Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 15:58

Halhul, Beth-zur, and Gedor,

58. Halhul ] Group IV. consists of six cities on the north of Hebron:

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 58. Gedor] See Clarke on Jos 12:13. In this place the Alexandrian MS. of the Septuagint and the Codex Vaticanus add the eleven following towns: Theca, and Ephratha, (that is, Bethlehem,) and Phagor, and Etan, and Kulon, and Tatam, and Thebes, and Karam, and Galam, and Thether, and Manocho; eleven cities and their villages. St. Jerome, on Mic 5:1, mentions them, so that we find they were in the copies he used. Dr. Kennicott contends that they should be restored to the text, and accounts thus for their omission: “The same word vechatsreyhen, and their villages. occurring immediately before this passage and at the end of it, the transcriber’s eye passed from one to the other by mistake. A similar accident has caused the omission of two whole verses, the 35th and 36th of Jos. 21.” See the note there. See Clarke on Jos 21:35; “Jos 21:36“.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Halhul,…. Here begins a fourth division, or list, of the cities in the mountains. Halhul Jerom calls Ehul, and says w there was in his time in the country belonging to Aelia (or Jerusalem) a village by the name of Ahula, near Hebron; and

Bethzur, Jerom says x, was then called Bethseron, a village as you go from Aelia to Hebron, in the twentieth mile, near which was a fountain at the bottom of a mount, where it is said the eunuch was baptized by Philip: he makes mention of another village called Bethsur in the tribe of Judah, a mile from Eleutheropolis. In the Apocrypha:

“So he came to Judea, and drew near to Bethsura, which was a strong town, but distant from Jerusalem about five furlongs, and he laid sore siege unto it.” (2 Maccabees 11:5)

it is said to be but five furlongs from Jerusalem, but it must have been at a greater distance;

Gedor, of this city, [See comments on Jos 12:13].

w De loc. Heb. fol. 91. B. x De loc. Heb. fol. 89. G.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

58. Halhul still retains its name, and is found four miles north of Hebron. Here is a ruined mosque, the reputed sepulchre of the prophet Jonah, “looking,” says Robinson, “much like the church of a New England village.” Beth-zur, house of the rock, is five miles north of Hebron, and is still called Beit-zur, the exact Arabic of the Hebrew name. “Its principal ruin is the tower, of which only one side is now standing. There are hewn stones and fragments of columns scattered about, and many foundations of buildings.” Robinson. The tradition that Philip baptized the Eunuch here is improbable, since it is not on the route from Jerusalem to Gaza. Gedor is identified by Robinson with the modern ruins called Jedur, about eight miles north of Hebron.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘ Halhul, Beth-zur and Gedor, and Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon. Six cities with their villages.’

This is the fourth section of cities and townships in the hill country, lying to the north of Hebron. Halhul survives as the name of a village seven kilometres (four miles) north of Hebron. Two kilometres (a mile or so) further on are the ruins of Beth-zur, ‘house of rock’. This once strong fortress with its massive defence walls on the slope of the mound was destroyed by the Egyptians when the Hyksos were driven from Egypt (early sixteenth century BC) and remained largely abandoned until the arrival of the Israelites. In the twelfth and eleventh centuries BC it became a flourishing city once again, but declined somewhat in the tenth century, although ‘fortified’ by Rehoboam (2Ch 11:7). Its site is Khirbet et-Tubeiqah.

Gedor is Khirbet Jedur, two kilometres west of Beit Ummar and five kilometres (three miles) north of Beth-zur, just off the central ridge. It is possibly the Beth-gader of 1Ch 2:51. Maarath and Eltekon are unknown. Beth-anoth means ‘house of Anath’, probably having a shrine to the goddess Anath. A number of places would be so named (see Jos 19:38; Jdg 1:33). It is modern Beit ‘Anun, six kilometres (three miles or so) north north east of Hebron. ‘Six cities with their villages’.

Note Re a Possible Twelfth Group.

Up to this point we have had eight specific groups or districts mentioned, together with Ekron and her towns and villages, specifically distinguished from Ashdod, and Ashdod/Gaza with their towns and villages, both larger conurbations than elsewhere described. It may well be that these were intended to represent two districts. Note that there is no final statement conjoining them as with the other districts. With the two groups yet to come that would make up twelve groups or districts. As twelve appears to have been an important number in tribal confederacy this would appear a reasonable supposition. It was an act of faith, for not all the territory was even partially possessed. But such large views are held by men at times when faith is strong.

However at this point in the text LXX has a further group included in the text which reads generally as follows. ‘Tekoa, and Ephrath, the same is Beth-lehem, and Peor, and Etam, and Kolon, and Tatam, and Sores, and Kerem, and Gallim, and Bether, and Manahath. Eleven cities and their villages.’ This may have been a later addition in order to introduce Bethlehem-judah which was of later significance (Jdg 17:7; Jdg 19:1). Otherwise the non-mention of the Bethlehem district is strange, although it may be that the mentioning of Jerusalem was originally seen as covering this section (Jos 15:63). It may thus be that it was in the original text and dropped out accidentally in copying. The reference to Bethlehem as Ephrath (compare Gen 35:19; Gen 48:7) would support the age of the addition.

Tekoah was the home of the prophet Amos (Amo 1:1) and is now Tekua, ten kilometres (six miles) south of Bethlehem. It was from there that Joab later sought a wise woman to seek to reconcile David and Absalom (2 Samuel 14). The neighbouring land to the east was called ‘the wilderness of Tekoa’ (2Ch 20:20). Ephrath was the ancient name of Bethlehem (Gen 35:19; Gen 48:7; 1Ch 4:4) and often added (Mic 5:2) to distinguish it from Bethlehem in Zebulun (Jos 19:15). It was at one stage garrisoned by the Philistines (2Sa 23:14). Bethlehem was the birthplace of Boaz, David, and supremely Jesus. Some of the other cities have tentative identifications.

(End of note.)

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett