Commentary on Joshua - Keil & Delitzsch - David Cox

Keil and Delitzsch <strong>Commentary</strong> on the Old Testament
the summit of a mountain, an elevated point of the lofty ridge between Wady Ghurâb
and Ismail , south-west of Kureyet el Enab ( Rob. Bibl. Res. p. 154). Beth-shemesh
(i.e., sun-house), a priests' city in the territory of Judah (Josh 21:16; 1 Chron 6:44), is
the same as Ir-shemesh (Josh 19:41), a place on the border of Dan, where the ark was
deposited by the Philistines (1 Sam 6:9ff.), and where Amaziah was slain by Joash (2
Kings 14:11-12; 2 Chron 25:21). It was conquered by the Philistines in the time of
Ahaz (2 Chron 28:18). According to the Onom. it was ten Roman miles, i.e., four
hours, from Eleutheropolis towards Nicopolis. It is the present Ain Shems , upon a
plateau in a splendid situation, two hours and a half to the south-west of Kesla ( Rob.
Pal. iii. p. 17; Bibl. Res. p.
153). Timnah , or Timnatah , belonged to Dan (Dan 19:43 ); and it was thence that
Samson fetched his wife (Judg 14:1ff.). It is the present Tibneh , three-quarters of an
hour to the west of Ain Shems ( Rob. Pal. i. p. 344).
Verse 11-12. Thence "the border went out towards the north-west to the shoulder of
Ekron ( Akir: see at Josh 13:3), then bent to Shichron, passed over to Mount Baalah,
and went out to Jabneel." Shichron is possibly Sugheir , an hour to the south-west of
Jebna ( Knobel ). But if this is correct, the mountain of Baalah cannot be the short
range of hills to the west of Akir which runs almost parallel with the coast Rob. Pal.
iii. p. 21), as Knobel supposes; but must be a mountain on the south side of the Wady
Surar, since the boundary had already crossed this wady between Ekron and
Shichron. Jabneel is the Philistine town of Jabneh , the walls of which were
demolished by Uzziah (2 Chron 26:6), a place frequently mentioned in the books of
Maccabees as well as by Josephus under the name of Jamnia. It still exists as a goodsized
village, under the name of Jebnah , upon a small eminence on the western side
of Nahr Rubin, four hours to the south of Joppa, and an hour and a half from the sea (
Rob. Pal. iii. p. 22). From Jabneh the boundary went out to the (Mediterranean) Sea,
probably along the course of the great valley, i.e., the Nahr Rubin , as Robinson
supposes (Pal. ii. p. 343). The western boundary was the Great Sea, i.e., the
Mediterranean.
Joshua 15:13-19
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