John Gill Commentary Joshua 15:55

"Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Jutah," — Joshua 15:55 (ASV)

Maon, Carmel
Maon was the dwelling place of Nabal the Carmelite, whose possessions were in Carmel, and were not far from one another, (1 Samuel 25:2) . It gave name to a wilderness near where David hid himself from Saul, (1 Samuel 23:25) ; Jerome ^F16 places it to the east of Daroma, who also informs ^F17 us, that there was in his time a village that went by the name of Carmelia, ten miles from Hebron towards the east, and where was a Roman garrison.

and Ziph ,
according to the same writer ^F18 , was eight miles from Hebron to the east; and there was a village shown in his time where David was hid; this gave name to a wilderness also, (1 Samuel 23:14) ;

and Juttah ,
which Jerome calls ^F19 Jeshan, was in his time a large village of the Jews, eighteen miles from Eleutheropolis, to the southern part in Daroma. Reland ^F20 conjectures that this was the native place of John the Baptist; and that, instead of "a city of Judah", it should be read "the city Juta", (Luke 1:39) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F16: De loc. Heb. fol. 93. E.
• F17: lbid. fol. 92. C.
• F18: Ibid. fol. 95. G.
• F19: Ibid. fol. 92. I.
• F20: Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 870.