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»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 " /^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. eto<; ; 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 "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^;« ■ ■ ■ 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 ■>>', "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 V, Judges xxi. 21 ; hu , Judges xxi. 19).^ Hitherto the Tabernacle had been at Gilgal, but now that the tribe of Ephraim was settled, it was removed to Shiloh, probably by God's express command (see Deut. xii. 11), because Shiloh being in a central and secluded spot may have been more suitable than any other site.^ Josephus {Antiq., v., I, 19) gives another reason, viz., the beauty of the situation, which is not corroborated by modern ' The same name written TV*''^ is given in Gen. xlix. 10 to the Messiah, Who is our Peace. 2 "The most hallowed spot of that vicinity, Bethel, which might else have been more naturally chosen, was at that time still in the hands of the Canaanites (Judges i. 23-27), and thus left to choose the encampment of the Sacred Tent, not by old associations, but according to the dictates of convenience, the conquerors fixed on this retired spot in the heart of the country, where the allotment of the territory could be most conveniently made, north, south, east, and west, to the different tribes " {Sin. and Pal., ch. v.). VER. I.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 281 travellers.^ It lay north of Bethel, on the east side of the road going up to Shechem, i.e., Nablous (see Judges xxi. 19); now called in Arabic ^' Seilun" (Robinson's Pal., iii., 85-89). Here the Tabernacle remained till the death of Eli (i Sam. iv.) ; it was then removed to Nob (i Sam. xxi. 2 [Heb.]), and afterwards to Gibeon (i Kings iii. 4). In the reign of Jeroboam I., Shiloh was the residence of the prophet Ahijah (i Kings xiv. 2) ; but it gradually declined, having been rejected by God (Psalm Ixxviii. 60 ; Jeremiah vii. 12, xxvi. 6), and is men- tioned in Scripture for the last time in Jer. xli. 5. Its real site was from the time of Jerome to the year 1838 completely forgotten, and its name transferred to the commanding height of Gibeon (Stanley, Sin. and Pal., chap, iv., p. 216, and v., p. 232). nuTO '^n^^TiiSi, " tJic tabernacle of the assembly" so called either because God there met with Moses (Exod. xxv. 22), or because before it the assemblies of the people were held (Ges., Lex}). The word hlto is derived from nr^, to appoint, and in Niph. to meet by appointment (Ges.). Perhaps the rendering " tent of meeting or of appointment," i.e., the appointed meeting-place between God and man, would best express the meaning. " Attd the land zuas snbdiied" etc., cf. xi. 23, xiv. 15. Hence the occasion was favourable for the further allotment of the land. ' Thus Dean Stanley remarks that Shiloh is utterly feature- less, and in this respect forms a striking contrast to the sacred localities of Delphi, Lebadea, and the Styx {^Si7i. and Pal., v., p. 2^2). 282 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xviii Vers. 2-10. — Survey of the Land zuhich had yet to be apportioned. Ver. 2. — 1:1 -Ip^n vb ~i'^*X, " wliose inJicritanee they had not (yet) portioned out." \hn means " to divide," especially by lot (Ges., Lex. ; cf. xiv. 5, xxii. 8), used here with an indeter. nominative (§ 137, 3). Ver. 3. — QFix, '^ ye," emphatic, as contrasting the conduct of the tribes addressed with that of those who had already taken possession of their inheritances The Part. D^S^nn is not only reflexive but intensive ; " how long do ye shoiv yourselves so remiss ? " (see Ewald's Gr., § 243). This remissness may have arisen from their preference of a nomad to a settled life, and their unwillingness to wage an ex- terminating war against the Canaanites. No less is it our own duty, as Christians, to be up and doing, sparing no pains to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter i. 10), and to bring others to the saving knowledge of the truth (Matt, xxviii. 1 9). Ver. 4. — "Set for yourselves three men for each tribe" i.e., for each of the seven remaining tribes : Josephus, therefore, wrongly states the total number sent to have been ten, viz., one for each of the seven tribes, and three surveyors {Antiq.,v., i, 21). -un, imper. of nnj, to give, but here to set or appoint, as in Deut. i. i 3 ; Vulg. '• eligite." -UriDIl, " and let them describe " : The nriB means, not " to measure," but " to write," as in a book (see ver. 9), to give a general account of the land which yet remained to be divided, its situation, characteristics, number of cities, etc., without delineating the exact boundaries of each VERS. 5-7-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 283 district.^ Dn^nj ''2b. " according to their inJieritance" T T -;- ■ ; ' <_> i.e., not, as Rosenm., according to the size of the in- heritance of each tribe (for this could only be deter- mined after the lots had been drawn), but according to the number of the inheritances into which the land was to be divided, viz., seven for the seven remaining tribes. This general survey might have been easily made without rousing the jealousy and opposition of the Canaanites. Ver. 5. — -"ip^nnni, ''and divide ye for yourselves" Hithp. imper. (§ 54, 3, r). The remainder of the verse declares that this division was not to include the territory already assigned to the tribes of Judah and Joseph, 'nbr^, " shall stand" {i.e., remain) " on his border." Ver. 6. — " Before fehovah our God" i.e., before the Tabernacle where Jehovah manifested His presence (cf. xix. 5 i). Thus greater sanctity and validity was given to the lot. Ver. 7. — With the assertion in the first clause cf. xiii. 14, 33, xiv. 3, 4. ''Priesthood" is put by meton. for its emoluments. The sing, suffix in in^m is used coll. ' So William the Conqueror, in A.D. 1081, appointed com- missioners to make him an exact account of all the landed property of his kingdom. " This monument, called Doomsday Book, the most valuable piece of antiquity possessed by any nation, is still preserved in the Exchequer, and though only some extracts of it have hitherto been published, it serves to illustrate^ to us in many particulars the ancient state of England. I^he great Alfred had finished a like survey of the kingdom in his time, which was long kept at Winchester, and which probably served as a model to William in this under- taking " (Hume, vol. i., chap, iv., p. 295). 284 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xviii. Vers. 8-9 {Execution of the Conuiiand). — Ver. 8, — 3hi3^ is dependent on Cppnn, " zvho zvcnt to described Ver. 9. — D''"?!^^, "'according to (its) cities" see on ver. 4. The assertion of Josephus {Antiq., v., i, 21) that seven months were occupied in this survey- seems to be arbitrary, Ver. 10. — " Cast lotsl^ see on xiv. 2 ; and on np^nio see xi. 23. The portions allotted were un- equal, but were adapted to the circumstances and requirements of those to whom they were assigned, even as in the heavenly Canaan all the children of God will be fully blessed, but each according to his capacity (see Matt, xxv. 21-23 ; ^ Cor. xv. 41). Vers. 11-28. — InJieritancc of Benjamin. Vers. 11-20. {Its Boundaries). — Ver. 11. — ^^ TJie lot . . . came up" i.e., out of the urn (cf Lev. xvi. 9). D^")fii ^^21, ''the border of their lot" {i.e., of the territory assigned to them by lot), " betxveen the children of fudah . . . of foseph." By God's overruling providence the tribe of Benjamin was thus placed close to its kindred, the house of Joseph, and close to the tribe of Judah, with which, at a later period, it was to be brought into very intimate alliance (i Kings xii. 21). The territory of no other tribe, except perhaps Manasseh, con- tained such important passes into the adjacent plains, nor such conspicuous heights, whether for defence or as high-places of worship (see Stanley's Sin. and Pal, pp. 200-1). Vers. 12-13 {The Northern Boundary'). — This coincided with the southern boundary of Ephraim, as far as Lower Bethhoron. VERS. 13, 14.1 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 285 Ver. 12. — "And there was for them the border on the side nortJnvards from the fordanr On the con- struction of njisy 'd"?, see § 90, 2, a. nxs = na, " mouth," from nsp, to blow, then " side," or " quarter," like "ora" from " os " (cf. vers. 14, 15). ''And the border went up to the side (lit. shoulder) of fericho on the north" i.e., it included Jericho within the territory of Benjamin. "in3, " into the mountainsl' see note on ii. 16, and cf. nVr, followed by 3 in Psalm xxiv. 3 ; Cant. vii. 9 (Heb.). 'n^nip : According to the pointing, the following word " Beth-aven," stands in apposition, and denotes not the town, but the wilderness so called ; e.g., " towards the wilderness, Beth-aven." But some emended MSS. and Kimchi read H'jBlp, the construe. form of iniJ?, with the addition of n- loc. (see § 90, 2, a, and cf. Ges., Lehrgeb., p. Gt,-^), ''towards the wilderness of Beth-aven," cf. i Kings xix. 15, pb'S'n mano, " to the ivilderness of Dajnasciis." On Beth-aven see vii. 2. Ver. 13 (see on xvi. 2, 3). — nn"? Piri^-'pN, "to the side (shoulder) of Luzah " : Here the n- in Luzah, which in the former part of the verse is local (§ 90, 2) forms the termination of the word ; so in the Samar. Vers., the Sept., Vulg., and Eusebius ; cf. Timnath, Timnathah (xv. 10), Riblah, Riblathah (see note a, on Art. " Luz " in Smith's Bib. Diet.). Though Bethel, according to the boundary here given, was in Ephraim, it appears from ver. 22 to have been assigned to Benjamin. ly^], " and descended" i.e., went southward. Ver. 14 {The Western Border'). — "iNni, see xv. 9. ;i3 apJl, " and turned on the west side towards the south" : On Kirjath-baal and Kirjath-jearim see ix. I7,xv. 9. 286 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xviii. Here, therefore, the border of Benjamin touched that of Judah. D^^TiNS, " tJie zuest quarter" or side towards the sea (cf. vers. 12, 15). nx3 comes from hns, to blow, and hence means a quarter of the heavens from which the wind blows. Vers. 15-19 {The South Boundary). — This com- mencing from the city of Kirjath-jearim coincided with the north boundary of Judah (xv. 5-9), but was measured in the opposite direction, viz., from west to east. Ver. 15. — "And the south quarter (was) from the extremity of Kirjath-jeariju" etc. T\i^), " on the west " : n— is here taken in a weaker sense than that of 'towards" (see § 90, 2, b). " Neph-to-ach" see on XV. 9. Ver. 16. — ''D-n''n fins, see on xv. 8. 'kn-rd(:eL XV. 7. Ver. I 7. — On 'En-shemesh and G^li-loth, see xv. 7. " Stone of Bohan" xv. 6. Ver. 18. — nnnyn, ''the desert plain" i.e., of the Jordan, see iii. 16. In the Auth. Vers, it is rendered " Arabah," and appears to be identical with the Beth- haarabhah in xv. 6. Ver. 1 9. — " Bcth-chogh-ldli" xv. 6. n^isy, " towards the north" i.e., the boundary line, though taking an eastern direction, somewhat turned towards the north ^Ujin vnfwSVfn, according to this reading '?-U]in is put in appos. to the suffix of the governing noun, " the out- goings of it, viz., of the border" (§ 121, 6, Rem. 3). Ver. 20 {The Eastern Boujidary). — "inx, " zV," refer- ring to nan. Vers. 21-28 {The Tozvns of Benjamin). — These are divided into two groups, one in the eastern portion VERS. 21-23.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 287 of the tribe, containing twelve towns; the other in the western, containing fourteen towns. Vers. 21-24 {T^^^ Eastern Toivns). — Ver. 21. — " FV/-^M"seeon ii. i. " Beth-c/wgh-ldh" ^\. 6. And '■'■' Erne q- Outsits " (the latter word, if Hebrew, is deriv- able from I'Vi^, to cut off, and may possibly be connected with the general circumcision, which took place at Gilgal in the same neighbourhood [Grove]), mentioned here only in the Old Testament ; the name is recognisable in the Wady el Kaziz, on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Possibly the Beth- Basi of I Mace, ix, 62, 64 (Grove, Index to Clark's Bib. Atlas). Ver. 22. — " Beth-haarabkah'' xv. 6. " Ts''ma-ra-yiin " (two cuttings off, or precipices), perhaps in the valley of the Jordan, and identical with the modern es-SumraJi (Van de Velde's Map), about four miles north of Jericho. Earlier writers, however, suppose it stood on Mount Tsemarayim, in Ephraim,^ where Abijah besieged Jeroboam (2 Chron. xiii. 4). The name in either case may have been derived from the ancient tribe of the Tsemarites (Gen. x. 18). Bethel, vii. 2. Ver. 23. — ^'ha-Av-vtvi" (the ruins), perhaps built by, or called after, the Avvites (see on xiii. 3) ; unknown, but Knobel would identify it with 'Ay, which stood near Bethel (vii. 2, xii. 9), and means a heap of ruins or stones; cf V,\V (Neh. xi. 31), n»y ' " The narrow territory of Benjamin soon melts into the hills which reach to the plain of Esdraelon, and which, from the great tribe which there had its chief seat, are known by the name of ' the Mountains of Jiphraim ' " (Stanley, Sin. and Fal., p. 229). Cf. note on Ha-Ramah, ver. 25. 288 THE BOOK OF [OSIJUA. [chap. xvm. (Isa. X. 28 ; Gcs., Z^A-.). '^ hap-Pd-rdh" (the heifer or cow) : Thi.s name may have reference to pasture- land (cf. Eleph in ver. 28), and the mention of the " herd " in i Sam. xi. 5. Josephus says that the smallness of the tribe of Benjamin was compensated by the excellence of the land {Antiq., v., i). 'Tarah" is said by Jerome {Ononiast.^ " Aphra ") to be five miles east of Bethel. Perhaps identical with Fdrah (Robinson, Van de Velde), half-way between Jeru- salem and Jericho. " 'Oph-rah" (a fawn), different from the Ophrah in Judges vi. ii, which belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, but probably the same as the Ophrah in the land of Shual (i Sam. xiii. 17), and which was called Ephrain (2 Chron. xiii. 19), and 'Fjcfypaffx, whither our Lord went before His last Passover (John xi. 54) ; conjectured by Robinson {Bi^. Res., i., 447) to be the same as et Taiyibeh, a small village on a hill, four miles N.N.E. of Bethel (so Dean Stanley, Sin. and Pal, p. 2 i 3). Ver. 24. — ^'K'phar-ha-Ain-mojiay" (hamlet^ of the Ammonites), read in the O'^ri and by the Chaldee n:f©i;n '3 ; unknown, but somewhere at the head of T - T ' ' the passes which lead up from the Jordan valley to the table-land of Benjamin. The name seems commemorative of an incursion of the Ammonites. '• iia-Oph-ni" also unknown, but perhaps so called after the Ophnites, a non-Isiaelitish tribe, mentioned here only. Grove would identify it with the GopJina of Josephus {Bel. Jnd., iii., 3, § 5), and with the present Jifna, two and a half miles north-west of Bethel. " Ga-bha! " (in pause for Ge-bha', a hill), ' Rt. "123, to cover, see nTQ3, ix. 17, and cf. Lat. tectum. VERS. 25. 26.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 289 identical with the Geba in i Sam. xiii. 15, 16; 2 Kings xxiii. 8 ; Zech. xiv. 10, distinguished from Gibeah of Saul (Isa x. 29). It was assigned to the Levites (xxi. 17) ; fortified by Asa(i Kings xv. 22) ; inhabited after the captivity (Neh. vii. 30) ; now Jcba, on a hill opposite to Michmash, about eight miles north of Jerusalem (Robinson, Bib. Res., i., 440). Vers. 25-28 (Second Group of Fourteen Cities, in the West Part of Benjamin). — Ver. 25. — " Gib/i-Sn," see ix. 3. " Jid-Rd-mdJi' (the lofty), near to Ge-bha and Gibh-'on (Isa. x. 29), conjectured by Keil to be the same as the Ramah of Samuel (i Sam. i. 19, ii, 1 1, XXV. i), but this latter was in Ephraim, and was also called Ramathaim Zophim (i Sam. i. i). Perhaps, however, the name Ephraim at this early period may have been extended over the moun- tainous region of Benjamin, which was in close alliance with and in dependence on it (see Art. by Grov^e in Smith's Bib. Diet., vol. ii., p. 998). Now er-Rani, about five English or six Roman miles north of Jerusalem, described by Robinson as a wretched village on a hill, but with remains of columns, squared stones, etc., all indicating a former importance {Bib. Res., i., 576).^ '' B"e-rdth" (wells), see on ix. 1 7. Ver. 26. — "■ Jiavi-Mits-peh" (the watch-tower), dif- ferent from the Mitspeh in xv. 38 ; it was the place where Samuel judged Israel (i Sam. vii. 5, the Maspha of I Mace. iii. 46), and where Saul was elected king ' "Er-Ra7n, marked by the village and green patch on its summit, the most conspicuous object from a distance in the approach to Jerusalem from the south, is certainly Ramah for Dny. Some, however, join this word to the foregoing, and render " hill of Qiryath," but on this view we must suppose the number of the towns at the end of the verse to have been in- correctly stated (see above on ha-Eleph). CHAPTER XIX. Ver. 1-9. — The Inheritance of Simeon (Shim-'on, "hearing v/ith acceptance," Gen. xxix. 33). Jacob's prediction that this tribe should be dis- persed in Israel (Gen. xlix. 7) was partly fulfilled in its portion being allotted to it within the limits of Judah (ver. 9). Its towns formed two groups : (i) those in the south-land of Judah (2-6) ; (2) those partly in the south-land, partly in the lowlands of , Judah (ver. 7). To all these towns were added their dependent villages (ver. 81). Ver. I. — -iri nv.m, of. xyiii. i i. "rifna, not, as usually, " in the midst," but " within " (cf. Auth.Vers.). VERS. 2-8.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 293 Vers. 2-6 {First Group). — For all the towns mentioned in this group see on xv. 26-32, and cf. I Chron. iv. 28-32. Ver. 2. — "■ Eeer-Sheba" see on xv. 28. It would seem that having been hallowed by the altars of Abraham and Isaac (Gen. xxi. 33 ; xxvi. 23-25) it was a religious centre both to Judah and Simeon. "Shc-bhd " (Shema in xv. 26) is omitted in i Chron. iv. 28, perhaps through the oversight of a copyist, who may have been misled by the termination of the preceding word. It is found in all the ancient versions. " Molad/iah," xv. 26. Ver. 3. — Cf. XV. 28, 29. Ver. 4.—" BUJmi;' written B^thu-'El (dweller in God) I Chron. iv. 30, and for which is found K^sil in Josh. XV. 30 (see note). " C/ionnah,'' see xii. 14. Ver. 5. — See on xv. 31. Ver. 6. — See on xv. 32. " Thirteen cities " : The number is fourteen, as in the Syriac Vers., unless She-bha' is omitted. A copyist may have con- founded the Hebrew letters for " fourteen " with those for " thirteen " (see note on xv. 3 2). Ver. 7 {Second Group). — 'A-yin and Rinnnon, in- accurately here written Remmon (A.V.), were in the south country of Judah (see xv. 32). "■'Ether and 'Ashan" were in the valley (xv. 42). ''Four Toivns " : In the parallel list in i Chron. iv. 32, the number is five, viz., Etam, Ayin, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, where, according to Grove, Tochen is substituted for Ether (Smith's Bid. Diet., i., p. 558). Ver. 8. — "A// the villages" for T>:r; .see on xiii. 23. *'Ba'a-lath-B'"er" (having a well), called here Ra- math-ne-ghebh (height of the south) ; see on Bealoth 294 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xix. XV. 24. It was apparently the extreme southern limit of the territory assigned to Simeon. Ver. 9. — ^nn, xvii. 14. Dn?o n"i, ''too large for than" (§ 119, i). The reason why so small a territory was assigned to the tribe of Simeon was that it had greatly diminished since the census in Numb. i. 23 (see Numb. xxvi. 14). This decrease was no doubt partly owing to the mortality conse- quent on the sin at Baal-peor, in which sin the Simeonites had taken a leading part (Numb, xxv.).^ Vers. 10-16. — InJicritancc of Z'bJui-hui ("habita- tion," Gen. XXX. 20), and its Boundaries. This tribe is omitted in the lists of i Chron. Its territory, which embraced one of the choicest portions of the land, extended from the Sea of Galilee on the east, to the river Kishon on the west, and was bounded on the south by Issachar, and on the north by Asher and Naphtali. It afterwards formed a portion of Lower Galilee, and contained the towns Tiberias, Cana, and Nazareth (cf Matt, iv. 13, 15). Ver. I o. — " Sa-ridh " (a fissure, rt. Tib, to make an incision), not known to Eusebius and Jerome {Ono7n.), but must have been on the south boundary, forming a landmark, whence the border was drawn to the west (ver. i i) and the east (ver. 12). Knobel, who derives the word as above, thinks it meant a gully about three miles south-east of Nazareth; more ' A brief sketch of the history of this tribe at a later period is given in i Chron. iv. 39-43 (cf. Stanley's Si7i, and Fal., p. 161). VER. II, 12.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 295 probably, however, it was a town so called from the gully or wady near which it stood. The Sept. reads ^SeSSouK (Vat. MS.) ; and the original (says Lieut. Conder) may be thought to have been Sadid, in which case Tell-SJiadud occupies a very probable position for the site {Map, sheet viii.). Ver. II. — n"^jb, '■' toivards the seal' ^•^•, westward. Though the border, according to Gen. xlix. 13, com- pared with Joseph., Antiq., v., I, § 2 2, reached to the Mediterranean, yet it seems from this ver. i i that it stopped short at Carmel. npy-ip-i, " even to Mar-a-laJi " (" place of trembling," rt. bv"}, to tremble, perhaps so named from an earthquake) ; site uncertain. The word rhv led Keil to infer that it was somewhere T T on Carmel. According to Lieut. Conder it w^ould occupy the position of the present village Malul, " L " and " R " being easily convertible (Pal. Explor. Fund, Map, sheet viii.). 3 Wa-I (cf. xvi. 7, xvii. 10), the same verb is also followed by "px in the next clause. " Dab-ba-shetJi " in pause for Dab-be-sheth (a camel's hump, Isa. xxx. 6, rt. t;'3^, to be soft, round, Ges., TJies), perhaps so called because it stood on the heights of Carmel. '^Oin, " the zuater-course," etc., probably the Kishon. " Yoq-n" 'ami' see xii. 22. Ver. 1 2 {Eastward Direction of the Border^. — " Sa-rtdh" as being a central point (see ver. 10) is here repeated. '' Kis-loth-Ta-bhor" (loins or flanks^ of Tabor), apparently a place on the side of Tabor, ' It is common in the Hebrew Scriptures to personify the features of a_ country (cf. ^ins, shoulder, xv. 8 ; niJITX, ears of, xix. 34 ; D5'^, back, xx. 7). 296 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xix. and possibly the same as ni^pan in ver. i8 (Masius and others), and the vicus Chasalus of the Onom., i.e., the present village of Ik-sdl, two and a half miles west of Tabor (Grove). " Da-bli'^rath " (" pasture " or " sheepwalk," mentioned in xxi. 28; i Chron. vi. 57, as being in the tribe of Issachar, and as assigned to the Gershonite Levites ; now probably the village Deburicli at the western foot of Tabor (Robinson, Bib. Res.,\\., 350, 351). '' Ya-pht-a'" ("shining," from V^\ to shine, perhaps because seen from a distance) : It must have been east of Deburieh, though the site is unknown ; Yafa, with which Robinson and Grove would identify it, lies to the west of that village. Ver. 13. — Render "■ And from tJience it passed tozvard the East, toivard the rising of the sun, to GatJi' cJiepJier " (" wine-press of the well ") ; n— loc. ; the birthplace of Jonah ^ (2 Kings xiv. 25), now el Mesh- had (Rob., Bib. Res., ii., 350), where the prophet's tomb is still shown, about four miles north of Naza- reth, on the road to Tiberias. " To Eth-ga-tszn " (" time of the judge," nw == nv, with n loc). Site unknown. " A7id ivent out to Riminon tvhich reacheth to NeaJi " : "iNnr?n, which is made part of the prop, name in Auth. Vers.,^ Sept., and Vulg., is prop, the Pual. Part, with art. from iNFl, " to be marked out or drawn " (cf. xv. 9). " Rimvioji " (pomegranate), al- lotted to the Merarite Levites (i Chron. vi. 62, Heb.), probably now RiiminaneJi in the plain of el-Buttauf, six miles north of Nazareth (Rob., Bib. Res., iii., 1 10; Von Raum., p. 138). '' Ne-ah" ("shaking" [Ges., ' The Pharisees, therefore, were mistaken in supposing that no prophet came out of Galilee (John vii. 52). " " Remnon-methaar." VERS. 14, 15.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 297 Lex\ rt. W2, to shake), unknown, but probably some- where to the north of Rimmon (Grove). Ver. 14 [The Northern Botindar)'). — '^ And the border compassed it {i.e., Neah) on the north to Chan- na-thon." '}n (" gracious," or " pleasant "), is probably the same as Cana of Galilee, the native place of Nathanael and scene of Christ's first miracle (John ii. I, II, iv. 46, xxi. 2) ; now Kdna el Jclil (Keil). "And its goings out were the ravine of Yiph-taeh-Er' ("God opens": On \ not "valley" (Auth. Vers.), but " ravine " or " glen " (see viii. 1 1 ). Yiph-tach-'El is thought by Robinson to be identical with the Roman Jotapata, which Josephus long defended against Vespasian (Joseph., Bel. fud., iii., 7, 7) ; now fcfat, in the mountains of Galilee, half way between the Bay of Acre and the Lake of Gennesaret. Thus the ravine of Yiph-tach-El, at which Zebulon bordered on Asher, would correspond to the Wady Abilcn, which commences in the hills near Jefat (Rob., Later Bib. Res., p. 103,/), though " Wady" more accurately denotes a hx\\ than a V. (Stanley, Sin. and Pal., Append., § 2, 38). Ver. I 5. — From a description of the boundary lines the narrative here passes abruptly to an enumeration of the towns of Zebulon. The \ at the beginning of the verse not being followed, as in xviii. 21, xv. 21, by Dnyn with the substantive verb, it is probable that the text is here imperfect ; see also the concluding portion of this note, '' Qat-tath" (small), and ^^ Na-/flal" (probably pasture, sec Isa. vii. 19, from hr[\, to lead, cf. "lanp from in'i), are perhaps the same as Qit-ron and Na-lr''161 in Judges i. 30, but their sites arc unknown. In the Talmud (Mcgilla, 6, a) 298 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xix. Oit-ron is identified with Zippori, i.e., Sepphoris, now SeffnrieJi. Na-h^lal, in some copies written Malialal, was a Levitical town (xxi. 35) ; according to the Jerusalem Talmud (Megillah, i., ij called in post- biblical times Mahlul, which has been identified by Schwarz with the modern Malul in the plain of Esdraelon, four miles west of Nazareth. So Van de Velde {Alemoir, p. 335), Grove (Index to Clark's Bib. Atlas, and Art. in Smith's Bib. Diet.). " Shim- ron," see xi. i . " Yidh-a-lah " (that which God has shown, Ges., Lex.), supposed by Van de Velde to be Jeda or /ei da on the west of the village Semuniyeh, but Schwarz (p. 172), probably on the authority of the Talmudical books, gives the name as Yidalah or Chirii, and would identify it with the village Kellah el-Cliire, about three miles south of Beit-lahm (Grove), ^^ Bcth-le-cJieni" (house of bi-ead), .probably the resi- dence of Ibzan (Judges xii. 8), now the miserable village of Beit-laJun, six miles west of Nazareth (Rob., Bib. Res., iii., p. i 13). The town of the same name in the south is often distinguished from it by the addition of the word Jiidah (Judges xvii. 8, 9, xix. 18 ; Ruth i. i), and Ephratah (Micah v. 2). " Twelve towns and their villages " : As five towns only are mentioned in this verse, and those in vers. 10-14 were border places, some of them not belong- ing to Zebulon, and as Kartah and Dimnah, though towns of Zebulon (xxi. 34, 35), and also Nazareth, are entirely omitted, the opinion of Michaelis, Keil, and others, is probably correct, viz., that there is a gap in the text here, as in xv. 59, xxi. t,6. VERS. 17, 18.1 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 299 Vers. 17-23. — Inheritance of Yis-sas-khar (" he brings wages," "iDb i, Ges., Lex), undiscovered, but, according to Eusebius and Jerome {Onoinast), " villa juxta montem Thabor," possibly CJdrbet ScJnin, one and a half miles north-west of Deburieh (Grove, Art. in Smith's ^zA Z>/V/.). " '^-w^-c/^V^//^ "(" a narrow way," rt. n3s*, i.q. p^n, to be narrow), identified by Lieut. Conder with the village en Najlrahl' " in cor- rect relative position to other towns of Issachar " {Pal. Explor. Fund). Ver. 20. — " ha-Rab-bith " (the great place), perhaps Arab-boneh, south of Gilboa (Rob., iii., p. 157); but Lieut. Conder proposes the present village Raba, south-east of the plain of Esdraelon, as a suitable position {Pal. Explor. Fund, Map, sheet xii.). " Qish- yon " (hardness, rt. nL"p, to be hard, and, therefore, according to Ges., T/ics., 121 i, 1243, not to be connected with the river Kishon, " winding," rt, K'ip, to be bent), allotted to Gershonite Levites (xxi. 28), VER. 21.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 301 but unknown ; for it Kedesh is substituted in i Chron. vi. "J 2 (57 Hcb.). 'E-bhets^ (white, shining, rt, p3, to be white), mentioned here only ; possibly (says Grove) a corruption of Thebez, now Tubas, not far from Engannim, and Shunaim ; but, according to Lieut. Conder, probably the present ruin el Beida, at the north end of the plain of Esdraelon. The Arabic exactly corresponds to the Hebrew, with the same meaning, " white " {Pal. Explor. Fund). Ver, 21. — '' Re-nieth''' (height), called Ramoth in 1 Chron. vi. 58 (73 A.V.), and Yarmuth in ch. xxi. 29, where it is named as a Levit. city. These may be different names of the same town. " ' hn-gan- nini " (fountain of gardens), also allotted to the Levites (xxi. 29), called 'A-nem (i Chron. vi. 58, 73 A. v.), probably the same as the Tivaia of Josephus {Bel. Jud., iii., 3, 4), and now Jenin, in the midst of gardens and orchards, on the southern side of the plain of Jezreel (Rob. and Keil). It is evidently, says Stanley, identical with BetJigan (Sept. ; 2 Kings ix. 27), translated "the garden-house " in Eng. Vers. {Sin. and Pal, p. 349, note 2). " '^«- cJiad-dah " (fountain of sharpness, i.e., of speed), on the border of Issachar, near Engannim. Van de Velde would identify it with Ain-Haud, on the west side of Carmel, and about two miles from the sea ; but this, says Grove, is surely out of the limits of the tribe of Issachar, and rather in Asher or Ma- nasseh. According to Lieut. Conder, it is probably the present ruin Kefr Addn, south-west of the plain ' Written in the Hebrew text X"^^, the first syllable in pause for N. 302 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xix. of Esdraelon. '^ Beth-pats-tsets" (house of dispersion), unknown. Ver. 2 2. — " And the border reached to " (lit. struck upon), cf. xyi. 7. " Ta-bhor^ (cither "a stone-quarry" or " a lofty place " [Ges., Lex\ a town built on the mount so called, on which considerable ruins were found by Robinson {Bib. Res., ii,, 352, etc.). In i Chron, vi. yy (A.V.) it is said to be in the tribe of Zebulun, and to have been assigned to the Levites, but it is not mentioned as a Levite town in Josh. xxi. Being on the borders of both tribes, it may possibly have been, regarded as belonging to both (Keil). " And Sha-ch"tsii-maJi" for which the O^ri reads Sha~ ch"tsi-ijiah, " lofty places " ^ rt. ]*np^, " to raise oneself up " (Ges., Lex?), a town unknown, but apparently between Tabor and the Jordan. ^' Bcth-she-mesh" (house of the sun), to be distinguished from the one in Judah (xv. 10), and in Naphtali (v. 38) ; perhaps (as Knobel and Keil conjecture) the present ruined village oi Bess2iin (Rob., Bib. Res., ii., 369) ; or, according to the later researches of Lieut. Conder, the ruined site 'Ain esh Shemsiyeh, in the Jordan valley, ^^ Sixteen towns," a number which would not be correct, unless Tabor was reckoned as belonging to Issachar. Vers. 24-31. — Inheritance of'A-shcr (fortunate or happy). The territory of this tribe contained some of the richest soil in all Palestine (Stanley, Sin. and Pal., p. 265), and in its fruitfulness fulfilled the predictions of Jacob (Gen. xlix. 20) and of Moses (Deut. xxxiii. ' The ah is properly local, and denotes motion, " to Shacha- tsim " (Grove). VER. 25.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 303 24) ; it had also mines of iron and copper (Deut. xxxiii. 2 5,and cf. the note on Misrephoth-maim, xi. 8). It extended from Zidon to the south of Dor (see on xi. 2), on the confines of Manasseh, and was bordered by Zebulon and Issachar on the south-east, and by NaphtaH on the north-east. Here it is described principally by an enumeration of its towns, and the description begins in the neighbourhood of Accho (Ptolemais), on the Mediterranean coast, which, though not included among the towns here named, is men- tioned in Judges i. 3 i as belonging to Asher. From this central point the description proceeds first towards the south (vers. 26, 27), and then towards the north (vers. 28-30). The position of many of the towns is unknown. Ver. 25. — '' Chel-qatli" (portion), a town allotted to the Gershonite Levites (xxi. 31), called Chu-qoq (i Chron. vi. 60, Heb. ; "jy, A. V.), perhaps by an error in copying, or because it had both names, but not to be confounded with the Chuq-qoq on the boundary of Naphtali (xix. 34) ; conjectured by Schwarz to be the village Yerka, about eight miles north-east of Accho (Akka ; Van de Velde's Map). " CI fit'' (a necklace, from n^n, to be polished), per- haps Jnlis, between Yerka and Accho (Knobel). " Be-ten " (perhaps " valley," i.q. Koikoi the Sept. rendering Ked(}) perhaps exhibiting the name in the process of change from the ancient to the modern form (see Art. on " Asher," note a, in Smith's Bid. Diet}). Lieut. Conder, however, would identify it with the present village el Yasif, north-east of Acre. " It is often mentioned in Egyptian records, and the proposed site agrees both with these and with the biblical indications of situation " {Map, iii.). Vcr. 26. — ^'■^Al-lavi-me-lekh" (the king's oak): The name has been preserved in NaJir cl Malek, or Malik, which falls into the Kishon near Haifa (Rob., Bib. Res., iii., 113). '''Am-adh" (eternal people), apparently (says Lieut. Conder) the ruin el-Amfid, north of Acre {Pal. Explor. Fund Map, sheet iii.). "■ Mish-aV (prayer), a Levite town (xxi. 30), written "Mashal" (i Chron. vi. 59 [74]). According to the Onomast. {s.v. " Masan "), it was on the coast, near to Carmel, as seems indicated also in the remainder of the verse. Probably, says Lieut. Conder, the ruin Maisleh, near Acre {Map, sheet iii.). " Kar-inel,'' see on xii. 22. " Sht-chdr-libh-nath" (black-white), though taken for two separate places by the Sept., Vulg., and Syr., yet is more generally regarded as a river. According to Masius, Michaelis, and Stanley {Sin. and Pal., p. 505), it is identical with the Belus, or glass river (so called from the glass there made from the sand), in the neighbourhood of Acre, but as this situation is too far removed from the southern boundary of Asher, more probably the reference is to the Nalir-Zerka (blue river), which flows into the Mediterranean about eight miles south of Dor (see VER. 27.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA 305 on xi. 2), at the southern extremity of Asher. The epithet " blue " might correspond to " black and white." As Shichor is a name given to the Nile (Isa. xxiii. 3 ; Jer. ii. 18), its use here may have a reference to the ancient commerce of Phoenicia with Egypt. Ver. 27. — In this verse the southern boundary is traced from the Nahr-Zerka eastward. — " Beth- Da-gJwn " (house of Dagon) : The site is uncertain, but Lieut. Conder would identify it with the present ruin 7>// Uatlk, " in correct relative position near the mouth of the river Belus " {Pal. Explor. Fund). The name seems to signify that it was a Philistine colony; there was another town of the same name in Judah (xv. 41), " Z^bhu-litJi" (habitation), not a town, as Rosenm. says, but the tribe so called, which formed one of the boundaries of Asher (cf. xvii. 10, xix. 34). " Yiph-tach- El" see on ver. 14. " Bcth-ha-e-meg" (house of the valley), according to Robinson (iii., 103, 107, 108), 'Amkah, about eight miles to the north- east of Akka (Acre), but if his identification of Jefat with Yiph-tach-El be correct, the site of Beth-ha- e-meq must hz sought for farther south than Amkah (Grove). " N^'i-El" (perhaps i.q. ^x^y* '?x-"ii;:, perhaps " treasure of God," Ges., Lex.), possibly Mi-ar, a village on a lofty mountain brow, between Jefat and Kabul. The change of " N " into " M," and of " L " into " R," is frequent, and Mi-'ar retains the Ayin of Neiel (Grove, Smith's Bib. Diet). '' Ka-bluK probably identical with the KOi^xrr) Xa/BcoKo) of Josephus (Til., § 43), now Kabul, about ten miles south-east of Acre (Rob., Later Bib. Res., iii., p. 88), and on the borders of Galilee. It was probably in the neighbourhood of 20 3o6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xix. the district called "the land of Cabul " (i Kings ix. I 3). In the Hebrew the term Cabul has no certain meaning, but in the Phoenician tongue it means " dis- pleasing " (Joseph., Antiq., viii., 5, § 3). Vers. 28-30 i^Fhe Nortliern District of Asher). — Ver. 28. — '"Ebh-roji" (passage-ford), unknown, but apparently near Zidon. Fourteen MSS. read "Abdon," which occurs in xxi. 30 ; i Chron. vi. 59 (74), and possibly "1 may have been written by mistake for i. But, on the other hand, all the ancient versions accord with the Masoretic text in reading Ebh-ron, except the Vat. Sept., which has ^EX^cov. Since some towns, viz., Akko, Achlabh, and Chelbah, are omitted in this list (see Judges i. 31), perhaps by the error of a copyist, Abdon may also have fallen out. '' R^clidbli " (wide space); evidently near Zidon, but the site un- discovered. Another town of the same name is mentioned in ver. 30, and both are different from the R^chobh in Numb. xiii. .?i, which was probably near Tell el Kady (Laish or Dan) and Banias (cf Judges xviii. 28 ; see Smith's Diet, of the Bible). "■ CJiam- mon " (warm or sunny), apparently not far from Zidon. Schultz would Identify it with the modern village of Haimil, near the coast, about ten miles below Tyre, but both etymology and site are doubtful (Grove). Lieut. Conder suggests the ruin Hima, south-east of Tyre, a situation which appears to him satisfactory. '' Qa-iiah" (reed), ^erhdi^s, Ain-Kana, eight miles south-east of Saida (Zidon; Van de Velde's Map). " Great Tsi-dhon^' see xi. 8. It does not appear that the Asherites were ever able to expel the inhabitants of any of the Phoenician towns, or to render them tributary (see Judges i. 31, 32). The character of VER. 29.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 307 the tribe was the reverse of warlike (Stanley, Sin. and Pal., p. 265), for thus in the war against Sisera, while Zebulun and Naphtali " hazarded their lives unto the death," Asher " abode in his breaches," i.e., in his creeks and harbours (Judges v. 17, i 8). Ver. 29. — " And the border turned to Jia-Ramah" '. The Vulg. reads " Horma," but the other ancient versions agree with the Masoretic text, hence n de- notes the article which is prefixed to the name by way of distinction. Probably the Ramah is meant which is marked in Arrowsmith's Bib. Atlas as lying on the coast between Zidon and Tyre, about three miles east of T}'re, according to Van de Velde's Map (see also Grove, Art. " Ramah " [4], Smith's Bib. Diet). With less probability Robinson places it more than ten miles south-east of Tyre [Bib. Res., iii., 64). " To the fortified city of Tsor" (lit. " to the city, the fortress of Tsor ") : Tsor (" rock," i.q. i-i^*), Greek Tvpog, " Tyre," is here mentioned in the "Bible for the first time, and the allusion, according to Keil, is not to the insular but the inland city. Justin (xi., 10) records a tradition of the inhabitants that there was a city on the mainland before there was one on the island. Tsor would, indeed, more properly apply to a city built upon a rocky island than to one on a fertile plain ; but if the island formed part of the territory of the inland city, the latter might have taken its name from it. It is now called Sur. ''And the border turned to ChosaJi, ani the outgoings thereof ivere' at the sea from the district towards Akh-zibhl' " Cho-sah " (a refuge), mentioned nowhere else. It is marked in Arrowsmith's Bib. Atlas as lying on the sea -coast below Tyre, but 3o8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xix. Keil regards it as an inland city.^ ^?np, '^ fj-ovi the district" i.e., by the side of it (Keil). '?3n, which means lit. " land measured by a line," is here taken in the general sense of. territory, as in Deut. iii. 4. The boundary, says Keil, took an inland course from the maritime cities of Zidon and Tyre to Chosah, and it was only at Akh-zibh that Asher's inheritance was bordered on the west by the sea. " 'Akh-aibh " (" a winter torrent," and hence " deceptive," as soon drying up, rt. nrs, to lie ; from it Asher could not drive out the Canaanites, Judges i. 31); afterwards Ecdippa (Joseph., B. /., i. 13, § 4 ; Plin., Nat. Hist., v., 1 7), now Zib, on the coast, eight or nine miles north of Acre. Another town of the same name belonged to Judah (xv. 44). Ver. 30. — "' Ujii- viah" (junction), unknown, though possibly Alma in the highlands on the coast, about five miles E.N.E. of Ras en Nakhura (Grove) .^ " Apheg" see on xiii. 4. " R'chdbhl' unknown ; see the same name in ver. 28. It is uncertain which of the two towns was assigned to the Levites (xxi. 30; i Chron. vi. 60 [75]) ; but probably this here mentioned was retained possession of by the Canaanites, as recorded in Judges i. 31, for there it is also mentioned along with 'A-phiq, probably i.q. 'Apheq. " Twenty and two cities " [tow^ns] : The number does not correspond with the list given in vers. 25-30, but perhaps there may be some omission in the text (see on ver, 28). ' According to Lieut. Conder, it is apparently the present ruin Ozziyeh, on the coast south of Tyre. - So Lieut. Conder {^Pal. Explo7-. Fund, Map, sheet iii.). VERS. 32, 33.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 309 t\ Vers. 32-39. — The Inheritance of Naph-ta-li. The territory of this tribe was mostly mountainous (xx, 7), but contained also the rich plains of Merj- Ayun, and the well-watered country about Banias and Hasbeya, the springs of Jordan. Celebrated as the birthplace of Barak (Judges iv.), and the scene of Joshua's victory over the King of Hazor (xi.) ; bounded on the west by Asher, on the south b)' Zebulon and Issachar, on the east by the Sea" of Gennesaret and the Jordan, on the north by the ravine of the Litany, or Leontes, and the moun- tainous ranges of Lebanon. At a later period it was comprised in the district called Upper Galilee, where our Lord and His apostles chiefly exercised their ministry (Matt. iv. 13, 14, etc.). Ver. 33. — In this verse the boundary is traced on the west, north, and east. " ChelepJi " (exchange), un- known, but conjectured by Van de Velde to be identical with Bcitlif, on the boundary between Naphtali and Asher, east of Ras Abyad, " the white promontory," and west of Kedesh. ''From the oak- forest in Tsa-a-nan-nini" " : Here |'"i?S', an oak, is probably a noun of multitude (quercetum, Junius and Tremellius) ; in Judges iv. i i the Hebrew word is interchanged with jlbsi, which, according to Michaelis, ' Meaning "my strife," rt. "?riS, not used in Qal, but in Niphal, where it signifies to wrestle, to strive (see Gen. xxx. 8). ''■ This is doubtless the sea (DJ) referred to in the prophecy of Moses (Deut. xxxiii. 2^), and rendered "west" in the Authorised Version. =* This word is written differently in Judges iv. ii, but the Q-ri of that passage adopts the form here used as more accurate. 3to THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xix. Rosenm., Keil, and Del., means a terebinth-tree, though Gesenius {Lex., p. 50) doubts this distinction. 'rV, " removings," from }y^*, " to move tents," " to go forward " (Ges., Z*n (the Tyrians) by the Vat. Sept., and |nv by the Peshito Syr., under the notion that the next name Tser was Tyre ; but Tyre and Tsi-dhon were included in the allotment of Asher, and not of Naphtali (xix. 28, 29). The Jerusalem Talmud identifies it with Kcfr Chittai, which Schwarz takes to be the present Hattin at the northern foot of the well-known Kurn Hattin, or " Horns of Hattin," a few miles west of Tiberias (Grove). " Tscj^," probably on the south-west side of the Lake of Gennesareth, but unknown. " CJidni- indth" (warm baths), near Tiberias, on the west of Gennesareth, called Chammoth-Dor (xxi. 32), and ' See also Grove's Art. "Judah" in Smith's Diet, of the Bible, p. 1 156, note b. VER. 36, 37-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 313 Chammon (i Chron. vi. 61, Heb., "jG, Auth, Vers.), and identical with Emmaus (Joseph., Antiq., xviii., ii., 3 ; Stanley, Sin. and Pal., p. 373, note 6). '' Rdq- qdth " (bank, shore), not known, though, according to the Talmud, occupying the site where Tiberias was afterwards built. The nearest approach to the name is Kerak, formerly Tarichaeae, close to the embouchure of the Jordan (Grove). ''• Kin-ne-rcth" see on xi. 2. All trace of the town is lost, but Knobel thinks that it stood in the plain of Gennesareth, on the shore of the lake, where now stands the KJian-Manijch. For a glowing description of the plain see Joseph., Bel. Jud., ch. X., 8. Ver. 36. — '''A-d/id-nidh" (red earth), unknown, but possibly Ras cl Ahviar, i.e., red-head, on the north of Safed (Robinson, Bib. Res., p. 69 ; Knobel). '' hd-Rd-nidhl' distinct from the Ramah in ver. 29, perhaps the modern Rameh, between Akka (Ptolemais) and the north end of the Sea of Galilee, and about eight miles S.S.E. of Safed (Robinson, Bib. Res., iii., 78). It stands on a bold spur of the Galilean Antilebanon, and is supposed by Stanley to be the "city set upon a hill" (Matt. v. 14; Sin. and Pal., p. 429) ; but Grove remarks that, though the spot is distinguished by a very lofty brow, commanding one of the most extensive views in all Palestine (Rob., p. 78), and answering perfectly to the name of Ramah, yet the village of Ramah itself is on the lower slope of the hill (Smith's Bib. Diet., vol. ii., p. 1000). " C/id-tsor," see on xi. i. Ver. 37. — " Qc-dhesh" (sanctuary), not to be con- founded with that in xii. 22 (see note). It is called Qe-dhesh-Naphtali (the home of Barak, Judges iv. 314 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xix. 6, 10 ; was captured by Tiglath-Pileser (2 Kings XV. 29) ; now Kadcs, ten miles north of Safed, and four to the north-west of the upper part of the Sea of Mcrom. " ' Edh-re-il' distinct from that in xii. 4. Apparently the present village Y'ater. The relative position is suitable, and the letters " T " and "D" often interchanged {Pal. Explor. Fnndy 1881). "'E7i-C/ui-tsor" (fountain of the village of the fenced place), probably Ain Hazur, south of Ramah. Ver. 'ij^. — " Vzr-'oft" (place of terror), unknown, though possibly Yariln, to the west of Lake Merom (Grove). ^' Migli-ddl- 'El " (tower of God), conjectured by some to be the same as Magdala (Matt. xv. 39), on the Sea of Galilee (Stanley, Sin. and Pal., p. 382, note 2), and now the wretched village el-Mejdel (Rob., Bib. Res., ii., 396, 397) ; but as this site would be outside the ancient limits of Naphtali, and within those of Zebulun, Grove would rather identify it with Mnjeidel on VVady Kerkerah, near Yarun, eight miles due east of the Ras-en-Nakurah (Scala Tyriorum). " Cho-rcvi " (devoted, sacred), possibly Hnrah, a low tell with ruins, between Ras en Nakhurah and the Lake Merom, near Varum (Grove). " Beth-d-ndth " (house of response, or echo), according to Eusebius and Jerome {Onomast.) a village called Batanea, fifteen miles east of Caesarea, but not discoverable. " Bcth-sJic-mcsh" distinct, of course, from that in Judah (xv. 10), and from that on the border of Issachar (ver. 22), but the site unknown. Neither from this fortress, nor from Beth-anath, could Naphtali expel the Canaanites (Judges i. 33). The total number of towns given in this verse, viz., sixteen, does not tally with the number, viz., nineteen, mentioned in the list VERS. 40-42.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 315 (vers. 35-38). Probably some names are missing-, for Kartan or Kirjathaim, though mentioned in xxi. 32, and in i Chron. vi. 61 {j6), is not found in the list. Vers. 40-48. — Inheritance of DJian (judge, Gen. XXX. 6). Dhan was own brother to Naphtali, which may be a reason for his being here mentioned after him, unless it be in anticipation of his occupying after- wards a northern position (v^er. 47). His inheritance was smaller than that of any of the other tribes, but, being mainly in the sh^'phelah, was one of the most fertile in Palestine. Here its towns only are enume- rated, because its boundaries were determined by those of the neighbouring tribes of Ephraim, Judah, and Benjamin, already described. Of its towns several were taken out of Ephraim and Judah. Ver. 41.—" Tsor-ah" and " 'Esh-td-ol," see xv. 33. ^^ir-she-incsh" (city of the sun), called also Beth- shemesh, xv. 10. Ver. 42. — " Shd-a-lab-btn" ("place of foxes," cf. Ch^tsar-shual, xv. 28, and the incident recorded in Judges XV. 4), more often written Sha'albim (i Kings iv. 9 ; Judges i. 35) ; the inhabitants seem to have been called Shaalbonites (2 Sam. xxiii. 32 ; i Chron. xi. 33); from it the Danites could not expel the Emorites (Judges i. 35). Site unknown, but maybe that of 'Esalin, lying next to Surah, the ancient Tsor'ah (Rob., Bib. Res., first edit., iii., App., 120, b). It is mentioned indeed by Eusebius and Jerome in the Ononiast. (.Sclab), as a large village in the district 3i6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xix. of Sebaste {i.e., Samaria), and then called Selaba ; but there is no reason to conclude that any of the towns of the Danites were near Samaria, nor could the position here assigned to Shealbim, viz., between Irshemesh and Ajalon, be thus accounted for. (See Art. by Grove on " Shaalbim " in Smith's Bib. Diet.) " ' Ay-ya-l6n',' see x. i 2. " Yith-ldJi " (height, rt. nSri, to suspend), mentioned in the Onoviast. as 'le^Xai^, but without any description or indication of position. According to Knobel, the name may possibly be pre- served in the Wady Atallah, west of Yalo (Ajalon ; Rob., Bib. Res., pp. 143, 144) ; but Lieut. Conder suggests the ruin Beit Till in the low hills west of Jerusalem as a probable site. Ver. 43. — " 'E-lon " (oak or terebinth), called 'Elon- beth-chanan (i Kings iv. 9), perhaps Ellin, near Tim- nath (Knobel), mentioned by Robinson {Pal., vol. iii., App., p. 120); but, according to Lieut. Conder, probably the present village Beit Ell/l {Pal. Explor. Fund, 1 881). " Tini-nd-thdh," xv. 10. "'Eq-roft," xiii. 3. Ver. 44. — " 'El-f-qeh " (" to which God is fear, or object of fear," rt. Np.in, unused, Arab. " to fear "), a city of the Levites, written Npn'pi^t, a Levite city (xxi. 23) ; apparently Beit Likia in the territory of Dan. In the list of the victories of Sennacherib {Assyrian Discoveries, pp. 302-5), the " plains of Eltekeh " are mentioned with towns of Dan. This agrees with the situation of the modern village {Pal. Explor. Fund, I 881). " Gib-b'thon" (height), a city of the Levites (xxi. 23), held by the Philistines in the early days of the monarchy (i Kings xv. 27, xvi. i ^) ; probably the present village Kibbiah, at the foot of the hilis VERS. 45. 46.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 317 near Lydda. " The situation agrees with the context " (^Pal. Explor. Fund, i 88 i ). " Bd-d-ldthl' fortified by Solomon (i Kings ix. i 8 ; 2 Chron. viii. 6) ; not far from Gezer (Joseph., Aniiq., viii., 6, § i). Probably the present village J5^/^^'^«, in a suitable position west of Bethhoron, and commanding the main road to Jerusalem {Pal. Explor. Fund, 1881, Map, sheet xiv.). Ver. 45. — ^'Y^hudh" (praise), not mentioned by Eusebius and Jerome, perhaps identical with el- Ye/mdiyeh in the neighbourhood of Lydd (Lydda, Acts ix. 38), placed in Van de Velde's map seven miles east of Jaffa, and five north of Lydd ; see Rob., Bib. Res., iii., 45). '' B'ne-Blfrdq" ("sons of Berak, or of lightning," whether Danites or early settlers dispossessed by them is unknown). Scholz {R., p. 256) would identify it with the present Ib)i- Abrak, two miles from Yehudh. Eusebius and the Vulg. divide the name into two, and the former says that BapaKai was a village near Azotus. " Gdth- j'lm-mSn" (press of the pomegranate), according to Eusebius [Ouoniast) twelve miles on the road from Diospolis (Lydda) to Eleutheropolis, probably near Thimnathah, afterwards given to the Kohathite Levites (xxi. 24). Site undiscovered. Ver. 46. — " Me-Jiay- Ydr-qon " (the waters of pale- ness or greenness), unknown, but the next name may be a corrupt repetition of it (Grove). "Hd-Rdq-qon" (the thinness, rt. p\^1, to spread out by beating, to make thin, Gcs., Lex.). The situation of Tell er Rakkeit appears suitable, north of Jaffa, near the mouth of the river Aujch. Probably the same as Mejarkon (Lieut. Condor, Map, sheet xiii.). " With the border over against Yapho '' (beauty) : Yapho was 3i8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. ^ [chap. xix. a very ancient Philistine city, thought by the ancients to be older than the Flood (Pomp. Llcla, i. i i ; Pliny, Hist. Nat., v., 13) ; Greek 'lomrr], the well- known port of Palestine (2 Chron. ii. 16 ; Ezra iii. 7 ; Jonah i. 3 ; Acts ix. 36, x. 8), often mentioned in the Books of Maccabees, annexed by Pompey to the province of Syria (Joseph., Afitiq.., xiv. 4, § 4), but restored by Caesar to Hyrcanus (xiv. 10, § 6). It afterwards became part of Herod's kingdom (xv. 7, 3) and that of Archelaus (xvii. i i, § 4), on whose depo- sition it reverted to the province of Syria. Having been destroyed by C. Cestius (Joseph., Bel. Jud., ii. I 8, § 10), it was subsequently rebuilt, and became in- fested by Jewish pirates (Strabo, xvi., 759) in conse- quence of which Vespasian levelled it with the ground, and erected a camp there where the citadel had been {Bel. Jud., iii. 9, §§ 3, 4). It appears, how- ever, that a new town gradually sprung up. The name of the place now is Jaffa, containing about four thousand inhabitants, and is celebrated for its groves and gardens (see Stanley's Sin. and Pal., p. 243, note ; p. 256 ; Thomson's The Land and the Book, p. 511, etc.). Ver. 47. — "And the border oj the sons oj Dan went 02it Jroni them," i.e., beyond them, or beyond the in- heritance allotted to them ; cf Masius, " The Danites emigrated beyond themselves, i.e., beyond the inherit- ance in which they were first placed by the Divine lot, and set out in search of other possessions." So De Wette, Keil, and others. The fact that the Dan- ites were unable to expel the Amorites, but were driven by them into the mountains (Judges i. 34), would account for this emigration, which, as we read VERS. 49, 5°-] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 319 in Judges xviii. 30, took place in the time of Jelio- nathan, the grandson of Moses (see Keil on Judges xviii. I, 30). " Le-shcin " ("a kind of precious stone," Ges.) called Laish (Judges xviii. 7, 27), near the western source of the Jordan, four miles from Panium, or Caesarea Philippi. "And called Lcshcm 'Dan' after the name" etc. (cf. Judges xviii. 29 ^) : The name Dan (judge) is preserved in that of the village " Tell- el- Kadi'' (" mound of the judge"), which now occupies its supposed site. Here Jeroboam I. set up one of his golden calves (i Kings xii. 29). On the question of the identity of this Dan with that in Gen. xiv^ 14, see Art. by Grove in Smith's Bib. Diet., pp. 3S6-7. Vers. 49, 50. — Inheritance of Joshua. Ver. 49. — Vn;^, here, i.q. Piel, " to give to be pos- sessed " (cf. Numb, xxxiv. 1 7, 1 8}. 'j'?, " according to its borders." Ver. 50. — "According to the cojumand {mo\xi\\) of Jehovah " : Though no express mention is made in the Pentateuch of this command, it is probable from • So " Datos." or " Daton," was called " Philippi " after its conquest by Philip of Macedon ; "Byzantium" was named ''Constantinople" after Constantine the Great; and "Zankle," in Sicily, had its name changed to " Messene " by the Mes- senians (Herod., vii., 164). The brief account in Josh. xix. 47 of a transaction afterwards more fully recorded, was added, Scott the commentator thinks, to complete the description of the inheritance at length possessed by the tribe of Dan. Probably the event occurred soon after the death of Joshua, and the addition to the narrative might, he says, have been made by Phinchas (Judges xx. 28). It is not probable that the idolatry of Micah and of the Danites would have been connived at by Joshua. 320 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xix. Josh. xiv. 6 that it was given at the same time as the command respecting Caleb.^ Modesty and disin- terestedness may have kept Joshua from claiming his inheritance sooner. " Tivi-nath-se-rdcJi " (" a portion over and above," Ges., Lex., pp. 595, 868), called in Judges ii. 9 Timnath-Cheres (portion of the sun), because, say the Rabbis, a representation of the sun was carved on Joshua's tomb in memory of the miracle of Gibeon (Josh. x. 12); though others (as Furst, i., 442) interpret Cheres as " clay," and relating to the nature of the soil ; while others again (as Ewald) 'consider it an error, which arose from a transposition of letters. The Vulg., Syr., Arab., "and several Heb. MSS., read Serach, as in Josh. xix. 50. It is described in Josh. xxiv. 30 as being in Mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash ; thus Joshua received, like Caleb, an inheritance amid his own tribe. The site has been supposed to be where now stands Tibneh, six miles west of Jifneh, and about seventeen miles north of Jerusalem (Dr. Eli Smith's Bihl. Sacra, 1843), but for a later view see note on xxiv. 30. Ver. 5 I. — Conclusion. — The \ before nttSD is a sign of the genitive, which is used to avoid the repetition of the construe, state (cf. xiv. 1). '^ In Shi/oh before the Lord," cf. xviii. io. nns, an adverb accus. of place (§118,1). ' Possibly, however, there is a reference here to the Urim which Joshua in Numb, xxvii. 21 is bidden to consult. That we read not in this book of his doing so on other occasions is explained by the fact that he had already received directions in those commands which God had given to Moses, whose minister he was ; see, e.g., i. 7, viii. 35, xi. 15. VERS. 1-3.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 321 CHAPTER XX. Appointment of tJie Six Cities of Refuge. Ver. I. — The word 'y^T\ connecting this chapter with the preceding shows 'that this appointment of the cities of refuge took place immediately after the allotment of the land. Ver. 2. — D3^ -"un, ''give {i.e., appoint) for yon." O^pp, asylum or refuge, Sept. (^vyahelov '^vyahevTTj- ptov KaTa(l)vyy], from U?p^, to draw together, to con- tract, to draw in, and hence to receive (a fugitive to oneself), i.(j. Chald. n^i?. The asylums of the Greeks and Romans, and the sanctuaries of mediaeval Europe, were somewhat analogous to these cities of refuge, but the main distinction was that the latter protected criminals from unmerited, the former often from merited, punishment.'^ At the same time, the restraint put upon the unintentional man-slayer by his con- finement to a city of refuge sufficiently marked God's disapproval of the sin of homicide, while the exemp- tion of him from death tempered justice with merc}\ " WJiereof I spake to yon" see Exod. xxi. 13 ; Numb. XXXV. 2, 6, 13 ; Deut. xix. i, etc. Ver. 3. — 'D-i:^, " tJiat the slayer who killeth (smiteth) a person by mistake in ignorance may flee" etc., cf ' Tacitus says that in the time of Tiberius " crebescebat Gra^cas per urbes licentia atque impunitas asyla statuendi • complebantur templa pcssimis servitioruin ; eodem subsidio oba^rati adversum creditores suspectique capitaliuni criminum receptabantur. Nee ullum satis vahdum imperium erat colt cendis seditionibus populi flagitia hominuin, ut ceremonias Defim, protcyentis " (Tacit., Ann., iii., 60). 21 322 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xx. Numb. XXXV. 15-24 ; Dcut. xix. 4-13, where the distinction between wilful and unintentional homicide is accurately drawn, nv"), from nT\, to break or dash in pieces, to kill, njyj^, from JJ^, to err, to go astray. L"?3, ''person" (Ges., Lex., 4, p. 560). D"^n ^xi, ''the avenger of blood ": h'^l, from ?NJi, " to redeem," perhaps originally " to demand back," and hence " to extri- cate." As this blood revenge and redemption of an inheritance were the duty of a near relative, h^l meant also " one near of kin " (Numb. v. 8 ; Levit. xxv. 25 ; Ruth iii. 12). The Sept. interprets by 6 ay\i??, ''and if" (or "when"), " cumque," Vulg. ••n^p^N'^l, lit., " then they shall not shut up" i.e., shall not deliver (cf. avyKXeico, Rom. xi. 32 ; Gal. iii. 22), Hiph. fut. Ver. 6. — " U'ntil he shall stand (Qal. infin. with suff.) before the congregation." nnr, from nrs " to appoint," here means the congregation of elders or representatives of the people in a city. It seems that when the avenger of blood arrived at the city of refuge, and claimed the man-slayer, the latter was removed for trial to the congregation to which he belonged, or to the place where the deed had been committed ; and if there it was decided that the deed was accidental, he was taken back to the city of refuge, where he was to remain till the death of the high-priest (so Keil). The high-priest, who was anointed with the holy oil (Numb. xxxv. 25), was a type of Christ, and his death may have been regarded as typical of that of Christ, who " through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God " (fieb. ix. 14). This, therefore, may explain why the full expiation of the man-slayer's guilt was connected with the high-priest's death. Ver. 7. — "iC'^^i?*!, ''and they consecrated" i.e., set apart as for a holy purpose. The cities of refuge, being Levitical cities, were regarded as peculiarly the pro- perty of God. " Qe-dhesh" see on xix. T^y. ^'hi'^, lit , " in the circuit," Sept. eV rfj VaXikaia ; the name applies here to the small circuit of country around Qe-dhesh, in which were afterwards the twenty cities 324 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xx. given by Solomon to Hiram (i Kings ix. i i). At a later period Galilee embraced the whole of the northern part of Palestine. In Isa. viii. 23 (ix. l) it is called DJ'fiiri h'hi, on account of the many Gentiles there (cf. Matt. iv. 15). ''In Mount Naphthali" \ Named nowhere else in the Bible. The mountainous district which formed the chief portion of the terri- tory of Naphthali, answering to Mount Ephraim in the centre, and Mount Judah in the south of Palestine. This mountainous district, the modern Belad-BesJiarah^ or " land of good tidings," contains some of the most beautiful scenery and fertile soil in Palestine (Porter, 363). '^ ShecJiem" \ In the centre of the land (see on xvii. 7). " Qiryath-Arba wJiich is Chcbhronl' in the south (see x. 3, xiv. 15). 'ina, " //z tJie mountaiti district of JndaJi" cf. xi. 21. Ver. 8 (cf. Deut. iv. 41-43). — This repetition is here made to complete the narrative ; so in xii. i, etc., the account of the conquest of the land is re- peated, and that of its division on the east of Jordan in xiii. 8, etc. '' Be-tser" (cf. Deut. iv. 43), Sept. Bocro/), not discovered ; probably the same as the Bosor of I Mace. v. 36. "ib*m, see xiii. 9. " Ramotk in Gil-adh" identified with " Ramath-Mitzpeh " (xiii. 26). ''GolSn" (Golan, QVi), cf. Deut. iv. 43 : Ac- cording to Eusebius {Onoinast.) a very large village in Batanaea. It evidently gave its name to the dis- trict Gaulanitis, east of the Sea of Galilee (Joseph., Antiq., viii. 2, § 3, and Bell. Judg., i., 4, § 4). The word is recognised in the present Djaulan, mentioned by Burckhardt {Syria, p. 286), as giving name to a district lying east of the Lake of Tiberias, These cities of refuge on both tlie sides of Jordan VER. 9.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 325 were so situated that the distance from one to the next was about sixty miles. A way, or convenient road, was prepared, that they might be reached by the man-slayer with greater expedition (see Dcut. xix. 3), and the Rabbis say that at the cross roads posts were erected, which pointed the way to them, and bore the inscription " Refuge, Refuge." The Gemara also notices that the cities on each side of the Jordan were nearly opposite each other, in ac- cordance with the direction to divide the land into three parts (Deut. xix. 3 ; Reland, iii., p. 662). Ver. 9. — nnu-isn ny, not, as Kimchi, " urbes con- gregationis," i.e., cities where the men-slayers were gathered together, nor, as Ges. {Lex.), " urbes asyli," but " cities of appointment," from 1V\ to appoint (cf Chald., Sept., Vulg., and Arab.). "And for the stranger^' etc. (cf Numb. xxxv. 15). "13 is translated npoaijXvTO'^ by the Sept. in both places, though in itself it denotes simply one who turns aside from his own country to abide in a foreign land. It is generally supposed that the cities of refuge, besides being intended to be a check on the ancient custom of blood revenge, which still prevails in the East, were also typical of Christ ; and, whether designed to be so or not, they remarkably illustrate the security which is only to be had by belief in Him (see e.g., Zech. ix. 12 ; Heb. vi. 18 ; Rom. viii. i). 326 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxi. CHAPTER XXI. Appointment of Cities for the Priests and Levitcs} Vers. I -3 {Demand of the Levites that Cities should be assigned to them). — Ver. i. — nnx ""L^/N"!, see on xiv I. This application on the part of the chiefs of the Levites seems to have been made, not because the claims of the Levites had hitherto been overlooked (Calvin), but because now the fitting time had come for asserting them. Ver. 2. — "/// the land of Canaan " : Not added to distinguish the Shiloh here mentioned from any other city of the same name, but in allusion to the letter of the instructions given by the Lord to Moses in Numb. xxxiv. 29, XXXV. 10. "fehovah commanded," etc., cf. Numb. XXXV. 1-8. □'•t^'^jp, see on xiv. 4. Ver. 3. — It would seem from Numb. xxxv. 6 that the cities which had been appointed as cities of refuge were first assigned to the Levites, and that afterwards were added to them forty-two other cities. This distribution of the Levites among the rest of the tribes was a wise and merciful regulation, for thus ' A list of these cities is also given in i Chron. vi., which differs in many respects from that in this chapter. The dis- crepancy may, however, be accounted for partly from the springing up, in course of time, of new, and disappearance of old, towns ; partly from changes in names ; and partly from faulty readings. Moreover, though the number of cities mentioned in i Chron. vi. is only 42, yet in vers. 60-63 (Heb. 45-47) it is stated that the children of Aaron received 13, and the rest of the Kohathites 10 ; the Gershonites 13 ; and the Merarites 12 cities ; and, therefore, in all there must have been 48 cities, as stated in Josh. xxi. 41. VER. 4.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. the people could easily resort to them as their author- ised instructors in religion, and more especially those who had fled to a city of refuge would have the benefit of spiritual admonition, instruction, and comfort. Vers. 4-8. — In these verses we have an account of the number of cities assigned to the three great branches of the tribe of Levi, according to their re- spective families, with especial mention of the number assigned to the priests, who were of the Kohathite branch (ver. 4). Ver. 4. — " The families of tJie QJiatJiitcs " : These were the families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel (Exod. vi. i 8), of which that of Amram was subdivided into the descendants of Moses and Aaron. To the line of the latter belonged the priesthood (Numb, xviii. 1-7), and to them were assigned thirteen cities out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benja- min ; God doubtless overruling the allotment, since by the position of those cities the priesthood would be established near the future Temple at Jerusalem. Hence, too, after the revolt of Israel, the priesthood and authorised worship would naturally remain in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (2 Chron. xiii. 9-12). To the objection that thirteen cities were too many for the number of Aaron's descendants at this time, it has been well pointed out by Keil and others, that the appointment looked forward to the future increase of those descendants ; that already they were nume- rous, since Aaron at the time of the exodus was cighty-three years old, and his descendants might have entered upon the fourth generation seven years after his death ; also the cities were small, not ex- 328 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxi. clusively inhabited by Levites, and many of them still in the hand^ of the Canaanites. Almost the same reply is applicable to the similar objection that the sum total of the Levites, viz., twenty-three thousand, did not require the allotment to them of so many as fort3'-eight cities. Ver. 5. — " The rest of the sons of Q hath'' ?.^., those who were sprung from Moses, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The rebellion of the non-priestly portion of the Q^hathites had resulted in the diminution of their numbers, cf. Numb. iii. 27 with Numb. xxvi. 57, etc., and hence ten cities sufficed for them. Vers. 9-19 {List of the Cities assigned to the Priests: i, in Judah and Simeon, vers. 9-16, Nine Cities; 2, in, Benjamin, y&xs. 17-ig, Four Cities: Total, Thirteen Cities). — Ver. 9. — Nnpi, " one calls " : The indeter. 3rd pers. (§ 137, 3). Ver. 10. — 'N V.:?'? ^r\% the nominative is either "the cities," supplied from the former verse, or " the lot," supplied from the parenthesis at the end of this verse. n3b*\S"!, "frst," an adv., the ancient form, but more commonly written njb'N'"], as in the margin. Ver. 1 1. — " The city of'Arba'" etc., see on xiv. i 5. \y\:^V.\}, more commonly read \>ivr\, xv. 13. Ver. 1 2.—" But the fields . '. . they gave to Kalebh " : In xiv. 13, 14, he is only said to have received the city, but from this verse we learn that he gave up the city to the Levites, but retained the fields and valleys belonging to it, except the necessary pasturage around the city for the cattle of the Levites (see Numb. xxxv. 2). Hence Keil infers that those who tilled these fields lived also in the Levitical city, and that the Levites had only certain dwellings assigned them VERS. 13-1S.] THE BOOK OF [OSHUA. 329 in it, which were their inalienable property (Levit. xx-v. 32-34). Ver. 13. — " Chcbh-ron, the city of refuge" etc. (cf. I Chron. vi. 57, Auth. Vers.) : The words ''to be" in- serted by the A. Vers, before " the city," etc., are not in the original. Chebh-ron was already a city of refuge (see xx. 7, and note on ver. 3 above). On the words miq-lat and ro-tse"ch, see xx. 2, 3. '' Libh-iiah," in the lowland (x. 29, xv. 42). Vers. 14, I 5 (The cities here mentioned were in the mountainous district of Judah, xv. 48-51). — Ver. 15. — " 67/^5-/^//," written Chilen i Chron. vi. 43, A.V. 58. Ver. 16. — "'A-j'ni" (xv. 32), allotted to Simeon (xix. 7), in place of which is found 'Ashan, a city in the lowland of Judah (xv. 42 ; i Chron. vi. 44 [59]), which is probably the correct reading (Keil). " Viit- ta/i," in the hill country (see xv. 55), omitted in I Chron. vi. 44 (59). " Bet/i-s/iemes/i," on the northern boundary of Judah (xv. 10). " Ont of those two tribes" viz. Judah and Simeon (ver. 9). Vers. 17-19 {Cities, of the Priests in the Tribe of Benjamin). — Ver. 17. — "■ Gibh-on" (omitted in i Chron. vi. 45 [60]), see on ix. 3. " Ge-bha\" xviii. 24. Ver. 18. — '' ' A-na-thoth" (possibly "echoes"), and " 'Al-mon " (hiding-place), written 'Al-le-meth, i Chron. vi. 45 (60), are not found in the list of Bcn- jamite cities (xviii. 21-28), perhaps being omitted as of little importance. Anathoth was the birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah (]er. i. i), and thither Abi- athar was banished by Solomon (i Kings ii. 26). It is now Andta, about three or four miles N.N.E. of Jerusalem (Rob., Bib. Res., i., 437-8). 'Almon is 330 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxi. unknown, but is possibly Almit, about a mile north- east of Anata (Grove). Vers. 20-26 [TJie Cities of the Non-Priestly Q'Jia- thites, viz., four from EpJiraim, vers. 20-22, and four from Dan, vers. 23, 24, and two from West-Manasseh, ver. 25. Total, Ten Cities). — Ver. 20. — The ? before ninsc^p means " as to " (Rosenm.), or here with ^^^ denotes possession, and the 1 before "'H* has the force of " also." For the construction with a plural nomi- native see on xv. 4. Ver. 2 I . — " SJiecJiem" xvii. 7. " Ge-zer," x. 3 3 , xvi. 3 . Ver. 22. — " Qibh-tsa yim" ("two heaps," from I'ni^, to collect), unknown. It is read Yoq-n^ 'am (" gathered by the people," from Dy and nof^, to col- lect), I Chron. vi. 53 (68), probably another name for the same place, and not to be confounded with Yoq- n^'am in ver. 34. It would seem (says Grove) from I Kings iv. i 2 to have been at the extreme east of the tribe of Ephraim (Art. "Jokneam," in Smith's Diet, of the Bible). Lieut. Conder suggests Tell Abu Kab/ts (a name radically identical with Kibzaim), near Bethel, as a not impossible site. " Beth-cho-ron" whether upper or lower, or both, is not stated (see x. 10). Vers. 23, 24. — On the four cities here named see xix. 42-45. The two in ver. 23, viz., 'Elt^qe' and Gib-b^'thon, are not mentioned in i Chron. vi. 53 (69). Ver. 25. — " Out of the half- tribe of West Manasschl' " Td-hakh" written Ta-'a-nakh (xii. 21) : Instead of it we find 'A-ner in i Chron. vi. 55 (70), evidently an error (Keil). ^' Gath-rimtnon" (xix. 45), but in I Chron. vi. 55 (70), Dr'??, written □r'??; (Josh. xvii. I i), the correct reading, according to Keil, who thinks that Gath-rimmon may have crept into the text from VER. 27-32.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 331 the preceding verse ; yet Gath-rimmon is the reading in the Vulg., Syr., Arab., and Chald. Targ. Possibly the town had both names. Vers. 27-33 {Cities of the Gei'^sJiunnites : Totals Thirteen Cities). — Ver. 27 {From the Half -Tribe of Ma7iasseh in Bashan). — " Go-ldn" see xx. 8. " B'csh- frah" contract, in the Heb. from nnni'-y-n"? (so Winer), and, therefore, as n""? often falls away, undoubtedly the same as the Ashtaroth of Og (xii. 4, ix. 10) ; so it is written in i Chron. vi. 56 (71). Vers. 28, 2 g {From the Tribe of Issachar). — Ver. 28. — " Qish-yon," see xix. 20. '' Da-bh'rath," xix. 12. Ver. 29. — " Yar-miWi' and " 'En-gan-nim" xix. 2 i (note). Vers. 30, -i) I {From the Tribe of As her). — Ver. 30. — '' Ulish-a/," see xix. 26 ; written Mashal, i Chron. vi. 59 (74). "'Abh-don" perhaps the same as 'Ebh-ron (xix. 28). Ver. 31. — '' Chel-qath," xix. 25. '' R'chobh;' xix. 28 ; I Chron. vi. 60 (75). Ver. 32 {From the Tribe of Naphtali). — " Qe-dhesh in^ Gain," of. xix. 37, xx. 7. " Cham-moth-dSr" see note on xix. 35. " Qar-tan" an obsolete dual form (contrac. from nrili?) of n^.i^, for which occurs the later form, □.'•nni'? (two cities), i Chron, vi, 61 {j6) ; cf, |riM (2 Kings vi. i 3), contrac. from }."'nfn (Gen. xxxvii. 17). It is not mentioned among the cities of Naphtali (xix. 35, etc.), but is supposed by some to be identical with Rakkath (xix, 35), The name " Iscariot " has also been derived from it, (See the Art. on " Judas " in Smith's Bib. Diet.). ' The preposition in the Hebrew here includes the article, " \n the Ca.\i\." THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxi. Vers. 34-40 {Merarite Cities : Total, Tivelve Cities). — Vers. 34, 35 {Out of the Tribe of Zebiilun). — Ver. 34- — " Yoq-if'am" see xii. 22, xix. 1 1 ; the name is omitted in i Chron. vi. 62 {77). " Qar-ta/i" perhaps the Qattah of xix. 15 ;^ otherwise, Hke Dimnah (ver. 35), not mentioned in the h'st of Zebulonite cities in xix. 10-16, nor in i Chron. vi. Knobel, indeed, and others would identify Dimnah with Rimmon or Rimmono, xix. 13 ; i Chron. vi. 62 {77), but the text in Chronicles is undoubtedly corrupt, since it, records only two names, Rimmon and Tabor. So Keil. Ver. 35. — '' Na-ha-lall' xix. 15; omitted in i Chron. vi. 62 {77). Vers. -^6,17 {Out of the Tribe of Re2iben). — Ver. 36. — " Be-tser^' cf. xx. 8. For the three other cities see xiii. 18. Though these verses (36, 37) are omitted in some MSS. on the authority of Kimchi and the greater Masora, yet they are found in all the ancient versions, and in one hundred and forty-nine MSS. collated by Kennicott, and in forty collated by De Rossi. Also, if omitted, the cities of the Merar- ites would not be twelve as stated in vers. 7, 40, nor- the total number of the cities of refuge forty-eight, as stated in ver. 41. Probably the omission arose from the similar ending of vers. 35, 37. Vers. 38, 39 [Vers. 36, ^,7, in some Heb. MSS.J {Out of the tribe of Gad). — Ver. 38. — " Ramoth in (the) Gil'adh" (xx. 8), called Ramath-mizpeh (xiii. 26). '' Ma-ch^'nayiin" (xiii. 26). ' Such differences in writing or pronouncing a name are not uncommon (cf. Eshtemoh and Eshtemon, xv. 50, xxi. 14 ; Baalah and Balah, xv. 29, xix. 3). VERS. 39-42.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 333 Ver. 39. — '' Cheshbonl' xiii. 17. ''Yd-tscr" xiii. 25. The word "'?3 before L!''"iy is omitted in the Syr. and Arab. vers. Ver. 40 (38 in some Heb. MSS.). — The word "so" (Auth. Vers.) in the first clause is not in the Heb., and the construction of the clause is broken. Render the last clause " and their lot was tivelve cities^ Ver. 41 (39). — "■ Forty and eight cities" : According to the command which had been given (Numb. xxxv. 7). Note that 48 = 12 x 4, and twelve is signifi- cant of the Church (Rev. vii. 5-8, xxi. 12, 14), and four of universality (see, eaAer's Com., and Keil in toe. VERS. 8,10.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 337 the other trans- Jordan ic tribes (ver, 6), this statement may be another instance of the repetition alluded to above, and serves to introduce the further particulars mentioned in ver. 8. Ver. 8. — D^pD?, from DDJ, i.q. D33, to collect. The occurrence of this word here shows that it is not a word, as Gesenius {Lex) says, of the later Hebrew.^ The allusion is to the riches of which they had spoiled the Canaanites. With the command about the divi- sion of the spoil cf. Numb. xxxi. 25, etc.; i Sam. XXX. 23-25). Vers. 9-12 {The Erection of an Altar on tlu Banks of the for dan by the trans-fordanic Tribes, and the Offence thereby given to the other Tribes). — Ver. 9. — Shiloh is here described as being "in the land of Canaan," in order to mark the antithesis between it and the land of Gilead, which is here put for the whole of the trans-Jordanic territory (cf Numb. xxxii. I, 29; Deut. xxxiv. i ; Judges v. 17, etc.). nn"nnN3 "iiyx, " in zvhich they had been made possessors" lit. had been held fast or established : Cf. Numb. xxxii. 30, where the Niph. form is used in the same passive sense, whereas in Gen. xxxiv. 10, xlvii. 27, it is reflective, "to fix themselves firmly or settle." Ver. 10. — '*n T\hhl, lit. the circles (cf. xiii. 2) of fordanl' i.q. XTfJ^ "i?? (Gen. xiii. 10, i i), or simply "I33n (Gen. xiii. 12, xix. 17) ;^ here that portion of ihe ' Though found in 2 Chron. i. 11, 12 ; Eccles. v. 18, vi. 2, and common in Aramaian, it cannot be inferred with any certainty that it therefore belongs to a later period of the Hebrew language (Keil, Introd., p. 35). - Both words probably relate to the windings of the stream (see Reland's Fal., i., c. 43, p. 274). Of Geliloth Dean 22 338 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxii. Ghdr which was on the west bank of the Jordan (Keil and others). The words " zvhich are in the land of Canaan " show that the altar spoken of at the con- clusion of the verse must have been erected, not as Josephus (Antiq., v., i) says, on the eastern, but on the western side of Jordan. If on the eastern side, it could not so well have served for a testimony that the trans-Jordanic tribes had a part in Jehovah (see vers. 2 1-29). riNloV "^n^, lit. ^^ great as to appearances^ Ver. 1 1. — "p-IO'Sn?, lit. "in the face or front of" " in the forefront of " {Kev.YQxs). T\hh)r1>^: The prep, here implies tarriance in after motion (Ges., Lex., B., 47) ; cf. b, Ges., Lex., B., and the use of et? and e? for iv, examples of which we have in the Greek Testa- ment (see Matt. ii. 23 ; Mark i. 9 ; Luke xi. 7). "•J? "iny'px, " at the side of the sons of Lsrael," or, " on the side that pertaineth to the children of Israel " (Rev. Vers.), "iiy means a " side " in Exod. xxxii. 15, also several times in this book it is used in Stanley says that of the five times in which it occurs in Scripture, two are in the general sense of "coast" or "border" (Josh, xiii. 2; Joel iii. 4), "all the coasts of Palestine," and three especially relate to the course of Jordan (viz., Josh. xxii. 10, 11, Ezek. xlvii. 8). The word may perhaps find an analogy in the Scotch term "links," which is used of the snake-like windings of a stream, as well as with the derived meaning of a coast or shore. In later times no doubt the words were taken merely as provincial terms for " region," and as such were translated both in the Sept. and New Testament 17 7repix«pos', "the surrounding neighbour- hood " (p. 284, note 5). ' Lieut. Conder would identify its site with the remains of an altar-like structure on a lofty conical peak, called Kurn Surtabi'h, about twenty miles north of Jericho, in the valley of the Jordan, where the river, in its descent from its upper level, winds round several islets {^Pal. ExJ>lor. Fund, Monthly Statement, Oct. 1874). VERS. 12, 13.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 339 reference to the region on the west of Jordan (see V. I, ix. I, xii. 7, xxii. j)} Ver. 12. — -iPqi"?*! : This word seems to indicate that, after the land of Canaan had been apportioned, the cis-Jdrdanic tribes had dispersed to their several inheritances. " To go jip against them to war " : For, if their suspicions of the apostacy of the trans-Jordanic tribes had been correct, they would have been justi- fied in so doing (see Deut. xii. 4, 13, xiii. 7, etc.). Vers. 13-20 (Before dcelaring War the Israelites send Ambassadors to demand an Explanation [herein they obeyed Deut. xiii. 14]). — Ver. 13. — "Pi-tfehas" (mouth of brass), see Exod. vi. 2 5 ; Numb. xxv. 7, etc., xxxi. 6, etc. \r\2r\ refers to Eleazar, see accents, and of. Sept. and Vulg., though the title is given in ' The following remarks of Grove (in Dr. Smith's ^/(5. Diet., iii., p. 1033) merit attention : — " The pile of stones which they (the eastern tribes) erected on the western bank of the Jordan to mark their boundary — to testify to after-ages that though separated by the rushing river from their brethren and the country in which Jehovah had fixed the place where He would be worshipped, they had still a right to return to it for His worship — was erected in accordance with the unalterable habits of Bedouin tribes, both before and since. It was an act identical with that in which Laban and Jacob engaged at parting, — with that which is constantly performed by the Bedouins of the present day. But by the Israelites west of Jordan, who w^ere fast relinquishing their nomad habits and feelings for those of more settled and permanent life, this act was completely misunderstood, and was construed into an attempt to set up a rival altar to that of the Sacred Tent. The incom- patibility of the idea to the mind of the western Israelites is shown by the fact that, notwithstanding the dii-claimcr of the two and a half tribes, and notwithstanding that disclaimer being proved satisfactory even to Phinehas, the author of Joshua xxii. retains the name Mizbeach for the pile, a word which involves the idea of sacrifice, i.e., of slaughter (see Gesen., 7'hes., 40O. instead of applying to it the term ' gal,' as is done in the case of the precisely similar ' licap of witness' (Gen. xxxi. 46)." 340 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxil. ver. 30 to Pinechas as the presumptive successor of Eleazar. Ver. 14. — ^'' And {\\\Q.y sent) ten princes with him, a prince for each house of a father according to all the tribes of Isi-acl" : The repetition -of in^; denotes dis- tribution (§ 108, 4), and the tribes on the west of Jordan are enumerated as ten, because the half-tribe of Manasseh is reckoned as one. "And each one zvas a head of their father-houses " : The expression nnx-n?, instead of 3X-''ri3, is a mode of forming the plural of compound nouns more usual in the Syr. (Ges., Lex., 10, p. 116); the fern. plur. expresses dignity (§ 107, 3, c) ; hence we might here render " chief-houses." " Among the thousands of Israel" : So Auth. Vers., but Rosenm. takes CD^x to denote J - T -; "families" (cf. vii. 14, notej, and renders "according to the families of Israel." Ver. 16. — njn^ nny (cf. Numb, xxvii. 17, xxxi. 16 ; in Psalm Ixxxii. i, bx niy, "congregation of God"), appropriately so called, because it was by zeal for the honour of Jehovah that they were moved to make this remonstrance. ?TO, see on vii. i : This term is - T ' applied especially to sins of unfaithfulness, such as idolatry, which rob God of the glory which is His due (see Levit. xxvi. 40; Deut. xxxii. 51). "In that ye have built for you an altar that ye might rebel"). etc. : "["yci is a much stronger expression than ^yrp (Keil) ; it is used of rebellion against human rulers (Gen. xiv. 4 ; 2 Kings xviii. 7, 20, xxiv. i, 20); but here, and in Ezek. ii. 3 ; Dan, ix. 9, of rebellion against Jehovah (Ges., Lex.). Ver. 17. — |W"nt>', an accus. (§ 117, 2). Render " Is there too little for us as regards the iniquity of VERS. iS-20.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 341 Peor, from zvhich zve have not cleansed ourselves^ even unto tJiis day? " The reference is to Numb. xxv. 3, etc., and it is intimated that the IsraeHtes were still in their hearts incHned to this sin of idolatry (xxiv. ' 14-23). '''' And'^ the plagne came upon the congregation of Jehovah" i.e., the whole congregation was involved in the punishment of the transgressors. Ver. 18. — ''And (yet) jr aj'e turning this day from (following) after fe/iovah, and it shall come to pass ye rebel this day against Jehovah, and to-morrow He ivill be zvroth with (will break forth against) the zvhole con- gregation!' " Ye rebel" i.e., " if ye rebel . . . then," etc., cf. Gen. xxxiii. i 3, " and (if) men should over- drive them," etc. Ver. 19. — ^Xl, " and trnly," cf. Gen. xliv. 28 (Ges., Lex.). nx?;?p, " unclean," because many of its inhabit- ants were heathen, and it had not the Tabernacle of Jehovah in it. " U?ito the land of the possession of fehovah," cf. Levit. xxv. 23 ; Psalm Ixxxv. i. i?'.", "hath dwelt and does still dwell " (§ 126, 3). -U-xn, Wx'ph. impQV., '' take possession." ••n""ipri"'px : Here con- strued first with 2, and then with an accus. (cf. Job xxiv. 13, nix'nib, ''who rebel against the light"). ny'pap, "besides," see § 154, 2, last par., cf. Numb. V. 20; Psalm xviii. 32 (Hcb.). Ver. 20. — This verse is connected with ver. i 8, the preceding verse (19) being parenthetical. The argu- ment is from the less to the greater. If by the sin of Achan alone wrath came on all the congregation, ' "inpn Hithpael of "intp, to be, or to become clean ; the n before O assimilated (§ 54, 2,b). • The 1 should not be rendered " although," as in the Auth- Vers. 342 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxii. a fortiori might the Hkc result be expected from the sin of two tribes and a-half. IMl;? • • • N-ini, " and he was one man ; lie perished 7iot (alone) in his iniquity T So D. Glass and Sept. (Alex.). Achan's sin caused the defeat before 'Ay (vii. 5), and the destruction ol his children (vii. 24). For n'p the Vulg. reads 6, utinam. riii, lit. "breathed out life": For the middle - T consonant see § 72, Rem. 10. Vers. 21-31 {jriie trans-Jordanic Tribes satis- factorily refute the Charge brought against them). — Ver. 22. — Some {eg., Maurer here, and Dean Perowne on Psalm 1. i) render the three first words " The God of Gods, Jehovah" but the Pesiq after the first and second nouns shows that in the opinion of the Masorets the nouns should be construed separately, e.g., " The Almighty, God, Jehoz'ah," cf. Psalm 1. i, where '?N, as here, is separated by the accent from D"'n^N ; also the Hebrew form of expression for " The God of Gods " would rather be cn^'H '"n^s, as in Deut. X. 17 ; Psalm cxxxvi. 2. Probably, therefore, we have here three separate titles, rising in sublimity, to express the infinite majesty of the Deity, viz., 'El = " The Mighty One ; " 'Elohim (perhaps from the obsolete rt. n^x, to worship, to adore, to fear) = "The Supreme Being worthy to be feared ; " Y^hovah = * The truly existing One, The covenant God." So Keil, Delitzsch, and Hengstenberg. i:i rn^ N-in, ." He knozvcth, and Israel, he shall knoiv ; if in rebellion, and if in apostacyl'^ etc. : Supply nNTTi^* •13''b'r, from ver. 24, the ellipsis being, as Keil remarks, in accord- ance with the broken speech of suddenly accused ' Sept. eV aTTocrracrta. VERS. 23-26.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA 343 innocence. The apodosis to the sentence beginning at QX is contained in the closing words of ver. 23, " Let Jehovah Himself require it." The exclamation, ^^ Save Jts not this day I' at the end of ver. 22, is parenthetical, and a direct appeal to God for the purpose of asserting more strongly their innocence. Ver. 23. — nf32^, this and the following infinitives carry on the oath, e.g. (if we have done this), " to build for us," etc. DX in adjurations has the effect of a negative particle; n'? DwX of an affirmative (§ 155, 2,/). Ver. 24. — "And if not from anxiety, for a reason" etc. nxs-n., " fear, anxiety," rt. JS"n, i.q. 2.^% to melt, arid hence "to be afraid," "to be anxious " (Ges., Lex.). -i:;^^, a cause or reason" cf. v. 4. "ibxS, " saying " (or "\kinking," Ges., Lex., 2, p. 6 1). nno, " /lereafter," cf. Josh. iv. 6, 21. 'D5^ no, cf. 2 Sam. xvi. 10 ; Matt. viii. 29, TL rjixlv koI crol ; xxvii. 19 ; John ii. 4. Ver. 25. — "And (shall moreover say) fcJwvah hath appointed the fordan as a boundary between us and between you, ye sons of Reuben," etc. For brevity's sake no mention is made of the half-tribe of Manasseh. " A nd (so) your sons shall make our sons cease from fearing fehovah." Ni; is the m. Oal. infin. of xn;, which with prefix b is generally contracted to ^-h, (see I Sam. xviii. 29). In the Pentateuch the fem. form nx"): is always used, e.g., in Deut. iv. 10, v. 26, \\. 24, etc. Ver. 26. — " And so we said (we thought) let us do (t\i\s) for us to build the altar" etc. : A Hebrew mode of expression for " let us build," or r\i;:v\ may be ren- dered " let us prepare " (see Ges., Lex.). Sometimes nb'i; is followed by the finite verb with 1. as in Gen. 344 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxii. xxxi. 26. nnr, a bloody sacrifice, which was not, Hke the holocaust, entirely consumed by fire. Ver. 27. — "'But that it may be a witness,'' etc. (Auth. Vers.), or, " it shall be a witness" (Rev. Vers.) : So the altar built by Moses, and called Jehovah-Nissi (Exod. xvii. 15, 16), was not an altar for sacrifice, but a memorial altar. VJaS, " before His face^' i.e., before His tabernacle. Ver. 28. — ''And we said that it shall be, xvlien they shall say (thus) to ns a?id" etc. •li'l'?^^, " theji we zvill say," either in our own persons, or in those of our descendants, n^jari-ns', lit. " the structure," or " the building" rt. np3, to build ; then '' the pattern according to zvhich a thing is inade^' (Exod. xxv. 9, 40 ; 2 Kings xvi. 10) ; then, as probable here, ''the image or like- ness of a thing " (cf. Deut. iv. 16-18; Ezek. viii. i o) ; Sept. ojJLOLOJixa. The Vulg. renders " Ecce altare," either having omitted rr^JariTii^!, or having understood it in its primary sense of a structure, as in Psalm cxliv. I 2, a rendering adopted by Rosenmuller. Ver. 29. — The words 131 ^^"h^ are rendered by Gesenius (Lex., p. 280) "woe be to us (profane or accursed be it to us] from Him {i.e. Jehovah), if zve should sin against fehovah ": Cf i Sam. xxiv. 7 (Heb.); I Sam. xxvi. 1 1 ; i Kings xxi. 3. This is prefer- able to the rendering of Masius and others, " Far be it from us to rebel," etc., where -"li^ is regarded as redundant. n?Wp, " apart from," or " besides " (cf. Gen. xxvi. i ; Numb. xvii. 14 [Heb.]). Ver. 30. — " It zuas good in their eyes," a Hebrew form of expression, well rendered as to sense by the Auth. Vers., " it pleased them," Sept. yjpeaeu avrot?. Ver. 31. — nvi) • • • "'3, "that fehovaJi (is) in the midst VERS. 32-34.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 345 of 7is," i.e., is propitious to us, for to Him they justly attributed the preservation of the trans-Jordanic tribes from the iniquity of which they had suspected them. TJ'N, ''because" (Ges., Lex., B., 3, p. 89), more fully "iv;?? Itv TX, " thi-ii " = " therefore " (cf. Jer. xxii. I 5 ; Psalm xl. 8 ; Ges., Lex., p. 25), or "then (when ye acted as ye did) ye delivered," etc. This satisfactory vindication of the two and a-half tribes from the charges brought against them teaches us how careful we should be in our judgment of others, lest we condemn those whom God approves. "Judge nothing before the time" (i Cor. iv. 5); " Who art thou, tliat judgest another man's servant," etc, (Rom. xiv. 4, i 3). Vers. 32-34 {The Return of tJie Ambassadors and the Naming of the Altar). — Ver. 32. — -U^l:'*!, followed by an accus. of person and thing (cf xiv. 7). Ver. 33. — ''And they thought (or spake) no more of going up": Cf. ver. 24, and for the omission of mention of the half-tribe of Manasseh in this and next verse, see ver. 25 (note). Ver. 34. — " A7id the sons of Reuben . . . named the altar, ' It is a witness betiveen us ' " : Though IV is supplied after nap in the Syr., Arab., and Auth. Vers., and in some MSS., it is not found in the Sept. and Vulg., nor in most MSS. The first ^3 is a sign of quotation, the Greek otl in oratio directa, and may be omitted in English (see Ges., Lex., B. e., p. 391). Thus the words contain both the name, and the expla- nation, or a name not inscribed upon the altar, but intended to explain both its design and importance ; they (the Eastern tribes) gave the altar the name of " ivitness betiveen us," because it was to be a witness 346 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. ''[chap, xxiii. that they also acknowledged and worshipped Jehovah as the true God (Keil). So the pile, which Jacob and Laban erected, was called Gal-'edh, " the heap of witness" (Gen. xxxi. 47). Note that in this chapter the testimony borne by Joshua to the courage and fidelity of the trans- Jordanic tribes, their zeal and that of the rest of the Israelites for the worship of Jehovah, the absence of any recrimination on the part of the trans-Jordanic tribes when vindicating their character from a false suspicion, and the readiness with which their apology was accepted, were all highly creditable, and seem to indicate that the nation at this time was under the influence of a truly religious spirit. CHAPTERS XXIII.— XXIV. Joshua's two farewell addresses : i, to the rulers and authorities of Israel (chap, xxiii.) ; 2, to all the people (chap. xxiv.). The former address may be divided into two parts ; in the first of which (ver. 2 b- 1 1) Joshua encourages the rulers, etc., to persevere in the conquest of Canaan by promises of continued assistance from God ; in the second (vers. 12-16) he warns them of the consequences of disobedience. Both addresses (chaps, xxiii.-xxiv.) strikingly dis- play Joshua's piety, zeal, and deep acquaintance with human nature. They may be compared with Moses's farewell addresses in the Book of Deuteronomy, to which reference in them is often made: Our heavenly Joshua, before He left this earth, gave a parting charge to His apostles (Acts i. 4). VERS. 1-3.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 347 CHAPTER XXIIL Vers. I- 1 I. — Ver. i. — IJI D"'P»p, ''from {i.e., after) many days " (cf. Gen. iv. 3 ; Ezek. xxxviii. 8). " After that JeJiovah had given rest" etc. (see xxii. 3, 4, xxi. 43, 44) : This clause appears to be in appo- sition to the foregoing, from which it is separated by a distinctive accent. The 1 before rp'tn^. should be rendered "and," not "that," as in A.V., for the apodosis begins at ver. 2. With the phrase "lii \\>\ cf. xiii. I, Here it indicates the still further advance of Joshua's age, so that he might any day anticipate his death (cf. ver. 14). Ver. 2. — "1JI N"jp?i, " that foshua called all Israel, its elders," etc. The h after arp^ need not be translated (cf. Gen. XX. 8 ; Levit. ix. i, where it is untranslated in the Auth. Vers.). The terms " elders, heads," etc., are explanatory, being put in apposition to " all Israel." The place to which Joshua summoned them w'as eitherTimnath-serah (xxix. 50) or, more probably, Shechem (xxiv. i), the centre of the land, and the place of the sanctuary. The D'':pT were the repre- sentatives of Israel ; the D'^'l^'XI were the heads of J ■ T tribes, families, and houses, from whom were taken the judges and overseers (Cipb*, i. 10), see' on vii. 14. In the last clause the words "/ am old," etc., imply a reason why he should lose no opportunity of exhorting them, nor they of attending to his counsel. Ver. 3. — D?*:sp, not, as Auth. Vers, and Rosenm., " because of yon," i.e., on your account, but " before 343 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xxiii. youl' i.e., driving them out before you ; a constructio praegnans (Keil). " For Je/wvah, your God, (is) He that hath fought for you" : See the promise of Moses (Deut. i. 3C, iii. 22). So in our Christian warfare the remembrance of what God has done for us in former times, and His promises for the future, should en- courage and make us steadfast both in trust and obedience. Ver. 4. — ''^'psn, see on xiii. 6, and cf. Psalm Ixxviii. 55, where in like manner nations, instead of their land, are said to be allotted. 131 n^q??, ''for a posses- sion to your tribes." "From the fordan and all the nations zuhich I have cut off, and the great sea towards the setting of the sun " : " The nations " are mentioned instead of their territory, because they were given to the Israelites to be destroyed ; and " the fordan " and " the Great Sea " mark the boundary of Canaan from east to west. Yei-. 5. — DDTn^ " zt'ill expel them" from trir\, to thrust out (cf. Deut. vi. 19, ix. 4) : Chateph-qamets is used instead of sheva (§ 60) on account of the weak- ness of the guttural n (cf. Numb, xxxv. 20). On the form Dnt:n! see on i. 15. Ver. 6. — Drii?Tni, " therefore (and so) be ye very strong" : The perfect is here used as an imperative, the preceding clause implying a cause (§ 126, Rem. I, 2nd par.). With the exhortation cf. i. 7. Ver. 7. — J means " to hold inter- course zvith" (Ges., Lex., p. 106), cf. ver. 12. ? i^3tn, " to make mention of" viz., as an object of religious affiance (cf. Isa. xlviii. i ; Psalm xx. 7 [8]). -11;^" ^, " cause ye not to sivear," viz., " by the name of their gods," Swearing by the name of a god was always VERS. S-I2.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 349 regarded as an evidence of belief in that god (see Deut. vi. 13, X. 20). ^?y relates to outward worship by sacrifice and ceremonies ; ninn'j'n, to the bending before God in pra)'er, and invocation of His name ; the two are generally connected together, as here (cf. Exod. XX. 5, xxiii. 24 ; Deut. iv. 19, v. 9, etc. ; Keil). Ver. 8. — DX --S, "^«/," after a neg. (cf Psalm i. 2, 4). '■^ As ye have done tmto this day" : An assertion to be understood in a general sense only, for there had been many individual exceptions. Note how by judicious praise Joshua encourages them to per- severance, lest they should lose a reward for the good which they had already wrought. Ver. 9. — 1J1 cnt*!, " ajid JehovaJi hath driven ont from before yon" etc. : This was a fulfilment of Deut. iv. 38, vii. I, ix. I, xi. 23. Di^ixi., '' and you" : Put absol. (§ 145, 2). ''No man hath stood" : A fulfil- ment of the promise in Deut. vii. 24, xi. 25. Ver. 10. — ■'T^T., "chaseth": Cf. the promise in Levit. xxvi. 7, 8 ; Deut. xxviii. 7, The second clause of the verse is a repetition of ver. 3 /;. Ver. II. — "And take good heed to your souls." 'Dj'? here means " for the sake of your souls" (cf Deut. iv. 15 ; Keil). " To love fehovah" see Deut. vi. 5, x. I 2, xi. I 3 : Likewise under the New or Christian Covenant love and obedience are united (John xiv. i 5, XV. 14). Vers. 12-16 {Warning against Apostasy). — Ver. 1 2. — " But if ye do in any wise return" viz., from following Jehovah (cf, xxii. 1 8). 'ffl|ft, " and if yc make marriages with them " : This was prohibited (h^.xod. xxxiv. 12-16; Deut. vii. 3). inn means primarily " to cut off," " to circumcise " (Gcs., Lex?)^ and then, 3SO THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chat, xxiii. because marriage, like circumcision, was a kind of covenant, " to contract affinity with anyone ; " cf. the meaning of the cognate word in Arabic, and see Hooker, Eccles. Pol., v., 62, § 21, note 7 (end). In Hithpael it means to intermarry either by giving or receiving a daughter in marriage, and is here followed by 3, as in Deut. vii, 3 ; i Sam. xviii. 22, 23, 26, 27; Ezra ix. 14. "lil ury^'i'^, " and ye come among tJienil' i.e., enter into fellowship with them (cf. ver. 7). Ver. 13. — nsS : ns means a snare or net, rt. nns, to spread out, cf. Traytg, Luke xxi. 35 ; Psalm Ixix. 23 (Heb.) ; Isa. viii. 14, where it occurs also with L^'i?TO, a trap, from 5;^P^\ to lay snares, tsnb', "a scourge," from the Pilel of o-i^', to lash ; elsewhere the form m3 is used (see Prov. xxvi. 3 ; i Kings xii. i i, etc.). The expression " a scourge in your sides, and thorns," etc., is similar but stronger than that in Numb. xxxiii. 55. "Joshua crowds his figures together to depict the misery and oppression which would be sure to result from fellowship with the Canaanites, because from his knowledge of the fickleness of the people and the wickedness of the human heart in its natural state, he could foresee that the apostasy of the nation from the Lord which Moses had foretold would take place but too quickly ; as it actually did, according to Judges ii. 3, etc., in the very next generation " (Keil). " Until your perdition from off the good land." Dpl^X, Oal. inf. (short 6 [t]), with suffix (§ 61, i) ; with the language of this threat cf. Deut. xi. 17, xxviii. 21, in which latter place nnnx (properly ground in respect of culture) is used as here. Ver. 1 4. — nrn, " this day" art. emphatic (§ 1 09), VERS. 15, 16.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 351 meaning here that the time was close at hand (cf. Deut. ix. i). " The zvay of all the earth" cf. i Kings ii. 2. ''All the earth'' = all mankind, as in Gen. xi. I ; I Sam. xvii. 46 ; i Kings x. 24 ; i Chron. xvi. 23 ; Psalm Ixvi. 4. ''Not one word (i^-n) hath failed" : Cf. xxi. 45 ; i Kings viii. 24, 56. So when through Christ, the glorious Antitype of Joshua, believers are put in possession of the heavenly Canaan, they will be able from their hearts to testify that not one word (promise) of God hath failed to be accomplished. Ver. 15. — ynn ... 72, "every evil wordl' i.e., every threatening, in allusion particularly to Levit. xxvi. 14-33 ; Deut. xxviii. 15-68, xxix. 14-28, xxx. 1-15. pDpTX, see Ges., Gr. (§ i 17, 2). This is the original and regular form, which was contracted into D?nx at a later period (Ewald, LeJirb., § 264, «). Ver. 1 6. — " When ye transgress . . . a)id go and serve . . . then shall the ajiger of fehovah" etc. The word "q^n here denotes continuance and progress in impiety. The last clause of the verse is nearly a verbatim repetition of that in Deut. xi. i 7. CHAPTER XXIV. foshna's Second Farewell Address. This 7cas spoken to all the Tribes of Israel in the Persons of their Representatives assembled at Shecheni. Vers. I - 1 5 [foshna rehearses the benefits zvhich God had conferred iipon their nation from its origin up to that time, and thereiip07i claims for God their hearty 352 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap, xxiv and entire allegiance ; he leaves it, however, to their ozvn choice to serve God or not). — Ver. i . — noDtf', " to Shechem" sec on xvii. 7. A few MSS. of the Sept. have Shiloh for Shechem, but the Syr., Vulg., and the Chald. Targum accord with the Hebrew text. As Shechem was the place where Abraham and Jacob had erected an altar to God (Gen. xii. 6, 7, xxxiii. 18. 20), and close to which the solemnity- recorded in Josh. viii. 30-35 had taken place, it was natural that it should have been chosen on this occasion as calculated, by its associations, to impress the minds of the Israelites (cf Dean Stanley's Sin. and Pal., p. 239). Dnpb', see i. 10, xxiii. 2. ■nylI;l^ ''presented themselves',' from 2V;, " to place " (cf Job i. 6). 'NH i^D^ : This expression does not warrant the inference of Rosenm. and Knobel that the ark had been removed on this Occasion from Shiloh to Shechem. Neither it, nor ^^ "jp^, which occurs in reference to the Tabernacle (xviii. 6, xix. 51), need sometimes imply more than a general allusion to God's presence as giving solemnity to a place or ceremony (Hengstenberg, Bcitrdge, iii., p. 13, etc., quoted by Keil ; cf Judges xi. i i). It is, however, to be remarked that a sanctity attached to Shechem, because Joshua had erected an altar on Mount Ebal, near to it (see viii. 30). Ver. 2 [TJie first proof of God's favour — Abrahams call). — ''All the people" probably as many individuals out of each tribe attended as were able. " God of Israel" fitly so termed, since Joshua is about to rehearse the benefits which God had conferred on His people Israel from ancient times up to that present day, when He had put them in possession of VERS. 3, 4.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 353 the land of Canaan. " TJie river " (not " the flood," as in Auth. Vers.), i.e., the Euphrates, called " t/ic river," /car' i^o-)(r]v, as in Gen. xxxi. 2 i ; Exod. xxiii. 3 i ; see note on i. 4. The abode of their fathers was (i) Ur of the Chaldees ; (2) Charan of Mesopotamia (Gen. xi. 28, 31). D^U'P, "from time ijiimemorial." rr\T\ from n^n, Chald., to delay (Ges., Lex), Sept. (dappa. He was the father of Abraham, Nachor, and Haran (Gen. xi. 27), but the two first only are mentioned here, because from them the Israelites were descended, viz., from Abraham on the paternal, and from Nachor on the maternal side (Gen. xxii. 23, xxix. 10, 16). " And they served otlier gods:''' Perhaps the teraphim (penates) mentioned in Gen. xxxi. 19, 34. According to the Jewish tradition Abraham did not participate in this idolatry, and being persecuted in consequence was obliged to leave his native land (Targum Jonathan, on Gen. xi. 23), or rather was called away by God, that he might escape from the surrounding idolatry. Ver. 3. — ^m, "and I led" lit. "I made to go." niJ^i, " and I imiltipliedr 2>Nt, Hiph. imperf. apoc, for which the O^'ri has the more" usual form nsns*. " Isaae" is explanatory of the foregoing word "seed," for in Isaac was his seed to be called (Gen. xxi. 12). Ver. 4. — "And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau" : In answer to Isaac's earnest prayer, and after he had been married twenty years (Gen. xxv. 2 i, 26 ; Psalm cxxvii. 3). " And / gave unto Esau Mount Scir"^: See Gen. xxxvi. 8 ; Deut. ii. 5, 12. Nothing is said ' = hairy, rough. It extended from the Dead Sea to the Elanitic Gulf. 23 354 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [chap. xxiv. here of the gift of Canaan to the posterity of Isaac, because Joshua assumes that as well known to the Israelites, and, therefore, only adds the statement in the last clause of the verse in order to introduce what follows in vers. 5-7. Vers. 5-7 {Second Proof of God's Favour^ viz., the Deliverance from Egypt). — Ver, 5. — ^^ And I smote Eoypt" i.e., its land and people. fiJ3 is used of a plague, e.g., that of frogs (Exod. vii. 27, viii. 2), and of the smiting of the firstborn of Egypt (Exod. xii. 23, 27). In Exod. iii. 20 nnj is used in the same sense. '\'^^'^y " according to that tvhich " {Auth. Vers.), or " according to the plagues which" subaudi ntD5?3n from the preceding fiiN'. The Sept. Alex, seems to have read "i^N?, which it loosely renders ev cryjfxeLOL*; ol 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.