Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
4. From the wilderness ] For the boundaries of the Land of Promise compare ( a) Gen 15:18-21; ( b) Exo 23:31; ( c) Num 34:1-12; ( d) Deu 11:24. They were to be, on the South, the desert of El-Th; on the North, Mount Lebanon; on the East, the Euphrates; on the West, the Mediterranean Sea.
this Lebanon ] Compare also Jos 1:2, “ this Jordan,” and Deu 3:25. The river was visible and lay close at hand; the Lebanon range (= “ the white Mountain ”) could be discerned, though at a great distance.
the great river ] “The great flood Eufrates,” Wyclif. This is the term (comp. Gen 2:14; Gen 15:18) most frequently used in the Bible for the Euphrates, a word of Aryan origin, denoting “ the good and abounding river,” the largest, the longest, and by far the most important of the rivers of Western Asia.
the land of the Hittites ] This nation was descended from Cheth (A. V. “Heth”), the second son of Canaan. We first meet with them in Gen 23:3-5, when Abraham bought from “the children of Heth” the field and the cave of Machpelah. On their relation to the other nations of Canaan see below. They are here put for the Canaanites generally.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Lebanon is spoken of as this Lebanon, because visible from the neighborhood in which Israel was encamped. (Compare Deu 3:8-9.) The wilderness of the text is the Desert of Arabia, which forms the southern, as Lebanon does the northern, limit of the promised land. The boundaries on the east and west are likewise indicated; and the intervening territory is described generally as all the land of the Hittites. The Hittites are properly the inhabitants of northern Canaan and Phoenicia (see Exo 3:8 note), but the name appears to be used here for the Canaanites in general, as in 1Ki 10:29. On the boundaries of the promised land compare Deu 11:24; Gen 15:18.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 4. From the wilderness and this Lebanon] Joshua appears to be standing with his face towards the promised land, and pointing out the different places, or their situation, with his hand, THIS Lebanon, c. The utmost of their limits should be from the desert of Arabia Petraea on the SOUTH to Lebanon on the NORTH: and from the Euphrates on the EAST to the Mediterranean Sea on the WEST. The Israelites did not possess the full extent of this grant till the days of David. See 2Sa 8:3, c., and 2Ch 9:26.
Land of the Hittites] These are generally reputed to have been the most hardy and warlike of all the Canaanitish nations and as they occupied the mountainous countries on the south of the land of Canaan, it is natural to suppose that they would be the most difficult to subdue, and on this account, it is supposed, God particularly specifies these: “Ye shall subdue and possess even all the land of the Hittites,” but it is probable that under this one term all the other nations are included, as it is certain they are in other places under the term Amorites.
Great sea: The Mediterranean, called great in respect of the lakes in the land of Judea, such as the sea of Gennesareth, or the sea of Tiberias, and the Dead Sea, which were comparatively small lakes; but the Hebrews gave the name of sea, yam, to every large collection of waters.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This Lebanon; this emphatically, as being the most eminent mountain in Syria, and the northern border of the land: or this which is within my view; as if the Lord appeared to him in the form of a man, and pointed to it.
Of the Hittites, i.e. of the Canaanites, who elsewhere are all called Amorites, as Gen 15:16, and here Hittites, by a synecdoche; the Hittites being the most considerable and formidable of all, as may appear from Num 13:33; 14:1; 2Ki 7:6; and many of them being of the race of the giants, dwelling about Hebron. See Gen 25:9,10; 26:34; 27:46.
The great sea; the midland sea, great in itself, and especially compared with those lesser collections of waters, which the Jews called seas.
Object. The Israelites never possessed all this land.
Answ. 1. That was from their own sloth and cowardice, and disobedience to God, and breach of those conditions upon which this promise was suspended. See Jdg 2:20.
2. This land was not all to be possessed by them at once, but by degrees, as their numbers and necessities increased; but Canaan being fully sufficient for them, and many of the Israelites being from time to time either cut off or carried captive for their sins, there was never any need of enlarging their possessions.
3. Though their possessions extended not to Euphrates, yet their dominion did, and all those lands were tributary to them in Davids and Solomons time.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. all the land of theHittitesThese occupied the southern extremities and were thedominant tribe of Canaan. Their superior power and the extent oftheir dominions are attested by the mention of them under the name ofKhita, on the Assyrian inscriptions, and still more frequently on theEgyptian inscriptions of the eighteenth and nineteenth Dynasties.What life and encouragement must have been imparted to Joshua by theassurance that his people, who had been overwhelmed with fear of thatgigantic race, were to possess “all the land of the Hittites”!
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
From the wilderness,…. The wilderness of Kadesh and Sin, on the border of Edom; in the southeast corner, as Jarchi says, see
Nu 34:3;
and this Lebanon; which though on the other side Jordan, and at a considerable distance, being the northern border of the land towards Syria, might be seen afar off; or it is expressed, because it was a well known place, as Kimchi remarks:
even unto the great river, the river Euphrates; which was the eastern border of the land, and to which it reached in the times of Solomon, whose dominion extended thither, 1Ki 4:21; according to Jarchi, this was its breadth from south to north:
all the land of the Hittites: who, though only one of the seven nations of Canaan, are put for the rest, and the rather mentioned, because, as their name signifies, they were very formidable and terrible; among them dwelt the Anakim, and they themselves were very warlike and populous; or they are taken notice of particularly here, because they dwelt in the western part of the land described by them, so Kimchi thinks; according to Jarchi, this was its length from east to west:
and unto the great sea: the Mediterranean sea, which was the western border of the land of Canaan, called great, in comparison of the sea of Tiberias, and the salt sea, which were in it:
toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast; the western coast, [See comments on De 11:24]; this will be more fully verified in Christ, when his kingdom is from sea to sea, Ps 72:8.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The boundaries of the land are given as in Deu 11:24, with the simple difference in form, that the boundary line from the desert (of Arabia) and Lebanon, i.e., from the southern and northern extremity, is drawn first of all towards the east to the great river, the Euphrates, and then towards the west to “the great sea, toward the going down of the sun,” i.e., the Mediterranean; and then between these two termini ad quem the more precise definition is inserted, “all the land of the Hittites;” whereas in Deuteronomy the southern, northern, and eastern boundaries are placed in antithesis to the western boundary, and the more precise definition of the country to be taken is given by an enumeration of the different tribes that were to be destroyed by the Israelites (Deu 11:23). On the oratorical character of these descriptions, see at Gen 15:18. The demonstrative pronoun “this,” in connection with Lebanon, may be explained from the fact that Lebanon, or at all events Anti-libanus, was visible from the Israelitish camp. The expression “ the Hittites ” (see at Gen 10:15) is used here in a broader sense for Canaanites in general, as in 1Ki 10:29; 2Ki 7:6; Eze 16:3. The promise in Jos 1:5 is adopted from Deu 11:25, where it was made to the whole nation, and specially transferred to Joshua; and Jos 1:5 is repeated from Deu 31:8, as compared with Jos 1:6.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
4. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, etc How the truth and fulfillment of this promise surmounted all the obstacles interposed by the wickedness of the people, though they did not obtain immediate possession of the whole territory, I have explained in the Argument. For although God had unfolded the inestimable treasures of his beneficence by constituting them lords of the country, it did not follow that their misconduct was not to be chastised. Nay, there behooved to be a fulfillment of the threatening which Moses had denounced, viz., that if the nations doomed to destruction were not destroyed, they would prove thorns and stings in their eyes and sides. But as the promise was by no means broken or rendered void by the delay of forty years, during which they were led wandering through the desert, so the entire possession, though long suspended, proved the faithfulness of the decree by which it had been adjudged.
The people had it in their power to obtain possession of the prescribed boundaries in due time; they declined to do so. For this they deserved to have been expelled altogether. (18) But the divine indulgence granted them an extent of territory sufficient for their commodious habitation; and although it had been foretold that, in just punishment, the residue of the nations whom they spared would prove pernicious to them, still, they suffered no molestation, unless when they provoked the Divine anger by their perfidy and almost continual defection: for as often as their affairs became prosperous, they turned aside to wantonness. Still, owing to the wonderful goodness of God, when oppressed by the violence of the enemy, and, as it were, thrust down to the grave, they continued to live in death; and not only so, but every now and then deliverers arose, and, contrary to all hope, retrieved them from ruin. (19)
The Great Sea means the Mediterranean, and to it the land of the Hittites forms the opposite boundary; in the same way Lebanon is opposed to the Euphrates; but it must be observed that under Lebanon the desert is comprehended, as appears from another passage. (20)
(18) The two last sentences form only one in the French, which is as follows, “ Le peuple pouuoit du premier coup, et des l’entree s’estendre jusqu’aux bornes que Dieu lui mesme auoit marquees; il n’a pas voulu: il estoit bien digne d’en estre mis dehors, et du tout forclos.” “The people might at the first blow, and immediately on their entrance, have extended themselves to the limits which God himself had marked; they would not: they well deserved to be put out and wholly foreclosed.” — Ed.
(19) Latin, “ Qui praeter spem rebus perditis succurrerent;” French, “ Qui outre toute esperance venoyent a remedier aux affaires si fort deplorez, et redresser aucunement l’estat du peuple;” “Who, beyond all hope, came to remedy the very deplorable affairs, and, in some degree, restore the condition of the people.” — Ed.
(20) Calvin’s language here is not very clear, and seems to convey an erroneous impression. The desert or wilderness, instead of being comprehended under Lebanon, is obviously contrasted with it, and forms the south, while Lebanon forms the north frontier. We have thus three great natural boundaries — Lebanon on the north, the desert of Sin on the south, and the Mediterranean on the west. The eastern boundary occasions more difficulty. According to some, the Euphrates is expressly mentioned as this boundary, and an attempt is made to reconcile the vast difference between the actual possession of the Israelites, even in the most prosperous period of their history, and the tract of country thus bounded, by having recourse to the explanation of St. Augustine, who, in his Commentary on Jos 21:0, gives it as his opinion that the country extending eastward beyond the proper limits of Canaan was intended to be given not so much for possession as for tribute. This view receives some confirmation from the extensive conquests which were made by David and Solomon. According to other expositors, the Euphrates is intended to be taken in connection with Lebanon so as to form, by one of its windings or branches, part of the north boundary, while the east boundary is left indefinite, or rather, was so well defined by the Jordan that it did not require to be separately mentioned. In this general uncertainty, there is much practical wisdom in Calvin’s suggestion in his Argument, that the indefiniteness of the boundaries assigned to the promised land, contrasted with its actual limits, tended to elevate the minds of Old Testament believers, and carry them beyond the present to a period when, under a new and more glorious dispensation, the promise would be completely fulfilled. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(4) All the land of the Hittites.The name Hittites may be used here to represent all the Canaanites; but it seems better to understand the land of the Hittites of the northern districts in which Hamath and Carchemish were situatedbetween Palestine proper and the Euphrates; but compare Note on Jdg. 1:26.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. The wilderness This word is especially applied to that desert of Arabia Petraea in which the Israelites sojourned under Moses. It stretches from Mount Sinai northward between the two branches of the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, Palestine, and the Mediterranean. Its eastern boundary is Arabia Deserta and Arabia Felix; its western, Egypt and the western arm of the Red Sea. It is a rolling desert, covered generally with loose gravel and stones, and everywhere furrowed and torn with torrents. Says Dr. Robinson, “A more frightful desert it had hardly been our lot to behold. Through the deep gorge on the eastern side, extending from the Gulf of Akaba to the Dead Sea, there is every indication that the Jordan once flowed before the great convulsion which depressed the Dead Sea.”
This Lebanon A double range of mountains, with a valley called Coele ( hollow) Syria between, constituting the eastern limit of Phenicia and the northern limit of Palestine. The eastern spur, called Anti-Lebanon, terminates on the south in Mount Hermon, and was visible from Shittim. Hence the expression this Lebanon, like this Jordan in Jos 1:2, because, though at a distance, it could be pointed out as a definite landmark. The name, which signifies white, is derived from the white appearance caused both by the limestone rocks and the snows. The height is about ten thousand feet. (See note on Hermon Jos 11:3.)
The Hittites Or children of Heth. A tribe of Canaanites living in Abraham’s time in Hebron and its vicinity, in the southern part of the Land of Promise. As they had been an especial terror to the twelve spies, or to the craven ten, whose report disheartened the people, they are here mentioned by name, and put for the whole body of the Canaanites Ye shall possess the land of even the dreaded Hittites. This designation of Canaan as “the land of the Hittites” occurs in the Bible only in this passage, though frequently used in the Egyptian records of Rameses II., in which Cheta or Chita appears to denote the whole country of lower and middle Syria.
The Euphrates “The great river” of western Asia, one thousand four hundred miles in length, is mentioned in connection with the garden of Eden, (Gen 2:14,) and throughout the Scripture history is often mentioned with this adjective.
Great sea The Mediterranean, called great in comparison with the small inland bodies of water, such as Genesareth and the Dead Sea.
Your coast Your boundaries. These included a larger territory than the Hebrews ever possessed, except for a short time during the reigns of David and Solomon. The breadth from Lebanon on the north to the desert on the south is one hundred and forty miles; the length from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates is about four hundred miles, making an area of fifty-six thousand square miles, equal to the States of New York and Vermont. But Canaan proper, or Palestine, was only one hundred and forty miles by forty an area smaller than the State of New Jersey. Jehovah devised liberal things for his people, but they failed through unbelief and cowardice to come into immediate possession of the munificent gift.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun (the west), shall be your border.’
The land was strictly defined. The wilderness is that which they came through on their way from Egypt, the wilderness of Edom, Kadesh and Sin, beyond the Negeb up to the Edom border; Lebanon and the land of the Hittites was the land to the north, roughly up to the Euphrates. ‘The land of the Hittites’ was probably northern Syria, called this also in Assyrian inscriptions and the Amarna letters. The Great Sea was the Mediterranean. The fourth border was the Jordan, although some see ‘this Lebanon’ as marking the eastern border and referring to the easternmost of the Lebanon ranges, indicated with a wave of the hand even though not in sight.
But ‘all the land of the Hittites’ may be intended to be a general term (like Canaanites and Amorites) to indicate Canaan where there were colonies of Hittites. Thus some see it as signifying Canaan, the one nation standing for the many, of those named as inhabitants of the land. (LXX omits the phrase, finding it difficult). Notice the more exact definition of the land to be possessed in Num 34:1-15 with the northern border at mount Hor (one of the northern summits of the Lebanon range), Lebo-hamath (or the entering in, or border, of Hamath) and Zedad. Lebo-hamath is now testified to as a city archaeologically.
Under David and Solomon (1Ki 4:21) the whole area would come under Israel’s influence by one means or another (apart from Phoenicia, although that became connected through marriage, and Philistia which was subdued), but they did not cast out their inhabitants, they made them tributary or made treaties with them, and thus when Solomon and finally his sons failed to maintain their position, much of it was soon lost to them. For possession was dependent on obedience to YHWH and it was obedience that was lacking. It is always so with God’s gifts. They must be possessed. And if we fail to possess them we lose them.
There is an important lesson here. God did at this stage make the whole land available to them. He promised that it was theirs for the taking. When hey failed to possess it, it was not His promise that failed. What failed was obedience. Thus did they lose what was rightly theirs because given to them by God. We never dream how much we lose through disobedience.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ver. 4. From the wilderness and this Lebanonshall be your coast That is, from all that desart which lies south of the place where you now are, to mount Lebanon, fronting you on the north; and from the Euphrates on the east, to the Mediterranean sea on the west. See Gen 25:18. Deu 1:7. The Hittites, part of whom were of the race of the giants, inhabited, with the Amorites, the mountainous country to the south of the land of Canaan, and were famous for their valour. To promise Joshua the conquest of their country, was to declare to him the utter defeat of the Canaanites; and this, doubtless, is the reason why they were here named in preference. Joshua drove them out of their country, but did not destroy them utterly; for mention is made of their kings a long time afterwards. See 2Ki 7:6. The great sea, toward the going down of the sun, i.e. the Mediterranean sea to the west.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
See the extent of the grant. And it is worthy remark that proselytes to the church were made from all those regions on the memorable day of Pentecost. Act 2:5 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jos 1:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
Ver. 4. From the wilderness. ] Here we have the topography of the promised land, as it hath the wilderness of Arabia on the south, Mount Lebanon on the north, the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and Euphrates on the east.
All the land of the Hittites.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
From. For these boundaries, compare Gen 15:18, Exo 23:31. Num 34:3-12, Deu 11:24.
coast = border or boundary.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
From the wilderness: That is, their utmost limits should be from the Desert of Arabia Petrea on the south, to Lebanon on the north; and from the Euphrates on the east, to the Great Sea, or the Mediterranean, on the west. The Israelites did not possess the full extent of this grant till the time of David. Gen 15:18-21, Exo 23:31, Num 34:2-18, Deu 1:7, Deu 3:25, Deu 11:24, 1Ch 5:9, 1Ch 18:3
Reciprocal: Num 34:6 – General Jos 9:1 – of the great Jos 11:17 – Seir Jos 12:7 – Joshua gave 1Ki 4:21 – Solomon 1Ki 10:29 – the kings Ezr 4:20 – beyond
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1:4 From the {b} wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the {c} Hittites, and unto the great {d} sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
(b) Of Zin, called Kadesh and Paran.
(c) Meaning, the whole land of Canaan.
(d) Called Mediterranean.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The area described here includes all that God promised to Abraham and the other patriarchs (Gen 15:18; et al.). The writer apparently referred to the Hittites in a representative sense to describe all the Canaanite tribes (as in 1Ki 10:29; 2Ki 7:6; Eze 16:3). This is a figure of speech called synecdoche in which a part represents the whole or the whole stands for a part (e.g., "bread" means food, or "all the world" equals all the Roman world [Luk 2:1]).