Charles Ellicott Commentary Joshua 15

This then was the lot. —Rather, And the lot came to the tribe of Judah. We might perhaps better begin this section with the last sentence of Joshua 14:15, and read thus: “And the land had rest from war; and the lot fell to the tribe of Judah (i.e., the tribe of Judah received its allotment), according to their families.”

The question arises at this point how the position of the tribes of Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh was determined. As to the remaining seven, see Note on Joshua 18:5-10. It is noticeable that Hebron appears to have been promised to Caleb (Joshua 14:12), and Shechem assigned to Joseph by Jacob (Genesis 48:21–22; Joshua 24:32). Did not this necessarily bring the tribe of Judah into the south, the neighbourhood of Hebron, and Ephraim (with his brother Manasseh) into the centre of the country?

Their south border. The southern boundary of Judah is described by Conder (Bible Handbook, p. 257) as follows: "The south boundary of Judah is described from east to west, and later became that of Simeon . Although the points mentioned along the border are not all certainly known, there is no doubt that the great mountain wall which extends from the Dead Sea to the watershed south of Rehoboth (Er-Ruheibeh) formed the natural and recognised boundary of Palestine, while the river of Egypt (Joshua 15:4) is generally supposed to be the present Wâdy-el’-Arish, the northern boundary between Syria and Egypt.

"The north branch of this valley (Wâdy-el-Abiad) rises near ‘Abdeh (Ebodah), south of Rehoboth, and thereby carries on the boundary from the mountain rampart. A new identification of importance can be mentioned here, namely, Hezron (Joshua 15:3), the next point to Kadesh-barnea on the west side. Kadesh has been shown to lie probably in the neighbourhood of Wâdy-el-Yemen, and immediately west of that valley is the mountain called Hadîreh, a name radically identical with Hezron."

This shall be your south coast. —This phrase does not seem to fit in with the language of the rest of the passage.

However, it is strongly reminiscent of the language of Moses in Numbers 34:3, Numbers 34:6, Numbers 34:9, and Numbers 34:12. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth was the instruction to Joshua, and in describing the border of Judah, he is really describing also the southern border of all Israel; and he does this throughout in language very similar to that of Moses in Numbers 34:0.

But Moses wrote it in the second person and in the future tense throughout; Joshua wrote it in the third person and in the past tense, with this one exception, in which he seems to have unconsciously adopted the phraseology of the lawgiver instead of the historian.

Their border in the north quarter. — This can be followed with the Ordnance Survey of Palestine and is described by Conder in the following way: "It started from the Jordan mouth, but did not apparently follow the river, as Beth Arabah (unknown) and Beth Hogla (’Ain Hajlah, about two miles west of Jordan—sheet 18) belonged to Benjamin. Passing along the valley of Achor (Wâdy Kelt), it left Gilgal on the north, and ascended the pass to the going up of Adummim (Tal’at-ed-Dumm), the ancient and modern name ‘bloody’ being apparently derived from the brick-red marls found here amid a district of white chalk." (It is easy to conjecture other reasons.)

A line of Roman road on the map is a very fair guide to the boundary described here. Thus far, it lies on sheet 18.

En Rogel, the next known point (on sheet 17), close to Zoheleth (Zahweileh, 1 Kings 1:9), was evidently the present spring ‘Ain Umm-ed-Deraj, in the Kedron Valley. (This may be found in the separate survey of Jerusalem, which is on a larger scale.)

From there, the border ran across the slope (Cataph, Joshua 15:8, “side”), beside the valley of Ben Hinnom (Wâdy Rabâby), south of Jebus, and thus reached the watershed. (Here the boundary line takes a turn to the northward.)

It then apparently passed along the broad vale (Emek, Joshua 15:8) of Rephaim (“valley of the giants”), which Josephus reports as extending towards Bethlehem. This valley is identified with El-Bukeia (sheet 17).

The waters of Nephtoah are apparently identical with ‘Ain ’Atân, south-west of Bethlehem.

Kirjath-jearim is by Conder identified as ’Arma (spelt ’Erma on the Ordnance map), four miles east of Beth-shemesh (’Ain Shemes, or Shems).