Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 15:32
And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities [are] twenty and nine, with their villages:
32. all the cities are twenty and nine ] Thirty-six, however, are actually given, viz., (1) the first group = 9; (2) the second group = 5; (3) the third group = 9; (4) the fourth group 13 =36 in all. The discrepancy has been variously explained by supposing ( a) that some of the places were merely hamlets or villages, and were therefore not counted with the rest; ( b) that in some cases two names may have belonged to the same city; ( c) that there is an error in the numeral letters; ( d) that the author originally wrote fewer names, and “that others were added by a later hand without a corresponding alteration being made in the number.” (See Keil in loc.)
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 32. All the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages] But on a careful examination we shall find thirty-eight; but it is supposed that nine of these are excepted; viz., Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual, Baalah, Azem, Hormah, Ziklag, Ain, and Rimmon, which were afterwards given to the tribe of Simeon. This may appear satisfactory, but perhaps the truth will be found to be this: Several cities in the promised land are expressed by compound terms; not knowing the places, different translations combine what should be separated, and in many cases separate what should be combined. Through this we have cities formed out of epithets. On this ground we have thirty-eight cities as the sum here, instead of twenty-nine.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Object. Here are thirty-seven or thirty-eight cities named before; how then are they only reckoned twenty-nine?
Answ. There were only twenty-nine of them, which either,
1. Properly belonged to Judah; the rest fell to Simeons lot; or,
2. Were cities properly so called, i.e. walled cities, or such as had villages under them, as it here follows, the rest being great but unwalled towns, or such as had no villages under them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And Lebaoth,…. Whether Lebaoth is the same with Bethlebaoth, given to the tribe of Simeon, Jos 19:6; is not certain;
and Shilhim is nowhere else spoken of;
and Ain seems to be the same with that in Nu 34:11; also
[See comments on Nu 34:11]
and Rimmon, the place Jerom e calls Eremmon, which he says was a large village of the Jews, sixteen miles from Eleutheropolis to the south, in Daroma; this and the preceding are joined together as one, and called Enrimmon, Ne 11:29. It is probable they were near to each other, and in process of time the buildings of each might increase, so as to meet and join each other:
all the cities [are] twenty and nine, with their villages; but according to our version, and as we point them, they are thirty eight; some make them thirty six, others thirty seven; the Jews generally make thirty eight of them, as we do, and account for the difference of number thus; that nine of these cities were given to the tribe of Simeon, Jos 19:1; and these being taken out of the thirty eight, there remain twenty nine; so Jarchi and Kimchi account for it; but as the number of the cities is uncertain, and this account is given before the separation of the nine, and they are all reckoned together, this does not seem to be satisfactory; rather, as Abarbinel observes, the twenty nine of the places enumerated were cities, and the other were villages, unwalled towns, or not of so much note as the twenty nine.
e De loc. Heb. fol. 91. C.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
32. All the cities are twenty and nine This does not agree with the names detailed in the text, which are thirty-six at least. To remove this discrepancy the Rabbins assume that the cities given to Simeon are not counted. But there were twelve or fifteen given to that tribe. Others suggest that several of these places were mere hamlets, and were not counted; or that compound names have been separated, or epithets prefixed been made into names; still others, that one place may have had several names, or that there is an error in the numerical letters for twenty-nine. The Syriac reads thirty-six, an evident change in that version to meet the difficulty. It is more probable that several names were added by a later hand after the country was more thickly peopled, possibly to gratify local pride, and the number twenty-nine was not changed.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ver. 32. All the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages We reckon up in the text thirty-eight; but it may be said, that of this number there were but twenty-nine cities, and that the rest were villages. Of which opinion are many able commentators; or else, with most of the rabbis, it may be urged, that of those thirty-eight cities nine are to be excepted, which were afterwards given to the tribe of Simeon: viz. Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, Baalah, Azem, Hormah, Ziklag, Ain, and Rimmon. This latter opinion, which yet is not without its difficulties, seems the most probable, because in all the remainder of this enumeration, the villages are no where mentioned. Grotius, Vatablus, &c. subscribe to the same opinion.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
and Ain, and Rimmon : should be “and En-Rimmon”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Ain: Probably the of Eusebius, four miles from Hebron. Num 34:11
Rimmon: Neh 11:29
Reciprocal: Num 33:19 – Rimmonparez Jos 19:6 – Bethlebaoth Jos 19:7 – Ain Jdg 20:45 – Rimmon Jdg 21:13 – the rock Rimmon Zec 14:10 – Rimmon
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 15:32. Twenty-nine Here are thirty-seven or thirty-eight cities named before; how then are they only reckoned twenty-nine? There were only twenty-nine of them which either, 1st, Properly belonged to Judah; the rest falling to Simeons lot. Or, 2d, Were cities properly so called; that is, walled cities, or such as had villages under them, as it here follows; the rest being great, but unwalled towns, or such as had no villages under them.