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Joshua 15

Judah’s inheritance takes shape through named borders, towns, and family holdings, while Jerusalem remains a place of incomplete conquest.

Judah receives its allotted territory, with borders traced from the wilderness of Zin to the coast and north toward Jerusalem. Within that territory, Caleb receives Hebron under YHWH’s command to Joshua and drives out the descendants of Anak. Othniel captures Debir and marries Caleb’s daughter Achsah, who asks her father for springs of water. A long list records Judah’s towns by region. The account ends with the Jebusites still living in Jerusalem because Judah could not drive them out.

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1The lot for the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families was to the border of Edom, even to the wilderness of Zin southward, at the uttermost part of the south.
2Their south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looks southward;
3and it went out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and went up by the south of Kadesh Barnea, and passed along by Hezron, went up to Addar, and turned toward Karka;
4and it passed along to Azmon, went out at the brook of Egypt; and the border ended at the sea. This shall be your south border.
5The east border was the Salt Sea, even to the end of the Jordan. The border of the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the end of the Jordan.
6The border went up to Beth Hoglah, and passed along by the north of Beth Arabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
7The border went up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that faces the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the river. The border passed along to the waters of En Shemesh, and ended at En Rogel.
8The border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem) southward; and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the farthest part of the valley of Rephaim northward.
9The border extended from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of Mount Ephron; and the border extended to Baalah (also called Kiriath Jearim);
10and the border turned about from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and passed along to the side of Mount Jearim (also called Chesalon) on the north, and went down to Beth Shemesh, and passed along by Timnah;
11and the border went out to the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out at Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea.
12The west border was to the shore of the great sea. This is the border of the children of Judah according to their families.
13He gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even Kiriath Arba, named after the father of Anak (also called Hebron).
14Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.
15He went up against the inhabitants of Debir: now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.
16Caleb said, “He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.”
17Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
18When she came, she had him ask her father for a field. She got off her donkey, and Caleb said, “What do you want?”
19She said, “Give me a blessing. Because you have set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
21The farthest cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the border of Edom in the South were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
23Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,
24Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
28Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,
29Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
30Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,
31Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
32Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. All the cities are twenty-nine, with their villages.
33In the lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
34Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam,
35Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
36Shaaraim, Adithaim and Gederah (or Gederothaim); fourteen cities with their villages.
38Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel,
39Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
41Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages.
42Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
44Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.
45Ekron, with its towns and its villages;
46from Ekron even to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages.
47Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; to the brook of Egypt, and the great sea with its coastline.
48In the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
49Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (which is Debir),
50Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,
51Goshen, Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages.
53Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah,
54Humtah, Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron), and Zior; nine cities with their villages.
55Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Jutah,
56Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,
57Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.
58Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,
60Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim), and Rabbah; two cities with their villages.
61In the wilderness, Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah,
62Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi; six cities with their villages.
63As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah couldn’t drive them out; but the Jebusites live with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.
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Key verses
Joshua 15:8The northern boundary runs beside Jebusite Jerusalem, introducing the city whose inhabitants remain at the chapter’s close.
Joshua 15:13Caleb’s portion at Hebron is assigned under YHWH’s command, placing his household within Judah’s larger inheritance.
Joshua 15:63The closing verse distinguishes Judah’s allotted territory from its actual control, leaving the Jebusites present in Jerusalem.
Where this chapter reaches

Numbers shares the southern boundary landmarks, including the wilderness of Zin and Kadesh Barnea, linking Judah’s allotment with the borders described for the land. Judges recounts the same events involving Caleb, Othniel, and Achsah, including the capture of Debir and the gift of springs.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

How does the final verse affect your reading of Judah’s borders and long list of towns?

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What do you notice about Achsah’s request and Caleb’s response within this account of land and conquest?

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Questions people ask about Joshua 15

Why did Achsah ask Caleb for springs of water?

Achsah connects her request to the land in the South that Caleb has given her. Springs would provide water for that holding. Caleb grants both the upper and lower springs. The account presents a concrete request concerning her land; it does not assign a symbolic meaning to the two springs.

Why couldn’t Judah drive out the Jebusites in Joshua 15?

The chapter states that Judah could not drive out Jerusalem’s Jebusite inhabitants, but it does not explain the military circumstances or give a specific cause. Its closing notice records their continued presence alongside Judah. The phrase “to this day” refers to the narrator’s time, whose precise date is not supplied here.

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Joshua · 24 chapters

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).