Joshua 15:63

The portion that fell by lot to the various clans of the tribe of Judah lay farthest south, down to the border of Edom, which is the Wilderness of Zin.

Their southern boundary began from the tip of the Dead Sea, from the tongue that projects southward.

It proceeded to the south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, passed on to Zin, ascended to the south of Kadesh-barnea, passed on to Hezron, ascended to Addar, and made a turn to Karka.

From there it passed on to Azmon and proceeded to the Wadi of Egypt; and the boundary ran on to the Sea. That shall be your southern boundary.

The boundary on the east was the Dead Sea up to the mouth of the Jordan. On the northern side, the boundary began at the tongue of the Sea at the mouth of the Jordan.

The boundary ascended to Beth-hoglah and passed north of Beth-arabah; then the boundary ascended to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

The boundary ascended ^aMeaning of Heb. uncertain.from the Valley of Achor to Debir and turned north^-a to Gilgal,^bApparently identical with Geliloth, 18.17. facing the Ascent of Adummim which is south of the wadi; from there the boundary continued to the waters of En-shemesh and ran on to En-rogel.

Then the boundary ascended into the Valley of Ben-hinnom, along the southern flank of the Jebusites—that is, Jerusalem. The boundary then ran up to the top of the hill which flanks the Valley of Hinnom on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.

From that hilltop the boundary curved to the fountain of the Waters of Nephtoah and ran on to the towns of Mount Ephron; then the boundary curved to Baalah—that is, Kiriath-jearim.

From Baalah the boundary turned westward to Mount Seir,^cNot the Seir of Edom. passed north of the slope of Mount Jearim—that is, Chesalon—descended to Beth-shemesh, and passed on to Timnah.

The boundary then proceeded to the northern flank of Ekron; the boundary curved to Shikkeron, passed on to Mount Baalah, and proceeded to Jabneel; and the boundary ran on to the Sea.

And the western boundary was the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Those were the boundaries of the various clans of the Judites on all sides.

In accordance with the LORD’s command to Joshua, Caleb son of Jephunneh was given a portion among the Judites, namely, Kiriath-arba—that is, Hebron. ([Arba] was the father of Anak.)

Caleb dislodged from there the three Anakites: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak.

From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir—the name of Debir was formerly Kiriath-sepher—

and Caleb announced, “I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher.”

His kinsman Othniel the Kenizzite^dCf. 14.6, 14. captured it; and Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage.

^eMeaning of Heb. uncertain. Some Greek mss. read “he induced her”; cf. Judg. 1.14.When she came [to him], she induced him^-e to ask her father for some property. She dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb asked her, “What is the matter?”

She replied, “Give me a present; for you have given me away as Negeb-land;^fI.e., as a dry land, that is, without a dowry. so give me springs of water.” And he gave her Upper and Lower Gulloth.^gI.e., “springs.”

This was the portion of the tribe of the Judites by their clans:

The towns at the far end of the tribe of Judah, near the border of Edom, in the Negeb, were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,

Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,

Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,

Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron—that is, Hazor—

Amam, Shema, Moladah,

Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet,

Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Biziothiah,

Baalah, Iim, Ezem,

Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,

Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,

^hCf. below 19.6.Lebaoth, Shilhim,^-h Ain and Rimmon.ⁱCf. Ain, Rimmon, 19.7 below, and 1 Chron. 4.32; En-rimmon, Neh. 11.29. Total: 29^jThe number is uncertain. Some of the same towns are listed under Simeon, cf. 19.1–9; so Rashi. towns, with their villages.

In the Lowland: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam,

Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,

Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim—14^kThe number is uncertain. Tappuah and Enam may have been one place; so Rashi on basis of 17.7. towns, with their villages.

Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,

Dilan, Mizpeh, Joktheel,

Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,

Cabbon, Lahmas, Chithlish,

Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah: 16 towns, with their villages.

Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,

Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah: 9 towns, with their villages.

Ekron, with its dependencies and villages.

From Ekron westward, all the towns in the vicinity of Ashdod, with their villages—

Ashdod, its dependencies and its villages—Gaza, its dependencies and its villages, all the way to the Wadi of Egypt and the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

And in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,

Dannah, Kiriath-sannah^lEmendation yields “Kiriath-sepher”; cf. Septuagint.—that is, Debir—

Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,

Goshen, Holon, and Giloh: 11 towns, with their villages.

Arab, Dumah, Eshan,

Janum, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,

Humtah, Kiriath-arba—that is, Hebron—and Zior: 9 towns, with their villages.

Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,

Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,

Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah: 10 towns, with their villages.

Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,

Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon: 6 towns, with their villages.^mSeptuagint adds: Tekoa, Ephrathah—that is, Bethlehem—Peor, Etam, Kulon, Tatam, Sores, Karem, Gallim, Bether, and Manach—11 towns, with their villages.

Kiriath-baal—that is, Kiriath-jearim—and Rabbah: 2 towns, with their villages.

In the wilderness: Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,

Nibshan, Ir-melah,ⁿOr “the City of Salt.” and En-gedi: 6 towns, with their villages.