SERIES G --- THE PROMISED LAND --- LESSON 15

LAND FOR ALL

JUDAH’S BOUNDARIES

From Joshua 15:1-12

The following describes the boundaries of the land assigned to the tribe of Judah:

The Southern Boundary:

Start at the south-western corner of the Dead Sea. Go southwest from that point, past the southern edge of Mount Akrabbim. Cross the Wilderness of Zin to Kadesh-barnea. Continue past the southern edge of Kadesh-barnea to Hezron, then on to Addar and Karka. Move in a north-westerly direction to Azmon, ending at the Mediterranean Sea, near the brook of Egypt.

The Eastern Boundary:

This boundary is on the western banks of the Dead Sea, from the south-western corner of the Dead Sea, northward to the mouth of the Jordan River, where it empties into the Dead Sea.

The Northern Boundary:

At the point where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea, the northern boundary moves westward past Beth-hoglah. Continue westward to Beth-arabah, then on to the stone of Bohan, Reuben’s son. The boundary then passes through the Valley of Achor to Debir. At Debir, the boundary moves in a north-westerly direction to Gilgal, opposite the slopes of Adummim, on the south part of the valley. From that point, it continues to the Springs of En-shemesh, then to En-rogel. Continue westward, through the Valley of Hinnom, next to the southern slopes of the hills on which Jebus, later called Jerusalem, was built. Move onward to the top of the mountain at the western edge of the Valley of Hinnom, then to the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. From the top of the mountain there, the boundary moves on to the Springs of Nephtoah. Then it moves on to the cities near Mount Ephron, then Baalah and then Kirjath-jearim. Moving westward, the boundary continues to Mount Seir, then to Chesalon, located on the northern slope of Mount Jearim and then to Beth-shemesh. Moving now in a north-westerly direction, the boundary goes past the southern part of Timnah to the slope of the hill north of Ekron. Turning to the northwest, it goes past Shikkeron and Mount Baalah, then northward past Jabneel, ending at the Mediterranean Sea.

The Western Boundary:

The shore of the Mediterranean Sea was the western boundary of the land assigned to the tribe of Judah.
CALEB’S LAND

From Joshua 15:13-19

Part of the land assigned to the tribe of Judah was given to Caleb, son of Jephunneh. Joshua gave Caleb the land as Adonai had Instructed him to do. The part which Caleb received was Hebron, sometimes called Kiriath-arba or City of Arba. Arba was the father of Anak, whose three sons, Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, were driven from the land by Caleb and his forces. After this victory, Caleb also fought the people of Debir or Kiriath-sepher. When he fought Kiriath-sepher, Caleb made this promise: [Whoever captures Kiriath-sepher may marry my daughter Achsah.] Caleb’s nephew Othniel, son of Kenaz, conquered the town and married Achsah, before Achsah left home to live with Othniel, she urged her husband to ask Caleb for a field. Then she saw her father and went to speak with him about this field herself. [What do you want?] Caleb asked his daughter. [Since the land you gave me is desert land, I want some land with springs to go with it,] Achsah answered. Caleb gave her land with the upper springs and the lower springs.

THE CITIES OF JUDAH

From Joshua 15:20-47

These were the cities in the land assigned to the tribe of Judah: the cities in the south, toward Edom, named Kabzeel, Hazor, Ithoan, Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron which is Hazor, Amam, Shema, Moladah, Hazar-gaddah, Heshnion, Beth-pelet, Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, Baalah, Iim, Ezem, Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, Lebaoth, Shilhim, Am and Rimmon. There were twenty-nine cities with their surrounding villages. The lowland cities were Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enani, Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, Sharaim, Adithaim, Gederah and Gederothaim. There were fourteen of these cities with their surrounding villages. In addition, there were twenty-five other cities with their surrounding villages: Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel, Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, Cabbon, Lahmam, Kitlish, Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, Makkedah, Libnah, Ether, Ashan, Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, Keilah, Aczib and Mareshah. Within the land assigned to Judah there was also Ekron with its surrounding villages and all the other towns between Ekron and the Mediterranean Sea. It also included Ashdod and its surrounding villages, as well as Gaza and its surrounding villages, as far as the brook of Egypt and the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The following thirty-eight cities, as well as their nearby villages, were in the hill country of Judah: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, Dannah, Kiriath-sannah or Debir, Anab, Eshtemoa, Anim, Goshen, Holon, Giloh, Arab, Dumah, Eshan, Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, Humtah, Kiriath-arba or Hebron, Zior, Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, Kain, Gibeah, Timnah, Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, Maarath, Beth-anoth, Eltekon, Kiriath-baal or Kiriath-jearim, and Rabbah. These six cities of the desert were also included in the land assigned to the tribe of Judah: Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, Nibshan, the City of Salt and En-gedi. The people of Judah were not able to drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city now known as Jerusalem. Thus, at the time this is written, they still live in the land with the people of Judah.

COMMENTARY

THE BORDERS OF THE TRIBES

The conquered country was divided, and boundaries marked out. The holding of each clan and family was carefully defined. No one was overlooked. There was a place for each person in the Promised Land. They did not have maps to depend on and depended instead on natural geographical features and well-known places that would be recognizable by everyone. Judah’s boundaries were a perfect example of this. The eastern border extended from the Dead Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan River and the edge of the Wilderness of Judah; the Mediterranean Sea was its western border. Towns were important landmarks and boundary lines curved up and down, left and right, in order to include them. Town names often reflected the landscape, local crops and animals, wells or important buildings. Beth-hoglah and Beth-arabah on the northern border of Judah are translated as {House of the Partridge} and {Shrine of the Arabah.} Farther west, the border ran from {Red Rocks Pass} through several towns and into a region called Mount Ephron or {Gazelle Mountain.} Some other interesting names for landmarks were Mount Akrabbim or {Scorpion Pass,} Job’s Well and Mount Baalah or {Lady Mountain.}