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27,299 commentary entries
The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 14:15
Rest from war. "And the land had rest from war." I. REST FROM WAR IS ONE OF THE GREATEST EARTHLY BLESSINGS. Even if war be a necessity it is a fearful necessity. Rarely are the advantages of a successful war equal to th…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 14:15
And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba. Hengstenberg, according to Keil, has conclusively shown that Hebron was the original name of the city. At the time of Joshua's invasion, however, it was known as Kirjath (…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:1
The lot of the tribe of the children of Judah. The first twelve verses of this chapter define the boundaries of Judah. With it compare Numbers 34:3-5, which gives the southern border of the Israelitish territory, corres…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:1-63
The inheritance of Judah. This chapter does not suggest much matter for homiletic treatment. The chief points to be noticed are HOMILIES BY J. WAITE
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:1-63
EXPOSITION THE LOT OF JUDAH.
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:2
The shore of the salt sea. Literally, the extremity, i.e; the south extremity. From the bay. Literally, tongue. The LXX. translates by λοφία, ridge. The whole southern portion of the sea is cut off from the rest by a p…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:3
And it went out to the south side to Maaleh-acrabbim. Or, perhaps, and it went to the southward of Maaleh-acrabbim, translated in Numbers 34:4, "the ascent of Acrabbim." The literal meaning of Maaleh-acrabbim is Scorpio…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:4
The river of Egypt (see above, Joshua 13:3). "Westward, as far as Egypt, there is a sandy, salt, barren, unfruitful, and uninhabitable waste" (Knobel). The land, he adds, is better near Gaza, but near the sea it is stil…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:5
To the end of Jordan. The spot where it emptied itself into the Dead Sea. The bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan. As in Joshua 15:3, the word here translated bay is tongue in the original. What is meant is t…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:6
Beth-hogla (see Joshua 18:19). It is still known as Ain Hadjla or Hajla, where, says Keil, a beautiful spring of fresh and clear water is to be found. The place lies about two miles from Jordan. Beth-hogla means "the ho…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:7
Toward Debir. Not the Debir of Joshua 10:1-43. The valley of Achor (see Joshua 8:26). This is now the Wady Kelt. Gilgal. Keil says that this is not the Gilgal where the Israelites first encamped. It is called Geliloth,…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:8
The south side of the Jebusite. Literally, the shoulder of the Jebusite from (or on) the south. Thus Jerusalem lay to the north of the border, in the tribe of Benjamin. The same is Jerusalem. Formerly called Jebus, from…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:9
Was drawn. Or, extended. The fountain of the waters of Nephtoah. If these be identified with En Etam, as is done by the Rabbis (whom Conder follows), and if we suppose it to have supplied Jerusalem with water by the aqu…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:10
Compassed. Or, deflected (see Joshua 15:4). This is in accordance with the view taken above. The border line which had run northwest from Jerusalem now bent backwards in a southwesterly direction, and followed the ridge…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:11
Ekron. This important Philistine city (see Joshua 13:3) lay close to the northern border of Judah. As a matter of fact, however, the tribe of Judah never succeeded in permanently occupying this territory, which only fel…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:12
And the coast thereof See Joshua 13:23.
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:13
And unto Caleb. This passage, at least from Joshua 15:15, is found with the slightest possible variation in 1:1-36. It has been argued from the variations that the one passage was not copied from the other, but that bot…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:14
The three sons of Anak. This also must not he pressed literally. Possibly these men were three chiefs of the Anakim. The children of Anak. יְלִידֵי descendants, thus supporting the view taken in the last note (see for t…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:15
Kirjath-sepher (see note on Joshua 10:38).
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:16-19
The story of Achsah. I. LOVE IS THE STRONGEST MOTIVE OF CONDUCT. AS Othniel was nephew to Caleb, and therefore must have known Achsah, it is probable that he accepted the challenge to seize Kirjath-sepher from motives o…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:16
And Caleb said (cf. 1 Samuel 17:25; 1 Chronicles 11:6).
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:16-19
Fulness of blessing. Achsah had something of her father's spirit in her—ambitious, vigorous, resolute, quick to seize the present opportunity. Having so lately won his own suit Caleb could scarcely deny her her's. Throu…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:17
The brother of Caleb. The Hebrew does not inform us whether Othniel or Kenaz were Caleb's brother. But the fact (see note on Joshua 14:6) that Caleb was the son of Jephunneh leads to the idea that the latter is meant. O…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 15:18
As she came to him. Whether the bridal procession of the later Jews were already in existence or not, we have no evidence to show. A field. The narrative in Judges has "the field," meaning the particular field mentioned…