Albert Barnes Commentary Joshua 18:11-28

"And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the border of their lot went out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. And their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill-country westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth-aven. And the border passed along from thence to Luz, to the side of Luz (the same is Beth-el), southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, by the mountain that lieth on the south of Beth-horon the nether. And the border extended [thence], and turned about on the west quarter southward, from the mountain that lieth before Beth-horon southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kiriath-baal (the same is Kiriath-jearim), a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter. And the south quarter was from the uttermost part of Kiriath-jearim; and the border went out westward, and went out to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah; and the border went down to the uttermost part of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the vale of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel; and it extended northward, and went out at En-shemesh, and went out to Geliloth, which is over against the ascent of Adummim; and it went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben; and it passed along to the side over against the Arabah northward, and went down unto the Arabah; and the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the goings out of the border were at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this was the south border. And the Jordan was the border of it on the east quarter. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the borders thereof round about, according to their families. Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Beth-hoglah, and Emek-keziz, and Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, and Beth-el, and Avvim, and Parah, and Ophrah, and Chephar-ammoni, and Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities with their villages: Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth, and Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah, and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, and Zelah, Eleph, and the Jebusite (the same is Jerusalem), Gibeath, [and] Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families." — Joshua 18:11-28 (ASV)

See the marginal references. There are many indications found in this and the next chapter that the text is in great disorder, and many of the places are still unknown (Joshua 18:14).

And compassed the corner ... - Render “and turned on the west side southward.” The meaning is that at lower Beth-horon the northern boundary-line of Benjamin curved round and ran southward—Beth-horon being its extreme westerly point (Joshua 18:21).

The “Valley of Keziz,” or “Emek-Keziz,” is perhaps the “Wady el Kaziz,” at no great distance east of Jerusalem (Joshua 18:22).

Zemaraim, i.e., “two wooded hills,” is supposed to be the ruins called “Es-Sumrah,” on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho (Joshua 18:23).

Ophrah (Joshua 15:9 note), to be distinguished here and in 1 Samuel 13:17 from the Ophrah of Judges 6:11, is probably the Ephrain of 2 Chronicles 13:19 and the Ephraim of John 11:54. It is conjecturally identified with “Et-Taiyibeh,” on the road from Jerusalem to Bethel.

Gaba - This name, like Gibeah, Gibeon, etc. (Joshua 9:3), indicates a town placed on a hill, and occurs repeatedly in various forms in the topography of Palestine. Gaba is the Gibeah (if 1 Samuel 13:15–16; 1 Samuel 14:5, where the Hebrew has גבע Geba‛—which is undoubtedly the correct reading throughout). The city was one of those assigned to the Levites (Joshua 21:17), and lay on the northern border of Judah. It is identified with the modern “Jeba,” lying on the side of a deep ravine opposite to Michmash (“Mukhmas”). The famous “Gibeah of Saul,” or “Giheah of Benjamin” (the Gibeath of Joshua 18:28), lay at no great distance southwest of Geba, on the high road from Jerusalem to Bethel, and is probably to be looked for in the lofty and isolated “Tulcil-el-Ful” (Joshua 18:24).

Ramah - i.e., “lofty;” probably the native town and abode of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:19; 1 Samuel 25:1). Its exact site is uncertain (Joshua 18:25).

Mizpeh - See Joshua 11:3. Not the Mizpeh of Joshua 15:38, but the place where Samuel judged the people and called them together for the election of a king (1 Samuel 7:5–16; 1 Samuel 10:17). In the Chaldaean times it was the residence of Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:22; Jeremiah 40:14). Its site is identified with “Neby Samwil,” about five miles northwest of Jerusalem.