Joshua 15

          Chapters 15-19 detail the distribution of the land for the tribes that settled west of the Jordan river. Chapter 15 deals with just the tribe of Judah. It begins by describing the borders of Judah’s land (v.1-12) and then proceeds with a lengthy list of all the cities conquered and settled within those borders (v.20-63). Once again, passages like this may seem redundant and tedious to readers today, but remember that 1) this is God’s word, and He chose every single word for a good reason; and 2) the Bible is a book of world history, specifically that of the Jews, God’s chosen people. In keeping with tradition of the ANE at this time period, records such as this chapter were important for posterity. Not only that, but some of the cities mentioned here are sites of major events for Israel later on in the time of the judges and then the kings.
 
            Verses 1-12: The eastern border of Judah is the Dead Sea, a.k.a. the Salt Sea (v.4-5), and the western border is the Mediterranean Sea, a.k.a. the Great Sea. (v.12) The southern border starts at the Dead Sea, following the course of “…the river of Egypt…” (v.4) to the point where it empties into the Mediterranean. The northern border starts at the Mediterranean and follows an arc that connects to the Jordan River and then follows that south of Jerusalem and Jericho to the northern tip of the Dead Sea. (Refer back to the map in chapter 13.) The mention of the Jebusites and Jerusalem in verse 8 is important, as we will see later in verse 63.
 
            Verses 13-19: This passage details Caleb’s successful victories against the Anakim, starting with the conquering of the city of Hebron that was mentioned in chapter 14. Now, Caleb leads a campaign against the city of Kirjath-sepher, which is then renamed Debir. Caleb promises his daughter, Achsah, as wife to the man who will successfully conquer that city. (v.16) His nephew, Othniel, answers the call, and is victorious in battle. (v.17) Later, Achsah makes a specific request of her father for the upper and lower springs of fresh water that are adjacent to the land conquered by Othniel. (v.18-19) Caleb is more than willing to honor the request.
            The fact that Caleb, at 85, has a daughter who is still young and, presumably, has just reached marrying age, is also a testament to God’s blessing on Caleb because of his faithfulness and obedience. Like Abraham, Caleb and his wife were blessed with children in their old age, and this should be a source of inspiration and hope for older believers today. Nothing is impossible with God!
 
            Verses 20-32: This lengthy list of Judah’s cities are grouped according to the region of the land where they are located. The first section is the southern region (the Moody Bible commentary refers to each region as a “district”), and of the cities listed here, there are a few names that stand out. The first is Ziph (v.24) which is mentioned in 1 Samuel 23:14 as one of the hiding places where David flees during Saul’s manhunt for him. Later in that same chapter it’s revealed that the Ziphites betray David to Saul.
            Beer-sheba (v.28) is the same region that was once occupied by Abraham and Isaac. (Genesis 21:32-34, 26:23-25) Ziklag is also apportioned to Simeon (Joshua 19:5), but it’s clear from 1 Samuel 27:6-7 and 30:1 that it’s never fully conquered and settled by Israel.
 
            Verses 33-44: The second region is the western foothills. The cities of Eshtaol and Zoreah (v.33) are key sites in the story of Samson. (Judges 13:25, 16:31) Adullam (v.35) is another of David’s hiding places from Saul. (1 Samuel 22:1) Socoh and Azekah (v.35) are where David defeats Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:1) Lachish is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:19 and Jeremiah 34:7.
           
            Verses 45-47: The third region contains cities that border Philistia: Ekron, Ashdod, and Gaza. These locations figure prominently in the story of Samson (Judges 13-16) as well as the narrative of the theft of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines during Samuel’s reign as judge of Israel (1 Samuel 4-6). Ashdod is also home to the last of the giants of the Anakim. (Joshua 11:22) Another of the Philistines’ principal cities near this region is Gath, home to the giant Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:4) While these cities and lands are apportioned to Judah, the Philistines are never completely driven out and conquered by Israel. In fact, many Israelites intermarried with the inhabitants of Ashdod following their return from the Babylonian captivity. (Nehemiah 13:23)
 
            Verses 48-60: The fourth region is the hill country, which includes Debir, the city conquered by Othniel. As already noted in the previous chapter, Hebron was rewarded to Caleb, and it eventually becomes a city of refuge. It’s also where David establishes his royal house in the wake of Saul’s death and is anointed king of Israel. (2 Samuel 2:1, 4) Later, Absalom uses Hebron to stage his insurrection against David. (2 Samuel 15:7, 10) Maon, Carmel, and Jezreel are also key sites in the saga of King David’s reign. (1 Samuel 25) Kirjath-jearim is mentioned in Judges 18:12, and it’s also where the ark of the covenant remains for a time after it’s recaptured from the Philistines. (1 Samuel 6:21, 7:1-2)
            Verses 61-62: The last district is the desert region. En-gedi is yet another refuge site for David during his years of hiding from Saul. (1 Samuel 23:29)
 
            Verse 63: Although Jerusalem is in the region allotted to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:21, 28), that territory shares a border with Judah (Joshua 18:11). As already mentioned earlier in this chapter (v.8), the southern part of Jerusalem is located on Judah’s side of the border. That verse also mentions the Jebusites and now Joshua confirms that those people are never fully driven from their land. Not even in the era of the judges or the reign of King David are those native people completely wiped out. (Judges 1:8, 21, 2 Samuel 5:6, 24:18) The reason for this is not made clear in any of the texts, but given God’s command to both Moses and Joshua regarding His judgment against the Canaanites, the logical conclusion if that the Israelites failed to completely follow through on the Lord’s  directive to wipe out all inhabitants of the promised land.
             This could also be a clue as to why the land purchased by King David for the site of the temple that Solomon eventually built is so revered and so fiercely contested even up to our present day. Araunah’s property that David bought is regarded as sacred by modern day Jews, Christians, and Muslims. This is the same site that contained the Mosque of Omar (a.k.a. the Dome of the Rock) in the medieval era, so it's very likely that the Jebusites are connected to the lineage of Muhammed, the founder of Islam, who was born in the 6th century.