Joshua 18:14
Ver. 14. And the border was drawn [thence],.... From Bethhoron:
and compassed the corner of the sea southward; it is hard to say what sea is meant, or what by it. Fuller {k} conjectures, that as the Hebrews call any confluence of water a sea, as we call such a "mere", the great waters in Gibeon may be meant, Jer 41:12; for it cannot mean the Mediterranean sea, for Dan lay between Benjamin and that; and yet if a sea is meant, no other can be; wherefore it is best to render it the "west quarter", as it is in the latter part of this verse; and so the same word is translated, Jos 18:12; the "west", and not the "sea", as it sometimes is; for the border of Benjamin did not reach the sea any where; though Josephus {l} makes it to extend to it, and says, that the length of it was from the river Jordan to the sea:the hill that [lieth] before Bethhoron southward; the hill that lay to the south of nether Bethhoron, as in Jos 18:13:and the goings out thereof, the end of the western coast,were at Kirjathbaal, which [is] Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah; of which see Jos 15:9;this [was] the west quarter; as thus described.{k} Pisgah Sight, B. 2. c. 12. p. 251. {l} Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22.) Joshua 18:15Ver. 15. And the south quarter [was] from the end of Kirjathjearim,.... Where the western quarter ended:and the border went out on the west; not directly south, but somewhat westerly. It is, in the original, "the sea", and should be rendered, "from the sea", or "from the west" {m}; and Jarchi confesses his ignorance, and says, I know not what sea it is; and well he might, for there was no sea here; but the Mediterranean sea, being to the west of the land of Israel, it is often used for the west in the Hebrew language, and so here:and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah;See Gill on "Jos 15:9";{m} hmy "a mari", Masius; "ab occidente", Noldius, No. 1083. p. 239. Joshua 18:16Ver. 16. And the border came down,.... In the description of the border of Judah, hereabout, it is said to go up, Jos 15:5; because there, as Jarchi observes, the measure was from east to west, but here from west to east:to the end of the mountain that [lieth] before the valley of the son of Hinnom; this south border of Benjamin is the same with the north border of Judah; and the same places are mentioned in the description of the one as of the other, see Jos 15:8. The mountain is Mount Moriah,[and] which [is] in the valley of the giants on the north; on the north of the valley of Rephaim:and descended to the valley of Hinnom; the border from the end of Mount Moriah to that valley:to the side of Jebusi on the south; to the south side of Jerusalem, having that city on the south;and descended to Enrogel; of which See Gill on "Jos 15:7". Joshua 18:17Ver. 17. And was drawn from the north,.... Turning northward, and looking that way from the west to the east:and went forth to Enshemesh; or the fountain of the sun, see Jos 15:7;and went forth toward Geliloth; called Gilgal, Jos 15:7;which [is] over against the going up to Adummim; a place between Jerusalem and Jericho, see Jos 15:7;and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben; see Jos 15:6. Joshua 18:18Ver. 18. And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward,.... The same with Betharabah, Jos 15:6; and so it is called here in the Greek version:and went down unto Arabah; the same as before, and included it, for it is mentioned among the cities of this tribe, Jos 18:22. Joshua 18:19Ver. 19. And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward,.... Inclining somewhat toward the north, but not leaving the city to the north, for it is included in the lot of Benjamin, Jos 18:21; of which place see Jos 15:6;and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea; here ended the southern border of Benjamin, even at the bay or creek of the salt sea, which looked northward, as the southern border of Judah began at that bay of it, which looked southward, Jos 15:2;at the south end of Jordan; where it fell into the salt sea:this [was] the south coast; as before described. Joshua 18:20Ver. 20. And Jordan was the border of it on the east side,.... It had Jordan on the east, Dan on the west, Judah on the south, and Joseph or Ephraim on the north:this [was] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families; this is the general description of the limits of this tribe, the particular cities in it follow. Joshua 18:21Ver. 21. Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin,according to their families, were Jericho,.... Which though destroyed, and not to be rebuilt as a city, was yet a place inhabited, and in future times was rebuilt, and in great splendour, and continued to the time of Christ; of which see Jos 2:1;and Bethhoglah, where or near to which was the threshing floor of Atad, at which lamentation was made for Jacob, See Gill on "Ge 1:10", andSee Gill on "Jos 15:6";and the valley of Keziz; or Emekkeziz; so the Greek version calls it Amecasis: it is highly probable it was in the valley or plain of Jericho, and perhaps might have its name from the incision of the balsam tree there; which, as Pliny {n} says, was cut with glass or a stone, or with knives made of bone; if cut with iron, it kills it.{n} Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 25. Joshua 18:22Ver. 22. And Betharabah,.... Of the first of these,See Gill on "Jos 15:6";and Zemaraim; one of the sons of Canaan was named Zemira, Ge 10:18; by whom this city Zemaraim might be built, or however have its name given it, in memory of him; there was a mountain of this name in the tribe of Ephraim, near to which this city might be, 2Ch 13:4.and Bethel; of the last of these, See Gill on "Jos 7:2". Joshua 18:23Ver. 23. And Avim, and Parah,.... Of the two first of these we read nowhere else;and Ophrah is not the same with Ophrah in Jud 6:11; that belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, but rather that which was in the land of Shuah, 1Sa 13:17. Jerom calls this place Aphrah, in the tribe of Benjamin, and says {o}, in his time there was a village called Effrem, five miles from Bethel to the east, which very probably is the same with this.{o} De loc. Heb. fol. 88. H. Joshua 18:24Ver. 24. And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni,.... Of the two first of these no mention is made elsewhere;and Gaba is the same with Gibeah, a well known place, because of the foul fact committed there, which had like to have been the ruin of this tribe, Jud 19:14; and for being the native place of King Saul, hence called "Gibeah of Saul", 1Sa 11:4; it was about six or seven miles from Jerusalem, See Gill on "Ho 5:8"; twelve cities with their villages; which agrees with the account of them. Joshua 18:25Ver. 25. Gibeon,.... Gibeon is the place from whence the Gibeonites came, who deceived Joshua, Jos 9:3. Jerom says {p}, in his time there was a village shown of this name, four miles from Bethel to the east, near Ramah, next mentioned;and Ramah, which Jerom relates {q} was six miles from Aelia or Jerusalem to the north, against Bethel. Rauwolff, a traveller in those parts, says {r}, that the town of Rama is situated on an ascent, in plain fields, which extend themselves for two leagues to the hill of the city of Jerusalem; these fields are very fruitful and well tilled, and sown with corn, cotton, and Indian millet; the town is pretty large, but very open, like unto a village, very pitifully built, where one may still see here and there some signs of old buildings;and Beeroth was a city that belonged to the Gibeonites, Jos 9:17; and Jerom says {s}, in his time was shown the village, seven miles from Aelia or Jerusalem, as you go to Neapolis or Shechem.{p} De loc. Heb. fol. 92. A. {q} Ibid. fol. 94. B. {r} Travels, par. 3. c. 1. p. 215. Ed. Ray. {s} Vid. Reland. Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 618. Joshua 18:26Ver. 26. And Mizpeh,.... Frequent mention is made of Mizpeh in Scripture; according to Fuller {t}, it was about eight miles from Gibeah; it was near Ramathon, which Josephus says {u} was forty furlongs from Jerusalem;and Chephirah was one of the cities subject to Gibeon, Jos 9:17.and Mozah; there was a place called Motza, near to Jerusalem, where they used to go to get willows at the feast of tabernacles {w}.{t} Pisgah-Sight, B. 2. c. 12. p. 209. {u} Antiqu. l. 8. c. 12. sect. 3. {w} Misn. Succah, c. 4. sect. 5. Joshua 18:27Ver. 27. And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah. Of these cities there is no mention made elsewhere. Joshua 18:28Ver. 28. And Zelaheath,.... Zelah was the buryingplace of Saul and his family, 2Sa 21:14.Eleph is nowhere else mentioned; some join it with Zelah, and make one city of it, but then the number of cities given could not be completed; both Jarchi and Kimchi say they were two cities, as doubtless they were;and Jebusi, which [is] Jerusalem; of Jerusalem being called Jebusi, see Jos 15:63; it belonged partly to the tribe of Judah, and partly to the tribe of Benjamin; Mount Zion belonged to Judah, and Moriah to Benjamin;Gibeath was a distinct city both from Gaba and Gibeon; by its being mentioned with Jerusalem, it should seem to be near it. Jerom {y} speaks of Gabaatha in the tribe of Benjamin, twelve miles from Eleutheropolis, where the grave of the Prophet Habakkuk was shown;[and] Kirjath signifies a city, but what city is meant is not known:fourteen cities with their villages; and just so many are mentioned by name:this [is] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families; these cities, with others perhaps not mentioned, were allotted to the tribe of Benjamin for their families to dwell in.{y} De loc. Heb. fol. 92. C.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.