Discovery BoxJoshua 14:1--15:63 
Context14:1 The following is a record of the territory assigned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite tribal leaders. 1 14:2 The land assignments to the nine-and-a-half tribes were made by drawing lots, as the Lord had instructed Moses. 2 14:3 Now Moses had assigned land 3 to the two-and-a-half tribes east of the Jordan, but he assigned no land 4 to the Levites. 5 14:4 The descendants of Joseph were considered as two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites were allotted no territory, though they were assigned cities in which to live, along with the grazing areas for their cattle and possessions. 6 14:5 The Israelites followed the Lord’s instructions to Moses and divided up the land. 7
14:6 The men of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said about you and me to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea. 8 14:7 I was forty years old when Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report. 9 14:8 My countrymen 10 who accompanied 11 me frightened the people, 12 but I remained loyal to the Lord my God. 13 14:9 That day Moses made this solemn promise: 14 ‘Surely the land on which you walked 15 will belong to you and your descendants permanently, 16 for you remained loyal to the Lord your God.’ 14:10 So now, look, the Lord has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past forty-five years since the Lord spoke these words to Moses, during which Israel traveled through the wilderness. Now look, I am today eighty-five years old. 14:11 Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then. 17 14:12 Now, assign me this hill country which the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard at that time that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. 18 But, assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer 19 them, as the Lord promised.” 14:13 Joshua asked God to empower Caleb son of Jephunneh and assigned him Hebron. 20 14:14 So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this very day 21 because he remained loyal to the Lord God of Israel. 14:15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. Arba was a famous Anakite. 22 ) Then the land was free of war.
15:1 The land allotted to the tribe of Judah by its clans reached to the border of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin in the Negev far to the south. 23 15:2 Their southern border started at the southern tip of the Salt Sea, 24 15:3 extended 25 south of the Scorpion Ascent, 26 crossed to Zin, went up from the south to Kadesh Barnea, crossed to Hezron, went up to Addar, and turned toward Karka. 15:4 It then crossed to Azmon, extended to the Stream of Egypt, 27 and ended at the sea. This was their 28 southern border.
15:5 The eastern border was the Salt Sea to the mouth 29 of the Jordan River. 30
The northern border started north of the Salt Sea at the mouth of the Jordan, 31 15:6 went up to Beth Hoglah, crossed north of Beth Arabah, and went up to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 15:7 It then went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning northward to Gilgal (which is opposite the Pass 32 of Adummim south of the valley), crossed to the waters of En Shemesh and extended to En Rogel. 15:8 It then went up the Valley of Ben Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites on the south (that is, Jerusalem), 33 going up to the top of the hill opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom to the west, which is at the end of the Valley of the Rephaites to the north. 15:9 It then went from the top of the hill to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, extended to the cities of Mount Ephron, and went to Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim). 15:10 It then turned from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, crossed to the slope of Mount Jearim on the north (that is Kesalon), descended to Beth Shemesh, and crossed to Timnah. 15:11 It then extended to the slope of Ekron to the north, went toward Shikkeron, crossed to Mount Baalah, extended to Jabneel, and ended at the sea.
15:12 The western border was the Mediterranean Sea. 34 These were the borders of the tribe of Judah and its clans. 35
15:13 Caleb son of Jephunneh was assigned Kiriath Arba (that is Hebron) within the tribe of Judah, according to the Lord’s instructions to Joshua. (Arba was the father of Anak.) 36 15:14 Caleb drove out 37 from there three Anakites – Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. 15:15 From there he attacked the people of Debir. 38 (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) 15:16 Caleb said, “To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Acsah as a wife.” 15:17 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, 39 captured it, Caleb 40 gave Acsah his daughter to him as a wife.
15:18 One time Acsah 41 came and charmed her father 42 so that she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What would you like?” 15:19 She answered, “Please give me a special present. 43 Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water. So he gave her both upper and lower springs.
15:20 This is the land assigned to the tribe of Judah by its clans: 44 15:21 These cities were located at the southern extremity of Judah’s tribal land near the border of Edom: 45 Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 15:22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 15:23 Kedesh, Hazor, 46 Ithnan, 15:24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 15:25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor), 15:26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 15:27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshbon, Beth Pelet, 15:28 Hazar Shual, Beer Sheba, Biziothiah, 15:29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 15:30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 15:31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 15:32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon – a total of twenty-nine cities and their towns. 47
15:33 These cities were 48 in the lowlands: 49 Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 15:34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 15:35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 15:36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (or Gederothaim) – a total of fourteen cities and their towns.
15:37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, 15:38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, 15:39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 15:40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, 15:41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah – a total of sixteen cities and their towns.
15:42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 15:43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 15:44 Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah – a total of nine cities and their towns.
15:45 Ekron and its surrounding towns 50 and settlements; 15:46 from Ekron westward, all those in the vicinity of Ashdod and their towns; 15:47 Ashdod with its surrounding towns and settlements, and Gaza with its surrounding towns and settlements, as far as the Stream of Egypt 51 and the border at the Mediterranean Sea. 52
15:48 These cities were 53 in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 15:49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir), 15:50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 15:51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh – a total of eleven cities and their towns.
15:52 Arab, Dumah, 54 Eshan, 15:53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, 15:54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior – a total of nine cities and their towns.
15:55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 15:56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 15:57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah – a total of ten cities and their towns.
15:58 Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 15:59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon – a total of six cities and their towns.
15:60 Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah – a total of two cities and their towns.
15:61 These cities were 55 in the desert: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, 15:62 Nibshan, the city of Salt, and En Gedi – a total of six cities and their towns.
15:63 The men of Judah were unable to conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. 56 The Jebusites live with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this very day. 57
1 tn Heb “These are [the lands] which the sons of Israel received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes assigned as an inheritance to the sons of Israel.”
2 tn Heb “By lot was their inheritance, as the
3 tn Or “assigned an inheritance.”
4 tn Or “no inheritance.”
5 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in their midst.”
6 tn Heb “and they did not assign a portion to the Levites in the land, except cities [in which] to live and their pastures for their cattle and property.”
7 tn Heb “Just as the
8 tn Heb “You know the word which the
sn On this incident at Kadesh Barnea see Num 14:30.
9 tn Heb “and I brought back to him a word just as [was] in my heart.”
10 tn Heb “brothers.”
11 tn Heb “went up with.”
12 tn Heb “made the heart[s] of the people melt.”
13 tn Heb “I filled up after the
14 tn Heb “swore an oath.”
15 tn Heb “on which your foot has walked.”
16 tn Heb “will belong to you for an inheritance, and to your sons forever.”
17 tn Heb “like my strength then, like my strength now, for battle and for going out and coming in.”
18 tn Heb “are there and large, fortified cities.”
19 tn Or “will dispossess.”
20 tn Heb “Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.”
21 tn Heb “Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh for an inheritance to this day.”
22 tn Heb “And he was the great man among the Anakites.”
23 tn Heb “The lot was to the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans to the border of Edom, the wilderness of Zin toward the south, southward.”
24 tn Heb “Their southern border was from the end of the Salt Sea, from the tongue that faces to the south.”
sn The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (also in v. 5).
25 tn Heb “went out.”
26 tn Or “the Ascent of Scorpions” (עַקְרַבִּים [’aqrabbim] means “scorpions” in Hebrew).
27 tn Traditionally “the Brook of Egypt,” although a number of recent translations have “the Wadi of Egypt” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).
28 tn The translation follows the LXX at this point. The MT reads, “This will be your southern border.”
29 tn Heb “end.”
30 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.
31 tn Heb “the border on the northern side was from the tongue of the sea, from the end of the Jordan.”
32 tn Or “ascent.”
33 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
34 tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
35 tn Heb “this was the border of the sons of Judah round about, by their clans.”
36 tn Heb “To Caleb son of Jephunneh he gave a portion in the midst of the sons of Judah according to the mouth [i.e., command] of the
37 tn Or “dispossessed.”
38 tn Heb “he went up against the inhabitants of Debir.”
39 tn “Caleb’s brother” may refer either to Othniel or to Kenaz. If Kenaz was the brother of Caleb, Othniel is Caleb’s nephew.
40 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Caleb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
41 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Acsah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Heb “him.” The referent of the pronoun could be Othniel, in which case the translation would be, “she incited him [Othniel] to ask her father for a field.” This is problematic, however, for Acsah, not Othniel, makes the request in v. 19. The LXX has “he [Othniel] urged her to ask her father for a field.” This appears to be an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency and probably does not reflect the original text. If Caleb is understood as the referent of the pronoun, the problem disappears. For a fuller discussion of the issue, see P. G. Mosca, “Who Seduced Whom? A Note on Joshua 15:18//Judges 1:14,” CBQ 46 (1984): 18-22. This incident is also recorded in Judg 1:14.
43 tn Elsewhere this Hebrew word (בְּרָכָה, bÿrakhah) is often translated “blessing,” but here it refers to a gift (as in Gen 33:11; 1 Sam 25:27; 30:26; and 2 Kgs 5:15).
44 tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans.”
45 tn Heb “and the cities were at the end of the tribe of the sons of Judah, at the border of Edom, to the south.”
46 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.
47 tn The total number of names in the list is thirty-six, not twenty-nine. Perhaps (1) some of the names are alternatives (though the text appears to delineate clearly such alternative names here and elsewhere, see vv. 8, 9, 10, 13, 25b) or (2), more likely, later scribes added to a list originally numbering twenty-nine and failed to harmonize the concluding summary statement with the expanded list.
48 tn The words “these cities were” have been supplied for English stylistic reasons.
49 tn Or “the foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”
50 tn Heb “daughters.”
51 tn See the note on this place name in 15:4.
52 tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
53 tn The words “These cities were” have been supplied in the translation for English stylistic reasons.
54 tc Some Hebrew
55 tn The words “These cities were” have been supplied for English stylistic reasons.
56 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
57 sn The statement to this very day reflects the perspective of the author, who must have written prior to David’s conquest of the Jebusites (see 2 Sam 5:6-7).
