Joshua 15

KJV · Chapter 15/24

1This 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.

2And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward:

3And it went out to the south side to Maaleh–acrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadesh–barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa:

4From 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.

5And 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:

6And the border went up to Beth–hogla, and passed along by the north of Beth–arabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben:

7And 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 En–shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at En–rogel:

8And 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:

9And 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 Kirjath–jearim:

10And 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 Beth–shemesh, and passed on to Timnah:

11And 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.

12And 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.

13And 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.

14And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.

15And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath–sepher.

16And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath–sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

17And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

18And 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?

19Who 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.

20This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.

21And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,

22And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah,

23And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan,

24Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth,

25And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor,

26Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,

27And Hazar–gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth–palet,

28And Hazar–shual, and Beer–sheba, and Bizjothjah,

29Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,

30And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah,

31And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah,

32And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages:

33And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,

34And Zanoah, and En–gannim, Tappuah, and Enam,

35Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,

36And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages:

37Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal–gad,

38And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel,

39Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon,

40And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish,

41And Gederoth, Beth–dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages:

42Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan,

43And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib,

44And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages:

45Ekron, with her towns and her villages:

46From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages:

47Ashdod 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:

48And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,

49And Dannah, and Kirjath–sannah, which is Debir,

50And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim,

51And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages:

52Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean,

53And Janum, and Beth–tappuah, and Aphekah,

54And Humtah, and Kirjath–arba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages:

55Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah,

56And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah,

57Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:

58Halhul, Beth–zur, and Gedor,

59And Maarath, and Beth–anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages:

60Kirjath–baal, which is Kirjath–jearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages:

61In the wilderness, Beth–arabah, Middin, and Secacah,

62And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and En–gedi; six cities with their villages.

63As 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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A detailed description of the territory of Judah, including Caleb's conquest of Hebron and Debir, and the marriage of his daughter Achsah to Othniel.

Explanation

The extensive list of borders and cities of Judah (the largest tribe by territory) documented, with legal precision, the property boundaries between families and clans, preventing future disputes over land. Amid this seemingly dry list, the personal story of Achsah shines through - she asks for and receives extra springs of water from her father Caleb, a small account of initiative and family generosity in the middle of an administrative chapter. The closing verse honestly acknowledges that Judah could not completely drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem, a failure that would repeat itself with other tribes and bring consequences later on.

Fun facts

  • The city of Jerusalem (called Jebus by its original inhabitants) would only be fully conquered by David centuries later, in 2 Samuel 5.
  • Othniel, who marries Achsah here, later becomes Israel's first deliverer-judge in Judges 3:9-11.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Joshua 15:1Judah's borders are marked by natural landmarks — a valley, a rock, a spring — that made sense to the people who lived there but now require archaeologists to pinpoint. It worked like an ancient land deed, using natural markers instead of coordinates or street signs.
  2. Joshua 15:2This describes Judah's southern border, starting at the tip of the Salt Sea and following the natural line that separated the territory from its neighbors to the south.
  3. Joshua 15:3The southern border keeps going down to the ascent of Akrabbim and climbs back up to Kadesh-barnea, the same place the spies had set out from years earlier.
  4. Joshua 15:4The southern limit ends at the river of Egypt, which empties into the Mediterranean — this whole line marks Judah's southern border.
  5. Joshua 15:5On the east side, Judah's border is the Salt Sea; on the north, it begins where the Jordan flows into that sea.
  6. Joshua 15:6The northern border climbs through Beth-hogla and Beth-arabah, passing by a stone marker linked to one of Reuben's sons.
  7. Joshua 15:7The line continues to Debir, passing near Gilgal and the ascent of Adummim, until it reaches the waters of En-shemesh.
  8. Joshua 15:8The border runs through the Valley of Hinnom, at the height of Jerusalem — a Jebusite city at the time — and climbs to the top of the mountain overlooking that valley.
  9. Joshua 15:9From there the line goes to the spring of Nephtoah, passes by the cities of Mount Ephron, and reaches Baalah, also called Kirjath-jearim.
  10. Joshua 15:10The border curves west, passes through the hill country of Seir, and goes down to Beth-shemesh and Timnah.
  11. Joshua 15:11It continues near Ekron, passes by Shicron and Mount Baalah, and ends at Jabneel, close to the sea.
  12. Joshua 15:12The western border is simply the Mediterranean Sea — this completes the whole outline of Judah's territory.
  13. Joshua 15:13Fulfilling the promise made to Joshua, Caleb receives a portion within Judah's territory: the city of Hebron, also called Kirjath-arba.
  14. Joshua 15:14Caleb drives out the three sons of Anak from there, recalling the same giant people who had terrified the spies decades earlier.
  15. Joshua 15:15From Hebron, Caleb advances to Debir, which had formerly been called Kirjath-sepher.
  16. Joshua 15:16Caleb promises his own daughter, Achsah, in marriage to whoever conquers Kirjath-sepher — a common incentive at the time to motivate a difficult attack.
  17. Joshua 15:17Othniel, Caleb's nephew, captures the city and receives Achsah as his wife, fulfilling the promise.
  18. Joshua 15:18Already married, Achsah urges her husband to ask her father for more land; she herself gets down from the donkey to negotiate directly with Caleb.
  19. Joshua 15:19Achsah asks her father for springs of water beyond the dry field she received, and the request is granted; in a land where rain was scarce, access to springs mattered as much as the size of the land itself. It's a small detail that shows what truly mattered in a land inheritance in that region.
  20. Joshua 15:20This closes out the section on borders and stories, opening the way for the detailed list of Judah's inherited cities.
  21. Joshua 15:21The list of cities in Judah's far south begins, near the border with Edom.
  22. Joshua 15:22Three more cities from this southern region follow next in the list.
  23. Joshua 15:23The list of southern cities continues, including Kedesh, distinct from the Kadesh-barnea mentioned earlier.
  24. Joshua 15:24Three more city names complete this part of the far-south list of Judah.
  25. Joshua 15:25Two versions of Hazor appear here, showing how names repeated among different cities in the region.
  26. Joshua 15:26The list continues with more cities in southern Judah, including Moladah.
  27. Joshua 15:27These cities lie in the Negev, the dry strip in Judah's far south toward the border with Edom — a list that adds up to twenty-nine cities and their villages.
  28. Joshua 15:28Beer-sheba, one of the most remembered places from the patriarchs' story, appears here as part of Judah's territory.
  29. Joshua 15:29More cities from the same stretch of the Negev, in southern Judah — names that appear only here, within a list of twenty-nine cities that closes out this region.
  30. Joshua 15:30Hormah, a city tied to Israel's earlier defeats in the wilderness, now appears as part of the conquered territory.
  31. Joshua 15:31Ziklag, a city that will later appear in the story of David fleeing from Saul, already shows up here in Judah's list.
  32. Joshua 15:32The list of the far south closes with a total of twenty-nine cities, each with its surrounding villages.
  33. Joshua 15:33The list of lowland cities now begins, a different region from the southern lands.
  34. Joshua 15:34More lowland cities join the list, including En-gannim, in this section of Judah's territory.
  35. Joshua 15:35Jarmuth and Adullam, cities tied to kings defeated by Joshua in earlier chapters, appear here as Judah's territory.
  36. Joshua 15:36This group of lowland cities closes with a total of fourteen cities and their villages.
  37. Joshua 15:37A new group of lowland cities begins, including Migdal-gad, continuing the list of the Shephelah.
  38. Joshua 15:38These cities lie in the Shephelah, the lowland between the hill country of Judah and the Philistine coast — a stretch that adds up to sixteen cities in all.
  39. Joshua 15:39Lachish, one of the important cities Joshua conquered in chapter 10, is among the cities in this group.
  40. Joshua 15:40Three more towns in Judah's lowland, the Shephelah — good, disputed land, a natural corridor between the hill country of Judah and the Philistine coast.
  41. Joshua 15:41This second lowland group closes with sixteen cities in total.
  42. Joshua 15:42Libnah is the same city Joshua conquered during the southern campaign, recounted in chapter 10 — here it opens a new group of nine cities in Judah's lowland.
  43. Joshua 15:43Three more cities complete, with Libnah, the group of nine that closes this lowland list of Judah — all in the Shephelah, near the border with the Philistines.
  44. Joshua 15:44This group of nine cities — which includes Keilah, a city David later rescues from a Philistine attack — closes another section of Judah's lowland (1 Samuel 23).
  45. Joshua 15:45Ekron, one of the five Philistine cities, appears as part of the territory assigned to Judah, even though it wasn't fully under Israelite control.
  46. Joshua 15:46The area around Ekron, near Ashdod, also enters Judah's list.
  47. Joshua 15:47Ashdod and Gaza, other Philistine cities, complete this coastal strip listed as part of Judah's territory, all the way to the border with Egypt.
  48. Joshua 15:48The list of Judah's hill country cities, up in the highlands around Hebron, now begins.
  49. Joshua 15:49Debir appears again here, under its alternate name Kirjath-sannah.
  50. Joshua 15:50These cities lie in Judah's hill country, around Hebron — part of a group of eleven cities that also includes Debir, formerly Kirjath-sepher.
  51. Joshua 15:51This group of hill country cities closes with eleven cities in total.
  52. Joshua 15:52Another group of hill country cities begins, close to the region of Hebron.
  53. Joshua 15:53More cities from Judah's hill country, in a group of nine that also includes Hebron, given by Joshua to Caleb as a reward for his faith among the twelve spies.
  54. Joshua 15:54Hebron appears again, confirming its place within Judah's territory even though it had already been given to Caleb; this group closes with nine cities.
  55. Joshua 15:55A new group begins, including Carmel and Ziph, the region where David will later hide from Saul.
  56. Joshua 15:56These cities lie in Judah's hill country, among them Jezreel — sharing a name with the more famous city of the same name in the territory of Issachar.
  57. Joshua 15:57This group of ten cities closes another section of Judah's hill country — note that there is a Gibeah here, different from the more famous Gibeah of Benjamin, King Saul's hometown.
  58. Joshua 15:58Another small group of hill country cities begins, including Beth-zur.
  59. Joshua 15:59This group of six cities closes another section of Judah's hill country, between Hebron and Bethlehem — names that don't appear anywhere else in the Bible.
  60. Joshua 15:60A very small group closes this section: Kirjath-jearim and Rabbah, just two cities.
  61. Joshua 15:61The list of cities in the wilderness of Judah begins, the arid strip running down to the Salt Sea — the same region where, centuries later, the Dead Sea Scrolls would be found.
  62. Joshua 15:62The list ends with En-gedi, on the shore of the Salt Sea, closing with six cities in total — and so all of Judah's inheritance is complete.
  63. Joshua 15:63Even after the land was officially assigned to Judah by lot, the text admits that the Jebusites kept living in Jerusalem, never driven out. The division on paper and the actual control on the ground didn't always match, and the book doesn't hide that difference.

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