Commentary on Joshua - Keil & Delitzsch - David Cox

Keil and Delitzsch <strong>Commentary</strong> on the Old Testament
towards the east, and far away in the north-east even Hermon itself ( Rob. Pal. iii. p.
81), was peculiarly well adapted for a place of encampment, from which Joshua
could carry on the conquest of the land toward both the north and south, we can come
to no other conclusion than that this Gilgal or Jiljilia was the Gilgal mentioned in
Josh 9:6; 10:6,9,15,43, and 14:6, as the place where the Israelites were encamped.
We therefore assume, that after the setting up of the law on Gerizim and Ebal, Joshua
did not conduct the people with their wives and children back again to the camp
which they had left in the Jordan valley on the other side of Jericho, but chose the
Gilgal which was situated upon the mountains, and only seven hours' journey to the
south of Sichem, as the future place of encampment, and made this the central point
of all his further military operations; and that this was the place to which he returned
after his last campaign in the north, to commence the division of the conquered land
among the tribes of Israel (Josh 14:6), and where he remained till the tabernacle was
permanently erected at Shiloh, when the further distribution was carried on there
(Josh 18:1ff.). This view, which even Van de Velde (Memoir, p. 316) has adopted as
probable, is favoured still further by the fact that this Gilgal of Jiljilia, which is still a
large village, is frequently mentioned in the subsequent history of Israel, not only in 2
Kings 2:1 and 4:38, as the seat of a school of the prophets in the time of Elijah and
Elisha, and in Hos 4:15; 9:15; 12:12; Amos 4:4; 5:5, as a place which was much
frequented for the purpose of idolatrous worship; but even at an earlier date still,
namely, as one of the places where Samuel judged the people (1 Sam 7:16), and as
the place where he offered sacrifice (1 Sam 10:8; cf. Josh 13:7-9), and where he
gathered the people together to confirm the monarchy of Saul (1 Sam 11:14-15), at a
time when the tabernacle at Shiloh had ceased to be the only national sanctuary of
Israel, on account of the ark having been taken away. Gilgal had no doubt acquired
this significance along with Bethel, which had been regarded as a holy place ever
since the time of Jacob, from the fact that it was there that Joshua had established the
camp of Israel with the ark of the covenant, until the land was divided, and Shiloh
was appointed as the site for the national sanctuary.
Stratagem of the Gibeonites, and Their Consequent Preservation. Ch. 9.
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