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Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

Joshua 15

Joshua 15:1

JOSHUA CHAPTER 15 The borders of the lot of Judah, JOSHUA 15:1. Among them _Kirjath-arba_, Caleb's inheritance: he drives thence the three sons of Anak; promises to give his daughter in marriage to him who should smite Kirjath-sepher; which Othniel does, and obtains her: she requests of her father s... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:2

THE BAY, Heb. _the tongue_; by which he understands either a creek or arm of that sea; or a promontory, which by learned authors is sometimes called a _tongue_; it is not material to know which of these it was.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:6

BY THE NORTH OF BETH-ARABAH, or, _on the north_, or _northward to Beth-arabah_; which place is attributed to Judah here, JOSHUA 15:61; and to Benjamin, JOSHUA 18:22; because it was a frontier town in the borders of Judah and Benjamin, and therefore promiscuously belonging to both; which also was the... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:7

DEBIR; a differing place from that _Debir_, NUMBERS 15:15, which was near Hebron, and remote from Judah's border; as also from that DEBIR, JOSHUA 13:26, which was beyond Jordan. GILGAL; either that Gilgal nigh Jordan, JOSHUA 4:19, or another place of that name. _On the south side of the river, or br... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:8

THE BORDER WENT UP; properly, for the line went from Jordan and the Salt Sea, to the higher grounds nigh Jerusalem; and therefore the line is said to _go down_, JOSHUA 18:16, because there it takes a contrary course, and goes downwards to Jordan and the sea. HINNOM; a very pleasant place, but afterw... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:9

OF MOUNT EPHRON, i.e. belonging to or bordering upon Mount Ephron. KIRJATH-JEARIM, called _Kirjath-baal_, JOSHUA 15:60 JOSHUA 18:14.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:10

MOUNT SEIR; not that of Edom, but another so called from some resemblance it had with that in quality. BETHSHEMESH: there were divers cities of this name; this in Judah here, and JOSHUA 21:16 2 KINGS 14:11, another in Issachar, and a third in Naphtali, JOSHUA 19:22,38.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:13

HE GAVE, i.e. Joshua, as appears by comparing this with JOSHUA 14:6,12,13. ARBA, or _Kirjath-arba_; not the city, which was the Levites, but the territory of it, JOSHUA 21:13.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:14

THENCE, i.e. from the said territory, from their caves and and forts in it: compare JOSHUA 14:12. This and the following work was done either in Joshua's life-time, as may seem from JOSHUA 11:21, or after his death, as is related JUDGES 1:10; these giants having either recovered their cities or defe... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:15

DEBIR; the same mentioned above, JOSHUA 15:7. The name of _Debir_ before was KIRJATH-SEPHER: this clause seems to be added to distinguish this from the other _Debir_ subdued by Joshua, JOSHUA 10:38,39.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:16

Which is to be understood with some conditions, as, if he were one who could marry her by God's law; for every promise contrary to that is void; and if she were willing; for though parents had a great power over their children, they could not force them to marry any person against their own wills. H... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:17

OBJECT. This marriage was unlawful. ANSW. No; for it was not Othniel, but Kenaz, who was Caleb's brother; and besides, the word _brother_ is commonly used for any kinsman; and that Caleb was not properly Othniel's brother sufficiently appears, because Caleb is constantly called the son of Jephunneh;... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:18

AS SHE CAME UNTO HIM, or, as she went, to wit, from her father's house to her husband s, as the manner was: SEE POOLE ON "MATTHEW 1:18". SHE MOVED HIM TO ASK; she persuaded her husband; either, 1. That he would ask; or rather, 2. That he would suffer her to ask, as she did. SHE LIGHTED OFF HER ASS... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:19

GIVE ME A BLESSING, i.e. a gift, as that word signifies, GENESIS 33:11. A SOUTH LAND, i.e. a dry land, which was much exposed to the south wind, which in those parts was very hot and drying, as coming from the deserts of Arabia. SPRINGS OF WATER, i.e. a.field, as she desired, JOSHUA 15:18, wherein _... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:21

THE UTTERMOST CITIES; those which were on the borders of the land, not the midland cities. It is apparent that all the cities belonging to this tribe are not mentioned in this catalogue. KABZEEL, called _Jekabzeel_, NEHEMIAH 11:25.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:25

HAZOR, HADATTAH possibly it should be read as one word, _Hazor-hadattah_, as there is _Hazar-gaddah_, JOSHUA 15:27, and _Hazar-shual_, JOSHUA 15:28, such compounded proper names being usual; and this may seem the more probable, because if _Hazor_ and _Hadattah_ were two different cities, the conjunc... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:32

OBJECT. Here are thirty-seven or thirty-eight cities named before; how then are they only reckoned twenty-nine? ANSW. There were only twenty-nine of them, which either, 1. Properly belonged to Judah; the rest fell to Simeon's lot; or, 2. Were cities properly so called, i.e. walled cities, or such... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:36

OBJECT. There are fifteen numbered. ANSW. Either one of them was no city strictly called; or GEDERAH and GEDEROTHAIM is put for _Gederah_ or _Gederothaim_, so called, possibly, because the city was double, as there want not instances of one city divided into two parts, called the old and the new cit... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:45

Here and in the following verses are contained all the cities of the Philistines, among which are Gath and Askelon, which peradventure are here omitted, because they were not at this time places of such power and eminency as afterwards they were, but were the daughters of some of these following cit... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:55

MAON; of which see 1 SAMUEL 23:25, 1 SAMUEL 25:2. CARMEL; Nabal's country, 1SA 25 $. ZIPH; which gave its name to the neighbouring mountain, 1 SAMUEL 26:1.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:62

THE CITY OF SALT; so called either from the Salt Sea, which was near it; or from the salt which was made in it, or about it.... [ Continue Reading ]

Joshua 15:63

For though Jerusalem was in part taken by Joshua before this, yet the upper and stronger part of it, called _Zion_, was still kept by the Jebusites, even until David's time; and it seems from thence they descended to the lower town called Jerusalem, and took it; so that the Israelites were forced to... [ Continue Reading ]

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