The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 331

EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XIX.-1-51. of the children ol Simeon we find a little recorded in 1 Chron. iv. 39-42, and some Tm,; LOT oF THE REMAINING TRrnEs. Ver. suppose that the event recorded there is 11, 1. -And their I.Dherita.nce was within the fulfilment of the prophecy in ObadiELh 19. Inheritance of the children or Juda.h. Dr. Pusey mentions I\ tribe still existing in Literally, i11 the mid.st of. ava µir,ov, the south, professing to be of the sons of LXX. : in medio, Vulgate (cf. ver. 9). Israel, and holding no connection with the Simeon, at the last census (Num. xxvi. Arabs of the neighbourhood, and supposes 14), was the smallest of the tribes of Israel, them to be the descendants of tlie five a fulfilment of the prophecy of Jacob, and hundred Simeonites who took possession of possibly the result of the command given Mount Seir in the days of Hezekiah. No in Num. xxY. 5, since the Simeonites were border seems to have been given of Simeon. tlie cliief offenders on that occasion (Num. Ver. 10. -Sa.rid. This seems to have xn. 14; see also 1 Chron. fr. 27). The been a middle point, from which the border distribution of territory was in accordance is traced eastward and westward, as in eh. with this, and it is possible that the lot only xvi. 6, and perhaps in ver. 32. But the determined the priority of choice among the LXX. and other versions have a variety of tribes. The territory of Judah seems to readings here. . have been recognised as too large, in spite Ver. 11.-Towa.rd the sea. Rather, west- of the importance of the ti·ibe. They there- ward. The original is touched or skirted fore willingly gave up a portion of their (V)!l). River that is before Jolmeam. This, territory to the Simeonites. with the assistance of eh. xii. 22, which men- Ver. 2. - Beersheba. A locelity well tions Jokneam as near to Mount Carmel, known in Scripture, from Gen. xxi. 31 on- enables us to identify this river (or rather, wards. And Sheba. Some would translate winter torrent), as "that ancient river, the here, or Sheba (see below). No doubt the river Kishon." Knobel, however, says that city, of which nothing further is known, if the Kishon had been meant it would have derived its name from Beer-sheba, " the been called by its name, and that_ we must well of the oath," close by. It is true that therefore understand the Wady-el-Mil'h. some little difficulty is caused by the omis- Bnt thls is by no ·means a safe conclusion. sion of this city in Chron. iv. 29, by the Ver. 12.-Chisloth-Tabor. The loins or identiftce.tion of Shebe.h with Beer-sheba in flanks of Tabor. Tabor (the name signifies Gen. xxvi. 33, and by the fact that in ver. 6 either quarry-see note on Shebarim, prob- we are told that there were thirteen cities ably a kindred word, eh. vii. 5-or navel), in this catalogue, whereas there are four- is one of the most conspicuous mountains teen. On the other hand, Keil has re- of Palestine. Like Soracte, above the Cam- Dllllked that in eh. x.-. 32 the number of pagna of Rome, "the cone-shaped figure of names does not correspond to the whole Tabor can be seen on all sides," though it number of cities given; and we have a rises only 1 750 feet (French) above the level Shema, probably a mistake for ShPha, in of the sea, 800 above the pie.in at its north- eh. xv. 26, mentioned before Molade.h eastern base, and 600 above Ne.zareth on the among the cities of Judah. And, lastly, north-west (Ritter, ii. 311). Chisloth-Tabor we lie:ce very few instances in Scripture of was on the north-west side of the base of the disjuncti..-e use of 1, though it seems Tabor. Tabor has been supposed to have impossible to deny that it is used in this b~en the scene of t!Je Transfiguration. But sense in 1 Kings xvi.ii. 27. Ritter points out that from the time of Ver. 3.-B.e.za.r-shual. The " hamlet of Antiochus the Great, 200 years before jackals." Tue word Hazar is translated Christ to the destruction of J eruBalem, the "village" in our version (see note on eh. summit of Tabor was a fortress. And he xv. 32). So also with Hazar. susah or notices that while Jerome and Cyril mention Hazar - susim, " the hamlet of horses " thls tradition, Eusebius, who lived 100 years (1 Chron. iv. 31) below. earlier, knows nothing of it. Ver. 9.-Therefore the children of Simeon Ver, 13. - Glttah - bepher. Or, Gath- ba4 their lDheritalule. Of the later history hepher (1 :Kings xiv. 25) was the birth• OH. XIX, 1-ol.) THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 279