Friday, May 20, 2022

Joshua 14 and 15 brief comments




 Joshua, chapter 14

 

Joshua 14:1 ¶  And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them. 2  By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe. 3  For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance among them. 4  For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance. 5  As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land.

 

This passage recounts the aspects of the Law we already looked at in the discussion of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

 

Joshua 14:6 ¶  Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. 7  Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. 8  Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God. 9  And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God. 10  And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. 11  As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. 12  Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. 13  And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. 14  Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel. 15  And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.

 

Of the men sent from Kadeshbarnea to scout out the land of Canaan only Joshua and Caleb, because of their obedience and confidence in God, were to live of the men that left Egypt. Their faith and trust in God made this possible. Here again are some things we’ve discussed in Numbers.

 

Caleb seeks a challenge and is confident in the Lord that he will take it. There is a popular gospel song with that title, “I Want That Mountain.” Of course, the difference between a gospel song and a hymn is that the gospel song is about what God has done for you while a hymn praises God for who He is, some say.

 

Joshua, chapter 15

 

Joshua 15:1 ¶  This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast. 2  And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward: 3  And it went out to the south side to Maalehacrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadeshbarnea, and passed along to

Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa: 4  From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at the sea: this shall be your south coast. 5  And the east border was the salt sea, even unto the end of Jordan. And their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan: 6  And the border went up to Bethhogla, and passed along

by the north of Betharabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben: 7  And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of Enshemesh, and the goings out thereof were at Enrogel: 8  And the border went up by the valley of the son of

Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward: 9  And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjathjearim: 10  And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Bethshemesh, and passed on to Timnah: 11  And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea. 12  And the west border was to the great sea, and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about according to their families.

 

There is some assumption and guesswork today in pinpointing these locations as sometimes names are duplicated or the origin is uncertain. We are talking about over 3,000 years ago, quite a long time with a lot of name changes, changes in geography, and towns lost to time and the ravages of war. A couple of things to note in this passage are the salt sea, which is the Dead Sea today, and the great sea which would be the Mediterranean. In English “the Dead Sea” comes from the 13th century according to some sources but the sea was called in both Latin and Greek “The Dead Sea.”

 

The word Mediterranean comes from the 1590s by way of the 1400s from Latin meaning “the sea in the middle of the earth.” Of course these dates will not be consistent among all scholars.   

 

Joshua 15:13 ¶  And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. 14  And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. 15  And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher. 16  And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. 17  And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 18  And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? 19  Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.

 

Joshua 15:20 ¶  This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families. 21  And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, 22  And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, 23  And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, 24  Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, 25  And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor, 26  Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, 27  And Hazargaddah, and Heshmon, and Bethpalet, 28  And Hazarshual, and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah, 29  Baalah, and Iim, and Azem, 30  And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah, 31  And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah, 32  And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages: 33  And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah, 34  And Zanoah, and Engannim, Tappuah, and Enam, 35  Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, 36  And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages: 37  Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdalgad, 38  And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel, 39  Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon, 40  And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish, 41  And Gederoth, Bethdagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages: 42  Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan, 43  And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib, 44  And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages: 45  Ekron, with her towns and her villages: 46  From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages: 47  Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof: 48  And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh, 49  And Dannah, and Kirjathsannah, which is Debir, 50  And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim, 51  And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages: 52  Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean, 53  And Janum, and Bethtappuah, and Aphekah, 54  And Humtah, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages: 55  Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah, 56  And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah, 57  Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their

villages: 58  Halhul, Bethzur, and Gedor, 59  And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages: 60  Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages: 61  In the wilderness, Betharabah, Middin, and Secacah, 62  And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and Engedi; six cities with their villages. 63  As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

 

Jerusalem was inhabited at first here by the Jebusites, Canaanites. The tribe of Judah will eventually sack the city.

 

Judges 1:8  Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

 

David took it and it became the capital of the ancient kingdom of Israel.

 

1Chronicles 11:4  And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.5  And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David.

6  And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief.7  And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David.8  And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9  So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him.

 

Verse 63 is internal evidence that Joshua was written before the events of David’s life and probably before Judges 1:8 was written down. This internal evidence places the writing of Joshua close to the events that happened.

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