Keraia
Joshua 15

Joshua 15:3

Judah’s Inheritance · Joshua 15:1–12
Read Joshua 15

Translations

Modern
…proceeded south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, continued on to Zin, went over to the south of Kadesh-barnea, ran past Hezron up to Addar, and curved toward Karka.
Traditional
And 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:
Literal
And it went out to the southern side of the Ascent of Akrabbim, and passed over to Zin, and ascended from the Negev of Kadesh-barnea, and passed over to Hezron, and went up to Addar, and went around toward Karka.
Latin
Egrediturque contra ascensum Scorpionis, et pertransit in Sina: ascenditque in Cadesbarne, et pervenit in Esron, ascendens ad Addar, et circuiens Carcaa,

Original

Hebrew
English
…proceeded south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, continued on to Zin, went over to the south of Kadesh-barnea, ran past Hezron up to Addar, and curved toward Karka.

Notes

Joshua 15:2–4

Judah’s southern boundary extended well into the desert of the Negev, which had little if any settled population throughout the Old Testament period.

Joshua 15:1–63

The description of Judah's allotment of tribes is more detailed than that of the other tribes. The failures of Judah's older brothers positioned him to lead (Genesis 34:25–31; 35:22). As a result, the tribe of Judah received a central location among the tribes, guaranteeing its leadership in the nation (Genesis 49:8–12; Deuteronomy 33:7).

Joshua 14:1–19:51

  • The allotment of land to the tribes on the west side of the Jordan describes what God intended for each tribe to possess.

  • The one narrating the story begins this section with Caleb receiving land and ends with Joshua receiving land (14:6–15; 19:49–51). Only Caleb and Joshua had shown faith in God that Israel could conquer the land (Numbers 13:30; 14:6–9).

Joshua 13:1–21:45

  • As he had promised, God brought Israel into the land. Joshua then focused on dividing the land among Israel's tribes.

  • The tribal allowances made the covenant of the Israelites with God real. It showed the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since God owned the land, giving it to the tribes was a gift. God gave them the land to live in and guided its distribution.

  • In these lists of tribal allowances, the author describes some borders in great detail, allowing them to be mapped. With others, they are less plainly defined.

Theme notes and profiles

Joshua Inheriting the Land

Places

Addar: A boundary marker for the territory of Judah Akrabbim: A pass marking the southern border of Judah Hazor: Major Canaanite city conquered by Joshua Kadesh: An important oasis in the Wilderness of Zin Karka: A place on the southern border of Judah Zin: A desert and wilderness region south of Judah

Glossary

Adar (Place) Addar (Place) Akrabbim Allotment of the Land Dead Sea Ezem Gilgal Hazar-Addar Hezron (Place) Joshua (Person) Joshua, Book of Judah, Tribe of Judges, Book of Karka Maaleh-acrabbim Tekoa, Tekoites Tribe of Dan

Topics

Akrabbim: A Chain of Hills in the South of Palestine Gederah: A City in the Plain of Judah Hazar-Addar: Also Called Adar, a Place on the Southern Boundary of Canaan Kadesh: A City on the Southern Boundary of Palestine Karkaa: A City of the Tribe of Judah Maaleh-Acrabbim: An Acclivity on the Southern Border of the Territory of the Tribe of Judah the Tribe of Judah: Bounds of Inheritance Zin: A Desert South of Judah