Charles Ellicott Commentary Joshua 15:5

"And the east border was the Salt Sea, even unto the end of the Jordan. And the border of the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the end of the Jordan;" — Joshua 15:5 (ASV)

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.