Stack 
 
 Annex 
 
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 igDITED 
 
 .WMACLEAR^B

 
 Camfcrtofle Bible for 
 
 GENERAL EDITOR: J. J. S. PEROWNE, D.D., 
 
 /DEAN OF PETERBOROUGH 
 
 
 t 
 
 THE BOOK OF 
 
 JOSHUA, 
 
 WITH NOTES, MAPS, AND INTRODUCTION 
 
 BY 
 
 THE REV. G. F. MAC LEAR, D.D., 
 
 HEAD MASTER OF KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, LONDON. 
 
 EDITED FOR TI.'F. SYNDICS OF THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 
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 Annex 
 
 88O 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 I. INTRODUCTJON. 
 
 Chapter I. The Book of Joshua 58 
 
 Chapter II. The Life of Joshua 915 
 
 Chapter III. The Work of Joshua 15 22 
 
 Chapter IV. Joshua as a type of Christ 22 26 
 
 Chapter V. Analysis of the Book 26 30 
 
 II. Text and Notes 3! 215 
 
 III. General Index 216 227 
 
 IV. Index of Words and Phrases explained 228 
 
 The Text adopted in this Edition is that of Dr Scrivener's Cam- 
 bridge Paragraph Bible, which will account for a few variations, 
 chiefly in the spelling of certain words, and in the use of italics. 
 For the principles adopted by Dr Scrivener as regards the print- 
 ing of the Text see his Introduction to the Paragraph Bible, 
 printed at the Cambridge University Press. 
 
 2097036
 
 " A s I was with Moses, so I will be with thee : I will not fail 
 thee, nor forsake thee" Josh. i. 5. 
 
 " The voice that from the glory came 
 To tell how Moses dud unseen, 
 And waken Joshua's spear of flame 
 
 To victory on the mountains green, 
 Its trumpet tones are sounding still, 
 
 When Kings or Parents pass away, 
 They greet us with a cheering thrill 
 Of power and comfort in decay" 
 
 Keble's Christian Year.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 
 
 1. THE Pentateuch is followed in the Jewish Canon' by a 
 series which bears the name of Neviim Rishonitn, " the earlier 
 Prophets 1 ", and comprises Joshua, Judges, the first and second 
 Books of Samuel, and the two Books of Kings. This series 
 contains the history of the Israelites, 
 
 (a) As governed by the successor of Moses and the elders 
 who outlived him ; 
 
 (b) As governed by native kings ; 
 
 (c) As subject to foreign invaders. 
 
 2. The first of these Books, the Book of Joshua, derives its 
 name, not from its Author, but from the great hero, whose ex- 
 ploits are therein related, and who succeeded to the command of 
 the people after the death of the great Hebrew Lawgiver, and 
 led the nation into the Promised Land. 
 
 3. The claims of the Book to a place in the Canon of the 
 Old Testament have never been disputed, and its authority is 
 confirmed by allusions to the events recorded in it, which are 
 found in other Books of Holy Scripture. 
 
 4. These allusions are found in (a} the Psaltns, (ff) the Pr- 
 phets, (c) the New Testament; 
 
 Thus (a) in Pss. xliv. 2, 3, Ixviii. 12 14, Ixxviii. 54, 55, we 
 find reference made to the events which succeeded the 
 Exodus from Egypt, the expulsion of the Canaanites, the 
 
 1 The Jewish division of the Old Testament into (a) the Law, (b) the 
 Prophets, (c) the Hagiografha, is at least as old as the time of our Lord.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 division of the land among the tribes of Israel, and the 
 subsequent apostasy of the people. 
 
 Again (b} in Is. xxviii. 21, reference is made to the victory in 
 the valley of Gibeon, and, in Had. iii. n 13, to the miracle 
 which attested that victory, the Divine march "through 
 the land in indignation," and the "threshing of the heathen" 
 in the Divine anger. 
 
 Again (c) in Acts vii. 45, St Stephen alludes to the bringing 
 of the Ark into the land of Canaan, and the driving out of 
 the nations by Joshua ; while the writer of the Epistle to 
 the Hebrews (iv. 8) speaks of " the rest " which Joshua gave, 
 in part and in part only, to the people; (xi. 30 31) of the 
 fall of Jericho ; the faith of Rahab ; and her shelter of the 
 spies ; and lastly St James (ii. 25) mentions the same Ca- 
 naanitess as "justified by her works, when she had received 
 the messengers and sent them out another way." 
 
 5. By whom was it written? Nothing can be said to be 
 really known as to the authorship of the Book 1 . Jewish writers 
 and the Christian Fathers ascribe it to Joshua himself 2 . Others 
 conjecture that it was composed by Eleazar, or Phinehas, or 
 one of the elders who outlived Joshua, or Samuel, or Jeremiah ; 
 while others have not hesitated to ascribe it to one who lived 
 after the Babylonish captivity. 
 
 6. Many arguments may be alleged which point to Joshua, 
 in preference to any other person, as the compiler, at any rate, 
 of the greater portion of its contents. For 
 
 (a) The example of his predecessor Moses could not but 
 
 1 "It should be observed," it has been said, "that in accepting the 
 written chronicles of any nation as substantially true, we are not accus- 
 tomed to depend on the personal character of each particular annalist. 
 The trustworthiness of the pictured narratives which cover the temples 
 and tombs of Thebes, or of those equally wondrous inscriptions disco- 
 vered in the record chambers of Nineveh and Babylon, is not disputed 
 because we do not know by what particular scribes or priests they were 
 originally composed ; nor would the attestation be of much value if we 
 did. And many ancient MSS., which throw light on the history of our 
 own country, are the work of men of whom nothing has come down to 
 us but the faded relics of their earnest toil." 
 
 3 This view has been embraced in recent times by Konig and, as 
 regards the first half of the book, by Havernick.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 have suggested to him the composition, of a record of the 
 fulfilment of the Divine Promises through his leadership ; 
 
 (ff) No one was better qualified by his position to describe 
 events, in which he had taken so distinguished a part, and 
 to collect the documents contained in the Book ; 
 
 (c) No one would have been more anxious to treasure up in 
 writing his own last addresses and solemn warnings to the 
 people 1 ; 
 
 (d} No one else could have recorded with such accuracy the 
 account of the commands he received from the Most High, 
 and of his own interviews with his Mysterious Visitant, 
 "the Prince of the Host of Jehovah 2 ." 
 
 7. But while the Book appears to have been compiled by 
 one, who lived in the time of the events recorded, and was, 
 indeed, an eye-witness of them, there are scattered up and down 
 it a number of historical allusions, which clearly point to a date 
 beyond the death of Joshua. Amongst these may be enume- 
 rated, 
 
 (a) The capture of Hebron by Caleb and of Debir by Oth- 
 
 niel 3 ; 
 (b} The remark that " the Jebusites dwelt with the children 
 
 of Judah at Jerusalem 4 ;" 
 
 (c) The capture of Laish by the warriors of the tribe of Dan r> . 
 (<f) The account of Joshua's death 6 . 
 
 8. While, then, there is evidence that much of the materials 
 may have been collected and furnished by Joshua himself, we 
 
 1 Josh, xxiii., xxiv. 
 
 2 Josh. i. i, iii. 7, iv. r, i, \. 2, 9, 13, vi. i, vii. 10, viii. i, x. 8, xu 6, 
 xiii. i, i, xx. i, xxiv. i. 
 
 3 Comp. Josh. xv. 13 20 with Judg. i. 10 15. 
 
 4 Comp. Josh. xv. 63 with Judg. i. 8. 
 
 B Comp. Josh. xix. 47 with Judg. xviii. 7. It is true that, if we con- 
 sulted only the Book of Joshua, we might suppose these conquests to 
 have been completed before Joshua's death, as he lived for several 
 years after he had dismissed the people to their possessions, but when 
 we refer to the parallel passages, it is clear they were not completed till 
 after his death. See Keil's Commentary, Introd. p. 46. 
 
 6 Josh. xxiv. 2933. All these incidents, it will be noticed, may 
 very well have taken place within twenty or twenty-five years after 
 Joshua's death.
 
 8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 shall not in all probability be far wrong in conjecturing that 
 the Book was composed partly from personal observation and 
 inquiry, partly out of authentic documents already in existence, 
 by one of "the elders who overlived Joshua 1 ," and within a few 
 years after his death. 
 
 9. For what object was it written ? Resuming, as it does, 
 the history of the Chosen People at the death of Moses, it was 
 not intended to be a mere biography or a mere collection of 
 authentic documents. It serves as a link between what pre- 
 cedes and what follows 2 , and is designed to shew the faithful- 
 ness of Jehovah to His Word of Promise, and to illustrate the 
 operations of His grace and mercy, whereby He placed the 
 people in possession of the land, which He had promised as an 
 inheritance to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 3 . 
 
 10. In respect to style, the Book of Joshua is less archaic 
 than the Pentateuch, but more so than the Books of Kings and 
 Chronicles. In reading it, it is well to bear in mind the extreme 
 antiquity of the documents on which it rests. We need not, 
 therefore, expect to find in it marks of the finished composition 
 which belong to a later age. The style is plain and inartificial. 
 The narrative follows the course of thought and feeling on the 
 part of the writer, rather than any formal method of arrange- 
 ment, and sometimes, when the conclusion of any record is 
 deemed of special importance, it is apparently anticipated by 
 the writer, and afterwards restated, though not always in the 
 same identical terms. 
 
 1 Josh. xxiv. 31. 
 
 * Just as the Acts of the Apostles is the link between the Gospels and 
 the Epistles of the New Testament. 
 
 3 "The design of the writer," observes Keil, "was not merely to dis- 
 play the great deeds of Joshua, nor even to trace the history of the 
 theocracy under him, and thus continue the narrative contained in the 
 Pentateuch from the death of Moses to that of Joshua ; but to furnish 
 historical evidence that Joshua, by the help of God, faithfully performed 
 the work to which the Lord had called him ; and by the side of that to 
 shew how, in fulfilling the promises which He gave to the patriarchs, 
 God drove out the Canaanites before Israel, and gave their land to the 
 twelve tribes of Jacob for a permanent inheritance." Keil's Commen- 
 tary, Introd. p. i.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE LIFE OF JOSHUA. 
 
 1. It is a natural transition from the Book of Joshua to the 
 life arid career of the great hero from whom it derives its name. 
 His life falls into three divisions : 
 
 (a) His life in Egypt; 
 
 (&) His life in the desert of Sinai; 
 
 (c) His life in Canaan. 
 
 2. (a) The life of Joshua in Egypt. He, who first bore the 
 name which is now "above every name 1 ," was born during the 
 weary years of the bondage of his nation in Egypt. His father 
 was Nun 2 , of the powerful tribe of Ephraim. Of his mother 
 we know nothing. 
 
 3. His original name was Oshea or Hoshea*, "salvation." 
 This, as we shall see, was afterwards changed to Jehoshua or 
 Joshua, "the salvation of Jehovah*." Modified, like many 
 other Hebrew names in their passage through the Greek 
 language, "Joshua" took the form sometimes of "Jason," but 
 more frequently of IH2OY2, JESUS, "which has now become 
 indelibly impressed on history as the greatest of all names." 
 
 4. Growing up a slave in the brickfields of Egypt he must 
 have witnessed at once the idolatries of that mystic land, and 
 the moral and social degradation of his countrymen. He must 
 
 1 Phil. ii. 9. 
 
 * The descent of Nun from Ephraim is given in I Chron. vii. 20 27. 
 
 3 " The same with the name Of the son of Azaziah, ruler of Ephraim 
 (i Chron. xxvii. 20); of the son of Elah, king of Israel (a Kings xvii. 
 i); of the son of Beer i, the prophet (Hos. i. i)." Pearson On the 
 Creed, Art. II. 
 
 4 " If unto the name Hoseah we add one of the titles of God, which 
 is Jah, there will result from both, by the custom of the Hebrew tongue, 
 Jehoshua; and so not only the instrumental, but also the original cause 
 of the Jews' deliverance will be found expressed in one word: as if 
 Moses had said, This is the person by whom God will save this people 
 from their enemies." Ibid.
 
 io INTRODUCTION. 
 
 have beheld, as he could scarcely have beheld it anywhere else, 
 the adoration of the creature rather than the Creator^ carried 
 to its furthest point, and divine honours paid not only to the 
 sacred black calf Mnevis, to his rival the bull Apis, to the mighty 
 Pharaoh, the Child, the Representative of the Sun-God, but to 
 almost everything in the heaven above, and the earth beneath, 
 and the water under the earth. His early experience thus 
 made him acquainted with the fascination, which the idolatries 
 around exercised upon his countrymen, and give special force to 
 his declaration afterwards to the heads of the ransomed nation, 
 when located in the Land of Promise, " Your fathers worshipped 
 other gods in Egypt*." 
 
 5. Here too he experienced the bitterness of cruel bondage, 
 while beneath a burning rainless sky, the sons of Jacob toiled 
 naked and in gangs under the lash in the quarries or the brick- 
 field, or followed the oxen over the shadeless furrows, or in long 
 rows monotonously threshed out the corn, while the gay barges 
 of their masters sailed up and down the canals and rivers, and 
 the royal chariots with their outriders, and the priests and 
 officers of state, passed unheeding along the streets 3 . 
 
 6. (I)} Life of Joshua in the Sinaitic desert. Nearly forty 
 years must thus have passed away. At length the hour of 
 deliverance came. Moses returned from Midian, and Joshua 
 witnessed the judgments of the Most High on tlte land of 
 Ham*, and shared in the hurried triumph of the Exodus. It 
 is in the Sinaitic desert that he first comes before us with any 
 prominence. Moses, who had doubtless already noticed signs 
 of his fitness as a military leader, selected him to take the com- 
 mand of the people in the engagement with Amalek at Re- 
 phidim 5 , and "he discomfited Amalek and his people with the 
 edge of the sword." From this day forward he takes the position 
 of "minister," or attendant on the great Lawgiver. With him 
 he ascends the mountain-range of Sinai at the first giving of the 
 Tables of the Law 6 , and is the first after the forty days of waiting 
 
 1 Rom. i. 25. 2 Josh. xxiv. 14. 
 
 3 Drew's Scripture Lands, p. 30. * Ps. Ixxviii. 51, cv. 23, 27. 
 
 8 Excd. xvii. 9 14. 6 Exod. xxiv. 13.
 
 INTRODUCTION. ir 
 
 for his return to accost him on his descent 1 . His younger ears 
 first catch the confused sounds which roll up the mountain side 
 from the tented plain below, and with the interpretation of the 
 uncertain noise most natural to a soldier 3 , he says at once to 
 Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp 3 . He learns from 
 the mouth of the Lawgiver the true explanation of the sounds, 
 and witnesses his righteous anger, as he casts out of his hands 
 the precious Tables, and breaks them before the eyes of the 
 offending people 4 . 
 
 7. When we next hear of him it is on the occasion of the 
 prophesying of Eldad and Medad, when he would have his 
 master rebuke them, and received the well-known reply, "Would 
 God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord 
 would put His Spirit upon them 5 ." From this point we seem to 
 lose sight of him altogether till the people were at the very gates 
 of the Promised Land, and Moses resolved to send from Kadesh- 
 Barnea twelve spies to search out the length and breadth of 
 the territory, and ascertain its character, its products, and its 
 inhabitants 6 . Of the Twelve Joshua was now one, and considering 
 the important part he was himself destined to take in the actual 
 conquest of the country, and the service he had already rendered 
 to the great Lawgiver, it is easy to understand why the latter 
 now changed his name from Hoshea to Jehoshiia, an alteration 
 which was a God speed / to the spies on their departure 7 . 
 
 8. As the attendant of Moses and the most distinguished of 
 the Twelve, Joshua undoubtedly stood at the head of those thus 
 sent forth on their arduous mission. With them he traversed 
 the land as far north as Rehob 8 on the way to Hamath in the 
 
 1 Exod. xxxii. 17. 
 
 2 See Professor Blunt's Undesigned Coincidences, p. 66; Bp Wilber- 
 force's Heroes of Hebrew History ', p. 133. 
 
 3 Exod. xxxii. 17. 4 Exod. xxxii. 19. 
 
 5 Num. xi. 26 29. 
 
 6 Num. xiii. i 20; Deut. i. 23. 
 
 7 Kurtz On the Old Covenant, III. 284. The occurrence of the new 
 name in Exod. xvii. 9, xxiv. 13, and Num. xi. 28, may be accounted for 
 on the supposition of a frolepsis, of which there are many examples io 
 the Pentateuch. 
 
 " Num. xiii. 21.
 
 12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 valley of the Orontes. Then, ascending by the south, they 
 approached Hebron, and in a valley opening on the city plucked 
 pomegranates, and figs, and the famous cluster of grapes, and 
 from "the valley of the Cluster" returned to the camp and their 
 brethren after an absence of forty days 1 . As might be expected 
 from all that had gone before, Joshua did not now fail to display 
 proofs of the same courageous faith, which had procured for him 
 the command against Amalek. He and Caleb alone of all the 
 spies did not discourage the hearts of their brethren, but en- 
 treated them to go up and possess the land 2 . Their words, how- 
 ever, fell on unheeding ears, and in just retribution for their 
 rebellious faithlessness the fiat went forth that none of that 
 generation should enter the Promised Land*. 
 
 9. We hear nothing of Joshua during the weary years of 
 wandering that now commenced in the Sinaitic peninsula. We 
 know, however, that he must have witnessed the rebellion of 
 Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and the terrible penalty which it 
 entailed*; the death of Miriam, and her burial in her desert- 
 grave at Kadesh 8 ; the one failure of his own trusted leader, 
 when he spake tinadvisedly -with his lips 6 ; the death of Aaron 
 and his entombment on Mount Hor 7 ; the battles of Jahaz 8 and 
 Edrei 9 , and the conquest of Eastern Canaan, and the frustra- 
 tion of the fell designs of Balaam by the righteous zeal of 
 Phinehas 10 . None of the varied lessons, we may be sure, which 
 these events were designed to teach, would be lost on one like 
 Joshua, and when the hour came for Moses to "go the way of 
 all the earth," his constant "attendant" had already justified the 
 confidence, with which, acting on the Divine command 11 , the 
 great Prophet solemnly and publicly invested him as his suc- 
 cessor with definite authority over his brethren, and gave him 
 his last charge 12 . 
 
 1 Num. xiii. 22 25. * Num. xiv. 6 9. 
 
 3 Num. xiv. 22, 23. 4 Num. xvi., xvii. 
 
 5 Num. xx. i. e Num. xx. 7 14; Deut. xxxii. 51 ; Ps. cvi. 32, 33. 
 
 7 Num. xx. -23 29. 8 Num. xxi. 23, 24. 
 
 8 Num. xxi. 33 35. 10 Num. xxv. i 18. 
 
 11 Num. xxvii. 18. 12 Num. xxvii. 22, 23; Deut. xxxi. 14, 23.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 10. (c) The career of Joshua in Canaan. This parting 
 charge to Joshua brings us to the threshold of the Book, which 
 bears his name, to the day when having reached, according to 
 Josephus, his 85th year 1 , he assumed the command of the people 
 at Shittim 2 , and commenced those victorious campaigns, which 
 in seven years laid six nations and thirty-one kings prostrate at 
 his feet. 
 
 u. These campaigns form the subject of the first part of 
 this Book, and need not be detailed here. In the conduct of 
 them Joshua displayed throughout the same high qualities 
 which first won for him the confidence of Moses. He was 
 the soldier, "the first soldier," it has been -said, "consecrated by 
 the sacred history," blameless, fearless, straightforward. He 
 was "strong, and of a good courage." He was "not afraid 
 nor dismayed 3 ." "He turned neither to the right hand nor 
 to the left; but at the head of the hosts of Israel he went 
 right forward from Jordan to Jericho, from Jericho to Ai, from 
 Ai to Gibeon, to Bethhoron, to Merom. He wavered not for a 
 moment, he was here, he was there, he was everywhere, as the 
 emergency called for him V The carrying out of the charge he 
 received from God with a remarkable simplicity of unquestioning 
 faith was the key-note of his whole career. While, moreover, he 
 was the brave, undaunted, leader, the terrible exactor of the 
 judgment of Jehovah in reference to a people sunk in idolatry 
 and sensuality, he was ever gentle and merciful towards the 
 sinner. In the presence of Achan the armed warrior is trans- 
 formed into the loving father, pleading, remonstrating, sympa- 
 thizing, pronouncing upon the transgressor, not in passion, but 
 with calm dignity, the doom he had brought upon himself, as 
 being under the ban of God. 
 
 12. But besides his work of war, there was also his work 
 of peace. When strengthened from on high, " he had passed 
 through those scenes of blood which were appointed for him," 
 he proceeded to divide the conquered territory amongst the 
 victorious tribes. This he carried out not with the self-seeking 
 
 1 Ant. v. i. 29. l Josh. i. i, i. 
 
 3 Josh. i. 7, 9, 1 8. 4 Stanley's Lectures, I. p. 129.
 
 14 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of an Oriental despot, but on principles, "which place the con- 
 quest of Palestine even in that remote and barbarous age, in 
 favourable contrast with the arbitrary caprice by which the 
 lands of England were granted away to the Norman chiefs 1 ." 
 With order and method, with appeals to the sacred lot before 
 the Tabernacle at Shiloh, and in the presence of the High- 
 priest and the elders of the nation, the conquered territory was 
 distributed. When provision had been made for all the rest, 
 then, not till then, did he claim any provision for himself. 
 Modest and disinterested, he asked only for a small inheritance 
 in the rugged mountains of his native tribe of Ephraim, and 
 there he built the city of Timnath-serah. 
 
 13. Hither, when his commissions had been fully enacted, 
 the land divided, the Tabernacle set up at Shiloh, the 
 Cities of Refuge appointed, the priestly and Levitical cities 
 arranged he retired, and there dwelt in peace for some eighteen 
 years of rest. At length he became aware that he too, like 
 Aaron on Mount Hor, like Moses on the top of Pisgah, must be 
 gathered to his fathers, and go the way of all the earth. Sum- 
 moning, therefore, the tribes of Israel, with the elders, and 
 judges, and officers, to Shechem, he gave them his last charge. 
 He reviewed their past history as a family, a tribe, a nation. 
 He recounted all the merciful acts of their invisible King, 
 and then he bound them with his parting words to an ever- 
 lasting covenant of faithfulness to the God, Who had done 
 such great things for them, and set up a stone pillar under 
 the sacred oak of Abraham and Jacob, writing out the words 
 of the covenant in "the Book of the law of God" (Josh, 
 xxiv. 26). 
 
 14. And now all was over. His work of war and his work 
 of peace alike were ended. All that human agency could effect 
 for the well-being of his people had been done. He bade every 
 man depart after the solemn scene at Shechem to his inherit- 
 ance, and shortly " after these things Joshua, the servant of the 
 Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old, and they buried 
 
 1 Arnold's History of Rome, I. p. 266, quoted in Stanley's Lectures, 
 I. p. 265.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 15 
 
 him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah" (Josh. 
 xxiv. 29, 30), 
 
 " Great in council and great in war, 
 Foremost captain of his time, 
 Rich in saving common sense, 
 And, as the greatest only are, 
 In his simplicity sublime 1 ." 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 THE WORK OF JOSHUA. 
 
 1. It is impossible to disconnect the life and character of 
 Joshua from the work, which the Divine Command called 
 upon him to accomplish. 
 
 2. This work was undoubtedly of terrible severity. The 
 command of Moses respecting the nations of Canaan required 
 their complete extermination. " Thou shalt save nothing that 
 breatheth," said the Lawgiver, and Joshua strictly fulfilled this 
 order. He passed from Jericho to Ai, from Ai to Makkedah, 
 from Makkedah to Libnah, from Libnah to Lachish, from 
 Lachish to Eglon, from Eglon to Hebron, from Hebron to 
 Debir, and "smote them with the edge of the sword, and 
 utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein ; he left none 
 remaining 2 ." 
 
 3. Such acts, done in obedience to the Divine Command, 
 have often 3 been strongly urged as objections against the Old 
 Testament morality, and have been placed " among the many 
 cruel things which Moses did and commanded." Hence, some 
 of the older Rabbinical writers have endeavoured to soften 
 
 1 Tennyson's Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington. 
 
 2 Josh. x. 39. 
 
 3 The adversaries of Judaism and Christianity in the second and third 
 centuries urged them. Comp. Josephus c. Apion. I. 28; Origen c. 
 Celsum, m. 5; S. Cyril cont.JuL VI.
 
 16 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 down the. more rugged features of the narrative, by affirming 
 that Joshua sent three letters to the land of the Canaanites 
 before the Israelites invaded it ; or rather, that he proposed 
 three things to them by letters; that those who preferred flight, 
 might escape ; that those who wished for peace, might enter 
 into covenant ; and that such as were for war, might take 
 up arms 1 . 
 
 4. The instructions* however to which this view appeals, pre- 
 scribe this course of action only in reference to foreign enemies, 
 not Canaanites. "Thus shalt thou do," said the Lawgiver, 
 " unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are 
 not of the cities of these nations*? The Canaanite cities and 
 their inhabitants are thus expressly exempted from the ope- 
 ration of such merciful alternatives. " Of the cities of these 
 people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an in- 
 heritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breathe th; but thou 
 shalt utterly destroy them*. 
 
 5. But as the possession of Canaan is uniformly represented 
 as the free gift of God to the Israelites 5 , so the conquest of 
 Canaan is uniformly represented as an act of righteous judg- 
 ment against its inhabitants. Their moral degeneracy had 
 reached a point to which no other people presented a parallel. 
 The abominations they practised 6 are represented to have been 
 of a kind which might be said to call to heaven for vengeance. 
 The idolatrous rites, to which they were addicted, tended to 
 defile their very consciences, and the pollutions they habitually 
 practised were a disgrace to humanity. Their land is repre- 
 
 1 See Selden de Jure Nat, I. VI. 13; Dean Graves on the Pen- 
 tateuch, Part in., Lect. I. 
 
 2 Deut. xx. 10 14. 
 a Deut. xx. 15. 
 
 4 Deut. xx. 16, 17. Comp. Num. xxi. i, 3, 35, xxxiii. 52 54. 
 
 6 Comp. (a) Exod. xxiii. 32, xxxiv. 12 sqq. ; (b) Num. xxxiii. 52 sqq.; 
 (c) Deut. vii. i sq. The idea that in conquering Canaan the Israelites 
 were but recovering the property of their ancestors is inconsistent vuih 
 the language of Gen. xvii. 8, xxvi. 3, and such transactions as those re- 
 corded in Gen. xxiii. 4, xxxiii. 19. 
 
 6 Their false religion cannot be regarded as a mere error of judgment. 
 Cruelty the most revolting, and unnatural crimes the most defiling, were 
 inseparably connected with its celebration.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 17 
 
 sented as unable to endure them any longer, as "vomiting out 
 its inhabitants," and therefore, it is added, "the Lord visited 
 their iniquity upon them 1 ." 
 
 6. This judgment, however, it is to be remembered, was 
 not inflicted upon them summarily, or without warning. God 
 waited patiently for five hundred years, and during this period 
 addressed to them many calls to repentance. So early as the 
 time of Abraham He had warned them of His wrath against 
 sin, and especially the sins to which they were addicted, by 
 the awful destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 2 . 
 He had given them the blessing of the presence and example 
 of eminent men, as Melchizedek and Abraham, and He had 
 forborne to punish them for many ages because the cup of 
 their iniqiiity was not yet full 3 , and in order that a season 
 for repentance might still be granted them. But they knew 
 not tJie day of their visitation*, and still persisted in their 
 iniquity. 
 
 7. But even when their cup was well-nigh full, the Divine 
 judgment did not descend without giving repeated indications 
 of its approach. The Canaanites heard of the punishments 
 inflicted by the God of Israel upon the inhabitants of Egypt, 
 and of the wonders which He wrought at the passage of the 
 Red Sea 5 . When again the Israelites stood at the very 
 threshold of the Promised Land, and it might have been sup- 
 posed that the Sword of Vengeance, which had so long hung 
 in suspense, would have at once descended, it was again held 
 back, and during the wandering in the wilderness, a further 
 space of forty years was granted lor repentance and amend- 
 ment . 
 
 1 Lev. xviii. 24, 2?, 30; Deut. xii. 30, 31. " It is an eternal neces- 
 sity," even Ewald remarks, "that a nation such as the majority of the 
 Canaanites then were, sinking deeper and deeper into a slough of discord 
 and moral perversity, must fall before a people roused to a higher life 
 by the newly awakened energy of unanimous trust in Divine Power." 
 Ewald's History of Israel, II. 237, E. T. 
 
 2 Gen. xix. i 24. 3 Gen. xv. 16. 
 
 4 Luke xix. 44. 5 Josh. ii. 10, rr. 
 
 8 See the argument well stated in Fairbairn's Typology of Serif <!ttrf, 
 II. pp. 432436. 
 
 JOSHUA 2
 
 18 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 8. N ay, when all had proved in vain, and mercy at length 
 gave place to judgment, the overthrow of the nations on the 
 East of Jordan, of great kings, famous kings, mighty kings*, 
 with tinea fenced cities, higk walls, gates and bars 2 , warned them 
 of the mighty Invisible Power that fought on the side of the 
 strange People, so lately freed from Egyptian bondage. And 
 as though this was not enough, as though no proof should be 
 wanting that the campaign to be waged was not the victory 
 of one nation over another, but God's controversy with de- 
 grading idolatry, and unnatural and unbridled licentiousness, 
 the invaders themselves, when they suffered themselves to be 
 enticed into the orgies of Baal-peor, experienced a fearful 
 punishment for their apostasy. The Promise made to Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob, did not exempt them from the penalty of 
 their misdoings. A plague broke out amongst them, which 
 swept off upwards of twenty-four thousand, while the princes 
 of the tribes at the command of Moses slew the guilty with 
 unsparing vigour, and hanged them up before the Lord 3 . 
 
 9. But even at the eleventh hour, when at last the fiat went 
 forth, and instead of cutting off the guilty nations, as He had 
 done in the case of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, by an 
 earthquake, or a famine, or a pestilence, God entrusted the 
 sword of vengeance to Joshua, was ever campaign waged in 
 such an unearthly manner as that now inaugurated by the 
 leader of the armies of Israel? 
 
 10. At the passage of the Jordan, in the capture of Jericho, the 
 Israelites were allowed to do literally nothing but look on and 
 obey the commands of Him Who fought for them. Every im- 
 pulse of nature to attack the city, to try upon its towers and 
 battlements the skill of military science, as then known, was 
 checked and restrained. The power of faith was tried to the 
 uttermost in consenting to play what must have seemed a use- 
 less, almost a ridiculous part, in the face of a disciplined host, 
 watching from their ramparts the strange evolutions of warriors, 
 who had lately triumphed over Sihon at Jahaz, and Og in his 
 
 1 Ps. cxxxv. 10 12. * Deut. iii. 5, 6. 
 
 8 Num. xxv. i 15.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 19 
 
 basaltic Thermop>lae at Edrei, but who were now constrained 
 to submit to an inexplicable edict of complete inactivity. 
 
 u. Nor was the same supernatural check upon the ordinary 
 impulses of humanity maintained only during the mysterious 
 preparations for the fall of Jericho. It was enforced as rigidly 
 when the city had been captured. The excesses, which were the 
 rule of the age on the reduction of a conquered city, which stand 
 out in such painful relief in the inscriptions of Assyrian kings 1 , 
 and which have too often disgraced even Christian armies, were 
 absolutely unknown. The city, indeed, was devoted to destruc- 
 tion, and all that were in it, but the conquerors were forbidden 
 under the severest penalties to appropriate to themselves the 
 least benefit from the spoils. 
 
 12. But when Jericho had fallen, observe the strange halt at 
 Gilgal. What was its object? Not to divide the spoil, for 
 everything had been devoted to Jehovah. Not to celebrate a 
 
 1 Comp. The Annals of Assur-Nasir-Pal, sometimes called Sar- 
 danapalus : 
 
 74 while in Commagene 
 
 75 I was stationed, they brought me intelligence that the city Suri in 
 
 Bit-Khalupe had revolted 
 
 ***** 
 
 77 chariots and army I collected * and the rebellious nobles 
 
 90 who had revolted against me and whose skins I had stripped off, I 
 
 made into a trophy : some in the middle of the pile I left to 
 decay ; some on the top 
 
 91 of the pile on stakes I impaled ; some by the side of the pile 
 
 I placed in order on stakes ; many within view of my land 
 
 92 I flayed ; their skins on the walls I arranged. 
 
 93 I brought AHIYABABA to Nineveh; I flayed him and fastened his 
 
 skin to the wall 
 
 ***** 
 
 1 13 from Kinabu I withdrew ; to Tila I drew near ; 
 1 15 with onset and attack I besieged the city; many soldiers I captured 
 alive ; 
 
 117 of some I chopped off the hands and feet ; of others the noses and 
 
 ears I cut off; of many soldiers I destroyed the eyes; 
 
 118 one pile of bodies while yet alive, and one of heads I reared up on 
 
 the heights within their town ; their heads in the midst I hoisted ; 
 their boys 
 
 and their maidens I dishonoured. 
 
 See Records of the Past, Vol. III. 3950; Cuneiform Inscriptions of 
 Western Asia, I. 17 27, and comp. it with other passages in the 
 Assyrian records. 
 
 2 2
 
 20 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 triumph, for in the capture the people had been little more than 
 spectators. What, then, was its purport? To renew the rite of 
 circumcision; to celebrate the Passover j to remind the people of 
 their solemn moral and religions obligations. 
 
 13. Again when Ai had been reduced, after a delay and a dis- 
 comfiture caused by a single act of disobedience, why was the 
 strange march undertaken to Shechem with the priests, and the 
 ark, and a deputation from all the tribes? To build an altar; 
 to offer sacrifices; to set up stones, and plaster them with plaster; 
 to inscribe upon them the words of the law; to proclaim from the 
 slopes ofEbaland Gerizim its blessings upon purity, justice, order, 
 truthfulness between man and man, audits curses upon impurity, 
 injustice, sensuality, and wrongdoing^-. Was ever an invading 
 army, before or since, made to feel more completely that it was no 
 work of their own in which they were engaged ; that they were 
 simply the instruments in the accomplishment of Divine retribu- 
 tion upon a guilty race ; that even as regards themselves, their 
 tenure of the land thus conquered must depend upon the preser- 
 vation of pure morality? 
 
 14. And was the lesson taught with such scrupulous care 
 taught in vain? Did Joshua shew himself like other "scourges 
 of God," simply an incarnation of brute force and resistless 
 might? His gentleness towards Achan, his faithfulness towards 
 the Gibeonites, the mode in which he carried out the division of 
 the land, the solemnity of his last charge, prove the exact 
 contrary. He could not have preserved untarnished that 
 simplicity and gentleness, that piety and humility which dis- 
 tinguished him to the end, had he not kept clear before his eyes 
 the unique and unearthly character of the commission en- 
 trusted to him, had not every other feeling given place to the 
 conviction that he was simply the instrument in carrying out a 
 sentence not his own upon a long-tried but reprobate people. 
 
 15. And what is true of him is in a great measure true also 
 of the Israelites themselves. If in their subsequent history 
 they had shewn themselves brutalized by the scenes through 
 which they now passed, if they had proved afterwards violent, 
 
 1 Josh. viii. 33, 34.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 21 
 
 tyrannical, cruel, unscrupulous, utterly indifferent to human 
 feelings, and addicted to massacre and bloodshed, these results 
 might have been traced to the campaign in which they were 
 now engaged. But this, without doubt, was not the case. We 
 nowhere find any traces of that terrible exultation in the inflic- 
 tion of pain as pain, of that horrible gloating over the miseries 
 and sufferings of conquered peoples which disfigure the records 
 of other nations. They passed through all the stages of their 
 chequered history with the warning repeated in their ears again 
 and again, that they held the land by no other tenure than that 
 which the Canaanites were destroyed for infringing; that if they 
 failed to maintain purity of worship or purity of life they would 
 subject themselves to the same doom, which would be inflicted 
 by penalties as tremendous, and very often as indiscriminating 
 as those which they were commissioned to inflict on the nation 
 they cast out before them. 
 
 16. "The Israelites' sword," says an eminent writer 1 , "in its 
 bloodiest executions, wrought a work of mercy for all the 
 countries of the earth to the very end of the world. They seem 
 of very small importance to us now, those perpetual contests 
 \vith the Canaanites, and the Midianites, and the Ammonites, 
 and the Philistines, with which the Books of Joshua and Judges 
 and Samuel are almost filled. We may half wonder that God 
 should have interfered in such quarrels, or have changed the 
 course of nature, in order to give one of these nations of 
 Palestine the victory over another. But in these contests, on 
 the fate of one of these nations of Palestine, the happiness of the 
 human race depended. The Israelites fought not for themselves 
 only, but for us. It might follow that they should thus be 
 accounted the enemies of all mankind; it might be that they 
 were tempted by their very distinctness to despise other nations. 
 Still they did God's work ; still they preserved unhurt the seed 
 of eternal life, and were the ministers of blessing to all other 
 nations, even though they themselves failed to enjoy it." "If 
 Israel," says another writer, "had been subdued by the Canaan- 
 ites, if the separated seed had been mingled with the heathen, 
 
 1 Arnold's Sermons, \'l. 35 37.
 
 22 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 if it had learned their ways, if the worship of Chemosh 
 and Molech and Astarte had superseded the worship of 
 Jehovah, how had all the grand designs of redemption been 
 frustrated in their development! The cry of Joshua after the 
 flight at Ai would have been the despairing utterance of the 
 race of men, 'And what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?' 
 More also in Joshua's history than anywhere else besides, may 
 the troubled soul perplexed and harassed by the sight on this 
 sin-defiled earth of wars, battles, slaughters, pestilences, earth- 
 quakes, miseries, and treasons rest itself, though it be with a 
 deep sob of a present broken-heartedness, in the conviction that 
 God has a plan for this world ; that in the end it does prevail ; 
 that the Baalim of heathen powers must fall before Him ; and 
 that His kingdom shall stand for ever and ever in its truth and 
 righteousness and love 1 ." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 JOSHUA AS A TYPE OF CHRIST. 
 
 1. An Introduction to the Book of Joshua would be incom- 
 plete without a notice of the typical character of his life and 
 his work. Holy Scripture itself suggests the consideration of 
 the successor of Moses as a type of our Lord and Saviour 2 , and 
 the more we reflect upon the subject, the more striking does 
 this feature of his career appear. 
 
 2. "It is not often," it has been remarked, "either in sacred 
 or common history, that we are justified in pausing on anything 
 so outward and usually so accidental as a name 3 ." But, if ever 
 there be an exception, it is in the present instance. The original 
 name of the leader of the hosts of Israel, Hoshea, Salvation, 
 
 1 Bp Wilberforce's Heroes of Hebrew History, pp. f45, 146. 
 
 4 Acts vii. 45 ; Heb. iv. 8. 
 
 3 Dean Stanley's Lectures on the Jewish Church, I. -229.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 23 
 
 was changed, as we have already seen 1 , to Jehoshua, or Joshua, 
 '"'God's Salvation? or "Jehovah the Saviour" (Num. xiii. 16, 
 xiv. 6, 30). In the Greek translation of the Bible this name is 
 always rendered by the word IH20Y2, JESUS, whence its use in 
 the New Testament. 
 
 3. And as with the name, so with its purport. The first 
 Joshua was but a man, and by the power of Jehovah enabled 
 the Israelites to vanquish the nations of Canaan, and saved 
 them from the innumerable dangers that beset them. " Thou 
 shalt call His Name JESUS" said the angel Gabriel to Joseph, 
 at the time of the first Advent of our Lord, "for He shall save 
 His people from their sins*? "Joshua saved Israel not by his 
 own power, not of himself, but God by him ; neither saved he 
 his own people, but the people of God ; whereas Jesus Himself 
 by His own power, the power of God, shall save His own peo- 
 ple, the people of God. Well therefore may we understand the 
 interpretation of His Name to be God the Saviour 3 ? 
 
 4. The career of a Conqueror thus marked out for the first 
 Joshua, " the first soldier consecrated by the sacred history," 
 prepares us for and receives its complete fulfilment in the career 
 of Him, Who came into the world that He might fight against 
 and destroy the works of the Devil*. He bade His disciples "be 
 of good cheer," for He had "overcome the world 5 ," and as the 
 Conqueror and the Rewarder of them that conquer, He is fre- 
 quently revealed in the Apocalypse 6 . 
 
 5. Again, where was the first part of Joshua's life spent? 
 Was it not in Egypt ? There he was the companion of the 
 rest of his nation in their sorrows ; he was one with them in 
 their afflictions ; he shared their labours in the brick-kilns of 
 Egypt ; in all their afflictions he was afflicted. And even so 
 our Lord, remaining the Son of God most High, became 
 JESUS, the Son of Mary, and condescending to be made in the 
 likeness of men'', was in all points like unto His brethren, and 
 
 1 See above, p. 9. * Matt. i. ai. 
 
 8 Pearson On the Creed, Art. II. 
 
 * i John iii. 8. 6 John xvi. 33. 
 
 6 See Rev. ii. 7, iii. 5, n, vi. 2, xi. 15, xii. n, xvii. 14, xxi. 7. 
 
 7 Phil. ii. 7; Iltb. ii. 14.
 
 24 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 whereas He Himself hath suffered being tempted. He is able ta 
 succour them that are tempted 1 . 
 
 6. Joshua, moreover, succeeded Moses and completed his 
 work. The hand of the great Lawgiver brought the people out 
 of Egypt, "but left them in the wilderness, and could not seat 
 them in Canaan 2 ." This was reserved for Joshua his successor. 
 Now Moses is often taken for the doctrine delivered, or the 
 books written by him, that is, the Law 3 . And the Law was 
 given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ* t 
 by Whom all that believe are justified from all things, from 
 which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses 5 . 
 
 7. With this typical name, and in this order of succession, 
 Joshua entered on his leadership, and at the banks of Jordan 
 God began to "magnify him," and to make manifest to Israel 
 his credentials as their appointed chief. Even so his great 
 Antitype begins His office at the banks of Jordan. His feet 
 are dipped in the selfsame rushing stream, and no sooner has 
 He come up therefrom, and " sanctified water to the mystical 
 washing away of sin," than the Spirit descends upon Him, and 
 the Voice is heard, " Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am 
 well-pleased 6 ." 
 
 8. At the Jordan, again, Joshua directed that from its bed 
 twelve stones should be taken by twelve men chosen out of the 
 people, to be for evermore a witness to the nation of their 
 deliverance. So after His baptism in Jordan the second Joshua 
 began to choose His twelve Apostles, those foundation-stones in 
 the Church of God, whose names are in the twelve foundations 
 of the wall of the holy city, the new Jerusalem" 1 . " Twelve 
 stones, Joshua buried under the returning waters of Jordan ; 
 and over the first twelve Apostles, Jesus let the stream of death 
 flow as over others ; whilst they were repeated in their office of 
 
 1 Heb. ii. 18. 
 
 2 Pearson On the Creed, Art. II. 
 
 3 Comp. Luke xvi. 29, 3t,xxiv. 27; John v. 45, 46; Acts vi. u, 13, 
 14, xv. 21, xxi. 21 ; 2 Cor. iii. 15. 
 
 4 John i. 17. 5 Acts xiii. 39. 
 
 6 Matt. iii. 17; Mark i. n; Luke iii. 22. 
 
 7 Rev. xxi. 14.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 25 
 
 witnesses to Him by all the enduring succession of His earthly 
 ministers with whom He is, even unto the end of the world 1 ." 
 
 9. Having led the people through the Jordan, and renewed 
 the Covenant of Circumcision 2 , and conquered for them their 
 foes, Joshua assigns to them their inheritance, but directs that 
 they must fight for their possessions against the remnants 
 of their enemies, if they would maintain their conquest. And 
 even so Jesus, though He brings His people into the spiritual 
 Canaan of His Church, calls upon them to fight manfully under 
 His banner against the foes, whom He hath not driven out all 
 at once 3 , but left to try and prove them, whether they will turn 
 to account the fair inheritance He hath bestowed upon them. 
 
 10. When Joshua's great work is over, his work of war and 
 his work of peace, he ascends the hill of Ephraim and dwells 
 in his own possession. But this has fallen to him, not as to 
 others of his brethren by the casting of the sacred lot. Rather 
 has it been yielded to him as his own right in respect to the 
 work of conquest which he has achieved. And thus too, when 
 His work was over the work which the Father had given Him 
 to do* our Lord ascended up on high to the heaven in which 
 He was before, His own by right, His own by conquest, and 
 there for ever sat down on the right hand of God; from hence- 
 forth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool 5 . 
 
 11. Once more. Before Joshua departed and was gathered 
 unto his fathers, he summoned to him all the heads of the 
 tribes, and described to them in solemn words, the work that 
 lay before them, and set forth the mighty Future destined to be 
 theirs if they would be loyal to their Invisible King, and cleave 
 earnestly to the God, Who had done such great things for them. 
 And so did the great " Captain of our Salvation," before He 
 ascended up on high, summon to meet Him on a mountain in 
 Galilee, the heads and representatives of His Church, and pro- 
 claim to them the greatness of the work, to which they had 
 
 1 Bp Wilberforce's Heroes of Hebrew History* p. 156. 
 
 2 Comp. Josh. v. i; Rom. ii, 29; Col. ii. n. 
 8 See Josh. xiii. 7 32. 
 
 4 John xvii. 4. * Heb. x. 12, 13.
 
 26 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 been called, and the true source of the strength, in which it 
 should be accomplished, saying, " All power is given unto Me 
 in heaven and in earth j go ye, therefore, evangelise all nations, 
 and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world 1 ." 
 
 12. Lastly, Joshua smote the Amalekites and subdued the 
 Canaanites ; by the first, making way to enter the land, by the 
 second, giving possession of it 2 . And even so, Jesus our Lord 
 in a spiritual manner goeth in and out before us against our 
 spiritual foes, opening and clearing our way to heaven. For 
 every one, who follows Him, He divides the cold waters of death, 
 " setting against their utmost flood the Ark of the Body which 
 He took of us, and in which God dwelleth evermore ; so making 
 a way for His ransomed to pass over to the mansions, which 
 He has prepared for them, from the foundation of the world." 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK. 
 
 1. The following Analysis will give an idea of the contents 
 of the Book of Joshua. 
 
 2. It may be regarded as consisting of three parts ; 
 
 (i) The Conquest of Canaan ; 
 (ii) The Division of Canaan ; 
 (iii) Joshua's Farewell. 
 
 PART I. 
 THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN, i. zli. 
 
 Section T. The Preparation. 
 
 (a) The Summons to the War. 
 
 (a) The Command of God to Joshua i. i 9. 
 
 (|3) The Command of Joshua to the people...!. 10 18. 
 
 1 Matt, xxviii. 18, 19, 20. s Pearson On the Creed, Art. II.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 27 
 
 (<J) The Mission of the spies to Jericho. 
 
 (a) The sending of the spies ii. i 7. 
 
 () Their reception by Rahab ii. 8 n. 
 
 (7) Their return to Joshua ii. 22 24. 
 
 Section II. The Passage of the Jordan. 
 (a) The Divine Guidance. 
 
 (a) The Preparations of Joshua iii. i 13. 
 
 (/3) Jordan turned backwards iii. 14 17. 
 
 (y) Completion of the Passage iv. i 18. 
 
 (6) The Memorial at Gilgal iv. 19 24. 
 
 (/;) The Consecration to the Holy War. 
 
 (a) Renewal of the Rite of Circumcision v. 19. 
 
 (|3) Celebration of the Passover v. 1012. 
 
 (7) Appearance of the Prince of Jehovah's 
 
 host v. 1315. 
 
 (8) Instructions as to the capture of Jericho vi. i 5. 
 
 Section III. The Conquest of Southern and Central Canaan. 
 (a) The Capture of Jericho. 
 
 (a) The Preparations vi. 6 14. 
 
 (^3) Capture and Destruction of the City vi. 15 27. 
 
 (6) First Advance against Ai. 
 
 (a) The sin of Achan vii. r. 
 
 (/J) The repulse from Ai vii.? 5. 
 
 (y) Joshua's Prayer vii. 6 15. 
 
 (5) Detection and Punishment of Achan vii. 16 26. 
 
 (f) Second Advance against Ai. 
 
 (a) Stratagem of Joshua viii. i 13. 
 
 (jS) Capture and destruction of the city viii. 14 29. 
 
 (7) Renewal of the Covenant at Ebal viii. 30 35. 
 
 (d) The Battle of Bethhoron. 
 
 (a) League of the Canaanite kings against 
 
 Israel ix. T, 2. 
 
 () The Fraud of the Gibeonites ix. 3 15. 
 
 (y) The League with Gibeon ix. 16 27. 
 
 (5) Investment of Gibeon by the Five Kings x. i 5. 
 
 (e) Relief of the city by Joshua x. 6 15. 
 
 (f) Flight and destruction of the Five Kings x. 16 43.
 
 28 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Section IV. The Conquest of Northern Canaan. 
 (a) The Northern League. 
 
 (a) The Gathering of the Kings xi. i 6. 
 
 () The Battle of the Waters of Merom xi. 79. 
 
 (y) The Defeat of Jabin xi. 10. 
 
 (5) Subjugation of the North xi. n 23. 
 
 (6) Review of the Conquest. 
 
 Catalogue of the conquered kings 
 
 (a) Of Eastern Palestine xii. i 6. 
 
 (/3) Of Western Palestine xii. 7 24. 
 
 PART II. 
 THE DIVISION OF CANAAN. xiii.--rzi. 
 
 Section I. The Partition of Eastern Canaan. 
 
 (a) The Mosaic Settlement. 
 
 (a) The Divine Command to divide the landxiii. r 7. 
 
 (|8) Provision for the tribe of Levi xiii. 8 14. 
 
 (y) Possessions of the tribe of Reuben xiii. 15 23. 
 
 (5| Possessions of the tribe of Gad xiii. 2 4 28. 
 
 (e) Possessions of the half tribe of Manasseh xiii. 29 33. 
 
 (b) Commencement of the Distribution xiv. i 5. 
 
 (c) The Possession of Caleb xiv. 6 15. 
 
 Section II. Division of Western Palestine. 
 (a) Territory of the tribe ofjudah. 
 
 (a) Its boundaries xv. i 12. 
 
 (/3) Petition of Achsah xv. 13 20. 
 
 (y) Cities in the South xv. 21 32. 
 
 (5) Cities in the Lowlands xv. 33 47. 
 
 (e) Cities in the Mountains xv. 48 60. 
 
 (f) Cities in the Wilderness xv. <5i 63. 
 
 (6) Territory of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. 
 
 (a) Boundaries of the Territory xvi. i 4. 
 
 (/8) Territory of the tribe of Ephraim xvi. 5 10. 
 
 (7) Territory of the tribe of Manasseh.; xvii. i 13. 
 
 (6) Complaint of the sons of Joseph xvii. 14 16. 
 
 (e) Reply of Joshua xvii. 17, 18.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 29 
 
 {f) Territory of the seven remaining tribes. 
 
 (a) The Tabernacle set up at Shiloh xviii. i 10. 
 
 (|3) Territory of Benjamin xviii. u iS 
 
 <-y) Territory of Simeon xix. i 9. 
 
 (5) Territory of the tribe of Zebulun xix. 10 \C. 
 
 (e) Territory of the tribe of Issachar xix. 17 23. 
 
 Jf) Territory of the tribe of Asher xix. 24 31. 
 
 (77) Territory of the tribe of Naphtali xix. 32 39. 
 
 (0) Territory of the tribe of Dan xix. 40 48. 
 
 (t) Joshua's possession xix. 49 51. 
 
 Section III, Appointment of the Cities of Refuse, 
 
 The Divine Command xx. i 3. 
 
 (a) Choice of the Cities xx. 4 6. 
 
 (j8) Three east of the Jordan xx. 7. 
 
 (7) Three west of the Jordan.... xx. 8, 9. 
 
 Section IV. Appointment of the priestly and Levitical cities. 
 
 The Demand of the Levites xxi. i 3. 
 
 (a) The compliance xxi. 4 8. 
 
 (P) Cities of the Kohathites 
 
 (1) The sons of Aaron xxi. 9 19. 
 
 (2) The other Kohathites xxi. 20 26. 
 
 (7) Cities of the Gershonites xxi. 27 33. 
 
 (5) Cities of the Merarites xxi. 34 42. 
 
 (e) Conclusion xxi. 43 45. 
 
 PART IB. 
 JOSHUA'S FAREWELL, xxii. xxiv. 
 
 Section I. Release of the Two Tribes and a half. 
 
 (a) The Departure. 
 
 (a) Exhortation of Joshua xxil. i 8. 
 
 (/3) Return cf the Tribes xxn. 9. 
 
 (b) The Disagreement. 
 
 (a) Erection of the Altar xxii. 10. 
 
 (0) Embassy of Israel xxii. 1120. 
 
 (7) The Explanation xxn. 2131. 
 
 (5) Return of the Embassy xxii. 32 34.
 
 30 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Section II, Tne Parting of Joshua. 
 (a) The First Address. 
 
 (a) Exhortations to fidelity xxiii. i ir. 
 
 (|8) Warnings against apostasy xxiii. 1216. 
 
 (l>) The Second Address. 
 
 (a) Last counsels xxiv. i 15. 
 
 (/3) Renewal of the Covenant xxiv. 16 28. 
 
 (7) Death of Joshua xxiv. 29 31. 
 
 (5) Burial of the bones of Joseph xxiv. 32. 
 
 (e) Death of Eleazar xxiv. 33.
 
 THE BOOK OF 
 
 JOSHUA. 
 
 I 9. The Command of God to Joshua. 
 
 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD 1 
 it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua 
 the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant 2 
 is dead ; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and 
 
 CH. I. 1 9. THE COMMAND OF GOD TO JOSHUA. 
 
 1. NCKU\ Rather, And. The usual connective particle. It implies 
 that something has gone before, of which it is the continuation. Com- 
 pare the opening words of the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, 
 and Judges. Here, as often afterwards, the Book of Joshua presupposes 
 that of Deuteronomy. 
 
 after the death of Moses] in the land of Moab on the eastern side of 
 the Jordan, where he was buried over against the idol sanctuary of 
 Beth-Peor (Deut. xxxiv. 6). Through thirty days of stillness, the camp 
 had been full of weeping and mourning for the great Lawgiver. 
 
 Joshua the son of Nnti\ For an outline of his life see Introduction. 
 
 Moses' minister] Joshua is not spoken of as Moses' "servant" but as 
 his "minister." Comp. Ex. xxiv. 13; Deut. i. 38. For his formal 
 appointment to the office see Num. xxvii. 15 ff. 
 
 2. Moses my servant} Comp. Deut. xxxiv. 5. The highest possible 
 title under the theocracy. Joshua as yet is but the "attendant" of 
 Moses. The higher title is given him in Josh. xxiv. 29. 
 
 this Jordan] one of the most singular rivers in the world, which "has 
 never been navigable, and flows into a sea that has never known a port." 
 Observe 
 
 (a) Its name. It is never called "the river" or "brook," or by any 
 other name than its own, "the Jordan" = "tJie Descender." 
 
 (b) Its sources. Far up in northern Palestine, the fork of the two 
 ranges of Anti-Libanus "is alive with bursting fountains and 
 gushing streams," every one of which sooner or later finds its way 
 into a swamp between Bani&s and Lake Hiileh. Two of these 
 streams deserve special attention, (i) one at Bdnids, (ii) the other
 
 32 JOSHUA, I. '[vv. 3, 4- 
 
 all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even 
 
 3 to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your 
 foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said 
 
 4 unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even 
 unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the 
 
 at Tel-el-'Kddy. The former is the upper, the latter the lower source 
 of the " River of Palestine. 1 ' 
 (f) Its course, which is marked by three distinct stages : 
 
 (i) Enclosed within the ranges of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, " 
 which run parallel to the Mediterranean from north to south, its 
 streams for as yet it can hardly be called a single river fall 
 into the lake called of old Merom, then Samaelon ( = "t/ie Higk 
 Lake"), now Hftleh. "Half morass, half tarn, this lake is... 
 surrounded by an almost impenetrable jungle of reeds abounding 
 in wild fowl." 
 
 (ii) Here it might seem destined to end, like the Barada "the 
 river of Damascus" in the wide marshy lake, a day's journey 
 beyond that city, but "the Descender" is not thus absorbed. 
 Fed, like the lake itself, by innumerable springs in the slopes of 
 Lebanon, and met by a deep depression for its bed, it rushes 
 with increased rapidity three hundred feet downwards into the 
 Lake of Gennesaret, which is about the same length as our own 
 Windermere, but of much greater breadth. 
 
 (iii) At the mouth of the Lake it is about 70 feet wide, "a lazy 
 turbid stream, flowing between low alluvial banks" and here 
 again it might seem to have closed its course. But it issues forth 
 once more, now a foaming torrent, and plunges through twenty- 
 seven rapids, with a fall of a thousand feet, on its lowest and 
 final stage, into the Dead Sea. 
 
 (d) Its windings. The distance from the Lake el-Htileh to the Sea of 
 Tiberias is nearly 9 miles, that from the Lake to the Dead Sea about 
 60 miles. But within this latter space the river traverses a distance 
 of at least 200 miles. Darting first to the right, then to the left, 
 then to the right again, "as if sensible of his sad fate," to use the 
 quaint words of Fuller, "and desirous to deferre what he cannot 
 avoid, he fetcheth many turnings and windings, but all will not avail 
 him from falling into the Dead Sea." See Stanley's Sinai and 
 Palestine, pp. 282, 283; Thomson's Land and the Book; Ritter's 
 Geography of Palestine; Macgregor's Rob Roy on the Jordan, 
 
 3. as I said unto Moses] Comp. Deut. xi. 2<u Tosh, xiv. Q. 
 
 4. From the wilderness'] For the Traundaries of the Land of Promise 
 compare (a) Gen. xv. 18 21; (l>) Exod. xxiii. 31; (c) Num. xxxiv. i 
 12; (d) Deut. xi. 24. They were to be, on the South, the desert of 
 El- Tih; on the North, Mount Lebanon ; on the East, the Euphrates ; on 
 the West, the Mediterranean Sea. 
 
 this Lebanon] Compare also v. 2, "this Jordan," and Deut. iii. 25. 
 The river was visible and lay close at hand; the Lebanon range (= " ifa 
 white Mountain") could be discerned, though at a great distance.
 
 w. 5-9-] JOSHUA, I. 33 
 
 Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of 
 the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be s 
 able to stand before thee all the days of thy life : as I was 
 with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, 
 nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage : for 6 
 unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the 
 land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only 7 
 be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest ob- 
 "serve to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant 
 commanded thee : turn not from it to the right hand or to 
 the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 
 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth ; but s 
 thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest 
 observe to do according to all that is written therein : for 
 then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou 
 shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee ? 9 
 Be strong and of a good courage ; be not afraid, neither be 
 thou dismayed : for the LORD thy God is with thee whither- 
 soever thou goest. 
 
 the great river] "The great flood Eufrates," Wyclif. This is the 
 term (comp. Gen. ii. 14, xv. 18) most frequently used in the Bible for 
 the Euphrates, a word of Aryan origin, denoting " the good and abound- 
 ing river, " the largest, the longest, and by far the most important of the 
 rivers of Western Asia. 
 
 the land of the Hittites\ This nation was descended from Cheth (A. V. 
 " Heth"), the second son of Canaan. We first meet with them in Gen. 
 xxiii. 3 5, when Abraham bought from "the children of Heth" the 
 field and the cave of Machpelah. On their relation to the other nations 
 of Canaan see below. They are here put for the Canaanites generally. 
 
 6. as I was -with Moses\ " The narrative labours to impress upon us 
 the sense that the continuity of the nation and of its high purpose was 
 not broken by the choice of person and situation." 
 
 I will not fail thee\ Comp. Deut. xxxi. 6, 8 ; i Chron. xxviii. 20. The 
 words are cited in Heb. xiii. 5, "Let your conversation be without 
 covetousness ; and be content with such things as ye have : for he hath 
 said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." 
 
 8. This book of the law\ Joshua is admonished that the Law must be 
 strictly and carefully observed, if the great work, to which he had been 
 called, was to be successfully accomplished. He was " to read, mark, 
 and inwardly digest it," and carry out its provisions to the letter. 
 
 9. Have not I commanded thee '/] Observe the repetition of the words 
 of exhortation. The Hebrew leader is reminded again and again that 
 it was not his work but God's work, which he had been raised up to 
 carry out. Comp. Deut. xxxi. 7, 8, 23. 
 
 JOSHUA 7
 
 34 JOSHUA, I. [vv. 10-12. 
 
 10 1 8. The Command of Joshua to the People. 
 
 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 
 saying, Pass through the host, and command the people, 
 saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall 
 pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which 
 the LORD your God giveth you to possess it. And to the 
 Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of 
 
 1018. THE COMMAND OF JOSHUA TO THE PEOPLE. 
 
 10. the officers] Or, Shoterim. The word denotes (i) literally a 
 "writer," or "scribe;" then (2) an overseer, in whose office were 
 combined various duties, including enrolments, orders &c., also gene- 
 alogies; (3) a magistrate, prefect, leader of the people, especially, as 
 here, the leaders, officers, of the Israelites in Egypt and in the desert. 
 Comp. Num. xi. 16, xxxi. 14, 48; Deut. i. is, xvi. 18, xx. 5, 8, f), 
 xxxi. 28. Their duties were at once civil and military. 
 
 11. Prepare you victuals] The word denotes (a) food got in hunting ; 
 (b) food of any kind, especially provisions for a journey. Comp. Exod. 
 xii. 39, " neither had they prepared for themselves any victual ;" Josh, 
 ix. n, 14 ; Judg. vii. 8, "So the people took victitals in their hands, and 
 their trumpets;" i Sam. xxii. 10, "And he inquired of the Lord for 
 him, and gave him victuals." The need of the provision on this occa- 
 sion is explained by the cessation of the Manna. See below, ch. v. 12. 
 
 within three days] Comp. ch. iii. i, 2. The order appears to have 
 been given on the 7th day of the month Nisan, for the people crossed 
 the Jordan on the loth. The expedition, therefore, of the spies occu- 
 pied from the 5th to the 8th of the month, and the message to the 
 eastern tribes was sent during the same interval. 
 
 12. the Reubenites] Gadites, and the Half- Tribe of Manasseh, on 
 account of their wealth in flocks and herds (Num. xxxii. 16, 24), had 
 received already their possessions in "the forest-land," "the pasture- 
 land" of the country beyond the Jordan, the territory of the con- 
 quered kings Sihon and Og. The remote downs of this portion of 
 Palestine received a special name, "Mishor," expressive of their con- 
 trast with the rough and rocky soil of the west. " The vast herds of 
 wild cattle which then wandered through the woods, as those of Scot- 
 land through its ancient forests, were in like manner, at once the terror 
 and pride of the Israelite, "the fat bulls of Bashan." The king of 
 Moab was but a "great sheep-master," and "rendered" for tribute a 
 " hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the 
 wool" (2 Kings iii. 4). And still the countless herds and flocks may be 
 seen, droves of cattle moving on like troops of soldiers, descending at 
 sunset to drink of the springs literally, in the language of the Prophet, 
 "rams and lambs, and goats, and bullocks, all of them fallings of 
 Bashan" (Ezek. xxxix. 18). See Dean Stanley's Lectures on the Je-.vish 
 Church, I. 217, 218; Sinai and Palestine, App. VI.
 
 vv. 1318.] JOSHUA, I. 35 
 
 Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, Remember the word which 13 
 Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, 
 The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given 
 you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, H 
 shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side 
 Jordan ; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all 
 the mighty men of valour, and help them ; until the LORD 15 
 have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they 
 also have possessed the land which the LORD your God 
 giveth them : then ye shall return unto the land of your 
 possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD'S servant 
 gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising. And r6 
 they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us 
 we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. 
 According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will 17 
 we hearken unto thee : only the LORD thy God be with thee, 
 as he was with Moses. Whosoever he be that doth rebel 18 
 against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy 
 words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to 
 death : only be strong and of a good courage. 
 
 13. Remember the word] Num. xxxii. 20 1\ is quoted, not literally, 
 but freely according to the sense. 
 
 hath given you rest} Comp. Deut. xxv. 19, " It shall be, when the 
 Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in 
 the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to 
 possess it." Into this "rest" the disobedient did not enter (Num. xiv. 
 28 30; Ps. xcv. 7 ii ; Heb. iii. n 18), but the true "Rest," the 
 complete "Sabbath-keeping," still remaineth for "the people of God" 
 (Heb. iv. 9). 
 
 this land] Compare verse 2 and Deut. iii. 18, the land in which the 
 whole people as yet and the speaker also were, the land east of the 
 Jordan. 
 
 14. ye shall pass over] According to the promise solemnly given, 
 Num. xxxii. 17, 27, 32. 
 
 all the mighty men of valour] Not the whole of the adults who 
 were fit for war, and who numbered, according to Num. xxvi. 7, 18, 
 34, upwards of 136,930 men, but 40,000 ''prepared for" war, Josh. 
 iv. 13. 
 
 16. All that than commandest us] A joyful answer instinct with a 
 spirit of true fraternal love and resolute obedience. 
 
 17. only the Lord thy God] The promise of the Two Tribes and a 
 Half closes with the same call to trust and confidence in the Most High, 
 which God Himself had already addressed to Joshua. 
 
 3
 
 36 JOSHUA, II. [v. T. 
 
 i 7. The Mission of the Spies to Jericho. 
 
 2 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men 
 to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And 
 
 CH. II. 1 7. THE MISSION OF THE SPIES TO JERICHO. 
 
 1. sent out} Or, had sent. Comp. ch. i. n, iii. 2. This was probably 
 on the same day that Joshua received the Divine command to cross the 
 Jordan. 
 
 out of Shittim] Comp. Num. xxxiii. 49, xxv. i ; Jos. iii. i ; Mic. vi. 5. 
 The full name of the place is given in the first of these passages, 
 " Abel Shittim" ="\he. Meadow" or "Moist Place of the Acacias." 
 It was in the "Arabah" or Jordan valley opposite Jericho, at the outlet 
 of the WAdy Heshbon, about 60 stadia = 3 hours from the place of 
 crossing the river. "We were in the plain of Shittim, and on climbing 
 a little eminence near, we could see the rich wilderness of garden, ex- 
 tending in unbroken verdure right into the corner at the north-east end 
 of the Dead Sea, under the angle formed by the projection of the 
 mountains of Moab, where the Wady Suiweimeh enters the lake. It is 
 now called the Ghor es Seisaban.... Among the tangled wilderness, 
 chiefly near its western edge, still grow many of the acacia trees, 
 'Shittim' (Acacia sayal), from which the district derived its appropriate 
 name of Abel-ha-Shittim, 'the meadow or moist place of the acacias;'" 
 Tristram's Land of Israel, p. 524. 
 
 two men} "Young men" according to the LXX. and ch. vi. 23. Brave, 
 doubtless, and prudent, such as Joshua, who had himself been one of 
 the twelve spies (Num. xiii. 16), would be likely to select, knowing, as 
 he knew, all the dangers to which they would be exposed. 
 
 Jericho~\ "The first stage of Joshua's conquest was the occupation of 
 the vast trench, so to speak, which parted the Israelites from the mass 
 of the Promised Land," and which was dominated by the city of 
 Jericho, a place of great antiquity and importance. It derived its 
 name, = " the City of Palm Trees," from a vast grove of noble palm- 
 trees, nearly three miles broad, and eight miles long, which must have 
 recalled to the few survivors of the old generation of the Israelites the 
 magnificent palm-groves of Egypt. The capture of Jericho was essential 
 for two reasons : 
 
 (a) Standing at the entrance of the main passes from the valley into 
 the interior of Palestine, the one branching off S. W. towards Olivet, 
 and commanding the approach to Jerusalem, the other, to the N.E., 
 towards Michmash, which defends the approach to Ai and Bethel it 
 was the key of the country to any invader coming as Joshua did from 
 the East. 
 
 (b) It was for that age a strongly walled town and "enjoyed the 
 benefit of one, if not two, of those copious streams which form the chief 
 sources of such fertility as the valley of the Jordan contains." Its 
 reduction, therefore, must have been the first object of the operations 
 of Joshua on entering the land of Canaan. See Stanley's Sinai and 
 Palestine, p. 305. "The strategy displayed by the Israelites under Joshua
 
 w. 2, 3-1 JOSHUA, II. 37 
 
 they went, and came into a harlot's house, named Rahab, and , 
 lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, 2 /4* 
 Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of 
 Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho 3 
 
 considering it only as an ordinary historical event is worth notice. 
 Had Israel advanced on Palestine from the South, however victorious 
 they might have been, they would have driven before them an ever- 
 increasing mass of enemies, who after each repulse would gain fresh 
 reinforcements, and could fall back on new fortifications and an un- 
 touched country, more and more difficult at each step. The Canaanites, 
 if defeated on the heights of Hebron, would have held in succession those 
 of Jerusalem and Mount Ephraim ; and it is unlikely that the invaders 
 would ever have reached the district of Gilboa, and Tabor, or the Sea 
 of Tiberias. In all probability Israel would have been compelled to 
 turn off to the low country the land of the Philistines and with the 
 Canaanites on the vantage ground of the mountains of Judah and 
 Ephraim, the nation would in its infancy have been trodden down by 
 the march of the Assyrian and Egyptian armies, whose military road this 
 was. By crossing Jordan, destroying Jericho, occupying the heights by 
 a night-march, and delivering the crushing blow of the battle of Beth- 
 horon, Joshua executed the favourite manoeuvre of the greatest captain 
 by sea or land, since the days of Nelson and Napoleon ; he broke through 
 and defeated the centre of the enemies' line, and then stood in a position 
 to strike with his whole force successively right and left." Note to 
 Lenormant's Manual of Oriental History, \. p. in. 
 
 and came into a harlot's house] The spies traversed successfully the 
 space which separated them from Jericho, crossing the fords or swimming, 
 and entered the city towards evening (Jos. ii. i). There was no one in 
 the place to receive them, and it would have been perilous to have gone 
 to a public khan or caravanserai. They, therefore, followed one of the 
 courtesans, of whom there would be many in a Canaanitish city, to her 
 home. 
 
 named RahaV\ The name of this courtesan was Rahab. She pro- 
 bably, too, carried on the trade of lodging-keeper for wayfaring men. 
 It would seem also that she was engaged in the manufacture of linen, and 
 practised the art of dyeing, for which the Phoenicians were early famous, 
 for we find the flat roof of the house covered with stalks of flax put there to 
 dry, and a stock of scarlet or crimson line in her possession. Her name 
 is mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord (Matt. i. 5). There she 
 appears as the wife of Salmon, the son of Naasson, by whom she became 
 the mother of Boaz, the grandfather of Jesse. See Ruth iv. 20, 21; 
 r Chron. ii. n, 51, 54. Her faith and works are glorified in (a) the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews (xi. 31), and (b) in the Epistle of St James 
 (ii. 25). 
 
 2. it was told the king] Jericho was the residence of a "king" or 
 "chief," a fenced city, enclosed by walls of considerable breadth, and 
 not only contained sheep and oxen, but abounded in "silver and gold," 
 and "vessels of brass and iron" (Jos. vi. 24).
 
 38 JOSHUA, II. [w. 4 6. 
 
 sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come 
 to thee, which are entered into thine house : for they be 
 
 4 come to search out all the country. And the woman took 
 the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men 
 
 5 unto me, but I wist not whence they were: and it came to 
 pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, 
 that the men went out : whither the men went I wot not : 
 
 6 pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. But 
 she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid 
 
 3. sent tinto Rahab~\ "In modern Europe the officers of the govern- 
 ment would have entered the house without wasting the previous time in 
 parley. But formerly, as now, in the East, the privacy of a woman was 
 respected, even to a degree that might be called superstitious, and no 
 one will enter the house in which she lives, or the part of the house she 
 occupies, until her consent has been obtained, if, indeed, such consent 
 be ever demanded. In this case it was not asked. Rahab was required 
 not to let the messengers in, but to bring out the foreigners she 
 harboured." Kitto's Bible Illustrations, 11. 243. 
 
 4. And the woman took the two men\ Instead of timidly surrendering 
 them to the king she resolved to shield and protect them. 
 
 I wist not} For this meaning of "wist," comp. Exod. xvi. 15, "And 
 they said one to another, It is manna, for they wist not what it was ;" 
 Exod. xxxiv. 29, and in many other passages both in the Old and New 
 Testament. See Commentary on St Mark, ch. ix. 6, p. 100. 
 
 5. shiMing of the gate] A necessary precaution owing to the absence 
 of all artificial light from the streets of Oriental towns. 
 
 when it was dark] In the East, night comes on soon after sundown, 
 and the evening twilight is of very short duration. 
 
 I wot not] Strict truth was a virtue but little known or practised in 
 ancient times, and Rahab must not be judged by the same standard of 
 morality as we should apply to our own days. "By faith the harlot 
 Rahab perished not with them that believed not" (Heb. xi. 31). "It 
 would be a mistake, an anachronism, to apply to a dweller in one of 
 the old Canaanite cities, amidst the worshippers of false and cruel 
 deities, destitute of one ray either of Law or Gospel light, principles 
 of conduct and character which we owe to the Revelation of all truth 
 and all duty by our Lord Jesus Christ. The Epistle is content to say 
 only this, Behold in the example of this woman the working of that 
 faith which grasps the unseen. Behold the action of faith upon evi- 
 dence presented and upon an alternative of conduct. Behold the 
 inference of truth honestly drawn, and the preference, on the strength 
 of it, of the future to the present. Behold, St James adds (ii. 2?), 
 how faith differs from opinion, and evidences its existence by the sign 
 of work. The hearts of other inhabitants of Jericho were melting, 
 she tells us, with the terror of Israel, she alone acted upon the con- 
 viction, and added another element to the 'great cloud of witnesses.' " 
 Dr Vaughan's Heroes oj 'Faith , pp. 263, 2^4.
 
 vv. 7 10.] JOSHUA, II. 39 
 
 them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order 
 upon the roof. And the men pursued after them the way 7 
 to Jordan unto the fords : and as soon as they which pur- 
 sued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. 
 
 
 
 8 21. Reception of the Spies by Rahab. 
 
 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them s 
 upon the roof; and she said unto the men, I know that the 9 
 LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen 
 upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because 
 of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the 10 
 water of the Red sea for you, when you came out of Egypt ; 
 
 6. the roof of the house] The roofs of Eastern houses were flat (St Mark 
 ii. 4), and were made useful for various purposes, as drying corn, hanging 
 up linen, and preparing figs and raisins. They were also used as 
 
 (a) places of recreation in the evening; (l>) sleeping-places at night, when 
 the interior apartments were too hot or sultry for refreshing repose ; 
 (c) places for devotion and even idolatrous worship. Comp. i Sam. ix. 
 25, 26; i Sam. xi. 2, xvi. 22; 2 Kings xxiii. 12; Dan. iv. 29; Acts ii. i, 
 x. 9. The Jewish Law required that they should have a battlement, in 
 order that guilt of blood might not come upon the house through any 
 one falling from it (Deut. xxii. 8). " Parts of Roman houses were also 
 furnished with such roofs called solaria, because they lay exposed on 
 all sides to the sun, and also nuzniana, as the Italians now also call 
 them altana." Lange's Commentary. 
 
 the stalks of flax} "stubble of flaxe," Wyclif. Unbroken flax is here 
 meant, the stalks of which, about Jericho and in Egypt, reached a height 
 of more than three feet and the thickness of a reed. It was anciently 
 one of the most important crops in Palestine (Hos. ii. 5, 9). 
 
 8 21. RECEPTION OF THE SPIES BY RAHAB. 
 
 9. the Lord} The name is remarkable as used by Rahab. But the 
 Israelites had long been encamped in the neighbourhood, and she might 
 easily have become acquainted with the name of their God. 
 
 your terror] i.e. "the terror of you." The prophetic words ot 
 triumph in Moses' song were now fulfilled (Exod. xv. 14 16; comp. 
 also Deut. xi. 25). 
 
 faint} Heb. melt. "Ourehearte basshade, ne spirit bood in us at 
 youre yncomynge," Wyclif. See verse 24. 
 
 ' 10. dried up the -water} The inhabitants of the land had heard of two 
 important events, which filled them with alarm; (a) the drying up of 
 the Red Sea before the Israelites (cp. Ps. cvi. 7. 9, 22, cxxxvi. 13); 
 
 (b] the defeat at Jahaz of Sihon king of the Amorites, who refused the 
 Israelites a passage through the territory between the Arnon and the 
 Jabbok (Num. xxi. 21 31; Deut. ii. 30 37), and at Edrei of Og, the 
 giant king of the district which, under the name of "Lashan," extended
 
 40 JOSHUA, II. [vv. ii 16. 
 
 and what you did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that 
 were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye 
 
 11 utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, 
 our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more 
 courage in any man, because of you : for the LORD your 
 God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. 
 
 12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, 
 since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew 
 kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token : 
 
 13 and that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and 
 my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and de- 
 
 14 liver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our 
 life for yours, if/ye utter not this our business. And it shall 
 be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal 
 
 '15 kindly and truly with thee. Then she let them down by 
 a cord through the window : for her house was upon the 
 
 16 town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto 
 them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you ; 
 
 from the Jabbok up to the base of Hermon (Num. xxi. 33 35 ; Deut. 
 iii. 17). 
 
 whom ye utterly destroyed'} Or, devoted. The word here used denotes 
 (i) to separate for God, devote to Him (Lev. xxvii. i\, 28 ; Jos. vi. 1 7, 1 8 ; 
 I Sam. xv. 21), (ii) to devote to utter destruction, utterly destroy (Deut. 
 iv. 26). The objects of such a doom might be (a) persons, as here (and 
 comp. i Kings xx. 42; Rom. ix. 3; Gal. i. 8, 9, iii. 13), or (b) things 
 (Josh. vi. 17, 1 8, vii. i). 
 
 11. he is God in heaven above] Rahab expressly acknowledges God 
 as Almighty, a knowledge which is possible to the heathen, for the 
 " invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, 
 being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power 
 and Godhead" (Rom. i. 20). 
 
 12. a true token~\ " a verrey tokne," Wyclif ; i. e. a token of truth, a 
 sign; comp. Exod. iii. 12, "And this shall be a token unto thee, that I have 
 sent thee; i Sam. ii. 34; Isai. vii. ii; Luke ii. 12. 
 
 14. Our life for yours] Literally, Our soul instead of yours for 
 
 /death, or instead of yours to die, as in the margin. " Oure soule be 
 for youjnto deth," Wyclif. 
 l&7*~she let them down by a cord] Comp. the escape of St Paul from 
 Damascus (Acts ix. 25). 
 
 her house was tipon the town wall] i.e. her chamber was in the upper 
 story of the house, which rose above the wall, as may be seen even now 
 in old cities along the Rhine. 
 
 16. Get you to the mountain] i.e. probably the caverns in "the 
 jagged range of the white limestone mountains " (of Judaea) which rise 
 to the north of the city, ' ' the same which in later ages afforded shelter
 
 vv. 1723.] JOSHUA, II. 41 
 
 and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be 
 returned : and afterward may ye go your way. And the 17 
 men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath 
 which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come 18 
 into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in 
 the window/Nwhich thou didst let us down rf5j): and thou 
 shalt bring tny father, and thy mother, and thyBrethren, and 
 all thy father's household, home unto thee. And it shall be, 19 
 that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into 
 the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be 
 guiltless : and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, 
 his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. 
 And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of 20 
 thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. And she 21 
 said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent 
 them away, and they departed : and she bound the scarlet 
 line in the window. 
 
 22 24. Return of the Spies to Joshua. 
 
 And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode 22 
 there three days, until the pursuers were returned : and the 
 pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found 
 them not. So the two men returned, and descended from 23 
 
 to the hermits who there took up their abode, in the belief that this 
 was the mountain of the Forty Days' Fast of the Temptation the 
 ' Quaranfania,' from which it still derives its name." Stanley, Sinai 
 and Palestine, p. 308. 
 
 17. We -will be blameless} Or, "We are blameless." We must supply 
 "unless you do what we shall now say unto you." Comp. Gen. xxiv. 
 41, " Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to 
 my kindred ; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my 
 oath." Wyclif renders it "we schulen be giltles of this oath." 
 
 18. this line of scarlet thread} The line was spun out of crimson thread, 
 the crimson colour produced by the coccus ilia's, Linn., a cochineal 
 insect, living on the holm oak, the larvae of which yield the crimson dye. 
 
 19. his blood\=\v& "bloodguiltiness," his "responsibility for blood." 
 Compare i Sam. xxi. r, "It is for Saul, and his bloody (=" blood- 
 thirsty") house, because he slew the Gibeonites;" Ezek. xxii. 2, "Wilt 
 thou judge the bloody ( = " bloodguilty ") city? yea thou shalt shew her 
 all her abominations." 
 
 22 24. RETURN OF THE SPIES TO JOSHUA. 
 22. the mountain} See above, verse 16.
 
 42 JOSHUA, II. III. [vv. 24; 13. 
 
 the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son 
 *4 of Nun, and told him all things that befell them : and they 
 said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our 
 hands all the land ; for even all the inhabitants of the 
 country do faint because of us. 
 
 i 13. The Preparation for the Passage of Jordan. 
 
 3 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed 
 from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children 
 
 a of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it 
 came to pass after three days, that the officers went through 
 
 3 the host; and they commanded the people, saying, When 
 ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and 
 
 23. and passed ever] Probably by swimming, for the water at this 
 season was too high to allow them to ford ; compare the coming to 
 David of the eleven mighty men from the uplands of Gad, who swam 
 the river when it had overflowed all its banks (i Chron. xii. 15). 
 
 all things that befell them] Compare the words of the sons of Jacob 
 to their father, Gen. xlii. 29 ; of Moses to his father-in-law, Exod. 
 xviii. 8. 
 
 24. all the inhabitants'} This was the most important part of iheir 
 communication, that the inhabitants of the land were utterly dispirited 
 and cast down. 
 
 CH. III. 1 13. THE PREPARATION FOR THE PASSAGE OF JORDAN. 
 
 1. they removed from Shittim] They descended from the upper 
 terraces of the valley of Jordan, from "the Grove of Acacias," to the 
 level of the river. 
 
 to Jordan] Speaking strictly, Jordan has a threefold bank: 
 
 (a) The lowest, at the edge of the river, which in spring is fre- 
 quently inundated, owing lo the melting of the snow on Hermon; 
 
 (b) The middle bank, which is covered with a rich vegetation ; 
 (f) An upper bank, which overhangs the river. 
 
 2. after three days} See above, i. 11. 
 
 the officers -went through the host] Or, overseers : Vulg. pracones. The 
 word denotes (i) the headman of the people (Exod. v. 6 19 ; Num. xi. 16); 
 (ii) the magistrates in the towns (Deut. xvi. 18; t Chron. xxiii. 4). 
 
 3. the ark of the covenant] called sometimes (i) " the Ark of God," 
 i Sam. iii. 3 ; sometimes (ii) "the Ark of the Testimony," Exod. xxv. 22. 
 Here it means " the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah," the Sacred Ark, 
 an oblong chest of acacia wood, overlaid with the purest gold within 
 and without, 2^ cubits in length, i in breadth, i\ in height. It con- 
 tained the two stone tables, on both sides of which the Decalogue had 
 been inscribed. Round the top ran a crown or wreath of pure gold, 
 and upcn it was the Afayy^Sfat, at either end of which were t\\o
 
 vv. 4 10.] JOSHUA, III. 43 
 
 the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from 
 your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space 4 
 between you and it, about two thousand cubits by mea- 
 sure . come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by 
 which ye must go : for ye have not passed this way hereto- 
 fore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctity yourselves : s 
 for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. And 6 
 Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of 
 the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they 
 took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the 
 people. 
 
 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to 7 
 magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know 
 that, as 1 was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou s 
 shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, 
 saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of 
 Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said 9 
 unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words 
 of the LORD your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall > 
 know that the living God is among you, and that he will 
 
 golden Cherubim, with outspread wings and faces turned towards each (tyL 
 other, an3 eyes bent downwards, as though desirous to look into its 
 mysteries (i Pet. i. 12). 
 
 and go after it] In the wilderness the Pillar of Cloud had led the 
 way, now the Ark of the Covenant takes its place. 
 
 4. there shall be a space] Partly for the sake of reverence, partly 
 that it might be observed and marked as it led the way. 
 
 two thousand cubits} a Sabbath day's journey (Acts i. 12) = 3000 
 feet. 
 
 5. Sanctify yourselves] Compare the instructions of Moses before the 
 giving of the Law (Exod. xix. 10 15). This would consist partly in 
 ceremonial purification, partly in turning to the Lord in a spirit of 
 expectant faith in "the wonders" which "the Lord would do" 
 amongst them. Wyclif renders the verse: " Be ye hallowid; forsothe 
 to morrowe the Lord shall do among yow marveyls." 
 
 to marrow] the tenth of Nisan (iv. 19), the anniversary of the day oa 
 which forty years before the Israelites had " taken to them " (E:;od. xii. 
 3) "every man a lamb" as a Paschal victim. 
 
 6. And they took up] i. e. on the day following. 
 
 9. And Joshua said} Verses 9 13 contain the substance of an address 
 to a solemn assembly of the people, in which a fuller explanation is 
 given of what has been stated generally in verses 7 and 8. 
 
 10. the living God] Comp. Deut. v. 26, " For who is there of all 
 flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God?" This title is applied
 
 44 JOSHUA, III. fv. n. 
 
 without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and 
 the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the 
 Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, 
 
 to God to indicate that He is not dead, like the " lying vanities " of 
 heathenism (Lev. xix. 4; Deut. xxxii. 21; Jon. ii. 8), but the source of 
 all life. 
 
 the Canaanites] Seven nations are here enumerated, as also, though 
 in varying order, in Deut. vii. i ; Josh. ix. i, xi. 3, xxiv. n. 
 
 (i) The Canaanites (Deut. i. 7), or" Lowlanders " properly so called, 
 occupied (a) the sea-coast as far north as Dan ; (3) a considerable 
 portion of the plain of Esdraelon; and (c) of the Valley of the 
 Jordan (Num. xiii. 29). 
 
 (ii) The Hittites, descended from Heth, the second son of Canaan, 
 and settled in the time of Abraham in and round Hebron (Gen. 
 xxiii. 19, xxv. 9), then called Kirjath-Arba. At that time the tribe 
 was as yet but small and not important enough to be noticed 
 beside the "Canaanite" and the "Perizzite." Afterwards they 
 acquired greater strength, and took their place as equal allies with 
 the other nations. 
 
 (iii) The Hivites are omitted (a) in the first enumeration of the 
 nations, who, at the time of the call of Abraham, occupied the 
 Promised Land (Gen. xv. 19 21); (l>) in the report of the spies 
 (Num. xiii. 29). We first hear of them when Jacob returned to 
 Canaan (Gen. xxxiv. 2). A peaceful and commercial people 
 (Gen. xxxiv. 10, 23, 28, 29), they were mainly located " under 
 Hermon, in the land of Mizpeh" (Josh. xi. 3), in "mount Leba- 
 non, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entering in of Hamath " 
 (Judg. iii. 3; 2 Sam. xxiv. 7). 
 
 (iv) The Perizzites, which word is thought to denote " rustics," 
 "dwellers in the open, unwalled towns," were located partly in 
 the south (Judg. i. 4, 5), partly in the forest country "on the western 
 flanks of mount Carmel." 
 
 (v) The Girgashites are conjectured to have been a large family of the 
 Hivites, as they are omitted in nine out of the ten places in which 
 the nations or families of Canaan are mentioned, while in the tenth 
 they are mentioned and the Hivites omitted. They are supposed 
 to have been settled in that part of the country which lay to the east 
 of the Lake of Gennesareth. 
 
 (vi) The Amorites, or " Mountaineers," occupied (Gen. xiv. 7) the 
 barren heights west of the Dead Sea, and stretched west to Hebron 
 (Gen. xiii. 18, xiv. 13); thence, tempted probably by the high 
 tablelands on the east, they crossed the Jordan, and occupied the 
 country from the Arnon to the Jabbok (Num. xxi. 13, 26). In the 
 genealogical table of Gen. x. " the Amorite " is given as the fourth 
 son of Canaan. 
 
 (vii) The Jebusiies are uniformly placed last in the formula, by which 
 the Promised Land is often designated. They were a mountain 
 tribe, and occupied the strong fortress of Jebus (Jerusalem).
 
 vv. 1216.] JOSHUA, III. 45 
 
 the ark of the covenant, even the Lord of all the earth passeth 
 over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take ye twelve 
 men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. 
 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet 13 
 of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all 
 the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters 
 of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down 
 from above ; and they shall stand upon a heap. 
 
 1 4 1 7 . Jordan turned backwards. 
 
 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their 14 
 tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark 
 <?/the covenant before the people ; and as they that bare the 15 
 ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that 
 bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for 
 Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) that 16 
 
 11. the Lord of all the earth'] A significant title of the Most Hrjh, 
 at a time when the conquest of the Land was contemplated. 
 
 13. shall be cut off] See below, verse 16. 
 
 1417. JORDAN TURNED BACKWARDS. 
 
 14. when the people removed] \. e. on the roth day of Ahib or Nisan, 
 the same month they before witnessed the departure from Egypt, corre- 
 sponding to our April or May. 
 
 15. for Jordan aocrfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest] In the 
 deeply sunken, tropical valley of the Jordan, the harvest had already 
 commenced, and the snow on Hermon having begun to melt, the 
 " yellow" water of the river stood high and had overflowed its lower 
 bank. "We were on the banks of the Jordan Muddy, swollen, and 
 turbid, the stream was far too formidable and rapid for the most ad- 
 venturous to attempt their intended bathe.... Had we arrived a few 
 days sooner, we could not have approached the river at all ; for it had 
 been overflowing its banks and filling the lower level, to which we had 
 descended from the plain, and which was still a deep slimy ooze. 
 Under our tree, however, the drift had formed a sandbank, on which 
 we could sit. By measurement we found that the river had lately been 
 fourteen feet higher than its present margin, and yet it was still many 
 feet above its ordinary level." Tristram's Land of Israel, p. 223. 
 
 Observe: (a) The feet of the priests were dipped in the brim of the 
 water. This is explained by the season being that of a periodical inun- 
 dation of the Jordan, which overflowed its banks all the time of harvest ; 
 
 (l>) The barley harvest is here meant, for the wheat harvest was not 
 fully completed till Pentecost, or fifty days later in the year, and the 
 Israelites crossed the Jordan on the loth day of Abib or Nisan, i.e. 
 four days before the Passover ;
 
 46 JOSHUA, III. [v. 16. 
 
 the waters which came down from above stood and rose up 
 upon a heap very far, from the city Adam, that is beside 
 Zaretan : and those that came down toward the sea of the 
 plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the 
 
 (r) Now in Exodus we learn that at the Plague of Hail, which was 
 but a day or two before the Passover, "the^rur and the barley were 
 smitten, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was boiled. But the 
 wheat and the rye were not smitten, for they were not grown up ;" 
 
 (d) It would seem then that the flax and the barley were crops 
 which ripened about the same time in Egypt, and as the climate of 
 Canaan did not differ materially from that of Egypt, especially in the 
 sunken Ghdr of the Jordan, this was, no doubt, the case in Canaan too; 
 there also these two crops would come in at the same time, and this also 
 must have been the season of \\\o.flax harvest; 
 
 (f) Now Rahab hid the spies in the stalks of flax (Josh. ii. 6) laid on 
 the roof doubtless to steep and season. Here we have a strikingly 
 undesigned coincidence in the passage of the Israelites at the time 
 of harvest, and that the barley harvest, which coincides with the Pass- 
 over, and the ripening of the flax harvest. Blunt's Undesigned Coin- 
 cidences, pp. 105 107. 
 
 16. the waters -which came down from above] Let us try to realise the 
 scene : 
 
 (a) At a distance of about 2000 cubits, or a mile, from the river 
 stood the great mass of the army (Josh. iii. 4). 
 
 (l>) On the broken edge of the river were the priests bearing on their 
 shoulders the sacred Ark ; 
 
 (c) As soon as the feet of the priests were " dipped in the brim of the 
 water," the flow of the stream was arrested; 
 
 (d) Far up, beyond where they stood, at the city of Adam, that is 
 beside Zaretan, about 30 miles from the place where the host was 
 
 ' encamped, the waters which rushed down from above "stood and 
 rose upon an heap," drawn up by the Divine Hand ; 
 
 (e) At the same moment the waters that came down toward the Salt 
 Sea " failed and were cut off" (Josh. iii. 16), and thus from north to 
 south the waters were "driven backwards" (Ps. cxiv. 3), and the 
 dry river-bed was exposed to view. 
 
 from the city Adani} is a correction of the text. The Hebrew has, 
 at the city Adam, which was situated, it is thought, where now we find 
 the ford Damieh with remains of a bridge of the Roman period (Van 
 de Velde, Narrative, II. 322). 
 
 beside Zaretan] Or, more correctly, Zarthan (i 
 
 the situation of which is unknown, but it is thought to have been near 
 Succoth, at the mouth of the Jabbok (i Kings vii. 46). By some it has 
 been identified with the modern Surtabeh, an isolated hill some j 7 miles 
 above Jericho, where high rocks Jompress the Jordan Valley within its 
 narrowest limits, and seem almost to throw a barrier across it. 
 
 the sea of 'the plain] This name, which also occurs in Deut. iii. 17, iv.
 
 vv. i;; i 3-1 JOSHUA, III. IV. 47 
 
 people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests t? 
 that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on 
 dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites 
 passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed 
 clean over Jordan. 
 
 i 1 8 . Completion of the Passage. 
 
 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean 4 
 passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, say- 
 ing, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every a 
 tribe a man, and command you them, saying, Take you 3 
 hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the 
 priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry 
 
 49, is used for the Dead Sea, the waters of which are clear, but strongly 
 tinctured with salt, and fatal to fish. 
 
 failed} " The scene presented is of the ' descending stream,' not 
 ' parted asunder,' as we generally fancy, but as the Psalm (cxiv. 3) 
 expresses it, ' turned backwards / the whole bed of the river left dry 
 from north to south, through its long windings ; the huge stones lying 
 bare here and there, imbedded in the soft bottom; or the shingly 
 pebbles drifted along the course of the channel." Stanley's Lectures, 
 p. 232. 
 
 17. all the Israelites passed over] Where the passage exactly took 
 place cannot now be determined, but the typical significance of the 
 narrative is very impressive. Whether we consider (i) the solemn in- 
 auguration of Joshua to his office; or (ii) his attestation by the waters 
 of the Jordan; or (iii) the choice of twelve men, one from each tribe, to 
 be the bearers of the twelve stones, and the builders of the monument 
 founded therewith (i Cor. iii. 10; Rev. xxi. 14), we see types of the 
 other "Joshua," Who was solemnly inaugurated and divinely attested by 
 the rushing waters of the same stream, and Who ordained His twelve 
 Apostles to be the Pillars of His Church, and the builders of the 
 Spiritual Temple. See above, Introduction, p. 25. 
 
 Cn. IV. 1 18. COMPLETION OF THE PASSAGE. 
 
 1. when all the people were clean passed ovei-\ Below the spot, where 
 the priests stood firm and motionless, the host, probably at various 
 points, " hasted and passed over" (Josh. iv. 10). 
 
 3. twelve stones] We find on several occasions large stones set up 
 to commemorate remarkable events, as (a) by Jacob in memory of 
 the vision of the Angels at Beth-el (Gen. xxviii. 18); (b) by the same 
 patriarch on his return from Padan-aram (Gen. xxxv. 14) ; (c) by the same 
 patriarch again as a "heap of witness" between him and Laban (Gen. 
 xxxi. 45 47); (d) by Samuel at "Eben-ezer" to mark the sue of the 
 victory over the Philistines (i Sam. vii. 12). Such stones were some- 
 times consecrated by anointing with oil (Gen. xxviii. 1 8).
 
 48 JOSHUA, TV. [vv. 410. 
 
 them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, 
 
 4 where you shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the 
 twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, 
 
 5 out of every tribe a man : and Joshua said unto them, Pass 
 over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of 
 Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his 
 shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the 
 
 6 children of Israel : that this may be a sign among you, that 
 when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 
 
 7 What mean you by these stones? then ye shall answer them, 
 That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the 
 covenant of the LORD ; when it passed over Jordan, the 
 waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for 
 
 8 a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And the 
 children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took 
 up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD 
 spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of 
 the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto 
 the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. 
 
 9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in 
 the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark 
 of the covenant stood : and they are there unto this day. 
 
 to For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of 
 
 6. when your children] Comp. Exod. xii. 26, xiii. 14; Deut. vi. 20. 
 
 8. unto the place] "On the upper terrace of the plain of the Jordan, 
 which became the centre of the first sanctuary of the Holy Land the 
 first place pronounced 'holy,' the sacred place of the Jordan valley 
 (Josh. v. 10 15), where the Tabernacle remained till it was fixed at 
 Shiloh" (Josh, xviii. i). 
 
 9. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan} " Alios 
 quoque duodecim lapides," Vulg. Another set of stones is here 
 intended than that just mentioned. The latter were set up by the 
 direct command of God to mark the spot where they passed the night; 
 the former Joshua set up, apparently without the Divine suggestion, to 
 mark the spot where the feet of the priests rested, while they bare 
 upwards the Ark during the passage of the people. The expression 
 "midst of Jordan" does not necessarily imply that the priests stood, 
 and that the stones were built up, in the middle channel; but only that 
 they were in the midst of the water when it flowed as it did before 
 the occurrence of the miracle. Comp. Josh. iii. 8 with iii. 15. 
 
 unto this day} This phrase recurs again and again in the Book of 
 Joshua. Comp. Josh. v. 9, vi. 25, vii. 26, viii. 28, 29, ix. 27, x. 27, xiii. 
 J3, xiv. 14, xv. 63, xvi. 10. 
 
 10. the priests which bare the ark stood] Their patient attitude,
 
 vv. 1119.] JOSHUA, IV. 49 
 
 Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD com- 
 manded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all 
 that Moses commanded Joshua : and the people hasted and 
 passed over. And it came to pass, when all the people were :I 
 clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, 
 and the priests, in the presence of the people. And the iz 
 children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the 
 tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children 
 of Israel, as Moses spake unto them : about forty thousand J 3 
 prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, 
 to the plains of Jericho. On that day the LORD magnified M 
 Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as 
 they feared Moses, all the days of his life. 
 
 And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, Command the \l 
 priests that bear the ark of the Testimony, that they come 
 up out of Jordan. Joshua therefore commanded the priests, t; 
 saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. And it came to pass, >8 
 when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the 
 LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the 
 soles of the priests' feet were lift up unto the dry land, that 
 the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed 
 over all his banks, as they did before. 
 
 19 24. Erection of the Monument at Gilgal. 
 
 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of '9 
 the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of 
 
 standing still and motionless, was eminently calculated to impart courage 
 to the people. 
 
 12. passed over armed before the children of Israel] Contrary to 
 the usual order (Num. xxxii. 20), as if to secure that they should 
 fulfil their vow. 
 
 18. the -waters of Jordan returned] Thus the history of the crossing 
 is related in sections: (a) first briefly, iii. 14 17; (b) then more 
 completely, iv. i n; (c) some supplementary notices, iv. 12 17; 
 (J) finally, the conclusion, concerning the return of the water, till 
 Jordan ' ' flowed over all his banks," as it did before. 
 
 1924. ERECTION OF THE MONUMENT AT GILGAL. 
 
 19. the tenth day of the first month} Notice the exactness of the 
 narrative. The first month is elsewhere called Abib, i. e. " the month 
 of green ears" (Exod. xiii. 4, xxiii. 15 ; Deut. xvi. i), and subsequently 
 " Nisan" (Neh. ii. i ; Esth. iii. 7). 
 
 encamped] The site was doubtless fortified by Joshua "as a frontier 
 
 JOSHUA 4
 
 50 JOSHUA, IV. [vv. 2024 
 
 * Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of 
 2' Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. And he spake unto the 
 
 children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their 
 " fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones ? then 
 
 ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this 
 23 Jordan on dry land. For the LORD your God dried up the 
 
 waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, 
 
 as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried 
 2 1 up from before us, until we were gone over: that all the 
 
 people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that 
 
 it is mighty : that ye might fear the LORD your God for 
 
 ever. 
 
 fortress, such as the Greeks under the name of epitichisma, and the 
 Romans under the name of colonia, always planted as their advanced 
 posts in a hostile country, such as at Kufa the Arab conquerors 
 founded before the building of Bagdad, and at Postal before the 
 building of Cairo." Stanley's Lectures, p. 233. 
 
 in Gilgal] situated apparently on a hillock or rising ground in the 
 Arboth-Jericho, or, as it is rendered in our Version, "the plains of 
 Jericho," the more level district of the "Ghor" which lay between 
 the town and the river. We find Gilgal mentioned again, (a) in 
 the time of Saul (i Sam. vii. 16, x. 8), and (b) some sixty years 
 later in the history of David's return to Jerusalem (2 Sam. xix. 15). 
 The name is here mentioned by anticipation, Josh. v. 9. 
 
 20. those tivelve stones} which seem to have been invested with a 
 reverence which came to be regarded at last as idolatrous (Hos. iv. 15, 
 ix. 15; Amos iv. 4, v. 5). 
 
 21. When yozir children] Nothing is more carefully inculcated 
 in the Law than the duty of parents to teach their children not only 
 its precepts and principles, but the meaning of all the great historical 
 events in their national existence. (Comp. Exod. xii. 26, xiii. 8, 14 ; 
 Deut. iv. 5, 9, 10.) 
 
 24. that all the people of the earth might ?cuo-(J] The miracle made 
 the passage possible and easy for the Elect Nation, but it was intended 
 also to have its effect on the nations around, and impart to them a 
 knowledge of the power of Jehovah, the God of Israel. 
 
 that ye might fear] The tribes of Israel were now in the enemy's 
 country, and they had learnt afresh, as their fathers had done before 
 them at the Red Sea, three important lessons ; (i) that the power of 
 Jehovah was unlimited ; (ii) that it would be exerted on their behalf 
 so long as they were obedient to His commands ; (iii) that their leader 
 was acting under the direct command and guidance of their Invisible 
 Protector. These lessons were of universal application and were to 
 be impressed on generation after generation.
 
 w. 13.] JOSHUA, V. 5I 
 
 i 9. Renewal of the Rite of Circumcision. 
 
 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, 5 
 which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings 
 of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the 
 LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the 
 children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart 
 melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of 
 the children of Israel. 
 
 At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp * 
 knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the 
 second time. And Joshua made him sharp knives, and cir- 3 
 cumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. 
 
 Cir. V. 1 9. RENEWAL OF THE RITE OF CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 1. -when all the kings of the Amorites} This verse stands in close 
 connection with the last verse of the preceding Chapter. All the 
 peoples of the earth were "to know the Name of the Lord" and to 
 fear Him. A first example of this is seen in the case of the Canaanite 
 nations. 
 
 which were by the sed\ See note above on iii. ro. 
 
 their heart melted] The terror which, as Rahab had told the spies, 
 had already seized them was greatly increased by the news of the mar- 
 vellous passage of the Jordan. Wyclif renders it, " the herte of 
 hem is discomfortid, and abood not in hem spiryte of hem." 
 
 2. Make thee sharp knives\ Or, as in margin, knives QfJUnt. "Stonen 
 knyues," Wyclif. In Exod. iv. 25 we read tfiat Zipporah, the wife 
 of Moses, took a "sharp stone," or "knife of flint," and circumcised 
 her son. Joshua followed the custom of antiquity on this occasion, 
 for they had no other knives with them. Herodotus, n. 86, mentions 
 "stone knives" as used by the Egyptian embalmers, and with such 
 the priests of Cybele mutilated themselves. A representation of the 
 K^yptian flint knife from the Museum at Berlin is given in Smith's 
 Biblical Dictionary. 
 
 and circumcise} For forty years in the wilderness the nation had 
 been under judgment, and those born there had not received the 
 covenant mark of circumcision. To renew that rite in their case was 
 the first necessity, that Israel might be restored to its full position as 
 the Covenant-people of God. 
 
 the second time} All, it is to be remembered, who, having come out 
 from Egypt, were at the time of the sentence at Kadesh under twenty 
 years old (Num. xiv. 29), i.e. all at Gilgal, who were 38 years old and 
 upwards, had been circumcised. The rite, therefore, now applies only 
 to the residue. 
 
 3. the hill of the foreskins] or " Gibeah-haaraloth" probably so named 
 from this transaction. Comp. Col. ii. 11 13, iii. i 6. 
 
 42
 
 52 JOSHUA, V. [vv. 4 9. 
 
 4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise : All the 
 people that came out of Egypt, that -were males, even all the 
 men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they 
 
 5 came out of Egypt. Now all the people that came out were 
 circumcised : but all the people that were born in the wilder- 
 ness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they 
 
 e had not circumcised. For the children of Israel walked 
 forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men 
 of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because 
 they obeyed not the voice of the LORD : unto whom the 
 LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which 
 the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a 
 
 7 land that floweth with milk and honey. And their children, 
 whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised : for 
 they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised 
 
 8 them by the way. And it came to pass, when they had 
 done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their 
 
 9 places in the camp, till they were whole. And the LORD 
 said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach 
 of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is 
 called Gilgal unto this day. 
 
 6. forty years] See Num. xiv. 33 ; Deut. i. 3, ii. 7, 14. 
 
 a land that floweth -with milk and honey} For this expression com- 
 pare Exod. iii. 8, 17, xiii. 5 ; Lev. xx. 24 ; Num. xiii. 27, xvi. 14 ; 
 Deut. vi. 3. " Milk and honey are productions of a land rich in grass 
 and flowers. Both articles were abundantly produced in Canaan, 
 even in a state of devastation. Milk, eaten partly sweet and partly 
 curdled, that of cows as well as of goats and sheep (Deut. xxxii. 14), 
 was prominent in the diet of the ancient Hebrews, as in that of the 
 Orientals of the present day. The land yielded great quantities of 
 honey also, especially that from wild bees (Judg. xiv. 8 ; i Sam. 
 xiv. 26; Matt. iii. 4), and still yields it in its wasted condition." Keil. 
 
 8. they abode in their places] Keil observes that those for whom 
 the rite was not now needed, would be sufficient to defend the camp 
 at Gilgal, although the terror consequent upon the passage of the 
 Jordan would have been sufficient to ensure their safety against all 
 hostile attacks. 
 
 9. the reproach of Egypf\ This may be explained as (i) the reproach, 
 which had attached to the people all the way from Egypt, where the 
 nation had been a people of slaves ; comp. Gen. xxxiv. 14 ; i Sam. 
 xvii. 26 ; as (ii) referring to the taunts and reproaches actually levelled 
 by the Egyptians against the Israelites, because of their long wanderings 
 in the desert, and the disappointment of their hopes to obtain a " rest " 
 in Canaan. (Comp. Exod. xxxii. 12; Num. xiv. 13 16 ; Deut. ix. 28.)
 
 10, ii.] JOSHUA, V. 
 
 53 
 
 10 12. Celebration of the Passover. Cessation of the 
 Manna. 
 
 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept 10 
 the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in 
 the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the old corn of n 
 
 Gilgal] i.e. the Rolling 1 . "And J?e name of }>at place is clepid 
 Galgala," Wyclif. It would seem that this was the name of the 
 place before the Exodus, for the Canaanites are described as living* 
 " over against Gilgal " in Deut. xi. 30. Its site is fixed by Josephus 
 50 furlongs from the Jordan and 10 from Jericho (Antiq. V. i. 4), 
 which would be at or near the modern village of er-Riha. It does not 
 seem that a new name was given to the place now ; but rather that a 
 new meaning and significancy were attached to the old name, the word 
 Gilgal denoting a " circle," and also a " rolling away." 
 
 10 12. CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER. CESSATION OF THE 
 MANNA. 
 
 10. And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal} The camp 
 became permanent, and probably in grateful memorial of the many 
 associations connected with the place, the people made it for cen- 
 turies the great gathering-place of the tribes (Josh. ix. 6, x. 6, 43). 
 The following notices of its subsequent history are deserving of 
 attention, (a) It was the site of the Tabernacle during the continuance 
 of the wars and until its removal to Shiloh ; (b) It was one of the three 
 assize towns, where Samuel administered justice (i Sam. vii. 16) ; 
 (c) It was here that Samuel and Saul held solemn assemblies, as 
 also David on his return from exile (comp. i Sam. x. 8, xi. 14, 
 xv. 12; 2 Sam. xix. 15) ; (d) after the building of the Temple, it became 
 more and more neglected, but was the site of a school of the prophets, 
 who remained there till a late period (2 Kings ii. 5). 
 
 and kept the passover] Their "reproach" having been "rolled 
 away," the people of God would renew the festive remembrance of 
 their deliverance from Egypt. 
 
 on the fourteenth, day] Comp. Exod. xii. 6, 18 ; Deut. xvi. 6. As 
 the night of the first Passover was one of terror and judgment to 
 Egypt, so now, while within view of the camp at Gilgal, Israel was 
 keeping the first Passover on the soil of Palestine, "Jericho was straitly . 
 shut up because of the children of Israel, none went out, and none 
 came in." (Josh. vi. i.) 
 
 11. of the old corn] Rather, of the produce of the land. " And 
 thei eten of the fruytis of the lond in the tothir day, therf looues, and 
 potage of the same seer, etin corny s seengid and fr olid in the hand." 
 Wyclif. It could not have been other than the new corn just ripening 
 at the season of the Passover (Lev. xxiii. n), not "the old corn," 
 of which no sufficient supply could have been procurable.
 
 54 JOSHUA, V. [vv. 12, 13. 
 
 ,,/ the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, 
 
 v 12 and Inarched corn in the selfsame day. And the manna 
 
 / ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn 
 
 of the land ; neither had the children of Israel manna any 
 
 more ; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan 
 
 that year. 
 
 13 15; VI. i 5. Appearance of the Prince of the Host of 
 Jehovah. 
 
 13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he 
 lift up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man 
 
 on the morrow after the passovcr} In Num. xxxiii. 3 these words de- 
 note the 1 5th of Nisan. Here, however, they must apparently mean 
 the i6th. For the people could not lawfully eat of the new corn, till 
 the nrstfruits had been "waved before the Lord," which was done "on 
 the morrow after the Sabbath," i.e. the morrow after the first day of 
 unleavened bread; this, though not necessarily the seventh day of the 
 week, was to be observed as a Sabbath, and therefore is so called. 
 (Comp. Lev. xxiii. 7, ir, 14.) 
 
 unleavened cakes} according to the requirements of the Law, Exod. 
 xii. 8, 15. 
 
 parched corn] i. e. roasted harvest ears. 
 
 12. the manna ceased} For the first time since leaving Sinai the 
 Passover cakes were not made of manna, for the people had now 
 arrived in Canaan, and no longer needed this "Bread of the Wilderness." 
 Day after day, for forty years, there had appeared "on the face of the 
 wilderness a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost, white, like 
 coriander seed," the taste of which "was like wafers made with honey" 
 (Exod. xvi. 14 36). Day by day, except on the Sabbath, it had been 
 gathered, and had been found sufficient for their daily wants. Now it 
 suddenly ceased. The people no longer needed this "angels' food" 
 (Ps. Ixxviii. 25), but "they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan." 
 Comp. John vi. 31, 49, 58; Rev. ii. 17. 
 
 13 15; VI. 15. APPEARANCE OF THE PRINCE OF THE HOST OF 
 JEHOVAH. 
 
 13. when Joshua was by Jericho} having as yet received no special 
 instructions as to the mode in which he was to attack Jericho, though 
 the people, whom he led, were altogether untrained for such a work, 
 
 he lift up his eyes and looked} Compare the expression used in Gen. 
 xviii. 2 of Abraham as "he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day" 
 under the terebinth of Mamre, and "he lift up his eyes and looked 
 and lo." 
 
 a man} Some have supposed He was a created being, others, with 
 far greater reason, that He was none other than HE, Who had already 
 "manifested Himself" to Abraham (Gen. xii. 7, xviii. 2), and to Moses
 
 w. 14, 15; I-] JOSHUA, V. VI. 55 
 
 over against him with his sword drawn in his hand : and 
 Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, 
 or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain 14 
 of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell 
 on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, 
 What saith my lord unto his servant ? And the captain of 15 
 the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off 
 thy foot ; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And 
 Joshua did so. Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of 6 
 
 in the "Burning Bush" (Exod. iii. 2, 6), "the Word of God," Who 
 "alone hath ever declared" or revealed the Father (John i. 18). 
 
 with his sivord drawn in his hand~\ Compare the appearance of the 
 Cherub at the Gate of Paradise (Gen. iii. 24), and of the Angel who 
 meets Balaam in the way (Num. xxii. 31). 
 
 and Joshua went unto Aim] This shews that the appearance was not 
 a mere waking vision. Joshua goes up to the mysterious Warrior and 
 addresses him. 
 
 14. as captain] or rather, Prince of the host of Jehovah, i. e. of the 
 Angelic Host, the Host of heaven. "I am prince of }?e oost of J?e Lord," 
 Wyclif. Compare the expressions "Jehovah of hosts," or more fully 
 "Jehovah, Lord of hosts" (Jer. v. 14, xv. 16; Isai. vi. 3; Ps. xxiv. 10, 
 Ixxx. 7, 19). "Not as mingling with these earthly hosts, but as they fol- 
 low in a higher order; as the mighty ONE in heavenly places of whom thou 
 art here and now on earth the type and shadow ; as He whom all the 
 Angels worship, as the Uncreated Angel of the Covenant, as the Captain 
 of the heavenly host of God, have I come to thee. " Bp Wilberforce's 
 Heroes of Hebrew History, p. 148. Comp. i Sam. i. 3 ; i Kings xxii. 19. 
 The Prince of the Angels of heaven had come to lead Israel in the 
 impending strife. 
 
 And Joshua fell on his face] Compare the attitude (a) of Abraham 
 before God (Gen. xvii. 3) ; (b) of his brethren before Joseph (Gen. xlii. 6) ; 
 (<:) of Moses at the Burning Bush (Exod. iii. 6). It does not necessarily 
 and of itself \m.Tp\y worship, though such is intended here. 
 
 What saith my lord...?] The revelation, with which Joshua was now 
 favoured, forcibly recalls the incident of the "Burning Bush" at Horeb. 
 Not however in fiery flame, but in the person of a seemingly human 
 warrior, was the Divine Presence manifested to the leader of the armies 
 of Israel. Thus the first and the second Joshua met, and the Type fell 
 prostrate before the Antitype. 
 
 15. Loose thy shoe] " Vnlace thi schoo fro thi feet," Wyclif. Comp. 
 Exod. iii. 5. It was a mark of reverence to cast off the sandals in ap- 
 proaching a place or person of eminent sanctity. 
 
 VI. 1. Now Jericho} This verse is strictly parenthetical, and states 
 the Historical circumstance which gave occasion for this Divine inter- 
 vention. 
 
 was straitly shut up] Vulg. "clausa erat atque munita." "Was closid 
 andwaardid," Wycli-. Straitly = strictly, closely. Comp. Gen. xliii. 7,
 
 56 JOSHUA, VI. [vv. 24. 
 
 the children of Israel : none went out, and none came in. 
 
 2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into 
 thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty 
 
 3 men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of 
 war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do 
 
 < six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven 
 trumpets of rams' horns : and the seventh day ye shall 
 
 "The man asked us straitly of our state." Shakespeare, Richard III. 
 I. 1.85, 86: 
 
 "His majesty hath straitly given in charge, 
 That no man shall have private conference." 
 
 2. And the Lord said] The interview between the Hebrew leader 
 and "the Prince of Jehovah's host" is here resumed. 
 
 See, I have given] Compare for a similar expression Josh. xi. 6. As 
 Israel had stood on the shores of the Red Sea and seen "the salvation 
 of God," so now they were themselves to adopt no warlike measures for 
 the capture of the city, everything was to be doneyr them, not jthem : 
 the victory when achieved was to be one, "into which no feeling of 
 pride or self-exaltation could enter." 
 
 3. ye shall compass the -city"] The scene to be witnessed from the walls 
 of Jericho, was calculated in the most striking manner to appeal to the 
 consciences of all who should see it: 
 
 (a) First in solemn procession were to advance armed men : 
 (l>) Then woidd follow seven priests blowing continually, not the 
 customary silver trumpets, but large horns : 
 
 (c) Thus heralded, was to follow the Ark of Jehovah borne by the 
 priests : 
 
 (d) Then were to follow "the rereward" of Israel. 
 
 Six days was this strange procession to encompass the walls of Jericho, 
 passing round in solemn silence, save for the long-drawn blasts of the 
 horns. But on the seventh day, the city was to be encompassed seven times, 
 and at the seventh the people were to shout, and it was promised that 
 the city should "fall down flat," and its destruction would be complete. 
 "The ark of God, with the tables of stone from Sinai hidden within, 
 was the genius, I had almost said the general, of that mysterious march : 
 it was made plain by every token, that God, not man, was at work. 
 Their priests were officiating, with the emblems of festival, not of warfare 
 "the trumpets of jubilee" in their hands; before them armed hosts 
 heralding, behind them armed hosts attending, the progress of the true 
 Champion, the representative of the God of battles, to whose presence 
 alone the coming victory was to be due." Dr Vaughan's Heroes of 
 Faith, p. 253. 
 
 4. trumpets of rams' horns} Rather, trumpets of soundings, or, of 
 jubilee; "seuen trompes, vhose use is in the jubile." Not the long 
 straight trumpets generally used, but the same kind that were to be 
 employed on the first day of the seventh month (Lev. xxiii. 24), and to 
 announce the year of Jubilee (Lev. xxv. 9). This instrument was
 
 vv. 58.] JOSHUA, VI. 57 
 
 compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with 
 the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they 5 
 make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the 
 sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great 
 shout ; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the 
 people shall ascend up every man straight before him. 
 
 6 21. Capture and Destruction of Jericho. 
 
 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said 6 
 unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven 
 priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of 
 the LORD. And he said unto the people, Pass on, and com- 7 
 pass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the 
 ark of the LORD. And it came to pass, when Joshua had & 
 spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the 
 seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, 
 and blew with the trumpets : and the ark cf the covenant of 
 
 curved, and would be more accurately rendered "cornet," as in i Chron. 
 xv. 28; i Chron. xv. 14; Ps. xcviii. 6; Hos. v. 8; Dan. iii. 5. 
 
 seven} Observe the significance here of the number: seven priests; 
 seven horns ; seven days of compassing the walls ; seven repetitions of it 
 on the seventh day. The influence of the number "seven" was not 
 restricted to the Hebrews. It prevailed among the Persians (Esth. i. 10, 
 14), among the ancient Indians, to a certain extent among the Greeks 
 and Romans, and probably among all nations where the week of seven 
 days was established, as in Egypt, Arabia, China. Amongst the Hebrews 
 seven days were appointed as the length of the Feasts of Passover and 
 Tabernacles ; seven days for the ceremonies of the consecration of priests ; 
 seven victims were to be offered on any special occasion ; and at the 
 ratification of a treaty, the notion of seven was embodied in the very 
 term signifying to swear, literally meaning to do seven times (Gen. xxi. 28). 
 The number seven was thus impressed with the seal of sanctity as the 
 symbol of all connected with the Deity, with the subordinate notions of 
 perfection or completeness. See Smith's Bibl. Diet. Art. "Seven." 
 
 5. every man straight before him} Over the prostrate walls the 
 Israelites were to advance into Jericho, and "each one straight forward," 
 so that, as far as possible, their order should be preserved. Compare 
 the march of the locusts as described by Joel ii. 7, "like men of war 
 they climb a wall, and every one marches on his way." 
 
 621. CAPTURE AND DESTRUCTION OF JERICHO. 
 
 6. And Joshua] In obedience to the commands thus received 
 Joshua implicitly carries out the instructions given him and issues the 
 needful orders to the host.
 
 58 JOSHUA, VI. [vv. 9 15. 
 
 9 the LORD followed them. And the armed men went before 
 the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward 
 came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the 
 
 10 trumpets. And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, 
 Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, 
 neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the 
 
 11 day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. So the ark of the 
 LORD compassed the city, going about it once : and they 
 
 12 came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. And Joshua 
 rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of 
 
 13 the LORD. And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of 
 rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, 
 and blew with the trumpets : and the armed men went before 
 them ; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the 
 
 M priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. And the 
 second day they compassed the city once, and returned into 
 
 15 the camp : so they did six days. And it came to pass 
 on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning 
 of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner 
 
 9. the rereward~\ The remaining warriors were to act as a rearguard. 
 During the march through the wilderness this duty devolved on the 
 tribe of Dan (see Num. x. 25). "Rereward" means the "rearguard" 
 of an army ; guard and -ward being related as guise and wise, Fr. guerre, 
 and E. war. It is a corruption of the Fr. arriere-garde, as vanguard for 
 avant-garde; or rather the first part of the word is formed from the 
 O. Fr. riere (Lat. retro). Comp. i Sam. xxix. a, "but David and his 
 men passed on in the rereward with Achish;" Isai. lii. 12, "the God of 
 Israel will be your rereward;" Isai. Iviii. 8, "the glory of the Lord shall 
 be thy rereward ;" Shakespeare, /. Hen. VI. in. 3, 
 
 "Now in the rearward comes the duke, and his;" 
 Rom. andjul. in. 2, 
 
 "But with a reanvard following Tybalt's death, 
 Romeo is banished." 
 
 10. Ye shall not shout} These instructions demanded the exercise of 
 the utmost self-control, and the exercise also of signal trust in Him, 
 \Vho had appointed such a mysterious method for the capture of the 
 city. 
 
 11. and they came into the camp] On the evening of the first day 
 and the six succeeding days they returned to their encampment at Gilgal 
 to spend the night. 
 
 15. about the dauming of the (fay] On this day the circuit had to be 
 made seven times, and therefore the march had to be commenced very 
 early.
 
 vv. 16 1 8.] JOSHUA, VI. 59 
 
 seven times : only on that day they compassed the city seven 
 times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the 16 
 priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, 
 Shout ; for the LORD hath given you the city. And the city 17 
 shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the 
 LORD : only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are 
 with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that 
 we sent. And you, in any wise keep yourselves from the & 
 accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye 
 
 17. the city shall be accursed} "be this cyte cursicl" (Wyclif), or, as 
 in margin, devoted. The verb from which the word comes denotes (i) 
 to cut off, (ii) to devote, to withdraw from common use and consecrate to 
 God = sacrare. (i) The word itself, used actively, means the devote- 
 ment of anything by Jehovah, His putting it under a ban, the result of 
 which is destruction; comp. i Kings xx. 42, " Because thou hast let go 
 out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction ;" Isai. xxxiv. 
 5, " Behold, it (my sword) shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the 
 people of my curse, to judgment;" Zech. xiv. n, "there shall be no 
 more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited." (ii) And 
 passively, the word denotes the thing devoted, doomed, laid under the 
 ban, i. e. devoted to Jehovah without the possibility of being redeemed ; 
 comp. Lev. xxvii. 21, "But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, 
 shall be holy unto the Lord, as a field devoted;" Lev. xxvii. 29, "None 
 devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed." The word 
 is used here in the latter sense, and in verses 17, 1 8, with which com- 
 pare Josh. vii. i, "Achan took of the accursed thing," and i Sam. 
 
 xv - 3 9- The Greek word with the same meaning, Anathema, fre- 
 quently occurs in St Paul's writings, comp. Rom. ix. 3, "I could wish 
 that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren;" i Cor. xvi. 
 22, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Ana- 
 thema;" comp. also i Cor. xii. 3 ; Gal. i. 9. We find similar in- 
 stances of devotion to utter destruction amongst other nations ; comp. 
 (a) the Ver sacrum of the Romans, so frequently alluded to in Livy, 
 as XXII. 9, 10; XXXIV. 44; (b} Cassar's testimony concerning the Gauls, 
 Bell. Gall. VI. 17, " Huic (Marti), cum prselio dimicare constituerunt, 
 ea quse bello ceperint, plerumque devovent ; cum superaverunt, ani- 
 malia capta immolant ;" (c) Tacitus (Ann. XIII. 57) tells us of the 
 Hermunduri that they were successful in a war against the Catti, 
 "quia victores diversam aciem Marti ac Mercurio sacravere, quo voto 
 equi, viri, cuncta victa occidioni dantur ;" (d) Livy III. 55 mentions 
 a law passed under the consuls L. Valerius and M. Horatius, "ut qui 
 tribunis plebis, sedilibus, judicibus, decemviris nocuisset, ejus caput 
 Jwi sacrum esset; familia ad sedem Cereris Liberi Liberseque venum 
 iret." 
 
 only Rahab the harlot} See above, ii. i, 18, 19. 
 
 18. in any wise keep yourselves"} A warning, which Achan neglected 
 to the destruction of himself and his family. See chap. vii.
 
 60 JOSHUA, VI. [w. 1921. 
 
 take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a 
 
 19 curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and 
 
 vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD : 
 
 o they shall come into the treasury of the LORD. So the 
 
 people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets : and 
 
 it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the 
 
 trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the 
 
 wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, 
 
 21 every man straight before him, and they took the city. And 
 
 they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and 
 
 19. are consecrated] Or, as in the margin, are holiness unto the 
 Lord: "to ye Lord be it halowid," Wyclif. 
 
 into the treasury of the Lord~\ Comp. Num. xxxi. 22, 23, 50 54. In 
 the case of Jericho, the whole city, with all that it contained, was 
 cherem or " devoted." 
 
 20. the -wall fell down flai\ No hand of man interposed to bring 
 about this catastrophe, no merely natural causes precipitated the fall; 
 " by faith" as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews declares, "the 
 walls of Jericho fell down" (Heb. xi. 30). "When we examine the 
 operation of faith in this instance, we shall see the point of the ex- 
 ample to be in the refraining from action at the bidding of God. 
 The impulse of nature was to attack the city ; to try upon its bulwarks 
 the skill of military science, as then understood, as by them possessed. 
 The power of faith was shown in curbing that impulse; in submitting 
 to an unexplained, unintelligible, severely trying, edict of inactivity; 
 nay in consenting to play what must have seemed a ridiculous part, 
 in the face of a warlike and disciplined host, waiting to see what 
 this intrusive, this presumptuous horde of rovers had to say for itself." 
 To escort the Ark, "day after day for a whole week, round and 
 round the ramparts of Jericho, crowded doubtless with armed spec- 
 tators; to do this with a ceremonial which could be imposing only 
 to themselves which must have been not so much mysterious as 
 ludicrous to the established ideas of the world, and even to those 
 'thoughts of the heart' which are busy in all of us, and which are the 
 peculiar property neither of Jew nor Greek must have taxed to the 
 uttermost farthing the loyalty, the religion, and the moral courage of 
 Israel ; we can scarcely explain it otherwise than by saying that it was 
 'by faith,' in other words, that their apprehension of the invisible rose 
 above the counteracting influences of the present, and enabled them to 
 say within themselves, 'We ought to obey God rather than man,'" 
 Dr Vaughan's Heroes of Faith, p. 257. 
 
 21. they utterly destroyed} In the instance of the other cities of 
 Canaan, as in those of Sihon and Og, the inhabitants were destroyed, but 
 the cattle were preserved. Comp. (a) Josh. viii. 26, x. 28; (b) Deut. ii. 
 34, iii. 6. In the case of Jericho not only the inhabitants, but the cattle 
 also were destroyed.
 
 vv. 2225.] JOSHUA, VI. 61 
 
 woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the 
 edge of the sword. 
 
 22 25. The Rescue of Rahab. 
 
 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out 22 
 the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence 
 the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. 
 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought 23 
 out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, 
 and all that she had ; and they brought out all her kindred, 
 and left them without the camp of Israel. And they burnt 24 
 the city with fire, and all that was therein : only the silver, 
 and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put 
 into the treasury of the house of the LORD. And Joshua 25 
 saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, 
 and all that she had ; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto 
 this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua 
 sent to spy out Jericho. 
 
 the edge of the sword] Comp. Gen. xxxiv. 26, and many places in 
 Joshua. 
 
 2225. THE RESCUE OF RAHAB. 
 
 22. Go into the harlot's house] We are told that Rahab's house was 
 upon the town wall, and that she dwelt upon the wall. But though the 
 walls of Jericho fell down flat, her house was preserved. They fell 
 by faith, and she was saved by faith (Heb. xi. 30, ,31). 
 
 as ye sware unto her] See above, ii. 14. 
 
 23. the young men] Vulg. juvenes. Comp. Gen. xxii. 3, " And 
 
 Abraham rose up early and took two of his young men with him ; " 
 
 Judg. viii. 20, "And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay 
 them. But the youth drew not his sword." 
 
 all her kindred] Heb. families. 
 
 without the camp of Israel] Comp. Lev. xxiv. 14; Num. xxxi. 19. 
 As heathen, they were unclean, and must therefore remain a specified 
 time, probably seven days, "without the camp." 
 
 25. she dwelleth in Israel] These words do not necessarily imply 
 that she was alive at the time the Book of Joshua was written, but that 
 the family of strangers, of which she was reckoned the head, continued 
 to dwell among the children of Israel. She married Salmon, of the 
 tribe of Judah, and became the ancestress of Boaz, the husband of 
 Ruth. See Matt. i. 5. Her reception into the Jewish Church, and 
 her mention in the genealogy of Christ, were a pledge and earnest of the 
 reception of the Gentile world, and of the grafting of the wild olive 
 into the good olive-tree (Rom. xi. 24).
 
 62 JOSHUA, VI. [vv. 26, 27. 
 
 26, 27. The Curse upon Jericho. 
 
 26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be 
 the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this 
 city Jericho : he shall lay the foundation thereof in his first- 
 born, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it. 
 
 2780 the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was EW/JYV/ 
 throughout all the country. 
 
 23, 27. THE CURSE UPON JERICHO. 
 
 26. adjured them] i. e. " put an oath upon them." 
 
 Cursed be the mari\ A city, which was cherem or "devoted," could 
 not be rebuilt, Deut. xiii. 15, 16, 17. Joshua therefore pronounces an 
 imprecation on the foundation of Jericho. The words " have a rhyth- 
 mical and antistrophical form ; which was probably adopted for greater 
 solemnity, and to impress them more deeply on the memories of the 
 people." Bp Wordsworth. 
 
 \and bnildeth~\ So Agamemnon is said to have uttered a curse upon 
 Ilium, and Scipio upon Carthage. Here the curse is to be understood as 
 | extending only to the walls and gates of Jericho, or & fortified place, on 
 which, as bidding proud defiance to the host, the attention of Joshua, as 
 a military leader, would chiefly fasten. Comp. i Kings xv. 1752 Chron. 
 xi. 5. He himself gave it to the Benjamites (Josh, xviii. 21), and it was 
 inhabited in the time of the Judges (Judg. iii. 13; a Sam. x. 5). 
 
 he shall lay the foundation} What the prophecy foretells is that the 
 beginning of the building would be marked by the death of the builder's 
 eldest son, and the end of it by the death of his youngest. Comp. Jos. 
 Antiq. V. r. 8. In the ungodly reign of Ahab the prophecy was 
 fulfilled ; Hiel, a native of Bethel, ' ' built Jericho ; he laid the founda- 
 tion thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his 
 youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord , which he spake by 
 Joshua" (i Kings xvi. 34). Observe the incidents connected with 
 Jericho in the life of the Antitype of the first Joshua. Here He entered 
 into the house of Zacchseus (Luke xix. 5, 9) ; here He healed blind 
 liartimseus (Mark x. 46, 52); He mentioned Jericho in the parable of 
 "the Good Samaritan" (Luke x. 30); in the vicinity of the city He 
 repeated the announcement of His coming sufferings (Luke xviii. 31). 
 
 27. So the Lord -was with Joshua} He and He alone had achieved 
 the victory for His people, and they had "stood still" and "seen the 
 salvation of Jehovah " (Exod. xiv. 13; 2 Chron. xx. 17): 
 
 (a) The entrance into Canaan itself had been effected by the miraculous 
 receding of the waters of the Jordan ; 
 
 (b) The walls of the city had fallen down flat, not before Israel, but 
 before the Ark of Jehovah, Whose presence was ever connected 
 with its golden Mercy-Seat ; 
 
 (<) When it had been bestowed upon the people as a free gift, with- 
 out any effort on their part, all that it contained was devoted
 
 vv. i, 2.] JOSHUA, VII. 63 
 
 i 5. The Sin of Achan, and Assault on Ai. 
 
 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the 7 
 accursed thing : for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of 
 Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the 
 accursed thing : and the anger of the LORD was kindled 
 against the children of Israel. And Joshua sent men from 2 
 Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of 
 
 entirely to the Lord, nothing in the way of gain was to be made 
 out of it ; 
 
 (</) The means they had been allowed to employ as preliminary to 
 the capture were such as could not fail to make them a scorn and 
 derision to the proud warriors of the Doomed City, and so called 
 into exercise, in a striking degree, their faith, patience, and obedi- 
 ence. 
 
 CH. VII. 1 5. THE SIN OF ACHAN, AND ASSAULT ON At. 
 
 1. committed a trespass] The word used here in the Septuagint Ver- 
 sion is very striking. It is the same as that employed in Acts v. i, 2 to 
 describe the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. They took for themselves, 
 appropriated to themselves, sequestered from God, a portion of what had 
 been devoted to Him at Jericho. Wyclif renders it " mystoken of the 
 halewid thing." 
 
 for Achaii} Or, Achar, as he is called in i Chron. ii. 7. 
 
 the son of Zabdi\ Or, Zimri, as his name is given in i Chron. ii. 6. 
 
 took of the accursed thing] What he took is more fully described in 
 verse 21. His sin was rendered more heinous by the fact that he knew 
 full well the ban which had been pronounced upon the doomed city, a 
 ban extending to all time, and including even the whole family of any 
 who should dare to restore the fortifications of Jericho. Csesar in his 
 account of the devotion of conquered towns to the gods amongst the 
 Gauls, alluded to above, VI. 17, goes on to say, "Multis in civitatibus 
 harum rerura exstructos tumulos locis consecratis conspicari licet: neque 
 soepe accidit, ut neglecta quispiam religione, aut capta apud se occullare, 
 aut posita tollere auderet; gravissimumque ei rei supplicium cum cruciatu 
 constitntum est" (Bell. Gall.\i. 17). 
 
 2. from Jtricho to Ai} The country of Canaan seems in the time of 
 Joshua to have been broken up into a number of small territories, each 
 governed by an independent chief or "king," who extended his rule 
 from his fortified citadel to the district round. In Josh. xii. 7 24, we 
 find mention of no less than 32 such "kings." A series of sieges, 
 therefore, rather than of pitched battles, might be expected to charac- 
 terise the campaigns of Joshua. 
 
 which is beside Beth-aven] Ai had been already mentioned in Gen. xii. 
 8, in connection with the history of Abraham, who is said to have re- 
 moved from Shechem " to a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched 
 his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east." Though
 
 64 JOSHUA, VII. [w. 35. 
 
 Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the 
 
 3 country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they 
 returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the 
 people go up ; but let about two or three thousand men go 
 up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour 
 
 4 thither ; for they are but few. So there went up thither 
 of the people about three thousand men : and they fled 
 
 s before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them 
 about thirty and six men : for they chased them from before 
 the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going 
 
 smaller than Jericho, Ai was a position of great importance ; (a) It 
 dominated the road to Jerusalem, then called Jebus, and was situated only 
 a few hours distant ; (/>) It commanded the approaches into the heart of 
 the country, and especially the fertile district of Samaria; (c) Its fall 
 virtually involved that of Bethel. Beth-aven lay between Bethel and 
 Michmash (i Sam. xiii. 5, xiv. 23). In Hos. iv. 15, v. 8, x. 5, the 
 name is transferred, with a play upon the word characteristic of the 
 prophet, to the neighbouring Bethel, once the "house of God," but 
 then the house of idols, or " naught." 
 
 the east side of Beth-el\ Bethel, formerly Luz (Gen. xxviii. 19), was an 
 ancient Canaanitish royal city. The name Bethel existed, it would 
 seem, as early as the time of Abraham, who removed from the oaks of 
 Mamre to the " mountain on the east of JBethel" (Gen. xii. 8). 
 Here he built an altar, and hither he returned from Egypt with Lot 
 before their separation (Gen. xiii. 3, 4). Even in those early times a 
 distinction seems to have been drawn between the "city" of Luz and 
 the consecrated "place" in its neighbourhood (Gen. xxxv. 7) called 
 "Bethel" by Jacob (a) Gen. xxviii. 19, (b) Gen. xxxv. 14, 15, which 
 name does not appear to have been appropriated to the city itself till 
 after the conquest by Joshua (Josh. xvi. i, 2 ; Judg. i. 22 26). 
 
 Go up and view the country} So important did the Hebrew leader 
 deem the position of Ai that he resolved to repeat the tactics already 
 pursued at Jericho, and to send spies to "view the country." For the 
 use of "view" = to "survey," "review," comp. Ezra viii. 15, "and I 
 viewed the people and the priests, and found there none of the sons of 
 Levi;" and Hall, Henry V., " Before whose arriuall the kyng was de- 
 parted from Wyndsor to Winchester, entending to haue gone to Hamp- 
 ton and to haue vewedhis nauie." Shakespeare, Henry V. II. 4. 21, 
 
 " Therefore, I say, 'tis meet we all go forth 
 To view the sick and feeble parts of France." 
 
 See Bible Word Book, pp. 511, 512. 
 
 5. itnto Shebarini\ So called, perhaps, from the mines, or stone 
 quarries, which lay in the neighbourhood. The LXX. translates "till 
 they had crushed or annihilated them.'"
 
 r. 
 
 o. 
 vv. 1518.] JOSHUA, IX. Si 
 
 mouth of the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them, 15 
 and made a league with them, to let them live : and the 
 princes of the congregation svvare unto them. 
 
 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they 16 
 had made a league with them, that they heard that they 
 were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. 
 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their 17 
 cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and 
 Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim. And the chil- 18 
 dren of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the 
 congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of 
 
 Joshua by means of the Sacred Oracle, the Urim and Thummim ; "at 
 his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, 
 and all the children of Israel with him" (Num. xxvii. 21). See also 
 Exod. xxviii. 30. Against any league with the inhabitants of Canaan 
 they had been specially warned (Exod. xxiii. 32, xxxiv. 12; Num. 
 xxxiii. 55; Deut. vii. 2). 
 
 17. on the third day} A three days' journey it might well be "ac- 
 cording to the slow pace of eastern armies and caravans." Stanley's 
 S. & P. p. 209. 
 
 Chephirah} " a village," afterwards allotted to Benjamin (Josh, xviii. 
 26). It was an inhabited city in the times of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 
 ii. 25 ; Neh. vii. 29). On the western declivity of the mountain range, 
 u miles from Jerusalem, and 4 from Kirjath-jearim, is a ruined village 
 called Kefir, which doubtless marks the site of the old city of Chephirah. 
 After remaining unknown, or at least unnoticed, for more than 2000 
 years, its site was discovered by Dr Robinson in 1852. See Robinson, 
 Bible Res. ill. 146. 
 
 Beeroth'} Mentioned afterwards along with other Benjamite cities 
 among the places whose inhabitants returned with Zerubbabel (Ezra ii. 
 25 ; Neh. vii. 29). It is commonly identified with the large village of 
 El-Bireh between Jerusalem and Bethel. 
 
 Kirjath-jearim~\ i.e. "the city of woods," or il groves" written Kir- 
 jath-arim in Ezra ii. 25, and Kiriatkiarhis in i Esdr. v. 19. It derived 
 its name from its olive, fig, and other plantations, as its modern repre- 
 sentative, Kurid-el-Enab, "the city of grapes," does from its vineyards. 
 It was afterwards allotted to Judah, and here the Ark remained from the 
 time of its return from the Philistines to the reign of David (i Sam. vii. 
 2; 2 Sam. vi. 2; i Chron. xiii. 5, 6; Ps. cxxxii. 6), where David is 
 said to have found the Ark in "the fields of the wood." Before the 
 Israelitish conquest it was known as Baalah and Kirjath-baal (Josh. xv. 
 9, 60), names which point to its early sanctity as one of the special 
 seats of the worship of Baal. 
 
 18. had sworn unto them} The remembrance of the league was kept 
 np through the whole course of the subsequent history. A terrible trial 
 befell the nation because Saul had massacred certain of the Gibeonites 
 
 JOSHUA 6
 
 82 JOSHUA, IX. [w. 19-26. 
 
 Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the 
 
 19 princes. But all the princes said unto all the congregation, 
 We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel : now 
 
 20 therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to 
 them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, 
 
 21 because of the oath which we sware unto them. And the 
 princes said unto them, Let them live ; but let them be 
 hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congrega- 
 
 *2 tion ; As the princes had promised them. And Joshua 
 called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore 
 have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when 
 
 23 ye dwell among us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and 
 there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and 
 hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my 
 
 24 God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was 
 certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God 
 commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and 
 to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, 
 therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, 
 
 25 and have done this thing. And now, behold, we are in 
 thine hand : as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do 
 
 26 unto us, do. And so did he unto them, and delivered them 
 out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew 
 
 (2 Sam. xxi. I, 2; i Sam. xxii. 18, 19), and David remained faithful to 
 the vow which Joshua had made. 
 
 21. hewers of wood and drawers of water] "trees thei kutten and \vatris 
 fhei beren," Wyclif. They were devoted to the sanctuary, called at a 
 later period Nethinims = Deo dati, donati, and were bound to discharge 
 menial duties which usually devolved upon the lowest classes. Comp. 
 Deut. xxix. 10, u, "Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord 
 your God ; your Captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, 
 with all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger 
 that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy -wood unto the drawer of thy 
 water" Compare also i Chron. ix. 2; Ezra ii. 43, 70; Neh. vii. 46, 60. 
 
 23. ye are cursed~\ Comp. Gen. ix. 25. 
 
 24. the Lord thy God commanded] See Deut. vii. i, 3. 
 
 we were sore afraid] Fear had been their sole motive in seeking an 
 alliance with Israel. Theirs was not the faith, which had prompted 
 Rahab to save the spies. 
 
 25. -we are in thine hand} Compare the words of Abraham to Sarah, 
 "Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee" 
 (Gen. xvi. 6).
 
 vv. 2751.] JOSHUA, IX. X. 83 
 
 them not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood 27 
 and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar 
 of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he 
 should choose. 
 
 i 6. Confederacy oj the Five Kings against Gibeon. 
 
 Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusa- 10 
 lem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly 
 
 26. delivered them, out of the hand of the children of Israel] who 
 would have certainly been glad to destroy them. 
 
 27. made them that day] It is deserving of notice that the Gibeonites 
 never appear to have betrayed their trust, or enticed Israel into idolatry. 
 
 CH. X. 1 e. CONFEDERACY ofr THE FIVE KINGS AGAINST GIBEON. 
 
 1. Now it came to pass] The surrender of such a place as Gibeon 
 would naturally fill the kings of southern Canaan with alarm. "It was, 
 so to speak, treason within their own camp." The invaders had ob- 
 tained a strong position in the very heart of the country, while the 
 possession of the passes from Gibeon would expose the whole south of 
 Canaan to their incursions. The retaking and punishment of Gibeon 
 was the first object of the chieftains of the south. 
 
 Adoni-zedek] i.e. "Lord of righteousness" It is no longer Melchi- 
 zedek, "My king righteousness." The alteration of the name marks a 
 change of dynasties. 
 
 king of Jerusalem] "the habitation of peace," or "the possession of 
 peace." 
 
 (i) This world-famous city was (a) sometimes called after its original 
 inhabitants "Jehus" (Judg. xix. 10, n; \ Chron. xi. 4); (b) sometimes 
 "(Ae city of the Jebusites" (Judg. xix. 11), or "Jebusi" (Josh, xviii. 16, 
 28; i Sam. v. 8); (c) sometimes " Salem " = "peace" (Gen. xiv. 18; 
 Ps. Ixxvi. 2); (d) once "the city of Judafi" (2 Chron. xxv. 28); 
 (e) finally "Jerusalem" (Josh. x. I, xii. 10; Judg. i. 7, &c.). 
 
 (ii) It stands in latitude 31 46' 39" North; and longitude 35 14' 
 42"East of Greenwich, and is 32 miles distant from the sea, and 18 from 
 the Jordan ; 20 from Hebron, and 36 from Samaria. 
 
 (iii) Its situation is in several respects singular. Its elevation is 
 remarkable, but is occasioned not from its being on the summit of one 
 of the numerous hills of Judaea, but on the edge of one of the highest 
 table- lands of the country. From every side, except the south, the ascent 
 to it is perpetual, and it must always have presented the appearance, 
 beyond any important city that has ever existed on the earth, of a 
 "mountain city, enthroned on a mountain fortress " 
 
 (iv) But besides being thus elevated more than 2500 feet above the 
 level of the sea, it was separated by deep and precipitous ravines from 
 the rocky plateau of which it formed a part. These slopes surround it 
 on the southern, south-eastern, and western sides, and out of them the 
 
 62
 
 JOSHUA, X. [w. 2-6. 
 
 destroyed it ; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he 
 had done to Ai and her king ; and how the inhabitants of 
 Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them ; 
 
 2 that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as 
 one of the royal cities, and because it' was greater than Ai, 
 
 3 and all the men thereof were mighty. Wherefore Adoni- 
 zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, 
 and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of 
 
 4 Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, Come up 
 unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon : for it 
 hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of 
 
 s Israel. Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king 
 of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the 
 king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves 
 together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and en- 
 
 6 camped before Gibeon, and made war against it. And the 
 
 city rose "like the walls of a fortress out of its ditches." Hence its 
 early strength and subsequent greatness. See Stanley's Sinai and 
 Palestine, p. 172; Ritter's Geography of Palestine, III. i 33, IV. 3; 
 Robinson's Bibl. Res. i. 258 260. 
 
 2. as one of the royal cities~\ See above, ix. 3. 
 
 3. king of Hebron] Situated amongst the mountains, 20 Roman miles, 
 about 7 hours, south of Jerusalem ; one of the most ancient cities 
 in the world, rivalling even Damascus, being a well-known town even 
 when Abraham first entered Canaan (Gen. xiii. 18). Its original name 
 was Kirjath-Arba (Judg. i. 10), "the city of Arba," the father of Anak, 
 and progenitor of the giant Anakims (Josh. xxi. n, xv. 13, 14). Hoham 
 denotes "Jehovah of the multitude." 
 
 Piram king of Jarmuth\ the present Yarmnk, about il miles from 
 Beit-Netif, on the left of the road to Jerusalem. Near it is an eminence 
 called Tell-Ermud. It was visited by Robinson. 
 
 Japhia king of LachisK\ Lachish has been identified with (i) Um- 
 L&kis, (2) Zukkarijeh, i\ hours south-west of Beit-Jibrin. It was 
 afterwards fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chron. xi. 9). Here Amaziah died 
 (2 Kings xiv. 19). It was besieged by Sennacherib, who moved thence 
 to Libnah (Isai. xxxvi. 2, xxxvii. 8). 
 
 Debir king of Eglon] Lachish and Eglon are mentioned in several 
 other passages (Josh. xii. n, 12, xv. 39), in such a way as shews they 
 were not far apart. Eglon has been identified with 'Ajlan. 
 
 4. for it hath made peace] The enterprise was directed primarily not 
 against Joshua, but against Gibeon which had made peace with him. 
 Comp. ix. 15. 
 
 5. the five kings'] The names of the kings are not given here a second 
 time, but of the cities over which they held sway, and they are mentioned 
 in the same order.
 
 vv. 710.] JOSHUA, X. 85 
 
 men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, say- 
 ing, Slack not thy hand from thy servants ; come up to us 
 quickly, and save us, and help us : for all the kings of the 
 Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together 
 against us. 
 
 715. The Battle of Beth-horon. 
 
 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of 7 
 war with him, and all the mighty men of valour. And the 3 
 LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered 
 them into thine hand ; there shall not a man of them stand 
 before thee. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, 9 
 and went up from Gilgal all night. And the LORD discom- 10 
 fited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter 
 
 6. Slack not thy hand} The climax in the message is very noticeable ; 
 (i) slack not thy hand; (2) come up to us quickly; (3) save us; (4) help 
 Us. Compare the prayer of the persecuted Christians (Acts iv. 24 30). 
 
 S!ack=. "slacken," "relax;" A. S. slvcan from the adjective sltrc. 
 It occurs in an intransitive sense in Deut. xxiii. 21, "When thou shall 
 vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it." 
 Comp. Latimer, Serm. p. 231, "What a remorse of conscience shall 
 ye have, when ye remember how ye have slacked your duty." 
 
 all the kings of the Amorifes} This is a common designation of the 
 five chiefs. Their march had evidently been very rapid, and the danger 
 was urgent. 
 
 715. THE BATTLE OF BETH-HORON. 
 
 7. So Joshua ascended} "Not a moment was to be lost. As in the 
 battle of Marathon, everything depended on the suddenness of the blow 
 which should break in pieces the hostile confederation." Stanley's 
 Sinai and Palestine, p. 209. 
 
 8. Fear them not] Comp. Josh. xi. 6; Judg. iv. 14. 
 
 9. came unto them suddenly] He marched the whole night, and 
 in the morning, "when the sun rose behind him, he was already 
 in the open ground at the foot of the heights of Gibeon, where the 
 kings were encamped." 
 
 10. And the Lord discomfited them] "As often before and after," 
 so now, "not a man could stand before the awe and the panic 
 of the sudden sound of the terrible shout, the sudden appearance 
 of that undaunted host who came with the assurance not to fear, 
 nor to be dismayed, but to be strong and of a good courage, for the 
 Lord had delivered their enemies into their hands." Comp. Judg. 
 iv. 1551 Sam. vii. 10 ; 2 Sam. xxii. 15. 
 
 discomfited} Comp. Exod. xvii. 13, "And Joshua discomfted 
 Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword ;" i Sam. vii. 10, 
 "but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the 
 Philistines, and discomfited them ;" 2 Sam. xxii. 15, "he sent out
 
 86 JOSHUA, X. [v. n. 
 
 at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to 
 Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Mak- 
 kedah. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, 
 and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the LORD 
 cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, 
 and they died : they were moe which died with hailstones 
 than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. 
 
 arrows, and scattered them ; lightning, and discomfited them." Dis- 
 comfit comes from Fr. deconfire, It. sconfiggere, to rout, whence the 
 substantive sconfitia, the original of all being the Latin configere, to 
 fasten together ; whence discomfit primarily signifies to unfasten ; then 
 to disintegrate, or break up a mass into the parts of which it is 
 composed. Hence to break up an army, to disperse it. 
 
 before Israel] In Exod. xxiii. 27, the promise is given that God will 
 always do so before the foes of Israel. 
 
 up to Beth-horon] or "the House of caves." Notice the expression 
 " along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon." It was the first stage of 
 the flight in the long ascent horn. Gibeon towards Beth-horon the upper. 
 
 to Azekah] which lay in the Shephelah or rich agricultural plain. It 
 was near Shochoh, and between the two places the Philistines encamped 
 before the battle in which Goliath was killed (i Sam. xvii. i). It was 
 afterwards fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chron. xi. 9), was still standing 
 at the time of the Babylonish invasion (Jer. xxxiv. 7), and was re- 
 occupied by the Jews after their return from the Captivity (Neh. xi. 30). 
 
 unto Makkedah] Porter would identify it with a ruin on the 
 northern slope of the Wady es Sunt, bearing the somewhat similar 
 name of el-Klediah. Van de Velde would place it at Sumdl, a village 
 standing on a low hill 6 or 7 miles N.W. of Beth-Jebrin. 
 
 11. were in the going down to Beth-horon] This was the second 
 stage in the flight. The Amorite host had gained the height before 
 their pursuers, and were hurrying down the pass of nether Beth-horon, 
 " a rough, rocky road, sometimes over the upturned edges of the limestone 
 strata, sometimes over sheets of smooth rock, sometimes over loose 
 rectangular stones, sometimes over steps cut in the rock" (Stanley's 
 Lectures, I. 242), when 
 
 the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them] As after- 
 wards in the great fight of Barak against Sisera (Judg. v. 20), one 
 of the fearful tempests, which from time to time sweep over the 
 hills of Palestine, burst upon the disordered army, and hailstones of 
 enormous size fell upon their shattered ranks. 
 
 they were moe which died with hailstones] Some have explained 
 these as meteoric stones, but it was rather a fearful storm, ' ' thunder, 
 lightning, and a deluge of hail," Jos. Ant. V. r. 17. "By a very 
 similar mischance the Austrians were overtaken in 1859 at the battle 
 of Solferino." Even ordinary hailstones in Syria are often of enormous 
 size. " I have seen some that measured two inches in diameter ; 
 but sometimes irregularly shaped pieces are found among them weigh-
 
 v. 12.] JOSHUA, X. 87 
 
 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the 
 LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of 
 Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, 
 
 ing alone twenty drams." Russell's Natural History of Aleppo, I. 76. 
 "During a storm at Constantinople in 1831, many of the hailstones, 
 or rather masses of ice, weighed from half a pound to above a 
 pound. Under this tremendous fall, the roofs of houses were beaten 
 in, trees were stripped of their leaves and branches, many persons 
 who could not soon enough find shelter were killed, animals were 
 slain, and limbs were broken. In fact, none who know the tre- 
 mendous power which the hailstones of the East sometimes exhibit, 
 will question, as some have questioned, the possibility that any hail 
 could produce the effect described." Kitto's Bible Illustrations, n. p. 293. 
 
 they -were moe] "and ben deed manye mo with stonus of haiul, 
 than whom with swerd had smyten the sons of Yrael," Wyclif. In 
 the edition of 1611, "moe" is the comparative of ''many," and is 
 altered to " more" in the later editions. Compare 
 "For elles hadde I dweld with Theseus 
 I-fetered in his prisoun for ever moo." 
 
 Chaucer, Knighfs Tale, 1231. 
 Bru. "Is he alone ? 
 
 Lu. No, sir, there are moe with him." 
 
 Shakespeare, Jul. C&s. II. i. 71. 
 
 12. Then spake Joshua to the Lord] The quotation probably conir 
 mences with the I2th verse and extends to the end of the i5th. It 
 begins as follows: 
 
 "Then spake Joshua unto Jehovah, 
 
 In the day Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the sons of 
 Israel." 
 
 Then} The crisis of the battle had now arrived. The day had far 
 advanced since Joshua had emerged after his night-march through the 
 passes of Ai. It was noon, and the sun stood high in the midst of 
 heaven above the hills which hid Gibeon from his sight. *'In front, 
 over the western vale of Ajalon, was the faint figure of the crescent 
 moon visible above the hailstorm (Jos. Ant. v. i. if), which was fast 
 driving up from the sea in the valleys below." Beneath him was the 
 Amorite host rushing in wild confusion down the western passes. The 
 furious storm was obscuring the light of day, and the work was but half 
 accomplished. Was the foe to make good his escape ? Was the speed, 
 with which he had "come up quickly, and saved, and helped" the 
 defenceless Gibeonites, to be robbed of half its reward ? Oh that the 
 sun would burst forth once more from amidst the gloom that had 
 obscured it! Oh that the day, all too short for his great undertaking, 
 could be prolonged "until the people had avenged themselves upon 
 their enemies"! See Stanley's Sin. and Pal. p. 210; Edersheim's 
 Israel in Canaan, pp. 8t, 82. 
 
 spake Joshua} Then it was, standing on the lofty eminence above
 
 S3 JOSHUA, X. [v. 13. 
 
 Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon ; 
 And thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. 
 ! And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, 
 
 Until the people had avenged themselves upon their 
 enemies. 
 
 Gibeon, "doubtless with outstretched hand and spear," that Joshua 
 burst forth into that ecstatic prayer of faith, which has been here in- 
 corporated into the text from the ' ' Book of Jasher. " 
 
 and he said in the sight of Israel} literally, before the eyes of Israel, 
 in the sight or presence of Israel, who were witnesses of his words, 
 
 Sun, stand thou still} Literally, as in the margin, "be silent," comp. 
 Lev. x. 3, "And Aaron held his peace." The word denotes (i) to be dumb 
 with astonishment; (ii) to be silent; (iii) to rest, or, be quiet. Comp. 
 i Sam. xiv. 9, "If they say thus unto us, Tarry (or be still as in marg.) 
 until we come to you;" Job xxxi. 34, "Did I fear a great multitude, or 
 did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence? " Keil would 
 translate it "wait." The Vulgate renders it, lt Sol contra Gabaon ne 
 movearis et hina contra valient Ajalon;" Wyclif thus, "Sunne, A3ens 
 Gabaon be thow not meued, and mone, ajens the valey of Haylon." 
 
 Gibeon . . .Ajalon] These spots are named as stations of the sun and moon 
 "because Joshua, when he engaged in the battle, was probably west of 
 Gibeon, in a place where he saw the sun shining in the east over that 
 city, and the moon in the far west over Ajalon." The hour of utterance 
 contemplated was probably still in the forenoon. 
 
 in the valley of Ajalon] i.e. "the valley of the gazelles." It is 
 represented by the modern Merj Ibn Omeir, "a broad and beautiful 
 valley " running in a westerly direction from the mountains towards 
 the great western plain. The town of Ajalon was afterwards, the con- 
 quest being concluded, in the territory of Dan (Josh. xix. 42), and was 
 assigned to the Levites (Josh. xxi. 24; i Chron. vi. 69). Here the 
 Philistines were routed by Saul and Jonathan (i Sam. xiv. 31), and 
 the place is often mentioned in the wars with that people (i Chron. 
 viii. 13 ; 2 Chron. xxviii. 18). 
 
 13. And the sun stood still] God hearkened to the voice of Joshua. 
 Once more the sunlight burst forth, and the day was miraculously pro- 
 tracted till the end was gained. For expressions similar to those here 
 used compare what is said in Judg. v. 20, of the stars "fighting (not in 
 but mit of) their courses against Sisera;" in Isai. xxxiv. 3 ; Amos ix. 13 ; 
 Mic. i. 4, of the melting down of the mountains; in Isai. Ixiv. i, of 
 the rending of the heavens; in Ps. xxix. 6, of the skipping of Lebanon ; 
 in Isai. Iv. 12, of the clapping of hands by the trees in the field; in 
 Ps. xviii. 9, of the bowing of the heavens. How or in what way this 
 protraction of the light was brought about we are not told. 
 
 Is not this written in the book of Jasher?] The Book here quoted 
 is also alluded to in 2 Sam. i. 18, "Also he David bade them teach 
 the children of Israel the Bow (i.e. f the Song of the Bow')', behold, it is 
 \vritten in the Book of Jasher" or, as it is rendered in the margin, "the
 
 vv. 14-16.] JOSHUA, X. ."9 
 
 Is not this written in the book of Jasher? 
 
 So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, 
 
 And hasted not to go down about a whole day. 
 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the M 
 LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man : for the LORD 
 fought for Israel. 
 
 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the 15 
 camp to Gilgal. 
 
 1 6 2 7. Flight and Execution of the Five Kings. 
 But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at 16 
 
 Book of the Upright," or "Righteous." It was in all probability a 
 collection, rhythmical in form ahd poetical in diction, of various pieces 
 celebrating the heroes of the Hebrew nation and their achievements. 
 The word itself, Jasher, or Jashar, is considered to be an appellation 
 of the Elect Nation, nearly equivalent to " 'J 'eshiirun^' 'in Deut. xxxii. 15. 
 The Book was naturally compiled only by degrees, and gradually any 
 ode or song deemed worthy of preservation was added to it, "so that 
 the quotation of it here is no proof at all that the Book of Joshua was 
 composed after the date of the reference to the 'Book of Jasher' in 
 2 Sam. i. 18, and as little is the quotation there a proof that the 'Book 
 of Jasher' was not extant until, at any rate, the time of David." 
 
 And hasted not to go] Edersheim would translate this, "And hasted 
 not to go like (as on) a complete day." 
 
 14. And there was no day] This is still a quotation from the Book of 
 Jashar, or " of rtetwise men^ " as Wyclif translates it. 
 
 "And so stood the sunne in the mydil of heuene, 
 
 And hyede not to goo doun the space of o day ; 
 
 There was not before ne afterward so loong a day; 
 
 For the Lord obeide to the vois of man, 
 
 And faujt for Israel." 
 
 Compare the returning of the shadow on the dial of Ahaz in the time of 
 Hezekiah, 1 Kings xx. n ; Isai. xxxviii. 8. 
 
 for the Lord fought for Israel} Compare the account of Josephus, 
 "He then heard that God was helping him, by the signs of thunder, 
 lightning, and unusual hailstones; and that the day was increased lest 
 
 the night should check the zeal of the Hebrews That the length of 
 
 the day did then increase, and was longer than usual, is told in the 
 books laid up in the temple." Ant. V. i. 1 7. 
 
 15. And Joshua returned] This is still apparently part of the quo- 
 tation from the "Book of Jasher," for it is evident that Joshua did 
 not return to Gilgal immediately after the battle of Gibeon. In the 
 historical narrative this finds place in verse 43. 
 
 1627. FLIGHT AND EXECUTION OF THE FIVE KINGS. 
 
 16. But these fri'e kings] Here the regular historical narrative is 
 resumed. The second stage in the flight was over. " In the length-
 
 90 JOSHUA, X. [vv. 17-21. 
 
 17 Makkedah. And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings 
 
 18 are found hid in a cave at Makkedah. And Joshua said, 
 Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men 
 
 19 by it for to keep them : and stay you not, but pursue after 
 your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them ; suffer them 
 not to enter into their cities : for the LORD your God hath 
 
 20 delivered them into your hand. And it came to pass, when 
 Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slay- 
 ing them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, 
 that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced 
 
 21 cities. And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua 
 
 ened day granted to Joshua's prayer " now commences the third 
 stage. The tide of fugitives rolled on, hotly pursued by the Israel- 
 ites through the pass of Lower Beth-horon to Azekah, and thence to 
 Makkedah. 
 
 17. in a cave] "lurkinge in the spelunk," Wyclif ; in one of the 
 numerous limestone caves, with which the district abounds, though 
 the article here, both in the Hebrew and the LXX., seems to intimate 
 that it was a well-known cave, overshadowed probably by a grove of 
 trees (comp. Josh. x. 26). Many such caves, large and dry, and often 
 branching out into chambers, are found in the lime and chalk rocks of 
 Palestine. Comp. (i) the cave in which Lot dwelt after the destruction 
 of Sodom (Gen. xix. 30); (ii) the cave at Rimmon (Judg. xx. 47), which 
 could contain six hundred men in its spacious recess; (iii) David's cave 
 of Adullam, where he concealed "his brethren, and all his father's 
 house" (i Sam. xxii. i) ; (iv) the cave of Engedi, which Saul entered, 
 and in the sides of which "David and his men remained" (i Sam. xxiv. 
 3); (v) Obadiah's cave, in which he concealed "an hundred prophets" 
 (r Kings xviii. 4). "The caves of Syria and Palestine are still used, 
 
 either occasionally or permanently, as habitations The shepherds near 
 
 Hebron leave their villages in the summer to dwell in caves and ruins, 
 in order to be nearer to their flocks and fields. Almost all the habita- 
 tions at Om-keis, Gadara, are caves." See Smith's Bible Diet. Art. 
 Caves. 
 
 18. And Joshua said} The victory was npt yet won- The con- 
 queror would not be diverted from his object. The mouth of the cave 
 was blocked with huge stones, and armed men were stationed to guard 
 it, while the pursuit was still continued. 
 
 20. the rest} i. e. broken remnants of the fugitives. 
 
 fenced cities] "the strengthid citees," Wyclif, = the fortified towns of 
 great strength and impregnable position. Comp. Num. xxxii. 17; Deut. 
 iii. 5, ix. i ; Josh. xiv. 1251 Sam. vi. 18, &c. The fortifications of the 
 cities of Palestine regularly fenced, consisted of one or more walls crowned 
 with battlemented parapets, having towers at regular intervals (2 Chron. 
 xxxii. 5 ; Jer. xxxi. 38), on which in later times engines of war were placed,
 
 w. 22-25.1 JOSHUA, X. 91 
 
 at Makkedah in peace : none moved his tongue against any 
 of the children of Israel. Then said Joshua, Open the 22 
 mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me 
 out of the cave. And they did so, and brought forth those a 3 
 five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, 
 the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of 
 Lachish, and the king of Eglon. And it came to pass, when 24 
 they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua 
 called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains 
 of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put 
 your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came 
 near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. And 25 
 Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be 
 strong and of good courage : for thus shall the LORD do to 
 
 and in time of war watch was kept night and day (Judg. ix. 46, 47 ; 
 i Kings ix. 1752 Chron. xxvi. 9, 15). The earlier Egyptian fortifications 
 consisted of a quadrangular and sometimes double wall of sun-dried brick, 
 fifteen feet thick, and often fifty feet in height, with square towers at 
 intervals of the same height as the walls, both crowned with a parapet, 
 and a round-headed battlement in shape like a shield. See Smith's 
 Bib. Diet. I. 6 1 6. 
 
 21. to the camp} Which had been already formed round the royal 
 hiding-place. 
 
 none moved his tongue] "And no man a3ens the sones of Yrael was 
 hardy to grucche, ether to make priuy noise," Wyclif. Comp. Exod. xi. 
 7, " But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his 
 tongue, against man or beast." 
 
 22. Then said yoshua] Probably this was on the morning after the 
 victory. 
 
 23. the king of Jerusalem] Observe the rhythmic roll of the enume- 
 ration of the kings and the cities over which they ruled. 
 
 24. put your feet upon the necks] According to the usage portrayed 
 on the monuments of Assyria and Egypt, which seems also to have 
 been practised by the Byzantine emperors long after the Christian era. 
 For this symbol of complete subjection comp, Ps. ex. i ; i Cor. xv. 
 
 25- 
 
 25. Fear not] "Take 56 coumfort (con and fords), and be se 
 stronge," Wyclif. The proud foes they had so lately seen in all the 
 pomp and circumstance of war lay prostrate at their feet. 
 
 for thus] Even as, after the defeat of Sihon and Og, Moses had 
 assured Joshua would be the case, saying, "Thine eyes have seen all 
 that the Lord your God hath done unto these two kings ; so shall the 
 Lord do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest. Ye shall not iear 
 them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you," Deut. iii. i, 22; 
 Exod. xiv. 14.
 
 92 JOSHUA, X. [w. 26-29. 
 
 = fi all your enemies against whom ye fight. And afterward 
 Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on 
 five trees : and they were hanging upon the trees until the 
 
 27 evening. And it came to pass at the time of the going down 
 of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them 
 down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they 
 had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, 
 ivhich remain until this very day. 
 
 28 39. The Conquest of Southern Palestine. 
 
 as And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with 
 the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly 
 destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein ; he let 
 none remain : and he did to the king of Makkedah as he 
 
 29 did unto the king of Jericho. Then Joshua passed from 
 Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought 
 
 26. Joshua smote them] The actual execution of the kings he re- 
 served for his own hands. 
 
 hanged theni\ "Hongide upon fiue stokkis," Wyclif; or suspended 
 their bodies after death. Comp. Deut. xxi. 23 ; Josh. viii. 29. In like 
 manner Joshua had done to the king of Ai ; Josh. viii. 29. 
 
 on five trees'} Each body on its own tree. 
 
 27. at the time of the going down of the sun] According to the 
 strict command in Deut. xxi. 23. 
 
 into the cave -wherein they had been hid} " Into the spelonk, in the 
 which thei lorkiden," Wyclif, which then became a royal sepulchre, 
 while the stones "which on the self-same day had cut them off from 
 escape, closed the mouth of the tomb." See Keil on Josh. x. 27. 
 
 28 39. THE CONQUEST OP SOUTHERN PALESTINE. 
 
 28. And that day] The victory of Beth-horon did not stand alone. 
 It involved other consequences in its train. It inaugurated a campaign, 
 which may have lasted some weeks or even months, during which the 
 whole of southern Canaan was swept into the hands of Israel. 
 
 took Makkedah] The cities distinctly specified as now subdued are 
 Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, Debir. 
 
 and smote it with the edge of the sword] As before at Ai (Josh. viii. 
 24). Four times does this expression occur in the present section. 
 
 he let none remain] This expression also occurs four times in the 
 section. 
 
 as he did] See chap. vi. 21. 
 
 29. unto Libnah] In a westerly direction. Libnah belonged to
 
 w. 30-3:-] JOSHUA, X. 93 
 
 against Libnah : and the LORD delivered it also, and the 30 
 king thereof, into the hand of Israel ; and he smote it with 
 the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein ; he 
 let none remain in it ; but did unto the king thereof as he 
 did unto the king of Jericho. And Joshua passed from 31 
 Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamp- 
 ed against it, and fought against it : and the LORD delivered 32 
 Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second 
 day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the 
 souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to 
 Libnah. Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help 33 
 
 the district of the Shephelah, the maritime lowland of Judah, and we 
 find it enumerated among the cities of this district (Josh. xv. 42). With 
 its suburbs it was appropriated to the priests (Josh. xxi. 1.3 ; i Chron. 
 vi. 57), but revolted from Judah in the reign of Jehoram the son of 
 Jehoshaphat (2 Kings viii. 22 ; i Chron. xxi. 10). On account of the 
 accordance of the name Libnah ("twMfe") with the "Blanche-garde" 
 of the Crusaders, Dean Stanley would place it at Tell es-Safeh, about 
 5 miles north-west of Beit-fibrin. Others would place it 4 miles west 
 of the same spot, at Arak el Menshiyeh. 
 
 31 unto Lachish} See above, verse 3. The Israelitish leader 
 moved in a south-westerly direction. 
 
 32. -which took it on the second day~\ Observe: i. All the other cities 
 seem to have fallen before Joshua at once except Lachish. Of Lachish, 
 and Lachish alone, is it said that he took it on the second day. 
 
 i. When Sennacherib invaded Judah, he attacked and took "the 
 fenced cities," but Lachish appears to have foiled him, and he was con- 
 strained to raise the siege (2 Kings xix. 852 Chron. xxxii. 9). 
 
 3. When Nebuchadnezzar came up against Jerusalem, he fought 
 against all "the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and 
 against Azekah : for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Jttdah, " 
 i. e. they had strength to stand out, when the others had fallen (Jer. 
 xxxiv. 7). 
 
 4. When in describing the assault on Lachish the writer of the Book 
 of Joshua tells us it was the second day before it succeeded, he uti- 
 designedly leads us to suspect that Lachish was a stronghold ; and on 
 consulting other portions of the history of the Jews we discover that 
 suspicion to be confirmed; and on the whole a coincidence results veiy 
 characteristic of truth and accuracy, and this in a narrative full of the 
 miraculous. Blunt's Undesigned Coincidences, pp. 107, 108. 
 
 33. TJien Horani] His city lay at no great distance from Lachish. 
 Gezer} or, as it is called later, Gazara (2 Mace. x. 32), Gadara 
 
 (Jos. Ant. v. i. 22), was an ancient city of Canaan. It was after- 
 wards allotted with its suburbs to the Kohathite Levites (Josh. xxi. 21 ; 
 i Chron. vi. 67); but the original inhabitants were not dispossessed 
 (Judg. i. 29), and even down to the reign of Solomon the Canaanites
 
 94- JOSHUA, X. [vv. 34-38. 
 
 Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until /ieha.d 
 
 34 left him none remaining. And from Lachish Joshua passed 
 unto Eglon, and all Israel with him ; and they encamped 
 
 35 against it, and fought against it : and they took it on that 
 day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the 
 souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, accord- 
 
 36 ing to all that he had done to Lachish. And Joshua went 
 up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron ; and 
 
 37 they fought against it : and they took it, and smote it with 
 the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the 
 cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein ; he left 
 none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon ; 
 but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein. 
 
 38 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir ; and 
 
 were still dwelling there, and paying tribute to Israel (r Kings ix. 16). 
 Its site has lately been identified with Tel el Jezar, about four miles 
 from Amwds, on the road to Ramlah and Lydd. " The position of 
 the Levitical city of Gezer (Josh. xii. 12; i Chron. vi. 67; Judges i. 
 29), which Pharaoh gave to his daughter Solomon's queen as a 
 dowry, has been a subject of prolonged controversy. M. Clermont 
 Ganneau discovered the ancient site, with the very name itself still 
 lingering on the spot. Not only that, but he found the Levitical 
 boundaries. In no other case have these been found. They were cut 
 in the rock itself not on movable stones in two separate places, in 
 Greek and square Hebrew characters, signifying the 'boundary of 
 Gezer.' The date seems to be Maccabean." {Quarterly Statement 
 of the "Palestine Exploration Fund," 1874.) 
 
 and Joshua smote hini\ Joshua seems to have been content with re- 
 pulsing his attack, slaying the king, and inflicting a severe defeat upon 
 his people. Gezer itself lay too far northward of his present line of 
 operations to justify its capture. 
 
 34. Eglon\ See on verse 3. He now marches eastward from La- 
 chish to Eglon on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza} invests, takes, 
 and destroys it with all its inhabitants. 
 
 36. unto Hebron] which lay next in a tolerably direct line. He is 
 said to have "gone up" to it, for, in order to invest it, he had to march 
 from the plain to the hill country. 
 
 37. and the king thereof \ The successor doubtless- of the chief who 
 fell at Makkedah. See above, verse 23. 
 
 all the cities thereof] i.e. all the smaller towns dependent upon it; 
 " alle the burgh touns of that region, " Wyclif. 
 
 38. returned] or turned. " Turnyde in," Wyclif. The -words in- 
 dicate a change in the direction of the march. Comp. Exod. v. 22, 
 "and Moses returned unto the Lord." From Hebron he turned in to 
 the south-west, and attacked Debir.
 
 vv. 39, 40.] JOSHUA, X. 95 
 
 fought against it : and he took it, and the king thereof, and 39 
 all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of 
 the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were 
 therein ; he left none remaining : as he had done to Hebron, 
 so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done 
 also to Libnah, and to her king. 
 
 40 43. Survey of the Results of the Campaign in Southern 
 Canaan. 
 
 So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the 
 south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: 
 
 Debir] The early name of this city was Kirjath-sepher = " the town 
 of the book" (Josh. xv. 15; Judg. i. il), or Kirjath-sannah = "fe town 
 of palm" ("of the law"?) (Josh. xv. 49). We find it afterwards given 
 with its "suburbs" to the priests (Josh. xxi. 15; i Chron. vi. 58). 
 " About three miles to the west of Hebron is a deep and secluded 
 valley called the Wady NunkAr, enclosed on the north by hills, of 
 which one bears a name certainly suggestive of Debir, Dewtr-ban. The 
 name supplies some evidence that the Canaanites were acquainted with 
 writing and books. The town probably contained a noted school, or 
 was the site of an oracle, and the residence of some learned priests." 
 This accounts for the Hebrew name, Debir, which Jerome renders 
 " oraculum." The same term was used to denote the adytum of Solo- 
 mon's temple. 
 
 40 43. SURVEY OF THE RESULTS OF THE CAMPAIGN IN 
 SOUTHERN CANAAN. 
 
 40. all the country] Rather, all the land, the hill country, &c. 
 The entire region is comprehensively surveyed, and then treated with 
 special detail : (a) The Hills; (b) The South; (c) The Vale; (cf) The Springs. 
 
 (a) The Hills, i. e. the mountain district of Judah extending southward 
 from Jerusalem. It consists of calcareous limestone, and forms the 
 water-parting between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, rising 
 to the height of 3000 feet. It is generally, especially in the southern 
 portion, an uneven and rocky district. 
 
 (b) The Smith = the Negeb, the "land of the south," the dry, parched 
 land, where the mountain-brooks fail in the summer (Ps. cxxvi. 4). 
 It is a limestone district, a land intermediate between wilderness and 
 cultivated land, like the steppes of southern Russia. Because it lay 
 in the south of Palestine, "Negeb" comes to mean generally "south" 
 (comp. Num. xxxv. 5; Exod. xl. 24; Josh. xvii. 9, 10). It must, 
 however, have once been fertile, for Palmer and Drake found 
 grape-mounds all round the western border. "Almost sudden 
 was the transition to the upland wilderness, the 'Negeb,' or south 
 country a series of rolling hills, clad with scanty herbage here and
 
 95 JOSHUA, X. [w. 41, 42. 
 
 he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breath- 
 
 41 ed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded. And Joshua 
 smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the 
 
 42 country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. And all these kings 
 and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the 
 
 there, especially on their northern faces; and steadily rising, till 
 the barometer, falling three and a half inches, told us that we had 
 mounted 3,200 feet above our camp of the morning." Tristram's 
 Land of Israel, pp. 365, 366. 
 
 (f) The Vale, i.e. the Lowlands, or Shephelah, a strip of land in southern 
 Palestine stretching along from Joppa to Gaza, "the plain of the 
 Philistines." " Viewed from the sea this maritime region appears 
 as a long low coast of white or cream-coloured sand, its slight 
 undulations rising occasionally into mounds or cliffs, which in one 
 or two places almost aspire to the dignity of headlands." 
 (if) The Springs, rather the Slopes or Declivities. The verb from 
 which the original word is formed, denotes to pour, to rush down. 
 Hence it means (i) an outpouring; (ii) a place, upon which some- 
 thing pours out. Comp. Deut. iii. 17, "from Chinnereth even 
 unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdoth-pisgah" 
 = the springs or slopes of Pisgah (see margin), where the LXX. 
 and English Version treat the word as a proper name. The 
 .word here denotes the district of undulating ground between the 
 Shephelah or "lowlands," just mentioned, and the hill or "moun- 
 tain" of the centre. 
 as the Lord~\ See Deut. xx. 16, 17. 
 
 41. from Kadesh-barned\ i. e. from the wilderness in which Kadesh- 
 barnea lay. This place, the scene of Miriam's death, was the furthest 
 point which the Israelites reached in their direct road to Canaan. From 
 it also the spies were sent forth (Num. xiii. 17, 26), and there also, on 
 their return, the people broke out into murmuring, and upon this their 
 penal term of wandering began (Num. xiv. 29 33 ; Deut. ii. 14). 
 
 even unto Gaza] In the Shephelah, and only about one hour from the 
 Mediterranean Sea. This defines the limits of Joshua's conquests on 
 the west, Gaza being the last town in the S.W. of Palestine on the 
 frontier 'towards Egypt. This town, properly Azzah, the name of 
 which means ''the strong," appears even before the call of Abraham 
 (Gen. x. 19), as a "border" city of the Canaanites. We shall find the 
 territory of Gaza mentioned afterwards, as one which Joshua was not 
 able to subdue (Josh. xi. 22<>.xiii. 3), and though assigned to the tribe of 
 Judah (Josh. xv. 47), they did not obtain possession of it (Judg. i. 18, 19). 
 all the country of Goshen] " Alle the lond of Josson," Wyclif. This 
 is not to be confounded with the province of Goshen (frontier) in 
 Egypt. It was a district in the south of Judah, and probably derived 
 its appellation from a town of that name, mentioned in company with 
 Debir, Socoh, and others in the mountains of Judah (Josh. xv. 48 51). 
 even unto Gibeon~\ This marks the extent of the Conquest on the 
 east.
 
 vv. 69.] JOSHUA, VII. 65 
 
 down : wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and be- 
 came as water. 
 
 6 15. The Defeat before Ai. Joshua's Prayer. 
 
 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon 6 
 his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he 
 and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. 
 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou ^ 
 at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the 
 hand of the Amorites, to destroy us ? would to God we had 
 been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan ! O Lord, 8 
 what shall I say, when Israel turneth tfieir backs before their 
 enemies ! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the 9 
 land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off 
 
 in the going down~\ Or, as in the margin, in Morad. If we retain the 
 translation in the text, "the going down" would point to a spot, about 
 a mile distant, " where the wadies, descending from Ai, take their final 
 plunge eastwards." 
 
 the hearts of the people melted'} Comp. Deut. i. 28; Josh. ii. n. 
 "And the herte of the puple myche dredde, and at the lickenesse of 
 water is molten, " Wyclif. 
 
 6 15. THE DEFEAT BEFORE Ai. JOSHUA'S PRAYER. 
 
 6. And Joshua rent his clothes] in token of sorrow and distress 
 (comp. Lev. x. 6, xxi. 10). The clothes were torn in front over the 
 breast, yet for not more than a handbreadth. In Patriarchal times we 
 read of Reuben rending his clothes, because ' ' Joseph was not in the pit " 
 (Gen. xxxvii. 29) ; of Jacob rending his clothes, and "mourning for his 
 son many days" (Gen. xxxvii. 34); of Joseph's brethren that they rent 
 their clothes, when they found the cup in Benjamin's sack (Gen. xliv. 
 13). For the same custom among the Romans compare Juvenal xin. 
 
 *3i 
 
 " Nemo dolorem 
 
 Fingit in hoc casu, vestem diducere summam 
 Contentus. " 
 
 and put dust upon their heads] Likewise a sign of mourning. Comp. 
 the young man of Benjamin running to Shiloh with tidings of the battle, 
 his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head (i Sam. iv. 12) ; the man 
 coming from the camp to David with his clothes rent, and earth upon 
 his head (2 Sam. i. 2). See also i Sam. xiii. 19, xv. 32. Comp. 
 Horn. //. xviii. 25, xxiv. 164. 
 
 7. would to God -we had been content] Or perhaps better as the LXX. 
 have rendered it, ' ' would that we had remained and dwelt on the other 
 side Jordan." 
 
 JOSHUA C
 
 66 JOSHUA, VII. [w. 1014. 
 
 our name from the earth : and what wilt thou do unto thy 
 10 great name ? And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee 
 " up ; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face ? Israel hath 
 sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which 
 I commanded them: for they have even taken of the ac- 
 cursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, 
 1= and they have put // even amongst their own stuff. There- 
 fore the children of Israel could not stand before their ene- 
 mies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because 
 they were accursed : neither will I be with you any more, 
 13 except ye destroy the accursed from amongst you. Up, 
 sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to 
 morrow : for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is 
 an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel : thou canst 
 not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the ac- 
 *4 cursed thing from among you. In the morning therefore ye 
 shall be brought according to your tribes : and it shall be, 
 that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according 
 
 10. Get thee up\ Joshua might well infer that the people had in- 
 curred the Divine displeasure, but it was no time for unavailing remorse 
 he must be up and trying to detect and put away the sin. 
 
 12. except ye destroy the accursed from among yoii] The LXX. trans- 
 late, " Except ye remove the accursed thing, the Anathema, from among 
 you," using the identical word for remove that St Paul uses respecting 
 the incestuous Corinthian, " therefore put away from among yourselves 
 that wicked person," i Cor. v. 13. 
 
 13. sanctify the people} " Rise, halwe the puple," Wyclif. Compare 
 the instructions to Moses before the giving of the Law, Exod. xix. 10. 
 
 14. according to your tribes~\ Each tribe was divided into families ; 
 each family into houses ; each house into persons. 
 
 the tribe ivhich the Lord taketh\ i.e. by the sacred lot. We find the 
 lots used (a) for the detection of a criminal here, and in the case of 
 Jonathan (i Sam.'xiv. 42, and Jonah i. 7); (b) in the choice of men for 
 an invading force (Judg. i. i, xx. 10); (c) in the partition of land (Num. 
 xxvi. 55; Josh, xviii. 10; i Mace. iii. 36); (d) in the assignment to 
 foreigners or captors of spoils or prisoners (Joel iii. 3; Nah. iii. 10); (e) 
 in the selection of the scapegoat on the day of Atonement (Lev. xvi. 
 8); (/) in the settlement of doubtful questions (Prov. xvi. 33, xviii. 
 18). The custom was of great antiquity and widely spread, and "recom- 
 mended itself as a sort of appeal to the Almighty, secure from all influ- 
 ence of passion or bias." In Homer we find it employed by the gods 
 themselves (//. xxn. 209; Cic. de Div. I. 34, II. 41), and the Romans 
 had their lots in divisions (sortes divisorice} and elections (sors urbana 
 and peregrina) in the choice of a praetor.
 
 vv. 1519.] JOSHUA, VII. 67 
 
 to the families thereof ; and the family which the LORD shall 
 take shall come by households ; and the household which 
 the LORD shall take shall come man by man. And it shall 15 
 be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be 
 burnt with fire, he and all that he hath : because he hath 
 transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath 
 wrouht folljn Israel. 
 
 1 6 26. The Discovery and Punishment of Achan. 
 
 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought 16 
 Israel by their tribes ; and the tribe of Judah was taken : 
 and he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family 
 of the Zarhites : and he brought the family of the Zarhites 17 
 man by man ; and Zabdi was taken : and he brought his is 
 household man by man ; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the 
 son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was 
 taken. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray 19 
 thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession 
 
 15. shall be burnt -with fire] Achan by his conduct had become 
 cherem or devoted, and is so called in verse 1 2 , and everything devoted to 
 punishment for the reparation of the Divine honour was to be burnt. 
 Comp. Lev. xx. 14, xxi. 9; Josh. vi. 24; a Kings xxiii. 16. 
 
 folly} Or, as in margin, -wickedness; "and hath do -sacrilege in 
 Ysrael," Wyclif. 
 
 16 26. THE DISCOVERY AND PUNISHMENT OF ACHAN. 
 
 16. brought Israel by their tribes'] Joshua first caused the heads of the 
 tribes to come before the Ark, and lots were cast for them, and the lot 
 fell upon Judah ; then the heads of the clans of Judah were brought, 
 and the lot fell upon the Zarhites ; then the heads of the houses of 
 the Zarhites were brought before the Ark, and the lot fell upon Zabdi ; 
 then the men of his house were brought, and the lot fell upon Achan, 
 the son of Carmi. 
 
 18. and Achan. ..was taken] (a) Sometimes in taking the sacred lot 
 dice were thrown; comp. the expression "to cast lots'" (Josh, xviii. 10); 
 to "throw" them (Josh, xviii. 6); "the lot falls" (Jonah i. 7; Ezek. 
 xxiv. 6) ; (b) sometimes tesserce were flung into a vessel and then drawn 
 out; comp. the expressions "the lot came forth" Num. xxxiii. 54; 
 "came tip" Lev. xvi. 9. 
 
 19. My soil] "Not said ironically but earnestly, My son; an exam- 
 ple of the pity for the Sinner which Justice feels even in punishing the 
 sin." Bp Wordsworth. 
 
 give... glory] Comp. i Sam. vi. 5, " Wherefore ye shall make images of 
 your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land ; and ye shall
 
 68 JOSHUA, VII. [vv. 2024. 
 
 unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide /'/ 
 
 20 not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, In- 
 deed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and 
 
 21 thus and thus have I done : when I saw among the spoils a 
 goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of 
 silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I 
 coveted them, and took them ; and behold, they are hid in 
 the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. 
 
 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent ; 
 and behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under 
 
 23 it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and 
 brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of 
 
 24 Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. And Joshua, 
 and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and 
 
 give glory -onto the God of Israel ; peradventureHewill lighten His Hand 
 from off you;" Jer. xiii. 16, " Give glory to the Lord your God, before He 
 cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains ;" 
 John ix. 24, " Then again called they the man that was blind, and said 
 unto him, Give God the praise ; we know that this man is a sinner." 
 "The Omniscience of Jehovah is proved by this discovery. Give Him 
 the praise, therefore, by a full confession of thy sin." 
 
 21. a goodly Babylonish garment} Literally, a goodly mantle of 
 Shinar, i. e. Babylonia. Comp. Gen. xi. 2, " They found a plain in the 
 land of Shinar, and they dwelt there," 9, "therefore is the name of it 
 called Babel." The word here translated "garment," means a long 
 robe, such as was worn by kings on state occasions ; comp. Jonah iii. 6, 
 and by prophets, i Kings xix. 13; 2 Kings ii. 13, 14; Zech. xiii. 4. 
 Probably it was stuff embroidered, made in the loom with many colours, 
 and wrought of gold and silk threads. On the elaborate and beautiful 
 products of the Babylonian looms see Heeren's Asiatic Nations i. 2, 
 ff. 22; Layard's Nineveh II. 319; Kitto's Bible Illustrations II. 204. 
 The word employed points to the existence of a trade already between 
 Canaan and Mesopotamia. Wyclif renders it "a reed inentil ful good." 
 
 a wedge of gold] Literally, a tongue of gold. Vulg. regida aurea, 
 "a golden bar," or "a tongue-shaped jewel made of gold," "a golden 
 rewle of fifti siclis," Wyclif. The name lingula was given by the Ro- 
 mans to a spoon, and to an oblong dagger made in the shape of a 
 tongue. The weight of the wedge was 50 shekels = about 25 ounces. 
 See The Speaker's Commentary in loc. 
 
 the silver tinder it] The mantle would naturally lie at the top, then 
 the tongue of gold, and the silver lowest. 
 
 23. laid them out] Literally, poured them out. 
 
 before the Lord] i. e. before the ark of Jehovah, where He was 
 enthroned. Comp. vi. 8. 
 
 24. son of Zerah] Strictly, his great-grandson.
 
 vv. 25, 26] JOSHUA, VII. 69 
 
 the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his 
 sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his 
 sheep, and his tent, and all that he had : and they brought 
 them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast 25 
 thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. 
 And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them 
 with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And they 6 
 raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So 
 the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Where- 
 fore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, 
 unto this day. 
 
 and his sons, and his daughters] Some have thought they were 
 brought to the valley merely as spectators, that they might have a 
 terrible warning : others think they must have been accomplices in his 
 sin, and as he by his own act had placed himself under a ban (vi. 18), 
 so all that he had was treated as coming under the same law. (Comp. 
 Deut. xiii. 15 17.) 
 
 the valley] Henceforth known by the name of " Achor ;" i. e. causing 
 trouble and sorrow. Comp. Josh. xv. 7, "And the border went up 
 toward Debir from the valley of Achor-" Isai. Ixv. 10, "And Sharon 
 shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds 
 to lie down in;" Hos. ii. 15, "And I will give her her vineyards from 
 thence, and the -valley of Achor for a door of hope." The exact site of 
 the valley is unknown, but it was somewhere on the northern border of 
 the tribe of Judah, among the ridges to the south of Jericho. 
 
 25. Why hast thou troubled us ?] Compare the question of Ahab to 
 Elijah, "Art thou he that troubleth Israel?" (i Kings xviii. 17). 
 "For thou disturblidist us, the Lord schall disturble the in this dai," 
 Wyclif. 
 
 And all Israel stoned him] The use of the singular here and in the 
 following verse is deserving of notice. It suggests that it does not 
 necessarily follow that the sons and daughters of Achan were burned 
 with him. In this case "the plural number used would refer only to 
 the oxen, asses, and sheep, and all that Achan possessed. " Edersheim. 
 Stoning was the ordinary mode of execution (Exod. xvii. 4), especially 
 for idolatry and blasphemy (i Kings xxi. 10). 
 
 and burned them -with fire] This was a terrible aggravation of the 
 ordinary punishment of death, Lev. xx. 14. 
 
 26. a great heap of stones] As a memorial and a warning of his sin 
 and its punishment. The custom of casting stones on certain graves 
 was not unknown among other nations also, as the Arabs and the 
 Romans. Compare Propertius IV. 5. 74. 
 
 So the Lord turned] " Even to Achan himself," remarks Bp Words- 
 worth, "the valley of Achor may have been made a door of hope 
 (Hos. ii. 15), because he confessed his sin, and there is reason to hope 
 and believe that he listened to the words of Joshua, ' My son, give
 
 70 JOSHUA, VIII. [w. 13. 
 
 i 29. The Capture of Ai. 
 
 8 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be 
 thou dismayed : take all the people of war with thee, and 
 arise, go up to Ai : see, I have given into thy hand the king 
 
 2 of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land : and thou 
 shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and 
 her king : only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall 
 ye take for a prey unto yourselves : lay thee an ambush for 
 
 3 the city behind it. So Joshua arose, and all the people of 
 war, to go up against Ai : and Joshua chose out thirty thou- 
 sand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night. 
 
 glory to the Lord God of Israel,' and submitted to the punishment due 
 to his sin." 
 
 CH. VIII. 129. THE CAPTURE OF Ai. 
 
 1. And the Lord said unto Joshua] The same encouraging address, 
 and one much needed after all that had taken place, is now given as that 
 recorded in i. 9, The sin of Israel having been removed, the Almighty 
 once more assures Joshua of His presence to give success in the reduc- 
 tion of Ai. 
 
 all the people of war] Not three thousand men only as at the first 
 attempt. 
 
 2. the spoil thereof] unlike the case of Jericho, is formally conceded 
 to the Israelites. 
 
 an ambush] "Put busshementis to the citye bihynde it," Wyclif. 
 Literally a weaver, a Her in wait, from arab, to weave =" nectere insi- 
 dias, struere dolos." 
 
 for the city behind it] High up, probably in the main ravine between 
 Ai and Bethel. " Ai must be somewhere between Michmash and Rim- 
 mon, a region greatly cut up with gorges and ravines ; and as I passed 
 from Beit-in toward Michmash, I could easily understand how Joshua's 
 ambush of 5000 men could lie hid between Ai and Bethel." Thomson's 
 Land and the Book, p. 671. 
 
 3. Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour] There 
 is an apparent discrepancy between this statement and that in verses 
 10 12. But possibly (a) while 30000 were selected for the ambush, 
 5000 were actually employed when the decisive moment came ; or 
 (b) Joshua may have sent two distinct bodies of men, one of 30000, 
 the other of 5000 ; or (c) as Bp Wordsworth suggests, on the day 
 after the 30000 had taken up their position the 5000 may have been 
 sent from Joshua's own force to encourage and assure them. 
 
 sent them away by night] The force detached might easily reach 
 the neighbourhood of Ai before daybreak, since the distance from 
 Gilgal thither is not more than five to six hours. See Robinson, Vol. 
 II. 307312.
 
 vv. 4 13.] JOSHUA, VIII. 71 
 
 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in 4 
 wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far 
 from the city, but be ye all ready : and I, and all the people 5 
 that are with me, will approach unto the city : and it shall 
 come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, 
 that we will flee before them, (for they will come out after 6 
 us) till we have drawn them from the city ; for they will say, 
 They flee before us, as at the first : therefore we will flee 
 before them. Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and 7 
 seize upon the city : for the LORD your God will deliver it 
 into your hand. And it shall be, when ye have taken the s 
 city, that ye shall set the city on fire : according to the com- 
 mandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded 
 you. Joshua therefore sent them forth : and they went to 9 
 lie in ambush, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the 
 west side of Ai : but Joshua lodged that night among the 
 people. And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and 10 
 numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of 
 Israel, before the people to Ai. And all the people, even the n 
 people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, 
 and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of 
 Ai : now there was a valley between them and Ai. And he 13 
 took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in am- 
 bush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city. 
 And when they had set the people, even all the host that 13 
 
 4. go not very far from the city] They would station themselves 
 high up in the Wady Ilarith, at no great distance from the city, and 
 between it and Bethel. 
 
 5. ivill approach unto the city] Joshua himself took up his position 
 on the north side of " the ravine," apparently the deep chasm through 
 which the Wady Harith descends to the Wady Kelt. Stanley's Sinai 
 and Palestine, pp. 202, 203. 
 
 8. See, I have commanded yoii] Comp. the words of Jehovah to 
 Joshua, i. 9, " Have not I commanded thee? Be strong, and of a good 
 courage ;" and of Absalom to his servants, 2 Sam. xiii. 28, " Have 
 not I commanded you ? Be courageous and be valiant." 
 
 10. numbered the people] Rather, mustered or arrayed them. The 
 day after the despatch of the ambush would be naturally occupied 
 with the marshalling of the army, and the march from Gilgal to Ai, 
 where they would arrive in the evening. 
 
 12. he took] Or rather, had taken. 
 
 between Beth-el and Ai] Comp. ch. vii. 2 with Gen. xii. 8 and 
 xiii. 3.
 
 72 JOSHUA, VIII. fvv. 1419. 
 
 was on the north of the city, and their Hers in wait on the 
 west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of 
 
 J 4 the valley. And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw 
 //, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the 
 city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, 
 at a time appointed, before the plain ; but he wist not that 
 
 '5 there were Hers in ambush against him behind the city. And 
 Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before 
 
 16 them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. And all the 
 people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after 
 them : and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away 
 
 *7 from the city. And there was not a man left in Ai or 
 Beth-el, that went not out after Israel : and they left the 
 
 18 city open, and pursued after Israel. And the LORD said 
 unto Joshira, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand to- 
 ward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua 
 stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the 
 
 19 city. And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and 
 they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand : and they 
 entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the 
 
 14. when the king of Ai saw i(\ It was early on the following 
 morning that the king of Ai discovered the advance of the army 
 against him. The words apply to the forces of Joshua, the ambush was 
 of course hidden from his view. Ai was a "royal" city. Comp. 
 Josh. viii. 23, 29, x. i, xii. 9. 
 
 at a time appointed] Rather, at tlie place appointed, at some spot 
 before agreed upon suitable for marshalling his forces. It was " be- 
 fore the plain," i. e. before the " ambush," at the entrance of the 
 depressed tract which runs down to the Jordan valley, probably^" the 
 wilderness of Beth-aven," Josh, xviii. 12. 
 
 he wist not] Comp. Judg. xx. 34, "And there came against Gibeah 
 ten thousand chosen men but they knew not that evil was near them." 
 For "wist," see above, ch. ii. 4. 
 
 17. or Beth-el] The inhabitants of Bethel would seem on this occa- 
 sion to have sent help to the people of Ai in resisting the attack of 
 Joshua. 
 
 18. the spear] Heb. C^JSn, a dart, or javelin which is hurled, lighter 
 than the Chanith, or spear of the largest kind like that of Goliath, 
 i Sam. xvii. 7, 45, or king Saul, i Sam. xxvi. 7, 8. The CidSn could 
 easily be held outstretched for some considerable time and was probably 
 furnished with a flag. When not in action, it was carried on the back 
 of the warrior between the shoulders (r Sam. xvii. 6). The LXX. 
 renders the word by Gaison, a short javelin or lance, the Vulg. by scep- 
 Iruin.
 
 vv. 20-28.1 JOSHUA, VIII. 73 
 
 city on fire. And when the men of Ai looked behind them, 2<y 
 they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to 
 heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way : 
 and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon 
 the pursuers. And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the 21 
 ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city 
 ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai. 
 And the other issued out of the city against them ; so they 22 
 were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on 
 that side : and they smote them, so that they let none of 
 them remain or escape. And the king of Ai they took alive, 23 
 and brought him to Joshua. And it came to pass, when ?4 
 Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai 
 in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, 
 when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until 
 they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, 
 and smote it with the edge of the sword. And so it was, 25 
 that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were 
 twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. For Joshua drew 26 
 not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, 
 until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 
 Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for 27 
 a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the 
 LORD which he commanded Joshua. And Joshua burnt Ai, 28 
 and made it a heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. 
 
 20. they had no power] no hand. Comp. Judg. xviii. 10 (Heb. ). 
 
 that fled to the wilderness] See above, ver. 15, and below, ver. 24. 
 
 22. so they were in the midst of Israef] "The host of Israel 
 now turned again, while those who had set Ai on fire advanced 
 in an opposite direction. Between these two forces the men of Ai 
 were literally crushed." 
 
 27. which he commanded Joshua] See ver. 2, and comp. Num. 
 xxxi. 22 26. 
 
 28. a heap} " an everlasting toumbe," Wyclif. Heb. a " Tel" 
 always with the article, The Tel, or Heap. " For a long time modern 
 explorers in vain sought for the site of Ai, where they knew it must 
 have stood. "The inhabitants of the neighbouring villages," writes 
 Canon Williams, " declared repeatedly and emphatically that this was 
 Tel and nothing else. I was satisfied that it should be so when, on 
 subsequent reference to the original text of Josh. viii. 28, I found 
 it written that ' Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a Tel for ever, even a 
 desolation unto this day.' There are many Tels in modern Palestine, 
 that land of Tels, ev;n Tel with some other name attached to it to
 
 74 JOSHUA, VIII. [w. 29-31. 
 
 29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide : and 
 as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they 
 should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at 
 the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great 
 heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day. 
 
 30 35. The Altar of Blessing and of Cursing. 
 
 30 Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel 
 
 31 in mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD corn- 
 mark the former site. But the site of Ai has no other name 'unto this 
 day.' It is simply et-Tel=the Heap, ' par excellence.' "' 
 
 29. he hanged on a tree} "He hongid in agybet," Wyclif. Hanging 
 is mentioned as a distinct punishment, Num. xxv. 4. In Deut. xxi. 22 
 we read that in certain cases the criminal was put to death, and after 
 that, his dead body was hung on a tree till eventide ; the king of Ai 
 was probably slain and then hanged on a cross or gallows. 
 
 1 as soon as the sun was down} This was in accordance with the Mosaic 
 I Law, which directed, Deut. xxi. 23, that a man's body should " not 
 | remain all night upon the tree." Comp. also Josh. x. 27. 
 
 and raise thereon a great heap of stones} Comp. Josh. vii. 26. Two 
 words are used for "heap" inverses 28, 29. The first (Tel) indicates 
 the ruins of the city itself, the second (Gal) the cairn over the king's 
 grave. 
 
 30 35. THE ALTAR OF BLESSING AND OF CURSING. 
 
 30. Then Joshua built} The passes being now secured, and the 
 interior of the country rendered accessible, Joshua resolved to take 
 advantage of the terror which the success of his arms had inspired in 
 the hearts of the Canaanites, and to carry out the command of Moses 
 respecting the ratification of the Law with solemn ceremonies (Deut. 
 xxvii. 2 8). By a grand national act it was to be declared "in what 
 character Israel meant to hold what it had received of God." This act 
 was to consist of three parts : 
 
 (a) The Law was to be inscribed on " great stones " (Deut. xxvii. i) 
 which had been "plaistered with plaister;" and these as Memorial 
 Stones were to be set up on " mount Ebal " (Deut. xxvii. 4) ; 
 
 (b) An altar of " whole stones " (Deut. xxvii. 5, 6) was to be erected 
 on the same spot and solemn sacrifices offered thereon ; 
 
 (c) The priests with the Ark were to occupy the valley between 
 Ebal and Gerizim, surrounded by the elders, officers, and judges ; 
 the curses of the Law were then to be read aloud by the Levites, 
 to which half the tribes on Ebal were to respond with a loud Amen, 
 and to the blessings of the Law the other half on Gerizim were 
 similarly to testify their acquiescence. 
 
 in mount Ebal} To carry out this solemn function, the first step 
 taken by Joshua was to advance with the people from Ai and Beth-el
 
 w. 32,33.] JOSHUA, VIII. 75 
 
 manded the children of Israel", as it is written in the book of 
 the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no 
 man hath lift up any iron : and they offered thereon burnt 
 offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings. And 3' 
 he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, 
 which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. 
 And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their 33 
 judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before 
 the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant 
 of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among 
 them ; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of 
 
 northwards towards Shechem, to the valley bounded on the south by 
 the range of Gerizim, and on the north by that of Ebal, " the most 
 beautiful, perhaps it might be said the only very beautiful spot in central 
 Palestine." Two events consecrated the valley in the memory of every 
 Israelite, (a) It was here that Abraham halted on his journey from 
 Chaldsea and erected his first altar to the Lord (Gen. xii. 6, 7) ; (&) It 
 was here that Jacob settled on his return from the same region of 
 Mesopotamia, and bought the parcel of the field, where he had spread 
 his tent, of the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred 
 pieces of money (Gen. xxxiii. 19). 
 
 31. an altar of -whole (or, " unhewn") stones] Thus the Law required 
 in general (Exod. xx. 25), and in this case it had been specially or- 
 dained. 
 
 32. a copy of the law"] " Short declaracioun of the lawe of Moyses," 
 Wyclif. This has been variously interpreted as meaning (a) the whole 
 Law; (b) the Decalogue; (c] the Book of Deuteronomy ; (d) the "com- 
 mandments" proper, the "statutes" and "rights" contained in the 
 Pentateuch, "six hundred and thirteen in number, according to the 
 Jewish reckoning, not including all the narratives also, and warnings, ad- 
 monitions, discourses, reasons, and the like." 
 
 he wrote in the presence] The Law was probably " written upon or in 
 the plaster with which these pillars were coated. This could easily be 
 done; and such writing was common in ancient times. I have seen 
 numerous specimens of it certainly more than hvo thousand years old, 
 and still as distinct as when they were first inscribed on the plaster." 
 Thomson's Land and the Book, p. 471. "The investigation of the Egyptian 
 monuments has shewn that it was an ancient Egyptian custom first to 
 plaster the stone walls of buildings, and also monumental stones that 
 were to be painted with figures and hieroglyphics, with a plaster of lime 
 and gypsum, into which the figures were worked ; thus it was possible in 
 Egypt to engrave on the walls the most extensive pieces of writing. 
 And in this manner Deut. xxvii. 4 8 must be understood, and in this 
 manner it was accomplished by Joshua." Oehler's Theology of the Old 
 Testament, p. 121 n. 
 
 33. as -veil the stranger\ See Deut. xxxi. 12. 
 
 half of them over against mount Gerizim} viz., those which had sprung
 
 76 JOSHUA, VIII. [vv. 34, 35. 
 
 them over against mount Ebal ; as Moses the servant of the 
 LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the 
 
 34 people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of 
 the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is 
 
 35 written in the book of the law. There was not a word of 
 
 from the lawful wives of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, 
 Benjamin (Deut. xxvii. 12). 
 
 and half of them over against mount Ebal~\ viz., Reuben, Gad, Asher, 
 Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali (Deut. xxvii. 13). Five of these had sprung 
 from the handmaids of Leah and Rachel, to whom Reuben is added 
 probably on account of his great sin. 
 
 34. the blessings and cursings} " The twelve curses are directed 
 against idolatry (Deut. xxvii. 15), contempt of parents (verse 16), re- 
 moving a neighbour's land-mark (verse 17), inhumanity towards the 
 blind, strangers, orphans, widows (verses 18, 19), incest and unnatural 
 crimes (20 23), murder (verses 24, 25), and finally, in general against 
 the transgression of the Law in any manner (verse 26). Blessings are 
 promised in the city and on the field (Deut. xxviii. 3), on all births 
 (xxviii. 4), on the basket and on the kneading-trough (xxviii. 5), on 
 going out and coming in (xxviii. 6), a blessing in particular on the arms 
 of Israel in contest with their enemies (xxviii. 7), a blessing on their 
 position among the nations (xxviii. 9 14). A people standing as the 
 Israelites then did on the scale of morality needed stern discipline, 
 and not only might be allured by promises but must be alarmed by 
 threats." Keil. 
 
 35. There was not a -word\ The acoustic properties of the valley 
 between Ebal and Gerizim are interesting, the more so that several 
 times they are incidentally brought before us. Comp. with this passage 
 Judg. ix. 7, "And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in 
 the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, Hearken 
 unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you." 
 "It is impossible to conceive a spot more admirably adapted for the 
 purpose than this one, in the very centre of the newly acquired land, 
 nor one which could more exactly fulfil all the required conditions. 
 Let us imagine the chiefs and the priests gathered in the centre of the 
 valley, the tribes stretching out as they stood in compact masses, the 
 men of war and the heads of families, half on the north and half on the 
 south, crowding the slopes on either side, the mixed multitude, the 
 women and the children extending along in front till they spread into 
 the plain beyond but still in sight : and there is no difficulty, much less 
 impossibility in the problem. A single voice might be heard by many 
 thousands, shut in and conveyed up and down by the enclosing hills. In 
 the early morning we could not only see from Gerizim a man driving his 
 ass down a path on Mount Ebal, but could hear every -word he uttered, 
 as he urged it ; and in order to test the matter more certainly, on a 
 subsequent occasion two of our party stationed themselves on opposite sides 
 of the valley and with perfect ease recited the commandments antiphon- 
 ally." Tristram's Land of Israel, pp. 149, 150. " The people in these
 
 w. i-3-l JOSHUA, IX. 77 
 
 all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before 
 all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little 
 ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them. 
 
 i, 2. The First League of the Canaanite Kings. 
 
 And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on 9 
 this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all 
 the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hit- 
 tite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the 
 Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; that they gathered a 
 themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, 
 with one accord. 
 
 3 27. The Embassy of the Gibeonites. 
 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua 3 
 
 mountainous countries are able, from long practice, so to pitch their 
 voices as to be heard distinctly at distances almost incredible. They 
 talk with persons across enormous wadies, and give the most minute 
 directions, which are perfectly understood ; and in doing this they seem 
 to speak very little louder than their usual tone of conversation." 
 Thomson's Land and the Book, pp. 473, 474. 
 
 CH. IX. 1, 2. THE FIRST LEAGUE OF THE CANAANITE KINGS. 
 
 1. And it came to pass] Thus ' ' that spring morning " did Israel 
 ' ' consecrate Palestine unto the Lord, and take sea and lake, mountain 
 and valley the most hallowed spots in their history as witnesses of 
 their covenant." It was probably on this occasion that the Egyptian 
 coffin, containing the embalmed body of Joseph (Gen. 1. 25, 26), was 
 laid by the two tribes of the house of Joseph in the parcel of ground 
 near Shechem, which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor (Gen. xxxiii. 
 19). These important preliminaries having been carried out, the further 
 prosecution of the campaign was possible. 
 
 the kings] Hitherto single cities had been the objects of Joshua's 
 contention. Now leagues and confederacies were formed against him. 
 
 in the hills] i.e. the hill country of southern and central Canaan. In 
 Num. xiii. 17, it is called " the mountain." Comp. also Deut. i. 7. 
 The whole region of the western portion of Canaan is here described 
 under three divisions: (a) the central hills, (t>) the valleys = the stiephelah 
 (Deut. i. 7), (f) the seaboard. For the nations here enumerated see 
 above, iii. 10. 
 
 327. THE EMBASSY OF THE GIBEONITES. 
 
 3. of Gibeon] This city was the head of the four towns occupied by 
 the Hivites, the other three being Chephirah, Bceroth, and Kirjath-
 
 73 JOSHUA, IX. [vv. 4, 5. 
 
 4 had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they did work wilily, and 
 went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took 
 old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, 
 
 s and bound up ; and old shoes and clouted upon their feet, 
 
 jearim (Josh. ix. 17). It appears to have been a sort of independent re- 
 public, since we hear of elders there (Josh. ix. n), but not of a king, 
 and is said to have been a great city like a royal city (Josh. x. 2), i.e. of 
 the same size and importance as those which the kings of the country 
 made their capitals. The name itself signifies "pertaining to a hill," 
 i.e. built on a hill, and describes the site, which is, by the direct route, 
 about 5 miles north of Jerusalem, on two of the rounded hills peculiar 
 to this neighbourhood. Placed at the head of the pass of Bethhoron, 
 and commanding the main route from Jerusalem and the lower Jordan 
 valley to Joppa and the sea-coast, and inhabited by a numerous and 
 brave population, it was one of the most important cities of southern 
 Canaan. It is still known as El-Jib. 
 
 4. they did work wilily} Rather, they also did work wilily. They 
 had heard what Joshua had done in the case of Jericho and Ai, and the 
 stratagems he had employed, and now they also resolved to do some- 
 thing and to meet craft with craft. " Thei thoujten felli," Wyclif. 
 
 made as if they had beeit} Or, as the Ancient Versions with the change 
 of a single consonant, reading here as in ver. 12, render, provided 
 themselves with victuals. 
 
 old sacks upon their asses] These were probably the same as " the large 
 bags, usually of hair, in which the Orientals pack up, for convenient 
 transport on the backs of animals, all the baggage and commodities re- 
 quired for the journey. Beds, boxes, provisions, pots, packages of 
 goods, all are carried in such bags, slung over the back of the animal, 
 one hanging at each side. Being a good deal knocked about and ex- 
 posed to the weather, these saddle-bags, as one might call them but 
 for their size, suffer in a long journey; and hence the Gibeonites took 
 old bags, to convey the impression that a long journey had been made. 
 Kitto's Bible Illustrations, II. p. 286. 
 
 wine bottles} i.e. skin bottles, of which classical antiquity has afforded 
 many representations. In the East the wine was preserved not in 
 casks but in earthen jars and leathern bottles, made of the skins of 
 goats, oxen, and buffaloes, turned inside out, washed, and rubbed over 
 with warm mineral tar or naphtha. The wine is drawn out at one of 
 the feet, by opening or closing the cord with which it is tied. This ex- 
 plains how the bottles could be " old," " rent," and "bound up," and 
 also the caution of our Lord against pouring new wine into old bottles, 
 lest they should be burst by the wine (Mark ii. 22). 
 
 5. old shoes} " and ful olde shoon," Wyclif, i.e. sandals, made of 
 (i) hide, or (2) palm-leaves and papyrus stalks. Comp. Mark vi. 9. 
 
 clouted} i.e. patched, "sowid with patchis," Wyclif; from clout, 
 A. S. cleot, cliit, "a patch," properly a swelling from a blow, connected 
 with Du. klotsen, to strike, as "botch" with Du. botsen. Comp. Jer. 
 xxxviii. n, 12, "So Ebed-rnelech took. ..thence old cast clouts, and old
 
 v. 6.] JOSHUA, IX. 79 
 
 and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their i 
 provision was dry and mouldy. And they went to Joshua ft /** 
 unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men ' " ' 
 
 rotten rags. ..and said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and 
 rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. " Shakespeare, //. 
 Henry VL, iv. 2, 
 
 " Spare none, but such as go in clouted shoon ;" 
 
 and Latimer, Serm. p. no, " Paul, yea and Peter too, had more skill in 
 mending an old net, and in clouting an old tent, than to teach law- 
 yers what diligence they should use in the expedition of matters." San- 
 dals were seldom mended, being of so little value, that they could 
 easily be renewed when the worse for wear. " We have seen a man 
 make himself a new pair out of a piece of skin in a few minutes. The 
 mere fact, that articles so easily renewed, were patched in this instance, 
 was well calculated to suggest the idea of a long journey, in which the 
 convenience of purchasing new ones, or materials for making them, had 
 not been found, for which reason they had been obliged to make their 
 old ones serve by patching. It was a singular thing to see sandals 
 clouted at all, and only a journey would explain the fact." Kitto's 
 Bible Illustrations, II. p. 288. 
 
 old garments} It behoved ambassadors to appear in clean and decent, 
 if not in splendid, raiment. This was so essential, that the appearance 
 of these Gibeonites with old and travel-stained clothes could only be ex- 
 
 plained, upon any common principle, by the assigned reason, that they >. 
 
 v ~ 
 
 Hebrew word translated "mouldy" is the same which is rendered by 
 
 had come direct from a long journey. v ~ 
 
 dry and mouldy] " Harde and'brokun into gobetis," Wyclif. Thej^- 
 
 " cracknels" in i Kings xiv. 3. This word (tiikitdJim) denotes a kind I 
 of crisp cake. The ordinary bread, baked in thin cakes, is not made U 
 to keep more than a day or two, a fresh supply being baked daily. If S i 
 kept longer it dries up, and becomes at last excessively hard. It was I 
 this kind of bread that the Gibeonites produced, and they indicated its I *^ 
 hardness hard as biscuits in evidence of the length of the journey /<< 
 they had taken. Kitto's Bible Illustrations, II. p. 289. 1uM< ' C* 
 
 6. unto the tamp at Gilgal} Where was this Gilgal ? (i) According 
 to some it was the Gilgal, of which we have already heard (v. 10), in 
 the Jordan valley, whither Joshua had returned after his successful 
 expedition against Ai, in order thence to undertake fresh enterprises, and 
 where the women, children, and property were left under a sufficient 
 guard, while he was absent with the host, (ii) Others think it is impos- 
 sible to suppose that Joshua marched back from Shechem to the banks 
 of Jordan (ix. 6, x. 6, 7, 9), and, again, that he did so a second time, 
 after the battles in the north, to make the final apportionment of the 
 land among the people, and that the spot is that alluded to in Deut. xi. 
 30, as being situated ' ' beside the oaks of Moreh," i. e. near the site of 
 Abraham's first altar (Gen. xii. 6, 7). If this is so, it would correspond 
 with the modern yilgiliah, a few miles from Bethel.
 
 8o JOSHUA, IX. [vv. 7 14. 
 
 of Israel, We be come from a far country : now therefore 
 7 make ye a league with us. And the men of Israel said unto 
 
 the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us ; and how 
 s shall we make a league with you ? And they said unto 
 
 Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, 
 9 Who are ye ? and from whence come ye ? And they said 
 
 unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come 
 
 because of the name of the LORD thy God : for we have 
 
 10 heard the fame of him, and all that he .did in Egypt, and all 
 that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were be- 
 yond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of 
 
 11 Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and 
 all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take 
 victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and 
 say unto them, We are your servants : therefore now make 
 
 12 ye a league with us. This our bread we took hot for our 
 provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go 
 
 13 unto you ; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy : and 
 these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new ; and be- 
 hold, they be rent : and these our garments and our shoes 
 
 14 are become old by reason of the very long journey. And 
 the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the 
 
 afar country] Far beyond the boundaries of Palestine. 
 
 7. the Hivites~\ Comp. Josh. xi. 19 ; 2 Sam. xxi. 2. 
 
 8. Who are ye T\ To this is to be noticed that they made no direct 
 reply. They adroitly evaded the question by dwelling on the fact that 
 they were Joshua's "servants" (comp. Gen. xxxii. 4, 1. 18). 
 
 9. -we have heard the fame of hini\ Comp. Josh. ii. 10, vi. 27. 
 
 10. to Og, king of Bashari\ They prudently omit all mention of the 
 late capture of Jericho and Ai, lest the revelation of what had recently 
 occurred should betray them. 
 
 14. the men took of their victuals] " thei token thanne of the meetis of 
 hem," Wyclif. " The men" here denote the elders of Israel, the heads 
 of the tribes. Comp. verses 18 21. Some think it means they took 
 and tasted of their provisions by way of test to see if their story was 
 true, so Keil and Rosenmiiller. Others interpret the words as denoting 
 that the princes of the people took of the provisions, and by thus eating, 
 according to the usages of Oriental nations, pledged themselves to 
 friendship and amity. Compare the eating together as a sign of friend- 
 ship of Jacob and Laban, Gen. xxxi. 46 ; and the expression ' ' covenant 
 of salt," Lev. ii. 13; 2 Chron. xiii. 5. 
 
 and asked not counsel] This was a transgression of an explicit com- 
 mand that the priest should seek a revelation of the Divine will for
 
 vv. 43; i, 2.] JOSHUA, X. XL 97 
 
 LORD God of Israel fought for Israel. And Joshua returned, 43 
 and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal. 
 
 i 15. Confederacy of the Kings of Northern Canaan. 
 
 And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard 11 
 those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the 
 king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, and to the 2 
 kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the 
 plains south of Cinneroth, and in the valley, and in the 
 
 42. at one time] i. e. in one campaign, or in one expedition, which 
 doubtless lasted some days or even weeks. 
 
 43. unto the camp to Gilgal} See note above on verse 1 5. 
 
 CH. XI. 115. CONFEDERACY OF THE KINGS OF NORTHERN 
 CANAAN. 
 
 1. And it came to pass} We now enter upon a different scene in the 
 conquests of Joshua. Just as before Adoni-Zedek, the king of Jerusalem, 
 had summoned the five kings of southern Canaan, so now Jabin, the 
 king of Hazor, summons the chiefs of the north against the Israelitish 
 leader. 
 
 Jabiri\ This was an hereditary and official title of the chief of Hazor. 
 It denotes "the wise" or '''intelligent" Here we find a king of 
 the same name at a considerably later date (Judg. iv. 2). 
 
 H r azor}t=" enclosed" "fortified," was an important, and apparently 
 almost impregnable, stronghold of the Canaanites of the north, situated 
 in the mountains, north of the waters of Merom. We find it afterwards 
 fortified by Solomon (i Kings ix. 15), and its inhabitants were carried 
 away captive by Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings xv. 29). The most probable 
 site is Tell Khuraibch. It lay apparently between Ramah and Kedesh, 
 on the high ground overlooking the Lake of Merom. 
 
 Jobab king of Madon] The three places here mentioned, Madon, 
 Shimron, and Achshaph, were probably in the neighbourhood of Hazor, 
 but their sites cannot be determined. Schwarz on very slight grounds 
 proposes to identify Madon with Kefr Menda, a village at the western 
 end of the Plain of Buttauf, four or five miles N. of Sepphoris. 
 
 the king of Shimron} Its full name appears to have been Shimron- 
 Meron. It was afterwards included in the tribe of Zebulun (Josh, 
 xix. 15). 
 
 the king of Achshaph~\ This place was afterwards included within 
 the territory of Asher (Josh. xii. 20, xix. 25). It has been identified with 
 Chaifa, a place which, from its situation, must always have been of great 
 importance. 
 
 2. that were on the north} Or, that were " northwards in the 
 mountains," i.e. "the mountains of Naphtali" (Josh. xx. 7), the 
 mountainous region of Galilee. 
 
 the plains south of Cinneroth} Literally, ' ' in the Araoah, south of 
 JOSHUA
 
 93 JOSHUA, XI. fw. 3, 4. 
 
 3 borders of Dor on the west, and to the Canaanite on the 
 east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, 
 and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to 
 
 4 the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh. And they 
 
 Chinneroth," i.e. the "Ghor" of the Jordan, the northern portion of 
 the depressed tract which extends along the Jordan from the Lake of 
 Gennesareth southwards. 
 
 CinnerotK\ or Chinnereth, or Chinneroth, was the name of a fortified 
 town in Naphtali (Josh. xix. 35), situated on the shore of the Sea 
 of Galilee, and giving its earliest name to that lake (Num. xxxiv. n). 
 
 and in the valley] "In the wild feeldis," Wyclif; i.e. "the low- 
 lands," the level plain bordering the sea between Akko and Sidon. 
 
 in the borders of Dor~\ Rather, the highlands of Dor. Dor was an 
 ancient royal city of the Canaanites (Josh. xii. 23), situated on the coast 
 of the Mediterranean, 14 miles south of the promontory of Carmel, and 
 7 north of Csesarea. The district, of which it was the capital, was 
 afterwards within the allotted territory of Asher, but was assigned to 
 Manasseh (Josh. xvii. n), but the Israelites could never obtain posses- 
 sion of this strong city (Josh. xvii. 12 ; Judg. i. 27), though they made 
 the inhabitants pay tribute in the days of Solomon (i Kings iv. u). 
 What is here rendered lt tAe borders of Dor," is rendered "the coast 
 of Dor " Josh. xii. 23, and the "region of Dor" i Kings iv. n. The 
 original word Napheth^ thus variously translated, means an ' ' elevated 
 tract," and hence a coast as being raised above the water. Dor stood 
 on a rocky promontory, behind which lies a beautiful and fertile plain, 
 extending southward to Sharon, and northward to Carmel. This plain 
 is the "coast" or "region" of Dor. Dor was one of the Phoenician 
 seats of commerce, deriving its importance from (i) its well-sheltered 
 haven, (ii) the abundance amidst its rocks of the murex, a shell-fish 
 yielding the famous purple dye. It was still a flourishing town in the 
 Roman age, and afterwards became the seat of a bishop, who was, in the 
 days of the Crusades, a suffragan in the province of Coesarea. The 
 modern Tant-Ara or Dandora is a corruption of the ancient name. It is 
 now represented by a little fishing village, consisting of some thirty 
 houses, while the site of the old city lies to the north of it, covered for a 
 space of half a mile with massive ruins. 
 
 3. and to the Canaanite} Not satisfied with summoning to his 
 banner the tribes of the north, Jabin extended his "war-token" to the 
 remnants of the defeated tribes of the south too ; (a) the Canaanites, or 
 "lowlanders" of the east and west; (b) the Amorites, or "highlanders" 
 of the south; (c) the Hittitesj (d) the Perizzites; (e) the Jebusites, from 
 the still unconquered Jebus ; (/) the Hivites under the snowy heights of 
 Hermon, the most beautiful and conspicuous mountain in Palestine or 
 Syria. For the distribution of these various nations see note above, 
 ch. iii. 10. 
 
 in the land of MizpeK] Mizpeh means "prospect" or "watch-tower." 
 It has the article here = " the Land of the Watch-Tower." There were 
 several places in Palestine bearing this name. This Mizpeh was
 
 w. 5, 6.] JOSHUA, XI. 99 
 
 went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, 
 even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, 
 with horses and chariots very many. And when all these 5 
 kings were met together, they came and pitched together at 
 the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel. 
 
 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of 6 
 them : for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up 
 all slain before Israel : thou shalt hough their horses, and 
 
 probably in a plain stretching south-west at the foot of Hermon, where 
 now is situated the village of Metullah, which also means "the look- 
 out," or "look-down," perched on a hill 200 feet high, south of Lake 
 Merom, and commanding a splendid view. This Mizpeh ( = "Belle Vue " 
 amongst ourselves) must not be confounded with the Mizpeh of Gilead 
 (Josh. xiii. 16) ; nor with the Mizpeh of Judah (Josh. xv. 38) ; nor yet 
 with that of Moab (r Sam. xxii. 3). 
 
 4. And they went out} "As the British chiefs were driven to the 
 Land's 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 Philistia, 
 from the heights above Sharon, and from the still unconquered Jebus. " 
 Stanley, Lectures, I. 259. 
 
 as the sand] "as the grauel that is in the brenk of the see," Wyclif. 
 Comp. the description (a) of the hosts of the Midianites and Amalekites 
 in the time of Gideon (Judg. vii. 12); and (b) of the Philistines in the 
 time of Saul (i Sam. xiii. 5). 
 
 with horses and chariots very many] These now for the first time 
 appear in Canaanite warfare, and " it was the use of these which 
 probably fixed the scene of the encampment by the lake, along whose 
 level shores they could have full play for their force. " 
 
 6. at the waters of Meroni\ i.e. "the Upper Waters ;" the uppermost 
 of the three lakes in the Jordan valley, called by the Greeks "Semecho- 
 nitis," or Samochonitis (Jos. Ant.v. 5. i), and by the Arabs "ffuleh" The 
 lake is formed by the expansion of the descending Jordan, about 7 rr.iles 
 long by 5 in breadth, of a triangular shape, the point being at the south, 
 where the Jordan, which enters it on the north, again quits it. It is sur- 
 rounded by marshes and numberless streams bordered with thickets of 
 papyrus. For the fullest and most graphic description of this lake, and 
 the surrounding morasses, see Macgregor's Rob Roy on the Jordan, 
 xii. xvii. 
 
 6. And the Lord said} We may believe that Joshua was already some 
 way on the march when these encouraging words were addressed to him. 
 The distance from his encampment to the waters of Merom was too 
 great for him to reach the latter place between one day and the next. 
 
 thou shalt hough their horses'] So especially formidable to the Israelites, 
 who had none. The word "hough" also occurs in 2 Sam. viii. 4, where 
 we read that David "houghed aU the chariot horses." It comes from 
 
 7-3
 
 ioo JOSHUA, XI. [vv. 7, 8. 
 
 7 burn their chariots with fire. So Joshua came, and all the 
 people of war with him, against them by the waters of 
 
 s Merom suddenly ; and they fell upon them. And the LORD 
 delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, 
 and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephoth- 
 maim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward ; and they 
 
 the A. S. hoh, and means to cut the ham-strings or back sinews of cattle, 
 so as to disable them and render them utterly unfit for use, since the 
 sinew, once severed, can never be healed again, and as a rule the arteries 
 are cut at the same time, so that the horses bleed to death. In the 
 late version of Wyclif the verse is rendered, "Thou shalt hoxe the 
 horsis of hem," while in the earlier version it runs, "The hors of hem 
 thow shalt kut of the synewis at the knees" "Hox" is the form found 
 in Shakespeare, 
 
 "If thou inclin'st that way, thou art a coward; 
 Which hoxes honesty behind, restraining 
 From course requir'd." Winter's Tale, I. i. 243. 
 
 The Scotch hoch is used in the same way. 
 
 and burn their chariots} of which it is said (Josh. xvii. 18) that they 
 were iron chariots, i.e. had wheels with iron tires. Scythe-chariots 
 were first introduced by Cyrus : Xen. Cyrop. VI. i. 30. 
 
 7. So Joshua came} With the suddenness and rapidity which cha- 
 racterized all his movements, he did not wait for the northern con- 
 federacy to attack him at Gilgal, but marched against them with the 
 intention of coming upon them before their army could be got into 
 order. 
 
 against them suddenly} He fell upon them, like a thunderbolt, so 
 the word is to be literally understood as in the corresponding passage in 
 Job i. 15, "the Sabeansy^/upon them, and took them away." With- 
 out a word of warning he burst upon them in the mountain slopes of/ the 
 plain, before they had time to rally on the level ground. 
 
 8. and chased them} The rout was complete, and the fugitives seem 
 to have divided into three parts 
 
 (a) unto great Zidon} One party took the road north-west over the 
 mountains above the gorge of the Leontes "to Sidon," or, as it is 
 distinguished here and in Josh. xix. 28, "the great Sidon," as being the 
 metropolis of Phoenicia. This it had ceased to be before the reign of 
 David, by which time its sister city Tyre had eclipsed it in splendour, 
 and taken the first place amongst the cities of Phoenicia. At the present 
 day Sidon, Saida, is again larger than Tyre. The former contains 5000 
 or 6000 inhabitants and many large houses built of stone, whereas the 
 present Sur is nothing but a market town, the houses of which are little 
 more than huts. 
 
 (b) unto Misrephoth-maini} A second party took the road, west, and 
 south-west, to Mizrephoth-maim, which is interpreted either (i) as "the 
 warm springs" or (ii) "the salt-pits," or (iii) "the smelting-pits by the
 
 w. 914.] JOSHUA, XI. 101 
 
 smote them, until they left them none remaining. And 9 
 Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him : he houghed 
 their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire. And Joshua 10 
 at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the 
 king thereof with the sword : for Hazor beforetime was the 
 head of all those kingdoms. And they smote all the souls n 
 that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroy- 
 ing them : there was not any left to breathe : and he burnt 
 Hazor with fire. And all the cities of those kings, and all 12 
 the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with 
 the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as 
 Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. But as for the 13 
 cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of 
 them, save Hazor only ; that did Joshua burn. And all the 14 
 spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel 
 took for a prey unto themselves ; but every man they smote 
 with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, 
 
 waters" the glass-houses, of which there were several in the neighbour- 
 hood of Sidon. 
 
 (c) and unto the valley of MizpeK] A third party fled eastward unto 
 the J?#a'a or "valley" of Mizpeh at the foot of Hermon. The eastward 
 direction is spoken of in reference to Sidon. 
 
 and they smote them] But wherever they fled, they were hotly pursued 
 by the Israelites, who captured their cities one by one, put the in- 
 habitants to death, and carried away the booty and cattle. 
 
 9. he houghed their horses] "he kuttide the sinewis at the knee," 
 Wyclif. The command, to render the horses useless, was intended to 
 lead Israel not to place its confidence in horses and chariots (Ps. xx. 7, 
 cxlvii. 10), and wisely incapacitated them from extending their conquests 
 beyond the borders of Canaan. See Deut. xvii. 16. 
 
 10. turned back] Far over the western hills Joshua pursued the flying 
 hosts before he "turned back," and took Hazor, and because of its 
 prominence as the chief city of these petty northern kingdoms, burned it 
 with fire. 
 
 12. as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded] See Deut. vii. 2, 
 xx. 1 6, 17. 
 
 13. the cities that stood still in their strength] Rather, the cities which 
 stood each on its own hill, or mound, "the citees that weren in the hillis, 
 and in the hillockis set," Wyclif. Comp. Jer. xxx. 18, "and the city 
 shall be builded upon her own heap" ("'little hill" margin). With the 
 exception of Hazor, Joshua did not burn the cities, but left them standing, 
 each on its own hill, the ordinary site for cities in Canaan. Comp. 
 Matt. v. 14. 
 
 14. all the spoil] This was not devoted as at Jericho, but divided as 
 at Ai. Comp. Josh. viii. 2, 27.
 
 102 JOSHUA, XI. [w. 1517. 
 
 15 neither left they any to breathe. As the LORD commanded 
 Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so 
 did Joshua ; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD 
 commanded Moses. 
 
 1 6 20. General Retrospect of the Conquest of Palestine. 
 
 16 So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south 
 country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the 
 plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same; 
 
 *? even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto 
 Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon : 
 
 15. As the Lord commanded Moses] For this command of God to 
 Moses comp. (a) Exod. xxxiv. ir 16 ; (b) Num. xxxiii. 51 54; (c) Deut. 
 xx. 1 6 ; and for the transference of the command to Joshua comp. 
 
 (a) Num. xxvii. 18 23; () Deut. iii. 21. 
 
 he left nothing undone] "he passide not beside of alle the maunde- 
 mentis," Wyclif. Conscientiousness in carrying out the Divine com- 
 mands is thus represented as a prominent feature in Joshua's character. 
 
 16 20. GENERAL RETROSPECT OF THE CONQUEST OF PALESTINE. 
 
 16. So Joshua took~\ The sacred writer pauses to survey and sum up 
 the conquests of the Israelitish leader. 
 
 the hills'] The country is contemplated under a sevenfold division, 
 (i) the cities; (ii) the south country; (iii) the land of Goshen (comp. x. 
 41) ; (iv) the valley; (v) the plain; (vi) the mountain of Israel; (vii) the 
 valley of the same. 
 
 17. even from the mount HalaK\ Or, as it is rendered in the margin, 
 " the smooth mountain, " or "the bald mountain" We find this name only 
 once again, viz. in xii. 7, and there, as here, it seems to mark the 
 southern limit of Joshua's conquests. Several ranges near the southern 
 border of Canaan might be thus described, (a) Some would identify it 
 with the modern Jebel-el-Mukrah, 60 miles south of the Dead Sea ; 
 
 (b) others with the mountain Madnrah, or Maderah; (c) while others 
 would identify it with the range of white cliffs, which cuts the Arabah 
 obliquely at about eight English miles to the south of the Dead Sea, and 
 divides the great valley into the two parts El Ghor and F.I Arabah. This 
 row of cliffs, which is about 60 to 80 feet high, might very well be 
 called "the bald mountain which ascends to Seir" for it was a point well 
 adapted to form the southern boundary of Canaan, since it both touches 
 the territory of Kadesh-Barnea, and joins in the east the upper chain of 
 the mountains of Seir. See Keil in loc. 
 
 even unto Baal-Gad\ This was a town dedicated to Baal, under the 
 aspect of "Gad" or the "god of good fortune" (Josh. xii. 7, xiii. 5), 
 probably the same as Baal-Hermon (Judg. iii. 3; r Chron. v. 23). In 
 later times it was known as Panium or Paneas, and when enlarged and 
 embellished by Herod Philip, Ccesarea Philippi, to distinguish it from
 
 vv. 1820.] JOSHUA, XL 103 
 
 and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them. 
 Joshua made war a long 'time with all those kings. There ] 9 
 was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, 
 save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon : all other they 
 took in battle. For it was of the LORD to harden their 20 
 hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he 
 might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no 
 favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD com- 
 manded Moses. 
 
 Cassarea "Palestine" or Csesarea "on the sea" (Mark viii. 27). Dean 
 Stanley calls it a Syrian Tivoli, and certainly there is much in the rocks, 
 caverns, cascades, and the natural beauty of the scenery, to recall the 
 Roman Tibur. Behind the village, in front of a great natural cavern, 
 a river bursts forth from the earth, the "upper source" of the Jordan. 
 Inscriptions and niches in the face of the cliff tell of the old idol wor- 
 ship of Baal and of Pan. Tristram's Land of Israel, p. 581. 
 
 18. a long time] "Myche time," Wyclif. Five years at least. 
 Caleb was 40 years old when Moses sent him out of Kadesh-Barnea as 
 a spy, and 80 years old when, on the conquest of the land, he received 
 his portion at the hands of Joshua. Thus 45 years had elapsed since 
 the former date, of which 40, or 38, had been spent in the wanderings 
 of the wilderness. The campaigns of Joshua must therefore have occu- 
 pied at least five or seven years for their accomplishment. 
 
 19. save the Hivites} Gibeon had surrendered peacefully (Josh. ix. 
 3> 7> X 5> x ' ! 6). All the rest were taken in battle. 
 
 20. For it was of the Lord} " Forsothe the sentence of the Lord it 
 was," Wyclif. Compare Exod. iv. 21, "When thou goest to return 
 into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I 
 have put in thine hand : but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let 
 the people go;" and Exod. vii. 3, "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, 
 and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt ;" xiv. 4 ; 
 Rom. ix. 17. Here, as everywhere in Scripture where such hardening 
 is spoken of, it is to be carefully borne in mind, that it is always inflicted 
 as a judgment on those who had previously acted contrary to the Divine 
 will. This is true of 
 
 (a) Pharaoh, who had grievously and cruelly oppressed the Israelites 
 
 for his own selfish ends; 
 
 (&) Th Caitaanites, who had persisted in the lowest and most de- 
 grading idolatry and sensuality ; 
 
 (c) The Israelites, who in spite of warning and example fell away 
 into idolatry in like manner, and forgat the Lord, Who had done 
 such great things for them (Isai. vi. 10; Matt. xiii. 12 15). 
 The same is in a measure said of Sihon king of the Amorites (Deut. 
 ii. 30); of Samson (Judg. xiv. 4); of the sons of Eli (i Sam. ii. 25); 
 of Solomon (i Kings xii. 15); of Ahaziah (2 Chron. xxii. 7); of Ama- 
 ziah (2 Chron. xxv. 16, 20). It is expressed also in the Latin proverb, 
 ' ' Quern Deus vult perdere, prius dcmentat. "
 
 104 JOSHUA, XI. [v. 21. 
 
 21 23. Extermination of the Anakims. 
 
 And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims 
 from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, 
 and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the 
 
 21 23. EXTERMINATION OF THE ANAKIMS. 
 
 21. at that time] That is, in the course of the "long time," the 
 seven years spoken of in verse 18. We have now a supplementary 
 notice of the destruction of the Anakims, and a general conclusion sub- 
 stantially as given in verse 1 6. 
 
 the Anakims] In Num. xiii. 22 we are told of the spies that they 
 "ascended by the south and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, She- 
 shai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were," and when this was 
 reported to the Israelites, and they heard of "the giants, the sons of 
 Anak, which come of the giants, in whose sight the spies seemed as grass- 
 hoppers" (Num. xiii. 33), "all the congregation lifted up their voice, 
 and cried, and murmured against Moses and against Aaron" (Num. xiv. 
 i, 2). The sacred writer therefore now goes back to record pointedly 
 this terrible race, who had inspired such faithless murmuring and com- 
 plaint (comp. Deut. ix. 2). It has been concluded by some that these 
 giants were a tribe of Cushite wanderers from Babel, and of the same 
 race as the Philistines, the Phoenicians, and the Egyptian shepherd- 
 kings, representing one or more families of Amorite descent, distin- 
 guished for their lofty stature and physical powers. Thus Og, king of 
 Bashan, is described as of the "remnant of the giants" (Deut. iii. n). 
 In Abraham's time (Gen. xiv. 5, 6) they inhabited the territories after- 
 wards known as Edom and Moab, and the region east of Jordan, under 
 the names of (a) Rephaiins, (b) Zuzims or Zamzummims, (c) Emims, and 
 (d) Horites. Here they were attacked by Chedorlaomer, the Elamite 
 king, who also smote the Amorites of Engedi in the Jordan valley. 
 Subsequently the Horites were conquered by the Edomites, the Emims 
 and the Zuzims by the Moabites and Ammonites, while the remnant, 
 to which Og king of Bashan belonged, was destroyed by the Israelites 
 under Moses. Now, as under Moses on the east, so under Joshua on 
 the west of Jordan, the Anakims were driven forth before the arms of 
 Israel. 
 
 from Hebron] Which from the progenitor of this race received its 
 original name of Kirjath-Arba. See above on x. 3. 
 
 from Debir] See x. 38. 
 
 from Anab] A town in the mountains of Judah (Josh. xv. 50). It 
 has retained its ancient name, and lies among the hills about 10 miles 
 S.S.W. of Hebron, close to Shoco and Eshtemoa. See Robinson's Bib. 
 Researches, I. 494 and n. 195, who from Main (the Maon of Scripture) 
 observed a place of this name, distinguished by a small tower. 
 
 the mountains of Judah] A distinction is here made between " the 
 mountains of Judah," and "the mountains of Israel." This, strange as
 
 w. 22, 23.] JOSHUA, XI. 105 
 
 mountains of Israel : Joshua destroyed them utterly with 
 their cities. There was none of the Anakims left in the land 
 of the children of Israel : only in Gaza, in Gath, and in 
 Ashdod, there remained. So Joshua took the whole land, 
 according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and 
 Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according 
 to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested 
 from war. 
 
 it may seem, affords one of the undesigned evidences of the early com- 
 position of the Book of Joshua. "When Judah entered on his posses- 
 sion, all the other tribes were still in Gilgal (Josh. xiv. 6, xv. i). After- 
 wards, when Ephraim and Manasseh entered on theirs, all Israel, 
 except Judah, were camped in Shiloh (Josh. xvi. i, xviii. i), these two 
 possessions being separated by the still unallotted territory which later 
 was given to Benjamin (Josh, xviii. n). What more natural than that 
 the mountain given to 'the children of Judah' should have been called 
 ' the mountain of Judah,' and that where all the rest of Israel camped 
 'the mountain of Israel,' and also 'the mountain of Ephraim' (Josh. 
 xix. 50, xx. 7), because it was afterwards given to that tribe?" Dr 
 Edersheim's Israel in Canaan, p. 86. 
 
 22. only in Gaza] See above, x. 41. 
 
 in Gath\ One of the five royal cities of the Philistines (Josh. xiii. 3 ; 
 i Sam. vi. 1 7), and the native place of the giant Goliath, who, though 
 doubtless of the old stock of the Anakims (i Sam. xvii. 4 ; 2 Sam. xxi. 
 1 8 20), is called a Philistine, shewing that in David's time the two 
 races had coalesced and become one. Gath occupied a strong position 
 (2 Chron. xi. 8), on the border of Judah and Philistia (i Sam. xxi. to; 
 i Chron. xviii. i) near Shoco and Adullam (2 Chron. xi. 8), and from 
 its strength and resources formed the key of both countries. 
 
 and in Ashdod} Ashdod or Azotus (Acts viii. 40) was situated 
 about 30 miles from the southern frontier of Palestine, three from the 
 Mediterranean Sea, and nearly midway between Gaza and Joppa. It 
 was assigned to the tribe of Judah (Josh. xv. 47), but was never sub- 
 dued by the Israelites, and even down to Nehemiah's age it preserved 
 its distinctiveness of race and language (Neh. xiii. 23, 24). It was the 
 city of Dagon (i Sam. v. I 7), and against it, as against Gaza, the 
 prophets often direct their denunciations (Jer. xxv. 20 ; Amos i. 8 ; 
 Zeph. ii. 4 ; Zech. ix. 6). 
 
 23. And the land rested from war] But this does not denote a 
 permanent cessation. It rather implies that the Israelites no longer 
 needed to war unitedly against the Canaanites. There was yet much 
 land to be possessed, but the time had arrived for the occupation of 
 the country by the different tribes, and the completion of the work of 
 conquest was now to be left to the separate action of each.
 
 io5 JOSHUA, XII. [w. 1,2. 
 
 i 6. Catalogue of the Kings conqiiered in Eastern Palestine. 
 
 12 Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of 
 
 Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side 
 
 Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon 
 
 2 unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east : Sihon 
 
 king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from 
 
 CH. XII. 1 6. CATALOGUE OF THE KINGS CONQUERED IN 
 EASTERN PALESTINE. 
 
 1. Now these] This Chapter may be termed an official summary, 
 suitable to a public record, of the whole territory conquered by Moses 
 and by Joshua. " It contains no new matter, except that certain cities 
 and their rulers are specified by name, which have previously been 
 included in more general statements of Joshua's wars." 
 
 from the river Arnon] The first province described is the south' 
 eastern, previously the territory of the Amorite king, Sihon, " from the 
 river Amon unto Mount Hermon." The Arnon (the rushing river], 
 now the Wady el-Mojeb, flows in part, through a deep rocky bed, into 
 the Dead Sea. "As far as we could calculate by observation, the 
 width of the ravine is about 3 miles from crest to crest ; the depth by 
 our barometers 2150 feet from the south side, which runs for some dis- 
 tance nearly 200 feet higher than the northern edge." Tristram's Land 
 of Moab, p. 126. 
 
 unto mount Herman] Called by the Sidonians Sirion= '' breastplate," 
 a name suggested by its rounded glittering top, when the sun's rays are 
 reflected by the snow that covers it (Deut. iii. 9; Cant. iv. 8). It was 
 also called Sion=" the elevated," and is now known zs,Jebel-es-Sheikh, 
 "the chief mountain," which rises over 9000 feet. " In whatever part 
 of Palestine the Israelite turned his eye northward, Hermon was there 
 terminating the view. From the plain along the coast, from the moun- 
 tains of Samaria, from the Jordan valley, from the heights of Moab and 
 Gilead, from the plateau of Bashan, the pale blue, snow-capped cone 
 forms the one feature in the northern horizon." In Ps. xlii. 6 we 
 have a vivid description of the mountain landscape on Hermon, but 
 "the land of splendour, of heaven-towering mountains, and of glorious 
 streams, offers no compensation to the heart of the Psalmist for the 
 humbler hills of Zion where his God abides. " 
 
 all the plain on the east] " al the est coost that beholdith the wilder- 
 nes," Wyclif ; i.e. part of the great valley, now called the Ghor, from 
 the Sea of Galilee to the ^Elamitic Gulf, along the east bank of the 
 Jordan. 
 
 2. Sihon king of the Amorites'] See Num. xxi. 24; Deut. ii. 33, 
 iii. 6, 16. 
 
 who dwelt in Heshbon'] On the western border of the high plain 
 (Mishor, Josh. xiii. 17), and on the boundary line between the tribes 
 of Reuben and Gad. "The ruins of Hesbdn, 20 miles east of the Jor- 
 dan, on the parallel of the northern end of the Dead Sea, mark the
 
 w. 3, 4.] JOSHUA, XII. 107 
 
 Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river of Arnon, and. from 
 the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the 
 river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; 
 and from the plain to the sea of Cinneroth on the east, and 3 
 unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the 
 way to Beth-jeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdoth- 
 pisgah : and the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of* 
 
 site, as they bear the name, of the ancient Heshbon," "There is little, 
 of a place once famed in olden story, for the traveller to see. A 
 large piece of walling at the west end of the bold isolated hill, on which 
 the old fortress stood ; with a square block house, and a pointed archway 
 adjoining ; a temple on the crest of the hill, with the pavement un- 
 broken and the bases of four columns still in situ ; on the east, in the 
 plain, just at the base of the hill, a great cistern, called by some ' the 
 fish-pools of Hesbon,' but more probably only the reservoir for the 
 supply of the city these are all that remain.'" Tristram's Land of 
 Moob, pp. 338, 339. 
 
 from Aroer} "which is set on the brenke of the stronde of Arnpn," 
 Wyclif. Aroer lay partly on and partly in the Arnon, i.e. on an 
 island, now 'Ardir. It was allotted to Reuben (Josh. xiii. 16), but 
 later came into the possession of Moab (Jer. xlviii. 19). Bochardt 
 found ruins with the name 'Arair on the old Roman road, upon the 
 very edge of the precipitous north bank of the Wady Mojeb. 
 
 half Gilead] Properly Gilead denotes (i) a mountain on the south 
 bank of the Jabbok (Gen. xxxi. 21 48) with a city of the same name ; 
 (ii) the immediate neighbourhood of this mountain (Num. xxxii. i ; 
 Deut. ii. 36, 37) ; (iii) the whole mountain district between the Arnon 
 and the Jabbok, now called Belka (see Dcut. xxxiv. i ; i Kings iv. 19). 
 
 the river JabboK] " The streem of Jabuch," Wyclif, = " the gushing- 
 brook," now the Wady Zurka. 
 
 3. and from the plain] Rather, and the plain, the Arabah, i. e. 
 the eastern part of the Jordan valley, as far as the Sea of Chin- 
 neroth. 
 
 the sea of Cinnerolh] So called after the city of this name. See 
 above, ch. xi. i. In the New Testament it is called (a) the "Sea of 
 Galilee" (Matt. iv. 18, xv. 29; Mark i. 16); () the "lake of Genne- 
 saret" (Luke v. i) ; (<-) the " sea of Tiberias" (John vi. r, xxi. i); and 
 sometimes (d) simply " the sea." 
 
 and unto the sea of the plain} i. e. of the Arabah. While the Lake of Gen- 
 ' nesareth forms the northern boundary of the eastern part of the Jordan 
 valley, it is in like manner bounded on the south by the Salt Sea, i. e. 
 the Dead Sea. Near which lay 
 
 ett-jaKtru>tA]*= f< tiu House of the Wastes." It was one of the 
 limits of the encampment of Israel before crossing the Jordan (Num. 
 xxxiii. 48, 49). 
 
 under Ashdoth-pisgah~\ See above, x. 40. 
 
 4. the coast of Og\ See Num. xxi. 35, 35 ; Deut. iii. 4, 10.
 
 io8 JOSHUA, XII. [vv. 5, 6. 
 
 the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at 
 
 s Edrei, and reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and 
 
 in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the 
 
 Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of 
 
 e Heshbon. Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and 
 
 at Ashtaroth\ The residence of Og. It is now called Tel Ashterah, 
 or Asherah. The Tel (hill) rises to a height of between fifty and a hun- 
 dred feet from the level of the plain, in which ruins lie scattered. At 
 the foot of the hill are ancient foundations of walls and copious springs. 
 
 at Edrei\ = Strength. Here, "in the Thermopylae of his king- 
 dom," Og was slain. See Num. xxi. 33 35 ; Deut. iii. i 3. On a 
 rocky promontory, i miles wide, and 2i miles long, south-west of the 
 basaltic district of Argob, rose the city, " without water, without access 
 save over rocks, and through defiles almost impracticable. Strength 
 and security seem to have been the great objects kept in view, and to 
 these all other advantages were sacrificed." By the Greeks it was 
 called Adraa ; by the Crusaders Adratum, also Civitas Bernardi de 
 Stampis, now Edr'a. In A.D. 1142 the Crusaders under Baldwin III. 
 made a sudden attack upon it, but without success. The historian of 
 the Crusades, in his account of this incident, refers to the immense sub- 
 terranean cisterns that abound in the neighbourhood of the city, among 
 the rocks, and the modern traveller is astonished at the extent and 
 number of reservoirs, not only here but in all the other towns and 
 villages in the Lejah, and in Jebel Hauran. Porter's Handbook, II. 
 
 533, 534- 
 
 5. and in Salcah~\ Identical with the town of Sulkhad at the southern 
 extremity of the Jebel Hauran. It was conquered by the Israelites, 
 Deut. iii. 10. The town is of considerable size, two or three miles 
 in circumference, surrounding a castle on a lofty isolated hill. "The 
 country is stony and undulating ; but the soil is rich, and traces of 
 former cultivation are everywhere visible. The view from the top of 
 the castle is extensive and strangely interesting.... On the segment of 
 the plain, extending from the south to the east, I counted the towns or 
 large villages, none of them more than 12 miles distant, and almost 
 all of them, so far as I could see by the aid of a telescope, still 
 habitable like Sulkhad, but entirely deserted. Well may we exclaim 
 with the prophet, as we look over this mournful scene of utter desolation, 
 ' Moab is confounded ; for it is broken down ; howl and cry ; tell 
 ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled, and judgment is come upon the 
 plain country ... upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon, and upon 
 Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, 
 far or near' (Jer. xlviii. 19 24)." Porter's Handbook, II. 522. 
 
 the border of the Geshurites\ Geshur was a little principality in the 
 N.E. corner of Bashan, adjoining the province of Argob (Deut. iii. 
 14), and the kingdom of Aram or Syria (2 Sam. xv. 8). Hither 
 Absalom fled after the murder of Amnon (2 Sam. xiii. 37). 
 
 the Maachathites} The people of Maacha dwelt on the south-west 
 slope of Hermon at the sources of the Jordan (Deut. iii. 14).
 
 w. 715.] JOSHUA, XII. 109 
 
 the children of Israel smite : and Moses the servant of the 
 LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the 
 Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. 
 
 7 24. Catalogue of the Kings vanquished on the West of the 
 Jordan. 
 
 And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and 7 
 the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, 
 from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount 
 Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the 
 tribes of Israel/0r a possession according to their divisions ; 
 in the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and 8 
 in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south 
 country ; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the 
 Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites : the king of 9 
 Jericho, one ; the king of Ai, which is beside Beth-el, one ; 
 the king of Jerusalem, one ; the king of Hebron, one ; the \ 
 king of Jarmuth, one ; the king of Lachish, one ; the king of ^ 
 Eglon, one ; the king of Gezer, one ; the king of Debir, oue; *3 
 the king of Geder, one; the king of Hormah, one; the king H 
 of Arad, one; the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, J 5 
 
 7 24. CATALOGUE OF THE KINGS VANQUISHED ON THE WEST 
 OF THE JORDAN. 
 
 7. And these are the kings] This and the following verse coincide 
 with ch. xi. 16, and x. 40 42. They introduce the following nar- 
 rative. 
 
 9. the king of Jericho] The kings are enumerated generally in 
 the order in which they were conquered. For the overthrow of the 
 kings of Jericho, Ai, Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon, 
 and Gezer see (a) Josh. vi. 2 ff. ; (/;) viii. 29 ; (<:) x. i 5, 33. 
 
 12. Gezer] The situation of this royal city has lately (see above, 
 x. 33) been discovered by M. Clermont Ganneau at Tel-el-J 'ezar, about 
 four miles from Amiv&s (Emmaus), and on the western boundary of 
 the territory of Ephraim. The ruins are extensive, with rock-hewn 
 tombs, quarries, and remains of an aqueduct. 
 
 13. the king of Debir] See Josh. x. 39. 
 
 the king of Geder] Somewhere in the lowland of Judah. Possibly 
 the same place as the Gedor mentioned in i Chron. iv. 39. 
 
 14. the king of Hormah] or Zephath, see Judg. i. 1 7. Robinson 
 would place it near the pass of Es-Sufah, W.S.\V. of the Dead Sea, 
 where the Israelites were defeated by the Canaanites (Num. xiv. 44, 
 45), and subsequently the Canaanites by the Israelites (Num. xxi.
 
 I io JOSHUA, XII. [vv. 16-22. 
 
 16 one ; the king of Makkedah, one ; the king of Beth-el, one ; 
 II the king of Tappuah, one ; the king of Hepher, one ; the 
 
 19 king of Aphek, one ; the king of Lasharon, one ; the king of 
 
 20 Madon, one ; the king of Hazor, one ; the king of Shimron- 
 
 21 meron, one ; the king of Achshaph, one ; the king of 
 
 22 Taanach, one ; the king of Megiddo, one ; the king of 
 
 A rad] Near the wilderness of Kadesh, 20 Roman miles S. of Hebron. 
 It is also mentioned in Num. xxi. i 35 Judg. i. 16, 17. Now 
 probably TetfArtid. 
 
 15. Libnah~\ See Josh. x. 29, 30. 
 
 Adullam] In the low country of Judah, a place of great antiquity 
 (Gen. xxxviii. i, 12, 20). The limestone cliffs of the locality are 
 pierced with extensive caverns, one of which is famous as the refuge 
 of David (i Sam. xxii. r ; 2 Sam. xxiii. 13). The city was fortified by 
 Rehoboam (2 Chron. xi. 7). Adullam has been traditionally identified 
 with a place called Khtirdtun, where is a great cave which has been 
 explored by Captain Warren and Lieutenant Conder. Later writers 
 are inclined to place it at Deir Dubban, about six miles north of Beit 
 Jibrin (Eleutheropolis). M. Clermont Ganneau, however, was the 
 first to discover the site of Adullam and the existing name of Ayd el 
 Mieh, which preserves all the essential letters of the Hebrew. Lieu- 
 tenant Conder has now made a careful survey of the spot. He finds 
 the ruins of an ancient town (Gen. xxxviii. i, 12, 20), strongly situated 
 (Josh. xii. 15, and 2 Chron. xi. 7) on a height commanding the broad 
 valley of Elah, which was the highway by which the Philistines invaded 
 Judah (i Sam. xvii. 19), and where David killed Goliath. Roads 
 connect it with Hebron, Bethlehem, and Tell es Safiyeh the pro- 
 bable site of Gath. There are terraces of the hill for cultivation, scarped 
 rock for fortification, tombs, wells, and aqueducts. The "Cave" is a 
 series of caves, some of moderate size and some small, but quite capable 
 of housing David's band of followers. 
 
 16. Makkedah} See Josh. x. io, 16, 17, 21. 
 
 Beth-d~\ Earlier, Luz, famous for (i) Jacob's dream (Gen. xxviii. 
 ii 19); (ii) the worship of the calves in Jeroboam's reign (i Kings 
 xii. 28 33), hence called Beth-aven = " the house of naught." 
 
 17. Tappuak] In the Shephelah, or lowland of Judah, on the lower 
 slopes of the mountains of the N.W. portion of Judah, about 12 miles 
 W. of Jerusalem. Now called Teffuh. 
 
 Hepker\ Mentioned in i Kings iv. io. Situation not known. 
 
 18. Aphek] A royal city of the Canaanites, probably the same 
 as the Aphekah of Josh. xv. 53. 
 
 Lasharon] Only mentioned here. The site is unknown. 
 
 19. Madon] See ch. xi. i. 
 Hazor\ Ch. xi. i, io. 
 
 20. Shimron-meron'] Ch. xi. i. AchshapJi\ xi. I. 
 
 21. Taanach] Almost always in company with Megiddo, one of 
 the chief towns of the rich district which forms the western portion
 
 vv. 23, 24; i.] JOSHUA, XII. XIII. in 
 
 Kedesh, one ; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one ; the 23 
 king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one ; the king of the nations 
 of Gilgal, one ; the king of Tirzah, one : all the kings thirty 24 
 and one. 
 
 i 7. The Divine Command to Joshua to distribute the Land. 
 Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD 13 
 
 of the great plain of Esdraelon (i Kings iv. 12). It was a city of the 
 Levites (Josh. xxi. 25), and was famous for the victory of Barak 
 (Judg. v. 19). Under the form Ta'annuk it retains its old name with 
 hardly the change of a letter. 
 
 Megiddo\ which commanded one of those passes from the north 
 into the hill country, which were of such critical importance in the 
 history of Judsea. It does not seem to have been really occupied by 
 the Israelites till the time of Solomon, and is famous as the place 
 (i) where Ahaziah died in his flight from Jehu (2 Kings ix. 27), and 
 (ii) where Josiah was fatally wounded in the battle against Necho 
 king of Egypt (2 Chron. xxxv. 22 24). The modern name is el- 
 Lejjtin, the " Legio " of Eusebius and Jerome. 
 
 22. Kedesh~\ in Issachar, allotted to the Gershonite Levites (i Chron. 
 vi. 72). Sometimes called Kishon or Kishion (Josh. xxi. 28). 
 
 Jokneam of Carmel] Or, on Carmel, a city of the tribe of Zebulun, 
 allotted with its suburbs to the Merarite Levites (Josh. xxi. 34). The 
 modern site Tell Kaimon stands just below the eastern termination of 
 Carmel. 
 
 Carmel] "the park," or "the well- wooded place," almost always 
 with the definite article. Rightly does it bear its name, being covered 
 below with laurels and olive trees, above with pines and oaks, and full 
 of the most beautiful flowers, "hollyhocks, jasmine, and various flower- 
 ing creepers-." It is famous for its connection with the history of the 
 two great prophets Elijah and Elisha (i Kings xviii. 19, 20, 42; 2 Kings 
 ii. 25, iv. 25, xix. 23; Isai. xxxiii. 9, xxxv. 2). 
 
 23. Dor\ See Josh. xi. 2. 
 
 the nations of Gilgal] " The kyng of the Gentils (folkis) of Galgal," 
 Wyclif. For the word here rendered "nations" comp. Gen. x. 5, 
 " every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations? Gen. 
 xiv. i, "Tidal king of nations." The Gilgal here mentioned is not the 
 Gilgal on the Jordan, but the modern Jiljilieh, west of Ebal and 
 Gerizim, in the plain along the Mediterranean. See above, ch. ix. 6. 
 
 24. Tirzah] Three miles from the city of Samaria, now called Telltizah, 
 of proverbial beauty. Cant. vi. 4, " Thou art beautiful, O my love, as 
 Tirzah." It was to Shechem afterwards "what Windsor is to London," 
 and became the residence of Jeroboam and his successors ( i Kings xiv. 
 17). Here Zimri was besieged by Omri, and perished in the flames of 
 his palace (i Kings xvi. 18). 
 
 CH. XIII. 17. THE DIVINE COMMAND TO JOSHUA TO 
 
 DISTRIBUTE THE LAND. 
 1. Now Joshud\ With the thirteenth chapter begins the Second Part
 
 112 JOSHUA, XIII. [vv. 2, 3. 
 
 said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there 
 remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. This is the 
 
 land that yet remaineth : all the borders of the Philistines, 
 3 and all Geshuri, from Sihor, which is before Egypt, even 
 
 of the Book of Joshua. Jt describes the division of the Land, and rests 
 no doubt on definite records which lay before the writer. "There is 
 one document in the Hebrew Scriptures to which probably no parallel 
 exists in the topographical records of any other ancient nation. In the 
 Book of Joshua we have what may without offence be termed the 
 Domesday Book of the conquest of Canaan. Ten chapters of that 
 Book are devoted to a description of the country, in which not only are 
 its general features and boundaries carefully laid down, but the names 
 and situations of its towns and villages enumerated with a precision of 
 geographical terms which encourages and almost compels a minute in- 
 vestigation." Stanley's Sinai and Palestine, p. xiii. 
 
 Now Joshtia was old\ The Hebrew leader was now about ninety 
 years of age. Much land still remained to be occupied. Strong 
 fortresses like Jerusalem, Gezer, and Bethshean still remained in the 
 hands of the defeated Canaanites. Their reduction by ordinary means 
 would require time and entail difficulty. The command, therefore, 
 is now given to wait no longer, but proceed to the division of the 
 Land. 
 
 and stricken in years] " Thou hast woxe eld, and art of loong age," 
 Wyclif. Comp. Gen. xviii. n, xxiv. r; Josh, xxiii. i, i. 
 
 2. the land that yet remaineth\ It is described as lying partly (a) in 
 the south (vv. 3, 4), and partly (b) in the north (vv. 5, 6). The cities 
 still occupied by the Canaanites were left for reduction by the tribes into 
 whose allotment they might severally fall. 
 
 all the borders of the Philistines} Literally, all the circles of the 
 Philistines. Vulgate, " Galilaa Philisthiim ;" " Galilee of the Philis- 
 tines" Luther. "Galile Philistym," Wyclif. The unsubdued district 
 commences on the south with the Shephelah and the maritime plain. 
 The Philistines are now first prominently mentioned. Since the time 
 of Abraham (Gen. xxi. 32, 34, xxvi. i, 8), this people had been trans- 
 formed from a pastoral tribe to a settled and powerful nation, and had 
 advanced northwards into "the plain of Philistia" or the " Shephelah," 
 so well suited for war chariots, and offering by its occasional elevations 
 secure sites for towns and strongholds. 
 
 and all Geshuri\ The Geshurites, not the country mentioned in chs. 
 xii. 5, xiii. 13, but an ancient tribe, which dwelt in the desert between 
 Arabia and Philistia. See i Sam. xxvii. 8. 
 
 3. from Sihor\ = "the Black Stream," the usual name of the Nile. 
 Here probably it is " the river of Egypt," the Wady el Arish (i Chron. 
 xiii. 5), the Rhinokolura or Rhinokorura. Wyclif, following the Vulg., 
 "a fluvio turbido qui irrigat ./Egyptum," renders it, "the trubli flood 
 that weetith Egipt. 
 
 which is before Egypt\ The "brook of Egypt" flows actually before,
 
 v. 4-] JOSHUA, XIII. 113 
 
 unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to 
 the Canaanite : five lords of the Philistines ; the Gazathites, 
 and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the 
 Ekronites ; also the Avites : from the south, all the land of 4 
 the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians, 
 
 i. e. in a N. E. direction from Egypt, while the Nile takes its course 
 through the middle of that country. 
 
 unto the borders of Ekron] The most northerly of the five towns 
 belonging to the lords of the Philistines. The city of the fly-god Beel- 
 zebub. In the Apocrypha it appears as Accaron (i Mace. x. 89). 
 
 which is counted to the Canaanite] Or better, shall it be counted 
 to the Canaanites. The western strip of country beginning at Sihor, 
 and extending northward to Ekron, was to be regarded as Canaanitish, 
 and so subject to conquest ; although the Philistines were not Canaanites, 
 but were sprung from Mizraim (Gen. x. 13) and had dispossessed the 
 Canaanite Avites or Avim. 
 
 five lords'] A special word is here used, and the cities over which 
 they held sway are enumerated as (i) Gaza; (ii) Ashdod; (iii) Ashkelon; 
 (iv) Gath; (v) Ekron. 
 
 the Gazathites] See above, x. 41, xi. 22. 
 
 the Ashdothites] See above, xi. 22. 
 
 the Eshkalonites] Or Ashkalonites of Ashkelon, which is mentioned 
 nowhere else in the book of Joshua. Next to Gaza it was probably the 
 most important city of the Philistines. Hither Samson repaired from 
 Timnath (Judg. xiv. 19); there David would not have the deaths of 
 Saul and Jonathan proclaimed (2 Sam. i. 20), lest the daughters of the 
 Philistines should rejoice. Like the other Philistine cities, it was 
 threatened by the prophets with the Divine judgment (see Jer. xxv. 20, 
 xlvii. 5, 7 ; Amos i. 8 ; Zeph. ii. 7 ; Zech. ix. 5). Near the town after- 
 wards rose the celebrated temple of Derceto, the Syrian Venus. It 
 played a conspicuous part in the struggles of the Crusades, and within 
 the walls and towers now standing Richard I. held his court. See 
 Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, sub voc. 
 
 the Gittites] i.e. the people of Gath, the home of Goliath (i Sam. 
 xvii. 4); connected with Ashkelon in David's lamentation (2 Sam. 
 i. 20); conquered by David (i Chron. xviii. i). See above, xi. 22. 
 
 also the Avites] Avim, or Avims, These people, a portion of the 
 early inhabitants of Palestine, are mentioned in Deut. ii. 23 as dwelling 
 in the villages in the southern part of the great western lowland as far 
 as Gaza. Here they were attacked by the invading Philistines, who 
 drove them northwards and occupied their rich possessions. 
 
 4. from the south] The LXX. here gives a proper name, "from 
 Teman." This was the former southern limit of the Avites' territory. 
 
 all the land of the Canaanites] Here some would insert a full stop, 
 as though the words summed up what had gone before. 
 
 and Mearah] " Mara of Sydonys," Wyclif. This place is only men- 
 tioned in this passage. The word mcarah means in Hebrew "a cave" (see 
 JOSHUA 8
 
 H4 JOSHUA, XIII. [vv. 5, 6. 
 
 s unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites : and the land 
 of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from 
 Baal-gad under mount Hermon unto the entering into 
 
 6 Hamath. All the inhabitants of the hill country from 
 
 margin), and it has been commonly supposed that the reference is to a 
 remarkable cavern near Zidon. A village called el-Mugh&r has been 
 found in the mountains of Naphtali some 10 miles west of the northern 
 extremity of the Sea of Galilee, which it has been thought may possibly 
 represent the ancient Mearah. See Menke's Bible Atlas, Plate iii. 
 
 wito Aphek} A city in the extreme north of Asher, now Afka, N.E. 
 of Beyrout, and apparently beyond Sidon. It was called by the Greeks 
 Aphaca, and was noted for a temple of Venus destroyed by Constan- 
 tine. 
 
 to the borders of the Amorites} i.e. on the extreme north border of 
 the Amorites, or the land once inhabited by them, and which after- 
 wards passed to Og, king of Bashan. 
 
 5. the land of the Giblites] i.e. the land of the inhabitants of Gebal, 
 a name which occurs in Ps. Ixxxiii. 7, 
 
 "Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; 
 The Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;" 
 
 and Ezek. xxvii. 8, 9, " The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy 
 mariners : thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots. 
 The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy 
 calkers." It was a maritime town of Phoenicia. Its inhabitants are 
 written "Giblians" in the Vulgate, and "Byblians" in the LXX. 
 (while in i Kings v. 18 the word is rendered "stone-squarers"), whence 
 we may infer the identity of the city with the Byblus of classical litera- 
 ture. Byblus was a seat of the worship of Adonis or Syrian Tammuz. 
 The modern name is Jebail, about 22 miles north of Beyrout. The 
 coins of Byblus have frequently the type of Astarte, also of Isis, who 
 came here in search of the body of Osiris. "At Jebail and in other 
 ancient Phoenician cities there are traces of the same large bevelled 
 stones clamped with iron, which appear in the foundations of Solomon's 
 temple. These are probably the work of the Giblites." See Ritter's 
 Geog. Pal. n. 214, 215. 
 
 all Lebanon, toward the snnrising] i.e. Anti-Lebanon. 
 
 from Baal-gad} See above, note on xi. 17. 
 
 the entering into Hamath~\ The extreme northern boundary point of 
 Palestine whither the spies originally penetrated (Num. xiii. 21), and to 
 which the kingdom of David and Solomon once actually extended 
 (2 Sam. viii. 3 12; I Chron. xiii. 5, xviii. 3 n; 2 Chron. viii. 3,4). 
 In the time of the Crusades it was called Epiphaneia, a town situated on 
 the western bank of the Orontes, lower down the stream than Emesa. It 
 is called " Hamath the Great" (Amos vi. 2), and commanded the whole 
 of the Orontes valley, from the low screen of hills which forms the 
 watershed between the Orontes and the Litany "the entrance of 
 Hamath " to the defile of Daphne below Antioch.
 
 w. 710.] JOSHUA, XIII. 115 
 
 Lebanon unto Misrephoth-maim, a/z^all the Sidonians, them 
 will I drive out from before the children of Israel : only 
 divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as 
 I have commanded thee. Now therefore divide this land 7 
 for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of 
 Manasseh, 
 
 8 14. 77/i? Territory of the Two Tribes and a Half East of 
 the Jordan. Its Boundaries. 
 
 With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have 8 
 received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond 
 Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave 
 them ; from Aroer, that is upon the bank of the river Arnon, 9 
 and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the 
 plain of Medeba unto Dibon ; and all the cities of Sihon 10 
 
 6. All the inhabitants] In addition to those already enumerated 
 there remained to be conquered all the inhabitants of the mountains 
 from Lebanon unto Mizrephoth-maim, which has been already men- 
 tioned above, ch. xi. 8. " May it not be the place," asks Mr Grove, 
 " with which we are familiar in the later history as Zarephath ?" Smith's 
 Bibl. Diet. 
 
 only divide thou it by lot] These words connect themselves with 
 verse i. 
 
 7. Now therefore divide] Here we have a more definite statement of 
 the tribes amongst whom western Palestine was to be divided. 
 
 814. THE TERRITORY OF THE Two TRIBES AND A HALF EAST OF 
 THE JORDAN. ITS BOUNDARIES. 
 
 8. With whom] i. e. with Manasseh. It alludes to the other half of 
 that tribe. 
 
 the Reubenites and t/ie Gadites] These statements are the same as in 
 ch. xii. i 6. 
 
 9. and all the plain of Medeba] Instead of "half Gilead," as in ch. 
 xii. 2, we have here " all the plain ( = Mishor=" table-land" or "downs") 
 of Medeba unto Dibon," "the wijld feeldis of Medeba," Wyclif. Medeba 
 is first mentioned in th fragment of a populare song of the time of 
 the conquest, Num. xxi. 30, "Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, 
 and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto 
 Medeba." It is in the pastoral district of the Belka, four miles S. E. of 
 Heshbon, and like it lying on a rounded but rocky hill. In Christian 
 times it was a noted bishopric of the patriarchate of Becerra. Dibon, or 
 Dibon- Gad, from its being taken possession of and rebuilt by the children 
 of Gad (Num. xxxii. 3, 34), or Dimon (in Isai. xv. 9), has been dis- 
 covered with the name Dhiban on the Roman road three miles north of
 
 Ii6 JOSHUA, XIII. [vv. ii 1 6. 
 
 king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, unto the 
 
 11 border of the children of Ammon; and Gilead, and the 
 border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, and all mount 
 
 12 Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah; all the kingdom of 
 Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who 
 remained of the remnant of the giants : for these did Moses 
 
 13 smite, and cast them out. (Nevertheless the children of 
 Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites : 
 but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the 
 
 M Israelites until this day.) Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave 
 none inheritance ; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel 
 made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto them. 
 
 15 23. The Possession of the Tribe of Reuben. 
 
 15 And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben 
 
 1 6 inheritance according to their families. And their coast was 
 
 the Arnon (Wady el-Mojeb). Here the inscribed block of basalt, known 
 as "the Moabite stone," was discovered in 1868. 
 
 12. all the kingdom of Og in JBashatt] ' ' With respect to the two 
 tribes and a half beyond the Jordan, nothing is more striking at the 
 first glance than their wide extent, compared with the narrow space 
 into which the western tribes were compressed... it is certainly a domain 
 which, taken in its entire superficies, would not yield in extent to the 
 whole region on the west of the Jordan." Ewald's History of Israel, II. 
 294, 295. 
 
 13. expelled not the Geshurites] " Valiant as was the contest long kept 
 up against their enemies, Israel could not prevent two little kingdoms in 
 the north-east from maintaining their independence within her own 
 borders. One of these was the Aramean Maachah, probably extending to 
 the sources of the Jordan ; and the other belonged to the aborigines, and 
 was called Geshur. These two little kingdoms are generally mentioned 
 together, and they existed till after David's time." Ewald, p. 302. 
 
 14. Only unto the tribe of Levi\ The Levites not being destined for 
 agriculture, but being intended to become the regular teachers of the 
 people, received no inheritance. See v. 33, and ch. xiv. 3, 4. 
 
 the sacrifices of the Lord God\ "the sacryfices, and the slayn offryngis 
 of the Lord God of Yrael," Wyclif. The offerings of Jehovah were to 
 be their portion (Num. xviii. 20; Deut. x. 9, xviii. 2). 
 
 15 23. THE POSSESSION OF THE TRIBE OF REUBEN. 
 
 15. the tribe of the children of Reuben] The historian now gives us, 
 on the faith of the ancient registers, the several boundaries of the tribes 
 east of the Jordan. 
 
 Reuben} Reuben naturally comes first. His boundaries are more 
 briefly given, Num. xxxii. 33 42.
 
 vv. 1720.] JOSHUA, XIII. 117 
 
 from Aroer, that is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the 
 city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain by 
 Medeba ; Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the plain ; 17 
 Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon, and Jahazah, is 
 and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, and Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, 19 
 and Zareth-shahar in the mount of the valley, and Beth-peor, 20 
 
 16. their coast] Observe the use of the word "coast" here, without 
 any allusion to the seaboard. The word comes from the Latin costa = 
 "a rib," "side," through the Fr. "coste." Hence it = "a border"gene- 
 rally, though now applied to the sea-coast only. Comp. "Bethlehem 
 and in all the coasts thereof" (Matt. ii. 16); "the coasts of Judaea" 
 (Matt. xix. i); ihecoastsof Gadara (Mark v. 17); "the coasts" of Antioch 
 in Pisidia (Acts xiii. 50). The portion of country this tribe selected, 
 under its modern name of the Belka, is still esteemed beyond all others 
 by the Arab sheepmasters. It was the southernmost and smallest portion 
 of the district east of the Jordan. 
 
 from Aroer] See above, ch. xii. i; all the plain by Medeba = i\i& 
 plateau east of Abarim or mount Pisgah. See above, xii. 3. 
 the city that is in the midst} = Ar of Moab, as above, verse 9. 
 
 17. Bamoth-baal] It was a site of the old heathen worship of Baal. 
 It is probably mentioned under the shorter form of Bamoth, Num. xxi. 
 19, or " Bamoth-in-the-ravine" It occurs again in Isai. xv. 2. 
 
 Beth-baal-meori\ At the first approach of the Israelites to this part of 
 Palestine (Num. xxxii. 38) it is called Baal-Meon, or in its contracted form 
 Beon (Num. xxxii. 3). The Beth is probably a Hebrew addition, and 
 the word denotes l the House of Baal of the den." The name still clings 
 to a ruined place of considerable size, a short distance S.W. of Heshban, 
 and bearing the name of the fortress of Mi'iin. 
 
 18. and Jahazah] Also called Jahaz and Jahaza and jfahzah, in 
 the Hebrew Yahats and Yahtsah. Here the decisive battle was fought 
 between the Israelites and Sihon king of the Amorites (Num. xxi. 23). 
 
 and Kedemoth] Given to the Merarite Levites (Josh. xxi. 37). 
 Mephaath] Lying in the district of the Mishor (see Jer. xlviii. 21). 
 
 19. and Kirjathaim] In Jer. xlviii. i, 23 and Ezek. xxv. p the name 
 is given in our version as Kiriathaim. This place, as well as Dibon, 
 Beth-baal-meon, and Medeba, is found among the proper names 
 recorded on the now celebrated " Moabite stone." Canon Tristram 
 would identify it with the modern Kureiyat. "The twin hills explain 
 the Hebrew dual and plural terminations." Land of Moab, p. 275. 
 
 Sibmah] Hardly 500 paces from Heshbon, according to Jerome. 
 Isaiah and Jeremiah mention it in the lament pronounced over Moab 
 (Isai. xvi. 8, 9; Jer. xlviii. 32). 
 
 and Zareth-shahar]="\.\\e Splendour of the Dawn," in Mount Ira- 
 Emak = ' ' the Mountain of the Valley. " Menke places it west of 
 Mount Pisgah, towards the Dead Sea. " Having climbed the hills and 
 traced the feeders of the Callirrhoe to their mountain sources, our next 
 aim was to get down to the shore of the Dead Sea by the unvisited Zar.i.
 
 n8 JOSHUA, XIII. [vv. 21,22. 
 
 21 and Ashdoth-pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth, and all the cities 
 of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amor- 
 ites, which reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the 
 princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and 
 Reba, which were dukes of Sihon, dwelling in the country. 
 
 22 Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children 
 
 the ' Zareth-shahar in the mountain of the valley' of Josh. xiii. 19 
 
 At length we reached the Dead Sea shore at Zara, which... is really three 
 miles south of the mouth of the Callirrhoe, and in a wide open belt of 
 land, beyond the opening of Wady Z'gara. The surrounding mountain 
 crescent is beautiful, both in form and colour. The sandstone, gilded 
 by the sun, presents the most gorgeous colouring, red predominating, 
 but white, yellow, and brown patches and streaks abound. Groves of 
 tamarisk and acacia, and all the strange tropical shrubs of Engedi and 
 the Safieh, gradually give place to huge tufts of a sort of Pampas-grass 
 ten feet high ; and then to impenetrable cane-brakes, which reach to 
 
 within a few feet of the pebbly shore Of Zara, the old Hebrew 
 
 town of Zareth-shahar, but little remains. A few broken basaltic 
 columns and pieces of wall, about 200 yards back from the shore, and a 
 ruined fort rather nearer the sea, about the middle of the coast-line of 
 the plain, are all that are left, beyond the identity of name. Of Rome, 
 or later work, there is not a vestige. Yet these poor relics have an 
 interest of their own. We are looking here on, perhaps, the only sur- 
 viving relic of the buildings of the semi-nomad tribe of Reuben, prior 
 to the Babylonish captivity." Tristram's Land of Moab, pp. 281 284. 
 See the photograph of the Remains, p. 283. 
 
 20. and Beth-peor\ A place dedicated to the god Baal-peor, on the 
 east of the Jordan opposite Jericho, about six miles above Libias or 
 Beth-haran. Comp. Deut. iii. 29, iv. 46. 
 
 and Ashdoth-pisgah~\ See ch. xii. 3. 
 
 21. all the cities\ = " all the other cities of the table-land, and all 
 the kingdom of Sihon, as far as it extended over the plain." 
 
 with the princes of Midiari\ They are also mentioned, and in the 
 same order, in Num. xxxi. 8. 
 
 which -were dukes of Sihon~\ "dukys of Sion," Wyclif, from the Vul- 
 gate " duces " = vassals of Sihon, tna. princes. "The word stands only 
 in the plural, and is always used, as would seem, of native, although 
 dependent and subjugated, princes, and not of installed, ordinary offi- 
 cials." Gesenius. From the appellation here used, "vassals of Sihon," 
 we may clearly infer that that king, who had taken from the Moabites 
 the greatest part of their territory, had also made them tributary. From 
 this subjection they were delivered by the defeat of Sihon, and then 
 fearing that they would receive from the Israelites the same treatment 
 as the Amorites, they immediately conspired to destroy the Israelites, 
 and thus brought destruction upon themselves. See Keil. 
 
 22. Balaam also] The mention of these "vassals of Sihon" leads 
 the historian to record also at this point the death of Balaam, which
 
 v. 23.] JOSHUA, XIII. 119 
 
 of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by 
 them. And the border of the children of Reuben was 23 
 Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of 
 the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and 
 villages thereof. 
 
 took place at the same time as that of these vassals (Xum. xxxi. 8). He 
 is here called a "soothsayer" (koseni); "the fals divynor" (Wyclif); 
 like (a) the diviners of the Philistines (i Sam. vi. i), and (b) the necro- 
 mancers (i Sam. xxviii. 8, 9) whom Saul had "cut off." 
 
 The late Professor Blunt has drawn attention to the fact that (a) in 
 the original mission to Balaam, the elders of Midian were concerned as 
 much as the elders of Moab (Num. xxii. 7) ; that all mention of Midian 
 is then dropped, and "the princes of Balak" and "the servants of 
 Balak" are the titles given to the messengers, and in the prophet's 
 fruitless struggle to curse the people whom God had blessed, Balak and 
 the Moabites engrossed all his attention. 
 
 (b) Balaam then disappears, on his way apparently to his own 
 country, Pethor in Mesopotamia (Num. xxiv. 25), while the historian 
 pursues his narrative through several long chapters, which are taken up 
 with entirely different matter. 
 
 (c) Then comes an account of an attack made upon the Midianites 
 in revenge for their having seduced the people of Israel by the wiles of 
 their women, at the close of which we find a notice that ''Balaam also 
 the son of Beor they slew with the sword'' 1 (Xum. xxxi. 8). 
 
 (d) It seems, then, that the Prophet did not after all immediately 
 return to Mesopotamia, but paid a visit to the Midianites, who were 
 equally concerned in bringing him where he was, and there suggested 
 the enticements of the licentious orgies of Baal-Peor, into which Israel 
 fell. But his stay was unseasonably protracted, and Moses coming 
 upon the Midianites slew them and him together. 
 
 (e) Here an undesigned coincidence lies (a) in the elders of Moab 
 and the elders of Midian going to Balaam ; (b) in Alidian being then 
 mentioned no more, while Balaam having been sent away from Moab, 
 apparently that he might go home, is subsequently found a corpse 
 amongst the slaughtered Midianites. See Blunt's Undesigned Coinci- 
 dences, pp. 86, 87. 
 
 23. was Jordan} i. e. "the boundary of the children of Reuben 
 was the Jordan and adjoining land." Comp. Num. xxxiv. 6; Deut. 
 iii. 1 6, 17. 
 
 the villages thereof\ = "farm premises," not enclosed, like a city, 
 with walls. Thus the boundaries of the tribe of Reuben were, (a) 
 On the West, the Dead Sea ; (b) on the South, the country of Moab ; 
 (c) on the East, the kingdom of Amman; (J) on the North, the 
 Arnon, or the Wady Mojeb. Here the tribe settled, "preferring 
 pasturage to agriculture." His subsequent history fulfils the prophecy 
 of Jacob. "Unstable (or swelling) as water" (Gen. xlix. 4), he vanishes 
 away into a mere Arabian tribe ; "his men are few " (Deut. xxxiii. 6) ; 
 it is all he can do "to live and not die." The only events of the
 
 120 JOSHUA, XIII. [vv. 2426. 
 
 24 28. The Possession of the Tribe of Gad. 
 
 -4 And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even 
 
 -5 unto the children of Gad according to their families. And 
 
 their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half 
 
 the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before 
 
 26 Rabbah ; and from Heshbon unto Ramath-mizpeh, and 
 
 Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir; 
 
 subsequent history of the tribe are (a) the multiplication of " their cattle 
 in the land of Gilead;" (b) their wars with the Bedouin "sons of 
 Hagar" (i Chron. v. 10) ; (c) their spoils "of camels fifty thousand, and 
 of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand" 
 (r Chron. v. 21). In the chief struggle of the nation Reuben never took 
 part. No judge, no prophet, no hero of the tribe is handed down to 
 us. See Stanley's Lecttires, I. 218. 
 
 2428. THE POSSESSION OF THE TRIBE OF GAD. 
 
 25. their coast -was Jazer} or Jaazer. We first hear of it in pos- 
 session of the Amorites, and as taken by Israel after Heshbon, and 
 on their way from thence to Bashan (Num. xxi. 32). At present it 
 is identified with Sztr, or Seir, nine Roman miles west of Amman, and 
 about 12 from Heshbon. For coast see above, v. 16. 
 
 all the cities of Gilead} i. e. of the southern part of Gilead, which 
 belonged to the kingdom of Sihon, for the other half, on the north 
 of the Jabbok, which was governed by king Og, was allotted to the 
 half tribe of Manasseh. 
 
 - half the land of the children of Amman] i. e. that portion of the 
 land which had been taken from them by the Amorites under Sihon, 
 for the Israelites were not allowed to attack the land of the Ammonites 
 themselves (Deut. ii. 19 ; Judges xi. 13 sq. ). 
 
 unto Aroer] i. e. unto Aroer of Gad (Num. xxxii. 34), not the 
 Aroer near the Arnon (of v. 16), that is before Rabbah, the capital 
 of the Ammonites, famous (a) in the history of Jephthah (Judg. xi. 33), 
 and (b) in the history of David (2 Sam. xxiv. 5). 
 
 26. and from Heshboii} Thus the extension northward of the 
 tribe is expressed, tmto Ramath-mizpeh, which is identical with the 
 early sanctuary at which Jacob and Laban set up their cairn of stones, 
 and which received the names of Mizpeh, Galeed, and Jegar-Sahadutha, 
 and which probably was the same as the famous Ramoth-gilead, where 
 (a) Ahab was slain (i Kings xxii. r 37), (l>) his son Joram was 
 wounded by Hazael (2 Kings viii. 28), (c) Jehu was anointed king 
 (2 Kings ix. i 6). It is the modern es-Salt on the road from Jericho 
 to Damascus. 
 
 and Betonim~\ a town somewhere on the northern boundary of Gad. 
 Its site was unknown to Jerome. 
 and from Mahanaim} in the east, unto Debir, on the heights which
 
 vv. 27, 28.] JOSHUA, XIII. 121 
 
 and in the valley, Beth-aram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, 27 
 and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Hesh- 
 bon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of 
 Cinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward. This is the -& 
 inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the 
 cities, and their villages. 
 
 border the Jordan on the west. Mahanaim ( = the two hosts] is 
 famous in the history (a) of Jacob's return from Padanaram (Gen. 
 xxxii. 2), (b) of Ishbosheth's reign (2 Sam. ii. 8), (c) of David's flight 
 from Absalom (2 Sam. xvii. 24, 27). The site of Debir is un- 
 determined. 
 
 27. and in the valley] i. e. the valley of the Jordan. The possessions 
 of the Gadites are now described in this valley as far north as the Sea 
 of Galilee. 
 
 Bsth-arani\ or Beth-haran, the modern Beit-haran (Num. xxxii. 36). 
 In later times it was known as Bethramphtha, and was called Julias 
 or Livias by Herod Antipas in honour of the Emperor Augustus. 
 
 Beth-nitnrah\ or Nimrah (Num. xxxii. 3), which name still survives 
 in the Nahr Nimrin, close to one of the fords of Jordan just above 
 Jericho. 
 
 and SuccotK] ("Booths"), in the Jordan valley, between Peniel, 
 near the ford of the torrent Jabbok, and Shechem (Gen. xxxii. 30, 
 xxxii i. 1 8). It is famous (a) in the history of Jacob's return from 
 Padan-aram ; of (b) Gideon's pursuit of Zebah and Zalmunna (Judg. 
 viii. 5 17); (c) as the spot at which the brass foundries were placed 
 for casting the metal-work of the Temple (i Kings vii. 46 ; i Chron. 
 iv. 17). Its position has not been exactly ascertained, and no place 
 resembling Zaphon also has yet been discovered. 
 
 Jordan and his border] See above, v. 23. For the Sea of Chin- 
 nereth = i\\e "sea of Galilee," see above, xii. 3. 
 
 28. This is the inheritance] Thus, speaking roughly, the country 
 allotted to Gad appears to have lain chiefly about the centre of the land 
 east of the Jordan. Commencing at or about Heshbon on the south, it 
 extended to the ancient sanctuary of Mahanaim on the north ; on the east 
 the furthest landmark was " Aroer that faces Rabbah ;" while the Jordan 
 formed the boundary on the west. The character of the tribe was 
 throughout fierce and warlike (Gen. xlix. 19), "strong men of might, 
 men of war for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, their 
 faces the faces of lions, and like roes upon the mountains for swiftness" 
 (i Chron. v. 18, and xii. 8). In the finest region south of the Jabbok 
 Gad "dwelt as a lion" (Deut. xxxiii. 20), and that the civilisation 
 attained by this tribe was of a higher order than "the mere fierce- 
 ness necessary to repel the attacks of the plunderers of the desert " 
 comes out in (a) the history of Jephthah (Judg. xi. i) ; of (b) the 
 eleven valiant chiefs who crossed the fords of Jordan in flood-time 
 to join David " their faces like the faces of lions, as swift as the 
 gazelles upon the mountains" (i Chron. xii. 8 15) ; in (f) the loyalty
 
 JOSHUA, XIII. [vv. 2931. 
 
 2 9 3 2. The Possession of the Half Tribe of Manasseh. 
 
 z-) And Moses gave inheritance unto the half tribe of Manas- 
 seh : and this was the possession of the half tribe of the 
 
 3 o children of Manasseh by their families. And their coast was 
 from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of 
 Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, 
 
 ;.i threescore cities : and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, 
 
 and generosity of Barzillai (2 Sam. xix. 32 39) ; (d) the marvellous 
 career of Elijah "the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead" (i Kings 
 xvii. i). 
 
 29 32. THE POSSESSION OF THE HALF TRIBE OF MANASSEH. 
 
 29. the half tribe of Manasseh'] " The fact that it is always called a 
 half tribe appears curious, especially on comparison with the similar, 
 yet widely different, case of Dan, which sent out to the north an army 
 which surprised the Phoenician town of Laish." Ewald, 11. 299. 
 
 30. from Mahanaim} Which formed its southern border. For "the 
 kingdom of Og" see above, v. 12. 
 
 all the towns ofjair\ The whole of Bashan embraced 
 (i) The Havoth-Jair, sixty cities in the district of Argob (Deut. 
 iii. 4), which had been captured by Jair the son of Manasseh and 
 called after his name (Num. xxxii. 41 ; Deut. iii. 14). 
 (ii) "half Gilead" i.e. the northern half, together with the two capi- 
 tals, Ashtaroth and Edrei. 
 
 31. AshtarotK\ See ch. xii. 4, so called doubtless from being a 
 seat of the worship of Ashtoreth, the principal female divinity of the 
 Phoenicians, the Astarte of the Greeks and Romans. The only trace of 
 the name yet recovered is Tell-Ashterah or Asherah. 
 
 and Edret\ See above, ch. xii. 4. The northern part of Gilead was 
 given to Machir, the eldest son of the patriarch Manasseh (i Chron. 
 vii. 14), or rather the half of his male descendants. They consisted of 
 seven families, whose heads are named i Chron. v. 24. So great was 
 their power, that the name of Machir occasionally supersedes that of 
 Manasseh. They took the bold "tract of Argob. ..sixty great cities 
 (Deut. iii. 14), among the most difficult, if not the most difficult, dis- 
 trict in the whole country." Thus it is plain that the half tribe of Manas- 
 seh occupied by far the largest extent of land on the east of the Jordan. 
 It embraced (a) the inaccessible heights and impassable ravines of 
 Gilead ; and (>) the almost impregnable tract of Argob, where " all 
 is stone," "an ocean of basaltic rocks and boulders tossed about in the 
 wildest confusion." "The same martial spirit, which fitted the west- 
 ern Manasseh to defend the passes of Esdraelon, fitted ' Machir, the 
 firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead,' to defend the passes of Hau- 
 ran and Anti-Libanus ; ' because he was a man of war, therefore he had 
 Gilead and Bashan.' " Stanley's Lectures, i. 219. Of the development 
 of the tribe subsequently we have a remarkable illustration at the time
 
 w. 32, 33 ; i, 2.] JOSHUA, XIII. XIV. 123 
 
 cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, -were pertaining unto 
 the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one 
 half of the children of Machir by their families. These are 32 
 the countries which Moses did distribute for inheritance in 
 the plains of Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Jericho, 
 eastward. But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any 33 
 inheritance : the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, 
 as he said unto them. 
 
 i 5. Distribution of the Land West of the Jordan. 
 
 And these are the countries which the children of Israel 14 
 inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, 
 and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers 
 of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for 
 inheritance to them. By lot was their inheritance, as the a 
 
 of the coronation of David at Hebron. On that occasion, "while the 
 western Manasseh sent 18,000, and Ephraim jtself but 20,800, the 
 eastern Manasseh, with Gad and Reuben, mustered to the number of 
 120,000, thoroughly armed a remarkable demonstration of strength, 
 still more remarkable when we remember the fact that Saul's house, 
 with the great Abner at its head, was then residing at Mahanaim on the 
 border of Manasseh and Gad. " See Smith's Bib. Diet. Art. " Manasseh." 
 
 32. in the plains of Moab] This distribution had been made during 
 the lifetime of Moses in "the plains of Moab," opposite to the city of 
 Jericho (Num. xxii. i, xxxiv. 15). 
 
 33. But unto the tribe of Levi] See above, v. ] 4, and comp. Num. 
 
 CH. XIV. 1 5. DISTRIBUTION OF THE LAND WEST OF THE 
 JORDAN. 
 
 1. And these are the countries] In this section, from v. i to 5, we 
 have an introduction to the division of the country west of the Jordan 
 among the nine and a half remaining tribes. 
 
 Eleazar the priest] He was the third son of Aaron, and his successor 
 in the highpriesthood (Num. xx. 25; Deut. x. 6). See below, ch. 
 xxiv. 33. Both here and in Num. xxxiv. 17 he is mentioned before 
 Joshua, "for the division by lot was presided over by the high priest as 
 the representative of the government of the Lord in Israel." Keil. 
 
 2. By lot -was their inheritance] See Num. xxvi. 55, xxxiii. 54, and 
 note above on the use of " lots" ch. vii. 18. 
 
 (a) The use of lots was- specially characteristic of the ancient world. 
 Thus it was a standing custom of the Athenians to divide the land 
 of conquered enemies to colonists by lot (Diod. XV. 23, 29), and we 
 find it resorted to by them (a] in Euboea (Herod. V. 77 ; VI. 100), 
 (b) in Lesbos (Thuc. in. 50). The Romans also assigned territory 
 to the victorious legions by lot (Cic. Ep. ad Div. XI. 20).
 
 124 JOSHUA, XIV. [vv. 3, 4. 
 
 LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine 
 
 3 tribes, and for the half tribe. For Moses had given the 
 
 inheritance of two tribes and a half tribe on the other side 
 
 Jordan : but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance 
 
 among them. For the children of Joseph were two tribes, 
 
 Manasseh and Ephraim : therefore they gave no part unto 
 
 the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their 
 
 (h) How the lot -was taken on this occasion we are not told. The 
 Rabbins conjecture that there were two urns ; in one had been 
 placed little tablets with the names of the tribes, and in the other 
 similar tablets with the names of the districts, and that one of 
 each was drawn at the same time. 
 
 (c) The decision was made by lot, not merely to prevent all disputes 
 with reference to their respective possessions, and to remove every 
 ground of discontent and complaint, but also in order that each 
 tribe might cheerfully and thankfully accept the share awarded to 
 it, as the inheritance intended for it by God. "For the cast- 
 ing of lots is not regulated either by the opinion, or caprice, or 
 authority of men." (Calvin.) "It is true that it seems as though 
 this might have been as easily accomplished, if Joshua or the High 
 Priest had been divinely inspired to give to every tribe its inherit- 
 ance. But men are never so ready to submit cheerfully to the 
 decisions of another man, even though they may be the result of 
 Divine Inspiration, as they are to a decision arrived at by a lot 
 over which the Lord presides, and thus entirely raised above 
 human caprice." (See Prov. xviii. 18, xvi. 33.) 
 
 3. For Moses} In this verse the reason is stated why there were 
 only nine tribes and a half, to whom the land was distributed by lot ; 
 viz. because two tribes and a half had already received their inheritance 
 on the east of the Jordan, and no land was given to the Levites as an 
 inheritance. 
 
 4. For the children of Joseph] There would have been only eight 
 tribes and a half left, but the two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and 
 Ephraim, had been adopted by Jacob as his sons (Gen. xlviii. 5), and 
 were reckoned as tribes, and therefore there were still nine tribes and a 
 half to receive their inheritance. 
 
 therefore they gave} Rather, and they gave. The repetition of these 
 statements respecting the Levites is not due "to the redundancy of the 
 Semitic style," but is intended to shew the reader that the instructions 
 left by Moses (Num. xviii. 20, xxxv. 2) had been literally and exactly 
 fulfilled. 
 
 with their suburbs] i. e. pasture-ground within the precincts of 
 the cities, or certain districts round them in which their cattle might 
 graze. These "pasture-grounds," rendered by Bunsen "commons," 
 and in Switzerland called All-menden, are incorrectly translated in our 
 version "suburbs," from the Vulgate suburbana ; " suburbis of hem to 
 hous beestis and his feeld beestis to be fed," Wyclif.
 
 w. 57.] JOSHUA, XIV. 125 
 
 suburbs for their cattle and for their substance. As the s 
 LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and 
 they divided the land. 
 
 6 15. The Possession of Caleb. 
 
 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal : 6 
 and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, 
 Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the 
 man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. Forty 7 
 years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent 
 me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land ; and I brought 
 
 5. they divided the land'] The division was not finished at once. 
 See below, ch. xviii. i. But that is not the point here. The section 
 contains the general introduction to the distribution of the land. 
 
 615. THE POSSESSION OF CALEB. 
 
 6. in Gilgal] Where the casting of the lots commenced. 
 
 and Caleb the son of Jephunneh~\ Caleb was a prince of the tribe of 
 Judah, a descendant of Hezron, the son of Pharez, and grandson of 
 Judah (i Chron. ii. 5, 18, 25). He is first mentioned in the list of the 
 princes who were sent to search the land of Canaan in the second year 
 of the Exodus (Num. xiiL 6), and he and Joshua were the only two 
 who on their return encouraged the Israelites to go up and take pos- 
 session of the land. In the plague that ensued, these two alone were 
 spared, and deemed worthy to enter the Promised Land (Num. xiv. 24, 
 30, xxvi. 65). 
 
 the Kenezite\ His younger brother Othniel, afterwards the first 
 Judge, is also called "the son of Kenaz" (Josh. xv. 17; Judg. i. 13, 
 iii. 9, 1 1 ). Hence (a) some have thought he was a foreigner by birth, 
 descended from the Edomite tribe spoken of in Gen. xv. 19, a proselyte 
 who had been incorporated into the tribe of Judah (comp. Gen. xxxvi. 
 15, 42); (b) others hold that even if Jephunneh was on the father's 
 side descended from this people, on the mother's he came from Judah, 
 and that this Kenaz probably belonged to the posterity of Judah of 
 whom nothing further is known. From i Chron. iv. 15 it appears that 
 one of Caleb's sons was called Kenaz, and it is clear that the name 
 was held in great affection by the family, and it was customary both 
 with Hebrews and Arabs to perpetuate certain family names. See 
 Keil's Commentary. 
 
 Thou knowest] Caleb begins by reminding his friend and leader of 
 the word which Jehovah had spoken to Moses at Kadesh-barnea con- 
 cerning them both (Num. xiv. 24). 
 
 in Kadesh-barnea] Next to Sinai, the most important of all the rest- 
 ing-places of the children of Israel (see Deut. xxxiii. 2). 
 
 7. to espy out the land] "for to behold the loond," Wyclif. 
 " Espy !> (comp. Gen. xlii. 27, " And as one of them opened his sack...
 
 126 JOSHUA, XIV. [vv. 812. 
 
 8 him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my 
 brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people 
 
 9 melt : but I wholly followed the LORD my God. And 
 Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon 
 thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy 
 children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the 
 
 10 LORD my God. And now behold, the LORD hath kept me 
 alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the 
 LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of 
 Israel wandered in the wilderness : and now lo, I am this 
 
 11 day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this 
 day as I was in the day that Moses sent me : as my strength 
 was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go 
 
 12 out, and to come in. Now therefore give me this mountain, 
 
 he espied his money") comes from Fr. espier, Sp. espiar, which are 
 modifications of the Latin aspicere. The old form was aspy or aspie. 
 See below the quotation from Wyclif, v. n, and comp. 
 
 " Securely I espy 
 Virtue with valour couched in thine eye." 
 
 Shakespeare, Richard II. I. 3. 97. 
 
 as it was in mine hearf\ i. e. " according to my thorough conviction," 
 in the bold confident spirit, which spoke out exactly what it felt. " He 
 had neither courted the favour of any man by his words, nor feared their 
 anger." He had spoken out what he believed. 
 
 8. made the heart of the people melt] (Comp. Num. xiv. i, 4; Deut. 
 i. 28), so that they murmured against Moses and Aaron, and wanted to 
 return again to Egypt. "Discomfortiden the herte of the puple," 
 Wyclif. 
 
 9. And Moses sware on that day] The oath of the great Lawgiver 
 is not mentioned either in Num. xiv. 23, or Ueut. i. 35. Caleb pro- 
 bably quotes an express declaration of Moses, not recorded in the Penta- 
 teuch, but familiar to Joshua, in whose hearing it may have been first 
 related by Moses. 
 
 Surely the land} Comp. Num. xiii. 22, xiv. 24; Deut. i. 36. 
 
 10. And now behold] God had fulfilled His promise, and not only 
 prolonged his life forty-five years, but had preserved his strength in 
 such full vigour, that, though now in his eighty-fifth year, he felt as 
 strong, and as well able to engage in war, as when he was forty years 
 old. 
 
 11. As yet I am] "To day Y am of fyue and eijti Jeer, so myjti 
 as that tyme Y was myghti, whanne Y was sent to aspie,'" Wyclif. 
 
 12. this mountain] i.e. the mountain of Hebron. "The great 
 elevation of this country above the level of the sea is most forcibly 
 brought out by the journey we have made. From the moment of
 
 vv. 1315.] JOSHUA, XIV. 127 
 
 whereof the LORD spake in that day ; for thou heardest in 
 that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities 
 were great and fenced if so be the LORD will be with me, 
 then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. 
 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of 13 
 Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. Hebron therefore 14 
 became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the 
 Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the 
 LORD God of Israel. And the name of Hebron before 15 
 was Kirjath-arba ; which Arba was a great man among the 
 Anakims. And the land had rest from war. 
 
 leaving the 'Arabah has been almost a continual ascent. We mounted 
 the great Pass of Safeh, and, having mounted, hardly descended at all 
 crossed the great tableland of Beersheba and then mounted the 
 barrier of the hills of Judah and thence have been mounting ever 
 since. Hebron is, in fact, only four hundred feet lower than Hel- 
 vellyn." Stanley's Sinai and Palestine, p. 102. 
 
 whereof the Lord spake\ These words are a proof that it was not 
 merely a general promise, but a special one in reference to Hebron 
 which Caleb had received. 
 
 how the Anakims were there'} The names of some are specially men- 
 tioned, Num. xiii. 22; Judg. i. 10 : Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 
 
 if so be the Lord} More literally, perhaps Jehovah will be with 
 me, and I may drive them out, as Jehovah said. The word "per- 
 haps" does not indicate any doubt, but expresses a hope and desire. 
 "If in hap the Lord is with me, and Y may do hem awai, as he 
 bihijte to me," Wyclif. 
 
 13. And Joshua blessed hini\ The Hebrew leader cheerfully granted 
 the request of his old companion in the work of espial, and emphati- 
 cally prayed for a successful issue to all his efforts against his gigantic 
 foes. 
 
 14. Hebron therefore became] Thus the city of Hebron passed into 
 the possession of Caleb, to be by him ceded to the Levites (Josh, xxi, 
 u), while he retained the land for himself. 
 
 15. And the name of Hebroii\ " Hebron would appear to have 
 been the original name of the city, and it was not till after Abraham's 
 stay there that it received the name Kirjath-Arba, who was not the 
 founder but the conqueror of the city, having led thither the tribe of 
 the Anakim to which he belonged. It retained this name till it came 
 into the possession of Caleb, when the Israelites restored the original 
 name Hebron. " Keil in loc. ' ' Caleb must have seen the spot, after- 
 wards his own, when with the spies he passed through this very valley." 
 S. &* P. p. 165. The translation of Wyclif here is very curious, "The 
 name of Ebron was clepid bifore Cariatharbe. Adam, moost greet 
 there in the loond of Enachym was set" 
 
 And the land had rest from war] This formula is repeated here
 
 128 JOSHUA, XV. [w. 1-3. 
 
 i 12. Boundaries of the Tribe of Jiidah. 
 
 15 This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah 
 by their families ; even to the border of Edom, the wilder- 
 ness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south 
 2 coast. And their south border was from the shore of the 
 ? salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward : and it went 
 out to the south side to Maaleh-acrabbim, and passed along 
 
 to furnish a point of transition to the history of the peaceful distribution 
 of the country. 
 
 CH. XV. 1 12. BOUNDARIES OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH. 
 
 1. the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah~\ In this Chapter we 
 have (a) the boundaries of the tribe of Judah (\ 12); (b) Caleb's posses- 
 sion (13 19); (c) a list of the cities of Judah (20 63). " The lot of the 
 tribe" = \hz lot which was drawn or fell to them. 
 
 even to the border of Edoni\ i. e. the territory of Judah extended to 
 Edom on the east, and was bounded on the south by the wilderness of 
 Zin, or that part of the wilderness of Paran, in which Kadesh-barnea 
 was situated. 
 
 2. And their south border] The general account of the position 
 of the tribe of Judah is followed by a more particular description of its 
 boundaries. And first the southern boundary is described. 
 
 from the shore"] The southern border of Canaan has already 
 been described in Num. xxxiv. 3 5. It is here given in still greater 
 detail. It commenced (a) from the "shore (or end) of the Salt Sea," 
 or more exactly, the tongue which turneth southward (see margin), 
 "fro the tonge of it that biholdith to the south," Wyclif. By this 
 "tongue" is meant the southern portion of the Dead Sea reaching 
 from the peninsula, which runs at a great distance from the Sea on the 
 west of Karah, and extends quite to the south point at the so-called 
 Salt-hill and Salt-Marsh." Keil. " We were now in the most desolate 
 and dreary corner of that desolate shore, without one trace of vegetable 
 life, not even a stray salsola, or salicornia, to relieve the flat sand beds. 
 The sand and loam of the shore was deep and heavy ; our horses sank 
 at each step above the fetlocks, and not until we were wet through, 
 
 could we return to the Salt Mountains on our right The whole 
 
 ridge (of the mountain) is of pure rock-salt, perhaps 200 feet high, and 
 covered by a layer of chalky marl and natron, about 50 or 60 feet 
 thick. ...The salt deposit is similar in its nature and geological position 
 to the salt rocks of Cheshire, and the new red sandstone of England." 
 Tristram's Land of Moab, pp. 39, 40, 41. 
 
 3. and it went out to the south'] From this point the border ran in a 
 tolerably direct course towards the south side of Maaleh-acrabbim, "t/ie 
 ascent of scorpions," "thestiyinge vp of Scorpion," Wyclif; "the going 
 up to Akrabbim," as it is given in Num. xxxiv. 4 ; Judg. i. 36, a pass in 
 "the bald mountain " (Josh. xi. 17, xii. 7), which " goeth up to Seir."
 
 vv. 46. JOSHUA, XV. 129 
 
 to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadesh- 
 barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar. 
 and fetched a compass to Karkaa : from thence it passed 4 
 toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt ; and 
 the goings out of that coast were at the sea : this shall be 
 your south coast. And the east border was the salt sea, s 
 even unto the end of Jordan. And their border in the north 
 quarter was from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of 
 Jordan : and the border went up to Beth-hogla, and passed 6 
 along by the north of Beth-arabah ; and the border went up 
 
 De Saulcy suggests it was the Wddy Zouara, and testifies to " the 
 scorpions " there found under every pebble. S. and P. 113, n. 
 
 and passed along to Zin] Thence it passed along to Zin, i.e. a certain 
 spot in the desert of Zin not far from Kadesh-barnea, and passed over to 
 Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass or turned to 
 Karkaa, and thence towards Azmon, and went out at the water-course 
 of Egypt, i. e. the " torrent of Egypt, the Wadv-el-Arish, already spoken 
 of in ch. xiii. 3. The border went directly southwards to Kadesh-barnea; 
 south of Kadesh it turned westward, and came out finally at the 
 "torrent of Egypt " and at the Mediterranean Sea. Hezron, Adar, 
 Karkaa, Azmon, are unknown sites. 
 
 fetched a compass] Compare Fr. compas, It. compasso, a compass, 
 circle ; compasser, to compass, encircle ; from Latin cum, passus. The 
 word is used both as (i) a noun and (2) a verb, (a) In the sense of 
 "circumference" it occurs in Exod. xxvii. 5, xxxviii. 4, of "circuit" in 
 2 Sam. v. 23 ; 2 Kings iii. 9; Acts xxviii. 13. Here, to fetch a compass 
 = simply to "turn,'' to "go round." Thus Fuller (Pisgah View, iv. ii. 
 43) says: "Wicked men may for a time retard, not finally obstruct our 
 access to happiness. It is but fetching a compass, making two steps for 
 one ; a little more pains and patience will do the deed;" and he says of 
 the Jordan, " he fdcheth many turnings and windings, but all will not 
 excuse him from falling into the Dead Sea" (Holy War, I. 18). 
 
 5. And the east border] " Till to the laste partis of Jordan," Wyclif. 
 This was the Salt Sea in all its extent from south to north, even 
 " unto the end of Jordan," i. e. to the point where it enters the Dead 
 Sea. 
 
 their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea] i.e. from 
 the embouchure of the Jordan. "The tonge of the see vnto the same 
 flood of Jordan," Wyclif. 
 
 6. and the border went up to Beth-hogla^ A point between Judah 
 and Benjamin (Josh, xviii. 19). A magnificent spring and a ruin between 
 Jericho and the Jordan still bear the names of Ain-hajla and Kiisr 
 Hajla, and are doubtless at or near the old site. 
 
 and passed along by the north of Beth-arabah} between Beth-hogla and 
 the highland on the west of the Jordan valley. It is mentioned below 
 (xv. 61) as one of the six cities of Judah in the sunken valley of the 
 Jordan and the Dead Sea. 
 
 JOSHUA n
 
 130 JOSHUA, XV. [w. 7, 8. 
 
 7 to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben : and the border 
 went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so 
 
 ' northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going 
 up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river : 
 and the border passed towards the waters of En-shemesh, 
 
 s and the goings out thereof were at En-rogel : and the bor- 
 
 the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben} This " Stone'' is only mentioned 
 once more, in ch. xviii. 17, and must have lain some where to the west or 
 south-west of Beth-arabah. 
 
 7. and the border -went up toward Debir} Not the royal Canaanitish 
 city conquered (Josh. x. 29, 38), but somewhere behind Jericho. A Wady 
 Dabor is marked in Van de Velde's Map as close to the south of N$by 
 Musa, at the north-west of the Dead Sea." Smith's Bibl. Diet. 
 
 from the valley of Achor] south of Jericho; see ch. vii. 26. 
 
 looking toward Gilgal} Not the place where the Israelites first en- 
 camped. It is called Gelilolh, ch. xviii. 1 7. 
 
 that is before the going up to Adummim}="i\i& pass of the red," 
 the road leading up from Jericho and the Jordan valley to Jerusalem. 
 
 (a) Jerome ascribes the name to the blood "qui in illo loco a latronibus 
 funditur," i.e. by the robbers who infested the pass in his day, and as 
 they do still, and as they did in the days of our Lord, of whose parable 
 of "the Good Samaritan" this is the scene, (b) But the more natural 
 meaning of the word is "the Pass of the Red-haired Men," as if allud- 
 ing to some aboriginal tribe of the country, (c) Others would derive 
 it from the red colour of the rocks "the whole pass is white lime- 
 stone, with the remarkable exception of one large mass of purplish rock 
 on the ascent from Jericho." S. and P. 424, n. 
 
 which is on the south side of the river} more literally, of the water- 
 course, or torrent, the Wady Kelt. 
 
 the watersof En-shemesh\ "and passith the waters, that ben clepid the 
 welle of the sunne, " Wyclif. This is the present Ain el Haudr or 
 "Apostles' Spring," about a mile below Bethany, the only spring on 
 the road to Jericho. 
 
 and the goings out thereof were at En-rogel} This some (a) would 
 identify with 'Am Umm ed-Daraj, "the Fountain of the Virgin;" 
 
 (b) others with Bir Eyub, below the junction of the valleys of Kidron 
 and Hinnom, and south of the Pool of Siloam. It was near this well that 
 
 (a) Jonathan and Ahimaaz lay hid during the rebellion of Absalom, 
 in order to collect and send news to David (2 Sam. xvii. 17); and 
 
 (b) afterwards Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by En-rogel, 
 when he conspired to seize the kingdom (i Kings i. 9). "In itself 
 it is a singular work of ancient enterprise. The shaft, sunk through 
 the solid rock in the bed of the Kidron, is 125 feet deep. The 
 idea of digging such a well at that precise spot may have been sug- 
 gested by the fact, that, after very great rains, water sometimes rises 
 nearly to the top, and then flows out into the valley below, a strong 
 brook capable of driving a mill. This, however, soon ceases, and the
 
 v. 8.] JOSHUA, XV. 131 
 
 der went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the 
 south side of the Jebusite ; the same is Jerusalem : and the 
 border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before 
 
 water in the well subsides to less than half its depth. From that point 
 a stream seems to run constantly across it, and pass down the valley 
 
 under the rock The water is pure and entirely sweet, quite different 
 
 from that of Siloam, which proves that there is no connection between 
 them. I have seen the water gushing out like a mill-stream, some 
 fifteen rods south of the well ; and then the whole valley was alive with 
 people bathing in it, and indulging in every species of hilarity." 
 Thomson's Land and the Book, pp. 658, 659. 
 
 8. and the border -went up} From En-rogel the border went up 
 into the valley of the son of Hinnom, on the south, side of the Jebusite, 
 that is Jerusalem. The direction accordingly runs S. S.W. of Jeru- 
 salem, where the valley mentioned lies. Nothing is known of this 
 Hinnom. Possibly he was some ancient hero, who had encamped here, 
 and from whom it was called " Ge-Ben-Hinnom," "the Ravine of the 
 son of Hinnom," whence came "Ge-Hinnom," and so "Gehenna." 
 It is a deep retired glen, shut in by rugged cliffs, with the bleak moun- 
 tain-sides rising over all. Here (a) Solomon erected high places for 
 Moloch (r Kings xi. 7), and (b) in the times of Ahaz and Manasseh it 
 became notorious as the scene of the barbarous rites of that deity and 
 of Chemosh, when the idolatrous inhabitants of Jerusalem cast their 
 sons and daughters into the red-hot arms of a monster idol of brass 
 placed at the opening of the ravine (2 Kings xvi. 3 ; i Chron. xxviii. 3 ; 
 Jer. vii. 31). To put an end to these abominations the place was 
 polluted by Josiah, who spread over it human bones and other corrup- 
 tions (2 Kings xxiii. 10, 13, 14), from which time it seems to have 
 become the common cesspool of the city. These inhuman rites and 
 subsequent ceremonial defilement caused the later Jews to regard it 
 with horror and detestation, and they applied the name given to the 
 valley to tJu place of torment. 
 
 the same is Jerusalem} As Bethel was in earlier times called Luz 
 (Gen. xxviii. 19), and Bethlehem was called Ephrath (Gen. xxxv. 16; 
 Mic. v. 2), so Jerusalem was called Jebus (Judg. xix. n; i Chron. xi. 
 4). It is interpreted by some to mean a place " dry" or " down-trod- 
 den like a threshingfloor" which is thought to prove it must have been 
 the south-western hill. 
 
 went up to the top of the mountain'] From the ravine of Hinnom the 
 border now ascended to the top of the mountain that lieth before the 
 valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of "the Valley of 
 Giants northward." The "Valley of the Giants" was " the Valley of 
 Rephaim, " an ancient settlement of this giant tribe, from which sprang 
 Og king of Basan, possibly after they were driven from their original 
 seats by Chedorlaomer (Gen. xiv. 5). It was a "valley-plain," extend- 
 ing in a S.W. direction from Jerusalem to Mar Elias, spacious enough 
 to serve as a camp for an army. Here (a) David twice encountered the 
 Philistines and inflicted a destruction upon them so signal that it gave 
 
 9-2
 
 132 JOSHUA, XV. [vv. 9- 1 1. 
 
 the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the 
 9 valley of the giants northward : and the border was drawn 
 from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of 
 Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and 
 the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim : 
 
 10 and the border compassed from Baalah westward unto 
 mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount 
 Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went 
 
 11 down to Beth-shemesh, and passed on to Timnah : and the 
 
 the place a new name, Baal-perazim = " the plain of Bursts" or " De- 
 structions" (2 Sam. v. 17 20). Here (b) too it was in all probability 
 that the incident of the water of Bethlehem occurred (2 Sam. xxiii. 13). 
 the mountain} here alluded to was the slight " rock-ridge " which on 
 the north constitutes the boundary of the valley of Hinnom. 
 
 9. and the border was drawn] From the summit of the mountain 
 just alluded to, the border was drawn to ' ' the fountain of the water 
 at Nephtoah." Nephtoah has been identified with Ain Lifta, a 
 spring situated a little distance above the village of the same name, 
 N.W. of Jerusalem. It irrigates a strip of smiling gardens, and its 
 excellent water is carried also to Jerusalem. 
 
 and went out to the cities of mount Ephron] Ephron is nowhere else 
 mentioned. It is probably the range of hills on the west side of 
 W&dy-Beit-Hanina, opposite Lifta. 
 
 and. ..-was drawn to Baalah\ another name for Kirjath-jearim or 
 Kirjath-Baal (Josh. xv. 60 ; xviii. 14). Baalah was probably the 
 earlier or Canaanite appellation. We have already met with Kirjath- 
 jearim as one of the four cities of the Gibeonites (above, ch. ix. 17). 
 It is famous as the spot, (a) behind which the band of Danites pitched 
 their camp before their expedition to Laish (Judg. xviii. 12); (b) where 
 the Ark remained upwards of twenty years (i Sam. vii. 2), and (c) 
 whence it was removed by David to the house of Obed-Edom the 
 Gittite (i Chron. xiii. 5, 6). It is now known as Kureyet el-Enab. 
 
 10. and the border compassed] = \\. "beat round," "took a circuit ;" 
 and see above, v. 3. 
 
 unto mount Seir] not the Edomite range (Gen. xxxii. 3 ; Num. xxiv. 
 1 8), but the range, which lies between the Wady Aly and the Wady 
 Ghurab. It may have derived its name either (a) from some peculiarity 
 in the form or appearance of the spot, or (6) from some incursion of 
 the Edomites, which has escaped record. 
 
 and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim] or, unto the 
 shoulder of mount Jearim" which is Chesalon. Chesalon, probably 
 now Kesla (see Robinson's Later Bibl. Res. p. 154), was also called 
 Har -jearim = "mountain of forests" as Baalah was called Kirjath- 
 jearim="city of forests" or "forest town." The region appears 
 in early times to have been thickly covered with woods. 
 
 and went down to Betk-shemesh, and passed on to Timnah] (a) 
 Beth-shemesh = " house of the sun" or Ir-shemesh (ch. xix. 22)", now
 
 vv. 12, 13.] JOSHUA, XV. 133 
 
 border went out unto the side of Ekron northward : and the 
 border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to mount 
 Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel ; and the goings out 
 of the border were at the sea. And the west border was to " 
 the great sea, and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the 
 children of Judah round about according to their families. 
 
 13 19. The Request of Achsah, Daughter of Caleb. 
 And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part 13 
 
 'Ain-Shems, about two miles from the great Philistine plain, and seven 
 miles from Ekron. It (a) was allotted to the priests (Josh. xxi. 16) ; 
 was (b) the place whither "the kine took the straight way" from 
 Ekron with the Ark of the Covenant (i Sam. vi. 9) ; where (c) the 
 people looked into the Ark and caused the severe judgment that 
 followed (i Sam. vi. 19); and where (d) Solomon had one of his 
 commissariat districts ( i Kings iv. 9). "Here, "at 'Ain-Shems, "are 
 the vestiges of a former extensive city, consisting of many foundations, 
 and the remains of ancient walls of hewn stone. Both the name and 
 the position of this spot seem to indicate the site of the ancient Beth- 
 shemesh of the Old Testament." Robinson, Later Bibl. Res. p. 153. 
 (j3) Timnah, or Timnatk, or Tkimnathah (Josh. xix. 43), now fibnah, 
 a village about two miles west of 'Ain-Shems, from which Samson 
 fetched his wife (Judg. xiv. i, 5), and in the vineyards of which, 
 without anything in his hand, he killed the lion (Judg. xiv. 5, 6). 
 
 11. unto the side of ILkron northward} The boundary, still fol- 
 lowing a N.W. course, now tended towards a point lying near the 
 Philistine city of Ekron (see above, ch. xiii. 3), whence it was drawn to 
 Shicron, between Ekron and Jabneal (Yebna), and passed along to mount 
 Baalah, "the short line of hills running almost parallel with the coast," 
 and so "went out unto Jabneel" the modern village of Yebna or 
 Ibna, about two miles from the Sea, 1 1 miles south of Jaffa, and four 
 from sEkir (Ekron), represents the ancient Jabneel or Jabneh (i Chron. 
 xxvi. 6), or, in its Greek garb, Jamnia (i Mace. iv. 5 ; v. 58). 
 
 12. the "west border] was formed by the Mediterranean Sea. 
 
 to the great sea] From Jabneel the boundary continued to the 
 Mediterranean Sea along the Wady es Surah. 
 
 and the coast thereof] or borders thereof; see above, ch. xiii. 23, 27, 
 and comp. Num. xxxiv. 6. 
 
 13 19. THE REQUEST OF ACHSAH, DAUGHTER OF CALEB. 
 
 13. And unto Caleb] This section, from ver. 13 19, is repeated 
 with slight alterations almost verbatim in Judg. i. 10 20. The two 
 sections are probably derived from a common source. As occurring 
 here the verses are intended to complete the history of the division 
 of the land amongst the tribes. As Caleb had brought forward his 
 claims to the possession of Hebron, before the casting of the lots
 
 134 JOSHUA, XV. fvv. 1417. 
 
 among the children of Judah, according to the command- 
 ment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father 
 
 14 of Anak, which city is Hebron. And Caleb drove thence 
 the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, 
 
 15 the children of Anak. And he went up thence to the inha- 
 bitants of Debir : and the name of Debir before was Kir- 
 
 16 jath-sepher. And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath- 
 sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter 
 
 17 to wife. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of 
 Caleb, took it : and he gave him Achsah his daughter to 
 
 commenced, and those claims had been admitted by Joshua, it was 
 quite in order for the author, when giving here the list of the cities 
 assigned to the tribe of Judah, to refer especially to the portion 
 which Caleb had received, not by lot, but in fulfilment of the 
 Divine promise made to him by Moses, and at the same time to record 
 how fully his hopes had been fulfilled of driving out the Anakims, 
 and thus securing the undisputed possession of Hebron and its vicinky 
 to himself and his descendants. Keil's Commentary. 
 
 he gave] i. e. Joshua, by the command of Jehovah. For " the city 
 of Arba" see above, ch. xiv. 15. 
 
 14. the three sons of Anak~\ Three chiefs of the Anakims. Comp. 
 Num. xiii. 22. 
 
 15. to the inhabitants of Debir\ On Debir see above, xi. 21. Joshua 
 had conquered and devoted it. 
 
 Debir before was Kirjath-sepher\ = "the city of Books," "citee of 
 lettrys;" Wyclif, or (Josh. xv. 49) Kirjath-Sannah= "city of palm." 
 
 16. to him will I give Achsah my daughter] So Saul promised to the 
 victor over Goliath to "give him his daughter" (i Sam. xvii. 25), and 
 undertook if David was valiant for him to give him to wife his elder 
 daughter Merab (i Sam. xviii. 17). 
 
 17. Othniel the son of Kenaz\ The younger brother of Caleb (comp. 
 Judg. i. 13, iii. 9; I Chron. iv. 13). But it is not certain from these 
 passages whether Kenaz was his father, or, as some think, the more 
 remote ancestor and head of the tribe, whose descendants were called 
 "sons of Kenaz" (Num. xxxii. 12). If Jephunneh was the father of Caleb, 
 he was probably the father of Othniel also. The next mention of him 
 is in Judg. iii. 9, where we find him the first Judge of Israel after the 
 death of Joshua (for his genealogy see i Chron. iv. 13, 14), delivering 
 the Israelites from the tyranny of the Mesopotamian king, Chushan- 
 rishathaim. 
 
 the brother of Caleb] There is a doubt here whether Othniel was 
 "films Kenasi, frater Calebi," or "filius Kenasi fratrz'j Calebi." For 
 the second explanation comp. 2 Sam. xiii. 3, 32, "Jonadab, the son of 
 Shimeah David's brother; for the first, i Sam. xxvi. 6, "Abishai, the 
 son of Zeruiah, and brother to Joab ;" this is adopted by the Maronitcs, 
 the LXX., and the Vulgate.
 
 vv. 1 8, 19-1 JOSHUA, XV. 135 
 
 wife. And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she 18 
 moved him to ask of her father a field : and she lighted off 
 her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? 
 Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me 19 
 a south land ; give me also springs of water. And he gave 
 her the upper springs, and the nether springs. 
 
 and he gave him Achsah] She had probably remained with her father 
 at Hebron. 
 
 18. as she came unto him} i.e. as she proceeded to the home of 
 Othniel at Debir to become his wife. "When the parties live in different 
 villages, the bridegroom accompanied by his friends, all well mounted 
 and armed, and escorted with music, repair to the house of the bride, 
 and escort her to her new home." See the picture of such a procession 
 in Van Lenneps' Bible Lands and Customs, p. 550. 
 
 she moved him] The original word denotes (i) to impel, (2) to incite, 
 induce. Comp. 2 Chron. xviii. 2, "And Ahab persuaded him to go up 
 with him to Ramoth-Gilead." "The which, whanne she went to togidre, 
 \&c man meeued to hir for to axe of hir fader a feeld. " Wyclif. 
 ^a field] more definitely, the field, either (a) which belonged to Debir, 
 as some suppose, or (b) the field which was fit for cultivation, and had 
 a sufficient supply of water. 
 
 she lighted off her ass] The original word only occurs in three places ; 
 (a) here; (b) the parallel passage in Judg. i. 14; and (c) in Judg. iv. 
 21, "Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent.. .and went softly 
 unto him." It denotes (i) to force oneself away from: (2) to descend 
 quickly from, to sink doivn from, as in Gen. xxiv. 64, " And Rebekah 
 lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel." 
 The LXX. have rendered it, apparently from a different reading, 
 "she cried from the ass;" the Vulgate, " ' suspiravitque ut sedebat in 
 asino;" and so Wyclif, "And she si3ide, as she sat in the asse." 
 
 18. and Caleb said unto her] It would seem as though Othniel could 
 not be prevailed upon to make such a request himself, and that Achsah 
 therefore determined to prefer it herself. Her action in springing from 
 the ass so astonished Caleb, that he put to her the question, "What 
 wouldest thou?" 
 
 19. Give me a blessing] Comp. the words of Jacob to Esau, Gen. 
 xxxiii. n, "Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee;'' 
 Josh. xiv. 13, "And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb... Hebron 
 for an inheritance;" and the words of Naaman to Elisha, "Now there- 
 fore, I pray thee, take a blessing oi thy servant." 2 Kings v. 15. 
 
 a south land] He had given it to her, inasmuch as he had given her 
 as a wife to the conqueror of Debir. The words are used in a double 
 sense. "The south country" = "the barren and dry land," "terram 
 australem et torrentem dedisti mihi," Vulgate; "the south loond and 
 drye," Wyclif. 
 
 springs of -water] The word here used, "gulloth," = " waves" or 
 "bubblings." "Underneath the hill on which Debir stood is a deep
 
 136 JOSHUA, XV. [v. 20. 
 
 20 32. Cities of Judah in the South. 
 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of 
 
 valley, rich with verdure from a copious rivulet, which, rising at the 
 crest of the glen, falls, with a continuity unusual in the Judrean hills, 
 down to its lowest depth. On the possession of these upper and lower 
 ' bubblings, ' so contiguous to her lover's prize, Achsah had set her 
 heart. The scene of this incident was first discovered by Dr Rosen, 
 and under his guidance I saw it in 1862." Stanley's Lectures, \. 264. 
 
 the upper springs, and the nether springs'] Caleb responded to her wish, 
 and gave her the higher and lower fields watered by these springs. 
 Nether adj. =lower. Comp. Exod. xix. 17, "And Moses brought forth 
 the people... and they stood at the nether part of the mount;" Deut. 
 xxiv. 6, "No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to 
 pledge ;" i Kings ix. 1 7, *' And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon 
 the nether ;" Job xli. 24, " His heart is as firm as a stone, yea as hard as 
 a piece of the nether millstone." A. S. ny$era, or neo%ra. Comp. "the 
 Netherlands" = " the Lowlands ;" " a foolish hanging of thy nether lip." 
 Shakespeare, I.Henry IV. n. 4. 
 
 20 32. CITIES OF JUDAH IN THE SOUTH. 
 
 20. This is the inheritance} " The speech of Achsah to her father was 
 the best reason for the slight notice of this desert tract in later times, and 
 is the best introduction to the real territory of Judah, on which we now 
 enter. ' Give me a blessing, for thou hast given me a south land ; give 
 me also springs of water? The wells of Beersheba were enough for the 
 Patriarchs, the Amalekites, and the Kenites, but they were not enough 
 for the daughter of Judah and the house of the mighty Caleb." Stanley's 
 Sinai and Palestine, p. 161. The territory of Judah, in average length 
 about 45 miles and in average breadth about 50, was from a very early 
 period divided into four main regions (i) the South; (ii) the Low- 
 land ; (iii) the Mountain ; (iv) the Wilderness. 
 
 (a) The South was the undulating pasture country which intervened 
 between the hills, the proper possession of the tribe, and the desert 
 country which marks the lower part of Palestine. 
 (j3) The Lowland, or, to give it its proper name, the Shefhelah, was a 
 broad strip of land lying between the central mountains and the 
 Mediterranean Sea. From the edge of the sandy tract which 
 fringes the immediate shore it stretched up to the bases of the hills 
 of Judah the garden and granary of the tribe and formed the 
 lower part of the maritime plain which extended along the whole sea- 
 board of Palestine from "the river of Egypt " to Sidon. 
 (7) The Mountain, or "the Hill Country," though not the richest, 
 was at once the largest and the most important of the four. " Begin- 
 ning a few miles below Hebron, where it attains its highest level, 
 it stretches eastward to the Dead Sea and westward to the Shephelah^ 
 and forms an elevated district or plateau, which, though thrown 
 into considerable undulations, yet preserves a general level in both 
 directions."
 
 vv. 2128.] JOSHUA, XV. 137 
 
 Judah according to their families. And the uttermost cities 2 * 
 of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of 
 Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, and " 
 Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, =3 
 and Ithnan, Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, and Hazor, I* 
 Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor, Amam, 26 
 and Shema, and Moladah, and Hazar-gaddah, and Hesh- 2 ? 
 mon, and Beth-palet, and Hazah-shual, and Beersheba, and z8 
 
 (5) The Wilderness, Midbah, which here, and here only, is synonymous 
 with Ardbah, represents the sunken district adjoining the Dead Sea. 
 See Mr. Grove's article in Smith's Bibl. Diet. 
 
 21. And the uttermost cities] The writer commences with the cities at 
 the extremity of the territory of Judah, the S.E. point of the Dead Sea, 
 on the Edomite frontier. 
 
 toward the coast of Edom southward] For "coast," see above, ch. 
 xiii. 16. (a) first we have a group of nine cities within the Negeb at 
 the south-east : 
 
 (i) Kabzeel "which God gathers," the birth-place of Benaiah, one of 
 David's heroes (2 Sam. xxiii. 20) ; (2) Eder and (3) Jagitr are altogether 
 unknown ; (4) Kinah, possibly the territory of the Kenites who settled 
 at Arad ; (5) Dimonah = Dibon (Neh. xi. -25) ; (6) Adadah, identified by 
 Robinson with Sudeid ; (7) Kedesh, (8) Hazor, and (9) Ithnan are un- 
 known. 
 
 24. Ziph~\ (&) With this town commences a second group of five 
 cities : 
 
 (i) Ziph, not identified ; (2) Telem, not identified not to be con- 
 founded with Telaim, where Saul collected and numbered his forces 
 before his attack on Amalek (i Sam. xv. 4) ; (3) Bealoth = Bealoth-beer, 
 on the road towards Hebron ; (4) Hazor-hadattah = "New Hazor-" (5) 
 Kerioth- Hezron, which is Hazor ; the names are to be joined together, 
 like Kirjath-arba and Kirjath-jearim. 
 
 26. Amam (c) Third group of nine cities: 
 
 (i) Amam, unknown ; (2) Shema, a place of the Simeonites (ch. xix. 2); 
 (3) Moladah, called Malatua by the Greeks and Romans = the modern 
 El-Milk, four English miles from Tell Arad and nine or ten due east of 
 Beersheba ; (4) Hazar-gaddah, unknown ; (5) Heshmon, unknown ; (6) 
 Belh-palet, unknown; (7) Hazar-shual= " village of jackals,'' 1 inhabited 
 after the Captivity by men of Judah (Neh. xi. 27) ; (8) Beer-sheba = either 
 (a) " Well of Seven" or (6) " Well of the Oath" (Gen. xxi. 2832). We 
 find Beer-sheba visited by Abraham, who dug the well (Gen. xxi. 31) ; 
 the place where Samuel's sons judged Israel (i Sam. viii. 2) ; constitu- 
 ting, with Dan in the north, the established formula for the whole of the 
 Promised Land "Dan to Beer-sheba" (2 Sam. xxiv. 2) ; the seat of an 
 idolatrous worship in the time of Amos (Amos v. 5, viii. 14). It still re- 
 tains as nearly as possible its ancient name, Bir-es-Seba. There are at 
 present two principal wells and five smaller ones. The curb-stones 
 round the mouth are worn into deep grooves by the action of the ropes of
 
 138 JOSHUA, XV. [w. 2935. 
 
 30 Bizjothjah, Baalah, and lim, and Azem, and Eltolad, and 
 
 31 Chesil, and Hormah, and Ziklag, and Madmannah, and 
 
 32 Sansannah, and Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rim- 
 mon : all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages. 
 
 33 47. Cities in the Lowland, 
 
 34 And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah, and 
 
 35 Zanoah, and Engannim, Tappuah, and Enam, Jarmuth, and 
 
 so many centuries, and look as if "frilled or fluted all round" ; (9) Biz- 
 jothjah, unknown. 
 
 29. Baalah\ A fourth group is added of thirteen places which lay to 
 the west and south-west: 
 
 (i) Baalah, called Balah (ch.xix. 3) and Bilhah (i Chron. iv. 29); (2) 
 Jim, unknown; (3) Azem = " firmness" or "strength" (ch. xix. 3); (4) 
 Eltolad = Tolad ( i Chron. iv. 29), unknown; (5) Chesil = Bethul (Josh. 
 xix, 4)=Bethuel (r Chron. iv. 30) ; (6) Hormah, or Zephath (comp. xii. 
 14); (7) Ziklag= " wilderness of destruction" (Gesenius), which after- 
 wards came into the possession of Achish, king of Gath, who presented 
 it to David (i Sam. xxvii. 6), and was burnt by the Amalekites (i Sam. 
 xxx. i) ; (8) Madmannah = possibly to el-Miny&y, south of Gaza, on 
 the route of the pilgrims during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries ; 
 (9) Sansannah, unknown; (10) Lebaoth = Beth-lebaoth (Josh. xix. 6 ; I 
 Chron. iv. 31), perhaps Lebhem, eight hours south of Gaza ; ( 1 1) Shilhim 
 =.el-Scheriat, about midway between Gaza and Beer-sheba; (12) Ain ; 
 (13) Rimmon; in ch. xix. 7, i Chron. iv. 32, these are treated as one 
 place, and comp. Neh. xi. 29. Rimmon has been supposed to be repre- 
 sented by Um er-Rumamim, about three hours north of Beersheba. 
 
 32. all the cities are twenty and nine] Thirty-six, however, are 
 actually given, viz., (i) (he first group =9 ; (2) the setond gn iep = 5; (3) 
 the third group 9 ; (4) fat fourth group = 1 3 = 36 in all. The discrepancy 
 has been variously explained by supposing (a) that some of the places 
 were merely hamlets or villages, and were therefore not counted with the 
 rest; (b) that in some cases two names may have belonged to the same 
 city ; (c ) that there is an error in the numeral letters ; (d) that the author 
 originally wrote fewer names, and " that others were added by a later 
 hand without a corresponding alteration being made in the number." 
 (See Keil in loc.) 
 
 33 47. CITIES IN THE LOWLAND. 
 
 33. in the valley\ i. e. the Lowland. See above, ver. 20, and also 
 Josh. x. 40, xi. 16. The places mentioned are arranged in four groups. 
 The first of these lies in the north-eastern portion of the Shephelah : 
 
 Group f. i. Eshtaol Yeshua; 2. Zoreah = Surah, the residence 
 of Manoah (Judg. xiii. 2, 25) and the native place of Samson. It lay 
 close to Eshtaol. Here Samson spent his boyhood, and to a spot 
 between the two places his dead body was brought after his last great 
 exploit (Judg. xiii. 25; xvi. 31); 3. Ashnah, unknown; 4. Zanoah,
 
 w. 3645.] JOSHUA, XV. 139 
 
 Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, and Sharaim, and Adithaim, 36 
 and Gederah, and Gederothaim ; fourteen cities with their 
 villages. Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal-gad, and Di- ^ 
 lean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel, Lachish, and Bozkath, and 39 
 Eglon, and Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish, and Cede- 
 roth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen 
 cities with their villages. Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan, 42 
 and Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib, and Keilah, and Ach- ^ 
 zib, and Mareshah ; nine cities with their villages. Ekron, 4S 
 
 now Z&n-ffa ; 5. En-gannim, and 6. Tappuah are unknown ; 7. Enani 
 is mentioned Gen. xxxviii. 14, 21 ; 8. Jarmuth (Yarmuk), a Canaanitish 
 capital, see above xv. 35 ; 9. Adullam, see above xv. 35 ; 10. Socoh, 
 now Shtivueikeh ; n. Azekah (see above, x. 10), the beautiful vale, "the 
 valley of Elah," between it and Socoh, was celebrated for the combat 
 between David and Goliath; 12. Sharaim, see i Sam. xvii. 52; 13. 
 A dithaim, site unknown ; 14. Gederah, with the article, properly = "the 
 w all" undiscovered ; 15. Gederothaim, unknown. 
 
 36. fourteen cities} The LXX. omits Gederothaim, which makes 
 fourteen instead of fifteen cities. 
 
 37. Zenan"} Group II. comprises the cities of the actual plain in 
 its whole extent from north to south, between the hilly region on the 
 west and the Philistine coast on the east. It includes sixteen cities: 
 
 i. Zenan = Zaanan (Mic. i. u), site unknown; 2. Hadashah, site 
 unknown; 3. Migdal-gad, site unknown; 4. Dilean, site unknown; 
 
 5. Mizpeh, not the Mizpeh of Benjamin (ch. xviii. 26) ; 6. Joktheel, 
 site unknown ; 7. Lachish (see above x. 3) ; 8. Bozkath, uncertain ; 
 9. Eglon (see above, x. 3); 10. Cabbon; n. Lahmam ; 12. Kithlish ; 
 13. Gederoth, all undetermined; 14. Belh-dagon, indicating by its name 
 the Philistine worship of Dagon; 15. Naamah, undetermined; 16. 
 Makkedah, a royal city of the Canaanites, already spoken of x. 1 6. 
 
 42. Libnah} Group III. consists of the places in the southern part 
 of the hill region, and includes nine cities : 
 
 i. Libnah, conquered by Joshua, see above, x. 29, 30; 2. Ether, and 
 3. Ashan, see i Chron. iv. 32; 4. Jiphtah; 5. Ashnah, sites unknown ; 
 
 6. Nezib = the modern Nusib ; 7. Keilah, to the north of Nezib, the 
 modern Kila ; this was the town (a) which David rescued from the 
 attack of the Philistines (i Sam. xxiii. 7); (b) which became the reposi- 
 tory of the sacred ephod after the massacre of the priests at Nob (i Sam. 
 xxiii. 6) ; (c } which David left, warned of the intention of the inhabit- 
 ants to deliver him to Saul (i Sam. xxiii. 13); 8. Achzib, see Gen. 
 xxxviii. 5 ; Mic. i. 14 ; 9. Mareshah, afterwards fortified by Rehoboam 
 (2 Chron. xi. 8), and the scene of the victory of king Asa (2 Chron. xiv. 
 9 13). It was subsequently called Maresa, and was famous in the con- 
 tests of the Maccabees (i Mace. v. 65 68). It was restored by the 
 Roman general Gabinius, and destroyed by the Parthians. The modem 
 name is Merash.
 
 HO JOSHUA, XV. [w. 46 54. 
 
 <6 with her towns and her villages : from Ekron even unto the 
 
 47 sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages : Ashdod 
 
 with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and 
 
 her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and 
 
 the border thereof. 
 
 48 60. The Cities in the Mountains. 
 
 * 8 And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh, 
 
 50 and Dannah, and Kirjath-sannah, which is Debir, and Anab, 
 
 51 and Eshtemoh, and Anim, and Goshen, and Holon, and 
 
 52 Giloh ; eleven cities with their villages. Arab, and Dumah, 
 
 53 and Eshean, and Janum, and Beth-tappuah, and Aphekah, 
 
 54 and Humtah, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, and Zior ; 
 
 45. Ekron. Group IV. includes the Philistine line of coast, and 
 includes three chief cities: 
 
 i. Ekron, see ch. xiii. 3, with her towns, or rather ''daughter towns" 
 and villages; 2. Ashdod, with her "daughter towns" and villages, 
 see above, ch. xi. 21 ; 3. Gaza, with her " daughter towns" and villages, 
 see above, ch. x. 41 ; as far as the "river of Egypt," see above, xiii. 3, 
 and "the great sea." 
 
 48 60. THE CITIES IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 48. And in the mountains] This section treats of the Cities in the 
 Mountains or "the Hill Country," (see above, v. 20), and includes 
 five groups. 
 
 Shamir\ Groitp I. consists of eleven cities on the south-western por- 
 tion of the "hill Country:" 
 
 i. Shamir, still unknown; 2. Jattir, probably the modern ^Attir, 10 
 miles south of Hebron; 3. Socoh, not Shocoh in "the Lowland," but 
 like it now called Suweikeh; 4. .Dannah, still unknown; 5. Kirjath- 
 sannah, i. e. Debir, see above, x. 38, xv. 15; 6. Anab, a town of the 
 Anakims (ch. xi. 21), still existing under its old name; 7. Eshtemoh, 
 one of the places frequented by David and his followers during his life 
 as an outlaw (i Sam. xxx. 28). Now Semua, seven miles south of 
 Hebron; 8. Anim, close to Eshtemoa, nine miles south of Hebron; 
 9. Goshen, not determined; 10. Holon, a priest's city (i Chron. vi. 58); 
 1 1 . Giloh, the site of which has not yet been discovered, but it was (a) 
 the birthplace of Ahithophel (2 Sam. xv. 12); (i>) and the place where 
 the traitor hanged himself (2 Sam. xvii. 23). 
 
 52. Arab. Group II. includes nine cities to the north of those just 
 enumerated in the country round Hebron : 
 
 i. Arab ; 2. Dumah, a ruined village not far from Hebron, now 
 Ed-Daumeh; 3. Eshean, site unknown ; 4. Janum, not discovered ; 
 5. Beth-tappuah = " House of Apples." The name has been preserved 
 in Teffuh, a place about 5 miles west of Hebron ; 6. Aphekah, not the
 
 vv. 5561.] JOSHUA, XV. 141 
 
 nine cities with their villages. Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, 55 
 and Juttah, and Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah, Cain, ^ 
 Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages. Halhul, 58 
 Beth-zur, and Gedor, and Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and 59 
 Eltekon ; six cities with their villages. Kirjath-baal, which to 
 is Kirjath-jearim, and Rabbah ; two cities with their villages. 
 
 6 1 63. Cities in the Wilderness. 
 In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah, 61 
 
 Aphek of ch. xii. 18, xiii. 4, but on the mountains of Judah; 7. Hum- 
 tah, not yet discovered; 8. Kirjath-Arba, see above, xiv. 15, xv. 13; 
 9. Zior, unknown. 
 
 65. Maon} Group III. consists of ten cities, on the south-east of 
 the two preceding groups, towards the desert : 
 
 i. Maon, to the east of Eshtemoa, now Main; here David hid 
 himself during his life as an outlaw (i Sam. xxiii. 24), and here he 
 met Nabal, the churl (i Sam. xxv. 2) ; 2. Carmel {Kurmul}, a name 
 familiar in the history (a) of Saul (i Sam. xv. 12); (b) of David (i Sam. 
 xxv. 2, 5, 7); (c) of Uzziah (i Chron. xxvi. 10); 3. Ziph (Tell Zif), about 
 five miles south-east of Hebron, where (a) David hid himself (i Sam. 
 xxiii. 19; Ps. liv. title); which (b) Rehoboam fortified (2 Chron. xi. 8); 
 4. Juttah, west of Ziph, now Ytitta, a priests' city (ch. xxi. 16); 5. Jez- 
 reel, the home of Ahinoam the second wife of David (i Sam. xxv. 43); 
 6. Jokdeam; 7. Zanoah, these places are undiscovered, and not else- 
 where named; 8. Cain, likewise unknown ; 9. Gibeah ll h\\\," a very 
 common name ; 10. Timnah, not the Timnah between Beth-shemesh and 
 Ekron (xv. 10), but the place whither Judah went up to his sheep- 
 shearing (Gen. xxxviii. 12 14). 
 
 58. Halhul] Group IV. consists of six cities on the north of 
 Hebron : 
 
 i. Halhul, still called Hulhul, north of Hebron, on the way to 
 Jerusalem, in a well-cultivated region of fields and vineyards; 2. Beth- 
 zur, to the north of Halhul, now Beit Sur, fortified by Rehoboam 
 (2 Chron. xi. 7), and one of the strongest fortresses afterwards in all 
 judsea (i Mace. iv. 29, 61; vi. 7, 26); 3. Gedor, north-west of Beth- 
 zur, now Jedilr; see i Chron. xii. 7, on the brow of a high mountain, 
 north-west of the road-between Jerusalem and Hebron; 4. Maarath, 
 unknown; 5. Beth-anoth =." house of Echo" (Gesenius), now BeitAinfm; 
 6. Eltekon, site unknown. 
 
 60. Kirjalh-baal\ Group V. consists of two cities on the west of 
 Jerusalem : 
 
 i. Kirjath-baal= Kirjath-jearim, see above, v. 9; i. Rabbah, un- 
 known. 
 
 61 63. CITIES IN THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 This section relates to the cities in "the Wilderness" between the 
 Mountain and the Dead Sea, and includes one Group of six citus:
 
 142 JOSHUA, XV. [vv. 62,63. 
 
 62 and Nibshan, and the city of salt, and En-gedi ; six cities 
 
 6 3 with their villages. As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of 
 Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out : 
 but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusa- 
 lem unto this day. 
 
 i. Beth-arabah, see above, v. 6; i. Middin ; 3. Secacah ; 4. Nib- 
 shan, sites unknown, places not mentioned elsewhere ; 5. The city of 
 Salt, "Civitas Sa/is," Vulgate, probably near the Valley of Salt, at the 
 southern end of the Dead Sea, where the Edomites suffered several 
 defeats (2 Sam. viii. 13; 2 Kings xiv. 7; i Chron. xviii. 12); 6. En- 
 gedi, "the spring of the wild goat" or "gazelle," from the numerous 
 ibexes or Syrian chamois which inhabit these cliffs, now Ain Jidy. 
 "Here," remarks Canon Tristram, "a copious warm fresh spring 
 bursts forth amidst an oasis of tropical vegetation. Here that quaint 
 asclepiad the osher, the jujube, the beautiful parasite Lonicera indica, 
 and a host of strange semi-tropical plants send our botanist into an 
 ecstacy of delight." Land of Moab, p. 27. "Relics of its grove of 
 palms"(whenceitsnameHazazonTamar "the fellingof palm-trees") "are 
 still to be seen, in the trunks of palms washed up on the shores of the 
 Dead Sea, preserved by the salt with which a long submersion in those 
 strange waters has impregnated them." Stanley's S.andP., p. 144. Here 
 (a) the settlements of the Amorites were attacked by the army of Che- 
 dorlaomer (Gen. xiv. 7), immediately before its descent into the plain, 
 and final victory over the five kings; here (b) the Kenites had their 
 "nest" in the cliff (Num. xxiv. 21); here (c) David took refuge from 
 the pursuit of Saul (i Sam. xxiv. i); here (d) the solitary sect of the 
 Essenes had their chief seat." See Stanley, S. and P., pp. 295, 296. 
 
 In the wilderness] The wilderness of Judoea. "A true wilderness it is, 
 but no desert, with the sides of the limestone ranges clad with no shrubs 
 larger than a sage or a thyme brown and bare on all the southern and 
 western faces, where the late rains had not yet restored the life burnt out 
 by the summer's sun, but with a slight carpeting of tender green already 
 springing up on their northern sides. Not a human habitation, not a 
 sign of life, meets the eye for twenty miles; and yet there seems no 
 reason why, for pasturage at least, the country might not be largely 
 available. But there are no traces of the terraces which furrow the hills 
 of the rest of Palestine ; and one small herd of long-eared black goats 
 were all we saw till we reached the plains of Jericho. " Tristram's 
 Land of Israel, -p. 197. 
 
 63. As for] The Author closes the catalogue of the cities of Judah 
 with an announcement that the children of this royal tribe failed to 
 drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem. 
 
 the Jebtisites] The Jebusites are noticed above, ch. x. r, and ch. xi. 3. 
 They were a strong mountain-tribe, and as long as the " Upper City" 
 remained in their hands they practically had possession of the whole. 
 The children of Judah, as also the children of Benjamin, took and 
 burnt the "Lower City," but relinquished the attempt to capture the 
 " Upper City." (See Judg. i. 8, 21.)
 
 w. 13.] JOSHUA, XVI. 143 
 
 T 4. The Lot of the Children of Joseph. 
 
 And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by 16 
 Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilder- 
 ness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Beth-el, 
 and goeth out from Beth-el to Luz, and passeth along unto 2 
 the borders of Archi to Ataroth, and goeth down westward 3 
 
 unto this day] It is plain from this that the Book of Joshua was 
 written before the reign of David (i Chron. xi. 3 9). 
 
 CH. XVI. 1 4. THE LOT OF THE CHILDREN OF JOSEPH. 
 
 1. the lot of the children of Joseph] Having described the inherit- 
 ance of the royal tribe of Judah, the Author proceeds to relate the 
 distribution of the descendants of the great house of Joseph. 
 
 fell} Heb. went forth, i.e. "came out of the urn or chest." See 
 above, ch. vii. 16, and xiv. 2. 
 
 from Jordan by Jericho'] We have first the southern boundary, 
 which coincided for part of its length with the northern boundary of 
 Benjamin. It began at the Jordan, at the port, or reach, exactly oppo- 
 site to Jericho. Compare for the expression, above ch. xiii. 32, and 
 below xx. 8. 
 
 unto the water of Jericho"] From this point it ran to "the water of 
 Jericho," i. e. to the one brook, which is found in the neighbourhood of 
 Jericho. It rises at the fountain Ain es Snltdn, the waters of which 
 were healed by Elisha (2 Kings ii. 19), and flows into the Jordan. 
 
 to the wilderness that goeth up\ i. e. by one of the ravines, the W&dy 
 Ifarith or WAdy Suweintt, to the wilderness or uncultivated waste hills 
 (Midbah), to the mountains in the vicinity of Bethel. 
 
 2. and goeth out] Thence it passed on to Luz. It seems impossible 
 to determine exactly whether Bethel and Luz were the same town, Luz 
 being the Canaanite and Bethel the Hebrew name, or whether they were 
 distinct places close to one another. 
 
 (a) This verse, xviii. 13, and Gen. xxviii. 19, seem to favour the 
 last interpretation. 
 
 (/>) Gen. xxxv. 6, Judg. i. 23, favour the former. 
 
 The conclusion of Mr Grove is "that the two places were distinct 
 during the times preceding the conquest, Luz being the city, and Bethel 
 the pillar and altar of Jacob ; but after the. destruction of Luz by 
 the tribe of Ephraim the town of Bethel arose." See his Article in 
 Smith's Bibl. Diet. 
 
 unto the borders of Archf] Comp. i Sam. xvi. 16, i Chron. xxvii. 33, 
 where we read of Hushai the Archite. The precise locality is unknown. 
 
 to Ataroth] See below v. 5, and comp. xviii. 13. 
 
 3. and goeth down weshuard] Hence the boundary passed unto 
 the "coast" of Beth-horon the nether, i.e. the "Lower Beth-horon," 
 and Gezer, to the Mediterranean Sea at Jaffa.
 
 144 JOSHUA, XVI. [vv. 4-7. 
 
 to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Beth-horon the 
 nether, and to Gezer : and the goings out thereof are at the 
 4 sea. So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, 
 took their inheritance. 
 
 5 10. The Inheritance of the Tribe of Ephraim. 
 
 s And the border of the children of Ephraim according to 
 their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance 
 on the east side was Ataroth-addar, unto Beth-horon the 
 
 e upper ; and the border went out toward the sea to Mich- 
 methah on the north side ; and the border went about east- 
 ward unto Taanath-shiloh, and passed by it on the east 
 
 7 to Janohah; and it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, 
 
 yaphleti] is unknown. 
 
 Beth-horon\ See above, ch. x. 10, ir. 
 
 Gezer] See above ch. x. 33. It probably lay between Beth-horon 
 and Lydda. "The territory assigned to 'the house of Joseph' may 
 be roughly estimated at 55 miles from east to west, by 70 from north to 
 south, a portion about equal in extent to the counties of Norfolk and 
 Suffolk combined." 
 
 510. THE INHERITANCE OF THE TRIBE OF EPHRAIM. 
 
 5. And the border] The border given is not traced out with the 
 same completeness as that given above of the tribe of Judah. No men- 
 tion, it will be observed, is made of the northern boundary line of the 
 tribes descended from Joseph, although the eastern and western bound- 
 aries are implied, viz. the Jordan and the Mediterranean. 
 
 on the east side] It is to be borne in mind that the border traced 
 above in verses i 3 is here presupposed. The boundary is not drawn 
 de novo, but is based upon the other. 
 
 Ataroth-addar] Comp. ch. xviii. 13. It is a little remarkable that 
 the " Upper Beth-horon " is mentioned in this verse instead of Lower 
 Beth-horon, as in v. 3. But both places were situated close to each 
 other. 
 
 6. and the border went out] The line appears to run north towards 
 the Beth-horons, where it meets the southern boundary common to both 
 tribes. Then it went north-westward (or toward the sea) to Michmethah, 
 which lay "facing Shechem" (Josh. xvii. 7), but which has not been 
 discovered by any travellers. 
 
 Taanath-shiloh'] identified by some with Ain Tdna, which lay be- 
 tween Shechem and the Jordan. 
 
 Janohah} Doubtless identical with the modern Yanfm, about 10 miles 
 south-east of Shechem, where extensive ruins of great antiquity exist. 
 
 7. went down] The border "went dmvn" because it descended 
 along the slopes in the direction of the Jordan valley.
 
 w. 8io; i.l JOSHUA, XVI. XVII. 145 
 
 and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jor- 
 dan. The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the s 
 river Kanah ; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. 
 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of 
 Ephraim by their families. And the separate cities for the 9 
 children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the 
 children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. And 10 
 they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer : but 
 the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, 
 and serve under tribute. 
 
 i 6. The Inheritance of Western Manasseh. 
 There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh ; for he 17 
 
 ' to Ataroth] which place, it is thought, is to be sought somewhere in 
 this valley, "at the point where the border makes an angle in turning 
 southward." 
 
 and to NaaratJi\ Eusebius and Jerome mention it as well known to 
 them. It is mentioned in i Chron. vii. 28, and was, it is thought, 
 about five miles north of Jericho. 
 
 came to Jericho} i. e. to the region in the neighbourhood of Jericho 
 (which belonged to Benjamin), where the eastern border formed an 
 angle with the southern. 
 
 8. The border] In this verse the western half of the northern border 
 is described. 
 
 from Tappuah'] It ran from Tappuah, which has not yet been met 
 with at all in the central district of Palestine, south of Shechem, 
 "westward unto the river Kanah," or rather "the brook of reeds." 
 This is probably the modern Nahr el Khassab, which reaches the Sea 
 between Joppa and Caesarea, under the name of Nahr Falaik, or as 
 some think, the Nahr el A it j eh, just below the last-mentioned city. 
 
 9. And the separate cities] Or, the places which were portioned off. 
 were] This verb, introduced into our Version, should be omitted, 
 
 and the full stop at the end of verse 8 should be replaced by a colon. 
 The author intended us to add to "the inheritance of the children of 
 Ephraim" the "separate" or "single" cities allotted to the tribe 
 within the borders of Manasseh. It is supposed that after their relative 
 boundaries had been fixed though the subdivision of the territory 
 assigned to tlie two brother tribes does not seem to have been very 
 definite it was found that the territory of Ephraim was too small in 
 proportion to its strength. 
 
 10. that dwelt in Gezer] Comp. above, x. 33 and xii. 12. 
 
 CH. XVII. 16. THE INHERITANCE OF WESTERN MANASSEH. 
 
 1. There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh] Although the tribe 
 of Manasseh had already, as we have seen, obtained an extensive in- 
 JOSHUA 10
 
 146 JOSHUA, XVII. [v. 2. 
 
 was the firstborn of Joseph ; to wit, for Machir the firstborn 
 of Manasseh, the father of Gilead : because he was a man 
 2 of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan. There was 
 also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their 
 families ; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of 
 
 heritance east of the Jordan, where a portion of the warlike descendants of 
 Machir had left their families, the rest of the tribe now claimed a further 
 grant of land in addition to what they had acquired by force of arms. 
 
 for he was the firstborn of Joseph} Comp. Gen. xli. 51, "And Joseph 
 called the name of the firstborn Manasseh (a forgetter] ; for God, said 
 he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house." And 
 again, xlviii. 14, "And Israel stretched out his... left hand, and laid it 
 upon Manasseh s head, guiding his hands wittingly ; for Manasseh was 
 the firstborn." The birth of this child in Egypt, before the commence- 
 ment of the famine, was the first alleviation of Joseph's sorrows since he 
 left his home and his father, who loved him with such passionate affec-v 
 tion. 
 
 for Machir] The eldest son of the patriarch Manasseh. His mother 
 was an Aramaean or Syrian concubine (i Chron. vii. 14, 15). Her name 
 is not preserved, but her children are commemorated as having been 
 caressed by Joseph before his death; "the children also of Machir, 
 the son of Manasseh, were brought up (borne, marg.) upon Joseph's 
 knees (Gen. 1. 23). 
 
 the father of Gilead} The word "Gilead" here in the original has 
 the article. This denotes not a person, but the province, or district of 
 Gilead, and the word rendered father = " lord," or "possessor." The 
 expression "father of Gilead" therefore-= "lord" or "possessor of 
 Gilead." 
 
 therefore he had Gilead and Bashan] Machir is here used for his 
 family, for it was not he himself, but his descendants Jair and Nobah, 
 who conquered the territory east of the Jordan. Jair captured the whole 
 of the tract of Argob (Deut. iii. 14), and in addition took possession of 
 some nomad villages in Gilead, which he called after his own name, 
 Havoth-Jair (Num. xxxii. 41; i Chron. ii. 23). Nobah possessed him- 
 self of the town of Kenath and the hamlets dependent upon it, and gave 
 them his own name (Num. xxxii. 42). For the territory of the half tribe 
 of Manasseh east of the Jordan, see above, ch. xiii. 2932. The district 
 called " Gilead" is also sometimes called "Mount Gilead" (Gen. xxxi. 25) ; 
 sometimes "the land of Gilead" (Num. xxxii. i); and sometimes simply 
 "Gilead" (as here, and Gen. xxxvii. 25; Ps. Ix. 7). The name signifies 
 the physical aspect of the country = a "hard rocky region." It ex- 
 tended from the parallel of the south end of the Sea of Galilee to that 
 of the north end of the Dead Sea, about 60 miles, and its average 
 breadth scarcely exceeded 20. See Smith's Bibl. Diet. 
 
 2. for the rest of the children of Manasse/i] The descendants of 
 Machir received their inheritance on the east of the Jordan, the descend- 
 ants of Gilead on the west side, along with Ephraim. These the rest 
 of the children of Manasseh were divided into six families.
 
 w. 36.] JOSHUA, XVII. 147 
 
 Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children 
 of Shechem, and for. the children of Hepher, and for the 
 children of Shemida : these were the male children of Ma- 
 nasseh the son of Joseph by their families. But Zelophehad, 3 
 the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, 
 the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters : and these 
 are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, 
 Milcah, and Tirzah. And they came near before Eleazar 4 
 the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before 
 the princes, saying, The LORD commanded Moses to give us 
 an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore according to 
 the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance 
 among the brethren of their father. And there fell ten por- s 
 tions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, 
 which were on the other side Jordan; because the daughters 6 
 of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons : and the 
 jest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead. 
 
 3. But Zelophehad] He seems to have been the second son of his 
 father, Hepher. He had been born during the bondage in Egypt, and 
 came out thence with Moses, but died in the wilderness, as did the 
 whole of that generation (Num. xiv. 35, xxvii. 3). He died without 
 male heirs. 
 
 4. And they came] In place of sons, Zelophehad had five daughters, 
 and they, anxious that their father's name should not perish, present 
 themselves before Eleazar and Joshua, with a request for an inheritance. 
 
 The Lord commanded Moses] They remind the high-priest, Joshua, 
 and the princes, of the command of Moses in the wilderness in their 
 favour. They had then reminded the great lawgiver (Num. xxvii. i 4) 
 that their father had no share in the sin of those who rose up against 
 the Lord "in the company of Korah," but died "in his own sin." It 
 was an injustice, therefore, that, because he had no son, "his name 
 should be done away from among his family." Moses brought their 
 cause before the Lord (Num. xxvii. 5), and by the Divine command 
 granted them an inheritance amongst their brothers. 
 
 5. And there fell} The inheritance they claimed was now allotted 
 them. 
 
 ten portions] The land allotted to the Manassites had to be divided 
 into ten portions. The male descendants consisted of five families, and 
 these five received five shares. The sixth family, that of Hepher, was 
 again subdivided into five families, viz., those of his five grand- 
 daughters, the daughters of Zelophehad. They married husbands from 
 the other families of their tribe (Num. xxxvi. 11-2), and each now 
 received her special share of the land. See Keil's Commentary. 
 
 6. the rest of ManasseWs sons] i.e. the descendants of Machir. 
 
 10 2
 
 148 JOSHUA, XVII. [ vv . 7 ii. 
 
 7 13. Boundaries of Western Manasseh. 
 
 7 And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher to Mich- 
 methah, that lieth before Shechern; and the border went 
 along on the right hand unto the inhabitants of En-tappuah. 
 
 8 Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah : but Tappuah on 
 the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim ; 
 
 9 and the coast descended unto the river Kanah, southward 
 of the river : these cities of Ephraim are among the cities 
 of Manasseh : the coast of Manasseh also was on the north 
 side of the river, and the outgoings of it were at the sea : 
 
 10 southward // was Ephraim's, and northward // was Manas- 
 seh's, and the sea is his border ; and they met together in 
 
 11 Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east. And 
 Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Beth-shean and her 
 
 7 13. BOUNDARIES OF WESTERN MANASSEH. 
 
 7. And the coast] We now have a description of the boundaries of 
 Manasseh. And first (a), w. 7 10, of the southern boundary towards 
 Ephraim; and (b), second, w. 10, ii, of the northern and eastern 
 boundaries. 
 
 was from Asher] The description of the southern boundary com- 
 mences at the eastern end. The Asher here spoken of is not the tribe of 
 Asher, but a city on the east of Shechem. Eusebius places it on the road 
 from Shechem to Bethshean. "Three quarters of an hour from Tubds 
 is the hamlet of 7'eydstr, which may probably be identified with Asher, 
 a town of Manasseh." Porter's Handbook, ii. 348. 
 
 to Michmethah\ See ch. xvi. 6. It is described as facing Shechem 
 (Nablus). 
 
 the border "went along] The boundary now turned towards the right 
 in a northerly direction, to the inhabitants of En-tappuah. 
 
 8. the land of Tafpuah} The " land" of Tappuah fell to the lot of 
 Manasseh, the "city" to Ephraim. 
 
 9. iiii/o the river Kanah\ From Tappuah the border descended to 
 the river of Kanah, or "the Brook of Reeds" (see above, xvi. 8), south- 
 ward of the watercourse. 
 
 these cities of Ephraim~\ See above, xvi. 9. 
 
 10. southward] Southward of the brook the land belonged to 
 Ephraim, northward of the same it belonged to Manasseh, and the sea 
 constituted the western border. 
 
 they met] or " struck upon " Asher in the north and on Issachar in the 
 east. Thus the two tribes were bounded (a) on the east by Issachar ; 
 (b) on the north by Asher ; (c) on the west by the sea ; (d) and on the 
 south by Benjamin and Dan. 
 
 11. And Manasseh had] Six cities are now enumerated, which
 
 v. ii.] JOSHUA, XVII. 149 
 
 towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of 
 Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her 
 towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and 
 
 Manasseh received beyond the borders of his own country in Issachar and 
 Asher, but from which he failed to expel the Canaanites. 
 
 Beth-shean] or Beth-shan (i Sam. xxxi. 10) lies in the gh8r, or Jordan 
 valley, about 12 miles south of the Sea of Galilee, and four miles west 
 of the Jordan. See a picture of it in Thomson's Land and the Book, p. 
 454. "It is naturally," he says, "one of the strongest places even in 
 
 this country of strongholds The ancient city consisted of several 
 
 distinct quarters, or wards, separated by deep ravines, with noisy 
 
 cascades leaping over ledges of black basalt The tell is very strong, 
 
 and it rises about -200 feet high, with the sides nearly perpendicular. A 
 
 strong wall was carried round the summit and on this wall the bodies 
 
 of Saul and his sons were fastened by the Philistines after the battle of 
 Gilboa, and this supposition enables us to understand how the men of 
 Jabesh-Gilead could execute their daring project of carrying them away. 
 Jabesh-Gilead was on the mountain east of the Jordan, in full view of 
 Beth-shean, and these brave men could creep up to the tell, along Wady 
 Jah'id, without being seen, while the deafening roar of the brook would 
 render it impossible for them to be heard." In Solomon's time it 
 appears to have given its name to a district, and "all Beth-shan" was 
 placed under one of his commissariat officers. It is mentioned in the 
 Book of Maccabees (i Mace. v. 52, xii. 40, 41). In later times it was 
 called Scythopolis, in consequence of its capture by the Scythians, who 
 after their occupation of Media passed through Palestine on their way to 
 Egypt (Herod. I. 104 106), about B.C. 600. It afterwards became the 
 seat of a Christian bishop, and the name of Scythopolis is found as late 
 as the Council of Constantinople, A.D. 536. It has now regained its 
 ancient name, and is known as Beisan only. 
 
 and her &w.r = and her "daughter towns." 
 
 and Ibleani\ Afterwards a Levitical city (Josh. xxi. 25). Here 
 Ahaziah was mortally wounded by Jehu "at the going up to Gur, which 
 is by Ibleam" (2 Kings ix. 27). 
 
 Dor] See above, xi. 2, xii. 23. 
 
 Endor} is described by Eusebius as a large village four miles south 
 of Tabor, at the N.E. corner of Jebel ed Dfihy, facing Tabor, and over- 
 looking the valley between them. The declivity of the mountain is 
 everywhere perforated with caves, and most of the habitations are 
 merely walls built round the entrances to them. It was one of these 
 caves, which "the witch of Endor" inhabited, whither came King Saul, 
 crossing in his agony of despair the shoulder of the very hill, on which 
 the Philistines were entrenched, to consult her before the disastrous 
 battle of Gilboa (i Sam. xxviii. 7). It was long held in memory by the 
 Jews in connection with the famous victory over Sisera and Jabin 
 (Ps. Ixxxiii. 10). See Thomson's Land and the Book, p. 446. Van de 
 Velde, n. 383. 
 
 Taanach\ See above, xii. 2 1 .
 
 ISO JOSHUA, XVII. [vv. 1214. 
 
 the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three 
 
 12 countries. Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive 
 out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would 
 
 13 dwell in that land. Yet it came to pass, when the children 
 of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to 
 tribute ; but did not utterly drive them out. 
 
 14 1 8. Complaint of the Children of Joseph. 
 
 , 4 And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, 
 Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to 
 
 Megiddo] See above, xil. 11. "Whenever the Israelites in aggres- 
 sive movements could choose their arena, they selected their own 
 element, the mountains and the mountain-passes. The battles of 
 Esdraelon, on the other hand, were almost all forced upon them by ad- 
 verse or invading armies : and though some of their chief victories were 
 won here, yet this plain is associated in the mind of an Israelite with 
 mournful at least as much as with joyful recollections; two kings 
 perished on its soil ; and the two saddest dirges of the Jewish nation were 
 evoked by the defeats of Gilboa and Megiddo." Stanley's S. and P., 
 p. 338. 
 
 even three countries] Rather, the three heights, or the triple hill 
 The LXX. and Vulgate translate the word as a proper name. The 
 term brings the three cities lying on hills, Endor, Taanach, and Me- 
 giddo, into close connection with each other. 
 
 12. Yet the children of Manasseh~\ Comp. Judg. i. 27, 28. 
 
 13. put the Canaanites to tribute] Comp. above, xvi. 10. They 
 made them tributary servants, but could not drive them out. 
 
 14 18. COMPLAINT OF THE CHILDREN OF JOSEPH. 
 
 14. And the children ofJosepJi\ The descendants of Joseph, i.e. the 
 patriarchs of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, were not satisfied 
 with the portion which Joshua had assigned them. The prepondera- 
 ting tribe from the earliest times, and since the Egyptian period the 
 dominant one, they did not deem it sufficient that they had been divided 
 into two, and so obtained a double voice in the national assembly, they 
 claimed more than "one lot and one portion to inherit." 
 
 seeing I am a great people] At the census in the wilderness of Sinai 
 (Num. i. 32, 33, ii. 19) the numbers of Ephraim were 40,500, which 
 placed it at the head of the children of Rachel. The number of Ma- 
 nasseh was 32,200. But forty years later, on the eve of the conquest, 
 while Ephraim had decreased to 32,500, Manasseh had advanced to 
 52,700. How much they subsequently increased, we can form some 
 estimate by comparing the number of warriors they sent to the corona- 
 tion of David at Hebron.
 
 v. is.] JOSHUA, XVII. 151 
 
 inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD 
 hath blessed me hitherto? And Joshua answered them, If '5 
 thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, 
 and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites 
 
 forasmuch as the Lord hath blessed me hitherto] Comp. the words of 
 the dying Jacob, "And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall 
 Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manassek; 
 and he set Ephraim before Manasseh " (Gen. xlviii. 20); and again 
 (Gen. xlix. 25, 26; with which comp. Deut. xxxiii. 13 17), 
 "The Almighty, who shall bless thee 
 
 With blessings of heaven above, 
 
 Blessings of the deep that lieth under, 
 
 Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb ; 
 
 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings 
 of my progenitors 
 
 Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills : 
 
 They shall be on the head of Joseph, 
 
 And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his 
 
 brethren." 
 
 15. And Joshua answered theni\ They expected of their fellow- 
 tribesman a better guardianship of their interests. 
 
 If thou be. a great people\ There is a kind of delicate irony in Joshua's 
 reply. ' ' Yes, it is true that thou art a numerous people, and hast great 
 strength, and oughtest to have more than one share. But if thou 
 wouldest have it, procure it for thyself! Rely on thine own power and 
 resources ! " 
 
 get thee tip to the wood country] i.e. the forest of the "mountain of 
 Ephraim." This was a district, which extended as far south as Ramah 
 and Bethel (i Sam. i. i, vii. 17; 2 Chron. xiii. 19). It is an elevated 
 district of limestone, consisting of rounded hills separated by valleys of 
 denudation, but much less regular and monotonous than that part more 
 to the south, about and below Jerusalem ; with wide plains in the heart 
 of the mountains, streams of running water, and continuous tracts of 
 vegetation. That the "mount" was then covered with woods is clear 
 from i Sam. xiv. 25 ; 2 Sam. xviii. 6, and even now travellers have found 
 wooded heights, and forests of oak trees, between Carmel and the moun- 
 tains of Samaria. To these mountain heights even the members of other 
 tribes resorted for shelter and for power. "Ehud the Benjamite, when 
 he armed his countrymen against Moab, ' blew his trumpet in the 
 mountain of Ephraim^ (Judg. iii. 27, 28); Deborah, though, as it would 
 seem, herself of the northern tribes, 'dwelt between Ramah and Bethel 
 in Mount Ephraim' (Judg. iv. 5). Tola, of Issachar, judged Israel in 
 Shamir, in Mount Ephraim (Judg. x. T). Samuel, too, was of Rama- 
 thaim-zophim of Mount Ephraim." Stanley, S. and P., p. 231. The 
 name, "Mount Ephraim," is applied here, in anticipation, to the 
 mountain which afterward received it as a standing name, from the tribe 
 of Ephraim, to which it was first assigned. 
 
 cut down for thyself] "Cut down for thyself there, " says the great
 
 152 JOSHUA, XVII. [w. 1 6, 17. 
 
 and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee. 
 
 16 And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for 
 us : and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the 
 valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Beth-shean 
 and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel. 
 
 v And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim 
 
 Captain, "in the land of the Perizzites (see above, iii. 10) and of the 
 giants" or Rephaim (see above, ch. xii. 4), "if Mount Ephraim is too 
 narrow." 
 
 16. have chariots of iron] The iron chariots of the Canaanites were 
 objects of terror to the Israelites, see above, ch. xi. 6 9. They were the 
 main reason why the Israelites could not establish themselves in the 
 plain, on which Beth-shean, Taanach, and Megiddo were situated. The 
 forest they could occupy, but the plain, where the " chariot-cavalry " of 
 their foes were so effective though powerless in the mountains, they 
 could not reduce. Comp. Judg. i. 19, iv. 3; i Sam. xiii. 5. Compare 
 as to the insecurity of the plains the rema'rks of Tristram : "No matter 
 how wide, how rich, how well cultivated a plain may be, like Acre 
 or Esdraelon, its tame monotony is never relieved by a single village. 
 These are all hidden in the nooks of the mountains ; for no fellahin or 
 cultivators would venture to dwell where any night they might be 
 harried by a party of Bedouin troopers, and to this risk they gladly 
 prefer an hour or two's weary climb added to their daily toil : while no 
 traveller would dream of encamping even for a night in the open plain." 
 Land of Israel, p. 421. 
 
 the valley] As the "hill" here denotes Mount Ephraim, so the 
 valley country includes both (a) the valley or ghdr of the Jordan near 
 Bethshean, and (b) the wide plain of Jezreel, between Gilboa and little 
 Hermon, to which, in its widest extent, the name of Esdraelon has 
 been applied in modern times; a name first used in Judith i. 8. "It 
 was only this plain of Jezreel, and that north of Lake Huleh, that was 
 then accessible to the chariots of the Canaanites. It was in this plain of 
 Jezreel that Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went forth 
 in chariots to meet the enemy (2 Kings ix. 21). It was here that Jehu 
 passed in a chariot to Samaria, to meet the faithful Jehonadab (2 Kings 
 x. 15). And Wilson (Lands of the Bible, II. 303), in leaving the hilly 
 district of Judaea, wholly unfitted for vehicles, and entering the plain of 
 Esdraelon at jfenin, was surprised to see how entirely it differed from 
 the country which he had previously traversed, and how easily it might 
 be crossed by excellent highways, if the custom of the country admitted 
 of the use of vehicles. In the days of the Jews, the plain was so asso- 
 ciated with the use of the chariot, that this term became to a certain 
 extent an exponent of the power of the people inhabiting the plain. The 
 chariot was the glory of Ephraim, as the horse was of Judah (Zech. ix. 9, 
 10). Carl Hitter's Geography of Palestine, II. 327, 328. 
 
 17. And Joshua spake] The reply of the descendants of Joseph 
 betrayed a spirit of discontent mingled with cowardice and unbelief.
 
 vv. 18; I.] JOSHUA, XVII. XVIII. 153 
 
 and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast 
 great power : thou shalt not have one lot only : but the '3 
 mountain shall be thine ; for it is a wood, and thou shalt 
 cut it down : and the outgoings of it shall be thine : for 
 thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron 
 chariots, and though they be strong. 
 
 i 10. Erection of the Tabernacle at Shiloh. 
 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel 13 
 
 Joshua therefore contents himself, "with no less wisdom than pa- 
 triotism," by telling them that what more they won must be by their 
 own exertions. 
 
 18. the mountain"} \. e. " the mountain of Ephraim," shall be thine, 
 for it is a forest. It should fall to their lot because the house of Joseph 
 was strong and able, and could clear the woodland. 
 
 the outgoings of it] i.e. the fields and plains bordering upon the 
 wood. 
 
 though they have\ Though they have war chariots, and are so 
 formidable, yet wilt thou who art a great people and hast great 
 power, drive them out. None of the tribes of Israel can compete 
 with thee in strength ! Use it then, and thou wilt gain not only 
 the mountain, but the "outgoings" beyond, and as at the waters of 
 Merom (Josh. xi. 7), the iron chariots and the military strength of thy 
 foes will avail them nothing. "The long range of mountains run- 
 ning from Carmel south-eastward across central Palestine appeared 
 like a frowning rampart defended by Canaanite foes." But this was 
 the very reason why the great house of Joseph should prove themselves 
 worthy of their great power by scaling that rampart. It is plain from 
 this passage that " at the time of the Israelitish invasion the mountains 
 of Gilboa and the country adjacent were covered with dense forests, 
 of which not a trace now remains, and which made them a more secure 
 asylum for those who sought protection, than open fields could be. And 
 it seems to have been a shrewd device of the great Hebrew chieftain, 
 the counselling the descendants of Joseph to go up into the mountain 
 land ; for it would lead to the laying bare of the whole country, and 
 would compel the adjacent inhabitants to come out from their places of 
 refuge, and make open resistance to the invaders." Ritter, n. 328. 
 Observe in the discontent now expressed by the "house of Joseph," 
 the mutterings of the louder complaints we afterwards hear them making 
 against Gideon (Judg. viii. r 3), against Jephthah (Judg. xii. i 7), 
 and against David (2 Sam. xx. i 5). 
 
 CH. XVIII. 1 10. ERECTION OF THE TABERNACLE AT SHILOH. 
 
 1. And the whole cong>-egation of the children of Israel} The 
 descendants of Judah and of Joseph had now taken up their re-
 
 154 JOSHUA, XVIII. [ v . r. 
 
 assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of 
 the congregation there. And the land was subdued before 
 
 spective inheritances, the one in the south, the other in the north 
 of the country. But "the murmuring," it has been remarked, "of 
 the children of Joseph, and the spirit from which it proceeded, gave 
 sad indications of danger in the near future. National disintegration, 
 tribal jealousies, coupled with boastfulness and unwillingness to execute 
 the work given them of God, were only too surely foreboded in the 
 conduct of the children of Joseph. If such troubles were to be 
 averted, it was high time to seek a revival of religion." Dr Eders- 
 heim's Israel in Canaan under Joshua and the Judges, p. 94. The 
 camp at Gilgal, therefore, was broken up, and the people removed 
 to Shiloh, which was situated within the territory of Ephraim, Joshua's 
 own tribe. 
 
 The whole congregation of the children of Israel. This formula 
 often recurs. Thus in Exod. xvi. i we read, "And they took their 
 journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel 
 came unto the wilderness of Sin ;" and again, Exod. xvi. 9, " And 
 Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children 
 of Israel." Sometimes it is more brief, "the congregation of Israel " 
 as in Exod. xii. 3, "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel." 
 Sometimes more briefly still, "the congregation" as in Lev. iv. 15, 
 "And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the 
 head of the bullock before the Lord." The Greek word here used 
 is the same as that used by our Lord, Matt. xvi. 18, "Upon this rock 
 I will build My Church." Originally it denoted an assembly of 
 persons called out from among others by the voice of a herald, as, 
 at Athens, for the purpose of legislation. It is applied to the Israelites, 
 as being a nation called out by God from the rest of the world, to 
 bear witness to His unity, to preserve His laws, to keep alive the 
 hope of Redemption, and to exhibit the pattern of a people living 
 in righteousness and true godliness. Hence, St Stephen says of Moses, 
 that he was "in the Church (or congregation) in the wilderness with 
 the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina" (Acts vii. 38) ; 
 again, David says in Ps. xxii. 22, quoted in Hebrews ii. 12, "I will 
 declare Thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church (or 
 congregation) will I sing praise unto Thee ;" and again he says in 
 Ps. xxvi. 12, " My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations 
 will I bless the Lord." 
 
 assembled together at Shiloh\ Few places in respect to situation 
 are described so accurately as Shiloh. In Judg. xxi. 19 it is said 
 to have been situated "on the north side of Bethel, on the east side 
 of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the 
 south of Lebonah." "In agreement with this, the traveller at the 
 present day, going north from Jerusalem, lodges the first night at 
 Beittn, the ancient Bethel ; the next day, at the distance of a few 
 hours, turns aside to the right, in order to visit Seilfin, the Arabic for 
 Shiloh ; and then passing through the narrow Wady, which brings
 
 v. 2.] JOSHUA, XVIII. 155 
 
 them. And there remained among the children of Israel 2 
 seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance. 
 
 him to the main road, leaves el-Lebb&n, the Lebonah of Scripture, 
 on the left, as he pursues the 'highway' to Ndblus, the ancient 
 Shechem." Smith's Bibl. Diet. It was one of the earliest and most 
 sacred of the Hebrew sanctuaries. " Its selection," observes Dean 
 Stanley, "may partly have arisen from its comparative seclusion, 
 still more from its central situation. The most hallowed spot of that 
 vicinity, Bethel, which might else have been more naturally chosen, 
 was at this time still in the hands of the Canaanites (Juclg. 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 ; and there the 
 Ark remained down to the fatal day when its home was uprooted 
 by the Philistines." S. and P. p. 232. " It was a central point for all 
 Israel, equidistant from north and south, easily accessible to the 
 trans-Jordanic tribes, and in the heart of that hill-country which Joshua 
 first subdued, and which remained, to the end of Israel's history, the 
 district least exposed to the attacks of Canaanitish or foreign in- 
 vaders." Tristram's Land of Israel, p. 162. Here (a) " the daughters 
 of Shiloh " were seized by the Benjamites (Judg. xxi. 19 23) ; here 
 (/;) Samuel spent his boyhood in the service of the Lord, and as an 
 attendant upon the aged Eli (i Sam. iii. 19 21); here (c) the wicked 
 conduct of the sons of that pontiff occasioned the loss of the Ark 
 of the Covenant, and Shiloh from that day forward sank into insig- 
 nificance (i Sam. ii. 17, iv. 12), for the Lord "forsook the tabernacle" 
 there, "the tent that He had pitched among men; He refused the 
 tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim " (Ps. Ixxviii. 
 60, 67). " Shiloh is a mass of shapeless ruins, scarcely distinguishable 
 
 from the rugged rocks around them No one relic could we trace 
 
 which in any way pointed to earlier times among all the wasted stone- 
 heaps which crowded the broken terraces. So utterly destroyed is 
 the house of the ark of God, the home of Eli and of Samuel. ' Go 
 ye now unto My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My Name 
 at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My people 
 Israel' (Jer. vii. 12)." Tristram's Land of Israel, p. 161. 
 
 the tabernacle of the congregation] i.e. the tabernacle, or, tent of meet- 
 Ing. The phrase has the meaning of a place of or for a fixed meeting. This 
 thought comes out in Exod. xxv. 22, " there /will meet li'ith thee, and I 
 will commune with thee from above the mercy seat ;" in Exod. xxx. 6, 
 "before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where / will 
 meet with thee ;" and especially in Exod. xxix. 42, 43, "This shall 
 be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door 
 of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord ; where I -will 
 meet you, to speak there unto thee : and there I will meet with the 
 children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory."
 
 156 JOSHUA, XVIII. [w. 3, 4. 
 
 3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are 
 you slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of 
 
 4 your fathers hath given you ? Give out from among you 
 three men for each tribe : and I will send them, and they 
 shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according 
 to the inheritance of them ; and they shall come again to 
 
 "Not the gathering of the worshippers only, but the meeting of 
 God with His people, to commune with them, to make Himself 
 known to them, was what the name embodied." See Smith's Bibl. 
 Diet. After the catastrophe when the Ark fell into the hands of 
 the Philistines, the Tabernacle was removed (i) to Nob (i Sam. xxi. 
 i), and (ii) when that place was destroyed by Saul (i Sam. xxii. 19), 
 to Gibeon (i Kings iii. 4). 
 
 was subdued before them] The word rendered " subdued " denotes 
 to "tread under the feet." Comp. Gen. i. 28, "Be fruitful and 
 multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it;" and Jer. xxxiv. 16, 
 "But ye turned and polluted My name, and caused every man his 
 
 servant to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto 
 
 you for servants and for handmaids." The verse seems to imply that 
 immediately after the conquest of the land, it was the intention of 
 the Israelites to set up the sacred Tent, but that this purpose could 
 not be carried into effect until the tribe, in the midst of which the 
 Lord had intended it to stand, had received its inheritance. See 
 Keil's Commentary. 
 
 3. And Joshua said] No particulars are given of the solemn and 
 impressive ceremonies which doubtless marked the setting up of the 
 time-honoured monument of the wanderings, and the resumption of 
 the regular sacrifices and other ceremonies, which must have been 
 imperfectly observed during the years of warfare now ended. The 
 history passes on to the distribution of the yet unoccupied territory. 
 
 Ifow long are you slack] These seven tribes appear to have been 
 backward and indolent not only in conquering the land still unsubdued, 
 but even in sharing it out amongst them. 
 
 4. Give out from among you] If the territory was to be distributed, 
 it was necessary that the more distant portions of the country should 
 be surveyed. Joshua therefore directs the tribes to appoint a com- 
 mission of twenty-one members, three from each tribe, who should 
 undertake the duty and report to him at Shiloh. Their duty ap- 
 parently was not so much to carry out an actual measurement of 
 the country, as the preparation of a list of the cities (see v. 9), and 
 the procuring information respecting the peculiar characteristics of dif- 
 ferent districts, such as, "what lands were barren and what fertile, 
 whether a district was hilly or flat, whether well-watered or destitute 
 of springs, and anything else which served to shew the goodness 
 of the soil, and the comparative worth of different localities." Rosen- 
 muller.
 
 vv. 5io.] JOSHUA, XVIII. 157 
 
 me. And they shall divide it into seven parts : Judah shall 5 
 abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph 
 shall abide in their coasts on the north. Ye shall therefore 6 
 describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description 
 hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the 
 LORD our God. But the Levites have no part among you ; 7 
 for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance : and 
 Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have re- 
 ceived their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which 
 Moses the servant of the LORD gave them. And the men s 
 arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went 
 to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, 
 and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast 
 lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh. And the men went 9 
 and passed through the land, and described it by cities into 
 seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host 
 at Shiloh. And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before 10 
 
 5. Judah shall abidt} The division, which had secured by lot their 
 territory to the tribes of Judah and Joseph, was still to be respected. 
 
 6. before the Lord our God} i.e. before the "Tabernacle of Meeting," 
 where Jehovah manifested His presence to the people, enthroned 
 above the Cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant. 
 
 7. But the Levites} See above, ch. xiii. 33 ; Num. xviii. 20. 
 
 the priesthood of the Lord} Notice the change here as compared 
 with ch. xiii. 14. There, "the sacrifices of Jehovah" are said to be 
 the portion of Levi, and in xiii. 33, "Jehovah, God of Israel" is said 
 to be their portion. Here we have "the priesthood of Jehovah," 
 as in Num. iii. 10, xvi. 10, xviii. I 7. 
 
 9. and passed through the land} How long they were absent we 
 are not told. Josephus tells us it was seven months, Ant. V. I. 21. 
 The Rabbis tell us it was seven years. Both suppositions are equally 
 devoid of foundation. 
 
 and described it} Although the survey was connected chiefly with 
 a general estimate of the resources and characteristics of the several 
 districts, yet it is to be remembered that the Israelites had acquired 
 a knowledge of the art of mensuration in Egypt, where, on account of 
 the annual overflowing of the Nile, it had been practised from the 
 earliest times. 
 
 by cities into seven parts} i. e. they surveyed it so as to divide the 
 cities and then the land itself into seven parts. 
 
 10. And Joshua cast lots} After their return the Hebrew leader 
 proceeded to a formal apportionment of the land by the sacred lot. This 
 mode of assignment, it has been remarked, "places the conquest of 
 Palestine, even in that remote and barbarous age, in a favourable
 
 158 JOSHUA, XVIII. [w. ii 13. 
 
 the LORD : and there Joshua divided the land unto the 
 children of Israel according to their divisions. 
 
 ii 20. Boundaries of the Tribe of Benjamin. 
 
 11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came 
 up according to their families : and the coast of their lot 
 came forth between the children of Judah and the children 
 
 12 of Joseph. And their border on the north side was from 
 Jordan ; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on 
 the north side, and went up through the mountains west- 
 ward ; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of 
 
 13 Beth-aven. And the border went over from thence toward 
 Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Beth-el, southward ; and 
 the border descended to Ataroth-adar, near the hill that lieth 
 
 contrast with the arbitrary caprice, by which the lands of England were 
 granted away to the Norman chiefs." Stanley's Lectures, I. p. 265. 
 
 in Shiloh} Shiloh was appropriate, we have already seen, from 
 its central situation, for the site or the Tabernacle and this apportion- 
 ment of the tribes. But it has been noticed that it was appropriate 
 also from its name, "which recalled rest (Shiloh=rztf), and the 
 promised Rest-giver" (Gen. xlix. 10). 
 
 11 20. BOUNDARIES OF THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN. 
 
 11. between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph} When 
 the lots were now cast "before the Lord," the lot of Benjamin came 
 forth first, and we have an account of (a) the boundaries, and then (b) of 
 the cities of this tribe, which, we are here told, lay between the sons of 
 Judah on the south and the sons of Joseph on the north. 
 
 12. And their bonier on the north side} The northern boundary of 
 Benjamin mainly coincided with the southern boundary .of Ephraim. 
 
 from Jordan} Commencing from the Jordan on the east, their boundary 
 ascended to the mountains west and north-west of Jericho as far as "the 
 wilderness of Beth-aven," i. e. the bare and rocky heights to the east 
 and north of Michmash. The situation of Beth-aven has been already 
 described, above, ch. vii. 2. 
 
 13. toward LHZ} See above, ch. xvi. 2. The border next went 
 to the south of the ridge of Bethel, and thence descended, in a north- 
 westerly direction, toward Ataroth-adar. 
 
 descended} We understand the appropriateness of this word when we 
 remember that Bethel lay 3000 feet above the level of the Mediterranean 
 Sea. 
 
 Ataroth-adar] See above, ch. xvi. 5. 
 
 near the hill} Or, over the mountain that lieth on the south side of 
 the nether Beta-horpn. Thus the north border of Benjamin, as far as 
 lower Beth-horon, coincides with the southern border of Ephraim.
 
 vv. 1420.] JOSHUA, XVIII. 159 
 
 on the south side of the nether Beth-horon. And the border 14 
 was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea 
 southward, from the hill that lieth before Beth-horon south- 
 ward ; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjath-baal, which 
 is Kirjath-jearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was 
 the west quarter. And the south quarter was from the end 15 
 of Kirjath-jearim, and the border went out on the west, and 
 went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah : and the border 16 
 came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the 
 valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of 
 the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hin- 
 nom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to 
 En-rogel, and was drawn from the north, and went forth to 17 
 En-shemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over 
 against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the 
 stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, and passed along toward is 
 the side over against Arabah northward, and went down 
 unto Arabah : and the border passed along to the side of 19 
 Beth-hoglah northward : and the outgoings of the border 
 were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of 
 Jordan : this was the south coast. And Jordan was the 20 
 border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of 
 the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, 
 according to their families. 
 
 Beth-horon] See above (a] x. n ; (f>) xvi. 3 5. An upper and a 
 lower Beth-horon are still recognised. The upper is now called Beit-ur 
 El-Foka, the lower Beit-Ar El-Tahta. The pass between the two places 
 was called the ascent and the descent of Beth-horon. Comp. r Mace. iii. 
 15 24. "The ascent," remarks Robinson, "is very rocky and rough; 
 but the rock has been cut away in many places and the path formed 
 into steps, shewing that this is an ancient road." Bibl. Res. III. 58. 
 
 14. And the border was drawn thence~\ From the mountain south of 
 Beth-horon the boundary line of Benjamin trended in a southerly direc- 
 tion towards "Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim, a city of the 
 children of Judah." 
 
 compassed'} On "compass," see above, note on ch. xv. 3. 
 
 Kirjath-jeariiti\ See above, note on ix. 17. 
 
 this ^vas the ivcst quarter} The word here rendered quarter, = (i) a 
 mouth, then (ii) a side, which is turned to any quarter of the heavens. 
 The Eastern boundary was formed by the Jordan, see v. 20. 
 
 15. And the south quarter} This coincides exactly with the northern 
 border of Judah, for which see above, xv. 5 9.
 
 160 JOSHUA, XVIII. [vv. 2127. 
 
 21 28. The Cities of Benjamin. 
 
 it Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin 
 
 according to their families were Jericho, and Beth-hoglah, 
 
 22 and the valley of Keziz, and Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, 
 
 * 3 and Beth-el, and Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah, and Che- 
 
 _ phar-haammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba ; twelve cities with 
 
 26 their villages. Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth, and Mizpeh, 
 
 27 and Chephirah, and Mozah, and Rekem, and Irpeel, and 
 
 21 23. THE CITIES OF BENJAMIN. 
 
 21. Now the cities] The cities here enumerated fall into two groups, 
 (a) the first of twelve lying on the east, (b) the second of fourteen lying on 
 the west. 
 
 i. Jericho\ see note above, ii. i. 2. Beth-hoglah, see note above, 
 xv. 6. 3. The valley of Keziz, this is not exactly known. 
 
 22. 4. Beth-arabah\ See note above, xv. 6. 5. Zemaraim is unknown. 
 6. Bethel, see verse 13. 
 
 23. 7. Avim\ Some have regarded this as identical with Ai, which 
 is also called Aija (Neh. xi. 31) and Aiath (Is. x. 28). 8. Purah is un- 
 known. 9. Ophrah appears to be mentioned again in i Sam. xiii. 17 
 in describing the spoilers who issued from the Philistine camp at Mich- 
 mash. Robinson would identify it with El-Taiyibeh, a small village 
 4 miles E.N.E. of Beitin (Bethel). This was not the Ophrah of Gideon 
 (judg. vi. n, 15). 
 
 24. 10. Chephar-kaammonai] is quite unknown, so also is i r. Ophni; 
 12. Gaba, or Geba= "height," "hill," not the Gt.ba or Glbeah of Saul, 
 is mentioned in 2 Kings xxiii. 8; Zech. xiv. 10. 
 
 25. Gibeoii] We have now enumerated the second group of fourteen 
 cities lying on the west of Benjamin, r. Gibeon, see note above, ch. ix. 
 3; 2. Ramah, not the Ramah of Samuel or Ramathaim. In Isai. 
 x. 28 32, the king of Assyria is described as crossing the ravine at 
 Michmash, and successively dislodging or alarming Geba, Ramah, and 
 Gibeah of Saul. This Ramah is the modern er-Ram, a wretched village on 
 an elevation. It was the place where Jeremiah was set free (Jer. xxxi. 
 15, xl. i). It was inhabited again after the exile (Ez. ii. 26; Neh. vii. 
 30). 3. Beeroth, el-Bireh, mentioned above, ix. 17, where see note. It 
 belonged to or was in alliance with Gibeon. It was the home of 
 (a) the murderers of Ishbosheth (2 Sam. iv. 2), and (b) of Joab's armour- 
 bearer (2 Sam. xxiii. 37). 
 
 26. 4. Mizpeh] Not the same as the Mizpeh of ch. xv. 38, but either 
 (a) the modern Neby Samwtl, or (b] the tower of Scopus. Here (a) the 
 war against Benjamin was resolved on (Judg. xx. ); here (b) Samuel 
 judged the people (i Sam. vii. 5 15), and (c) chose Saul as king 
 (i Sam. x. 17). 5. Chephirah, see note above, ix. 17; 6. Mozah and 
 
 27. 7. Rekem unknown. 8. Irpeel, Lieut. Conder thinks that this 
 may be recognised in the modern Rdfdt, N. of El Jib, being the same 
 from which the name Rephaim is derived. 9. Taralah is unrecognised.
 
 vv. 2851.] JOSHUA, XVIII. XIX. 161 
 
 Taralah, and Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, 28 
 Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. 
 This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin accord- 
 ing to their families. 
 
 i 9. The Territory of the Tribe of Simeon. 
 And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the 19 
 
 28. 10. ZelaJi\^=Beit Jala, S. of the plain of Rephaim, is afterwards 
 mentioned as the burial-place of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. xxi. 14). 
 1 1. Eleph is unknown ; 12. Jebusi, "which is Jerusalem, see note above, 
 xv. 8. 13. Gibeath is the Gibeah of Saul, now Tuleil-el-Ful, about one 
 hour and 25 minutes north of Jerusalem. Here (a) occurred the outrage 
 recorded in Judg. xix. ; here (b) was Jonathan with a thousand chosen 
 warriors when he made his victorious onslaught on the garrison of the 
 Philistines (r Sam. xiii. 2, 3). 14. Kirjath is at present unrecognised. 
 
 This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin] The situation of 
 the territory of this tribe was highly favourable, forming almost a 
 parallelogram, of about 26 miles in length by 12 in breadth. The 
 smallness of the district, hardly larger than the county of Middlesex, was 
 compensated for by the excellence of the land. 
 
 (a) The general level of this part of Palestine is very high, being 
 2000 feet above the level of the Mediterranean on the western side, and 
 3000 feet above the deep valley of the Jordan on the eastern side. This 
 plateau is surmounted by a large number of eminences (Gibeon, Gibeah, 
 Geba, all="/7/;" Ramah '''eminence;" Mizpeh="# watch-tower"), 
 which presented favourable sites for strong fortresses. 
 
 (/') No less important than these eminences are the torrent-beds 
 and ravines by which the upper country looks down into the deep tracts 
 on each side of it, forming then, as they do now, the only mode of access 
 from either the plains of Philistia and of Sharon on the west, or the 
 Ghor of the Jordan on the east. 
 
 (c) In the broken and hilly country, "little Benjamin" (Ps. Ixviii. 
 27), famous above the rest for skill in archery (2 Sam. i. 22), for its 
 slingers (Judg. xx. 16) and left-handed warriors (Judg. iii. 15), became 
 warlike and indomitable. "In his mountain passes the ancient haunt 
 of beasts of prey, he 'ravined as a wolf in the morning,' descended into 
 the rich plains of Philistia on the one side, and of the Jordan on the 
 other, and 'returned in the evening to divide the spoil' (Gen. xlix. 27). 
 In the troubled period of the Judges, the tribe of Benjamin maintained a 
 struggle, unaided and for some time with success, against the whole of 
 the rest of the nation (Judg. xx., xxi.). And to the latest times they 
 never could forget that they had given birth to the first king." Stanley's 
 Sinai and Palestine, pp. 200, 201. 
 
 CH. XIX. 19. THE TERRITORY OF THE TRIBE OF SIMEON. 
 
 1. And the second lot] drawn at Shiloh, fell to the tribe of Simeon, 
 which, during the journey through the wilderness, marched on the south 
 side of the Sacred Tent, with Reuben and Gad for its associates. 
 JOSHUA 1 1
 
 1 62 JOSHUA, XIX. [w. 27. 
 
 tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families : 
 and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the chil- 
 
 2 dren of Judah. And they had in their inheritance Beer- 
 
 3 sheba, or Sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual, and Balah, 
 
 4 and Azem, and Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, and Zik- 
 
 6 lag, and Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susah, and Beth-leba- 
 
 7 oth, and Sharuhen ; thirteen cities and their villages : Ain, 
 
 for the tribe of the children of Simeon] Two groups of cities are here 
 enumerated, (a) first a group of thirteen or fourteen cities in the south, 
 (b) a secotid group of four cities, of which two were situated in the south, 
 two in the Shephelah or "Lowlands" of Judah on the west. 
 
 -within the inheritance of the children of Judah\ Judah discovered 
 that the tract allotted to him was too large (see verse 9), and too much 
 exposed to marauders on the west and south even for his great powers. 
 To Simeon accordingly was allotted a district out of the territory of his 
 kinsman, whose ancestor like his had been the child of Leah (Gen. xxxv. 
 
 23)- 
 
 2. And they had in their inheritance~\ First Group, i. Beer- 
 sheba, see note ch. xv. 28 ; or Shema, so ch. xv. 26 : comp. i Chron. 
 iv. 28 with Gen. xxvi. 33; 2. Moladah = el-Milh, see ch. xv. 26, about 
 four English miles from Tel Arad, eighteen from Hebron, and nine 
 or ten due east of Beersheba ; 
 
 3. 3. Hazar-shual\ Between Beer-sheba and Hazar-gaddah ; see 
 i Chron. iv. 28; 4. Balah, see ch. xv. 29 ; in i Chron. iv. 29 it is 
 called Bilhah; 5. Azem, elsewhere called Ezem, i Chron. iv. 29; 
 
 4. 6. Eltolad\ See ch. xv. 30 and i Chron. iv. 29; 7. Bethul, 
 which in the parallel lists, ch. xv. 30 and i Chron. iv. 30, appears 
 under the forms of Chesil or Bethuel ; 8. Hormah, or Zephath (Judg. 
 i. 17), reduced by Joshua, was originally included in the territory of 
 Judah, see above, ch. xv. 30 ; 
 
 5. 9. Ziklag\ See ch. xv. 31, identified by Rowlands and Wilton 
 (Negeb, p. 209) with Asloodg or Kasloodg ; (a) Achish bestowed the 
 town upon David ; (b) here David resided upwards of one year and 
 four months (i Sam. xxvii. 7, xxx. 14, 26) ; (c) here he received the 
 news of Saul's death (2 Sam. i. i, iv. 10) ; 10. Beth-marcaboth ^ house 
 of chariots" and n. Hazar-susah " village of horses," appear to be 
 the old names of Madmannah and Sansannah (see ch. xv. 31). These 
 names indicate, remarks Dean Stanley, " that they were stations of 
 passage, like those which now are to be seen on the great line of Indian 
 transit between Cairo and Suez," we recognise in them " the depots 
 and stations for the 'horses' and 'chariots,' such as those which in 
 Solomon's time went to and fro between Egypt and Palestine." Sinai 
 and Palestine, p. 1 60 ; 
 
 6. 12. Beth-lebaoth\ contrasted with Lebaoth above, xv. 32, is 
 called Beth-bird in I Chron. iv. 31 ; 13. Sharuhen Shil him in xv. 
 y. = Shaaraim, I Chron. iv. 31.
 
 vv. 8, 9-J JOSHUA, XIX. 163 
 
 Remmon, and Ether, and Ashan ; four cities and their vil- 
 lages : and all the villages that were round about these cities 8 
 to Baalath-beer, Ramath of the south. This is the inherit- 
 ance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to 
 their families. Out of the portion of the children of Judah 9 
 was the inheritance of the children of Simeon : for the part 
 
 7. Second Group. i. Ain zn. "eye," and also in the vivid 
 imagery of the East, a spring or natural burst of living water, 
 always distinguished from the artificial " well" or "tank"=^<?r or 
 Bar. It generally occurs in combination with other words, defining 
 the locality as En-gedi, En-gannim, En-hakkore, En-rogeL In two 
 cases it stands alone, (a) here, and (i>) in Num. xxxiv. n. Mr 
 Wilton (Nfget>, pp. 229 234) would here also connect it with the 
 next name; 2. Remmon, as the name of a single city, Ain or En- 
 Rcmmon the spring of the pomegranate, and in the catalogue of 
 the places re-occupied by the Jews after the return from the Cap- 
 tivity the two are joined, and appear in our Version as En-Rimmon, 
 see Neh. xi. 29; 3. Ether, see ch. xv. 42 Van de Velde heard of 
 a Tel Athar in the desert country below Hebron ; 4. Ashan, see 
 above, ch. xv. 42. 
 
 8. and all the villages t/iat were round about] i. e. Simeon, not 
 merely certain cities in the territory of Judah, but the whole country 
 round the cities named, together with all the villages that were 
 situated near them. 
 
 to Baalath-bter] See above, ch. xv. 24 or ig, = Baal in i Chron. 
 iv. 33- 
 
 Ramath of the south] Ramath, like Ramah and Ramoth, =a "height." 
 This Ramath of the A r egeb, or the South, is thought to be another 
 name for Baalath-beer, and has been by some identified with the 
 present ruins of Kurnub, situated on the slope of a low range of 
 hills about 20 miles south-east of Beer-sheba. 
 
 9. of the children of Simeon] In this " Negeb"* or "land of the south," 
 Simeon now took up his abode. Like Reuben on the east of Jordan, 
 the tribe was destined to have little influence on the subsequent 
 history, to be divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel (Gen. xlix. 
 5 7). In the prophecy of Moses he is not even mentioned (Deut. 
 \x.\iii.}, nor are we told what part he took at the time of the division of 
 the kingdom. " As time rolled on, the tribe gradually crossed the 
 imperceptible boundary between civilisation and barbarism, between 
 Palestine and the Desert, and, in 'the days of Hezekiah' (i Chron. 
 iv. 28 43), they wandered forth to the east to seek pasture for 
 their ilocks, and 'smote the tents' of the pastoral tribes who had 
 ' dwelt there of old ;' and roved along across the ''Arabah till they 
 arrived at the ' Mount Seir ' the range of Petra and ' smote the 
 rest of the Amalekites, and dwelt there unto this day.'" Stanley, Sinai 
 and Palestine, p. 161. "It is startling to find that a tribe professing 
 to be " of the " sons of Israel," and holding no connection with the 
 
 II 2
 
 164 JOSHUA, XIX. [vv. 1012. 
 
 of the children of Judah was too much for them : therefore 
 the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inhe- 
 ritance of them. 
 
 10 1 6. The Territory of the Tribe of Zebuhtn. 
 
 10 And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun 
 according to their families : and the border of their inherit- 
 
 11 ance was unto Sarid : and their border went up toward the 
 sea, and Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth, and reached 
 
 12 to the river that is before Jokneam ; and turned from Sarid 
 eastward tcrward the sunrising unto the border of Chisloth- 
 tabor, and then goeth out to Daberath, and goeth up to 
 
 Arabs of the district, is still to be found in the country around Petra, 
 literally fulfilling an ancient prediction : "They of the South ( = the 
 Piegeb) shall possess the mount of Esau." See Pusey's Commentary 
 on Obad. 19. 
 
 1016. THE TERRITORY OF THE TRIBE OF ZEBULUN. 
 
 10. And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun'] The 
 tribe descended from the tenth of the sons of Jacob (Gen. xxx. 19, 
 20), and the sixth and last of the sons of Leah (Gen. xxxv. 23, 
 xlvi. 14). During the journey from Egypt to Palestine, the tribe of 
 Zebulun formed one of the first camp, with Judah and Issachar, also 
 sons of Leah, marching under the standard of Judah. Its numbers 
 at the census of Sinai were 57,000, surpassed only by Simeon, Dan, 
 and Judah. 
 
 the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid~\ A spot unknown, 
 but believed to be somewhere inland, in the plain of Esdraelon, 
 and west of Chisloth-tabor ( t( the loins of Tabor ) (see ver. 12). 
 
 11. and went up] From Sarid the southern border went up toward 
 the sea in a westerly direction, and that as far as Maralah, somewhere 
 on the mountains of Carmel, and touched upon Dabbasheth ( = Camp's 
 hump), the site of which is unknown, the stream which is before Jok- 
 neam. In ch. xii. 22, Jokneam is said to have been by Carmel, and 
 is identified with the modern Tell Kaimon, an eminence which stands 
 just below the eastern end of Carmel. "The stream," therefore, 
 is in all probability the Kishon (=" twisted" or "winding"), famous 
 
 (a) in the history of Deborah and Barak (Judg. iv. 7, 13, v. 21), and 
 
 (b) in that of Elijah and the prophets of Baal (i Kings xviii. 40). See 
 Menke's map in his Bibel-atlas. 
 
 12. and turned from Sarid eastward] As the border turned from 
 Sarid westward, so also it turned from the same point toward the 
 east, toward the sunrising, unto the border of 
 
 Chisloth-tabor] now Iks&l, a rocky height two miles and a half 
 to the west of Mount Tabor. Robinson's Bib. Res. ill. 182. For 
 Tabor, see below, s/. 22.
 
 vv. 13-15.] JOSHUA, XIX. 165 
 
 Japhia, and from thence passeth on along on the east to 15 
 Gittah-hepher, to Ittah-kazin, and goeth out to Remmon- 
 methoar to Neah ; and the border compasseth it on the 14 
 north side to Hannathon : and the outgoings thereof are in 
 the valley of Jiphthah-el : and Kattath, and Nahallal, and 15 
 
 Daberath\ Thence it went on to Daberath^ a Levitical city, Josh. xxi. 
 18 ; i Chron. vi. 72, now Deb&rieh, a small village "lying on the 
 side of a ledge of rocks directly at the foot of Tabor." 
 
 and goeth up to Japhia] "and stieth up ajens Jasie;" Wyclif. 
 Japhia ( glancing} is two miles south of Nazareth, the modern Yd/a. 
 Note the words " goeth /)," and compare the following words of 
 Porter : " For three quarters of an hour more we wind through 
 picturesque glens, their beds green with corn, and their banks dark 
 with the foliage of the dwarf oak, hawthorn, and wild pear. Yafa, 
 now appears on the top of a tell, down in a glen on the right." Hand- 
 book^ II. p. 385. It was fortified by Josephus, and afterwards captured 
 by Trajan and Titus under the orders of Vespasian ; and in the storm 
 and sack of the place 1 5000 of the inhabitants were put to the sword, 
 and 2130 taken captive. The valley of Nazareth lies 400 feet higher 
 than the plain at the western foot of Tabor. 
 
 13. to Gittah-hepher] From Japhia the border ran still in an 
 easterly direction, "toward the rising of the sun," "to Gittah- 
 hepher, to Ittah-kazin, and went out unto Remrnon, which stretches 
 to Neah." 
 
 Gittah-hephtr] or Gath-hepher, was not far from Ydfa, and has 
 been identified with the modern el-Meshkad, about five miles from 
 Nazareth on the north-east. It is celebrated as the birthplace of the 
 prophet Jonah (2 Kings xiv. 25). 
 
 Ittah-kazin] is unknown. 
 
 Remmon-methoar] See the margin here, "which is drawn;" it 
 means that the border went out unto Remmon, which is " marked 
 off to" or "stretched out to" Neah. Remmon or Rimmon is marked 
 on Mr Grove's map at Rummdnek, about seven miles to the north 
 of Nazareth. See Robinson's Bib. Res. III. 195. Neah has not yet 
 been identified. 
 
 14. and the border compasseth it] The meaning seems to be "and 
 the border went round it (Neah) northward to Hannathon ; and the 
 outgoings thereof were in the valley of Jiphthah-el." 
 
 compasseth it] For " compass " see above, note on ch. xv. 3. 
 
 Hannathon] ( = " pleasant"), which some have identified with the 
 Cana of the New Testament (John ii. r), the present Kana-el-Jelil. 
 
 the valley of Jiphlhah-el\ Dr Robinson suggests that it was 
 identical with Istapata, and that both names survive in the modern 
 Jefdt, a village in the mountains of Galilee half way between the bay 
 of Acre and the lake of Gennesareth. But the northern boundaiy 
 of Zebulun is not easy to trace. 
 
 15. and Kattath\ The account of the cities here appears to be 
 imperfect. We have only the names of five cities rjiven, though there
 
 166 JOSHUA, XIX. [vv. 1619. 
 
 . Shimron, and Idalah, and Beth-lehem : twelve cities with 
 
 16 their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of 
 Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their 
 villages. 
 
 17 23. Inheritance of the Tribe of Issachar. 
 
 17 And the fourth lot came out to Issachar, for the children 
 is of Issachar according to their families. And their border 
 19 was toward Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem, and 
 
 are said to have been "twelve cities and their villages." There is 
 
 nothing to which the list of terms here given, introduced by and, can 
 
 be attached. 
 
 KattatJi] This also has been supposed to be " Cana of Galilee." 
 Nahallal, Shimron (ch. xi. i), Idalah, are all as yet unknown. 
 Beth-leheni\ This Beth-lehem in Zebulun is not to be confounded 
 
 with Beth-lehem Ephratah in Judah (Gen. xxxv. 19). 
 
 16. This is the inheritance of the children of Zebtilmi\ It is evidently 
 impossible in the present state of our knowledge exactly to define 
 the limits of this tribe. But it seems to have reached on the one 
 side nearly to the lake of Gennesareth, and on the other to Carmel 
 and the Mediterranean. It enclosed one of the fairest portions of 
 Palestine. Besides the fertile plain near the fisheries of the lake of 
 Gennesareth, and the rich mountain-valleys, the tribe possessed the 
 goings mit, the outlet, of the plain of Akka (Deut. xxxiii. 18), where 
 he could "dwell at the shore," and "suck of the abundance of the 
 seas" (Gen. xlix. 13; Dent, xxxiii. 19). But though possessing a dis- 
 trict excelling in natural beauty and fertility, Zebulun, like the other 
 northern tribes, occupies quite a subordinate position in Old Testa- 
 ment History. We read of it as emerging from its obscurity only on two 
 occasions ; (a) first, when side by side with Naphtali the men of the 
 tribe "jeoparded their lives unto the death" upon "the high places" 
 of Tabor in the contest with Sisera ; and (b) secondly, when fifty 
 thousand "expert in war," with "all instruments of war," came up to 
 the coronation of David at Hebron (i Chron. xii. 3.3). 
 
 17 23. INHERITANCE OF THE TRIBE OF ISSACHAR. 
 
 17. And the fourth lot] came forth to the tribe of Issachar, whose 
 place during the journey to Canaan had been on the east of the 
 tabernacle, side by side with his brothers Judah and Zebulun, the 
 group moving foremost in the march (Num. ii. 5, x. 15). 
 
 18. And their border] lay above that of Manasseh, and, according 
 to Josephus, "extended in length from Carmel to the Jordan, ami 
 in breadth to Mount Tabor." 
 
 was tmvard Jezred] Observe in this verse that the description of 
 the boundaries of this tribe, though begun, is not continued. Instead, 
 ihe names of the cities are given, which were included in it.
 
 vv. 2022.] JOSHUA, XIX. 167 
 
 Hapharaim, and Shion, and Anaharath, and Rabbith, and 20 
 Kishion, and Abez, and Remeth, and En-gannim, and En- 2t 
 haddah, and Beth-pazzez ; and the coast reacheth to Tabor, 22 
 and Shahazimah, and Beth-shemesh ; and the outgoings of 
 
 jfezreel} (= the planting, or seed-plot, of God, now Zeriii), stood in the 
 celebrated plain of the name between Gilboa and little Hermon on 
 the brow of a very steep rocky slope of at least 100 feet in a strong 
 and central position, commanding the view towards the Jordan on 
 the east (2 Kings ix. 17), and visible from Carmel on the west (i Kings 
 xviii. 46). The splendid site induced Ahab to make it his chief 
 residence. Here (a) he had his palace and "ivory house" (i Kings 
 xxi. i, xxii. 39) ; here (b) he had a watch-tower whence sentinels were 
 able to give timely notice of danger (2 Kings ix. 17) ; here (c) Jezebel 
 lived, and from her high window facing eastward watched the entrance 
 of the conquering Jehu (2 Kings ix. 30). 
 
 Chesullotfi\ ( = "the loins") was probably so called from its position 
 on the slopes of some mountain, possibly between Jezreel and Shunem. 
 On Mr Grove's map it is marked direct north of Jezreel, and is identified 
 with Chisloth-tabor, the " Xaloth" of Josephus (B. J. in. 3. i), the 
 " Chasalus " of Jerome. 
 
 and Shuneni\ Now Sol&m, three miles to the N.E. of Jezreel in 
 the Esdraelon plain, " full in view of the sacred spot on Mount Carmel, 
 and situated in the midst of the finest corn-fields in the world." Here 
 (a) the Philistines encamped before the fatal battle of Gilboa (i Sam. 
 xxviii. 4) ; here (b) was the native place of Abishag (i Kings i. 3); 
 here (<r) Elisha often lodged in the house of the "Shunammite woman," 
 and here (d) he raised her son to life (2 Kings iv. 8 37, viii. r 6). 
 
 19. Hapharaim'} is mentioned above as the residence of a Canaanitish 
 king, see ch. xii. 17; Skihon is not found; Anaharath, too, has not 
 been identified. 
 
 20, 21. Rabbith, Kishion (i Chron. vi. 72), Abez, Remeth (i Chron. 
 vi. 73), are all unknown. 
 
 En-gannim~\ = the spring of the gardens, the modern Jenin. Even 
 now it justifies its ancient name; lor the village lies, according to 
 Robinson, Bib. Res. in. 155, "in the midst of gardens of fruit trees, which 
 are surrounded by hedges 01 the prickly pear." But its most remarkable 
 feature is a flowing, public iountain, rising in the hills at the back of the 
 town, and brought down so that it issues in a copious stream in the 
 midst of the place. Ahaziah was driving towards the mountain-pass by 
 En-gannim (2 Kings ix. 77 the Bethgan of the LXX. = En-gannim), 
 when he was overtaken by Jehu, and fled to die of his wounds at 
 Megiddo. 
 
 n-haddah and Beth-pazzez are not known. 
 
 22. and the coast reacheth to Tabor} Not the mountain, but a town 
 upon the mountain, given to the Levites (i Chron. vi. 77), and to 
 Shahazimah and Beth-shemesh. The site of neither of these places is 
 known, for the Beth-shemesh here mentioned is not the town of that 
 name in the tribe of Judah (ch. xv. 10).
 
 168 JOSHUA, XIX. [v. 23 
 
 their border were at Jordan : sixteen cities with their 
 23 villages. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children 
 of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their 
 villages. 
 
 the outgoings of their border] The Jordan formed the eastern boundary 
 of the tribe, but how far its territory extended down into the Jordan Valley 
 is not stated. 
 
 sixteen cities] Which number is correct, if Tabor is taken as a city. 
 Being a border town, it is not remarkable that here it is reckoned to 
 Issachar, and in i Chron. vi. 77 to Zebulun. 
 
 23. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children oj Issachar} 
 Then, as it still is, among the richest land in Palestine. "Westward 
 was the famous plain which derived its name from its fertility. On the 
 north is Tabor, which even under the burning sun of the climate is said 
 to retain the glades and dells of an English wood. On the east, behind 
 Jezreel, is the opening which conducts to the plain of the Jordan to 
 the Bethshean, which was proverbially among the Rabbis the Gate of 
 Paradise for its fruitfulness. " The soil yielded corn and figs, wine and 
 oil (i Chron. xii. 40) ; the stately palm waved over the villages; and the 
 very weeds testify to the extraordinary fertility of the Esdraelon plain. 
 Here Issachar rejoiced in his tents (Deut. xxxiii. 18), couched down as 
 the strong he-ass (Gen. x3ix. 14, 15), used for burden and field-work, 
 and "seeing that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant, bowed 
 his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute,' 1 '' which various 
 marauders, Canaanites (Judg. iv. 3, 7), Midianites, Amalekites (Judg. vi. 
 3, 4), Philistines (i Sam. xxix. i), exacted, bursting through his frontier, 
 open both on the east and the west, and tempted by his luxuriant crops. 
 See Porter's Handbook, II. 352; Stanley's S. and P., p. 348. "Two 
 things strike us forcibly in looking over the plain of Esdraelon, and hi 
 wandering through it : 
 
 (a) First, its wonderful richness. After the grey hills of Judah, and 
 the rocky mountains of Ephraim, the traveller looks with admira- 
 tion over this unbroken extent of verdure. The luxuriant grass, 
 and the exuberance of the crops on the few spots where it is culti- 
 vated, amply prove the fertility of the soil. It was the frontier of 
 Zebulun. 'Rejoice, O Zebulun, in thy goings ouf (Deut. xxxiii. 18). 
 
 (b) Second, its desolation. If we except its eastern branches there is 
 not a single inhabited village on its whole surface, and not more 
 than one-sixth of its soil is cultivated. It is the home of the 
 wandering Bedawy, who can scour its smooth turf on his fleet mare 
 in search of plunder, and when hard pressed can speedily remove 
 his tents and his flocks beyond the Jordan, and beyond the reach of 
 a weak government. In its condition, thus exposed to every hasty 
 incursion, and to every shock of war, we read the fortunes of that 
 tribe which for the sake of its richness consented to sink into a half 
 nomadic state. 'Rejoice, O Issachar, in thy tents' (Gen. xlix. 
 14, 15 ; Deut. xxxiii. 18). Their exposed position and valuable pos- 
 sessions made them eager for the succession of David to the throne,
 
 w. 2427.] JOSHUA, XIX. 169 
 
 2 4 31. The Inheritance of the Tribe of As her. 
 
 And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of 24 
 Asher according to their families. And their border was 25 
 Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, and Alamme- 26 
 lech, and Amad, and Misheal; and reacheth to Carmel 
 westward, and to Shihor-libnath ; and turneth toward the 27 
 sunrising to Beth-dagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the 
 
 as one under whose sceptre they would enjoy the peace and rest 
 they loved." See i Chron. xii. 32, 40. Porter's Handbook, II. 
 PP- 352, 353- 
 2431. THE INHERITANCE OF THE TRIBE OF ASHER. 
 
 24. Andthe fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher\ who 
 were descended from the eighth son of Jacob, and in the march through 
 the desert closed the long procession side by side with Dan and 
 Naphtali, with the standard of Dan, an "eagle with a serpent in its 
 talons." 
 
 25. And their border} The general position of the tribe was on the 
 slope of the Galilean mountains from Carmel northwards, with Manasseh 
 on the south, Zebulun and Issachar on the south-east, and Naphtali 
 on the north-east, a narrow, but beautiful and fertile region. 
 
 And their border ivas Helkath~\ The first boundary given us is that 
 formed by the cities of Helkath, afterwards given to the Levites (ch. xxi. 
 31), Hali, Beten, and Achshaph (ch. xii. 20), of none of which cities is 
 the situation known to us. 
 
 26. Alammelech, and Amad, are at present unknown. Mishcal has 
 been identified with Misalli at the northern extremity of the plain of 
 Sharon. 
 
 and reacheth to Carmel~\ This boundary struck Carmel on the west 
 and Shihor-libnath, somewhere to the south of that range. 
 
 Shihor-libnath\ Not, as some have supposed, the Belus, which falls 
 into the Mediterranean near to Acre or Ptolemais, but south of Carmel, 
 and probably the Nahr Zerka, or "Crocodile Brook," which rises in 
 the Carmel range, and flows into the Mediterranean just above Csesarea, 
 For the existence of crocodiles still in the Zerka, see Macgregor's Rob 
 Roy on the Jordan, p. 387, who also found a crocodile in the Kishon, 
 which is only about 20 miles north of the Zerka, pp. 400 403. "I 
 suspect," writes Dr Thomson, "that long ages ago, some Egyptians, 
 accustomed to worship this ugly creature, settled here (Caesarea), and 
 brought their gods with them. Once here, they would not easily be ex- 
 terminated ; for no better place could be desired by them than this vast 
 jungle and impracticable swamp." See Land and the Book, p. 497. 
 
 27. and turneth toward the simrising] From the Shihor-libnath, the 
 border, still keeping to the south of Carmel, turned in an easterly direc- 
 tion towards Beth-dagon, of which we know as little as of the Beth- 
 dagon of Judah, above, xv. 41. 
 
 and reacheth to Zelnihtn} Thence it trended in a north-easterly direc*
 
 JOSHUA, XIX. [vv. 2830. 
 
 valley of Jiphthah-el toward the north side of Beth-emek, 
 
 28 and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand, and 
 Hebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even unto 
 
 29 great Zidon ; and then the coast turneth to Ramah, and to 
 the strong city Tyre ; and the coast turneth to Hosah ; and 
 the outgoings thereof are at the sea from the coast to Achzib : 
 
 30 Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob : twenty and two cities 
 
 tion, and "touched the border of Zebulun," and the valley, or ravine, of 
 Jiphthah-el, where, according to v. 14, were "the outgoings" of the 
 north-western boundary of the latter tribe; and passed on north 
 of Beth-emek and Neiel (which has been identified with MCar], "and 
 went out to Cabul on the left hand, " i. e. on the north side of it. 
 
 Cabul] it is thought, may be considered as still existing in the modern 
 Kabul, found about eight or nine miles east of Akka, and thus on the 
 very borders of Galilee. It is possible, therefore, that there may be 
 some Connection between this place and the district containing twenty 
 cities, which was presented by Solomon to Hiram, king of Tyre (i 
 Kings ix. ir 13). See Smith's Bibl. Diet, under Cabul. 
 
 28. and Hebroii\ The main portion of Asher having been described, 
 the northern portion is now defined more particularly. 
 
 Hebron] Instead of Hebron we find Abdon in ch. xxi. 30, and i 
 Chron. vi. 74. But twenty MSS. and all the ancient versions read 
 Hebron. See Keil's Commentary. 
 
 Rehob, Hammon, are at present unknown. Kanah may possibly be 
 identified with Ain-Kana, about eight miles south-east of Saida (Zidon). 
 
 unto great Zidon] On Zidon, or Sidon, see above, ch. xi. 8. 
 
 29. and then the coast turneth to Ramah] Having reached Zidon 
 by Kanah, the boundary bent southward by Ramah, and so turned to the 
 "strong," or "fortified city" of Tyre. Robinson would identify Ramah 
 with Rameh, south-east of Tyre, on a solitary hill in the midst of a basin 
 of green fields, and surrounded by greater heights (Bib. Res. III. 63). 
 
 the strong city Tyre] "The most strengthened citie Tyruns" 
 (Wyclif) here alluded to is not the island of Tyre, but the city standing 
 on the mainland, now Sur. 
 
 tnrneth to Hosah] From Tyre the border turned toward Hosah, the 
 site of which is unknown, and finally ran towards the sea in the region of 
 Achzib, the modern es-Zib, on the sea-shore, little more than two hours 
 from Acre. The Canaanites, we are told (Judg. i. 31), were afterwards 
 not expelled from it by the tribe of Asher, and in classical times it was 
 known as Ecdippa. It is to be noted that both the fortified city Tyre 
 and great Zidon were included in Asher's inheritance, but no effort was 
 made by the Israelites to obtain possession of these Phoenician cities. 
 
 30. Ummah also] Of the three cities here mentioned, Ummah, 
 Aphek, and Rehob, the first and third are unknown. Aphek apparently 
 lay in the extreme north of Asher, and is probably the same place a-; 
 that alluded to above, ch. xiii. 4, beyond Sidon, the Aphaca of classical, 
 and the Afka of modern, times.
 
 w. 31,32.] JOSHUA, XIX. 171 
 
 with their villages. This if the inheritance of the tribe of 3 i 
 the children of Asher according to their families, these cities 
 with their villages. 
 
 3239. The Territory of the Tribe of Naputali. 
 
 The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even 32 
 for the children of Naphtali according to their families. 
 
 tiventy and two cities] Which number does not correspond with the 
 cities given, and at present the explanation is not clear. 
 
 31. the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher] The territory 
 of Asher extended from the Nahr Zerka on the south, to Zidon on the 
 north, and contained some of the richest soil of the country, and the 
 maritime portion of the fertile plain of Esdraelon, and commanded all 
 approaches to Palestine from the sea on the north. Its soil well ful- 
 filled the prophetic descriptions of Jacob and Moses. Here Asher could 
 "dip his foot" in the oil of his luxuriant olive-groves (Deut. xxxiii. 24) 
 such as still distinguish this region, and fatten on the bread, the fruit of 
 the rich plain of Phoenicia and his fertile upland valleys (Gen. xlix. 20). 
 Here he could "yield royal dainties" (Gen. xlix. 20), "oil and wine 
 from his olives and vineyards, and milk and butter from his pastures ;" 
 while under his shoes (Deut. xxxiii. 25) was the iron ore of the southern 
 slopes of Lebanon, and the brass or copper of the neighbouring Phoenician 
 territory. See Stanley's S. and P., p. 362; Pusey's Lectures on the 
 Book of Daniel, p. 294; Porter's Handbook of Sinai and Palestine, II. 
 p. 363. But to the richness of his soil and the proximity of the Phoenician 
 towns the degeneracy and subsequent obscurity of Asher may be mainly 
 traced. At the numbering of Israel at Sinai, the tribe was more 
 numerous than either Ephraim, Manasseh, or Benjamin (Num. i. 
 32 41), "but in the reign of David, so insignificant had it become, that 
 its name is altogether omitted from the list of the chief rulers" (i Chron. 
 xxvii. 16 22). "The Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites" (Judg. i. 
 32), and "though not nominally, or even really, a subject people, they 
 were so thoroughly checked in their plans of conquest, and dashed their 
 strength so uselessly against the strong rock of Phoenician power, that 
 in the shock of failure they settled down as a people admitted to be 
 strong, and allowed to exist side by side with the Phoenicians, under 
 certain statutes and arrangements mutually entered into." Ritter's 
 Compar. Gco. of Palestine, in. 187, 188. With the exception of the 
 aged widow, "Anna, the daughter of Phanuel" (Luke ii. 36), no name 
 "shines out of the general obscurity" of the tribe. "The contemptuous 
 allusion in the Song of Deborah sums up this whole history, when in the 
 great gathering of the tribes against Sisera, Asher continued on the sea- 
 shore and abode in his creeks. 1 ' So insignificant was- the tribe to which 
 was assigned the fortress which Napoleon called the key of Palestine, 
 Stanley's S. and P., p. 265. 
 
 3239. THE TERRITORY OF THE TRIBE OF NAPHTALI. 
 32. The sixth lot] fell out to the tribe descended from Naphtali,
 
 172 JOSHUA, XIX. [w. 33, 34. 
 
 33 And their coast was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, 
 and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum ; and the 
 
 34 outgoings thereof were at Jordan : and then the coast turn- 
 etli westward to Aznoth-tabor, and goeth out from thence to 
 
 the fifth son of the patriarch Jacob, which, during the march through 
 the wilderness, occupied a position north of the Tabernacle, side by 
 side with Dan and Asher (Num. ii. 25 31), and at the census taken at 
 Mount Sinai numbered upwards of 53400 fighting men (Num. i. 43, 
 ii. 30). 
 
 33. And their coast} The territory appropriated to the tribe was 
 bounded (a) on the west by Asher, (b) on the south by Zebulun and 
 Issachar, (c) on the east by the Sea of Gennesaret and the Jordan, 
 while (d] on the north it reached far up into Ccele-Syria, "the splendid 
 valley which separates the two ranges of Lebanon." 
 
 from Heleph\ Apparently the west border towards Asher is first 
 described, with the north and east boundary. The southern border is 
 defined in v. 34. Heleph is unknown. 
 
 Allon to Zaanannim] = the oak, or terebinth, by Zaanannim. It 
 is the same place, on the N.W. of Lake Merom, as that mentioned 
 in Judg. iv. ii, where Sisera was slain by Jael, "the wife of Heber 
 the Kenite," and derived its name Zaanannim or Zaanaim, the un- 
 loading of Ferits, from the strange sight of the encampment of nomads 
 in tents amidst the regular cities and villages of the mountains." 
 " Even to the present day the Bedouins more or less friendly 
 disposed wander about in the north of Palestine, in the plain of 
 Jezreel, on Gilboa, and on Tabor." See Lange's Commentary. 
 "The reconnaissance survey along the watershed from Hunin led 
 across a succession of mountain peaks, forming the great western vale 
 of the Jordan. The highlands we are in the tribe of Naphtali form 
 a series of valleys with which the country is intersected, the ridges 
 between them being described as somewhat of the character of open 
 glades, gently sloping towards the sea. The hills are well wooded, 
 though the oaks are being thinned out to supply the Damascus market 
 with charcoal. At the last peak the hill slopes to the southward, over- 
 looking a little plain, one mile wide and two long, lying sheltered 
 among the surrounding hills. This is the plain of Zaanaim." Our 
 Work in Palestine, pp. 174, 175. 
 
 Adami, Nekeb, Jabneel, Lakum, are all unknown. 
 
 and the outgoings thereof} The boundary is traced from the south- 
 west towards the north-east to the sources of the Jordan, above the 
 Lake of Galilee. 
 
 34. and- then the coast turneth] From the Jordan on the east, 
 the southern border of Naphtali turned westward to Aznoth-tabor. 
 not identified, but probably a border town on the line which sepa- 
 rated this tribe from Issachar, and "struck," or coincided with, Zebulun 
 on the south and Asher on the west. The site of Hukkok is un- 
 known.
 
 w. 3S-37-] JOSHUA, XIX. 173 
 
 Hukkok, and reacheth to Zebulun on the south side, and 
 reacheth to Asher on the west side, and to Judah upon 
 Jordan toward the sunrising. And the fenced cities are 35 
 Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth, 
 and Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor, and Kedesh, and 3<5 
 
 Judah upon Jordan] So our Version renders it, following the 
 Vulgate, Et in Juda ad Jordanem. Others, following the Masoretic 
 punctuation, would put a colon at Judah, so that it would run, "and 
 Judah ; the Jordan was toward the sunrising " i. e. the eastern bound- 
 ary of the tribe. The word Judah here has been explained by the 
 fact that the sixty cities, Havoth-jair (Num. xxxii. 41), which were 
 on the eastern side of Jordan opposite to Naphtali, were reckoned as 
 belonging to Judah, because Jair their founder was descended on the 
 father's side from Judah through Hezron. Comp. i Chron. ii. 21 24. 
 Others would identify it with a village el-Jehidijeh, marked on Dr 
 Smith's map, north of Tibrin, but this is not satisfactory. 
 
 35. And the fenced cities] Note the expression and the number 
 of them in this locality. " It was no doubt good policy to protect the 
 northern frontier by a belt of fortresses, as the south was protected 
 by the fenced cities of Judah." The Speaker's Commentary in loc. 
 Ziddim and Zer are unknown. 
 
 Hammat/i] Afterwards a Levitical city, ch. xxi. 32, called Hammon 
 in i Chron. vi. 76. The name comes from a root signifying "to be 
 warm," and hints at the hot springs which existed here. "At the southern 
 extremity of the strip of level ground, on which the ancient city of 
 Tiberias stood, are some warm fountains, which have a temperature 
 of 144 Fahr. with an extremely salt and bitter taste, and a strong 
 smell of sulphur. These fountains are mentioned by Pliny, ' Ab 
 Occidente Tiberiade aquis calidis salubri,' and frequently by Jose- 
 phus, under the name Ammaus= ' Warm Baths.' This is probably a 
 Greek form of the Hebrew Hammath, a town of Naphtali." Porter's 
 Handbook, II. p. 423. 
 
 Rakkath\ ( = "bank," "shore"} is by the Rabbins identified with Tibe- 
 rias. For Chinnereth see above, note on ch. xi. 2. 
 
 36. Adamah'] is unknown, as also Ramah, which must not be 
 mistaken for the Ramah of ver. 29. 
 
 Hazor] See above, xi. i, 6 10. Dr Robinson would identify 
 it with Tel Khuraibdh, Captain Wilson and Anderson with Tel Hara. 
 " Here were found the remains of an ancient fortress, a city with 
 its walls and towers still to be traced, and on the eastern slope, the 
 usual concomitants of old ruins, broken glass and pottery." Here, 
 they both agree, was the long-lost Hazor, which "lay over" the 
 lake Huleh. "The position," says Captain Wilson, "is one of great 
 strength and overhangs the lake. Every argument which Robinson 
 adduces in favour of Tel Khuraibeh applies with much greater force 
 to these ruins." Dr Porter, however, refuses to accept either theory, 
 arguing that as the strength of Jabin lay in chariots, "we must look
 
 174 JOSHUA, XIX. [w. 38, 39. 
 
 33 Edrei, and En-hazor, and Iron, and Migdal-el, Horem, and 
 Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh ; nineteen cities with their 
 
 39 villages. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children 
 of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their 
 villages. 
 
 for Hazor on the lower slopes of the mountains, so as to be easily 
 accessible for chariots." Our Work in Palestine, p. 177. 
 
 37. Kedesh\ or Kedesh Naphtali ( = " the Holy Place of Naphtali"}, 
 see above, ch. xii. 22, originally, as we have seen, was a royal, and 
 probably a sacred city of the Canaanites. It was conquered by Joshua 
 (ch. xii. 22), and made subsequently "a city of refuge." Here (a) 
 Barak was born; here (b) he was when Deborah summoned him to 
 fight the battle of his country ; hither (c ) the prophetess came with 
 him ; and hence (a!) having rallied the warriors of Zebulun and Naphtali 
 he marched with 10000 men to Tabor (Judg. iv. i 10). 
 
 Edrei, and En-hazor~\ are unknown. This Edrei must not be con- 
 founded with the well-known Edrei in Bashan. 
 
 38. lron~\ has not been identified. Migdal-el has been by some 
 supposed to be the Magdala of Matt. xv. 39, the place of which is now 
 occupied by a miserable collection of hovels known as el-Mejdd, on 
 the western side of the Lake of Gennesareth, and at the S.E. corner 
 of the plain. Neither Horem, Beth-anath, nor Beth-shemcsh has at 
 present been identified. 
 
 39. This is the inheritance] The territory appropriated to Naphtali 
 was thus enclosed on three sides by that of other tribes, (a) On the 
 west was Asher, (b) on the south Zebulun, (c) and on the east Manasseh 
 beyond the Jordan. Cut off from the great plain of Esdraelon by the 
 mass of the mountains of Nazareth, it had communication on the 
 east with the fertile district of the Sea of Galilee, and the splendidly 
 watered country of the springs of the Jordan. The dying Jacob had 
 compared Naphtali to a "spreading terebinth" {Gen. xlix. zi, mis- 
 translated "a hind let loose") of the uplands of Lebanon, shooting forth 
 goodly boughs ; and the great Lawgiver had described him as satisfied 
 with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord (Deut. xxxiii. 23), 
 but the grand opportunities so graciously given were not turned to 
 the best account. The capabilities of its plains, of the thoroughfare 
 and traffic of the Sea of Galilee (Gen. xlix. 13), were not developed 
 by the tribe. One hero and one only was produced by it, Barak of 
 Kedesh-Naphtali, who dwelt in the mountain district (Judg. iv. 6). 
 See above, verse 37. But after this exploit, Naphtali, like Asher, re- 
 signed itself to intercourse with the heathen, "and learned their works" 
 (Ps. cvi. 35). See Smith's Diet, of the Bible ; Ritter's Geog. of Pales- 
 tine, IV. p. 338 ; Stanley's Sinai and Palestine, p. 363. "With the 
 exception of the transient splendour of the days of Barak and of 
 Gideon, the four northern tribes hardly affect the general fortunes of 
 the nation. It is not till the Jewish is on the point of breaking into 
 the Christian Church that these northern tribes acquire a new interest.
 
 vv. 40-46.] JOSHUA, XIX. 17; 
 
 40 48. The Inheritance of the Tribe of Dan. 
 
 And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children 40 
 of Dan according to their families. And the coast of their 4r 
 inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Ir-shemesh, and 42 
 Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Jethlah, and Elon, and Thim- 43 
 nathah, and Ekron, and Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and 44 
 Baalath, and Jehud, and Bene-berak, and Gath-rimmon, and ^ 
 
 'Galilee' then, by reason of its previous isolation, springs into over- 
 whelming importance. 'The land of Zebulun, the land of Naphtali, by 
 the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles ; the people 
 which sat in darkness saw great light, and to those who sat in the region 
 and shadow of death light is sprung up' (Isai. ix. i, 2; Matt. iv. 15, 16)." 
 Stanley's Lectures, I. 231. 
 
 40 48. THE INHERITANCE OF THE TRIBE OF DAN. 
 
 40. the seventh lot] came out to the smallest of all the tribes, that 
 of Dan, descended from the fifth son of Jacob. The position of the 
 tribe during the march through the wilderness had been n the north 
 side of the Tabernacle, the hindmost of the long procession between 
 Naphtali and Asher. At the census in the desert it was the most 
 numerous of all the tribes with the exception of Judah, containing 
 62,700 men able to bear arms. 
 
 41. And the coast} allotted to the tribe, in spite of the numbers just 
 mentioned, was the smallest of all. Compressed into the narrow space 
 between the north-western hills of Judah and the Mediterranean, it was 
 surrounded by the three most powerful tribes of the whole confederacy, 
 Ephraim and Benjamin on the north and east, Judah on the south and 
 south-east. 
 
 was Zorah] Observe that the boundaries of this tribe are not de- 
 fined. They naturally follow from those of Judah, Ephraim, and 
 Benjamin. 
 
 Zorah, and Eshtaol] See above, ch. xv. 33. For Ir-shemesh = Beth- 
 shemesh ihc modern 'Ain-Shems, see above, ch. xv. 10. 
 
 42. Shaalabbin] " the place of foxes;" comp. the story of Samson, 
 Judg. xv. 4. It appears in i Kings iv. 9 as the home of one of David's 
 " mighty men." forAjalon see above, ch. x. 12 ; Jethlah has not been 
 identified. 
 
 43. Elon] The site of this place is still undiscovered. For Thimna- 
 thah see above, ch. xv. 10; for Ekron, xiii. 3. 
 
 44. Eltekeh, and Gibbethon] occur as Levitical cities in ch. xxi. 23. 
 The sites are not identified; Baalath may be Dcir Balut. It was 
 fortified by Solomon (r Kings ix. 18), and is placed by Josephus near 
 Gezer. See Jos. Ant. vill. 6. i. 
 
 45. Jehud] may, it is thought, be still traced in the village of 
 El-Yehudiyeh in the district of Lydda. Robinson's Bib. Res. HI. 45. 
 Hcne-berak has not been identified; Gath-rimmon we find (ch. xxi. 24) 
 given to the Levites, but the site is unknown.
 
 176 JOSHUA, XIX. [V. 47. 
 
 Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Japho. 
 
 47 And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for 
 
 them : therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against 
 
 Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the 
 
 46. Me-jarkon, -and Rakkoii\ still remain to be discovered. 
 
 with the border before Japho\ i. e. with the whole district extending to 
 the suburbs opposite to Japho. 
 
 Japho\ ( = " beauty' 1 ''} is the Hebrew form of the more familiar Joppa 
 (2 Chron. ii. 16 ; Ez. iii. 7). It was situated on the south-west coast of 
 Palestine, and having a harbour attached to it was afterwards the port 
 of Jerusalem. It was the spot (a) whither the cedar and pinewood were 
 floated from Phoenicia by Hiram, king of Tyre, for Solomon's temple 
 (2 Chron. ii. 16); (i>) whither similar materials were conveyed by the 
 permission of Cyrus for the rebuilding of the second temple under 
 Zerubbabel (Ez. iii. 7) ; (c) where Jonah took ship to flee " from the 
 presence of the Lord" (Jon. i. 3); (d) where Jonathan Maccabseus 
 met Ptolemy ( i Mac. xi. 6) ; (e) where St Peter had the vision on the 
 housetop of Simon the tanner (Acts x. 9 18). On the east the town is 
 surrounded by a wide circle of gardens and groves of noble trees. 
 " The figs and oranges of Joppa are noted for their size and flavour. 
 The water-melons, which thrive on the sandy soil around, are in 
 great repute, and are carried in great numbers to Alexandria and Cairo. 
 
 Through all Syria, too, they have a reputation The horticulturist 
 
 Bove, who visited the place in 1832, observed three kinds of figs, 
 apricots, almonds, pomegranates, peaches, oranges, pears, and apples, 
 plums, bananas and grapes, while the sugar-cane grows to the height of 
 five or six feet." Ritter, Geog. Pal. iv. 259. In A. D. 1188 Saladin 
 destroyed its fortifications, to be rebuilt by Richard of England, who 
 was here confined by sickness. In 1253 it was occupied by St Louis, 
 and afterwards fell into the hands first of the Sultans of Egypt and then 
 of the Turks. 
 
 47. -went out too little for them\ The words "too little" are in- 
 serted in our Version. They are not found in the original Hebrew, 
 which literally means, the border of the children of Dan went out 
 from them, i. e. the border of the children of Dan was extended. 
 "Squeezed into the narrow strip between the mountains and the sea, 
 its energies were great beyond its numbers." Stanley's Sin. and Pal., 
 p. 395 ; Lectures, p. 268. 
 
 went tip to fight\ " Stieded vp, and foujten," Wyclif. Hard pressed 
 by the Amorites, whom they were unable to expel from the plain (Judg. 
 i. 34), and by the Philistines, they longed for an addition to their 
 territory, they sent out five spies from two towns in the low country, who 
 tracked the Jordan to its source beyond the waters of Merom, and came 
 to an eminence on which rose the town of 
 
 Leshem\ or Laish, far up in northern Palestine, the modern Tell el- 
 K&dy near Bdnids. It was a colony from Sidon, and its inhabitants, 
 separated from their mother city by the huge mass of Lebanon and 
 half of Anti-Lebanon, "dwelt quiet and secure" (Judg. xviii. 7), in the
 
 v. 48.] JOSHUA, XIX. 177 
 
 sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called 
 Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father. This is 48 
 the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according 
 to their families, these cities with their villages. 
 
 enjoyment of the warm climate and exquisite scenery, and tilling the 
 fertile soil, irrigated by many streams. The spies marked the spot, 
 and on their return bade their brethren arise, and take possession of a 
 place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth (Judg. xviii. 
 10), and the soil of which " even now produces large crops of wheat, 
 
 barley, maize, sesame, rice, and other plants with very little labour 
 
 while horses, cattle, and sheep fatten on the rich pastures, and large herds 
 of black buffaloes luxuriate in the streams and deep mire of the 
 marshes." See Thomson's Land and the Book, p. 214; Robinson, 
 Bib. Res. in. 396. 
 
 therefore the children of Dan -went up to fight] On receiving the news 
 six hundred Danites from Zorah and Eshtaol girded on their weapons 
 of war (Judg. xviii. n), and pushed their way to the sources of the Jordan, 
 and finding the town of Laish just as the spies had described it, far from 
 its mother city, dwelling quiet and secure, they burst upon it, scaled its 
 walls (Judg. xviii. 27), and 
 
 took it] and set it on fire, massacring the inhabitants. Then they re- 
 built the town, and dwelt therein, and 
 
 called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father] The name 
 Tell el-K&di= " the mound of the Judge" still preserves the ancient 
 Dan = "yw</." See Tristram's Land of Israel, p. 580. 
 
 48. This is the inheritance of the tribe... of Dan] In length it ex- 
 tends but 14 miles from Joppa to Ekron, but it was one of the most 
 fertile tracts in the land, the cornfield and garden of southern Palestine. 
 The dying Jacob had said of the tribe (Gen. xlix. 16): 
 
 "Dan shall judge his people, 
 As one of the tribes of Israel. 
 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, 
 An adder in the path, 
 That biteth the horse heels, 
 So that his rider shall fall backward;" 
 
 and, as it has been observed, " the privilege of Dan was, that he was to 
 lie in wait for the invader from the south or from the north." "A 
 serpent," an indigenous, home-born "adder" to bite the heels of the 
 invading stranger's horse; "<z lion!s -whelp" (Deut. xxxiii. 11), small 
 and fierce, to " leap from the heights of Bashan" on the armies of 
 Damascus or Nineveh. "For thy salvation, O Lord, have I waited" 
 seems to have been his war cry, as if of a warrior in the constant 
 attitude of expectation. Once only in the history of the tribe, so far as 
 we know, was this expectation fully realised in the life of Samson. 
 Stanley's Lectures, I. p. 269. 
 
 JOSHUA 12
 
 178 JOSHUA, XIX. [w. 49 51. 
 
 49 5 1 . The Inheritance assigned to Jos/ma. 
 
 49 When they had made an end of dividing the land for in- 
 heritance by their coasts, the children of Israel gave an 
 
 so inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them : accord- 
 ing to the word of the LORD they gave him the city which 
 he asked, even Timnath-serah in mount Ephraim : and he 
 
 si built the city, and dwelt therein. These are the inheritances, 
 which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and 
 the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, 
 divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, 
 at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they 
 made an end of dividing the country. 
 
 49 51. THE INHERITANCE ASSIGNED TO JOSHUA. 
 
 49. When they had made an end] After all the tribes had been pro- 
 vided for, a modest inheritance was assigned to their noble-hearted 
 leader, who with unselfish generosity was contented with far less than 
 many others would have claimed under similar circumstances. 
 
 among them] The portion assigned was among the mountains of his 
 native tribe of Ephraim. 
 
 50. according to the word of tJie Lord] We do not find any Divine 
 injunction in the Pentateuch to the effect that Joshua was to receive a 
 special portion in the Land of Canaan. But as Caleb had received a 
 definite promise of the same kind, which is not to be found in its literal 
 form in the Pentateuch, we may conclude that a like promise had been 
 been made to Joshua. 
 
 even Timnath-serah] In Judg. ii. 9 the name of the city given to the 
 Israelitish leader is altered to 1 imnath-heres = "portion of the sun." In 
 the same place it is' defined as having been situated "in the mount of 
 Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. " The word Timnath, or 
 Tinman, means " allotted portion," and was given to several places. It 
 is now generally identified with Tibnah, between Jifna and el-Mejdel, 
 and was first discovered by Dr Eli Smith in 1843, where he found the ruins 
 of a considerable town. Opposite the town was amuch higher hill, in the 
 north side of which were several excavated sepulchres. "Of all sites I 
 have seen," says Lieut. Conder, " none is so striking as that of Joshua's 
 home, surrounded as it is with deep valleys and wild rugged hills." 
 Paula is described by St Jerome as " satis mirata quod distributor 
 possessionum sibi aspera et montana delegisset" (Epist. CVIII., Epitaph. 
 Paula). 
 
 and he built the city] or perhaps rather, fortified it. The site may 
 have been previously unoccupied, and named Timnath-serah = " remain- 
 ing portion " by Joshua himself.
 
 vv. 1-3.] JOSHUA, XX. 179 
 
 i 6. The Divine Command respecting the Cities of Refiige. 
 
 The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying, Speak to the 20 
 children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, a 
 whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses : that the 3 
 slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may 
 flee thither : and they shall be your refuge from the avenger 
 
 CH. XX. 1 6. THE DIVINE COMMAND RESPECTING THE CITIES 
 OF REFUGE. 
 
 1. The Lord also spake unto Joshua] As soon as the Tribes had 
 received the portion of their inheritance, the Lord directed that Joshua 
 should carry out the injunctions which Moses had left respecting the 
 Cities of Refuge for the accidental homicide. 
 
 2. cities of refuge] "The cityes of fugityues," Wyclif. Prior to the 
 Mosaic age, it was required of the nearest of kin, as a matter of duty, to 
 avenge the death of a slain relative. He was called the Gael or Avenger, 
 and together with his office inherited the property of the deceased. 
 Sometimes a whole family took upon them this duty (2 Sam. xiv. 7). 
 Among the Arab tribes of the present day, "any bloodshed whatever, 
 whether wilful or accidental, laid the homicide open to the duteous 
 revenge of the relatives and family of the slain person, who again in 
 their turn were then similarly watched and hunted by the opposite 
 party, until a family war of extermination had legally settled itself from 
 generation to generation, without the least prospect of a peaceful termi- 
 nation." It was the aim of the Mosaic Law, without altogether abo- 
 lishing this long-established custom, to mitigate its evils as far as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 whereof I spake unto yoii\ The general directions on this subject will 
 be found in (a) Exod. xxi. 13; (b) Num. xxxv. 9 ff.; (c) Deut.xix. 2. The 
 reference to them here is one of the numerous instances in which the 
 book of Joshua presupposes the existence of the Pentateuch. 
 
 3. That the slayer that killeth any person unawares} In accordance 
 with these regulations a wide distinction was made between the man 
 who committed wilful murder, and one who slew another by mistake, 
 in ignorance, and unintentionally, (a) In the former case the guilty 
 criminal met with no compassion from the Mosaic Code. He was 
 regarded as accursed. The horns of the altar were to be no refuge for 
 him. He was to be dragged from them by force to suffer his doom, nor 
 could rank or wealth exempt him from it (Num. xxxv. 31, 32). (i>) In 
 the latter case, where life had been taken unawares, a more merciful 
 system of legislation intervened. In contradistinction to the customs of 
 the Greeks and Romans and even of the Middle Ages, which made 
 places of sanctuary available to criminals of every kind, the Jewish Law- 
 giver reserved them for unintentional acts of murder, and for these alone. 
 The distinguishing marks of such acts are clearly laid down in Num. 
 xxxv. 25 34; Deut. xix. 4 6. 
 
 from the avenger of blood] "that he moue ascaap the wrath of the 
 
 12 2
 
 180 JOSHUA, XX. [vv. 46. 
 
 of blood. And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities 
 shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall 
 declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they 
 shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, 
 
 s that he may dwell among them. And if the avenger of 
 blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer 
 up into his hand ; because he smote his neighbour unwit- 
 
 e tingly, and hated him not beforetime. And he shall dwell 
 in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judg- 
 ment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in 
 those days : then shall the slayer return, and come unto his 
 
 neijboure, that is wreker of the blood," Wyclif. The involuntary shed- 
 der of blood was permitted to take flight to a city of refuge. 
 
 4. shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city} not i. e. outside 
 the gate of the city, but in the forum, or public place of judgment. 
 Comp. Ruth iv i, 2. 
 
 in the ears of the elders of that city] Before the fugitive could avail 
 himself of the shelter conceded by the laws, he was to undergo a solemn 
 trial, and make it appear to the satisfaction of the magistrates of the 
 place ("the aldren of the citie," Wyclif), where the homicide was com- 
 mitted, that it was purely accidental. 
 
 and give him aplace\ If he succeeded in so doing, the elders were to 
 "give him a place," i. e. receive him into the protection of the city, and 
 permit him to reside there. 
 
 5. And if the avenger of blood pursue] " And when the blood wreker 
 him pursue," Wyclif. The steps are now prescribed which were to be 
 taken, in the event of the Avenger of Blood pursuing the homicide. He 
 was not to be delivered up into his hands, but kept securely. 
 
 6. until the death of the high priest\ "To the tyme that the great 
 priest dye," Wyclif. The protection granted was provisional, until the 
 manslayer and the pursuer could be duly heard by the assembly of the 
 elders of the city where the occurrence took place, and the guilt or 
 innocence of the former established. In the latter case the homicide 
 was safely lodged in the City of Refuge until the death of the anointed 
 High priest (Num. xxxv. 25). 
 
 then shall the slayer return] The death of the ruling High priest, 
 "the head of the theocracy and representative of the whole people," 
 was regarded as of such importance that any other death was, so to 
 speak, forgotten in consequence, and an amnesty ensued during which 
 the manslayer was at liberty to return to his home. Thus as on the 
 one hand by disallowing compensation by money in the case of wilful 
 murder, the Jewish Law shewed a just regard for human life, and put 
 the poor on the same footing as the rich, so on the other "the asylum 
 afforded by Moses displayed the same benign regard for human life in 
 respect of the homicide himself. Had no obstacle been put in the 
 way of the Goel, instant death would have awaited any one who had the
 
 v. 7. JOSHUA, XX. 181 
 
 own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence 
 he fled. 
 
 7 9. The Selection of the Cities of Refuge. 
 
 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naph- 7 
 tali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, 
 
 misfortune to occasion the death of another. By his wise arrangements, 
 however, Moses interposed a seasonable delay, and enabled the man- 
 slayer to appeal to the laws and justice of his country. Momentary 
 wrath could hardly execute its fell purposes, and a suitable refuge was 
 provided for the guiltless and unfortunate." Kitto's Biblical Cyclope- 
 dia, I. p. 527. 
 
 7 9. THE SELECTION OF THE CITIES OF REFUGE. 
 
 7. And they appointed} Rather, they sanctified, set apart for a 
 sacred purpose. The Cities of Refuge were intended to preserve the 
 People and the Land of Jehovah from blood-guiltiness. Hence the 
 appointment to so high a purpose carried with it also the idea of solemn 
 consecration. " They seuerden," Wyclif translates it in the first edition, 
 "thei ordeyneden" in the later edition. The cities selected were three 
 on either side of the Jordan, almost equally remote from each other, 
 
 (a) On the West. (b} On the East. 
 
 I. Kedesh, in Naphtali. I. Golan, in Bashan. 
 
 i. Sh^hem, in Mount Ephraim. 2. Ramoth-Gilead, in Gad. 
 
 3. Hebron, in Judah. 3. Btzer, in Reuben. 
 
 It requires only to look at the map to see how wisely these spots were 
 marked out, so as to make a " City of Refuge" easy of access from all 
 parts of the land. They were chosen, it will be observed, out of the 
 priestly and Levitical cities, as likely to be inhabited by the most intel- 
 ligent part of the community. According to Maimonides, all the forty- 
 eight Levitical cities (enumerated in the next Chapter) had the privilege 
 of asylum, but these six cities were required to receive and lodge the 
 homicide gratuitously. 
 
 Kedesh\ was the most northerly city on the West. See above, 
 xii. 22. 
 
 in Galilee] In that part of the province afterwards called "Galilee." 
 This name which in the Roman age was applied to a large province, 
 seems to have been originally confined to a little "circuit" or ''region" 
 Galil, Galilah, Galilcza round Kedesh-Naphtali, in which were 
 situated the twenty towns given by Solomon to Hiram, king of Tyre, as 
 payment for the transportation of timber from Lebanon to Jerusalem 
 (i Kings ix. it). 
 
 Shechem} was the central city on the west of the Jordan ; see above, 
 ch. viii. 30 ; and ch. xvii. 7 ; in Mount Ephraim. See above, ch, 
 xvii. 15.
 
 1 82 JOSHUA, XX. [w. 8, 9. 
 
 8 which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah. And on the other 
 side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the 
 wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and 
 Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in 
 
 9 Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. These were the cities 
 appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger 
 that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any 
 
 Kirjath-arba, -which is Hebron'] The most southerly of the selected 
 cities on the west; see above, ch. x. 3, xiv. 15. 
 
 in the mountain of Judah\ On this mountain-district, see above, 
 ch. xi; 21. 
 
 8. Bezer] was the most southerly of the cities chosen on the east 
 of the Jordan. It was in the same latitude as Jericho. 
 
 in the wilderness upon the plain] On or near the upland "downs" of 
 Reuben, probably not far from Heshbon. With the other two cities on 
 the east of Jordan Bezer had been selected by Moses for this purpose at 
 the time of the conquest of Gilead and Bashan (Deut. iv. 43). 
 
 Ramoth in Gilead] is called Ramath-mizpeh in ch. xiii. 26. This 
 town ( = (/ie heights of Gilead) was one of the great fortresses on the 
 east of Jordan, and commanded the region of Argob and the towns of 
 Jair (see above, ch. xiii. 26). It is probable also it was the spot where 
 Jacob made his covenant with Laban (Gen.xxxi. 43 53). For subsequent 
 notices of it see (a) i Kings iv. 13; (b) i Kings xv. 17 22; (c) 2 Kings 
 ix. 14. 
 
 Golan in Bashan] was the most, northerly city chosen on the east 
 of the Jordan (Deut. iv. 43). Its very site is now unknown, though 
 once a place of great power and influence, which gave its name to 
 a province, Gaulanitis} east of Galilee, the modern Jauldn. The 
 district was once densely populated, but is now almost completely de- 
 serted. 
 
 9. These -were the cities appointed] "Civitates constitutse," Vulgate. 
 "The citees ordeyned," Wyclif. 
 
 for the stranger that sojourneth] "And to comlyngis that dwellen 
 among hern ;" Wyclif. Observe that the Mosaic Law applied its mer- 
 ciful provisions not only to the members of the Elect Nation, as though 
 they were a sacred "caste," but to the "stranger" also that sojourned 
 among them. The existence of such a class of "naturalized foreigners" 
 in Israel is easily accounted for : 
 
 (a) The '''mixed multitude" that came out of Egypt (Exod. xii. 38) 
 
 formed one element; 
 
 (b} The remains of the Canaanites never wholly extirpated formed 
 a second ; 
 
 (c) Captives taken in war formed a third ; 
 
 (d) fugitives, hired servants, merchants formed a fourth. The census 
 of these in Solomon's time gave a return of 153,600 males (2 Chron. 
 ii. 17), which was nearly equal to about a tenth of the whole popu- 
 lation.
 
 v. i.] JOSHUA, XXI. 183 
 
 person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the 
 hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the 
 congregation. 
 
 I 3. The Demand of the Levites. 
 
 Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites 21 
 unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, 
 
 that -whosoever killeth any person} Jewish commentators tell us how 
 in later times, in order that the asylum offered to the involuntary homi- 
 cide might be more secure, (a) the roads leading to the Cities of Refuge 
 were always kept in thorough repair, and required to be at least 32 
 cubits broad; (b) all obstructions were removed that might stay the 
 flier's foot or hinder his speed ; (c) no hillock was left, no river was 
 allowed over which there was not a bridge ; (d) at every turning there 
 were posts erected bearing the words "Refuge," "Refuge" to guide 
 the unhappy man in his flight ; (e) when once settled in such a city 
 the manslayer had a convenient habitation assigned to him, and the 
 citizens were to teach him some trade in order that he might support 
 himself. See Kitto's Biblical Cyclopaedia, I. p. 527. 
 
 CH. XXI. 13. THE DEMAND OF THE LEVITES.. 
 
 1. Then came near the heads of the fatJiers of the Levites] " The 
 princes of the meynees of Leuy," Wyclif. All the descendants of Jacob 
 had now been provided for save the sons of Levi. The dying patriarch 
 had spoken solemnly and sadly of this tribe, as also of that named .after 
 his second son (Gen. xlix. 5 7), 
 
 " Simeon and Levi are brethren; 
 
 Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations 
 
 I will divide them in Jacob, 
 And scatter them in Israel." 
 
 Like other prophecies and promises of Scripture, his words were 
 destined to be moulded and modified by subsequent events. How 
 they were fulfilled in the history of Simeon we have already seen. 
 But though they were still more literally fulfilled in the case of the 
 children of Levi, "the curse was with them turned into a blessing." 
 Their zeal and fidelity were put to the proof and not found wanting on 
 the occasion of the terrible apostasy at Horeb (Exod. xxxii. 25 29), 
 and although they were still destined to be "divided in Jacob," it was 
 as the successors of the earlier priesthood of the first-born and represen- 
 tatives of the holiness of the people. ' ' As the Tabernacle was the 
 outward and visible sign of the presence among the people of their in- 
 visible King, so the Levites were to be, among the other tribes of Israel, 
 as the royal body-guard that waited exclusively on Him" (Num. i. 
 
 4754. "i- SI3). 
 
 unto Eleazar the priest} The duties they had already discharged 
 during the wanderings in the wilderness could not fail to be much
 
 1 84 JOSHUA, XXI. [w. 24. 
 
 and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children 
 
 of Israel ; and they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of 
 
 Canaan, saying, The LORD commanded by the hand of 
 
 Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof 
 
 3 for our cattle. And the children of Israel gave unto the 
 Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the 
 LORD, these cities and their suburbs. 
 
 4 8. General Description of the Levitical Cities. 
 
 4 And the lot came out for the families of the Kohath- 
 ites: and the children of Aaron the priest, which were 
 of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, 
 and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of 
 
 modified by the settlement in the Promised Land and the establishment 
 of the Tabernacle in a fixed locality. They themselves now needed a 
 fixed abode, and the heads of the tribe, therefore, approached the High 
 Priest and the distributors of the land, and requested that adequate 
 provision might be made for their requirements. 
 
 2. The Lord commanded] They reminded them of the command of 
 Jehovah respecting themselves, which is found in Num. xxxv., and 
 where directions had been given that 48 cities (Num. xxxv. 6, 7), with 
 outlying suburbs of meadow-land for the pasturage of their flocks and 
 herds, should be assigned them. 
 
 3. And the children of Israel gave] The successor of Moses did not 
 fail to carry out faithfully the Divine Command, and preparations were 
 made for assigning to them certain cities for their possession. 
 
 out of their inheritance] " Distinctness and diffusion" were the great 
 points to be attained in their case, and therefore out of the inheritance 
 of their brethren provision was made for them in such a way that, as 
 during the wanderings they had guarded the Tabernacle of Jehovah, so 
 now they should be "scattered" as widely as possible in Israel, to bear 
 witness that the people still owed allegiance to Him. 
 
 4 8. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE LEVITICAL CITIES. 
 
 4. the lot came out] As in the case of the inheritance of the other 
 tribes, so in the apportioning of their cities to the Levites, recourse was 
 had to the sacred lot. " It had probably been decided beforehand what 
 cities each tribe was to give up, and therefore it only now remained for 
 the lot to determine to which branch of the Levites each city should be 
 given." 
 
 the families of the Kohathites] The Levites were divided into three 
 families, (a) the Gershonites, (b) the fCohathites, (c) the Merarites, so 
 named after the three sons of Levi (Gen. xlvi. n). The family-tree 
 stood as follows :
 
 w. 57.] JOSHUA, XXI. 185 
 
 Benjamin, thirteen cities. And the rest of the children of s 
 Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of 
 Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half 
 tribe of Manasseh, ten cities. And the children of Gershon 6 
 had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and 
 out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, 
 and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen 
 cities. The children of Merari by their families had out of ? 
 
 Levl. 
 
 i 
 
 r^ 1 
 
 i. Gershon. 2. Kohath. 3. Merari. 
 
 r , _L_ _ n , 
 
 r. Amram. 2. Izhar. 3. Hebron. 4. Uzziel. 
 
 i ' 1 
 
 i. Aaron. 2. Moses. 
 
 The Kohathites held the first rank, as being the family to which Aaron 
 belonged, and while the priesthood was confined to the house of Aaron, 
 the posterity of Moses were reckoned as Levites, on an equality with 
 the rest of the descendants of Levi (Num. iii. ; i Chron. vi. 48, 49). 
 It had been the duty of the Kohathites, during the wanderings, on the 
 removal of the Tabernacle, to bear all the sacred vessels, including the 
 Ark itself, the table of shewbread, the seven-branched candlestick, the 
 altars of incense and of burnt-offering (Num. iii. 31, iv. 6, 9, 15; 
 Deut. xxxi. 25). 
 
 and the children of Aaron the priest'] As the first lot was drawn by 
 the Kohathites, so again the first of theirs fell to the Aaronites or 
 priests. 
 
 out of the tribe of Judah~\ To the priests of the line of Aaron 
 thirteen cities were assigned out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and 
 Benjamin. 
 
 5. And the rest of the children of Kohath~\ i.e. those who sprang 
 from Moses, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, and formed the non-priestly 
 portion, shared ten cities in the land of Ephraim, Dan, and half 
 Manasseh west of the Jordan. 
 
 6. And the children of Gershon} The eldest of the three sons of 
 Levi during the march through the wilderness had been stationed 
 behind the Tabernacle, on the west side (Num. iii. 23). It had been 
 their duty to take charge of the tapestry of the Tabernacle, all its cur- 
 tains, hangings, and coverings, the pillars of the hangings, and the 
 implements used in connection therewith (Num. iii. 21 26, iv. 
 2228). 
 
 had by lof\ Thirteen cities out of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, 
 Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan. 
 
 7. The children of Merari} The descendants of the third son of 
 I evi, had been stationed during the encampment to the north of the 
 Tabernacle, being placed together with the Gershonites "under the
 
 1 86 JOSHUA, XXI. fvv. 813. 
 
 the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out 
 s of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. And the children of 
 Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their 
 suburbs, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses. 
 
 9 19. The Cities of the Descendants of Aaron. 
 
 9 And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, 
 and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities 
 
 10 which are here mentioned by name, which the children of 
 Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the 
 
 11 children of Levi, had : for theirs was the first lot. And they 
 gave them the city of Arbah the father of Anak, which city 
 is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs 
 
 12 thereof round about it. But the fields of the city, and the 
 villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh 
 
 13 for his possession. Thus they gave to the children of 
 Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, to be a city of 
 
 hand" of Ithamar " the son of Aaron." They had been entrusted with 
 the heavier portions of the Tabernacle furniture, such as the boards, 
 pillars, and bars, and therefore had been permitted together with the 
 Gershonites to use the oxen and waggons contributed by the congrega- 
 tion, while the Kohathites were only supposed to remove the sacred 
 vessels on their shoulders (Num. vii. i 9). 
 
 had out of the tribe of Reuben] They received twelve cities from the 
 tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 
 
 9 19. THE CITIES OF THE DESCENDANTS OF AARON. 
 
 9. And they gave] We have now first a list of the cities of tJie 
 priests of the line of Aaron. 
 
 out of the tribe of the children of JudaK] The list now given divides 
 itself into two parts : 
 
 (a) The nine cities which the sons of Aaron received in the country 
 of Simeon and Judah (verses 9 16) ; 
 
 (b) The four cities which they received in the country of Benjamin 
 (verses 17 19). 
 
 11. the city of ArbaK] See above, xv. 13. 
 which city is Hebron] See above, xv. 13. 
 
 12. But the fields of the city] of Hebron and its villages, i. e. the 
 arable land had been already assigned to Caleb (see above ch. xiv. 13). 
 Whence we may conclude "that the Levites only received as many 
 houses in the cities assigned them, as their numerical strength required, 
 and that it was these which remained in their hands as an inalienable 
 possession." See Keil's Commentary.
 
 v. 14 23-1 JOSHUA, XXI. 187 
 
 refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with her suburbs, and 14 
 Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her suburbs, and 15 
 Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her suburbs, and 16 
 Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, and 
 Beth-shemesh with her suburbs ; nine cities out of those two 
 tribes. And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her 17 
 suburbs, Geba with her suburbs, Anathoth with her suburbs, 18 
 and Almon with her suburbs ; four cities. All the cities of 19 
 the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with 
 their suburbs. 
 
 20 26. Cities of the rest of the Kohathites. 
 
 And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites 20 
 which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had 
 the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim. For they 2I 
 gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, to 
 be a city of refuge for the slayer ; and Gezer with her suburbs, 
 and Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Beth-horon with her 2 a 
 suburbs ; four cities. And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh 23 
 
 13. LibnaK] See above ch. x. 29 ;. Jattir, see xv. 48 ; Eshtemoa, 
 see xv. 50. 
 
 15. Holon] See ch. xv. 51; I Chron. vi. 58. 
 )fbir\ See ch. xv. 15, 49. 
 
 16. Ain, see xv. 32, xix. 7; Juttah, xv. 55; Beth-shemesh, xv. 10. 
 
 17. Gibeon} See ch. ix. 3 ; Geba, xviii. 24. 
 
 18. AnathoiK\ lay on or near the great road from the north to 
 Jerusalem. Its modern name is Andta, on a broad ridge i hours 
 N. N.E. of the Holy City, (a) Hither Abiathar was banished by Solomon, 
 after the failure of his attempt to raise Adonijah to the throne (i Kings 
 ii. 26); (b) here Jeremiah the prophet was born (Jer. i. i, xL 21 23, 
 xxix. 27, xxxii. 7, 8, 9). 
 
 Almon} or Alemeth, according to the parallel list in i Chron. vi. 60 ; 
 now 'Almit or Almuta, about a mile N.E. of Anathoth. 
 
 2026. CITIES OF THE REST Of THE KOHATHITES. 
 
 20. And the families of the children of Kohath~\ i. e. those who were 
 not of the priestly order, received 
 
 (a) Four cities in Ephraim, 
 
 (l>) Four in Dan, 
 
 (c) Two in Western Manasseh. 
 
 21. Shechem] See above xvii. 7, xx. 7; Gezer, see x. 33. 
 
 22. Kibzaim probably to Jokmeam (i Chron. vi. 68); Beth-horon t 
 see ch. x. 10. 
 
 23. EltekeK] See ch. xix. 44 ; Gibbethon, ch. xix. 44.
 
 i88 JOSHUA, XXI. [vv. 2433. 
 
 24 with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs, Aijalon with 
 her suburbs, Gath-rimmon with her suburbs; four cities. 
 
 25 And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her 
 suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with her suburbs ; two cities. 
 
 26 All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of 
 the children of Kohath that remained. 
 
 2 7 33- The Cities of the Gershonites. 
 
 27 And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the 
 Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave 
 Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for 
 the slayer; and Beeshterah with her suburbs; two cities. 
 
 28 And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, 
 
 29 Dabareh with her suburbs, Jarmuth with her suburbs, En- 
 
 30 gannim with her suburbs ; four cities. And out of the tribe 
 of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs, 
 
 31 Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs ; 
 
 32 four cities. And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in 
 Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; 
 and Hammoth-dor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her 
 
 33 suburbs; three cities. All the cities of the Gershonites ac- 
 cording to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs. 
 
 24. Aijalon\ See x. 12; Gath-rimmon, see xix. 45. 
 
 25. TanacK\ See ch. xii. 21; GatkrrimmtfL,*at Bileam (i Chron. 
 vi. "jQ]Ibleam, see above, ch. xvii.-u. 
 
 27 33. THE CITIES OF THE GERSHONITES. 
 
 27. And unto the children of Gershon] were assigned thirteen cities, 
 
 (a) Two in Eastern Manasseh, 
 
 (b) Four in Issachar, 
 
 (c) Four in Asher, 
 
 (d) Three in Naphtali. 
 
 Golan in Bashan] See ch. xx. 8 ; 'Beesh-terdh or Beeshterah, without 
 any division of the syllables. The name is a contraction of Beth- 
 Ashterah the house of Ashterah, or Ashtaroth, a city of Og; see ch. xii. 
 4, and i Chron. vi. 71. 
 
 28. Kishon~\-=\h& Kishion of ch. xix. 10; Dabareh, see xix. 12. 
 
 29. Jarmuth~\ Called Remeth in Josh. xix. 21 ; Ramoth in I Chron. 
 vi. 73; En-gannim, see xix. 21. 
 
 30. Mishal} See ch. xix. 26 (Heb.) ; ,4 && = Hebron, xix. 28. 
 
 31. Helkath\ ch. xix. 25 ; comp. i Chron. vi. 75 ; Rehob, xix. 28. 
 
 32. Kedesh in Galilee] See ch. xix. 37 ; Hammoih-dor, xix. 35 ; 
 Kartan Rakkath, ch. xix. 35, and written Kirjathaim, i Chron. vi. 76.
 
 w. 3441-1 JOSHUA, XXI. 189 
 
 34 42. The Cities of the Merarites. 
 
 And unto the families of the children of Merari, the rest of 34 
 the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her 
 suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs, Dimnah with her sub- 35 
 urbs, Nahalal with her suburbs; four cities. And out of the & 
 tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with 
 her suburbs, Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with 37 
 her suburbs; four cities. And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth 38 
 in Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; 
 and Mahanaim with her suburbs, Heshbon with her suburbs, 39 
 Jazer with her suburbs ; four cities in all. So all the cities 40 
 for the children of Merari by their families, which were . 
 remaining of the families of the Levites, were by their lot 
 twelve cities. All the cities of the Levites within the pos- 41 
 
 34 42. THE CITIES OF THE MERARITES. 
 
 34. And iin to the families of the children of Merari\ were assigned 
 twelve cities, viz., 
 
 (a) Four in Zebulun, 
 
 (b) Four in Reuben, 
 (f) Four in Cad. 
 
 jfokneani} See xix. 1 1 ; Kartah and Dimnah unknown. 
 
 35. Nahalal\ See ch. xix. 15 (Heb.). 
 
 36. Bezer\ See ch. xx. 8; Jahazah, ch. xiii. 18 (Heb.). 
 
 37. Kedemoth\ xiii. 18; Mephaath, see ch. xiii. 18. 
 
 38. Ramoth in Gilead] See ch. xx. 8; Mahanaim, ch. xiii. 16. 
 
 39. Heshbon} ch. xiii. 17; Jazer, see ch. xiii. 25. 
 
 41. All the cities of the Levites... -were forty and eight cities] As will 
 be clear from the following table : 
 
 , (a) Priests |J^ah and Simeon =9 
 
 (Benjamin 4 
 
 i. EohatMtes \ (Ephraim =4 
 
 [ (b) Not priestt\D*a = 4 
 
 (Half Manasseh (West) = 2 
 
 !Half Manasseh (East) 2 
 
 Issachar - 4 
 
 Asher = 4 
 
 Naphtali = 3 
 
 / Zebulun = 4 
 
 iii. Merarites ........................ J Reuben =4 
 
 (Gad = 4 
 
 43
 
 JOSHUA, XXI. [vv. 42-45. 
 
 session of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities 
 
 42 with their suburbs. These cities were every one with their 
 suburbs round about them : thus were all these cities. 
 
 43 46. Conclusion. 
 
 43 And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he 
 sware to give unto their fathers ; and they possessed it, and 
 
 44 dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, 
 according to all that he sware unto their fathers : and there 
 stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD 
 
 45 delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed 
 
 43 46. CONCLUSION. 
 
 43. And~\ These verses conclude the history of the division of the 
 land, and connect the two halves of the Book (a) chapter i. xii. ; 
 () chapter xiii. xxi. 
 
 the Lord gave unto Israel] By the distribution of the land amongst the 
 tribes, the promise which Joshua had received after the death of Moses 
 (Josh. i. 2) had been fulfilled, as also that which centuries before he 
 had made to Abraham the ancestor of the Elect Nation (see Gen. xii. 7, 
 xv. 1 8). 
 
 and they possessed it, and dwelt therein] Compare the same expression 
 in ch. xix. 47. 
 
 44. And the Lord gave them rest] Moreover He gave them rest round 
 about, in accordance with His promise to their forefathers. Comp. 
 (a) Exod. xxxiii. 14, "And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and 
 2 will give thee rest." (b) Deut. iii. 20, "Until the Lord have given rest 
 unto your brethren." (c) Deut. xxv. 19, "When the Lord thy God 
 hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land 
 which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance." 
 
 there stood not a man] "Noone of the Enemyes is hardi to withstoond 
 hem," Wyclif. For even though the Canaanites were not all extermi- 
 nated, yet those who remained did not venture upon an attack on the 
 Israelites so long as they remained loyal and steadfast to their invisible 
 King, and as long as Joshua and his contemporaries lived. "It was no 
 part of the Divine purpose that the native population should be annihi- 
 lated suddenly (Exod. xxiii. 29; Deut. vii. 22) ; but they were delivered 
 into the hand of Israel, and their complete dispossession could have 
 been effected at any time by the Divine aid which was never wanting 
 when sought. " 
 
 the Lord delivered all their enemies'] See above ch. ii. 24. Hence, 
 though Israel after the death of Joshua became slothful in the work, and 
 never obtained complete possession of the land, never, e.g. conquered 
 Tyre and Sidon, still this was no breach of the Divine promise, for 
 its complete fulfilment depended upon Israel's fidelity.
 
 vv . !_4.J JOSHUA, XXL XXII. 191 
 
 not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken 
 unto the house of Israel ; all came to pass. 
 
 i 8. Joshua's Farewell Address to the two Tribes and 
 a Half. 
 
 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, 22 
 and the half tribe of Manasseh, and said unto them, Ye 
 have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD com- 
 manded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I com- 
 manded you : ye have not left your brethren these many 3 
 days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the com- 
 mandment of the LORD your God. And now the LORD 4 
 your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised 
 them : therefore now return ye, and get ye unto your tents, 
 and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the ser- 
 
 46. There failed not] Comp. ch. xxiii. 14, 15. None of the 
 gracious promises of God to Israel remained '.unfulfilled. 
 
 any good thing\ Or, aught of all the good word = the sum of the 
 reiterated assurances which God had made to the nation. Of these the 
 possession of the land of Canaan was regarded as the essence and central 
 poipt, because this possession was to be for Israel the foundation of all 
 further blessings, the pledge of the continued fulfilment of the rest of the 
 promises of God. See Keil's Commentary. 
 
 CH. XXII. 18. JOSHUA'S FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE TWO 
 TRIBES AND A HALF. 
 
 1. Then Joshua] The author of the section from chapters xiii. 
 xxi. having given his account, marked with truth and accuracy, of the 
 division of the land, the appointment of the Cities of Refuge and the 
 Levitical cities, describes in the three following chapters, which close the 
 book, (a) the release of the two tribes and a half to their homes beyond 
 the Jordan ; (i>) their return, and erection of an altar on the Jordan ; 
 (c) the embassy from Israel on account of this altar ; (d) the apology of 
 the eastern tribes and return of the embassy ; (e) Joshua's last discourses 
 to the people; (/) his death; and (g) the death of Eleazar. 
 
 called the Reubenites} This took place not immediately after the close 
 of the war, but after the completion of the division of the land and the 
 appointment of the Levitical cities, in which the Trans-Jordanic tribes 
 had as much interest as the other tribes. 
 
 2. all that Moses] See (a) Num. xxxii. 20 22; (b) Deut. iii. 18 20; 
 (c) Josh. i. 12 17. 
 
 3. the charge of the commandment] They had kept their obligations 
 to Moses, to Joshua, and to Jehovah. 
 
 4. hath given rest] Comp. ch. xxi. 44, xxiii. r. 
 which Moses] See ch. xiii. 8.
 
 193 JOSHUA, XXII. [vv. 59. 
 
 s vant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan. But 
 take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, 
 which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love 
 the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to 
 keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to 
 
 6 serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. So 
 Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went 
 
 7 unto their tents. Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh 
 Moses had given possession in Bashan : but unto the other 
 half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side 
 Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also 
 
 s unto their tents, then he blessed them, and he spake unto 
 them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and 
 with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with 
 brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment : divide 
 the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. 
 
 9, 10. Return of the Tribes. Erection of an Altar on the 
 Jordan. 
 
 9 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and 
 the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the 
 children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of 
 Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their 
 
 5. But take diligent heed} "Se onli that 36 kepen attentifly." 
 Wyclif. In their natural isolation in their eastern homes from their 
 brethren of the west, it was above all things necessary that they should 
 remember Him from whom their success and prosperity had proceeded. 
 Comp. the counsels of Moses, Deut. vi. 6, 17, xi. 22. 
 
 6. So Joshua blessed theni\ Comp. (a) the blessing of the workers 
 of the Tabernacle (Exod. xxxix. 43), and (b) the blessing of Caleb by 
 Joshua (Josh. xiv. 13). 
 
 7. Now to the one half} The repetition here of what has been 
 already described more fully (Josh. xvii. 5, &c.), may seem to us 
 superfluous. But "it agrees with the fulness, abundant in repetitions, 
 of the ancient Hebrew style of narrative." Keil. "A modern author 
 will refer his readers to what he has stated elsewhere. The Jewish 
 historian scarcely ever quotes or reminds, but repeats so much as may 
 be necessary to make his account of the transaction in hand fully 
 intelligible by itself." The Speaker's Commentary, in loc. 
 
 8. with your brethren} i.e. with the members of the tribes who had 
 remained on the east side of the Jordan, to whom, according to Num. 
 xxxi. 27, one half belonged.
 
 v. io.] JOSHUA, XXII. 193 
 
 possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the 
 word of the LORD by the hand of Moses. And when they i 
 came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of 
 Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad 
 and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by 
 Jordan, a great altar to see to. 
 
 9, 10. RETURN OF THE TRIBES. ERECTION OF AN ALTAR ON 
 THE JORDAN. 
 
 9. out of ShiloK\ where the division of the land had been carried out. 
 See Josh, xviii. i. 
 
 which is in the land of Canaan] Only the country west of the Jordan 
 is regarded as the Land of Canaan. That on the east of the river is 
 simply called here Gilead (comp. Num. xxxii. i, 28, 29), although it 
 embraced Gilead and Bashan, the kingdoms of Sihon and Og. 
 
 10. unto the borders of Jordan] More literally, the circles of the 
 Jordan. Comp. Josh. xiii. 2, "the borders (or circles) of the Philis- 
 tines;" Joel iii. 4, "all the coasts (or circles) or Palestine;" Matt. iii. 5; 
 "the region round about Jordan." The region indicated is a portion of 
 what is now called the Ghor of the Jordan, the low tract or plain along 
 the river, through which it flows. Wyclif renders it, " whanne thei 
 weren comen to the mynde hyllis of Jordan." 
 
 that are in the land of Canaan] That is on the west side of "the 
 Ghor." They desired to anticipate any assertion that the Jordan con- 
 stituted in itself a barrier between them and their western brethren and 
 the Sanctuary of God at Shiloh. 
 
 a great altar to see to] i.e. an altar great to behold ; so high and wide 
 that it would be seen from a great distance. " An auter of mychilnes 
 with out mesure," Wyclif. The site of this interesting memorial has 
 been lately discovered by the officers of the Survey of Palestine. It is 
 an almost inaccessible mountain, except from the north, where the 
 ascent is called Tafat abn 'Ayd " the going up to Ed." It projects 
 like a white bastion towards the river, some twenty miles north of 
 Jericho, and close to the line of march from Shiloh to Gilead, and 
 on its summit are the remains of a huge monument of masonry, bearing 
 traces of fire on its upper surface. It is mentioned in the Jewish 
 Talmud under the name of Surtabeh, and is said to have been a 
 beacon station. 
 
 Mentioned only once in the Bible, this altar, erected by the two and 
 a half tribes on their return from Western Palestine as a "witness" that 
 they too were co-heirs with their brethren on the other side of the river, 
 had dropped entirely out of all hope of recovery. The place has now 
 been found by Lieut. Conder, its name still existing, on the high peak 
 known as Kurn Surtabeh, in the valley of the Jordan. Independently 
 of the special interest attaching to the spot, this recovery illustrates 
 remarkably the vitality of the old Biblical names. (Quarterly State- 
 ment, 1874, p. 241.) 
 
 to see to] = lo behold. "P'aire to see to, goodlie to behold." AJ 
 JOSHUA 1
 
 194 JOSHUA, XXII. [w. 11-13. 
 
 1 1 20. Embassy from Israel to the Two and a Half Tribes. 
 
 11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the chil- 
 dren of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe 
 of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of 
 Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the chil- 
 
 12 dren of Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, 
 the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered 
 themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them. 
 
 13 And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, 
 
 aspectum prseclarus. Baret, Alrenrie, s. v: "If such rank corne be 
 once cut down with the syth... certain it is that the grain in the ear will 
 be longer to see to, howbeit void and without any floure within it." 
 Holland's Pliny, XVIII. 17; Bible Word-Book, p. 425 ; 
 
 "Care and utmost shifts, 
 How to secure the lady from surprisal, 
 Brought to my mind a certain shepherd lad 
 Of small regard to see to." Milton's Comus, 618. 
 
 11 20. EMBASSY FROM ISRAEL TO THE Two AND A HALF TRIBES. 
 
 11. heard] News of the step taken by the trans- Jordan ic tribes so 
 suddenly and without any consultation, reached the ears of their 
 brethren, and gave rise to "great searchings of heart." 
 
 in the borders} i.e. the circles of Jordan, as in verse lo. 
 at the passage of the children of Israel} More literally, by the side of 
 the sons of Israel. Comp. Exod. xxv. 37, xxxii. 15. 
 
 12. gathered themselves together} The act of their trans-Jordanic 
 brethren, done without any authority of the High Priest, appeared at 
 first sight to be a direct infringement of the express commands against 
 another altar and other worship (Lev. xvii. 8, 9; Dent. xii. 5 7, 
 xiii. i2 1 8). It was open to the suspicion that they meant, if not to adopt 
 another worship, at least to set up another and an independent establish- 
 ment for worship, which, besides the obvious tendency to idolatry, 
 could not fail in the event to destroy the connection by which the tribes 
 were linked together. "The obligation of all the Israelites to resort 
 three times in the year for worship to the sole altar of the people, was 
 admirably suited to retain them as one people by continually keeping 
 before their minds their common origin and common obligations ; but if a 
 separate establishment were allowed to exist there could be no difficulty in 
 divining that they would cease to put themselves to the trouble of visit- 
 ing the parent establishment in Canaan, and would, in no long time, 
 come to regard themselves, with a country so congenial to their pastoral 
 character and a geographical separation so complete, as a distinct 
 people."
 
 vv. 14 16.1 JOSHUA, XXII. 195 
 
 and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manas- 
 seh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the 
 priest, and with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince 14 
 throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was a head 
 of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel. 
 And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the is 
 children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto 
 the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying, Thus 16 
 saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is 
 this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to 
 turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have 
 builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against 
 
 13. And the children of Israel sent] The holy jealousy which in- 
 spired them did not induce them to proceed hastily, or without proper 
 enquiry. They resolved to send a deputation to ascertain the meaning 
 of what had been done. 
 
 Phinehas] In Hebrew Pinchas, in the Apocryphal Books Phinees, 
 was the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron (Exod. vi. 25). While 
 yet a youth he had been memorable for his zeal and energy at the 
 critical moment of the sin of Peor at Shittim, and appeased the Divine 
 wrath and put a stop to the plague which was destroying the nation 
 (Num. xxv. 7). For this he received the special approbation of 
 Jehovah, and the promise that the priesthood should remain in his 
 family for ever (Num. xxv. 10 13). This seems to have raised him 
 to a very high position in the nation, and he figures rather than his 
 father as the leading member of the hierarchy; (a) In the conflict 
 with Midian (Num. xxxi. 6), (b) in this dispute with the Reubenites, 
 (c) in the war with the Benjamites (Judg. xx. 28) he is the chief 
 oracle and adviser. The memory of the zealous priest was very dear to 
 the Jews. He is specially commemorated in one of the Psalms (cvi. 
 30, 31), and the priests who returned from the captivity are enrolled in 
 the official lists as the sons of Phinehas (Ezra viii. 2 ; i Esdr. v. 5). In 
 his Egyptian name he bore the last trace of the sojourn of the nation in 
 " the land of Ham." His tomb, a place of great resort to Jews and 
 Samaritans, is shewn at A-wertah, 4 miles south-east of Nablus. 
 
 14. ten princes] Representing the nine and a half tribes west of the 
 Jordan. 
 
 head of the house] Each of them was prince of a fathers' house 
 among the thousands of Israel. Comp. Judg. vi. 15; i Sam. x. 19, 21. 
 "They were thus persons of great weight of character and approved 
 discretion, entitled by their position to demand an explanation, and less 
 likely than younger men to have their judgments warped or compro- 
 mised by the hasty impulses of passion. " 
 
 16. that ye might rebel] See Num. xiv. 9 ; Lev. xvii. 8, 9 ; Deut. 
 xii. 13, 14. 
 
 132
 
 196 JOSHUA, XXII. [vv. 1722. 
 
 17 the LORD ? Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from 
 which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was 
 
 18 a plague in the congregation of the LORD, but that ye must 
 turn away this day from following the LORD ? and it will be, 
 seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he 
 
 19 will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel. Not- 
 withstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then 
 pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, 
 wherein the LORD'S tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession 
 among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against 
 us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD 
 
 20 our God. Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a tres- 
 pass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congre- 
 gation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his 
 iniquity. 
 
 21 31. Defence of the Two Tribes and a Half. 
 
 2t Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad 
 
 and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the 
 
 22 heads of the thousands of Israel, The LORD God of gods, 
 
 17. the iniquity of Peor] i. e. of Baal Peor. In four passages Peor 
 occurs as a contraction for Baal Peor, (a) Num. xxv. 18, twice ; (b) 
 xxxi. 16 ; and (c) in this place. He makes allusion to the apostasy in 
 the staying of which he himself had borne so memorable a part, and 
 many have suspected that there were still some amongst them who were 
 hankering after the licentious orgies of Baal worship. We shall find 
 Joshua himself alluding to the same propensity (Josh. xxiv. 14 -23). 
 
 although, there was a plague} Of which upwards of 24,000 of the 
 people died. 
 
 19. if the land of your possession be unclean] i. e. without an altar 
 to the Lord, and in the midst of many heathen dwelling amongst them. 
 
 the land of the possession of the Lord] the land of your possession. 
 Observe the antithesis. 
 
 20. Did not Achaji] Phinehas finally reminds the tribe of the recent 
 crime of Achan (Josh. vii. r ff.) which had involved in its consequences 
 not only the man himself, but his children, and the entire people (Josh. 
 vii. 15). 
 
 21 31. DEFENCE OF THE Two TRIBES AND A HALF. 
 
 21. Then the children of Re^lben] The two tribes and a half pro- 
 ceed to defend themselves and to shew that their object was in all 
 respects the very reverse of that imputed to them. 
 
 22. The Lord God of gods] Rather, The Lord, tbe God of gods; or, 
 the three names may be taken separately, cf. Ps. 1. i. They commence
 
 vv. 23 26.] JOSHUA, XXII. 197 
 
 the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall 
 know ; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the 
 LORD, (save us not this day,) that we have built us an altar 23 
 to turn from following the LORD; or if to offer thereon burnt 
 offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings there- 
 on, let the LORD himself require it; and if we have not 24 
 rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come 
 your children might speak unto our children, saying, What 
 have you to do with the LORD God of Israel? For the LORD 25 
 hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children 
 of Reuben and children of Gad ; ye have no part in the 
 LORD : so shall your children make our children cease from 
 fearing the LORD : therefore we said, Let us now prepare to 26 
 
 in the most solemn manner by invoking God Himself to witness as to 
 the innocence of their intentions. The form in which they do this is the 
 most emphatic that language can express. There are three principal 
 names of God in Hebrew, El, Elohim, Jehovah. Here all the three 
 are used together and repeated twice to mark the earnestness of their 
 protestation. "El, Elohim, Jehovah El, Elohim, Jehovah." "The 
 moost strong Lord God of Israel," Wyclif. He knoweth. The verse 
 is " invested with a mournful interest, for it is that on which Welsh, 
 the minister of the army of the Covenanters, preached before the battle 
 of Bothwell Bridge." Stanley's Lectures, I. 221. 
 
 if it be\ The particle rendered " if" is here used as the formula of 
 an oath. The apodosis follows at the close of ver. 23, "let the Lord 
 Himself require it." 
 
 save us not this day] " If bi inwit of trespassynge this auter we han 
 maad vp, keep he vs not, but punyshe now, " Wyclif. This is an impre- 
 cation addressed immediately to God. "A parenthetic clause in which 
 the excited feeling passionately invoking evil upon itself passes into the 
 appeal to the Most High." Comp. Deut. x. 17; Job x. 7, xxiii. 10. 
 The words are almost equivalent to our form "So help me God." 
 
 23. require it] Comp. Deut. xviii. 19, " And it shall come to pass, 
 that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak 
 in my name, I will require it of him'" i Sam. xx. 16, "So Jonathan 
 made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even 
 require it at the hand of David's enemies." 
 
 24. and if we have not] More literally, and if not rather from 
 anxiety, for a reason we have done this thing. The word rendered 
 "fear" is translated "care" in Ezek. iv. 16 ; "carefulness" Ezek. xii. 
 18, 19. 
 
 25. ye children of Reuben and children of Gad] The hah" tribe is 
 omitted here, and again in verses 33, 34. Perhaps for the sake of 
 brevity. 
 
 26. Let us now prepare to btdld] " Exstruamus nobis altare," Vul- 
 gate. "Make we out to vs an auter," Wyclif.
 
 198 JOSHUA, XXII. [w. 2731. 
 
 build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice: 
 2; but that it may 'be a witness between us, and you, and our 
 generations after us, that we might do the service of the 
 LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our 
 sacrifices, and with our peace offerings ; that your children 
 may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no 
 
 28 part in the LORD. Therefore said we, that it shall be, when 
 they should so say to us or to our generations in time to 
 come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the 
 altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt 
 offerings, nor for sacrifices ; but it is a witness between us 
 
 29 and you. God forbid that we should rebel against the 
 LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build 
 an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, 
 besides the altar of the LORD our God that is before his 
 tabernacle. 
 
 jo And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the 
 congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which 
 were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben 
 and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh 
 
 31 spake, it pleased them. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar 
 
 27. be a witness] Instead of meaning a separation, they had set up 
 their altar as a monument to future ages of the connection between the 
 tribes divided by the river, so that if, at any time to come, their descend- 
 ants should attempt to cast off the connection and assert their own 
 independence, or if the Israelites should hereafter attempt to disown 
 their union, and declare that the people beyond the river " had no part 
 in the Lord," this monument might be pointed to in evidence of the 
 fact. Observe the calmness maintained by the accused tribes. There 
 is no syllable of reproach or recrimination in their vindication of them- 
 selves. 
 
 28. Behold the pattern] Some have imagined that the altar set up 
 had an actual resemblance to the altar of burnt-offering at the Taber- 
 nacle. But this could hardly be. There may have been some general 
 resemblance in their structure, which was of earth heaped up and huge 
 stones. 
 
 it is a witness between us and you] Comp. Josh. iv. 6, 7 ; and Gen. 
 xxxi. 48. 
 
 29. God forbid] Literally. Far be it from us. LXX. fj.rj 76/017-0. 
 Wyclif translates it, "God shilde fro vs this hidous gilt." The speakers 
 express in the strongest manner their abhorrence of the idea of forsaking 
 Jehovah. 
 
 30. it pleased them] Or, it was good in their eyes. Comp. Gen.
 
 vv. 32 34.] JOSHUA, XXII. 199 
 
 the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the chil- 
 dren of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we 
 perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not 
 committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have 
 delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD. 
 
 32 34. Return of the Embassy. 
 
 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, 32 
 returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children 
 of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, 
 to the children of Israel, and brought them word again. 
 And the thing pleased the children of Israel ; and the chil- 33 
 dren of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up 
 against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the chil- 
 dren of Reuben and Gad dwelt. And the children of 34 
 Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it 
 shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God. 
 
 xxxiv. 1 8, "And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's 
 son ;" xli. 37, " And the thing \vas good in the eyes of Pharaoh ;" xlv. 
 16, "And it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants" (where see Mar- 
 gin) ; and see 2 Sam. iii. 36 ; r Kings iii. 10. 
 
 31. is among us] Phinehas recognises the presence of God in the 
 congregation, because His Providence had restrained their brethren from 
 even the semblance of idolatry. 
 
 out of the hand of the Lord} As otherwise a punishment like that in 
 Num. xxv. 9 might have again fallen on the whole people. 
 
 3234. RETURN OF THE EMBASSY. 
 
 33. blessed God~\ Compare i Chron. xxix. 20, " And David said to 
 all the congregation, Now bless the Lord your God. And all the con- 
 gregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers ;" Neh. viii. 6, "And 
 Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God ;" Dan. ii. 19, " Then Daniel 
 blessed the God of heaven;" Luke ii. 28, "Then took he Him up in 
 his arms, and blessed God, and said. " 
 
 did not intend] i.e. did not carry out their intention of going up to 
 war against them, as they first thought of doing when "they gathered 
 themselves together at Shiloh ;" see above z/. 12. 
 
 34. called the altar JEd~\ The word Ed is not found after altar in 
 the Hebrew, nor is it represented in the LXX. or Vulgate, nor are the 
 words in the next clause, " shall be," in the original. The words indicate 
 the title which was placed upon the altar, "a witness between us that 
 the Lord is God." \Vyclif renders the verse, " And the sones of Ruben 
 and the sones of Gad clepen the auter, that thei hadden maad, Oure 
 Witnessynge, that the Lord he be God."
 
 JOSHUA, XXIII. \vv. 17. 
 
 i 1 6. Joshua! s first Farewell Addrsss. 
 
 23 And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had 
 given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, 
 
 2 that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. And Joshua 
 called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, 
 and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto 
 
 3 them, I am old and stricken in age : and ye have seen all 
 that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations 
 because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath 
 
 4 fought for you. Behold, I have divided unto you by lot 
 these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your 
 tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut oft", 
 
 5 even unto the great sea westward. And the LORD your God, 
 he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from 
 out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the 
 
 e LORD your God hath promised unto you. Be ye therefore 
 very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the 
 book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom 
 
 7 to the right hand or to the left ; that ye come not among 
 these nations, these that remain amongst you ; neither make 
 
 CH. XXIII. 1 16. JOSHUA'S FIRST FAREWELL ADDRESS. 
 
 1. had given rest] Comp. Josh. xxi. 43, 44, xxii. 3, 4. 
 
 waxed old] Comp. Josh. xiii. i, " Now Joshua was old and stricken 
 in years." 
 
 stricken in age] Heb. come into days ; "of ful eld age," Wyclif. 
 
 2. called for all Israel] Where we are not told. But perhaps at 
 Timnath-serah (Josh. xix. 50), or possibly at Shiloh. On the occasion ot 
 his second farewell discourse the tribes were convened at Shechem 
 (Josh. xxiv. i). 
 
 and for their elders'] The word "and" is not found in the Hebrew. 
 If any word is to be supplied, it should be "even" or "namely". The 
 terms elders, heads, judges and officers are explanatory. 
 
 I am old] He begins by reminding them of his own advance in years. 
 
 3. the Lord your God is he] See Exod. xiv. 14. Of his own merits 
 and exploits the modest hero makes no mention. 
 
 4. these nations that remain] Joshua reminds them that not only the 
 nations who had been actually conquered, but the remnants still un- 
 subdued, were delivered into their power. 
 
 6. Be ye therefore very courageous] Joshua exhorts them to bravery 
 and constancy in the same terms as he had been exhorted himself. See 
 above, i. 7. 
 
 7. That ye come not among these nations] He especially warns them
 
 vv. 8-13.1 JOSHUA, XXIII. 201 
 
 mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by 
 them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them. 
 But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto 8 
 this day. For the LORD hath driven out from before you 9 
 great nations and strong : but as for you, no man hath been 
 able to stand before you unto this day. One man of you 10 
 shall chase a thousand : for the LORD your God, he it is that 
 fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. Take good heed n 
 therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your 
 God. Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto 12 
 the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among 
 you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto 
 them, and they to you : know for a certainty that the LORD 13 
 your God will no more drive out any of these nations from 
 before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and 
 scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye 
 
 against all intercourse with the heathen nations, and, above all, against 
 any participation in their idolatries. 
 
 make mention of t lie name of their gods] "To make mention of the 
 names of the gods (Exod. xxiii. 13), to swear by them, to serve them with 
 offerings, and to bow down to them, i. e. call upon them in prayer, 
 represent the four expressions of divine worship." SeeDeut. vi. 13, x. -20. 
 
 9. For the Lord] He again reminds them of the true Source of their 
 strength, and to Whom they were indebted for their late victories. 
 
 10. One man of you] Comp. Lev. xxvi. 8; Judg. iii. 31, xv. 15; 
 2 Sam. xxiii. 8. 
 
 12. if ye do~\ "If ye do in any wise turn back, and cleave to the 
 remnant of these nations, these that remain with you, and make 
 marriages with them, and ye come among them, and they among you, 
 know for a certainty that the protection of the Almighty will fail you, 
 and His arm will no more give you success against them." 
 
 13. sitan's] The word thus rendered denotes (i) a net, trap-net, 
 especially of a fowler; (ii) a snare such as seizes and holds beasts or 
 men by the feet. Comp. Job xviii. 9, "the gin shall take him by the 
 heel;" Jer. xviii. 22, "they have. ..hid snares for my feet." The form of 
 this trap-net appears from the passages Amos iii. 5, and Ps. Ixix. 22. 
 It was in two parts, which, when set, were spread out upon the ground 
 and slightly fastened with a stick, so that as soon as a bird or beast 
 touched the stick, the parts flew up and enclosed the bird in the net, 
 or caught the foot of the animal. 
 
 thorns in your eyes] The warnings of Joshua are severer even than 
 those of Moses (Num. xxxiii. 55), "nowe thanne wite 3e that the Lord 
 joure God do hem not awey before joure face, but to 3ow thei shulen be 
 into a diche, and greene, and hurtynge of joure side and a staak in 3oitre 
 eyen, to the tyme that he doo 3ou a wey," Wyclif.
 
 202 JOSHUA, XXIII. XXIV. [vv. 1416; I. 
 
 perish from off this good land which the LORD your God 
 H hath given you. And behold, this day I am going the way 
 of all the earth : and ye know in all your hearts and in all 
 souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things 
 which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are 
 come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed 
 
 15 thereof. Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good 
 things are come upon you, which the LORD your God 
 promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil 
 things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land 
 
 16 which the LORD your God hath given you. When ye have 
 transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he 
 commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and 
 bowed yourselves to them ; then shall the anger of the LORD 
 be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off 
 the good land which he hath given unto you. 
 
 i 15. The Second Parting Address. 
 24 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, 
 
 14. / am going the way of all the earth~\ i.e. on the way to death, 
 which a man goes and returns not ; the way which all the earth, the 
 whole world, must take, "into the land of darkness and the shadow of 
 death." Comp. Job x. 21 ; and i Kings ii. 2, where the words are used 
 by David in his last address to Solomon. 
 
 15. it shall come to pass] He reiterates his solemn warning against 
 backsliding, and recalls to their minds the promises and threats contained 
 in the last address of Moses to the people. 
 
 all evil things] "whateuer thing of yuelis he manaasside;" Wyclif. 
 Comp. Lev. xxvi. 14 39; Deut. xxviii. 15 68, xxix. 14 28, xxx. 
 i 15. The sublimity of the denunciations of the Hebrew lawgiver 
 contained in these passages "surpasses anything in the oratory or the 
 poetry of the whole world. Nature is exhausted in furnishing terrific 
 images ; nothing, excepting the real horrors of the Jewish history the 
 miseries of their sieges, the cruelty, the contempt, the oppressions, the 
 persecutions, which, for ages, this scattered and despised and detested 
 nation have endured can approach the tremendous maledictions which 
 warned them against the violation of their Law." Milman's History of 
 the Jews, I. 211. 
 
 16. ye shall perish] The latter part of this i6th verse occurs word 
 for word in Deut. xi. 1 7. 
 
 CH. XXIV. 1 15. THE SECOND PARTING ADDRESS. 
 
 1. And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel] that they might 
 listen to his last charge, and be bound by his parting words to an ever-
 
 v. 2.] JOSHUA, XXIV. 203 
 
 and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and 
 for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented 
 themselves before God. And Joshua said unto all the people, 2 
 Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on 
 the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father 
 
 lasting covenant of faithfulness to the God who had done such great 
 things for them. The former charge had been made to the rulers only 
 and the chiefs, this was addressed to the whole nation. Not that the 
 whole nation was present, but that all the tribes sent representatives to 
 the great and solemn gathering. 
 
 to Shecheni\ The LXX. here has Shiloh, but all other versions and 
 the MSS. read Shechem. No spot could have been more appropriate : 
 
 (a) Here Abraham, "the solitary, childless patriarch, who had 
 listened to the voice that spake at Ur of the Chaldees," received the 
 first recorded promise of the goodly land (Gen. xii. 6, 7), and here he 
 built his first altar to the Lord; 
 
 (6) Here Jacob had settled after his long sojourn in Mesopotamia, 
 and purified his household from the remains of idolatry by burying their 
 Teraphim under an oak (Gen. xxxiii. 18 20, xxxv. i, 4); 
 
 (c) Here the bones of Joseph were laid (Josh. xxiv. 32 ; Acts vii. 16) ; 
 
 (d) Here, from the heights of Ebal and Gerizim, the blessings and 
 curses of the Law had been solemnly enunciated, and the nation had 
 already bound itself by a covenant to Jehovah (Josh. viii. 30 35). 
 
 and they presented themselves before God} We saw in Josh. viii. 31 
 that the Hebrew Leader raised an altar on Mount 'Ebal "of whole 
 stones," where sacrifices were offered before the building of the Taber- 
 nacle. Shechem was thus truly a "sanctuary of the Lord" (Josh. xxiv. 
 26), and those now assembled there were gathered " before God ; " comp. 
 Job i. 6, ii. i, or, as it is in the Hebrew, with the article, "the God," 
 the only true and living Elohitn. "How grand a gathering it was! 
 There stood the victor in a hundred battles, now ' old and stricken in 
 age ; ' for it was already ' a long time after that the Lord had given rest 
 unto Israel from all their enemies.' Before him was gathered all 
 Israel, 'their elders, their heads, their judges, and their officers,' and 
 he opened that mouth from which such words of might, and trust, and 
 prayer had issued in the days of their troubles, and he spake to them 
 what all felt to be his last counsels and commandments." Bishop 
 Wilberforce's Heroes of Hebrew History, p. 132. 
 
 2. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel} The title is significant. It 
 recurs in verse 23. Joshua recalls to the minds of the people the 
 mercies of God as displayed in five great events : 
 
 (i) The Call of Abraham ; 
 
 (ii) The Deliverance from Egypt; 
 
 (iii) The Defeat of the Amorkes on the east of the Jordan, and the 
 frustration of the machinations of Balaam ; 
 
 (iv) The Passage of the Jordan and Capture of Jericho; 
 
 (v) The Victories over all the nations of Canaan. 
 
 on tfie other side of the flood} Or better, on the other side of the
 
 204 JOSHUA, XXIV. [vv. 3, 4. 
 
 of Abraham, and the father of Nachor : and they served 
 
 3 other gods. And I took your father Abraham from the 
 other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land 
 of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. 
 
 4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau : and I gave unto 
 
 river, i. e. the Euphrates, in Ur of the Chaldees, and then in Haran 
 (Gen. xi. 28, 31). "Bi3ond the flood," Wyclif. 
 
 Terafi\ The ancestor, through Abram, Nahor, and Haran, of the 
 great families of the Ishmaelites, Israelities, Midianites, Moabites, and 
 Ammonites (Gen. xi. 24 32). With his son Ahram, his daughter-in-law 
 Sarai, and his grandson Lot, he went in a north-westerly direction from 
 Ur "into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt 
 there" (Gen. xi. 31), and at Haran he died at the age of 205 years 
 (Gen. xi. 32). 
 
 and they served other gods] The objects of nature, especially the 
 heavenly bodies, were in those far-back times invested with a "glory" 
 and a "freshness" which has long since "passed away" from the earth. 
 They seemed to be instinct with a divinity which exercised an almost 
 irresistible fascination over their first beholders. The sight of the "sun 
 when it shined, and of the moon walking in brightness," was a temptation 
 as potent to them as to us it is inconceivable. "Their heart was secretly 
 enticed, and their mouth kissed their hand" (Job'xxxi. 26, 27). There 
 was also another form of idolatry, though less universal in its influence. 
 "There were giants on the earth in those days;" giants, if not actually, 
 yet by their colossal strength and awful majesty ; the Pharaohs and. 
 Nimrods, whose form we still trace on the ornaments of Egypt and 
 Assyria in their gigantic proportions, the mighty hunters, the royal 
 priests, the deified men. From the control of these powers, before 
 which all meaner men bowed down, from the long ancestral preposses- 
 sions of 'country and kindred and father's house,' the first worshippers 
 of One who was above all alike, had painfully to disentangle them- 
 selves." Stanley's Jewish Church, I. 15, 16. Of the worship of 
 "images," or "Teraphim," we have traces in Gen. xxxi. 19, 30, 34. 
 Tradition asserts that Terah was a maker of idols, and that Abraham 
 was persecuted in Ur of the Chaldees for refusing to take part in 
 idolatries. 
 
 3. And I took] Joshua says nothing more of the life of Abraham than 
 that Jehovah caused him to wander through the Land of Canaan, and 
 finally gave him a son Isaac. 
 
 and gave him Isaac} Which means "Laughter," as one "born out of 
 due time," when Hope might have ceased to hope, and all fulfilment of 
 the Promise seemed impossible. It was either at Gerar or Beersheba 
 that Sarah gave birth to him (Gen. xxi. 2). 
 
 4. And I gave unto Isaac Jacob} After he too and Rebekah had been 
 childless upwards of nineteen years. 
 
 JacoU\=-he that holds by the heel, or supplanter (Gen. xxv. 26). 
 sau]= hairy, rough; whose robust frame and rough aspect were 
 the type of a wild and daring nature.
 
 w. 57.] JOSHUA, XXIV. 205 
 
 Esau mount Seir, to possess it ; but Jacob and his children 
 went down into Egypt. I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I s 
 plagued Egypt, according to that which I did amongst them : 
 and afterward I brought you out. And I brought your 6 
 fathers out of Egypt : and you came unto the sea ; and the 
 Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horse- 
 men unto the Red sea. And when they cried unto the 7 
 LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and 
 
 mount Stir] = " rough, " or " nigged" extended along the east side of 
 the valley of Arabah, from the Dead Sea to the Elamitic Gulf. The name 
 may either have been derived from Seir the Horite, who appears to have 
 been the chief of the aboriginal inhabitants (Gen. xxxvi. 20), or, what is 
 perhaps more probable, from the rough aspect of the whole country. 
 These Horites, the excavators of those singular rock-dwellings found in 
 such numbers in the ravines and cliffs around Petra, were dispossessed 
 by the descendants of Esau (Deut. ii. 12, 22), they were divided into 
 tribes under a sheikh, or "duke" (Gen. xxxvi. 20 30). 
 
 but Jacob\ who alone was to have Canaan for himself and his 
 posterity, "went down into Egypt," as is related in Gen. xlv. i 28, 
 xlvi. 6 ; Acts vii. 15. 
 
 5. I sent Moses also and Aaron~\ Comp. Exod. iii. 10. This is the 
 second proof of the Divine favour, the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt. 
 The chief incidents of this great event are succinctly alluded to; (i) the 
 mission of Moses and Aaron; (2) the infliction of the plagues upon 
 Egypt; (3) the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. 
 
 I plagued Egypt} See Exod. vii. xii. " Y smoot F.gipt with many 
 signes and wondris," Wyclif. (i) The turning the water into blood; 
 (2) frogs; (3) lice, or gnats ; (4) flies; (5) murrain; (6) boils and blains; 
 (7) thunder, lightning, and hail; (8) locusts; (9) darkness; (10) slaying 
 of the firstborn. 
 
 6. And I brought your fathers'] Comp. Exod. xii. 37 42; 51. 
 and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers'] Astonished that they 
 
 had not made good their flight into Asia, and deeming them entangled 
 in the land and shut in by the wilderness, the Egyptian monarch 
 directed all his forces, his horses and his chariots, to give chase to the 
 fugitives (Exod. xiv. 9). 
 
 7. when they cried unto the Lord] The Israelites were encamped 
 on the western shore of the Red Sea, when suddenly a cry of alarm ran 
 through the vast multitude. Over the ridges of the desert hills were 
 seen the well-known horses, the terrible chariots of the Egyptian host; 
 " Pharaoh pursued after the children of Israel, and they were sore 
 afraid.' 1 
 
 he put darkness"] " He settide derknessis bitwix jou and Egipcians," 
 Wyclif. A grand, poetical description. In the midst of the terror and 
 perplexity of the Israelites the Angel of God, who went before them in 
 the pillar of cloud and fire, stationed himself behind them so as to 
 deepen the gloom in which the Egyptians were advancing, and afford
 
 206 JOSHUA, XXIV. [v. 8. 
 
 brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your 
 eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt : and ye dwelt in 
 i the wilderness a long season. And I brought you into the 
 land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; 
 and they fought with you : and I gave them into your hand, 
 that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from 
 
 light and encouragement to the Israelites. Comp. Exod. xiv. 20; Ps. 
 Ixxviii. 12 14. 
 
 and brought the sea upon theni\ Determined to prevent the escape of 
 their prey, the Egyptians had rushed on amidst the pitchy darkness that 
 surrounded them into the pass between the walls of water standing up 
 on either side of the Chosen People, but the hand of Moses was uplifted, 
 and straightway the waters began to break and give way, and the sea to 
 return in his strength. The engulphing waves closed over them ; all 
 efforts to escape were fruitless; horse and chariot and horseman "sank 
 like lead in the mighty waters'" (Exod. xv. 10). 
 
 and covered them] "And hilide hem," Wyclif. A good illustration 
 of the meaning of the A. S. helen = to cover, conceal, whence the word 
 Hell, the covered place, the invisible underworld. 
 
 your eyes have seen] The trembling panic-stricken host stood still and 
 saw "the salvation of the Lord" (Exod. xiv. 13), and the great work 
 which He did upon the Egyptians (Exod. xiv. 31). 
 
 a long season] Even forty years, a year for each day the spies had 
 been engaged in searching out the land" (Num. xiv. 33, 34), during 
 which time every one of the generation from twenty years old and up- 
 wards died, and their carcases lay bleaching in the wilderness (i Cor. 
 x. 5; Heb. iii. 17). 
 
 8. And 1 brought yoii\ The third proof of God's favour is here indi- 
 cated ; (a) the victory of the nation over the Amorites, and (b) the 
 frustrating of Balaam's purposed curse. 
 
 the. land of the Amorites} For the meaning of this name see above, 
 ch. iii. 10. Tempted by the rich pasture lands east of the Jordan, a colony 
 of the Amorities appears to have crossed it, and having driven the Moab- 
 ites with great slaughter and the loss of many captives from the country 
 south of the Jabbok (Num. xxi. 26 29), they made the wide chasm 
 of the Arnon the boundary of their territory. The Amorite chief Sihon 
 made Heshbon his capital ; while Og, of the giant race of the Rephaim, 
 entrenched himself in the wonderful district called Argob, or "the 
 stony." See above, ch. xii. 4. 
 
 and they fought with you] having refused the request of the Israelitish 
 leader for a peaceful passage through their territory (Num. xxi. 33). 
 
 1 r destroyed them from before you] Sihon himself, his sons, and all his 
 people, were smitten with the sword, his walled towns were captured, 
 and his numerous flocks and herds taken (Num. xxi. 27 30), while Og 
 was utterly routed, and his threescore cities fenced with high walls, 
 gates and bars, besides unwalled towns a great many, fell into the hands 
 of the Israelites (Num. xxi. 33 35). Long afterwards the subjugation of
 
 w. 912.] JOSHUA, XXIV. 207 
 
 before you. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, 9 
 arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam 
 the son of Beor to curse you : but I would not hearken unto 10 
 Balaam ; therefore he blessed you still : so I delivered you 
 out of his hand. And ye went over Jordan, and came unto n 
 Jericho : and the men of Jericho fought against you, the 
 Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the 
 Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; 
 and I delivered them into your hand. And I sent the xa 
 
 these great kings, famous kings, mighty kings, was deemed worthy of being 
 ranked with the deliverance from Egypt. See Ps. cxxxv. 10 12, 
 cxxxvi. 15 21. 
 
 9. Then Balak the son of Zippor\ He is also mentioned in Juclg. 
 xi. 25; Mic. vi. 5; Rev. ii. 14. The Israelites were at this time en- 
 camped in the plains of Shittim, "the meadow of the Acacias." 
 
 and warred against Israel} In conjunction with the Midianites 
 (Num. xxii. i ss). 
 
 sent and called Balaam] (Num. xxii. 5) from Pethor, far away from 
 the encampment of the Israelites, beyond the Euphrates, among the 
 mountains of the east, whence his fame had spread, across the Assyrian 
 desert, to the shores of the Dead Sea. "As warrior chief (by that combina- 
 tion of soldier and prophet already seen in Moses himself) he ranked 
 with the five kings o f Midian" (Num. xxxi. 8). 
 
 to curse yen] For he was regarded throughout the whole East as a 
 Prophet, whose blessing or whose curse was irresistible. Balak, who 
 lacked the courage to meet the Israelites in arms, thought to lay upon 
 them the powerful ban of the mighty seer. "Even at the present day 
 the pagan Orientals, in their wars, have always their magicians with them 
 to curse their enemies, and to mutter incantations for their ruin. In our 
 own war with the Burmese, the generals of the natives had several 
 magicians with them, who were much engaged in cursing our troops." 
 Kitto's Bible Illustr. II. 214. 
 
 10. I would not hearken unto Balaam~\ See Deut. xxiii. 5. Twice, 
 across the whole length of the Assyrian desert, the messengers of Balak, 
 with the Oriental bribes of divination in their hands, were sent to conjure 
 forth the prophet from his distant home. Three times the altars were 
 built and the victims slain, but each time the seer found himself unable 
 to comply with the wishes of the king ; he could not curse him whom 
 God had not cursed, or defy him whom Jehovah had not defied. 
 
 11. And ye went over Jordan] The fourth proof of the Divine 
 favour: (a) the Passage of the Jordan, and (b) capture of Jericho; and the 
 fifth (c) the victory over the Canaanites. 
 
 the men of Jericho] L e. the citizens of Jericho. Comp. Judg. ix. 2, 
 3, "the men of Shechem ;" Judg. xx. 5, "the men of Gibeah;" 2 Sam. 
 xxi. 12, "the men of Jabesh-gilead." 
 
 the Amoritt-s} On this enumeration of the nations, see above, ch. iii. 10.
 
 208 JOSHUA, XXIV. [vv. 13, 14. 
 
 hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, 
 even the two kings of the Amorites ; but not with thy sword, 
 
 13 nor with thy bow. And I have given you a land for which 
 ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye 
 dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye 
 
 14 planted not do ye eat. Now therefore fear the LORD, and 
 serve him in sincerity and in truth : and put away the gods 
 which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and 
 
 !12. And I sent the hornet before yoii\ " Misique ante vos crabrones" 
 Vulg. : "And I sent before 3ou hors fleejis," Wyclif, or "flies with 
 venemouse tongis." In Exod. xxiii. 28, we find it predicted "And I will 
 send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Ca- 
 l naanite, and the Hittite, from before thee;" and in Deut. vii. 20, 
 "Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until 
 they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed." Else- 
 where the bees appear as an image of terrible foes. Comp. Deut. i. 44, 
 "And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against 
 you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto 
 Hormah." Ps. cxviii. 12, "They compassed me about like bees." Not 
 cinly were bees exceedingly numerous in Palestine, but hornets in par- 
 ticular infested some parts of the country. Some would understand the 
 word here in its literal sense, but it more probably expresses under a 
 vivid image the consternation, with which Jehovah would inspire the 
 enemies of the Israelites. Comp. Deut. ii. 25; Josh. ii. n. 
 
 not with thy sword] Compare the same thought in Psalm xliv. 3. 
 
 13. cities which ye built not} All this happened as Jehovah had 
 promised, Deut. vi. 10. 
 
 14. Nemo therefore fear the Lord~\ Comp. Job xxviii. 18, "Behold, 
 the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom ; and to depart from evil is under- 
 standing;" Ps. ii. n, "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with 
 trembling;" Prov. i. 7> " ' Ihe fear of the Lord is the beginning of 
 knowledge." 
 
 in sincerity and in truth~\ "with perfite herte and most trewe," Wyclif. 
 The Greek word here rendered "sincerity" in the LXX. occurs also in 
 I Cor. v. 8, "let us keep the feast. ..with the unleavened bread of sincerity 
 and truth;" 2 Cor. i. 12, "For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our 
 conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity. . .we have had our con- 
 versation in the world;" 2 Cor. ii. 17, "but as of sincerity, but as of 
 God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." The Latin word from 
 which our "sincerity" comes, denotes "honey without wax," unmixed 
 purity. The Greek word is considered by some to be founded on the 
 idea of something held up in the rays of the sun, and proved to be with- 
 out speck or flaw. 
 
 put away the gods which your fathers served} Two epochs of ancestral 
 idolatry are here alluded to; (a) on the other side of the flood, i. e. the 
 Euphrates, in Mesopotamia; and (b) in Egypt. Some have supposed 
 that the expression alludes to idolatry "in the heart," but this is un-
 
 w. 1517.] JOSHUA, XXIV. 209 
 
 in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto 15 
 you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will 
 serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were 
 on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, 
 in whose land ye dwell : but as for me and my house, we 
 will serve the LORD. 
 
 1 6 24. Reply of the People to JoshucCs Address. 
 
 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we 16 
 should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; for the LORD i 7 
 
 tenable, (i) In Lev. xvii. 7 we read, " they (the people) shall no more 
 offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring." 
 (ii) Again in Amos v. 25, 26, quoted by St Stephen in his address 
 before the Sanhedrim (Acts vii. 42, 43), "Have ye offered ( = did ye offer) 
 unto Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of 
 Israel? But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiunyour 
 images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves." (iii) Once 
 more, in Ezek. xx. 6, 7, 8 we read, "In the day that I lifted up my hand 
 unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt... then said I unto 
 them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile 
 not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. ..but they rebelled against Me, 
 and would not hearken unto Me ; they did not every man cast away the 
 abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. " 
 Joshua's words plainly imply his sad conviction that there were still 
 idolaters amongst them in secret, as there were in the days of Jacob 
 before him, Gen. xxxv. 2, and of Samuel after him, i Sam. vii. 3, seq. 
 
 15. choose you this day] Like Elijah afterwards on Carmel (i Kings 
 xviii. 21), the Hebrew leader challenges the people with the utmost 
 freedom to decide once for all that day whom they would serve. He 
 gives them their choice between the old worship of Penates or household 
 gods practised by their fathers, and the Baal-worship of the Amorites, if 
 they would not serve Jehovah, Who had brought them out of Egypt. 
 
 as for me and my house] Whatever may be the decision of the people, 
 Joshua tells them what he and his family are resolved to do. " / and 
 my house will serve Jehoi>ah. " Compare the words of the Lord respect- 
 ing Abraham, "I know him, that he will command his children and his 
 household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do 
 justice and judgment," Gen. xviii. 19. 
 
 16 24. REPLY OF THE PEOPLE TO JOSHUA'S ADDRESS. 
 
 16. And the people answered and said] Struck by the solemn ear- 
 nestness of the address of their leader, the entire people, with one 
 voice, responded to his call by loud and hearty declarations of their 
 determined faithfulness to their covenant with Jehovah. 
 
 JOSHUA j.
 
 210 JOSHUA, XXIV. [w. 1820. 
 
 our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of 
 the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which 
 did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the 
 way wherein we went, and among all the people through 
 
 18 whom we passed : and the LORD drave out from before us 
 all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land : 
 therefore will we also serve the LORD ; for he is our God. 
 
 19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the 
 LORD : for he is a holy God ; he is a jealous God; he will 
 
 20 not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If ye forsake 
 
 17. for the Lord our God, he it is] The people ground their pro- 
 mises of fidelity for the future on the dealings of God with them in the 
 past, (i) their deliverance from Egypt ; (ii) the great signs wrought in 
 that land ; (iii) their preservation in the wilderness ; (iv) the expulsion 
 of the Amorites. 
 
 19. Ye cannot serve the Lord} Joshua checks their hasty impulsive- 
 ness and confident protestation of fidelity, by reminding them of the 
 difficulty involved in serving Jehovah aright ; and he specially would 
 have them dwell on (i) His holiness, and (ii) His jealousy. His words 
 remind us of our Lord's warnings in the Sermon on the Mount, ' ' No 
 man can serve tii o masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the 
 other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot 
 serve God and mammon" (Matt. vi. 24). 
 
 he is a holy God} Comp. Lev. xix. 2; i Sam. vi. 20; Ps. xcix. 5, 
 9; Isai. v. 16. Holiness is the principle that guards the eternal dis- 
 tinction between Creator and creature, between God and man ; it pre- 
 serves the Divine dignity and majesty from being infringed by the Divine 
 love; it eternally excludes everything evil and impure from the Divine 
 nature. Comp. Isai. vi. 3, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts." 
 See Martensen's Christian Dogmatics, pp. 99, 100. The plural Elohim, 
 here used, "directs attention to the infinite riches and infinite fulness 
 contained in the one Divine Being, and therefore to the fact that, if we 
 were to believe in innumerable gods, and endow them with perfection, 
 they would still all be contained in the one Elohim.'''' Hengstenberg. 
 
 he is a jealous God} "Deus enim sanctus et fortis cemulator est," 
 Vulgate. "A strong feruent loouyere," Wyclif. Numerous passages 
 in the Prophets bring out the idea of God as One, Who requires of 
 His people, whom He has married, the unbroken fidelity of marriage, 
 and punishes most inflexibly any attachment to another god, any 
 departure from Him, whilst He continues His blessings upon love and 
 fidelity even to distant generations. Comp. Jer. ii. 2; Ezek. xvi. 8, 22, 
 60, xxiii. 3, 8, 19; Hos. ii. 16. "The Divine zeal is just the energy of 
 Divine holiness. His jealousy turns especially against (r) idolatry, and 
 (2) all sin, by which His holy Name is desecrated." Oehler's Theology 
 of the Old Testament, I. 166, 167. 
 
 he will not forgive} Compare the words of God to Moses respect-
 
 w. 21-25.] JOSHUA, XXIV. 211 
 
 the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do 
 you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you 
 good. And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will ? 
 serve the LORD. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are ^ 
 witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the 
 LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. 
 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are 23 
 among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of 
 Israel. And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our 24 
 God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. 
 
 25 28. Solemn Renewal of the Covenant, 
 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, 25 
 
 ing the Angel of the Covenant, " Beware of him, and obey his voice, 
 provoke him not ; for he will not pardon your transgressions : for My 
 Name is in him," Exod. xxiii. 21; and comp. Num. xiv. 35; Deut. 
 xviii. 19; Jer. v. 7. Forgiveness is conditional on repentance and 
 amendment of life. 
 
 20. then ke will turn] He will turn round; He will alter His 
 attitude towards you. " Convertet se et affliget vos atque subvertet, " 
 Vulgate. " The Lord schal turne hym silf, and schal turment 3ou," 
 Wyclif. Gamp. Josh, xxiii. 15; Isai. Ixiii. 10. 
 
 after that he hath done yon good\ i. e. without any regard to the fact 
 that He hath done you good, and poured His benefits upon you. 
 
 21. Nay ; but we will\ The people repeat their protestations of 
 fidelity to Jehovah, and vow to serve Him with sincerity. 
 
 22. Ye are witnesses against yourselves] Clearly and unmistakeably 
 the people had declared that they had chosen the service of Jehovah. 
 By so doing, in the event of their falling away, they would condemn 
 themselves by their own evidence, and would be obliged to admit that 
 Jehovah had a right to punish them for their unfaithfulness. 
 
 We are vvitnesses] Literally, Witnesses are we against ourselves. 
 
 23. Now therefore put away] " Now thanne, he said, do je awey 
 alien goddis fro the middil of 3ou," Wyclif. He again reverts to their 
 secret practice of idolatry. Comp. Gen. xxxv. 2; i Sam. vii. 3. 
 
 24. And the people said] For the third time (comp. verses 16 and 
 21) the representatives of the nation avow that they will serve Jehovah 
 and hearken only to His voice. 
 
 2528. SOLEMN RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT. 
 
 25. So Joshua made a covenant] " Percussit ergo Josue in die illo 
 foedus," Vulgate. "Thanne Josue smoot a boond of pees," Wyclif. 
 A covenant had been concluded by God on Sinai with Israel (Exod. 
 xix. 20) and solemnly ratified with 
 
 (a) burnt-offerings and peace-offerings at the foot of the mount ; 
 
 (b) the reading of every word of the Law in the ears of the people ; 
 
 142
 
 2i2 JOSHUA, XXIV. [vv. 26, 27. 
 
 and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 
 16 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of 
 
 God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an 
 27 oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. And Joshua 
 
 (c) the sprinkling of one half of the blood of the victims on the altars 
 and the roll containing the covenant conditions, and the other half 
 on the people (Exod. xxiv. 3 8; Heb. ix. 19, 20). 
 This covenant Moses had renewed in "the field" of Moab (Deut. xxix. 
 i), with 
 
 (a) a transcription of the blessings and curses of the Law ; 
 
 (b) a solemn delivery of it to the priests, to be placed beside the Ark 
 in the Holy of Holies, and to be read, in the hearing of all the 
 people, once every seven years, at the Feast of Tabernacles (Deut. 
 xxxi. 9 n, 25, 26). 
 
 Joshua, who had been present at the ratification of both the pre- 
 vious covenants, renews it now, and doubtless with august cere- 
 monial. 
 
 and set them a statute'] " And settide forth to 36 puple comaunde- 
 mentis and domes in Sichen," Wyclif. Comp. Exod. xv. 25. He 
 determined and established "what in matters of religion should be with 
 Israel law and right." 
 
 26. And Joshua wrote'] As Moses at Sinai wrote all the words 
 that Jehovah had spoken in a book, probably a papyrus-roll (Exod. 
 xxiv. 4), so Joshua now inscribed ''minutes" of the transactions con- 
 nected with this renewal of the covenant at Shechem. 
 
 in the book of the law of God} This protocol he placed inside the roll 
 of the Law of Moses. 
 
 and took a great stone] Like 
 
 (a) The stone which Jacob set up at Bethel (Gen. xxviii. 18) ; 
 
 (b) The pillar of stones which the same patriarch set up on his return 
 from Padan-aram (Gen. xxxi. 44 46) ; 
 
 (c) The twelve pillars which Moses set up at Sinai (Exod. xxiv. 4); 
 
 (d) The twelve stones set up to mark the passage of the Jordan 
 (Josh. iv. 3). 
 
 under an oak] Or rather, under the oak which was in the sanc- 
 tuary of Jehovah. See above, ch. xxiv. i. "This spot, called in Gen. 
 xii. 6 and Gen. xxxv. 4, ' Allon-Moreh,' 'the oak of Moreh' or of 
 Shechem, is called by the Samaritans Ahron-Moreh, 'the Ark of 
 Moreh,' from a supposition that in a vault underneath is buried the 
 Ark. The Mussulmans call it ' Rigad el Amad,' 'the place of the 
 Pillar,' or 'Sheykh-el-Amad,' 'the Saint of the Pillar.' 1 " Stanley's 
 Lectures, I. 280, n. Possibly beside the old consecrated oak of Abraham 
 and Jacob their altar was still remaining, and it is to be remembered 
 that Joshua himself had built an altar on Mount Ebal, and therefore 
 close to Shechem (Josh. viii. 30). Thus many reasons conspired to 
 give a sacred character to "the border of the sanctuary," the mountain 
 "which the right hand of the Lord had purchased" (Ps. Ixxviii. 54) at 
 Shechem.
 
 vv. 28, 29.] JOSHUA, XXIV. 213 
 
 said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness 
 unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which 
 he spake unto us : it shall be therefore a witness unto you, 
 lest ye deny your God. 
 
 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his in- 28 
 heritance. 
 
 29 33. Death of Joshua and Eleazar. 
 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua 29 
 
 27. this stow shall be a witness] So in Gen. xxxi. 48, 52, Laban 
 says to Jacob, " This heap is a witness between me and thee this day ;" 
 and in Deut. xxxi. 19, 21, 26, Moses says, "Write ye this song for 
 
 you that this song may be a -witness for me against the children of 
 
 Israel." , 
 
 for it hath heard\ By a poetical prosopopoeia Joshua describes the 
 stone as hearing the words of God, since it had been set up for the 
 purpose of reminding the people of the promise which they had made 
 unto the Lord, and, in case they should be unfaithful, of bearing witness 
 against them. 
 
 lest ye deny your God~\ " Ne forte postea negare velitis et mentiri 
 Domino Deo vestro," Vulgate. "Lest perauenture 3e wolden denye 
 aftirward, and lye to }oure Lord God," Wyclif. Comp. Josh. vii. ir 
 (Heb.) ; Job xxxi. 28 ; Prov. xxx. 9 ; Lev. xix. ir, 12. 
 
 28. let the people depart] On the breaking up of this august assem- 
 bly every man returned to the lot of his inheritance in the newly 
 acquired and goodly Land of Promise. For the section to verse 31 
 comp. Judg. ii. 6 10. " Nothing can be conceived more impressive or 
 more sublime than the circumstances of this last public interview of the 
 aged Leader with the people whom he had put in possession of the 
 goodly land of Canaan, and who had so often followed him in his vic- 
 torious path. In the midst of the elders, the chiefs, and magistrates of 
 Israel ; surrounded by a respectful people, formerly bondsmen of 
 Pharaoh, but now in possession of a rich and beautiful country, and the 
 sole survivors of an untoward generation, their illustrious and venerable 
 commander the oldest man in all their nation spoke to them as to his 
 sons. And of what did he speak ? He was a soldier, and his career 
 had been essentially military; but he spoke to them, not of conquest 
 the sound of the trumpet and the gleam of the sword cannot be recog- 
 nised in his address but of the holiness and the obedience which be- 
 come the people chosen of God. It is such a discourse as a patriarch 
 might have given upon his deathbed, or a prophet might have uttered 
 from the valley of vision." Kitto's Bible Illustrations, n. 314. 
 
 29 33. DEATH OF JOSHUA AND ELEAZAR. 
 
 29. And it came to pass~\ With the close of Joshua's parting address 
 comes the close also of his own life. The historian proceeds to bring 
 the book to a conclusion, and tells us of (i) the death of Joshua; (ii) the
 
 214 JOSHUA, XXIV. [w. 30, 31. 
 
 the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an 
 
 30 hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the 
 border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in 
 mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. 
 
 31 And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all 
 the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had 
 known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for 
 Israel. 
 
 conduct of the people after his death ; (iii) the burial of the remains of 
 Joseph, which had been brought out of Egypt; (iv) the death of 
 Eleazar the high-priest. 
 
 Joshua. ..the servant of the Lord, died} His work was now over. 
 His work of war, and his work of peace. His age when he died was 
 precisely that which Joseph reached (Gen. 1. 26), a hundred and ten 
 years. 
 
 30. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath- 
 serah\ For the probable site of this spot, see above, Josh. xix. 50. A 
 photograph brought out by the "Palestine Exploration Committee" 
 gives a representation of the tomb of Joshua. "It is certainly the most 
 striking monument in the country," says Lieut. Conder, "and strongly 
 recommends itself to the mind as an authentic site." The tomb is a 
 square chamber, with five excavations in three of its sides, the central 
 one forming a passage leading into a second chamber beyond. A great 
 number of lamp-niches cover the walls of the porch upwards of 200 
 arranged in vertical rows. A single cavity with a niche for a lamp may 
 "be identified, it is thought, with the resting-place of the warrior-chief of 
 
 Israel. 
 
 the hill of GaasK\ This mountain is also mentioned in Judg. ii. 9 ; 
 2 Sam. xxiii. 30; i Chron. xi. 32. The Alexandrine and Arabic versions 
 have appended to verse 30 the traditionary legend that the knives of 
 stone, with which Joshua performed the rite of circumcision at Gilgal, 
 were buried with him. 
 
 31. And Israel served the Lord} The remarks here made as to the 
 conduct of the nation after the death of Joshua are quite in keeping with 
 the design of the book. They afford "evidence of the fruit, which 
 resulted from Joshua's faithful activity for ihe Lord in Israel." "As 
 on the dark sky when some flashing meteor has swept across it with a 
 path of fire, there remains still after the glory has departed a lingering 
 line of light, so was it with this mighty man, glorious in life, and leaving 
 even after he was gone, the record of his abundant faithfulness still to 
 hold for a season heavenward the too wandering eyes of Israel. " Bp 
 Wilberforce's Heroes of Hebrew History, p. 154. 
 
 that overlived Joshua} Heb. that prolonged their days after Joshua. 
 Comp. Judg. ii. 7, margin. 
 
 all the -works of the Lord} in the delivery of the nation from Egyptian 
 bondage, their guidance through the desert, and their settlement in the 
 Promised Land.
 
 w. 32, 33.] JOSHUA, XXIV. 215 
 
 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel 3* 
 brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a 
 parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor 
 the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver : and 
 it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. And 3$ 
 Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a 
 hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him 
 in mount Ephraim. 
 
 32. And the bones of Joseph] For the careful instructions of this 
 patriarch respecting his remains, see Gen. 1. 24, 25 ; and for their careful 
 removal from Egypt by Moses, see Exod. xiii. 19. 
 
 brought up out of Egypf\ The body of the patriarch was embalmed, 
 and placed in an Egyptian coffin. The sacred burden had been borne 
 by the two tribes of the house of Joseph all through the wanderings of 
 the wilderness, and was now reverently laid 
 
 in a parcel of ground} which Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces 
 of silver, of the sons of Hamor (Gen. xxxiii. 19), and given "to the 
 favourite son of his favourite Rachel. " 
 
 an hundred pieces of silver] or lambs, "for an hundrid yonge scheep," 
 Wyclif. See Gen. xxxiii. 19, margin ; but comp. Acts vii. 16. 
 
 and it became] i.e. the plot of ground, as well as Shechem. 
 
 33. Eleazar the son of Aaron] It seems probable that Eleazar had 
 died during the lifetime of Joshua. He was the third son of Aaron, by 
 Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab. After the death of Nadab and 
 Abihu without children (Lev. x. i, i ; Num. iii. 4), Eleazar was appointed 
 chief over the principal Levites. He comes before us 
 
 (a) Ministering with his brother Ithamar during their father's life- 
 time. 
 
 (b) Invested on Mount Hor, as the successor of Aaron, with the 
 sacred garments (Num. xx. 28). 
 
 (f) Superintending the census of the people (Num. xxvi. 3, 4). 
 
 (d) Taking part in the distribution of the Land after the conquest 
 (Josh. xiv. i). 
 
 and they buried him in a hilt\ "Et sepelierunt eum in Gabaath- 
 Phinees filii ejus," Vulgate, which Wyclif curiously mistranslates "and 
 Phynees and his sones birieden him in Gabaa. " 
 
 in a hill] The word here employed for "hill" is "Gibeah," which 
 gives its name to several towns and places in Palestine, which would 
 doubtless be generally on or near a hill. This place was Gibeah- 
 Phinehas, the city of his son, which had been given to the latter on 
 Mount Ephraim. Robinson identifies it with the Gaba of Eusebius and 
 Jerome, and the modern Chirbet Jibia, 5 miles north of Guphna, to- 
 wards Nablus or Shechem. "His tomb is still shewn in a little close 
 overshadowed by venerable terebinths, at Awertah, a few miles S.E. of 
 Nablus." Stanley's Lectures, I. 281, n.
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 Aaron, descendants of, provision for, 186, 
 
 187 
 
 Abel-Shittim. See Shittim 
 Abib. See Nisan 
 
 Abraham, history of, 204; tradition con- 
 cerning, 204; purchase of Machpelah, 33 
 Accursed thing, why so called, 59, 63, 66 
 Achan, sin of, 63 ; discovery of, 67, 68 ; 
 
 punishment of, 69, 196 
 A char, name for Achan, 63 
 Achor, valley of. See Valley 
 Achsah, daughter of Caleb, 134; her 
 
 request, 135. See Othniel 
 Achshaph, city of, 97 ; king of, slain, 97, 
 
 no 
 Achzib, position of, 170; modern name 
 
 of, 170 
 Acoustic properties of valley between 
 
 Ebal and Gerizim, 76 
 Adam, city of, 46 ; situation of, 46 ; 
 
 modern name, 46. See Zaretan 
 Adonizedek, significance of name, 83 ; 
 
 one of the kings of South Canaan, 83; 
 
 defeated and slain by Joshua, 92 
 Adullam, cave of, no; city of, no; 
 
 king of, slain, no 
 Adummim, meaning of, 130 ; position of, 
 
 130 
 Ai, situation of, 63, 64 ; mentioned in 
 
 Genesis, 63 ; importance of its position, 
 
 64 ; final capture, 73. See Tel 
 Ain, meaning of, 163 ; words combined 
 
 with, 163 
 
 Ajalon, valley of. See Valley 
 Allon to Zaanannim, 172. .$><? Zaanannim 
 Altar, "of Blessing and of Cursing," 74, 
 
 75; its site called "Sanctuary of the 
 
 Lord," 203; "on the Jordan," 193; 
 
 description of, 193 ; title on, 199 (see 
 
 Ed) ; recent discovery of site, 193 
 Ammonites, special directions concern- 
 ing, 1 20 
 Amorites, meaning of, 44 ; position of, 
 
 44, 98; origin of, 44: migrations of, 44; 
 
 victory of, over Moabites, 44, 206 ; 
 
 subjugation of, 206 ; confederate kings 
 
 called, 85 
 
 Anab, city of Judah, 104 
 Anak, three sons of, 134 
 Anakims, origin of, 84 ; distribution of, 
 
 104 ; various names of, 104 ; coalesce 
 
 with Philistines, 105 ; destruction of, 105 
 
 Anathoth, city of, 187 
 
 Aphek, or Aphekah, royal city of Ca- 
 naanites, no, 140; given to Judah, 
 141 ; a city in the extreme north of 
 Asher, 114, 170; its classical and mo- 
 dern names, 114, 170 
 
 April, month of, 45 
 
 Arabah. See Plains, South 
 
 Arad, position of, no 
 
 Arba, father of Anak, 84 ; called Arbah, 
 1 86 
 
 Archi, 143 
 
 Argob, position of, 122, 206; description 
 of, 122 
 
 Ark of covenant, names of, 42 ; descrip- 
 tion of, 42, 43; carried over Jordan, 
 46 ; round Jericho, 56 
 
 Arnon, river, position, 44 ; meaning of, 
 106 ; course of, 106 
 
 Aroer, of Reuben, 107 ; built on an island, 
 107, 115, 117; of Gad, 120 
 
 Ashdod, town of Judah, 105, 140 ; the 
 Azotus of the N.T., 105; Scripture 
 references to, 105 
 
 Ashdod-pisgah, 96, 107, 118 
 
 Asher, tribe, territory of, 169 171 ; 
 character of, 171 : extent of, 171; pro- 
 phecy concerning, 171 ; subsequent 
 history, 171 
 
 Asher, city of, town in W. Manasseh, 
 148 
 
 Ashkelon, position and importance of, 
 113; scripture events connected with, 
 113 ; prophecies concerning, 113 ; con- 
 nection with Crusaders, 113 
 
 Ashtaroth, residence and capital of Og, 
 80, 108, 116, 122; why so called, 122; 
 modern name of, 108, 188 
 
 Authorship of Joshua, changes, 191 
 
 Avenger of blood, or Goel, 179 181 
 
 Avim, the, or Avites, 113; their origin, 
 position, and migrations, 113 
 
 Azekah, position of, 86; references to, 86 
 
 Baalah, original name of Kirjath-jearim, 
 81, 132. See Kirjath-jearim 
 
 Baalah, mount, 133 
 
 Baal-gad, position of, 102, 114 : other 
 names of, called Caesarea Philippi in 
 N. T., 102; great beauty of neighbour- 
 hood, 103
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 217 
 
 Baal-hermon, border of Hivites' territory, 
 44 
 
 Baal-perazim, name explained, 132 ; po- 
 sition and history, 131, 132 
 
 Babylonish garment, 68; a product of the 
 Babylonish looms, 68 
 
 Balaam, killed among the Dukes of 
 Sihon, 118 ; reference to his history by 
 Joshua, 55, 207; similar magicians in 
 Eastern armies, 207. See Undesigned 
 Coincidences 
 
 Balak, king of Moab, 207 
 
 Bamoth-baal, meaning of, 117; situation 
 of, 117 
 
 Banias. See Jordan, sources of 
 
 Barada, river of Damascus, 32 
 
 Barley harvest. See Harvests 
 
 Bashan, pasture-downs and cattle of, 34; 
 bulls of, 34 ; extent of, 39, 40 
 
 Beer, or Bor, meaning of, 163 
 
 Beeroth, city of Benjamin, 81, 160; 
 situation of, 77, 81 
 
 Beersheba, city of, double meaning of 
 name, 137; wells of, 137, 138 
 
 Benjamin, tribe, territory of, 158, 159; 
 smallness of, 161 ; cities of, 160, 161 
 
 Benjamites, character and history of, 161 
 
 Beth-arabah, 129, 141, 161 
 
 Beth-aven. position of, 63, 64; play on 
 the word in Hosea, 64 
 
 Beth-baal-meon, meaning of, 117; po- 
 sition, 117 
 
 Beth-dagon, city of Judah, 139; city of 
 Asher, 169 
 
 Bethel, or Luz. See Luz 
 
 Beth-hogla, position and description of, 
 
 "9. J 59 
 
 Beth- horon, battle of, 85 90; referred to 
 by Isaiah, 6; meaning of word, 86 ; the 
 
 B 
 
 107 
 
 Bethlehem, a town in Zebulun, 166 
 Bethlehem Ephratah, a town in Judah, 166 
 Beth-marcaboth = "House of Chariots," 
 
 162; significance of name, 162 
 Beth-nimrah, 121 
 Beth-peor, 118 
 Beth-shean, or Beth-shan, position and 
 
 description of, 149 ; subsequent history, 
 
 149 
 Beth-shemesh = " House of the Sun," 
 
 position, 132 ; events connected with, 
 
 133 ; remains of, 133 ; a town in Is- 
 
 sachar, 167 
 
 Beth-tappuah = " House of Apples," 140 
 Beth-zur, city of, 141 
 Bezer in Reuben, 181 ; a city of refuge, 
 
 181, 182 
 Blessings and curses of the Law. read in 
 
 the Valley between Ebal and Gerizim, 
 
 76 
 
 Blood-guiltiness, 41 
 Blunt's Undesigned Coincidences, re- 
 
 upper and the lower, 143, 144, 158, 150 
 leth-jeshimoth = " House of the wastes, 
 
 ferred to on Flax Harvest and Pass- 
 over, 46; capture of Lachish, 93 ; death 
 of Balaam, 119 
 
 Bohan, stone of, 130, 159 
 
 Book of the Law, importance of, 33 ; Cove 
 nant written in, 212 
 
 Boundaries of Land of Promise, 32 
 
 Cabul, city and district of, 170 
 
 Caleb, his family and ancestors, 125 ; 
 first mention of, 125; connection with 
 Joshua, 125; speech of, to Joshua, 125 
 127 ; Joshua's prayer for, 127 ; his 
 possession. See Hebron 
 
 Camp, at Gilgal, strength of, 49, 50; be- 
 came permanent, 53 
 
 Campaigns of Joshua, length of, 103, 104 
 
 Canaan, Father of the Amorites, 44 
 
 Canaan, Central, conquest of, 83 <yt 
 Eastern, partition of, in 123 
 Northern, conquest of, 97 102 
 Southern, conquest of, 92 97 
 
 Canaanites, meaning of word, 44, 98; 
 position of, 44, 98; sometimes same 
 as Hittites, 33 ; extermination com- 
 manded, 15, 102 
 
 Captain of the Lord's host, appearance of 
 to Joshua, 54, 55 ; meaning and sig- 
 nificance of, 55 ; his interview with 
 Joshua resumed, 56 
 
 Carmel, Mount="the Park,"in; why 
 so called, in ; Scripture notices of, HI; 
 flank of, inhabited by Perizzites, 44; 
 a city of Judah, 141 
 
 Cattle, sometimes preserved in capture 
 of cities, 60, 70, joi 
 
 Caves, frequent in Palestine, 40, 41 ; 
 Scripture mention of, 90, 113, 114 
 
 Chariots of iron, 100, 152 
 
 Chephirah, 77; situation of, 81; identifi- 
 cation of, 81 
 
 Chesalon, 132 
 
 Chesulloth, 167 
 
 Chinneroth, city of Naphtali, 98, 173 
 
 Chinneroth, sea of, 107, 121; namesof, in 
 the New Testament, 107 
 
 Circumcision, discontinued in wilderness, 
 51 ; renewed by Joshua, 19, 20, 51 ; to 
 whom the rite was then administered, 51 
 
 Cities, Levitical, description of, i8| 186; 
 of the descendants of Aaron, 186, 187; 
 of the Kohathites, 187, 188; of the 
 Gershonites, 188; of the Merarites, 189 
 
 Cities, of Gilead, 120; of Judah, fourfold 
 division of, 136; (a) of the South, 137, 
 138 ; (6) in the Lowland, 138 140 : (c) in 
 the mountains, 140, 141 ; (d) in the 
 wilderness, 141, 142; of Palestine, 102 
 
 Cities of Refuge, 179 183; names of, 
 181 ; numbers of, 181 ; laws concerning, 
 180; Jewish traditions about, 183 
 
 Coasts, meaning and peculiar use of, 117 
 
 Coffin, the Egyptian, of Joseph, 77, 215; 
 deposited at Shechem, 77, 215
 
 2i8 INDEX I. 
 
 Congregation, or Church, 154 peculiarities of situation, 108 ; one of 
 
 Countries, three, meaning of, 150 the capitals of Og, 122 
 
 Courtesy, Eastern, observed towards Eglon, position of, 84, 139 ; modern name, 
 
 women, 38 84 ; taken by Joshua, 94 ; king of, 
 
 Covenant of Sinai, how made by Moses, slain by him, 94, 109 
 
 211, 212; solemnly renewed by Joshua, Egypt, the Brook of, 113, 129 
 
 after taking of Ai, 74 77; and again Ekron, city of Beelzebub, 113, 133 ; one 
 
 before his death, 211 213 of five Philistine towns, 113 
 
 Crocodiles in the Holy Land, 169 ; Cro- Eleazar, the priest, presides over the 
 
 codile brook, 169 division of the land, 123 ; events of his 
 
 Cubits, 20:00, Sabbath-day'sjourney, 43,46 life, 215 ; death of, 215 ; tombof,2i5; 
 
 Curse pronounced on city of Jericho, 59; its modern name, 215 
 
 on builder of Jericho, 62 ; classical in- Embassy, of Gibeonites to Joshua, 77 ; of 
 
 stances of curses pronounced on other Jsraelitesto the two tribes and a half, 194 
 
 cities, 59, 62, 63 Emims, 104 
 
 Curses of the Law, the, 76 ; read in ears Endor, position of, 149 ; incidents con- 
 
 of the people, 76 nected with subsequently, 149 
 
 Engannim, meaning of, 167 ; village and 
 
 Dabbajhelh , Camel's hump, 164 fo "'" i ,"'. I 6 ' . Scripture tacid.n. 
 
 Da., d,y of, , 7 6, , S/Lail ' 1 = 
 
 - E---. -,.= 
 
 Debir, (a) a town of Judah ancient names Description of, 151, 153 preferred to in 
 
 of, 95, 134; position of, 95; taken by Scripture mi 
 
 Joshua, 95: and by Othniel, 134 Ephrafm, tribe of, 144; position, T 44 ; 
 
 (b) Another town of Judah, 130 "separate" cities of, 145, 148 ; territory 
 
 (c) Another town of Gad, 120, 121 , ' 
 
 to One of the five kings hanged by E^^n'^lain of, , S a ; anciently in- 
 
 D Jn, DKgad, or Dimon IIS; posi- ^gf^C^J^ prope,^ = 
 
 ?K n M ' V- 5 : SCenC dlSCOVery f of which it was the scene 152 ; suitable 
 
 various names of, 98, 149; history of, 
 
 Sef shke , on 
 
 Dukes of Sihon = vassals, 118 ; their his- Euphrate^r-iver" origin "and^mearmie 1 of 
 
 Dus^on head, symbol of mourning, 65 ; * L"? r p d ' 33 ; '^n?^?? ff *?"* f 
 
 Scripture and classical references to, 65 ^8^ ^ ' 
 
 Ewald's History of Israel, remarks on 
 
 Eastern Palestine, conquered kings of, extermination of Canaanites. 17 ; ex- 
 
 106 109 tent of the country beyond Jordan, 
 
 Eating together, a symbol of friendship 116; long independence of the Geshur- 
 
 among Orientals, 80 ites and Maachathites, 116; the half 
 
 Ebal, mount, 74, 75 ; situation of, 74, 75 ; tribe of Manasseh, 122 
 
 events connected with, 76 ; valley Exodus, the, season of, 45 ; description 
 
 between it and Gerizim, 76 ; the recital of, 205, 206 
 
 of the blessings and cursings there, 76 ; Explanation of the two tribes and a half, 
 
 altar built on, 75, 203, 212 of their "great altar," 196 199 
 Ed, the altar, explanation of name, 109 
 
 Edersheim's Israel in Canaan, his remark Farewell, Joshua's, to the two and a half 
 
 on, the stoning of Achan, 69 ; sun tribes, 191, 192 
 
 standing still, 89; an undesigned evi- Farewell address, Joshua's first, -to all 
 
 dence of antiquity of Book of Joshua, Israel, 200, 202; his second, 25, 202 209 
 
 105; sons of Joseph, 154 Father of Gilead, peculiar meaning of, 
 
 Edrei, meaning of, 108; battle of, 108 ; 146
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 219 
 
 Feet upon necks of captives, 91 ; meaning 
 of symbol, 91 ; Scripture references to 
 it in Old and New Testament, 91 
 
 Fenced cities, nature of fortifications of 
 in Palestine, 90, 91 ; value of, 49, 50, 173 
 
 Five lords, cities of Philistines governed 
 t>y, "3 
 
 Flax, stalks of, on Rahab's roof, 39 ; im- 
 portance of crops of it in Palestine, 39 ; 
 allusions to this by Hosea. 39; flax 
 harvest, see Blunt's Undesigned Co- 
 incidences 
 
 Flood, other side of, meaning of expres- 
 sion, 203, 204 
 
 Forests of Israel, ancient, 151, 153 
 
 Fuller, his reference to windings of the 
 Jordan, 32, 129 
 
 Gaash, hill of, 214 
 
 Gad, tribe of, 121 ; possessions of, 34, 
 
 120, 121 ; warlike character of, 121 ; 
 
 subsequent history of, 121,122; remark- 
 able men of, 121, 122 
 Gal = cairn, 74 
 Galilee, position, 181 ; meaning of, 181 ; 
 
 towns of, 181 
 Gate, shutting of, necessary precaution 
 
 in the East, 38 
 Gath, position of, 105 ; importance of 
 
 position, 105 ; one of five royal cities, 
 
 105 
 
 Gath-hepher, 165 
 Gaulanitis, tract of, 182 
 Gaza, situation of, 96 ; antiquity, 96 ; 
 
 freat strength, 96; never subdued by 
 sraelites, 96, 105, 113, 140 
 
 Geba=:hill, 161 
 
 Gebal, maritime town, 114; different 
 names of its inhabitants, 114; same as 
 Byblus, 114; its celebrity, 114 
 
 Geder, probable position of, 109; king 
 of, slain, 109 
 
 Gehenna = Ge-Hinnom, 131 
 
 Gennesareth, Lake of, 107 ; East of, in- 
 habited by Girgashites, 44 
 
 Gerizim, Mount, 75 ; situation of, 75 ; 
 valley between it and Ebal, 76 ; cove- 
 nant renewed there, 76; acoustic pro- 
 perties of the valley of, 76 
 
 Gershonites, descendants of eldest son of 
 Levi, duties of, 185; cities of, 188 : po- 
 sition in march through the wilder- 
 ness, 185 
 
 Geshurites, "of Bashan," 108; their situa- 
 tion, 108; independence of, 116; "of 
 the Desert," 112 
 
 Gezer, position of, 93, 94, 144 : recent 
 remarkable identification of, 94, 109 ; 
 its connection with Pharaoh and 
 Solomon, 94 
 
 GhSr of the Jordan, 46, 50, 193 
 
 Gibeah = hill, 160; name of several 
 towns, 160; "ofSaul,"i6i 
 
 Gibeah-haaraloth, meaning of, 51 
 
 Gibeon, one of four towns of the Hi- 
 vites, 77; peculiar government of, 78; 
 meaning of name, 78, 161 ; position of, 
 78, 83, 96 ; modern name, 78 ; sun stands 
 still over, 88 
 
 Gibeonites, stratagem by which they im- 
 pose on Joshua, 78, 79; massacre of 
 by Saul, 41 ; their fidelity to Israel, 83 
 
 Giblites, the land of, 114. See Gebal. 
 Translated " stone-squarers," 114 
 
 Gilead, inheritance of Manasseh, 120, 
 146; meaning of word, 146; different 
 applications of name, 107, 146, 193 ; 
 extent and size of, 146 
 
 Gilead, grandson of Manasseh, 147 
 
 Gilgal, fortified by Joshua, 49; its site, 
 5, S3; its modern name, 53; other 
 mention of, 50 ; meaning of word, 
 53 ; history under Saul and Samuel, 53 ; 
 other towns of same name, 79, in, 130, 
 159 
 
 Giloh, city of Judah, 140 
 
 Girgashites, family of the Hivites, 44; 
 omitted in all enumerations of the 
 "Seven Nations" except one, 44; sup- 
 posed position of, 44 
 
 Gittites, the, 113; meaning of word, 113. 
 See Gath 
 
 Golan in Bashan, 182 ; a city of refuge, 181 
 
 Goshen, town and district in S. Judah, 
 96, 102 
 
 Hai, name in Genesis for Ai. See Ai 
 Hailstones, fall of, from heaven, at battle 
 
 of Beth-horon, 86; other instances, 
 
 86,87 
 
 Halak, meaning of, 102 ; situation of, 102 
 Hamath, northern boundary point of 
 
 Palestine under Solomon, n, 12, 114; 
 
 importance of its position, 114; called 
 
 " Hamath the Great," 114 
 Hammath, or Hammon, 173 ; hot springs 
 
 of, 173 
 Hanging, a punishment, 18, 74, 92; only 
 
 till eventide, 74, 92 
 
 Hannathon, meaning of, 165 ; position, 165 
 Haran, Terah died at, 204 
 Harden the heart, God said to, 103 ; 
 
 meaning of this, 103; Scripture in- 
 stances of, 103 
 
 Harith, the Wady of, 71, 143 
 Harlot. See Rahab 
 Harvests in Palestine, times of, 45, 46 
 Havpth-Jair, sixty cities captured by 
 
 Jair, 122; position, 122; to whom given, 
 
 123 
 
 Ha2ar-susah, meaning and significance 
 
 of, 162 
 Hazor, meaning of, 97; position, 97, 173, 
 
 1 74 ; subsequent mention of, 97 ; taken 
 
 and burned by Joshua, 101. See Jabin 
 Heap of stones, two words used for, 74 ; 
 
 memorial of punishment. 69; raised uu 
 
 graves, 69, 74. See Tel
 
 220 INDEX I. 
 
 Hebron, in Judah, original name of, 84, Jabin, official title of kings of Hazor, 
 
 127; great antiquity of, 84; situation 97; title explained, 97 ; joins northern 
 
 of, 84; taken by Joshua, 94; its great confederacy against Joshua, 97; slain 
 
 elevation, 126, 127; given by Joshua by him, 101, no 
 
 to Caleb, 127, 133; its name twice Jabneel, name of two towns (ft) in bound- 
 changed, 104, 127; ceded by Caleb to ary of Judah, 133 ; (b) in boundary of 
 the Levites, 186 ; a city of refuge, 181 ; Naphtali, 172 
 town of same name in Asher, 170, 188 Jacob and Esau, meaning of names ex- 
 
 Heeren's Asiatic Nations, remarks in plained, 204 
 
 on Babylonian looms, 68 Jahaza, scene of victory over Sihon, 117 ; 
 
 Hell, meaning and derivation of word, 206 different names for, 117; given to 
 
 Hengstenberg on word Elohim, 210 Reuben, 117 
 
 Hepher, father of Zelpphehad, 147; city Jair, son of Manasseh, 122, 146; con- 
 
 of, no; king of, slain, no queror of the Argob, 122, 146 
 
 Hermon, anciently possessed by the Hi- Japhia (<*!=" glancing," a town of Zebn- 
 
 vites, 44 ; meaning of word, 106 ; why lun, 165 ; position and neighbourhood 
 
 so called, 106 of, 163 : its history under the Romans, 
 
 Heshbon, capital of the Amorites, 106; 165; (b) king of Lachish, 84; joins 
 
 position of, 106 ; ruins of, 107 southern league against Joshua, 84 ; 
 
 Heth, or Cheth, father of the Hittites, 33, slain by him, 92, 109 
 
 44 Japho(=" beauty") or Joppa, 176; events 
 
 Hewers of wood, 82 ; called Nethinim, in Scripture connected with, 176 ; gar- 
 
 82; duties of, 82; Scripture references dens and groves of, 176; its connection 
 
 to, 82 with the Crusaders, 176 
 
 Hiel, the builder of Jericho, 62 Jarmuth, town of Judah, position and 
 
 Hills of Judah, country of, 95, 136 importance of, 84, 139; modern name 
 
 Hinnom, nothing known of him, 131 ; of, 84, 139 
 
 valley of, described, 131 ; events con- Jasher, Book of, 89 ; quotations from, 
 
 nected with, 131 86 89; composition of, 89; meaning 
 
 Hittites, origin of, 33, 44; first mention of word, 89 
 
 of, 33, 44; relation to other nations of Ibleam, town of W. Manasseh, 149, 188; 
 
 Canaan, 44; sometimes used for Ca- event connected with, 149 
 
 naanites, 33. See Kirjath-arba Idolatry, incurable proneness of the 
 
 Hivites, omitted in first enumeration of nation to, in Mesopotamia, Egypt and 
 
 the "Seven Nations," 44; and in re- Palestine, 10, 208, 209; various kinds 
 
 port of the spies, 44 ; when first men- of, in the ancient world, 10, 204, 209 
 
 tioned, 44; character of, 44; geogra- Jealous, meaning and force of the word, 
 
 phical position, 44, 98 210 
 
 Hoham, one of the five confederate Jearim, mount (or " Hor-jearim") = 
 
 kings, 84, 92: meaning of name, 84 "mountain of forests," 132; name 
 
 Holy Place, first so called in the Pro- given to border town of Chesalon, 132 
 
 mised Land, 48 Jebus, meaning of word, 131; strong 
 
 Homicide, laws regarding, 179 fortress occupied by the Jebusites, 44 ; 
 
 Horam, king of Gezer, 93 ; slain by one of the names of Jerusalem, 44, 
 
 Joshua, 94 131 ! called sometimes Jebusi, 83, 159, 
 
 Horites, aboriginal inhabitants of Seir, 161 
 
 205 ; dispossessed by Edomites, 205 ; Jebusites, always placed last among the 
 
 how governed, 205 " Seven Nations," 44 ; the old inhabi- 
 
 Hormah, situation of, 109 ; king of, slain, tants of Jebus, or Jerusalem, 44, 98, 
 
 109; defeat of Israelites at, 109; called 161 ; their "Lower City" taken by the 
 
 Zephath, 109, 138, 162 Israelites, 142 
 
 Hornets, reference to, 208 Jephunneh, father of Caleb, 123 ; doubt 
 
 Horses, first use of, in Canaanite warfare, as to his nationality, 125 
 
 91 Jericho, meaning of word, 36 ; position. 
 
 Hough, meaning of, 99, too; reason of 36 ; importance to Israelites of its early 
 
 the command to, 101 capture, 36, 37 ; its wealth, 37 ; strength 
 
 House, Rahab's, preserved from falling, 61 of fortifications, 36; its siege, 56, 58; 
 
 Houses, sometimes built on walls in old capture and destruction, 57 61; given 
 
 towns, 40 to the Benjamites, 62, 160; incidents in 
 
 our Lord's life connected with it, 62. 
 
 Jaazer, city of Gad, position of, 120; See also "Jordan by Jericho," "Water 
 
 taken by Israel from Amorites, 120 of Jericho," and " Curse." 
 
 Jabbok, meaning of, 107 ; a boundary of Jerusalem, anciently possessed by the 
 
 the Amorites, 44 Jebusites, 44 ; and called Jebus, 83 ;
 
 INDEX I. 221 
 
 meaning of word, 83 ; five different witnessed by Joshua during the 
 
 names by which called, 83 ; its latitude wanderings, 12 ; 
 
 and longitude, 83 ; its great elevation, (c) His career in Canaan, 13; capture 
 
 83; and military strength, 83, 84; given of Jericho, 13; campaign against 
 
 to Benjamin, 161 the southern kings, 13 ; campaign 
 
 Jeshurun, meaning of, 89 ; name of the against the northern kings, 13 ; 
 
 Jewish nation, 89 division of the land, 13 ; retirement to 
 
 Jezreel, 166 ; meaning of, 167; position, Timnath-serah, 14; his last charge, 
 
 167 ; events connected with, 167 ; 14 ; his death, 14 ; his character, 15 
 
 modern name of, 167 Joshua, as a type of Christ, 22 ; sug- 
 
 Jobab, king of Madon, 97 ; joins northern gested by Holy Scripture, 22; ex- 
 confederacy against Joshua, 97; slain hibited in (a) the name common to 
 by him, 101, no both, 23 ; and its purport, 23 ; in (b) 
 
 Jokneam of Carmel, in ; city of Zebu- the idea of a conqueror exhibited by 
 
 lun, in, 164; given to Levites, 189; both, 23; in (c) community of suffering 
 
 river before, see Kishon with the people rescued, 23 ; in (d) 
 
 Jordan, river, meaning of word, 31 ; its succession to Moses and the Law, 24 ; 
 
 sources, 31 ; its windings, 32 ; its in (e) the incidents at the Jordan, 24 ; 
 
 course, 32 ; its threefold bank, 42 ; in (_/ ) the closing scenes of the life of 
 
 periodical inundation of, 45 ; passage the leader of Israel and the Ascension 
 
 of by Israelites, 45, 46 ; typical signi- of our Lord and His session at the 
 
 ficance of passage, 24, 26, 47 ; four right hand of God, 25 
 
 descriptions of the passage, 49 Joshua, the work of, 15; extermina- 
 
 Jordan, borders, or circles, of, 193; Gh5r tion of the Canaanites, 15 ; enjoined 
 
 of, 193; "Judahupon," 173; Plain of, by Moses, 15 ; necessitated by their 
 
 terrace on, 48 moral degeneracy, 16; not inflicted 
 
 Jordan by Jericho, meaning of ex- summarily, 17; but after (a) repeated 
 plained, 123, 143, 182 warnings, 17 ; and (b, repeated post- 
 Joseph, bones of, buried in Shechem, ponements, 17 ; when inflicted, accom- 
 77, 215 panied by (a) the most unique arrange- 
 
 Joseph, house of, inheritance, 143, 144; ments, 18; (b) unheard-of restrictions 
 
 size of his territory, 144 on all natural impulses to plunder and 
 
 Joseph, sons of, 124; their complaint to lust, 18, 19; (c) every possible pro- 
 Joshua, 150; subsequent discontent, 153 vision for enforcing the lesson that it 
 
 Josephus, his remarks on was the Divine Judgment they were 
 
 Age of Joshua when he assumed the inflicting on idolatry and sin, 18 
 
 command, 13 Isaac, meaning of name, 204; birthplace 
 
 Alleged cruelties against Canaanites, 15 of, 204 
 
 Site ofGilgal, 53 Issachar, territory of, 166 168 ; prophe- 
 
 Sun standing still, 89 cies of, characteristics of, 168 ; richness 
 
 Hailstorm at Battle of Beth-horon, and desolation of inheritance, 168 
 
 86, 87, 89 Jubilee, trumpets of, 56 
 
 Situations of Chesulloth, 166, 167 ; Judah, tribe of, boundaries and territory 
 
 Baalath, 175 of, 128 133; length and breadth of, 
 
 Joshua, book of, why so called, 5; its 136; fourfold division of, 136 ; cities of, 
 
 authority confirmed by allusions in (a) grouped and enumerated, 136 
 
 the Psalms, 5 ; (b} the Prophets, d\ (c) Juttah, a city of Judah, 141, 187; con- 
 
 the New Testament, 6 ; enquiry as to nection of, with David, 141 
 its authorship, 6 ; the object for which 
 
 it was written, 8 ; its style, 8 ; analysis Kadesh-barnea, position, 96 ; events con- 
 of its contents, 8 nected with, 96; most important en- 
 Joshua, his original name, 9; meaning of, campment next to Sinai, 125 
 9: change of, 9; triple division of his Kanah = " brook of reeds," i4s, 148 
 life, 9 ; Kedesh in Naphtali, = " the Holy Place 
 (a) In Egypt, g; idolatry there prac- of Naphtali," 174; a city of refuge, 
 tised, 10; bondage of the Israelites, 181; called Kedesh in Galilee, 181 ; 
 10 ; king of, slain by Joshua, no, in; a 
 (6) In the Sinaitic Desert, 10 ; battle town of Issachar, in, 167, 188 
 of Rephidim, 10 ; the giving of the Kedemoth, city of Reuben, 117, 189 
 Law, 10 ; the noise of war in the Keil's Commentary, references to his 
 camp, n ; the prophesying of Eldad remarks on 
 
 and Medad, n ; the mission of the Authorship of Book of Joshua, 7: 
 
 spies, n ; the murmuring of the design of the writer, 8 ; milk and honey 
 
 people, 12 ; the sentence, 12 ; events of Holy Lund, 52 ; defenders ol the
 
 222 INDEX I. 
 
 camp at Gilgal, 52 ; blessings and curs- Levi, 184; position and duties during 
 
 ings of the law, 76; victuals of Gibeon- the wanderings, 185; priesthood con- 
 
 ites tasted by Israelites, 80 ; mountain fined to one section of them, 185 ; cities 
 
 of Halak, 102; dukes of Sihon, 118; assigned 
 
 Eleazar, 123; Jephunneh, 125; He- (a) to the Kohathite Priests, 186, 187 
 
 bron, 127 ; Dead Sea, 128 ; Caleb's (6) to the Kohathite Levites, 187, 188 
 
 daughter, 134; discrepancy in numbers 
 of cities of Judah, 138 ; daughters of 
 
 Zelophehad, 147 ; time of setting up Lachish, doubtful position of, 84 ; subse- 
 Tabernacle, 156 ; cities of the Levites, quent references to, 84 ; taken on "se- 
 
 186 ; Joshua's farewell, 191 ; Hebrew cond day," 93 ; undesigned coincidence 
 
 style of narrative, 192; Gaash, 214 in connection with this, 93 
 
 Keilah, in Judah, position, 139 ; events Laish, or Leshem, original name of city 
 connected with it in the life of David, of Dan, 176 ; situation of, 176 ; origin 
 
 139 of, 176; scenery around, 177; taken 
 
 Kenaz, difficulty as to his relationship to and burned by children of Dan, 177 
 
 Othnicl, 134; probably a family name, Land flowing with milk and honey, why 
 125 expression is descriptive of Palestine, 
 
 Kenezite, doubt as to meaning, 125 52 ; passages where it occurs, 52 
 
 Kings, name of independent chieftains in Land of Canaan = country W. of Jordan, 
 Palestine, 63 ; catalogue and numbers 193 
 
 of conquered kings in E. and W. Law, copy of, various interpretations of 
 Palestine, 106 in; confederacy of five meaning of, 75; inscribed on great 
 
 against Gibeon, 83, 84 ; their flight and stones, 74, 75 
 
 execution, 89 92; conquest of, in S. Law, historical events of, duty of parents 
 Palestine, 92 95 ; confederacy of, in to explain fully to children, 50 
 
 N. Canaan, 97 League, any, with Canaanites forbidden, 
 
 Kirjathaim, or Kiriathaim, 117; name on 81 ; with the Gibeonites, made by 
 
 Moabite stone, 117 Joshua, 81 ; broken by Saul, 81, 82; 
 
 Kirjath-arba, meaning and origin of faithfully observed by Gibeonites, 83 
 
 name, 84; name of Hebron, 84, 134, Leagues, of the kings against Joshua. 
 186 ; chief city of the Anakims, 84, See Kings 
 
 134; Hittites dwelt near in time of Lebanon, meaning of word, 32; N. boun- 
 Abraham, 44 dary of Holy Land, 32 
 
 Kirjath-baal, name of Kirjath-jearim, Lenormant's Manual of Oriental History, 
 141, 159 on strategy of Israelites under Joshua, 
 
 Kirjathiarius, name of Kirjath-jearim, 81 37 
 
 Kirjath-jearim, one of the four cities of Level, high, of parts of Palestine, 161 
 
 the Gibeonites, 77, 132 ; meaning of, Levi and the Priesthood, genealogical 
 81, 132; situation of, 81 ; allotted to table of, 185 
 
 Judah, 81, 132, 159 ; Ark remained at, Levites, no inheritance for, 116, 124; rea- 
 81, 132; once one of the special seats sons for this, 116, 123, 124, 184; pro- 
 
 of Baal-worship, 81 vision for, n6, 124; variously described, 
 
 Kirjath-sannah = " town of palms," name 157 ; Jacob's prophecy concerning, how 
 
 ofDebir, 95, 134, 140 fulfilled, 183; demand made by them 
 
 Kirjath-sepher= "City of Books," name to Joshua, 183, 184; their special func- 
 
 of Debir, 95 ; taken by Othniel, 134 tions, 183, 184 
 
 Kishon, or, river before Jokneam, 164; Libnah, meaning of, 93; situation, 93, 
 meaning of, 164; reference to, 164 130; taken by Joshua, 93; king of, 
 
 Kitto's Bible Illustrations, on slain, no 
 
 Courtesy observed towards Rahab, Lighted off, meaning, and other uses of, 
 38; Babylonish garment, 68 ; old sacks 135 
 
 of the Gibeonites, 78; clouted shoes, Line, scarlet, meaning of, 41; how made, 
 79 ; mouldy bread, 79 ; hailstones of 41 
 
 the East, 87 Living God, force of expression, 44 
 
 Kitto's Biblical Cyclopaedia, on Mosaic Locusts, illustration of, 57 
 
 laws about homicide, 180, 181, 183; Lord, 39; Lord God of gods, 196, 197; 
 magicians in Eastern armies, 207; Lord God of Israel, 203; significance 
 
 Joshua's last farewell, 213 of each of these titles respectively 
 
 Knives, sharp= "of flint," 51 ; used by Lots, various uses of, 66, 123 ; custom of 
 Joshua, 51: by Zipporah, 51; men- great antiquity, 66, 123, 124 ; mentioned 
 
 tioned by Herodotus, 51; tradition by Homer, 66 ; used by the Romans, 66, 
 
 about, 214 123; sometimes dice thrown, 67; some- 
 
 Kohathites, descendants of second son of times tesseras flung into a vessel, 67 ;
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 223 
 
 mentioned by Herodotus, 123; where 
 casting of, by Joshua commenced, 12$ 
 
 Lowlanders. See Canaanites 
 
 Luz (or Bethel), an ancient Canaanite 
 city, 64; mentioned in time of Abra- 
 ham, 64; of Jacob, 64, no; called 
 Bethel by Jacob, 64 ; doubtful whether 
 "city " of Luz and " Holy place " called 
 Bethel are the same, 64, 143 ; two 
 different interpretations, 143; Mr 
 Grove's opinion, 143; name "Bethel" 
 not finally appropriated till after the 
 conquest by Joshua, 64; events which 
 rendered place famous, 1 10 ; king of, 
 sends help to Ai, 72 ; slain by Joshua, 
 no 
 
 Maachathites, the, 108; position of, 108; 
 long independence of, 116 
 
 Maaleh-acrabbim, meaning of, 128 ; po- 
 sition of, 1 29 
 
 Macgregor's Rob Roy on the Jordan, 
 quoted, on the windings of the Jordan, 
 32; Lake Merom, 99; Crocodiles in 
 the Holy Land, 169 
 
 Machir, eldest son of Manasseh, 122, 
 146; power of his descendants, 122, 
 146 ; position and nature of territory 
 assigned them, 122, 146 ; his descend- 
 ants settled on E. of Jordan, 146 
 
 Machpelah, bought from the Hittites by 
 Abraham, 33 
 
 Madon, city in N. Canaan, joins league 
 against Joshua, 97; king of, slain by 
 him at waters of Merom, no 
 
 Mahanaim = " two hosts," 120; events 
 connected with, 121 
 
 Makkedah, doubtful position of, 86 ; Ca- 
 naanites pursued thither by Joshua, 86 ; 
 concealment of kings in a cave at, 89, 
 QO; their execution, 92; king of, slain 
 by Joshua, no 
 
 Manasseh, son of Joseph, meaning and 
 reason of name, 146; rapid increase in 
 the number of the tribe, 150 
 
 Manasseh, half tribe of, 34, 122; pos- 
 sessions on East of Jordan, 34, 120, 
 122, 123; increase of their numbers, 123 
 
 Manasseh, Western, "ten portions" of, 
 147; boundaries of, 148 150; warlike 
 character of tribe, 121, 122; cities of, 
 in other tribes, 148, 149 
 
 Manna, cessation of, 54; Old and New 
 Testament references to it, 54 
 
 Maon, city of Judah, 141 ; events in life 
 of David connected with it, 141 ; mo- 
 dern name, 104 
 
 Mareshah, city of Judah, 139 
 
 .Moarah, meaning of, 113; situation, 114 
 
 Medeba, plain of, when first mentioned, 
 115 ; position of, 115 
 
 Mediterranean, or Great Sea, \V. boun- 
 dary of Holy Land, 32 
 
 Megiddo, commanding position of, in; 
 
 scene of important events, in; king 
 of, slain by Joshua, 1 10 ; defeat of, 150 
 
 Mensuration, art of, Israelites familiar 
 with, 157; commission for, appointed 
 by Joshua, 156; way it was carried 
 out, 156 
 
 Mephaath, town of Reuben, 117 
 
 Merarites, descendants of third son of 
 Levi, 185 ; position and duties of, during 
 the wanderings, 185, 186 ; cities as- 
 signed them, 189 
 
 Merom, Lake, position, 99; modern name, 
 99; description of, 99. See Jordan, 
 sources of 
 
 Merom, Waters of, battle at, 99, 100 
 
 Midbah. See Wilderness 
 
 Midianites, princes of, 118 ; elders of. 
 119 ; undesigned coincidence connected 
 with, 119 
 
 Migdal-el, thought to be the Magdala of 
 N. T., 174 
 
 Milman's History of the Jews, references 
 to their national judgments, 202 
 
 Minister, title of Joshua, 31; force of, 31 
 
 Mishor, meaning of, 34, 115 
 
 Mizpeh= Belle Vue, 161 ; land of, pos- 
 sessed by Hivites, 44; name of several 
 places in Palestine, 98, 99 : of Moab, 
 99; "of Judah," 139 ; "of Benjamin," 
 160 ; "of Gad," or Gilead, 120. See 
 Ramoth-Mizpeh 
 
 Mizraim, son of Ham, 113; his descen- 
 dants, 113 
 
 Mizrephoth-maim, too ; meaning of, 100, 
 101 ; possibly same as Zarephath, 115 
 
 Moabite Stone, where discovered, 116; 
 the four names found on, 117 
 
 Moon, standing still of. See Sun 
 
 Morad, 65 
 
 Morrow after Passover, peculiar meaning 
 of, 54 
 
 Moses, the servant of the Lord, 31 ; burial 
 of, at Beth-Peor, 31 ; oath of, unre- 
 corded in Pentateuch, 126; his grant of 
 land to Eastern Tribes, 115 123 ; and 
 to daughters of Zelophehad, 147; direc- 
 tions left by him about Levitical cities, 
 184; his posterity reckoned among the 
 Levites, 185 
 
 Mouldy, Hebrew word for, 79 ; elsewhere 
 translated "cracknels," 79 
 
 Mountain, the, place of shelter for spies, 
 description and position of, 40, 41 ; 
 "of Hebron," 126, 127; of the valley, 
 117, 118 
 
 Mountains, the, of Judah, 104: of Israel, 
 104, 105; evidence of antiquity of book 
 of Joshua in connection with, 104, 105 
 
 Mountaineers. See Amorites 
 
 Murder, wilful, Mosaic laws respecting, 
 179 ; contrasted with Greek and Ro- 
 man laws, 179 
 
 Napheth, or elevated tracts, 98
 
 224 
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 Naphtali, territory of tribe, 171 174; 
 numbers of, 172; boundaries, 172,174; 
 prophecy concerning, mistranslated, 
 174; subsequent history of tribe, 174, 175 
 
 Nations, seven heathen, of Canaan, 
 various enumerations of, 44 
 
 Nations of Gilgal, meaning of term, in ; 
 king of, slain, in 
 
 Negeb = " Land of the South," 95, 96, 
 102, 136. See South 
 
 Nephtoah, fountain of, 132, 159 
 
 Nether, explanation of, 136 
 
 Nethinim, meaning of, 82 ; duties of, 82 ; 
 Scripture references to, 82 
 
 Neviim Rishonim = "earlier prophets," 
 5 ; portion of Jewish Canon, 5 ; books 
 comprised in it, 5 
 
 Nisan, zoth day of, day of crossing the 
 Jordan, 45, 49 ; meaning and signifi- 
 cance of this date, 34, 43 ; 7th, 8th and 
 5th days referred to, 34 
 
 North Palestine, confederacy and subju- 
 gation of, 97 102 
 
 Now, meaning and force of, at the open- 
 ing of book of Joshua, 31 
 
 Nun, father of Joshua, 9 ; his descent 
 from Ephraim, 9 
 
 Oak, the, of Shechem, or of Moreh, 79, 
 
 212 ; of Mamre, 54 
 Oath, exacted from Rahab by spies, 40, 
 
 41 ; full meaning of, 40 
 Oehler's Theology of Old Testament, on 
 
 stone inscriptions and hieroglyphics, 
 
 75 ; jealousy of God, 210 
 Officers, different meanings of word in 
 
 the original, 34. 42 ; other instances of, 
 
 34. 42 
 Og, king of Bashan, his territory, 34, 107, 
 
 108, 116; conquered by the Israelites, 
 
 206, 207 
 
 Old corn, peculiar meaning of, 53 
 Old Testament, Jewish division of, 5 
 
 (note) 
 
 Ophrah in Benjamin, 160 
 Othniel, doubt as to his relationship to 
 
 Caleb, 134; takes Kirjath-sepher, 134; 
 
 marries Caleb's daughter, 135 
 
 Palestine, retrospect of conquest of, 102 ; 
 
 seven-fold division of, 102 
 Palestine Exploration Fund, discoveries 
 and reports of, on 
 Ancient site and name of Gezer, 94 
 Cave of Adullam, no; country of 
 
 Naphtali, 172 
 
 Site of Altar on the Jordan, 193 
 Joshua's tomb, 214 
 
 Palestine, Southern, conquest of, 92 97 ; 
 fourfold division of, 95, 96 ; survey of 
 campaigns in, 95, 96 
 Parched corn, meaning of, 54 
 Passover, celebration of, at the Jordan, 19, 
 20.53 
 
 Passover cakes, 54 
 
 Pearson on the Creed, references to, 9, 
 23, 24, 26 
 
 Peor, contraction of Baal-peor, 196 
 
 Perizzites, one of the "seven nations," 
 44; meaning of word, 44; supposed 
 locality of, 44 
 
 Philistines, when first mentioned, 112; 
 origin of, 104, 113; position, 112; 
 power of, 112, 113; how reckoned as 
 Canaanites, 113; subsequently coalesce 
 with the Anakims, 105 
 
 Philistines, the, Galilee of, 112 
 
 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, meaning of 
 name, 195 ; accompanies delegates from 
 Israelites to the Eastern Tribes, 195 : 
 memorable events of his life, 195 ; his 
 tomb still shewn, 195 
 
 Pillar of Cloud, Ark takes place of, 43 
 
 Piram, king of Jarmuth, 84; hanged by 
 Joshua, 91, 109 
 
 Plain, the, = the Arabah, 102, 107; "on 
 the East," 106 ; of Jezreel or Esdraelon, 
 152 ; of the Philistines, 96 
 
 Plains, the, of Jericho, or Arboth-Jericho, 
 50; of Moab, 123 ; South of Chinne- 
 roth, meaning of, 97, 98 
 
 Plaster, writing on, 75 ; its durability, 75 
 
 Porter's Handbook, references to, on 
 Edrei, 108 ; Salcah, 108 ; city of Asher, 
 148; Japhia, ascent to, 165; richness 
 and desolation of inheritance of Issa- 
 char, 168, 169; inheritance of tribe of 
 Asher, 171 ; fountains of Hammath, 
 173; position of Hazor, 174 
 
 Prayer of Joshua, before Ai, 65, 66 ; in 
 battle of Beth-horon, 88; for Caleb, 
 127 
 
 Prince of the Lord's host. See Captain 
 
 Processions, village bridal, 135 
 
 Promised Land, boundaries of. See 
 Boundaries 
 
 Pusey's Commentary on Daniel re- 
 ferred to, 171; on Obadiah, 164 
 
 Quarantania, name of supposed scene of 
 our Lord's 40 days' fast, 41 
 
 Quarterly Statement. See Palestine Ex- 
 ploration Fund 
 
 Kabbah, capital of the Ammonites, 120 
 
 Rahab, courtesan and lodging-house 
 keeper of Jericho, 37 ; her occupations, 
 37 ; her courage and faith in hiding 
 the spies, 38, 39; her rescue from the 
 sack of the city, 61 ; her marriage with 
 Salmon, 61; the ancestress of Jesse, 61 ; 
 and of the Messiah, 37, 61 ; her faith 
 commended by St Paul and St James, 
 37 
 
 Rakkath, town in Naphtali, 173; mean- 
 ing of, 173; situation, 173 
 
 Ramah, of Benjamin, 100; of Asher, 
 170; of Naphtali, 173
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 225 
 
 Ramath = "a height," like Ramah and 
 Ratnoth, 161 
 
 Ramith, "of the South," 163 
 
 Ramath-mizpeh, early sanctuary in time 
 of Jacob, 120: its modern name, 120. 
 See Ramoth-gilead 
 
 Ramoth-gilead = " the heights of Gi- 
 lead," 120, 182; city of refuge, 181 ; 
 called Ramath-mizpeh, 120; its other 
 names, 120; memorable events con- 
 nected with, 120, 182 
 
 Remmon-methoar, explanation of, 165 
 
 Rending the clothes, 65 ; by Reuben, 65 ; 
 by Jacob, 65 ; by Joseph's brethren, 
 65 ; by Joshua, 65 
 
 Reproach of Egypt, double meaning of, 52 
 
 Rere ward = " rearguard," 58; Scripture 
 allusions to, 58 
 
 Rest, meaning of word, 35 ; other uses of 
 it, 105, 127, 190 
 
 Reuben, tribe of, territory of, 34, 116 
 119; prophecy of Jacob concerning, 
 119; subsequent history, 120; obscurity 
 of, 1 20 
 
 Rhinokolura, the river of Egypt, 112 
 
 Hitter's Geography of Palestine, remarks 
 from, on windings of the Jordan, 32 ; 
 position of Jerusalem, 84; plain of 
 Esdraelon, 152; inheritance of Asher, 
 171; of Naphtali, 174; trees and gar- 
 dens of Joppa, 176 
 
 Rr.binson's Bible Researches, referred 
 to, on troops employed against Ai, 70 ; 
 site of Chephirah, 81 ; position of 
 Jerusalem, 84; Beth-horon, 159; site 
 of Ramah, 170; Hazor, 173; neigh- 
 bourhood of Laish, 177 
 
 Roofs, Eastern, flat, useful for various 
 purposes, 30; battlements required, 39; 
 Roman and Italian, 39 
 
 Rosenmuller, quotations from, 80, 156 
 
 Rye, and flax, harvest. See Harvests 
 
 Sabbath day's journey. See Cubits 
 
 Salcah. position and description of, 108; 
 prophecies fulfilled in, 108 
 
 Salmon, marries Rahab, 61 
 
 Salt, City of, 142 ; Covenant of, 80 ; 
 Valley of, 142 
 
 Sanctify yourselves, meaning of com- 
 mand to, 43 
 
 Scarlet thread. See Line 
 
 Sea of the Plain = Dead Sea, or Salt Sea, 
 46, 107 
 
 Seir, Edomite mountain range of, 205 ; 
 meaning of word, 205 ; origin of name, 
 205; situation of, 205: given to Esau, 
 205. See Horites. Another range in 
 boundary of Judah, 132 ; why so call- 
 ed, 132 
 
 Seven, significance of number, among the 
 Hebrews, 57 ; among different nations, 
 57. See " Week," and " Swear" 
 
 Shaalabbin = "the place of foxes," 175 
 
 JOSHUA 
 
 Shakespeare, quotations from, 56, 58, 64, 
 79, 87, loo, 126, 136 
 
 Shebarim = the mines, 64 
 
 Shechem. city in Mount Ephraim, 75, 
 181 ; situation, 75, 148, 181 ; central 
 city on West of Jordan, 181; one of the 
 cities of refuge, 181; events, and sacred 
 associations connected with, 76,203,212 
 
 Shechem. a son of Manasseh, 147 
 
 Shephelah, the, meaning of, 77, 96; situ- 
 ation of, 96, 112, 136 
 
 Shihor-libnath, or Crocodile Brook, 169 
 
 Shiloh, meaning of word, 158; erection 
 of Tabernacle at, 153 158 ; remarks on 
 selection of site, 155, 158; description 
 of, 155 
 
 Shimron, city of, 97; its full name, 97; 
 position, 97 ; king of, defeated and 
 slain by Joshua, 97, 101, no 
 
 Shimron-meron. See Shimron 
 
 Shittim, or Abel Shittim, encampment of 
 Israelites at, 36 ; meaning of word, 36, 
 207; scripture references to, 36; situ- 
 ation and description of, 36; spies sent 
 from, to view Jericho, 36 ; breaking up 
 of the encampment there, 42 
 
 Shoe, unloosing, a mark of reverence, 55 
 
 Shoes, material of in East, 78 
 
 Shunem, town of Issachar, 166: position 
 of, 167; scripture incidents connected 
 with, 167 
 
 Sibmah, town of Reuben, 117; position 
 of, 117; prophecies concerning, 117 
 
 Sihon, king of the Amorites. or of Hesh- 
 bon, his territory described, 34, 106; 
 occupied by Reuben, 34; conquest of, 
 referred to, 106, 206, 207. See Dukes 
 
 Sihor, the river of Egypt, 112, 113 
 
 Simeon, tribe of, territory of, 161 164; 
 within that of Judah, 162 ; villages of, 
 163 ; prophecy of Jacob concerning, 
 163; not mentioned in prophecy of 
 Moses, 163 ; obscurity of the tribe, 
 their character and history, 163, i(>+ ; 
 prophecy of Obadiah fulfilled in, 164 
 
 Sincerity, meaning and use of word, 208 
 
 Sion = " the elevated," name of Hermon, 
 106 
 
 Slack, derivation and meaning of, 85 
 
 Smith's Biblical Dictionary, articles re- 
 ferred to, on knives of flint, 51 ; seven, 
 number, 57; caves, 90; fenced cities, 
 91 ; Ashkelon, 113; Mannsseh, 123; 
 Wilderness, 137 ; Land of Gilead, 146 ; 
 Tabernacle, 156; Cabul, 170; Naphtali, 
 
 m 
 
 Snares, different kinds described, 201 
 
 Solaria. See Roofs 
 
 South, country of the, described, 95, 96, 
 136; = Teinan, 113; Land of the 
 South, 163; "they of the South," 164 
 
 Speaker's Commentary referred to on 
 wedge of gold, 68 ; fenced cities of 
 Naphtali, 173 ; Joshua's farewell, 192 
 
 '5
 
 226 INDEX I. 
 
 Spear, Joshua's, 72 ; various kinds of, 72 87, 88 ; story taken from Book of 
 
 Spies, sent to view Jericho, 36 38; and Jasher, 89; referred to by Isaiah, and 
 
 Ai, 64 Habakkuk, 6 ; manner of the protrac- 
 
 Springs, country of the, described, 96, tion of light not told, 88 ; Edersheim's 
 
 107; of water, meaning of, 135 ; Upper translation, 89; account of Josephus, 
 
 and Nether, given to Caleb's daughter, 89 
 
 135; meaning and position of them, Surtabeh, Talmudic name of great altar, 
 
 136 193 
 
 Stanley's (Dean) Lectures on Jewish Swear, = "to do seven times," 57 
 Church, on character of Joshua, 14 ; 
 
 his name, 22 ; bulls of Bashan, 34 ; Taanach, one of six separate cities given 
 
 drying of the Jordan bed, 47 ; Jewish to W. Manasseh, 148 ; position and 
 
 fortified cities, 50; Battle at Waters of celebrity of, no, in ; king of, slain by 
 
 Merom, 99; Machir, 122; request of Joshua, no; tributary, but not 
 
 Caleb's daughter, 136; sacred lots, 158; conquered, city, 149, 150; name still 
 
 Land of Naphtali, 175; inheritance of retained, in; given to the Levites, 
 
 Dan, 177; ancient idolatries, 204; oak 188 
 
 of Shechem, 212 ; tomb of Eleazar, 215 Tabernacle, set up at Gilgal, 48; at 
 
 Stanley's Sinai and Palestine, referred to Shiloh, 153 158 ; at Nob, 156 ; at 
 
 on windings of Jordan, 32 ; position of Gibeon, 156; lots cast by Eleazar 
 
 Jericho, 36; scene of our Lord's and Joshua at door of, 178; called 
 
 1'emptation, 40, 41; ravines near Ai, "The Tabernacle of the Congrega- 
 
 71 ; slow pace of Eastern armies, 81 ; tion," 154, 155 ; or "Tabernacle," or 
 
 position of Jerusalem, 83, 84 ; Battle of "Tent," "of meeting," 155, 157; 
 
 Bethhoron, 85 ; Second Part of Book of meaning of, 155 
 
 Joshua, 112; history and character of Tabor, mountain and town of Zebulun, 
 
 Reubenites, 120 ; Benjamites, 161 ; 167. See also 164 
 
 Simeonites, 162, 163; Mountain of Tappuah in Judah, position of, no; 
 
 Hebron, 127; gift of Hebron to Caleb, modern name, no; king of, slain, no; 
 
 127; Maaleh-akrabbim, 129; Adum- meaning of name, 140 
 
 mim, 130; Engedi, history and descrip- Tel = heap, 73; Palestine a land of Tels, 
 
 tion of, 142 ; defeats of Gilboa and 73 ; Ai made a Tel for ever, 73, 74 
 
 Megiddo, 150; selection of Shiloh as Teman, = the South, 113 
 
 site for Tabernacle, 155 ; tribes of Temptation, our Lord's, supposed scene 
 
 Issachar, 168, Asher, 171, Naphtali, of, 41 
 
 174 Terah, father of Abraham, 203; his 
 
 Stone, Moabite, 116, 117; of Bohan, descendants, 204; idolatry of, 204; 
 
 130, 159; of Shechem, 212,213 tradition about, 204 
 
 Stone-squarers. See Giblites Terebinth, of Mamre, 54; spreading, 
 
 Stones, bevelled, of the Temple, 114 174 
 
 Stones, great, set up as memorials or This day, unto, force and frequency of 
 witnesses of past events, 47, 48, 50, 69, expression in Book of Joshua, 48; 
 74, 212, 3! set up by Jacob, 47, 212; places where it occurs, 48; proofs in 
 by Moses, 212 ; by Samuel, 47 ; by these historical allusionsthat the Book, 
 Joshua in Gilgal, 48, 50, 212 ; in the bed as we have it, was compiled after the 
 of the Jordan, 48; in tile Valley of Achor, death of Joshua, 7, 7 
 69 ; on Mount Ebal, 74, 75 ; before the Thomson's Land and the Book, refer- 
 cave at Makkedah, 92 ; under the Oak ences to windings of Jordan, 32 ; 
 of Shechem, 212, 213 ; sometimes be- ravines near Ai, 70 ; old writings on 
 came causes of idolatry, 50 stones, 75; Valley of Gerizim, 77; 
 Stoning, a punishment for blasphemy and Well of Enrogel, 130, 131 ; Bethshean, 
 idolatry, 69 149 > Endor, 149; crocodiles in Pales- 
 Stood still, meaning of as applied to the tine, 169 ; capture of Laish, 177 
 
 sun, 88; as applied to cities, 101 Timnah, or Timnath, or Thimnathah, a 
 
 Straitly shut up, meaning of, 55, 56 town of Dan, 132, 133, 175 ; another 
 
 Stranger that sojourneth = naturalized town of Judah, 141 
 
 foreigners, 182 ; variously accounted Timnath-serah, or Timnath-heres, the 
 
 for, 182 city and home of Joshua, 178, 200; 
 
 Subdue, meaning of, 156 meaning of, 178 ; position and beauty 
 
 Suburbs, of cities, explained, 124 of, 178 ; description by Lieut. Conder, 
 
 Succoth = Booths, 121; where situated, 214 ; Joshua buried there, 214 
 
 121 ; events famous for, 121 Tirzah, a suburb of Samaria, in ; situation 
 
 Sun and moon, standing still of, 88 ; an of, in; Scripture mention of, in; 
 
 answer to Joshua's prayer of faith, beauty of, in ; king of, slain by
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 227 
 
 Joshua, in ; one of the five daughters 
 of Zelophehad, 147 
 
 Token, or sign, true, meaning of, 40 
 
 Treasury of the Lord, certain spoils in 
 war reserved for, 60 
 
 Trespass, committed a, significant mean- 
 ing of, 63 
 
 Tribes, Two and a Half, Joshua's exhor- 
 tations to, 34, 35 ; possessions of, 34, 
 106 109, 115 123; boundaries of, 115, 
 116; number of fighting men in, 35. See 
 Altar and Embassy 
 
 Tristram's Land of Israel, descriptions 
 of, Plains of Shittim, 36 ; overflowings 
 of Jordan, 45 ; Valley of Gerizim, 76 ; 
 Wilderness of Judaea, 142; Plain of 
 Esdraelon, 152 ; situation and ruins of 
 Shiloh, 155 ; city of Dan, 177 
 
 Tristram's Land of Moab, descriptions of, 
 River Arnon, 106 ; ruins of Heshbon, 
 107; Kirjathaim, 117; Zareth-shahar, 
 117, 118; shore of Dead Sea, 128; 
 Engedi, 142 
 
 Trumpets of rams' horns, description of, 
 56 ; elsewhere referred to, 57 
 
 Truthfulness, low standard of, in ancient 
 times, 38 
 
 Tyre, city of, in Asher, 170; conquest of 
 not attempted by Israelites, 170, 190 
 
 Upper and Nether Springs. See Springs 
 Urim and Thummim, neglect of by 
 Joshua, 80, 81 
 
 Vale, country of the, described, 96 
 
 Valley, ''The," division of Palestine, 
 102 ; of Achor, 69 ; of Ajalon, 88 ; of 
 Elah, 139 ; of Gerizim, 74, 75, 76 ; of 
 the Giants, or Valley of Rephaim, 
 131, 132, 152 (see Baal-Perazim) ; of 
 Hinnom, 131 ; of Jiphthah-el, 165 ; of 
 Jezreel, 152 ; of the Jordan, 42, 121 ; 
 of Israel, 102; of Mizpeh, 101 ; of 
 Nazareth, 165 ; of the Orontes, 12, 114; 
 of Salt, 142 
 
 Van de Velde, his narrative referred to, 
 46, 130, 149 
 
 Vaughan's Heroes of Faith, Faith of 
 Rahab, 38 ; of the army encompassing 
 Jericho, 56, 60 
 
 Vehicles, not used in Palestine at the 
 present day, 152 
 
 Victuals, meaning of word, 34 ; of the 
 Gibeonites partaken of, by the Israel- 
 ites, 180 
 
 View = to review, 64 
 
 Villages =farm premises, 119; where built, 
 152 
 
 Walls of Jericho, fall of, attributed to 
 
 faith of the army, 60, 61, 62, 63 
 Water of Jericho, the, meaning of, 143 
 Wedge ofgold, a, meaning of, 68 
 
 Week of seven days, among what nations 
 in use, 57 
 
 Western Palestine, conquered kings of, 
 109 in 
 
 Wheat harvest. See Harvests 
 
 White Mountain, the. See Lebanon 
 
 Whole stones, altar of, on Mt Ebal, 74, 
 75; meaning of, 75; always required, 
 7S 
 
 Wilberforce's Heroes of Hebrew History, 
 on character of Joshua, n; wars of 
 Joshua, 22; gospel in Joshua, 25; the 
 Lord's appearance to Joshua, 55 ; 
 Joshua's farewell, 203 ; Joshua's career, 
 214 
 
 Wilderness, or Midbah, or Arabah, 137; 
 position of, 137, 143 ; of Judsea de- 
 scribed, 142 ; upon the Plain, 182 
 
 Window, escape of spies from, 40 ; similar 
 instance in New Testament, 40 
 
 Wine-bottles of Gibeonites, 78 ; allusion 
 to such in New Testament, 78 
 
 Wist, derivation and meaning of, 38 
 
 Wordsworth's (Bishop) Commentary, on 
 Curse pronounced on Jericho, 62 ; con- 
 fession of Achan, 67, 6y ; apparent 
 discrepancy in numbers of troops at Ai, 
 70 
 
 Worship, Divine, four elements of, 201 
 
 Wyclif's translation, quotations from, 
 passim 
 
 Xaloth, town of, 167 
 
 Zaanaim, Plain of, 172; description of, 
 
 172 
 Zaanannim, Allon to, =Oak by Zaanannim, 
 
 172 ; meaning of, 172 ; references to, 
 
 172 
 
 Zabdi, or Zimri, grandfather of Achan, 63 
 Zaretan, or Zarthan, 46 ; situation of, 46 ; 
 
 Adam, that is beside, meaning of, 46 ; 
 
 modern name, 46 
 Zareth-shahar = " splendour of the dawn," 
 
 117; position of, 117; description of, 118 
 Zarhites, the, house of, 67 
 Zebulun, territory of, 164 166 ; numbers 
 
 of, 164; subsequent history and cha- 
 racter of tribe, 166 
 Zelah, burial-place of Saul, 161 
 Zelophehad, second son of Hepher, 147; 
 
 request of daughters of, to Joshua, 147 ; 
 
 their inheritance, 147 
 Zephath, or Hormah, 109 
 Zidon, the great metropolis of Phoenicia, 
 
 100, 170 ; included in Asher, but not 
 
 conquered by him, 170, 190 
 Ziklag, position, 162; meaning of, 138; 
 
 events connected with, 138, 162 
 Zin, desert of, 129; spot in desert of, 129 
 Ziph, city of Judah, 141 ; events con- 
 nected with, 141 ; another town of 
 
 Judah, 137 
 Zoreah, city of, 138 
 Zuzims, or Zamzummims, 104
 
 INDEX II. 
 
 INDEX II. 
 
 ( Words and Phrases explained. ) 
 
 About a whole day, 89 
 
 Accursed, 59, 63 
 
 Allon to Zaanannim, 172 
 
 Altar Ed, 199 
 
 Ambush, 70 
 
 Anathema, 59, 66 
 
 Any good thing, 191 
 
 Appointed cities, 181, 182 
 
 Asked not counsel, 80, 81 
 
 At the passage, 194 
 
 Babylonish garment, 68 
 
 Before the Lord, 68 
 
 Blessed or blessing, 127, 135, 192, 199 
 
 Blood, bloodguilty, 41 
 
 Book of the Law, 33, 212 
 
 Buildeth Jericho, 62 
 
 Cast lots, 67 
 
 Cherem, 62, 66, 67 
 
 Circles, 112, 193 
 
 City in the midst of the river, 117 
 
 Clouted, 78 
 
 Coast, 117 
 
 Committed a trespass, 63 
 
 Compass, 129 
 
 Compassed, 132, 159, 165 
 
 Congregation, 154 
 
 Copy of the Law, 75 
 
 Counted to the Canaanite, 113 
 
 Deo dati, or donati, 82 
 
 Devoted, 40, 59, 62 
 
 Discomfited, 85, 86 
 
 Dukes, 118 
 
 Entering of the gate, 180 
 
 Espy, 125, 126 
 
 Father of Gilead, 146 
 
 Fear of, 197 
 
 Fenced cities, 90 
 
 Fetched a compass, 129 
 
 Folly, 67 
 
 From Adam, 46 
 
 Frontier fortress, 50 
 
 Gal, 74 
 
 Galilee, 181 
 
 Galilee of the Philistines, 112, 193 
 
 Gehenna. 131 
 
 God forbid, 198 
 
 Going down, 65 
 
 Hell, 206 
 
 Hewers of wood, 82 
 
 Hill, 215 
 
 Hills, 77, 95 
 
 Hough, 99, ico, lot 
 
 Intend, 199 
 
 ealous, 210 
 
 ordan by Jericho, 143 
 s, 37, 63 
 
 Land of Canaan, 193 
 
 Lighted off, 135 
 
 Lord God of gods, 196 
 
 Lot, fall of, 67, 147 
 
 Maeniana, 39 
 
 Midst of Jordan, 48 
 
 Moe, 86, 87 
 
 Morrow after Passover, 54 
 
 Morrow after Sabbath, 54 
 
 Mouldy, 79 
 
 Napheth, 98 
 
 Negeb, 95 
 
 Nether, 136 
 
 Nethinim, 82 
 
 Neviim Rishonim, 5 
 
 Numbered, 71 
 
 Officers, 34, 42 
 
 Old, 53, 70, 78 
 
 Parched corn, 54 
 
 Pleased, 198, 199 
 
 Quarantania, 41 
 
 Reproach of Egypt, 52 
 
 Rereward, 56, 58 
 
 Rested, 105, 127 
 
 Sabbath day's journey, 43 
 
 Sanctify, 43, 66 
 
 Second, 51, 93 
 
 Sharp knives, 51 
 
 Sincerity, 208 
 
 See to, 193, 194 
 
 Separate cities, 145 
 
 Slack, 85, 156 
 
 Snares, 201 
 
 Solaria, 39 
 
 South, 135 
 
 Springs, 95, 135 
 
 Stood still, 88. 101 
 
 Straitly, 55, 56 
 
 Stranger that sojourneth, 182 
 
 Subdue, 156 
 
 Suburbs, 124 
 
 Swear, 57 
 
 Tel, 73, 74 
 
 Three countries, 150 
 
 Time appointed, 72 
 
 Token, 40 
 
 Took of, 80 
 
 Trespass, 63 
 
 Use of the bow, 89 
 
 Utterly destroyed, 40, 60 
 
 Victuals, 34 
 
 View, 64 
 
 Villages, 119, 152 
 
 Wedge, 68 
 
 Wine bottles, 78 
 
 Wist, 38, 72 
 
 CAMBRIDGE : PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY, M.A. AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.
 
 THE CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS 
 
 of 
 
 "We were quite prepared to find in Canon Farrar's St Luke a 
 masterpiece of Biblical criticism and comment, and we are not dis- 
 appointed by -our examination of the volume before us. It reflects very 
 faithfully the learning and critical insight of the Canon's greatest works, 
 his 'Life of Christ' and his 'Life of St Paul,' but differs widely from 
 both in the terseness and condensation of its style. What Canon Farrar 
 has evidently aimed at is to place before students as much information 
 as possible within the limits of the smallest possible space, and in this 
 aim he has hit the mark to perfection. The introduction deals with the 
 Gospels generally, and with St Luke's in particular. It gives an ex- 
 cellent biographical sketch of St Luke, points out the evidences for the 
 authenticity of St Luke's Gospel, gives in detail the characteristics of 
 the Gospel, furnishes an analysis of its contents, states the chief ancient 
 manuscripts of the Gospels, and presents us with a brief account of the 
 Herods as mentioned in the Gospels and the Acts. The special cha- 
 racteristics of the work are these : (i) All important mistranslations of 
 the Authorised Version are corrected; (2) the apparent inconsistencies 
 with the other Gospels are harmonised ; (3) as a rule, Scripture is made 
 to interpret Scripture; (4) the results of the highest and most recent 
 textual criticism and of fresh scholarship, as well as of historical 
 research, are extensively utilised to clear up obscurities and to illus- 
 trate the mind and meaning of the Evangelist ; (5) illustrations of the 
 text either in its language or its sentiment are frequently drawn from 
 literary sources, ancient and modern. We must further draw attention 
 to the valuable appendix, which, amongst other mooted points, dis- 
 cusses the double genealogies of Christ and the difficult question was 
 'the Last Supper an actual Passover?' It is only fair to say that as a 
 series the 'Cambridge Bible for Schools' has no equal in point of 
 excellence and usefulness, and that Canon Farrar's work is quite the 
 best of the series." The Examiner. 
 
 " In many of our Grammar Schools and High Schools, at least the 
 elder lads are now 'examined' in some portion of Holy Scripture, and 
 have to 'get it up' as they would a book of Virgil or of Homer. In 
 a large proportion of these schools the Scripture Examination is con- 
 ducted by members of the Cambridge University. The examiners have 
 found, as was natural, that, while on every other subject handbooks of 
 the most accessible and serviceable kind abound, there is an absolute 
 dearth of similar manuals on the several books of Scripture. Now the 
 lads in our schools, and even the junior students of our colleges, can 
 hardly be expected to keep a long array of commentaries on their 
 shelves, or to be able to use them to much purpose even if they have 
 access to them. Hence the Syndics of the University Press have 
 decided to produce a series of the Scripture manuals of which there is
 
 CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS. 
 
 just now so great a need, and have selected Canon Perowne as general 
 editor of the series. No better selection could have been made. The 
 name of Dr Perowne is a guarantee for good and scholarly work ; while 
 his intimate acquaintance with the Biblical scholars of every Church 
 and school of thought will enable him to secure the co-operation of the 
 men best fitted to assist him. 
 
 "The first volume of the series now lies before me a small octavo 
 of two hundred pages. Paper and type are as good as can be desired. 
 And into this small volume Dr Maclear, besides a clear and able Intro- 
 duction to the Gospel, and the text of St Mark, has compressed many 
 hundreds of valuable and helpful notes. In short, he has given us 
 a capital manual of the kind required containing all that is needed to 
 illustrate the text, i. e. all that can be drawn from the history, geography, 
 customs, and manners of the time. Of course it is part of a School 
 Bible, and does not trace the sequence of thought in the Gospel, or 
 emphasize the truths taught in it ; still less does it deduce and discuss 
 doctrines. But as a handbook, giving in a clear and succinct form the 
 information which a lad requires in order to stand an examination in the 
 Gospel, it is admirable ... I can very heartily commend it, not only 
 to the senior boys and girls in our High Schools, but also to Sunday- 
 school teachers, who may get from it the very kind of knowledge they 
 often find it hardest to get. " Expositor. 
 
 "The scheme is well started in the little book before us. Dr 
 Maclear has formed a sound conception of the kind of book needed for 
 school purposes, and has made his contribution thoroughly serviceable. 
 ...With the help of a book like this, an intelligent teacher may make 
 'Divinity' as interesting a lesson as any in the school course. The 
 notes are of a kind that will be, for the most part, intelligible to boys 
 of the lower forms of our public schools ; but they may be read with 
 greater profit by the fifth and sixth, in conjunction with the original 
 text." The Academy. 
 
 "St Mark is edited by Dr Maclear, Head Master of King's 
 College School. It is a very business-like little book. The text is 
 given in paragraphs, and each paragraph has a title, which reappears as 
 a division of the notes. The introduction, which occupies twenty pages, 
 is clear and good, and concludes with an analysis of the book. There 
 are maps and an index. The notes are pointed and instructive, and 
 constantly give words and phrases from WiclifF's version, and quota- 
 tions from classical and modern authors, which add greatly to the 
 interest of the work and to its usefulness for schools. There is a good 
 list of writers who have undertaken other parts of this edition of the 
 Bible, including the editor and his distinguished brothers, Professor 
 Plumptre, Canon Farrar, DrMoulton, and Mr Sanday." Contemporary 
 Revieiv. 
 
 " The Gospel according to S. Mark, with Notes and Introduction, by 
 Rev. G. F. Maclear, D.D. (Cambridge University Press), is a publi- 
 cation which will be of the highest value for all teaching purposes; it 
 is beautifully executed in all respects, and deserves a high recommend- 
 ation. " Literary Churchman. 
 
 " The Gospel according to St Mark, with Notes by the Rev. G. F. 
 Maclear, D.D., is the first of a series of Text-books upon the Bible, 
 divided into handy portions, suitable for school use. The whole of the
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 Bible will be in due course annotated and published in separate parts, 
 at a moderate price, by the Syndicate of the Cambridge University Press. 
 If the succeeding books of the series shall be as well edited as the one 
 now before us, we may confidently predict a large sale for them.... Dr 
 Maclear's introductory chapters and analysis of the Gospel of St Mark 
 are excellent Of course the notes betoken an accurate and scholarly 
 acquaintance with the Greek text. This manual will be found most 
 useful to schoolmasters and Sunday-school teachers ; to them the cheap- 
 ness of this book (only half-a-crown) will be an additional recommenda- 
 tion." John Bull. 
 
 " We welcome with enthusiasm this first fruit of the banding to- 
 gether of eminent divinity students of our Universities under the editor- 
 ship of Dr Perowne, and are not sorry that it represents the labours of 
 so experienced a scholar and teacher as Dr Maclear, upon the Gospel 
 of St Mark. We gather from it an earnest of the handy and compact 
 arrangement to be looked for in the contents of the volumes to follow, 
 the ordering of the requisite introductory matter, the conciseness yet 
 sufficiency of the notes to the text, the fullness of \\\& general index, and 
 the discreet choice of that of special words and phrases." English 
 Churchman. 
 
 "The Gospel according to St Matthew , by the Rev. A. Carr. This 
 valuable series of school books is under the editorship of Professor 
 Perowne, and is doing a great and thorough educational work in 
 our schools. The volume before us condenses in the smallest possible 
 space the best results of the best commentators on St Matthew's Gospel. 
 The introduction is able, scholarly, and eminently practical, as it bears 
 on the authorship and contents of the Gospel, and the original form 
 in which it is supposed to have been written. It is well illustrated by 
 two excellent maps of the Holy Land and of the Sea of Galilee." 
 English Churchman. 
 
 " The Book of Joshua. Edited by G. F. Maclear, D.D. We have 
 the first instalment of what we have long desiderated, a School Com- 
 mentary on the books of Scripture. If we may judge of the work con- 
 templated by the sample before us it has our heartiest commendation. 
 With Dr J. J. S. Perowne for General Editor and an eminent list of 
 well-known Biblical scholars as contributors, we have the highest 
 guarantee that the work will be completed in a scholarly, useful, and 
 reliable form. The introductory chapter of the present volume on the 
 
 life, character, and work of Joshua is ably and attractively written 
 
 The ' notes ' will be found brief, terse, pointed, and suggestive. The 
 historical illustrations are apposite and felicitous. The maps and geo- 
 graphical explanations are accurate and valuable. The book ought to 
 be in the hands of every teacher, and even clergymen will find it a 
 valuable accession to their list of commentaries. We await the issue 
 of the remaining volumes with interest." IVakly Review. 
 
 "A very important work in the nature of a Scriptural text-book for 
 the use of students has been undertaken by the Syndics of the Cam- 
 bridge University Press namely, the separate issue of the several books 
 of the Bible, each edited and annotated by some Biblical scholar of high 
 reputation The value of the work as an aid to Biblical study, not 
 merely in schools but among people of all classes who are desirous to 
 have intelligent knowledge of the Scriptures, cannot easily be over- 
 estimated." The Scotsman.
 
 4 CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS. 
 
 "Among the Commentaries which are in course of publication, the 
 Cambridge Bible for Schools (Cambridge University Press) deserves 
 mention. It is issued in conveniently-sized volumes, each containing 
 a Book of the Old or New Testament. We have just received two of 
 these volumes one, on The Book of Joshua, prepared by Dr Maclear, 
 of the King's College School ; the other, by Professor Plumptre, on 
 The Epistle of St James. That they are designed for the use of schools 
 sufficiently indicates the scope of the annotations which accompany the 
 text of each of these books. That on the Book of Joshua is enriched 
 with notices of the most recent discoveries in Biblical archaeology and 
 geography. The illustrations, however, are not confined to such notices, 
 but embrace a wider exegesis. It has, moreover, two maps and a very 
 good index of the contents of the annotations. The volume on the 
 Epistle of St James is, independently of a sufficient commentary, en- 
 riched with a useful introduction, in which the authorship of the Epistle 
 and the time when written are discussed with the fulness which we had 
 a right to expect from Dr Plumptre. The series will be valuable to 
 schools ; but it will by no means exhaust its usefulness there. More 
 advanced readers of Holy Scripture than are to be found in our public 
 schools will derive assistance from these handy volumes, which, when 
 completed if completed as those already published give us reason to 
 expect will be a welcome addition to our commentaries on Holy 
 Scripture." John Bull. 
 
 "St Matthew, edited by A. Carr, M.A. The Book of Joshua, edited 
 by G. F. Maclear, D.D. The General Epistle of St James, edited by 
 E. H. Plumptre, D.D. (Cambridge University Press). These volumes 
 are constructed upon the same plan, and exhibit the same features as 
 that on 'St Mark's Gospel,' of which we gave a full account on its 
 issue. The introductions and notes are scholarly, and generally such 
 as young readers need and can appreciate. The maps in both Joshua 
 and Matthew are very good, and all matters of editing are faultless. 
 Professor Plumptre's notes on 'The Epistle of St James' are models of 
 terse, exact, and elegant renderings of the original, which is too often 
 obscured in the authorised version. ' Nonconformist. 
 
 "The issue of the Bible in sections, although not an entirely novel 
 plan, is now, we believe, adopted for the first time with a special view 
 to school use, each book in this series being intended as a separate 
 text-bqok, complete in itself, with its introduction, notes, and maps. 
 The system which has always been adopted with the best results in 
 regard to secular school-books can scarcely fail to be equally valuable 
 when applied to the sacred volume, and, as the names of the editors 
 will show, the most eminent scholars and divines of the day are being 
 employed upon the work. The text adopted in the edition is that of 
 Scrivener's Cambridge Paragraph Bible, the notes in every case being 
 printed under the text. When completed, the Bible will form a most 
 valuable work for reference as well as for its more immediate purpose." 
 Publishers' Circular. 
 
 " The General Epistle of St James, with Notes and Introduction. 
 By Professor Plumptre, D.D. (University Press, Cambridge). This is 
 only a part of the Cambridge Bible for Schools, and may be bought 
 for a few pence. Nevertheless it is, so far as I know, by far the best 
 exposition of the Epistle of St James in the English language. Not
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 Schoolboys or Students going in for an examination alone, but Ministers 
 and Preachers of the Word, may get more real help from it than from 
 the most costly and elaborate commentaries." Expositor. 
 
 " With Mr Carr's well-edited apparatus to St Matthew's Gospel, 
 where the text is that of Dr Scrivener's Cambridge Paragraph Bible, 
 we are sure the young student will need nothing but a good Greek 
 
 text We should doubt whether any volume of like dimensions could 
 
 be found so sufficient for the needs of a student of the first Gospel, from 
 whatever point of view he may approach it." Saturday Review. 
 
 "THE CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS: St Matthew, Joshua, 
 Jonah, Corinthians, and James. We have on a former occasion drawn 
 the attention of our readers to the first volume of this excellent series 
 St Mark. The volumes indicated above have now been published, and 
 fully maintain the high standard won by the first. They furnish valu- 
 able and precise information in a most convenient form, and will be 
 highly esteemed by students preparing for examinations, and also by 
 Sunday-school teachers and others. They are particularly valuable in 
 furnishing information concerning history, geography, manners and 
 customs, in illustration of the sacred text." The Baptist. 
 
 "THE CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS: The First Epistle to the 
 Corinthians. Edited by Professor Lias. Jonah. Edited by Arch- 
 deacon Perowne. (Cambridge University Press.) Every fresh instal- 
 ment of this annotated edition of the Bible for schools confirms the 
 favourable opinion we formed of its value from the examination of its 
 first number. The origin and plan of the Epistle are discussed with its 
 character and genuineness. The analysis of its contents is very full and 
 clear, and will be found of great service to the teachers of the more 
 advanced classes in Sunday-schools and to the leaders of Bible-classes. 
 The notes at the foot of the text are brief, but suggestive. We should 
 recommend the committee of the City Missions, and all who have 
 charge of rural evangelization societies, to put this book into the hands 
 of their agents.... The moral teaching of the book is so valuable, and 
 the light it sheds upon the growth of religion amongst the Jews so 
 interesting, that these elements ought to receive the largest share of an 
 editor's attention. " The Nonconformist. 
 
 "Dr Maclear's commentary for Schools on The Book of Joshua is, 
 as may be anticipated from him, clear and compendious. The historical 
 books of the Old Testament are especially adapted for such an exegesis, 
 elucidating many minute points, which might escape the observation of 
 a less careful student. Another volume of the same series, The Gospel 
 of St Matthew, with Mr Carr's annotations, deserves equally high 
 praise. The commentary is terse and scholarly, without losing its 
 interest for ordinary readers. The maps, the index, and the tabulated 
 information in the Appendix all enhance the usefulness of this handy 
 little volume. The name of the editor, Dr Plumptre, is in itself enough 
 to recommend the edition of The General Epistle of St James, in 
 the same series. More copious than the companion volumes, it 
 contains some lengthy notes in the form of an excursus e.g. on the 
 personal relation of St Paul and St James the Less." Guardian. 
 
 " The last part, the Book of Jonah, is from the hand of (The Ven. 
 T. T.) Perowne, Archdeacon of Norwich. The little work is well done, 
 written in a graceful, lucid, and cheerful style, which will be attractive
 
 CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS. 
 
 to young readers. The notes contain information and reflection in a 
 very just proportion, the great preponderance being given to informa- 
 tion." The British and Foreign Evangelical Review. 
 
 " The Acts of the Apostles. Edited by J. Rawson Lumby, D.D., 
 Norrisian Professor of Divinity. We said before, in noticing former 
 volumes, not only the schoolboy or girl, or the student preparing for 
 examination, but the general reader and devout Christian will find these 
 handy books most edifying. The editors have drawn from history, 
 geography, and the manners and customs of the East, everything that 
 will illustrate the text and make it clear to the dullest comprehension." 
 Cambridge Chronicle. 
 
 "We believe we have already spoken of previous volumes in terms 
 of praise. Indeed, it would be difficult to speak too highly of the 
 volumes before us, especially that edited by Professor Lumby. They 
 carry on the same 'lines' as their predecessors, and are eminently 
 adapted for the needs of those schools where it is the custom to set 
 a portion of Scripture to be got up just like a book of Virgil or Homer. 
 The notes are foot-notes, and explain with clearness and brevity all 
 the points of interest, geographical, topographical, and archaeological, 
 touched upon in the text." Educational Times. 
 
 " The Book of Joshua. By the Rev. G. F. Maclear, D.D. Jonah. 
 By the Ven. T. T. Perowne, B.D. The Gospel according to St Matthew. 
 By the Rev. A. Carr, M.A. The Gospel according to St Mark. By 
 the Rev. G. F. Maclear, D.D. The Acts of the Apostles (i xiv). By 
 J. Rawson Lumby, D.D. We cannot have a healthier intellectual 
 exercise than an impartial examination of the structure and contents 
 of Scripture, and there are no books more likely to aid such an 
 examination than the Manuals issued by the Syndics of the University 
 Press. Works of more solid worth have not been published. The 
 text adopted throughout is that of Scrivener's Cambridge Paragraph 
 Bible. Each part contains a careful and scholarly introduction on the 
 authorship, the date, the sources, &c., of the book. The notes are 
 terse and suggestive, giving in few words the gist of elaborate re- 
 searches. They abound in fine textual criticism, no less than in valuable 
 doctrinal and ethical comments. Dr Maclear is thoroughly at home in 
 such an historical book as Joshua. He draws illustrations from all 
 quarters, especially from old English literature, and writes in a style 
 of great elegance. The volume on Jonah is a literary gem, both on 
 apologetic and hermeneutical grounds. In Mr Carr's Matthew there is, 
 in addition to keen verbal criticism and archaeological research, a deter- 
 mined effort to trace the course of thought in the inspired text, to point 
 out the nexus between the various sections and verses of the Gospel. 
 Mr Carr has all the qualifications which vigorous and refined scholar- 
 ship can give, and possesses what is of far higher value, clear spiritual 
 insight. Mr Lumby's manner of work is known to most of our readers 
 from his papers in the Expositor. His notes on the Acts will certainly 
 enhance his reputation, and form a valuable commentary on one of the 
 most important books of the New Testament All these books are, in 
 fact, a valuable addition to our Biblical expositions, original contribu- 
 tions to a subject of transcendant importance ; and while they cannot 
 fail to be valued by those for whom they are expressly designed, we 
 have a shrewd suspicion that they will be still more highly appreciated
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 by minds of a riper order. The maps which most of the manuals 
 contain are beautifully executed, and will be a great aid to the intelli- 
 gent study of the Scriptures. Canon Perowne, to whom the general 
 editorship of the series has been entrusted, may be congratulated on the 
 success which the scheme 'has so far achieved. 'The Cambridge Bible 
 for Schools ' is one of the most popular and useful literary enterprises of 
 the nineteenth century. " Baptist Magazine. 
 
 "THE CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS The Second Epistle to 
 the Corinthians. By Professor LIAS. The General Epistles of St Peter 
 and St Jude. By E. H. PLUMPTRE, D.D. We welcome these 
 additions to the valuable series of the Cambridge Bible. We have 
 nothing to add to the commendation which we have from the first 
 publication given to this edition of the Bible. It is enough to say that 
 Professor Lias has completed his work on the two Epistles to the 
 Corinthians in the same admirable manner as at first. Dr Plumptre 
 has also completed the Catholic Epistles." Nonconformist. 
 
 "(i) The Acts of the Apostles. By J. RAWSON LUMBY, D.D. 
 (2) The Second Epistle of the Corinthians, edited by Professor LIAS. 
 The introduction is pithy, and contains a mass of carefully-selected 
 information on the authorship of the Acts, its designs, and its sources. 
 
 The Second Epistle of the Corinthians is a manual beyond all 
 
 praise, for the excellence of its pithy and pointed annotations, its 
 analysis of the contents, and the fulness and value of its introduction." 
 Examiner. 
 
 " The Cambridge Bible for Schools. The Cambridge University Press 
 has not made of late years a more valuable contribution to the literature 
 of the age than this series of books of the Bible, which has been pre- 
 pared specially for schools.... We have been most careful to examine 
 St Jfattke'LL', edited by Rev. A. Carr, M.A., as our thoughts are 
 directed in the line of the International Lessons for the first six months 
 of the next year, and we are very pleased to direct our readers' attention 
 to a work which is calculated to be so helpful to them. The introductory 
 portion is very able, so full of interesting matter, and yet so concisely 
 put. This quality of conciseness characterises the notes throughout, and 
 as they appear on the same page as the letter press to which they relate, 
 facility of reference is thus obtained." The Sunday School Chronicle. 
 
 "THE CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS. The 2nd Epistle to the 
 Corinthians, with Notes, Map, and Introduction. By the Rev. J. J. 
 Lias, M.A. We have here a noteworthy sample of the thoroughness 
 of the editing of the various books of the English Bible under the super- 
 intendence of Dean Perowne, and a trustworthy earnest of his choice 
 of the best coadjutors for each particular volume. The Rev. Professor 
 Lias, M.A., is not unknown as a profound Biblical scholar; but, if he 
 were, his arrangement and discrimination of materials, his shrewd 
 weighing of arguments where there is crux for commentators, the 
 general soberness and serviceableness of his notes would recommend 
 him to those who require a scholarly editor for even the Bible in Eng- 
 lish. These are and ought to be many, and it is no small boon to them 
 that the Syndics of the Cambridge Pitt Press are alive to their need and 
 desire. We have examined the notes, and can only say that their 
 soundness and orthodoxy are such as to give a comfortable assurance 
 that Cambridge and Lampeter undergraduates are fortunate in being
 
 8 CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS. 
 
 guided by such sound and sage divines as Professor Lias." The English 
 Churchman and Clerical Journal. 
 
 " The Cambridge Bible for Schools. Romans: Edited by Handley 
 C. G. Moule, M.A. In this work, small as it looks, the Biblical student 
 has a biography of St Paul; an analysis of his famous epistle; parallels 
 between the writings to the Romans and Galatians; a sketch of the 
 argument ; and a most elaborate mass of notes, with alphabetical index, 
 reflecting to one glance the industry and erudition of the annotator. 
 Dean Perowne, who undertakes the editorship of this series, confesses 
 that whilst reviewing the notes and checking any omissions, he has left 
 each contributor to the unfettered exercise of his own judgment, and to 
 each commentary its own individual character. Of the enormous 
 expenditure of research, and thought, and learning, we should fail to 
 convey an adequate idea if we attempted it. It would be a mistake to 
 suppose that this work is fitted only for scholars. If not indispensable 
 to every reader of the Scriptures it offers at least to all a great help, 
 and it has been so well digested and arranged that it may be used as an 
 index and work of reference, or as a treatise." The Sherborne, Dorches- 
 ter, and Tawiton Jotirnal. 
 
 " The Cambridge Bible for Schools. The Epistle to the Romans. By 
 H. C. G. Moule, M.A. This admirable school series continues its 
 work. Mr Moule treats in this new volume of one of the profoundest 
 of the New Testament Books. His work is scholarly, clear, full, and 
 devout, and we are thankful that such volumes find their way into 
 
 our schools The volumes, taken as a whole, are admirable. "- 
 
 The Freeman. 
 
 "The Rev. H. C. G. Moule, M.A., has made a valuable addition 
 to THE CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS in his brief commentary on 
 the EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. The "Notes" are very good, and 
 lean, as the notes of a School Bible should, to the most commonly 
 accepted and orthodox view of the inspired author's meaning; while 
 the Introduction, and especially the Sketch of the Life of St Paul, is 
 a model of condensation. It is as lively and pleasant to read as if 
 two or three facts had not been crowded into well-nigh every sentence." 
 Expositor. 
 
 "It is seldom we have met with a work so remarkable for the com- 
 pression and condensation of all that is valuable in the smallest possible 
 space as in the volume before us. Within its limited pages we have 
 'a sketch of the Life of St Paul,' which really amounts to a full and 
 excellent biography; we have further a critical account of the date of 
 the Epistle to the Romans, of its language, and of its genuineness. The 
 notes are numerous, full of matter, to the point, and leave no real 
 difficulty or obscurity unexplained." The Examiner. 
 
 "To the mature reader, the book may be most confidently recom- 
 mended. He will have his reserve about the theology, but he will find 
 it an admirably careful and complete commentary, avoiding no diffi- 
 culties, tracing out distinctly the sequences of thought, and expressing 
 in perspicuous language what St Paul meant, or, at least, what a 
 learned and intelligent critic believed him to have meant." The Spec- 
 tator. 
 
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