven or nine miles east of Eleuthero-
polis (Beit-jibrin), between that city and Hebron, and
' Marked in Arrowsmith's Map of Modern Syria (Southern)
as lyin.cj to the north-east of Ycbna, and south-east of Jaffa, in
what was afterwards the territory of Dan.
254 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
now called Beit-Nusib, on the Wady es Sur. This
position, however, is among the mountains, rather
than in the shephelah.
Ver. 44. — " Q'l-lah " (fortress) ; probably near to
the borders of the Philistines (see i Sam. xxiii. i) ;
mentioned after the captivity (Neh. iii. 17).^ Euse-
bius and Jerome describe it in the Onomast. as existing
under the name KTyXa or Ceila, the present Kila,
about eight Roman miles to the east of Eleuthero-
polis, on the road to Hebron ; but this position, like
that of Beit-Nusib (ver. 43) is among the mountains
of Judah, and not in the shephelah, and, therefore, is
properly rejected by Keil {Comment, in loc). " Akh-
sibh'' (deceit, Micah i. 14), perhaps identical with
ICzibh (Gen. xxxviii. 5). The ruins oi Knssdbek, or
Kesaba, a place with a fountain about five hours
south-west of Beit-jibrin, may mark the site (Rob.,
ii., 391). "Ma-rc-shah" (chief city, i.q., np\S-)p, "that
which is at the head "), one of the cities fortified by
Rehoboam (2 Chron. xi. 8) ; near it Asa defeated
the Ethiopians (2 Chron. xiv. 9) ; mentioned in the
Maccabean wars (i Mace. v. 66), and by Josephus
{Antiq., xii., 8, § 6, xiv., 4, § 4) ; destroyed by the
Parthians B.C. 39 {Antig., xiv., 13, § 9). In the
fourth century Eusebius and Jerome {Onomast., s.v.
"Masera") mention its ruins as lying two Roman miles
from Eleutheropolis (Beit-jibrin), and which appear to
correspond with the Marash, discovered by Robinson
S.S.W. of Beit-jibrin {Bib. Res., ii., 67, 6?>). So
Tobler, Van de Velde, and Grove.
' According to Geikie (on i Sam. xxiii. 2) it was a town on a
steep hill, overlooking the valley of Elah, or the Terebinth, a
short way south of Horeth and AduUam {Hours wit^h the Bible,
vol. iii.).
VERS. 45-45.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 255
Vers. 45-47 {Fourth Group: The Towns on the
Philistine Coast). — Ver. 45. — " 'Eq-ron" see on xiii. 3.
"■Her daughters" i.e., her smaller towns, dependent on
'Eqron, the capital, and distinct from the Dn>;n, en-
closures, or pastoral villages.
Ver. 46. — n^M, " a>id westwards]' nr'^i', " n-pon the
side of." '''Ash-dddh," see xi. 22.
Ver. 47. — '"As-sah" see x. 41. '^*rp-"7n?, cf. ver. 4.
For h'\lir\ should be read the Cri hnir\, which is found
in the ancient versions, and in more than fifty MSS.
•pnil, see on xiii. 23. Note that Gath (xi. 22) and
'Eshqelon (xiii. 3), though not named here, were in-
cluded in this territory. The number of the towns is
not mentioned at the end of the list, as in that of those
preceding, because they were probably still in the
hands of the Philistines. In fact, the district of Phi-
listia, though assigned to Judah, was never subdued
by it (see xiii. 2, note ').
Vers. 48-60 {The Towns in the Hill Country
Divided into Six Groups). — This hill or mountain
district of Judah extended from the Negeb to the
broad Wady, Beit-Hanina, above Jerusalem, and was
bounded on the west by the shephelah, and on the
east by the wilderness of Judaea. The hills are lime-
stone, and in the neighbourhood of Hebron rise to a
level of 3,000 feet above the sea. On their tops are
now ruins of ancient towns, and their sides bear traces
of former vegetation. The district, however, is not
so much a region of hills, as a gentle undulating
table-land, cut into insulated portions by deep ravines.
(See Porter's Bib. Atlas, and Stanley's Sin. and PaL^
p. 161, etc.)
Vers. 48-5 I {First Group of Eleven Tozvns on the
256 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
Soitth-West). — Ver. 48. — ''Sha-mir" ("a sharp point
or thorn "), unknown, though perhaps preserved in the
ruins of U^n Shaiimerah (Rob., iii., App., p. 115).
From its mention, along with Yattir, Sokhoh, and
Eshtcmoth, it was probably eight or ten miles south
of Hebron (Grove). There was a town of the same
name on the mountains of Ephraim (Judges x. i).
Yat-tir (height, rt. "in;', " to be over and above "), al-
lotted to the priests (xxi. 14), and one of the towns
to which David sent a present from the spoil of
Ziklag (i Sam. xxx. 37) ; wow Atttr, ten miles south
of Hebron (Rob., Bib. Res., i., 494-5)- " SS-khoh"
(a hedge), in the Wady-el-Khalil, about ten miles
south-west of Hebron, bearing like the other So-khoh
(xv. 35) the name oi esJi-SiitveikcJi (Grove).
Ver. 49. — ''Dan-naJi" (lowland, rt. |3T to be low),
unknown, though probably south or south-west of
Hebron. The village Idhnah in the low hills appears
a suitable position (Lieut. Conder). ' Qir-yath-san-
nah," see note on D'^bhir in x. 38.
Ver. 50. — '"A-nabh" (see on xi. 21), north-east of
Sokhoh and south-west of Hebron. '"Esh-fjuoh"
(obedience, rt. l^'OZ"), on the east of Sokkoh and Anabh ;
ceded to the priests (xxi. 14 ; i Chron. vi. 57), one
of the towns to which David sent a present (i Sam.
xxx. 27), now Es-Seinna, seven miles south of
Hebron, an inhabited village with remains of walls
and of an ancient castle (Rob., Bib. Res., ii., 204-5).
"'y4-«/w" (fountains), the Heb. n^;y, contraction for
D*:;!^, now el-Ghuwein, the ruins of a village south of
Se'mua (Rob., Bib. Res., ii., 204).
Ver. 5 I. — The three towns mentioned in this verse
are unknown. " Go-shcn " : There is nothing to con-
VERS. 52, 53-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 257
nect it with the Goshen mentioned in x. 41. " CJio-
16)1 " (sandy, from 'ptn, sand), ceded to the priests
(xxi. 15), called Hilen (Auth. Vers., i Chron. vi. 58).
Another of the same name in Moab (Jer. xlviii. 21).
" Gi-loJi " (exile, rt, rhi, to emigrate), the birthplace
of Ahithophel (2 Sam. xv. 12), and the place of his
death (2 Sam. xvii. 23). Lieut. Conder thinks it may
probably be the ruin /d/a, in the Hebron mountains
(Pal. Explor. Fund).
Vers. 52-54 {Second Group of Towns to the North
of the Former in the Country around Hehroii). —
Ver. 52. — " 'A-rabh " (ambush) ; Sept. Alex., 'Epeo/3,
and described in the Ononiast. as a village in Daroma
{i.e., to the south), called Eremiththa. It has been
identified by Lieut. Conder with the present ruin er
Rabiyeh {Pal. Explor. Fimd). '' Di'l-niah" (silence),
^roh^hly ed-Dau!ueli, a ruined village, six miles south-
west of Hebron (Rob., Bib. Res., i., 2 1 2). " 'Esh-an "
(support), occurs here only, site unknown. Knobel
conjectures that it is a corrupt reading for Shema
(i Chron. ii. 43), because the Sept. reading is Sojxd,
and hence he connects it with the ruins of Siinia, on
the south of Daumeh (Keil). So Lieut. Conder :
" Possibly the ruin es Si)nia, near Dumah (Domeh),
south of Hebron. The situation is satisfactory, and
the site ancient."
Ver. 53. — " Ya-nthn" (sleep, from n-IJ. to slumber):
Unknown to Eusebius and Jerome {Onomast) ; pro-
bably the village Beni Naini, east of Hebron (Lieut.
Conder). " Beth-tap-pil-ach " (house of the apple or
citron), now TcffuJi, about five miles west of Hebron,
where there are olive-groves and vineyards (Rob.
Bib. Res., ii., 71). " 'A-phc-qah " (strength) : Probably
17
25S THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
the same as that in xii. 1 8 ; but distinct from that in
xiii. 4.
Ver. 54. — ^^ Chum-tah" (perhaps i.q. Syr. "a
defence," or "a place of Hzards"), unknow.i. " Qir-
jath-Ar-ba'" see note on x. 3. " Tsi-or" (smallness),
unknown, for the Tsior mentioned by Eusebius
iOnomast.), with which Rosenm. would identify it,
was between Aelia and Eleutheropolis, and not, as
this, upon the mountains, near to Hebron.
Vers. 55-57 {Third Group of Ten Towns, East of
those in the two Preceding Groups, and next to the Wil-
derness^. — Ver. 55.' — ''Ma- on'' (a dwelling), gave its
name to the wilderness so called (i Sam. xxiii. 24) ;
was the residence of Nabal (i Sam. xxv. 2) ; now
Main, on a conical hill, eight or nine miles south-east
of Hebron (Grove). Geikie (on i Sam, xxiii. 24)
says that it was about five miles south of Ziph, and
hid in the ravines of a hill close by, which rises in a
great hump of rock, 2,887 ^^et above the sea {Hours
zvith the Bible, vol. iii., p. 167 ; Map of Palestine, Pal.
Fund Survey, sheet xxv.). " Kar-mel" (fruitful field),
now Kiirmid, a little to the north-west of Main. It
is mentioned as the place where Nabal and Abigail
had their possessions (i Sam. xxv. 2), and where
King Uzziah had his vineyards (2 Chron. xxvi. 10).
In the time of Eusebius and Jerome it was the seat
of a Roman garrison {Onomast). It figures in the
wars of the crusades, having been held by King
Amalrick against Saladin, A.D. 1172. " Ziph," from
?]-n (unused), probably i.q. 3-1T, to flow (Arab.), to
borrow (Chald.), near to the wilderness so called,
whither David fled from Saul (i Sam. xxiii. 14,
xxvi. 2, 3), fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chron. xi. 8) ;
VERS. 56, 57.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 259
now Tell Z if , three oi- four miles south-east of Hebron ;
it lies, says Robinson (ii., 191), on a low hill or ridge
between two small wadies, which commence here and
run toward the Dead Sea. Another Ziph is that in
ver. 24. " Yil-tah" ("stretched out," from npj),
allotted to the priests (xxi. 1 6), described by Eusebius
{Onoinast.) as a very large village, eighteen Roman
miles south-east of Eleutheropolis, now Yutta, close
to Main and Kurmul (Robinson, Grove). Reland
{Pal., 870) would identify it with the 710X19 'louSa
mentioned in Luke i. 39, a city in which Zacharias
resided, 'lovra having perhaps been changed into
'louSa, either by error of the text or for euphony's
sake. But this, though possible, has not yet been
confirmed by any positive evidence (Grove ; see also
Alford's note on Luke i. 39).
Ver. 56. — " Yiz-r'^'EV (God sows), the native place
of Ahinoam, one of David's wives (i Sam. xxv. 43) ;
not to be confounded with the Yizreel in the plain of
Esdraelon (xvii. 16, xix. 18), but probably lying
south-east of Hebron, So the two following towns.
" Yoq-df'ant " (" burning of the people," Ges., Lex. ;
or " possessed by the people," rt. nn;^, in Syr. to
possess, Ges. in T/us), the site unknown. " Za-
no-adi" see on ver. 34 ; perhaps identical with
San/lte or Zdniitah (Rob., Bib. Res., ii., 204, note),
mentioned by Seetzen {Reisen, iii., 29) as below
Senuia or Za-nu'ah, and about ten miles south-cast
of Hebron.
Ver. 57. — '' haq-Qa-yin" ("the lance," Ges.; or
from ]i;>, a nest, in allusion to its position, Grove) ;
site unknown ; possibly the same as Jnkin, on the
south-east of Hebron (Rob., ii., p. 449). ' Gib/iah"
26o THE BOOK OF /OSBUA. [chap. xv.
(hilP), a name which under different forms often
occurs in Scripture, Here supposed by Robinson to
be identical with the village oi Jebah, on a hill in the
Wady el-Musurr ; but this situation would be too far
to the north-west (see Keil in loc). It was doubtless
near to Karmel (ver, 55) and the other towns in this
group. " Tini-naJi" not that mentioned in ver. i o
(see note), but probably the same as that in Gen.
xxxviii. 12. Site undiscovered.
Vers. 58, 59 {Fourth Group, on the North of the
last-mentioned). — Ver. 58. — " Chal-ch/'fl" (trembling,
rt. "p-in), called in the Ononiast. "Alula juxta Hebron."
It still retains the same name Halhul or Hulhul, and
is about four miles north of Hebron (Rob., Later Bib.
Res., i., 281). A tomb, said by the Jews to be that
of the prophet Jonah, is to be seen among the ruins.
" Bcth-tsi'tr " (house of rock "), one of the towns which
Rehoboam fortified (2 Chron. xi. 7), mentioned in
Neh. iii. 16, and in i Mace. iv. 29, 61, vi. 7, 26, 31 ;
2 Mace. xi. 5 ; according to Josephus {Antiq., xiii., 5, 6)
the strongest place in all Judaea ; now Beit-S/lr,
north-west of Halhul (Rob., iii., 277), and command-
ing the road to Beersheba and Hebron. Near the
ruins of the town is a spring, Ain edh-Dirweh, which,
in the days of Jerome and later, was regarded as the
' From 1^33, i.q. 233, to be curved like an arch, whence n|,
something gibbous. The word HUZl-l is never applied to a high
or extended mountain, like Lebanon or Sinai, while from its
root it is particularly applicable to the humped or rounded hills
of Palestine (Stanley, Sin. and Pal., p. 497).
"^ Root "ilV, to bind together. The leading idea of the word
is strength and solidity, and it is accordingly applied to rocks,
irrespective of their height, height being only in one or two
cases (as Numb, xxiii. 9; Psalm Ixi. 2) associated with the
word (Stanley, Sin. and Pal., p. 498).
VER. 59.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 261
scene of the baptism of the eunuch by PhiHp (Acts
viii.), but as Beit-sur is not near the road to Gaza,
this legend is improbable. ^'G'dhdr'' (hedge or wall),
the home of Joelah and Zebadiah, two of David's
mighty men (i Chron. xii. 7) ; now probably Jedu}%
between Bethlehem and Hebron (Rob., iii., 283 ;
Grove).
Ver. 59. — '' Afa-a-rath" ("a place naked of trees,"
rt. niy, to be bare) : Eusebius and Jerome mention
the name {Onomasticon, " Maroth "), but do not seem
to have known the site. Lieut. Conder would identify
it with the present village Beit Uininar {Pal. Explor.
Fund, Map, sheet xxi.). Perhaps, as Grove suggests,
the word may be derived from nnrp, a cave, since
caves are a characteristic feature of the mountainous
districts of Palestine. " Bcth-a-noth " (house of
response or of echo), perhaps the modern Beit-Aim^n,
near to Hallul and Beit-Sur, discovered by Wolcott,
and visited by Robinson (iii., 281). " 'El-fqon " (God
the foundation), quite unknown. Here the Sept.
inserts a fiftJi gvoiip of eleven towns,^ which lay to the
> Viz., ee/cw, 'E(f)padd' avri] ecnl BaiOXeefi, ^aycop, Alrav, KovXov,
Tara/x, Qw[:ir]i (or 2(opr]S, Cod. A lex.), KajHfx, TaXen, Oe^z/p {naid^p.
Cod. Alex.), Mai/oxw. Of these ee/cw, the well-known 'i'ekoa,
or Tekoah (pitching, sc. of tents), was the home of the wise
woman who interceded with David (2 Sam. xiv. 2), and of the
prophet Amos (i. i), who is said to have been buried there. It
was fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chron. xi. 6), and still inhabited
after the captivity (Neh. iii. 5, 27) ; now Tekuah, on the top of
a hill covered with ancient ruins, two hours to the south of
Bethlehem. "EcPpada (fruitful), /.r/. Beth-le-chem (house of
bread; Gen. xxxv. 19, xlviii. 7; Ruth iv. 11; Micah v. i).
Jerome and Kalisch observe that the two names have virtually
the same meaning, a view which is favoured by Stanley's
description of the neighbouring corn-fields {Sm. afid Pal.,
p. 164). ^>aywp, now Faghur, a heap of ruins south-west of
Bethlehem (Rob., Later Bib. Res., p. 275). hxrav, written
262 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
north of the preceding group, and south of Jerusalem.
This, according to Maurer, Hengstenberg, and others,
was an arbitrary interpolation of the Sept, As, how-
ever, it is unlikely that the writer of the Book of
Joshua should have omitted the names of the towns
lying in this locality,^ and as some of those towns
are still standing or in ruins, it would seem more
Etam (2 Chron. xi. 6), one of the cities fortified by Rehoboam ;
the name is still recognisable in yi/;?-^/Az/- between Bethle-
hem and Phagor (Tobler, Dritte Wajid., pp. 88, 89). KovXoi',
now KulonicJi ; identified by Grove and others with Emmaus
(Luke xxiv. 13), a colony of the Romans, which as such was
exempted by Titus from being sold (Joseph., Bel. Jud., vii. 6,
§ 6) ; four and a half miles west of Jerusalem. Tara^ is undis-
covered, ^aprjs, upon a ridge on the south of Wady Aly, now
Saris, ten miles east of Jerusalem. Kapifi, now AiJi Karein,
a large flourishing village, two hours to the west of Jerusalem,
w'ith a Franciscan convent, dedicated to John the Baptist, in
the middle, and a fountain (Rob., ii., p. 141 ; Bib. Res., p. 271).
Va\k]x, a different place from the Gallim (Isa. x. 30 ; i Sam.
XXV. 44) which lay north of Jerusalem, in the tribe of Benjamin.
Bmdrjp, now Bitter, a small, dirty village, south-west of Jeru-
salem, with a beautiful spring and gardens arranged in terraces
on the west slope of the Wady Bitter (Rob., Bib. Res., p. 266).
"ip? means a "section" or "division," and is applied to a
country divided by mountains and valleys (see Cant. ii. 17), and
this is the character of the country about Bether (Konrad
Furrer, Wanderings throjigh Pal., p. 192). Ma!/o;^cb, con-
jectured by Knobel and others to be the same as Manahath in
1 Chron. viii. 6, an identification not considered satisfactory by
Grove. (See on " Manahath " in Smith's Bib. Diet.). It may
possibly, says Lieut. Conder, be the village Malhah, south-west
of Jerusalem, " L " being often put for " N."
' Keil remarks it as a circumstance worthy of consideration,
and one of no little importance, that not one of the groups of
cities hitherto named, embraces any part of the country between
Bethzur and Gedor on the one side, and Jerusalem on the other,
a space, i.e., of about twelve Roman miles in length, and nearly
ten in breadth. Yet, to judge from the closeness with which
the whole of the range of mountains was studded in other parts
with cities and villages, it is impossible that the only cities within
this space should have been the three mentioned in ver. 59.
VERS. 60-61.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 263
probable that the eleven names were originally in the
Hebrew text, but were omitted by a transcriber, who
mistook the word in''"i.vn at the end of the missing
passage (" eleven cities and their villages ") for the
same word at the end of ver. 59. So Clericus,
Capellus, Knobel, Keil, Fay, etc. This omission
must have been of very ancient date, since the Sept.
is the only one of the ancient versions in which the
missing passage is found.
Ver. 60 {A Sixth Gronp of Two Towns and on the
North- West Border of JiidaJi). — " Qir-yath-Ba-al" see
ver. 9, ix. 1 7. " Jia-Rab-bah " (The Great), unknown.
Possibly the ruin Rubba, west of Beit-Ibrin (Lieut.
Conder).
Vers. 61-62 [TJie Towns in the Wilderness \_Midh-
bar] between the Mountains and the Dead Sea). —
This district extended to Wady Fikreh on the south,
and to the region of Maon, Ziph, and Bethlehem on
the west. It was the scene of David's wanderings
(l Sam. xxiii. 24 ; Psalm Ixiii. i), of John the
Baptist's preaching (Matt. iii. i), and perhaps of our
Lord's temptation (Matt. iv.). Here there is scanty
vegetation, and the limestone abounds with caverns.
The small number of towns mentioned seems to
show that it was not much more fertile anciently
than now (Clark's Bib. Atlas, p. 12).
Ver. 61. — '' Beth-ha-'a-ra-bhah" see ver. 6. "Mid-
din " (measures), probably close to the Dead Sea,
but unknown. " S'khd-kJiah " (enclosure), in the
Judcan desert. Possibly the ruin Sihheh, cast of
Bethany (Lieut. Conder, Map, sheet xvii.). Neither
of these places is mentioned by Eusebius and
Jerome.
2 64 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xv.
Ver. 62. — '' han-Nibh-shan" (the soft soil), cf.
Bashan, mentioned by Euscbius and Jeronne under
the name of Nempsan, or Ncbsan {Ouoniast.), but
its position not indicated, nor has it since been
discovered. " The City of Salt" probably in the
salt valley at the south end of the Dead Sea (Rob.,
Bib. Res., ii., 109), the scene of repeated defeats of
the Edomites (2 Sam. viii. 13; 2 King^s xiv. 7 ;
I Chron. xviii. 12; Psalm Ix. 2), '''^nge-d/d"
(the fountain of the wild goat), so called from the
numerous ibexes, or Syrian chamois, which inhabit
the cliffs in this district. " The oasis, which it forms
amidst the naked limestone precipices, must be one of
the most striking natural scenes in Palestine" (Stanley,
Sin. and Pal., p. 295). Anciently it was called
Cha-tsf^-tson-ta-mar (the pruning of the palm ; Gen.
xiv. 7 ; 2 Chron. xx. 2), for the spot was once famous
for palms (Pliny, Nat. Hist., v., 17) ; it was one of
David's retreats (i Sam. xxiii. 29, xxiv. i), and* lay
near the middle of the west shore of the Dead Sea
(Ezek. xlvii. 10) ; the water of the fountain is sweet,
and the temperature of it is 81° Fah. (Rob., ii., 210);
now A in Jidy.
Ver. 63. — As we do not read in this book that
Joshua captured Jerusalem, but only that he slew its
king (x. 18-26, xii. 10), many think that the event
here referred to happened after Joshua's death, viz.,
when, as we read in Judges i. 8, the tribe of Judah
captured and set fire to Jerusalem. It is true that
the A. V. renders this latter passage "Notv the
children of JiidaJi had fought," etc., but, as M. Henry
well remarks, "the original speaks of it as a thing
now done, and that seems most probable, because
VER. 63.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 265
it is said to be done by the children of Judah in
particular, not by all Israel in general, whom Joshua
commanded." The expression " could not^' in xv.
6-^, may allude to the fact that the stronghold of the
city lay within the territory of Benjamin, to whom
Jebusi was allotted (xviii. 28). Of the Benjamites
themselves it is said (Judges i. 21) that they ^^ did
not drive out the Jcbusitcs" which may intimate
inertness on their part rather than inability. The
concluding words of ver. 63 are important as proving
that the Book of Joshua was written before the time
of David (cf. 2 Sam. v. 6-9J.
CHAPTERS XVI.-XVII.
Territory of the Children of foseph, via., of Ephraim
and of the Half Tribe of Manasseh.
There was one lot drawn for both, that their terri-
tories might be adjacent, as both tribes were closely
related. Hence (i) the southern boundary of the
whole territory is described (xvi. 1-4) ; (2) the limits
of Ephraim in particular (xvi. 5-10) ; (3) the limits
of Manasseh (xvii. 1-13). The inheritance of these
tribes comprised the fairest portion of the land of
Palestine, and Jacob's prophecy concerning them was
fulfilled, "Let them grow into a multitude in the midst
of the earth (land)" (Gen. xlviii. 16).
266 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xvi
CHAPTER XVI.
Vers. 1-4. — Southern Boundary of the Inheritance
of fosepJis Sons.
Ver. I.- — "And there came out the lot" etc., i.e., the
lot came out of the urn ; of xix. i, 17, 24, etc. NV';
is here = ^r: (xviii. 1 1), and h-\^i, taken in connection
with the words " from Jordan, etc.," means a portion
of land received by lot (cf. Judges i. 3, and Ges., Lex.
[2 ], p. 165). cipr \3?^, ">r the sons of fosephl' i.e., the
kindred tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. fnn^ j^-i*?p,
'fronifordan at Jericho" see on xiii. 32. nnirp • • • no>,
''at the waters of Jericho eastivard" : This is added to
mark more clearly the point at which the boundary
commenced. The allusion is to the celebrated foun-
tain called 'Ain-es-Sultan, healed by Elisha (2 Kings
ii. 19; Stanley, Sin. and Pa/., p. 306). "(To) the
wilderness going np from Jericho into ^ the hill district
to Bethel" or, as Keil, "the wilderness," is put in
apposition to " lot " (z>., the land obtained by the
lot), so that the sense is, "namely, the wilderness
going up from Jericho," etc. For a certain distance
the southern boundary was the same as the northern
boundary of Benjamin. The " wilderness " meant is
that of Bethaven (xviii. 1 2, vii. 2), which stretched
between Wady Suwar and Mutyar (Van de Velde's
Map). '?N-n^3 (see vii. 2) according to the Masoretic
text is separated from "ina, and is rendered as an
accus. by the Sept., Arab., and Chald., and by our
Revised Vers.
1 (t
Through" (Rev. Vers.).
VERS. 2, 3.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 267
Ver. 2. — " And it we7it out from Betliel to Lus " :
Keil thinks that Bethel here stands for the moun-
tainous district around Bethel, because in Gen. xxviii.
19, Luz (see on vii. 2) and Bethel are names of the
same town ; but perhaps it denotes " the certain place"
(Gen. xxviii. I i) where Abraham had set up an
altar, and which Jacob after his dream called Bethel
(house of God), which name, perhaps on account
of its sanctity, was afterwards given to the adjacent
city Luz (see Art. " Luz " in Smith's Bid. Diet.).
"To the border of the Archite to 'Ataroth" : Whether
the patronymic " Archite " is derived from Erech, a
town in Mesopotamia (Gen, x. 10), now Edessa, and
implies that a colony from thence had settled in
these parts, can be only matter of conjecture ;
possibly some ancient indigenous tribe may be so
called (Grove), The name is often given to Hushai,
David's friend (2 Sam, xv. 32, xvi. 16, etc.). 'A-ta-
rot/i, called Ataroth-addar (crowns of greatness or
largeness; ver. 5, xviii. 13), perhaps to distinguish
it from the tribe of Gad (Numb, xxxii. 3, 34).
Robinson identifies it with the village Atdra, two
miles south of Bireh (Beeroth), a little to the south-
west of Beitin or Bethel {Bib. Res., ii., 265).
Ver. 3. — " The Yapldetite " (freed by the Lord), a
patronymic (§ 86, 5). Our A. V. renders " Japhleti,"
and seems to have regarded it as a place. No trace
of the name is now to be found. Grove conjectures
that it may have belonged to an ancient native tribe
(see on ver. 2, and cf the names Zemaraim, Ophni,
Jebusi). The " Yaphlct " in the genealogy of the
tribe of A.sher (i Chron. vii. 32, 33) cannot be iden-
tified with it. " Beth-ehS-rm the Netlier" see on
268 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xvi
X. lo. " Ge-ser" (a place cut off, a precipice), x. 33,
xii. 1 2 : Grove says that it may possibly be in or
about Yasur, between Jaffa and Ramleh. " Towards
the sea" i.e., towards the Mediterranean.
Vers. 5-10 {Inheritance of EpJiraiui). — ^''EpJi-ra-
yiui " (perhaps " double land," " twin land "). This
tribe took precedence of that of Manasseh, according
to the prophecy (Gen. xlviii. 20). It was subsequently
included in the Kingdom of Samaria.
Ver. 5. — This verse gives a concise description of
the southern boundary, which had been described
more fully in vers. 1-4, Only the western half of
that boundary is noticed, commencing from Ataroth-
addar (ver. 2). Upper Bethchoron is substituted for
Bethchoron the Nether (ver. 3), the two places being
near together (x. 10), and belonging to Ephraim.
Ver. 6. — '^ And the border went out toivard the sea
[or west] to hajn-Mikh-nfthath (the hiding-place^) on
the north" : The northern border is here meant. In the
remainder of the verse, and in ver. 7, its direction from
a central point — perhaps the watershed which sepa-
rates the waters which flow into the Mediterranean
from those flowing into the Jordan — is described east-
ward, and in ver. 8 its direction westzaard. Keil thinks
that perhaps the original reading of the first clause was
" towards the north the border zueiit ont to MikJune-
thath." This town was befoi:e Shechem (xvii. 7), but
the site is unknown. Ta-'a-nath-Shi-loh (" approach
to Shiloh," rt. ^^^, to approach, to meet), said, in the
Onomast., to have been ten Roman miles from Nea-
polis (Sichem), and between it and the Jordan ;
' Rt. n^3 (unused), probably i.q. Dn5, to lay up.
VERS. 7, 8. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 269
probably the 3) <^)- '' And I delivered you out of his hand,"
i.e., the hand of Balak/ who wished to destroy Israel,
if he could (Numb, xxii. 6, 11).
Vers. 11-13 {Fourth Proof of God's Favour — the
Passage of t/ie fordan, and t/ie Conquest of ferichoand
of the Nations of Canaan). — Ver. 11. — 'y. ''!?p, ''in-
habitants'- (not "lords," Knobel) of fcricJio" (Ges.,
Lex^, Sept. ot Karot/coOvres ^Ytpiyoi (cf. Judges ix. 6 ;
2 Sam. xxi. i 2). " Fought',' i.e., from the walls, for
no mention is made of a battle outside the city. The
same verb applies to the seven nations, or tribes,
which are next mentioned, and which are not to
be regarded as put in apposition to the inhabitants
of Jericho, as though they had severally taken
part with them in the defence of the city (Jarchij ;
rather 1 should be supplied before '•■^bsn (Keil and
Rosen m.).
Ver. 12. — r\vyir\, '' the hornet" : (Art. collec.) from
yny, " to strike down," with which is connected the
idea of "to pierce" (Ges., Lex) ; see the promise in
• = "the spoiler," from p^3, to make empty.
■' Owners or citizens.
356 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxiv.
Exod. xxiii. 28 ; Deut. vii. 20, where, as here, the
word " hornet " is used not literally (Bochart and
Rosenm.), but figuratively, to denote that effective
terror (Keil) with which God inspired all the sur-
rounding nations (Deut. ii. 25 ; Josh. ii. 11). In
like manner, " bees " (or " wasps ") are spoken of as
the cause of terror (Deut. i. 44 ; Psalm cxviii. 1 2 ;
cf. //., xvi., 259, etc.)^ ''And it drave them ottt" '.
" Them " refers, according to the Auth. Vers., to " the
two kings of the Amorites " mentioned in the next
clause, but Keil and Rosenm, rightly understood 1.
before these words (cf. ver. 11). Not merely the
seven tribes on the west side of Jordan, but the two
kings of the Amorites on the east side, were driven
out. " Not by tJiy szvord, and not by thy boiu" see
Psalm xliv. 4 (Hcb.), " they got not the land ... by
their own sword," etc.
Ver. I 3. — " /;/ zuhich ye did not laboiir" i.e., to
render it fruitful, rj'' means " to labour with toilsome
- T
effort." D'^rin, lit. olive trees, though meaning here
olive plantations, for which Hebrew has no one word ;
hence rightly, as to sense, the Auth. Vers, renders
' Though Bochart {Hzefoz., lib. iv., c. 13) has collected
examples from ancient authorities of numerous bodies of men
being driven away by noxious insects ; and the Book of
Wisdom (xii. 8, 9) supports this view of the expulsion of the
Canaanites ; yet the majority of commentators understand the
term "hornet" to be used here (Josh. xxiv. 12) metaphorically.
This view is confirmed by the fact that there is in the Book of
Joshua no historical mention of the Canaanites having been
thus driven out. Also in Exod. xxiii. 28 the word " hornets "
is parallel with the word " fear " in ver. 27. And besides the
examples given above of the use of the word "bees," the
word oestrus, a gad-fly, is used poetically to denote madness
or frenzy.
YERS. 14, 15.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 357
" olive-yards," Sept. i\a.ioiva.%, Vulg. oliveta. With
this verse of. the promise in Deut. vi. 10, 11.
Vers. 14, 15 {An Appeal to tJie Israelites to renounce
Idolatry, and to cleave to tlie Service of Jehovah —
Joshua's ozvn Resolve). — Ver. 14. — nnyi, ^^ and )iow"
i.e., on the ground of God's past benefits to your
nation (cf. Psalm cv. 45, where, after having rehearsed
God's mercies to the Israelites, the Psalmist declares
the design of those mercies, viz., " that they [the
Israelites] might observe His statutes and keep His
laws "). INT, imper. of Nn;, but pointed like a verb, n'?
for -ixi; (cf. I Sam. xii. 24 ; Psalm xxxiv. 10 [Heb.]).
•IIOV, see on '^2V xxiii. 7, Sept. Xarpeucare. Q"'PIJi,
prim, an adjec, " perfect, complete," but here used
as a substantive, "integrity" (cf. Judges ix. 16, 19,
where the Sept. renders it by TeXetoTryrt). riD.^, " sted-
fastness," from |DX, to prop, to support, and hence
faithfulness, truth, sincerity. God requires the same
qualifications in His servants now (Matt. vi. 24 ;
John iv. 23, 24). " The gods . . . on the other side
of tJie river I' see on ver. 2. ''And in Egypt',' see
Ezek. XX. 7, 8, xxiii, 3, 8, 19.^
Ver. 15. — ''And if it is evil in your eyes'' : Sept.
et Se [Ly] dpeV/cet v\Cw. DJ^ nq?, " clioose for your-
selves zuhom ye loill serve" (cf. i Kings xviii. 2l):
We have not the liberty to choose whether we will
serve or not ; all the liberty we have is to choose our
master (Bishop Sanderson, iii., 314). cn^N-fis, i.e.,
the teraphim or penates (ver. 2). Tiic " Emorites "
are probably put for the Canaanites generally, who
' The golden calf, or steer {^^V), was probably an imitation
of Apis, or some other of the sacred bulls of Egypt.
358 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxiv.
were worshippers of Baal. The choice thus given to
the Israch'tes was intended to test their sincerity,
that they might not thoughtlessly pledge themselves
to the service of God. " But I ami viy house" etc. :
As Joshua does not appear to have been married, his
" house " probably refers to his servants (cf. " house-
hold " in Gen. xviii, 19).
Vers. 16-24 {The Dcterviinatioii of Israel to serve
Jehovah). — Ver. 16. — -13^ n^'-'pn (cf xxii. 29), here fol-
lowed by IP with an infin. ''Far be it from ns that
ive sho7ild forsake" (Ges., Lex.), cf. Gen. xviii. 25,
xliv. 7, 17.
Ver. 1 7. — n^r??n, Hiph. part, with art, " zuho brought
np" answering to "TiNVtH %*'N (Exod. xx. 2). " The
house of bondmen" : So in Exod. xx. 2. " Those
great signs," viz., those referred to in vers. 8-12.
Ver. 1 8. — •iJnJNfDi., ''also we," in reference to Joshua's
words (ver. i 5), " I and my father's house."
Ver. 19. — •I'^pUTN^, "ye ivill not be able" i.e., without
true conversion of heart. There is an implied allusion
to their fickleness and proneness to rebel. D''ph|7, plur.
adj., because Elohim is a plur. excellentiae, denoting
God in the fulness and multiplicity of the Divine
powers (§ 108, 2, b\ cf Hosea xii. i [Heb.] ; Prov.
ix. 10). xi-)p occurs here and in Nah. i. 2 only, i.q.
N3|5 (Exod. XX. 5, xxxiv. iv. 14 ; Deut. iv. 24, v. 9,
vi. I 5), a jealous God, who will not transfer to another
the honour due unto Himself (Isa. xlii. 8, xlviii. 1 1).
Nb)-N^, followed here and in Exod. xxiii. 2 i ; Psalm
XXV. 18, by a dat., but generally by an accus. of the
thing ; " will not grant forgiveness to your trans-
gressions"
Ver. 20. — ^3. "when!' 133 ''n$N, " strange gods''
VERS. 21-25.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 359
(lit. gods of a foreign countr)'), so in Gen. xxxv\ 2 ;
Jer. V. 19. TJh., "■then He tvill turn" i.e., will assume
a different disposition towards you. 'n>>3i, " and zvill
consume you" lit. "will finish " or " make an end of"
you. " After that He JiatJi done you good" i.e., not-
withstanding the past tokens of His goodness to you.
Ver. 2 I . — n"?. " nay" as in v. 1 4.
Ver. 22. — After Dny in the last clause is an ellip-
sis of -IJnJX (we are) which is supplied in the Syr. and
Arab, versions.
Ver. 23. — ''Put aivay the strange gods which are
among you r Keil, after Levi ben Gerson, Augustine,
and Calvin, takes DD31P3 to signify " within you," i.e.,
in your hearts, because it is said in xxiii. 8 that the
people had cleaved to the Lord " unto this day," and
in xxiv. 31, that they "served the Lord all the days
of Joshua." This meaning, however, seems forced,
and it is, therefore, better to suppose that Joshua
alludes to secret idolatry practised by individuals,
though there was no national public recognition of
strange gods. It is true that nothing is said of
delivering up these idols to be destroyed, as was done
in similar cases (see Gen. xxxv. 4 ; i Sam. vii. 4),
but it would be rash to argue from the silence of the
sacred narrative that no such surrender might have
taken place.
Vers. 25-28 {Joshua renews the Covenant, etc., and
dismisses the People). — Ver. 25. — ''Made a covenant"
i.e., renewed the one which had been made at Sinai
(Exod. xxiv. 3, etc.), and renewed by Moses in the
plains of Moab (Dcut. xxviii. 69 [xxix. i, Auth.
Vers.]). ''And he set for them {i.e., the pcoi)lc) a
statute and an ordinance^ DBlf^p, prop, jutlgmcnt,
36o THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxiv.
and hence a law or ordinance (Exod. xxi. i, xxiv. 3 ;
Levit. xviii. 4). There is a reference to Exod. xv. 25,
and the meaning probably is that Joshua ratified the
covenant as a Divine statute and ordinance, by which
the Israelites were bound to obedience as a condition
of receiving the blessings of the covenant.
Ver. 26. — ■:^^T^ Dnn-^n-nx refers not only to the
words spoken, but to all the transactions connected
with the renewal of the covenant. " The book of the
law of God," i.e., the Pentateuch, which was laid up
in the Holy of Holies, close by the ark of the
covenant, probably in a chest (see Deut. xxxi. 24, 26).
This was done not only for the safe custody of the
book, and in testimony of its Divine authority, but as
a protest against a breach of the covenant, of which
the ark was a symbol, by idolatry (see Dr. Pusey,
On Daniel, pp. 308, 309). " Took a great stoiie a?id
set it npl' cf Gen. xxviii. 18 ; Josh. iv. 20-22 ;
I Sam. vii. 12). nksn, ''the oak" (Ges., Lex); so
Vulg., but Sept. " the terebinth " : The noun literally
means " a thick tree," rt. hbii, properly to roll, hence
to be round, thick (cf. "p-in and n^x) ; the article pro-
bably alludes to the oak or terebinth of Moreh (Gen,
xii. 6), where Abraham pitched his tent, atid raised
an altar, and where Jacob buried the idols of his
household (Gen. xxxv. 4; see note on xxiv. i).
J» £5''^i?P3, " in the sanctuary of fehovaJt " : The allusion
is not to the Tabernacle, for that was at Shiloh
(xviii. i), but to the spot sanctified by the altar
erected by Abraham, and afterwards by Jacob. So
Keil, Hengstenberg, and others.^
' Dean Stanley thinks that the place indicated was the same
as that where Jacob buried the images and ornaments of his
VERS. 27-30.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 361
Ver. 27. — ''For it hath heard": An example of
vivid personification (prosopopeia, cf. Deut. xxxii. i ;
Isa. i. 2 ; Jer. ii. 12). '' Lest ye deny your God" viz.,
in feeling, word, or deed (Keil). The same verb L''n3
occurs in vii. 1 1.
Vers. 29-33 {DeatJi and Burial of Joshua and
Elcazar, and mention of the Burial of Joseph's Bones).
— Ver. 29. — "An hundred and ten years old" {cX.
Joseph., Antig., v., i, 29) : The same age as that of
Joseph (Gen. 1. 26).
Ver. 30. — " TimnatJi-serach" see note on xix. 50.
" On tlic nortJi side of Mount Gdash " : The word
\yv^ meaning " shaking," " earthquake," from i:'Vi, " to
push, to thrust," and in the pass. " to be concussed,
to be moved " (Ges., Le.v.), occurs again with in in
Judges ii. 9, and with ''^n; (torrent-beds, or wadys of
Gaash), in 2 Sam. xxiii. 30 ; i Chron. xi. 32.
Eusebius and Jerome record the name {Onomast.,
" Gaas "), but evidently had no knowledge of the
situation. There is, however, a remarkable consent
of Jewish, Samaritan, and Christian tradition, trace-
able from the fourth century downwards, which points
to a village called Kafr Maris, south of Shechem,
as representing the burial-place of Joshua. Lieut.
Conder ascertained that this tradition is still extant
among the Samaritans, and, although it appears little
understood by the peasantry, a sacred shrine exists
outside the village of Kcfr Haris to which the name
Neby Lush'a (no doubt a corruption of Ychusha or
Mesopotamian retainers (Gen. xxxv. 4), and that the tree or
spot appears to have been known in the time of the TudLres,
as the traditional site of these two events, by the double name
of " the oak of the enchantments "' or " the oak of the pillar "
{Shi. and Pal., p. 142).
362 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xxiv
Joshua) is applied. Ancient tradition also places the
tomb of Nun at this same village, and a second sacred
place, called Neby Nun, was found close to the sup-
posed site of the tomb of Joshua i^Pal. Explor. Fund,
Quarterly Statement, 1881).
To this verse the Sept. and Arab, append the
legend that the stone-knives, with which Joshua had
circumcised the Israelites (chap, v.), were buried with
him (cf xxi. 42 [40]).
Ver. 31. — " The elders" i.e., the rulers and leaders.
•in;, " had seen or experienced " : Cf. the statement in
this verse with Judges ii. 7. The good example set
by individuals in high station and authority may
influence a whole people.
Ver. 32. — ''And the bones . . . Egypt'' (see Gen.
1. 25 ; Exod. xiii. 19). "Buried they in Sheehein"
a place consecrated by Abraham's altar (Gen. xii. 7),
the oldest sanctuary in the land. " Iji a portion of
the jield^ ivhich Jacob had bongJit . . . for a hundred
q"'si-taJL " (cf. Gen. xxxiii. 1 9). All the ancient ver-
sions, except Targg. Jerusalem and Jonathan, render
np^b'p, " a lamb," whence it has been thought to have
been a coin bearing the impression of a lamb. But
more probably the word signifies something weighed
out, from t2b>|'^, an unused root, i.q. £2;^i^, in Arab. " to
divide," or "to distribute equally," and, therefore, might
denote money. Thus here Gesenius (Lex.) renders
" a hundred measures, or portions of silver." This
interment of Joseph's bones probably took place when
the apportionment of the land had been completed,
' '']i?7P, a plot ; or portion, properly "a smooth piece "(cf.
Gen. xxvii. 16, from p?n, to be smooth (Ges., Lex.).
VERS. 33-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 363
but was not mentioned before, that the thread of the
narrative might not be broken (Keil). To this day
the tomb, whether correctly or not, is pointed out
under the shadow of Mount Ebal {The Land and the
Book, p. 473).
Ver. 33. — '''El-a-zav'": See note on xiv. i.
Whether his death was shortly before, or after, that
of Joshua, Scripture does not tell us, Josephus says
it occurred about the same time as Joshua's, twenty-
five years after the death of Moses {Antiq., v., i, § 29).
" In the hill of Pi-n'chas" or " in Gibh-ath-Pi-n'chas"
possibly a town so called. " This " (says Grove) "may
be the Jibia on the left of the Nabliis ^ road, halfway
between Bethel and Shiloh ; or the Jeba north of
Nablus (Rob., ii., 265, note 312). Both would be ' in
Mount Ephraim,' but there is nothing in the text to
fix the position of the place, while there is no lack of
the name among the villages of Central Palestine "
(Art. "Gibeah" in Dr. Smith's Bib. Diet., I., p. 692).
At the present day Samaritan, Jewish, and Christian
tradition identifies the Gibeah of Phinehas with the
village oi AzuertaJi, four miles south-cast of Nablus,
and here, or in the immediate vicinity, arc shown the
monuments of Phinehas and Eleazar. These were
visited by Lieut. Conder and his fellow-explorers, and
the former monument is described as bearing marks
of great antiquity, and the latter as having been
rebuilt [Pal. Explor. Fund, Quarterly Statement, 1881).^
' That is, Shechem.
- The tomb of Eleazar is " a rude structure of masonry in a
court open to the air. It is 18 ft. lon^, plastered all over, and
shaded by a splendid terebinth. That of Phinehas is ap-
parently an older building-, and the walls of its court have an
arcade of round arches, now supporting a trellis, covered with
a grape vine, and the floor is paved " {Tent Work, p. ^i).
364 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxiv.
Here appropriately closes the Book of Joshua, but
several editions and MSS. of the Sept. add some
particulars relative to Pin'^chas and the apostacy of
the children of Israel after Joshua's death, which have
been manifestly taken from Judges ii, 6, 11, and
iii. 7, 12, etc., and are not found in any of the MSS.
and editions of the Book of Joshua.
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES.
(Spelt as in the Authorised Version.)
Abdon, xxi. 30
Abez, xix. 20
Achor, Valley of, vii. 24, 26, xv. 7
Achshaph, xi. j, xii. 20, xix. 25
Achzib, XV. 44, xix. 29
Adadah, xv. 22
Adam, iii. 16
Adamah, xix. 36
Adami, xix. 33
Adar, xv. 3
Adithaim, xv. 36
AduUam, xii. 15, xv. 35
Adummim, xv. 7, xviii. 17
Ai, vii. 2-5, viii. 1-29, ix. 3, x. i, i, xii. 9
Aijalon,* xix. 42, xxi. 24
Valley of^ x. 12
Ain, XV. 32, XIX. 7, xxi. 16
Akrabbim, The Ascent of, xv. 3
Alammclcch, xix. 26
Alien, xix. 33
Almon, xxi. 18
Amad, xix. 26
Amam, xv. 26
Ammon, xii. 2, xiii. 10
Amorite, ii. 10, iii. 10, v. i, vii. 7, ix. 10,
X. 5, 6, 12, xi. 3, xii. 2, xiii. 4, 10, 21,
xxiv. 8, 12, 15, 18
Anab, xi. 21, xv. 50
Anaharath, xix. 19
Anathoth, xxi. 18
Anim, xv. 50
Aphek xii. 18, xiii. 4, xix. 30
Aphekah, xv. 53
Arab, xv. 52
Arabah, iii. 16, .xviii. 18
Arad, xii. 14
Archi, xvi. 2
Arnon, xii. i, 2, xiii. 9, 16
Aroer, xii. 2, xiii. 9, 16, 25
Ashan, xv. 42, xix. 7
Ashdod, xi. 22, xv. 46, 47
Ashdoth-Pisgah, xii. 3, xiii. 20
Ashdoth, X. 40, xii. 8
Ashdothite-s, xiii. 3
Asher, xvii. 10, 11, xix. 24, 31, 34, xxi. 6, 30
Asher, xvii. 7
Ashnah, xv. 33, 43
Ashtaroth (in Bashan), ix. 10, xii. 4,
xiii. 12
(in Manas.seh), xiii. 31
Ataroth, xvi. 2, 7
Atarolh-Addar, xvi. 5, xviii, 13
Avitcs or Avim, xiii. 3, xviii. 23
Azckah, x. 10, 11, xv. 35
Azem, XV. so, xix. 3
Azmon, xv. 4
Aznoth-Tabor, xix. 34
Ba"alah, xv. 9, 10, xv. 29
Ba'alath, xix. 44
(Mount), XV. II
Ba'alath-Beer, xix. 8
Baal-Gad, xi. 17, xii. 7, xiii. 5
Baal-Meon, xiii. 17
Balah, xix. 3
Bamoth-Baal, xiii. 17
Bashan, ix. 10, xii. 4, 5, xiii. 11, la, 30, 31,
xvii. I, 5, XX. 8, xxi. 6, 27, xxii. 7
Bealoth, xv. 24
Beeroth, ix. 17, xviii. 2s
Beer-Sheba, xv. 28, xix. 2
Beeshterah, xxi. 27
Bene-Berak, xix. 46
Benjamin, .wiii. 11, 20, 21, 28, xxi. 4, 17
Betcn, xix. 25
Bethanath, xix. 38
Bethanoth, xv. 59
Beth-Arabah, xv. 6, 61, xviii. 22
Beth-Aram, xiii. 27
Beth-Aven,vii. 2, xviii. 12 (wilderness oO
Beth- Baal-Meon, xiii. 17
Beth-Dagon, xv. 41, xix. 27
Beth-El, vii. 2, viii. 9, 12, 17, xii. 9, 16,
xvi. 2, xviii. 13, 22
Beth-El (Mount), xvi. i
Beth-Emck, xix. 27
Beth-Hcgla, xv. 6, xviii. 19, 21
Beth-Horon, x. 10, 11, xvi. 3, 5, xviii.
13, 14, .xxi. 22
Beth-)eshimoth, xii. 3, xiii. 20
Beth-Lebaoth, xix. 6
Beth-Lehem (in Zebulun), xix. 15
Beth-Marcaboth, xix. 5
Beth-Nimrah, xiii. 27
Beth-Palet, xv. 27
Beth-Pazzez, xix. 21
Beth-Peor, xiii. 20
Beth-Shean, xvii. n, 16
Beth-Shemesh,xv. 10, xxi. i6(injudah);
xix. 22 (in Issachar); xix. 38 (in Naph-
tali)
Bcth-Tappuah, xv. 53
Bethul, XIX. 4
Hcth-Zur, XV. 58
Belonim, xiii. 26
Bezer in the wilderness, XX. 8, xxi. 36
Bizjothjah, xv. 28
Bohan, Stone of, xv. 6, xviii. 17
liozkath, XV. 39
Cabbon, xv. 40
Cabiil, xix. 27
• Written also Ajaloii.
366
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES.
Cain, XV. 57
Canaan, v. 12, xiv. i, xxi. 2, xxii. 9, to,
II, 32, xxiv. 3
Canaanite or Canaanites, iii. 10, v. i,
vii. 9, ix. I, xi. 3, xii. 8, xiii. 3, 4.
xvi. 10, xvii. 12, 13, 16, 18, xxiv. ii
Carmel (1, the mountain), xii. 22, xix.
26, (2, a town) XV. 55
Chephar Ha-Amnionai, xviii. 24
Chephirah, ix. 17, xviii. 26
Chesalon, xv. 10
Chesil, XV. 30
Chesulloth, xix. 18.
Chinnureth, xix. 35
Chinncroth, xi. 2
Chinnereth, Sea of, xiii. 27, or Chinne-
roth, Sea of, xii. 3
Chisioth Tabor, xix. 12
Dabareh, xxi. 28
Dabbasheth, xix. 11
Daberath, xix. 28, xxi. 28
Dan (i, the tribe), xix. 40, 47, 48, xxi.
5, 23 ; (2, the city of Dan), xix. 47
Dannah, xv. 49
Debir (i, in the highlands of Judah),
x. 38, 39, xi. 21, xii. 13, XV. 15, 49,
xxi. 15 ; (2, on the northern boundary
of Judah), XV. 7; (3, connected with
the boundary of Gad), xiii. 26
Dibon (on the east of Jordan), xiii. 9, 17
Dilean, xv. 38
Dimnah, xxi. 35
Dimonah, xv. 22
Dor, xi. 2, xii. 23, xvii. 11
Dumah, xv. 52
Ebal, Mount, viii. 30, 33
Eder, xv. 21
Edom, XV. I, 21
Edrei, xii. 4, xix. 37
Eglon, XV. 39, X. 3, 23, 34, xii. 12
Egypt, 11. 10, V. 4, 5, 6, 9, IX. 9, xiii. 3,
XXIV. 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 17, 32
Egypt, River of, xv. 4, 47
Ekron, xiii. 3, xv. 11, 45, 46
Ekronites, xiii. 3
Eleph, xviii. 28
Elon, xix. 43
Eltekeh, xix. 44, xxi. 23
Eltekon, xv. 59
Eltolad, XV. 30, xix. 4
Enani, XV. 34
Endor, xvii. 11
En-gannim, xv. 34 (in the low country
of Judah); xix. 21 (on the border of
Issachar) ; xxi. 29 (allotted to Levites)
Engedi, xv. 62
En-haddah, xix. 21
En-Hazor, xix. 37
En-Rogel, XV. 7, xviii. 16
En-Shemesh, xv. 7, xviii. 17
En-Tappuah, xvii. 7
Ephraim, xiv. 4, xvi. 4, 5, 8, 9, xvii. 8, 9,
10, 17, xxi. 5, 20
Ephraim (Mount of), xvii. 15, xix. 50,
XX. 7. xxi. 21, xxiv. 30, 33
Ephraimites, xvi. 10
Ephron, Mount, xv. 9
Eshcan, xv. 52
Eshkalonitcs, xiii. 3
Eshtaol, XV. 33, xix. 41
Eshtcmoa, x.xi. 14
Eshtemoh, xv. 50
Ether, xv. 42, xix. 7
Euphrates, i. 4
Gaash, xxiv. 30
Gaba, .xviii. 24
Gad, iv. 12, xiii. 24, 28, xviii. 7, xx. 8,
xxi. 7, 38, xxii. 9, 10, II, 13, IS, 21, 2S,
30734
Gadites, i. 12, xii. 6, xiii. 8, xxii. i
Galilee, xx. 7, xxi. 32
Gath, xi. 22
Gath-Hepher, xix. 13
Gath-Rimmon (i, in Dan), xix. 4s,xxi. 24;
(2, in Western Manasseh), xxi. 25
Gaza, X. 41, xi. 22, xv. 47
Gazathites, xiii. 3
Geba, xxi. 17
Geder, xii. 13
Gederah, xv. 36
Gederoth, xv. 41
Gederothaim, xv. 36
Gedor, xv. 58
Geliloth, xviii. 17, xxii. 10, 11
Gerizim, Mount, viii. 33
Geshurites, xii. 5, xiii. 11, 13
Geshuri, xiii. 2
Gezer, x. 33, xii. 12, xvi. 3, 10, xxi. 21
Gibbethon, xix. 44, xxi. 23
Gibeah, xv. 57
•Gibeath, xviii. 28
Gibeon, ix. 3, 17, x. i, 2, 4-6, 10, 12, 41,
xi. 19, xviii. 25, xxi. 17
Giblites, The, xiii. 5
Gilead, xii. 2, 5, xiii. 11, 25, 31, xvii. 5, 6,
XX. 8, xxi. 38, xxii. 9, 13, 15, 32
Gilgal, iv. 19, 20, V. 9, 10, ix. 6, x. 6, 7, 9,
15, 43, xii. 23, xiv. 6, XV. 7
Giloh, XV. 51
Girgashites, iii. 10, xxiv. n
Gittah-Hepher, xix. 13
Golan, XX. 8, xxi. 27
Goshen, x. 41, xi. 16, xv. 51
Hadattah, xv. 25
Halak, Mount, xi. 17, xii. 7
Halhul, XV. 58
Hali, xix. 25
Hamath, xiii. 5
Hammath, xix. 35
Hanimon, xix. 28
Hamraoth-Dor, xxi. 32
Hannathon, xix. 14
Haphraim, xix. 19
Havoth-Jair, xiii. 30
Hazar-Gaddah, xv. 27
Hazar-Shual, xv. 28, xix. 3
Hazar-Susah, xix. 5
Hazor (i, in North Palestine), xi. i, 10,
II, 13, xii. 19, xix. 36 ; (2, in the .South
of Judah), XV. 23 ; (3, Hazor-hadattah),
XV. 25
Hebron (i, in Judah), x. 3, 5, 23, 36, 39,
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES.
567
xi. 21, xii. 10, XIV. 13-15, XV. 13, 54,
XX. 7, xxi. II, 13 ; (2, in Asher), xix. 28
Heleph, xix. 33
Helkath, xix. 25, xxi. 31
Hepher, xii. 17
Hermon, Mount, xi. 3, 17, xii. 1,5, xiii.5, 11
Heshbon, ix. 10, xii. 2, 5, xiii. 10, 17, 21,
26, 27, xxi. 39 '
Heshmon, xv. 27
Hinnom, Vallej' of, xv. 8, xviii. 16; or
Valley of son of Hinnom, xv. 8
Hittite'and Hittites, i. 4, iii. 10, ix. i,
xi. 3, xii. 8, xxiv. 11
Hivite and Hivites, iii. 10, ix. i, 7, xi. 3,
ig, xii, 8, xxiv. 11
Holon, XV. 51, xxi. 15
Horem, xix. 38
Hormah, xii. 14, xv. 30, xix. 4
Hosah, xix. 29
Hukkok, xix. 34
Humtah, xv. 54
Ibleam, xvii. n
Idalah, xix. 15
lim, XV. 29
Iron, xix. 38
Irpeel, xviii. 27
Ir-Shtmesh, xix. 41
Israel, Mountain or Mountains of, xi.
16, 21
Issachar, xvii. 10, 11, xix. 17, 23, xxi. 6, 28
Ithnan, xv. 23
Ittah-Kazin, xix. 13
Jaazer, xiii. 25
Jabbok, The Brook, xii. 2
Jabneel (i, on north boundary of Judah),
XV. 11; (2, on boundary oTNaphtali),
xix. 33
lagur, XV. 21
jahaza, Jahazah, xiii. 18, xxi. 36
"janohah, xvi. 6, 7
janura, xv. 53
laphia, xi.x. 12
lapho, xix. 46
Jarmuth (i, in the lowlands of Judah),
XV. 35, X. 3, 5, 23, xii. II ; (2, in Issa-
char), xxi. 29
Jattir, XV. 48, xxi. 14
Jazer, xxi. 39
Jearim, Mount, xv. 10
}ebusi, xviii. 16, 28
Jebusite, The, xi. 3, xv. 8, 63 Also, as
a usual formula for the conquered
people, iii. 10, ix. i, xii. 8, xxiv. ii
Jenud, xix. 45
Jericho, ii. i, 2, 3, iii. 16, iv. 13, 19, v. 10,
13, vi. I, 2, 25, 26, vii. I, viii. 2, ix. 3,
X. I, 28, 30, xii. 9, xiii. 32, xvi. i, 7,
xviii. 12, 21, XX. 8, xxiv. n
Jericho, The plains of, iv. 13, v. 10
Jerusalem, x. i, 3, s, 23, xii. 10, xv. 8,
63, xviii. 28
Jcthlah, xix. 42
Jezreel Ci, in Issachar), xix. 18, also the
Valley of Jezreel, xvii. 16; (2, in
Judah), XV. 56
Jiphtah, XV. 43
Jiphtah-El, The Valley of, xix. 14, 27
jokdeani, xv. 56
Jokneam, xii. 22, xix. 11, xxi. 34
Jokthe-el, xv. 38
Jordan, i. 2, 11, 14, 15, ii. 7, 10, iii. i, 8,
11, 13-15. 17, iv. I, 3, 5, 7-10, 16-20, 22,
23, V. I, vii. 7, ix. I, 10, xii. i, 7, xiii.
8, 23, 27, 32, xiv. 3, XV. 5, xvi. I, 7,
xvii. 5, .will. 7, 12, 19, 20, xix. 22, 33,
34, XX. 8, xxii. 4, 7, 10, II, 25, xxiii. 4,
xxiv. 8, II
Judah, vii. i, 16-18, xi. 21, xiv. 6, xv. i,
12, 13, 20, 21, 63, xviii. 5, II, 14, xix. i,
9, XX. 7, xxi. 4, 9, II
Judah upon Jordan, xix. 34
juttah, XV. 55, xxi. 16
Kabzeel, xv. 21
Kadesh-Barnea, x. 41, xiv. 6, 7, xv. 3
Kanah, xix. 28
Kanah, The River, xvi. 8, xvii. 9
Karkaa, xv. 3
Kartah, xxi. 34
Kartan, xxi. 32
Kittath, xix. 15
Kedeinoth, xiii. 18, xxi. 37
Kedesh (i, in the south of Judah), xv.
23 ; (2, in Issachar), xii. 22 ; (3, in
Galilee, a city of Naphtali), xix. 37,
XX. 7, xxi. 32
Keilah, xv. 44
Kerioth, xxv. 25
Keziz, The Valley of, xviii. 21
Kibzaim, xxi. 22
Kinah, xv. 22
Kirjath, xviii. 28
Kirjathaim, xii. 19
Kirjath Arba, xiv. 15, x\'. 13, 54, xx. 7,
xxi. II
Kirjath-Baal, xv. 60, xviii. 14
Kirjath-Jearim, ix. 17, xv. 9, xviii. 14, 15
Kirjath-Sannah, xv. 49
Kirjath-Sepher, xv. 15, 16
Kishon, xix. 20, xxi. 28
Kithlish, XV. 40
Lachish, x. 3, 5, 26, 31, 33, xii. 11, xv. 39
Lahmam, xv. 40
Lakum, xix. 33
Lasharon, xii. 18
Lebanon, i. 4, i.x. i, .xi. 17, xii. 7, xiii.5, 6
Lebaoth, xv. 32
Leshem, xix. 47
Libnah, x, 29, 31, 32, 39, xii. 15, xv. 42,
xxi. 13
Lo- Debar, xiii. 26
Luz, xvi. 2, xviii. 13
Maacahites, xii. 5, xiii. 11, 13
Maaleh Acrabbim, xv. 3
Maarath, xv. 58
Madmannah, xv. 31
Madon, xi. i, xii. 19
Mahanaim, xiii. 26, 30, xxi. 38
Makkeddah, x. 10, 16, 17, 21, 28, 29, xv. 41
Manassch, i. 12, iv. 12, xii. 6, xiii. 7, 29,
31, xiv. 4, xvi. 4, 9, xvii. 1-3, 5-12, 17,
xviii. 7, XX. .8, xxi. 5, 6, 25, 27, xxii. i,
7, 9-11,13, 15, 21, .30, 31.
368
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES.
Maoii, XV. 55
Maraluli, xi.\. ji
Mareshah, xv. 44
Meaiah, xiii. 4
Mcdcba, xiii. 9
Me^iddo, xii. 21, xvii. ii
Me-Jarkon, xix. 46
Mcphaath, xiii. 18, xxi. 37
Mciom, riie waters of, xi. 5, 7
Wichiucthah, xvi. 6, xvii. 7
Middin, xv. 61
Midian, xiii. 21
Migdal-El, xix. 38
Migdal-Gad, xv. 37
Mishcal and Mishal, xix. 26, xxi. 30
Misrephoth-Maini, xi. 8, xiii. 6
Mizpeh, Land of, xi. 3 ; Valley of, xi. 8 ;
in the lowlands of Judah, xv. 38 ; in
Benjamin, xviii. 26
Moab, xxiv. 9
Moab, The plains of, xiii. 32
Moladah, xv. 26, xix. 2
Mozah, xviii. 26
Naamah, xv. 41
Naarath, xvi. 7
Nahallal, xix. 15, xxi. 35
Naphtali, xix. 32, 39 ; xx. 7 (Mount
Naphtali) ; xxi. 6, 32
Neiel, xix. 27
Nekeb, xix. 33
Nephtoah, The water of, xv. g, xviii. 15
Nezib, XV. 43
Nibshan, xv. 62
Nile, The (i, Shichor), xiii. 3 ; (2, River
of Egypt), XV. 4
Ophni, xviii. 24
Ophrah, xviii. 23
Parah, xviii. 23
Perizzites, The, xi. 3, xii. 8, xvii. 15 ; also
iii. 10, ix. 1, xxiv. 11
Philistines, xiii. 2, 3
Rabbah (in Eastern Palestine), xiii. 25 ;
(in Judah), xv. 60
Rabbith, xix. 20
Rakkath, xix. 35
Rakkon, xix. 46
Ramah (i, in Benjamin), xviii. 25; (2, in
Asher), xix. 29 ; (3, in Naphtali), xix. 36
Ramath-Mizpeh, xiii. 26
Ramath of the South, xix. 8
■Ramoth in Gilead, xx. 8, xxi. 38
Red Sea, ii. 10, iv. 23, xxiv. 6
Rehob, xix. 28, 30, xxi. 31
Rekeni, xviii. 27
Remeth, xix. 21
Remmon, xix. 7
Remmon-Methoar, xix. 13
Rephaim, Valley of, xv. 8, xviii. 16
Rimmon, xv. 32
River of Egypt, xv. 4, 47
Salcah, xii. 5, xiii. 11
Salt, City of, xv. 62
Sansannah, xv. 31
Sarid, xix. 10, 12
Sea, The Salt, iii. 16, xii. 3, xv, 2, 5,
xviii. 19
Sea, of the plain, iii. 16, xii. 3
Secacah, xv. 61
Seir, (i, on the east of the Arabah), xi. 17,
xii. 7, xxiv. 4; (2, on the northern
boundary of Judah), xv. 10
Shaalabbin, xix. 42
Shahaziniah, xix. 22
Shamir, xv. 48
Sharuhen, xix. 6
Sharaim, xv. 36
Sheba, xix. 2
Shebarim, vii. 5
Shechem, xvii. 7, xx. 7., xxi. 21, xxiv. i,
25. 32
Shema, xv. 26
Shephelah, ix. i, x. 40, xi. 2, 16, xii. 8,
_ -^.v- 33
Shicron, xv. n
Shihon, xix. 19
Shihor-Libnath, xix. 26
Shilhim, xv. 32
Shiloh, xviii. i, 8-10, xix. 51, xxi. 2, xxii.
9, 12
Shimron, xi. i, xix. 15
Shimron-Meron, xii. 20
Shinar, 'vii. 21
Shittira, ii. i, iii. i
Shunem, xix. 18
Sibmah, xiii. 19
Sidonians, xiii. 4, 6
Sihor, xiii. 3
Simeon, xix. 1, 8, g, xxi. 4, 9
Socoh, XV. 35, 48
Succoth, xiii. 27
Taanach, xii. 21, xvii. 11, xxi. 25
Taanath-Shiloh, xvi. 6
Tappuah, xii. 17, xv. 34, xvi 8, xvii. 8
Tappuah, The Land of, xvii. 8
Taralah, xviii. 27
Telem, xv. 24
Timnah, xv. 10, 57
Timnathah, xix. 43
Timnath-Serah, xix. 50, xxiv. 30
Tirzah, xii. 24
Tyre, xix. 29
Ummah, xix. 30
Zaanannim, The plain of, xix. 33
Zanoah, xv. 34, 56
Zaphon, xiii. 27
Zaretan, iii. 16
Zareth-Shahar, xiii. 19
Zebulun, xix. 10, 16, 27, 34, xxi. 7, 34
Zelah, xviii. 28
Zemaraim, xviii. 22
Zenan, xv. 37
Zer, xix. 35
Ziddim, xix. 35
Zidon, xi. 8, xix. 28
Ziklag, XV. 31, xix. 5
Zin, XV. 3
Zin, The wilderness of, xv. i
Zior, XV. 54
Ziph (i, in the south of Judah), xv. 24 ;
(2, in the highlands of Judah), xv 55
Zorah, xv. 33, xix. 41
University of California
SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY
405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388
Return this material to the library
from which it was borrowed.