Here we read of the allotment for the tribe of Judah, which extended down to the territory of Edom, to the Desert of Zin in the extreme south, Joshua 15:1. Their boundary started from the bay at the southern end of the Dead Sea, crossed south of Scorpion Pass, continued on to Zin.
And went over to the south of Kadesh Barnea and then it ran past Hezron up to Addar and curved around to Karka, Joshua 15:2-3. Then it passed along to Azmon and joined the Wadi of Egypt, ending at the Mediterranean Sea, Joshua 15:4.
The eastern boundary is the Dead Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan, Joshua 15:5. The northern boundary started from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan, went up to Beth Hoglah and continued north of Beth Arabah to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben, Joshua 15:5-6.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning the Stone of Bohan, Joshua 15:6.
‘This stone perhaps commemorated some deed of valour belonging to the wars of Joshua, 1 Samuel 7:12. The stone was erected on the slope of a hill (see the marginal reference), no doubt one of the range which hounds the Jordan valley on the west. But its exact site is wholly uncertain.’
The boundary then went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor and turned north to Gilgal, which faces the Pass of Adummim south of the gorge and it continued along to the waters of En Shemesh and came out at En Rogel and then it ran up the Valley of Ben Hinnom along the southern slope of the Jebusite city, that is, Jerusalem, Joshua 15:7-8.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning the Valley of Ben Hinnom. Joshua 15:8.
‘ It was in this ravine, more particularly at Tophet in the more wild and precipitous part of it toward the east, that the later kings of Judah offered the sacrifices of children to Moloch, 2 Chronicles 28:3 / 2 Chronicles 33:6. After these places had been defiled by Josiah, Tophet and the whole valley of Hinnom were held in abomination by the Jews, and the name of the latter was used to denote the place of eternal torment, Matthew 5:22.’
From there it climbed to the top of the hill west of the Hinnom Valley at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim, and from the hilltop the boundary headed toward the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, came out at the towns of Mount Ephron and went down toward Baalah, that is, Kiriath Jearim, Joshua 15:8-9.
Then it curved westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim, that is, Kesalon, continued down to Beth Shemesh and crossed to Timnah.
And it went to the northern slope of Ekron, turned toward Shikkeron, passed along to Mount Baalah and reached Jabneel, 2 Chronicles 26:6, and the boundary ended at the sea, Joshua 15:10-11. The western boundary is the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. These are the boundaries around the people of Judah by their clans, Joshua 15:12.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Judah was the southernmost tribe west of the Jordan. Caleb’s family and the Simeonites lived within Judah’s territory. Simeon was the smallest tribe, except Levi and lost its territorial identity within Judah shortly after the conquest, Genesis 49:5-7. For this reason, some maps of the tribal allotments do not include Simeon.’
Joshua gave to Caleb, son of Jephunneh, a portion in Judah, Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron, and we are told that Arba was the forefather of Anak, Joshua 15:13. From Hebron, Caleb drove out the three Anakites, Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, the sons of Anak, and from there he marched against the people living in Debir, who were formerly called Kiriath Sepher, Joshua 15:14-15.
Caleb says he will give his daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher, and Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it, and so, Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage, Joshua 15:16-17.
Othniel was one of Israel’s prominent judges, Judges 3:9, probably the first whom God raised up in Israel after Joshua’s death. One day, when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field, and when she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, What can he do for her? Joshua 15:18.
She asks for a special favour and says, since Caleb has given her land in the Negev, can he give her the springs of water too? So, Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs, Joshua 15:19.
Hess, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Acsah’s request for the springs is reminiscent of Rebekah’s meeting with Isaac, Genesis 24:61-67, in which she also (1) approaches riding on an animal; (2) descends; (3) makes a request; and (4) receives the desired result from the person whom she approaches. Both accounts involve an inheritance of the blessing that God had promised to Abraham. This is probably the reason for the inclusion of this particular note.’
We are told what the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, in the southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the boundary of Edom, was, Joshua 15:20-21.
Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron, that is, Hazor, Amam, Shema, Moladah, Joshua 19:2-3 / 1 Chronicles 4:28 / Nehemiah 11:26-27.
Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, Baalah, Joshua 19:3, Iyim, Ezem, Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain and Rimmon, which is a total of twenty-nine towns and their villages, Joshua 15:21-32.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning the number of towns and villages, Joshua 15:32.
‘The King James Version gives 34 names. The difference is due either to the confusion by an early copyist of letters similar in form which were used as numerals, or to the separation in the King James Version of names which in the original were one, e.g. Joshua 15:25.’
In the western foothills, there were fourteen towns and villages. They are, Eshtaol, Zorah, which were later assigned to the tribe of Dan, and inhabited by Danites, Judges 13:25 / Judges 18:2 / Judges 18:8 / Judges 18:11. Ashnah, Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, Jarmuth, Adullam, Sokoh, Azekah, Shaaraim, Adithaim and Gederah or Gederothaim, Joshua 15:33-36.
Another sixteen towns and their villages are mentioned, they are, Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, Lachish, Joshua 10:3, Bozkath, Eglon, Kabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah and Makkedah, Joshua 10:10 / Joshua 15:37-41.
Another nine towns and their villages are mentioned, they are Libnah, Joshua 10:29, Ether, Ashan, Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, Keilah, Akzib and Mareshah, Joshua 15:42-44.
Ekron, with its surrounding settlements and villages and west of Ekron, all that were in the vicinity of Ashdod, together with their villages, Ashdod, its surrounding settlements and villages and Gaza, its settlements and villages, as far as the Wadi of Egypt and the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, Joshua 15:45-47 / Joshua 13:3.
In the hill country, there were eleven towns and villages. They are Shamir, Jattir, Sokoh, Dannah, Joshua 21:14 / 1 Chronicles 6:57 / 1 Samuel 30:27-28, Kiriath Sannah, that is, Debir, Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, Goshen, Holon and Giloh, Joshua 15:48-51.
Another nine towns and villages are mentioned, they are Arab, Dumah, Eshan, Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, Humtah, Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron and Zior, Joshua 15:52-54.
Another ten towns and villages are mentioned, they are, Maon, 1 Samuel 23:24 / 1 Samuel 25:2, Carmel, 1 Samuel 25:2, Ziph, Juttah, Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, Kain, Gibeah and Timnah, Joshua 15:55-57.
Another six towns and villages are mentioned, they are Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, Maarath, Beth Anoth and Eltekon, Joshua 15:58-59. Another two towns and villages are mentioned, they are Kiriath Baal, that is, Kiriath Jearim and Rabbah, Joshua 15:60.
In the wilderness, another six towns and villages are mentioned. They are Beth Arabah, Middin, Sekakah, Nibshan, the City of Salt, 2 Samuel 8:13, and En Gedi, Joshua 15:61-62.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning the wilderness, Joshua 15:61.
‘This district, including the towns in ‘the wilderness,’ the scene of David’s wanderings, 1 Samuel 23:24 / Psalms 63:1-11, and of the preaching of the Baptist, Matthew 3:1, and perhaps of our Lord’s temptation, Matthew 4:1-11, extended from the northern limit of Judah along the Dead Sea to the Negeb; it was bounded on the west by that part of ‘the mountains’ or highlands of Judah, which adjoined Bethlehem and Maon. It abounds in limestone rocks, perforated by numerous caverns, and often of fantastic shapes. It is badly supplied with water, and hence, is for the most part barren, though affording in many parts, now quite desolate, clear tokens of former cultivation. It contained only a thin population in the days of Joshua.’
Sadly, the tribe of Judah didn’t take this part of their inheritance. They couldn’t drive the Jebusites out, and as a result, they ended up living with them, Joshua 15:63.
Israel suffered because they didn’t take what God had given them, Judges 1:16-2:4. The Lord had promised to be with the people and fight for them and that He would drive the Canaanites out before them, Deuteronomy 11:23 / Joshua 13:6.
Time and again, the people failed to drive out the Canaanites even though they were able to do so, Joshua 15:63 / Joshua 17:13 / Judges 1:19-36. Therefore, God said he would help them no longer, Judges 10:13. Perhaps the Israelites failed for two reasons: they sought peace at any price, and they wanted wealth, Joshua 17:13. Why do we fail? Luke 8:14.
We get caught up in the worries of life, and we get caught up in the riches and pleasures of life-wealth, Matthew 13:1-9 / Mark 4:1-9 / Luke 8:4-8. Because when we do, we lose the opportunity to receive something far greater.