Joshua 15:47: Meaning Explained
Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great...
This verse lists eleven specific towns in the hill country region that were allotted to the tribe of Judah during the division of the Promised Land. The towns mentioned include Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (also called Debir), Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, Goshen, Holon, and Giloh, along with their surrounding villages. This detailed inventory demonstrates the concrete fulfillment of God's promise to give Israel specific territories, showing that Judah received established settlements rather than just wilderness areas.
What’s Happening Here
This verse appears in Joshua 15, which details the territorial boundaries and cities assigned to the tribe of Judah after the Israelites entered Canaan. The chapter systematically documents Judah's extensive inheritance, beginning with southern boundaries (verses 1-12), eastern boundaries (verses 13-19), and then listing specific towns in different regions including the Negev (south), western foothills, and this section covering the hill country, the central mountainous region that formed Judah's heartland.
Key Words
Why It Matters
This detailed geographical record matters because it shows God's promises were fulfilled in tangible, specific ways, not just vague spiritual concepts. For modern readers, it demonstrates how faith intersects with practical reality, as divine promises materialized in actual towns with names and communities. The preservation of these place names also validates the historical reliability of biblical accounts and reminds us that God works within human geography and settlement patterns.
Did You Know?
Archaeological excavations at Debir (modern Khirbet Rabud) have uncovered substantial Iron Age remains corresponding to the Israelite period, including fortified walls and pottery that corroborate its significance as a major Judahite town during the time of Joshua.
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Word Study
Cross References
Frequently asked questions
What does Joshua 15:47 mean?
This verse lists eleven specific towns in the hill country region that were allotted to the tribe of Judah during the division of the Promised Land. The towns mentioned include Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (also called Debir), Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, Goshen, Holon, and Giloh, along with their surrounding villages. This detailed inventory demonstrates the concrete fulfillment of God's promise to give Israel specific territories, showing that Judah received established settlements rather than just wilderness areas.
What is the context of Joshua 15:47?
This verse appears in Joshua 15, which details the territorial boundaries and cities assigned to the tribe of Judah after the Israelites entered Canaan. The chapter systematically documents Judah's extensive inheritance, beginning with southern boundaries (verses 1-12), eastern boundaries (verses 13-19), and then listing specific towns in different regions including the Negev (south), western foothills, and this section covering the hill country, the central mountainous region that formed Judah's heartland.
Why does Joshua 15:47 matter?
This detailed geographical record matters because it shows God's promises were fulfilled in tangible, specific ways, not just vague spiritual concepts. For modern readers, it demonstrates how faith intersects with practical reality, as divine promises materialized in actual towns with names and communities. The preservation of these place names also validates the historical reliability of biblical accounts and reminds us that God works within human geography and settlement patterns.
What's a surprising detail about Joshua 15:47?
Archaeological excavations at Debir (modern Khirbet Rabud) have uncovered substantial Iron Age remains corresponding to the Israelite period, including fortified walls and pottery that corroborate its significance as a major Judahite town during the time of Joshua.
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]
Places in Joshua 15:47
Commentary on Joshua 15:47
Verses 20–63 Here is a list of the cities of Judah. But we do not here find Bethlehem, afterwards the city of David, and ennobled by the birth of our Lord Jesus in it. That city, which, at the best, was but little among the thousands of Judah, Mic 5:2, except that it was thus honoured, was now so little as not to be accounted one of the cities. Chapter 16 The sons of Joseph. —This and the following chapter should not be separated. They give the lots of Ephraim and Manasseh, the children of Joseph, who, next to Judah, were to have the post of honour, and therefore had the first and best portion in the northern part of Canaan, as Judah in the southern part. God's people now, as of old, suffer…