Commentary on Joshua - Keil & Delitzsch - David Cox

Keil and Delitzsch <strong>Commentary</strong> on the Old Testament
direction from the Mediterranean Sea above Carmel, and reaches almost to the
Jordan. It is bounded on the south by the mountains of Carmel, the mountain-land of
Ephraim and the range of hills connecting the two, on the north by the mountains of
Galilee, on the west by the southern spurs of the Galilean highland, and on the east by
the mountains of Gilboa and the Little Hermon (Jebel Duhy). Within these
boundaries it is eight hours in length from east to west, and five hours broad; it is
fertile throughout, though very desolate now (see v. Raumer , Pal. iii. pp. 39ff.). "Iron
chariots" are not scythe chariots, for these were introduced by Cyrus, and were
unknown to the Medes, Persians, and Arabians, i.e., to the early Asiatics before his
time ( Xen. Cyr. vi. 1, 27, 30), as well as to the ancient Egyptians (see Wilkinson ,
Manners and Customs, i. p. 350); they were simply chariots tipped with iron, just as
the Egyptian war-chariots were made of wood and strengthened with metal nails and
tips ( Wilkinson , pp. 342, 348).
Verse 17,18. As the answer of the children of Joseph indicated cowardice and want of
confidence in the help of God, Joshua contented himself with repeating his first reply,
though more fully and with the reasons assigned. "Thou art a strong people, and hast
great power; there will not be one lot to thee:" i.e., because thou art a numerous
people and endowed with strength, there shall not remain one lot to thee, thou canst
and wilt extend thine inheritance. "For the mountain will be thine, for it is forest, and
thou wilt hew it out, and its goings out will become thine." By the mountain we are
not to understand the mountains of Ephraim which were assigned to the Ephraimites
by the lot, but the wooded mountains mentioned in v. 15, which the children of
Joseph were to hew out, so as to make outlets for themselves. "The outgoings of it"
are the fields and plains bordering upon the forest. For the Canaanites who dwelt
there (v. 15) would be driven out by the house of Joseph, just because they had iron
chariots and were strong, and therefore only a strong tribe like Joseph was equal to
the task. "Not one of the tribes of Israel is able to fight against them (the Canaanites)
because they are strong, but you have strength enough to be able to expel them" (
Rashi ).
The Tabernacle Set Up at Shiloh. Survey of the Land That Had Still to
Be Divided. Inheritance of the Tribe of Benjamin. Ch. 18.
http://207.44.232.113/~bible/comment/ot/k&d/josh/jos110.html (1 of 2) [13/08/2004 01:18:56 p.m.]