John Gill Commentary Joshua 19:6

"and Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages:" — Joshua 19:6 (ASV)

And Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen
Whether the first is the same with Lebaoth, a city of Judah, (Joshua 15:32) ; and with the Bethleptepha of Josephus ^F2 , and the Betholene of Pliny ^F3 , is not certain: in this place secret to have been an idol temple of the Canaanites, dedicated to lions, as in Egypt there was a city called Leontopolis, from which was the Leontopolitan nome, the inhabitants of which worshipped lions ^F4 ; and the Egyptians had temples dedicated to them, as Aelianus ^F5 relates.

Both these places are thought to be the same with Bethbirei and Shaaraim in (1 Chronicles 4:31) ; of the latter of which see (Joshua 15:36) . Those who take Sheba, (Joshua 19:2) , to be the same with Shema, (Joshua 15:26) , make but one city here, and take away the last, as the Greek version does, and render the word "and their fields", and so the number still is as follows:

thirteen cities and their villages ;
the sum total of those enumerated above.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F2: De Jud. Bell. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 1.
• F3: Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 14.
• F4: Strabo. Geograph. l. 17. p. 559.
• F5: Aelianus De Animal. l. 12. c. 7.