Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 15:48
And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,
48 60. The Cities in the Mountains
48. And in the mountains ] This section treats of the Cities in the Mountains or “the Hill Country,” (see above, Jos 15:20), and includes five groups.
Shamir ] Group I. consists of eleven cities on the south-western portion of the “hill Country:”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 48. Socoh] See a town of this name, Jos 15:35.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
i.e. In the higher grounds, called mountains or hills, in comparison of the sea-coast.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And in the mountains,…. The hill country of Judea, as it is called Lu 1:39, in which were the following cities:
Shamir: the Alexandrian copy of the Greek version reads Sophir as the name, of the first of these cities; and Jerom says d there was a village of this name in the mountainous parts, situated between Eleutheropolis, and Ashkelon in the tribe of Judah; see Mic 1:11;
and Jattir the same writer calls Jether, in the tribe of Judah; and says e there was in his time a very large village called Jethira, twenty miles from Eleutheropolis, the inhabitants of which were then all Christians: it was situated in interior Daroma, near Malatha;
and Socoh is different from Socoh in Jos 15:35; that was in the plain, this in the mountain; [See comments on Jos 15:35].
d De loc. Heb. fol. 94. I. e Ibid. fol. 92. l.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(48-51) Nine of these eleven are identified.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
48. Mountains The highlands of Judah were bounded by the lowlands on the west, the wilderness adjacent to the Dead Sea on the east, the Negeb on the south, and a line touching Jerusalem on the north. At Hebron the land is three thousand feet above the level of the sea. Many fruitful valleys, whose lower declivities are clothed with verdure, wind into the mountain from the lowlands between rugged chalk cliffs. The cities of this district are enumerated in five groups, or, if we accept the text of the Septuagint between Jos 15:59-60, we have six groups. Jattir Robinson identifies with the ruins of Attir, ten miles south of Hebron. Socoh must be distinguished from Socoh on the plain. See on Jos 15:35. Robinson recognized it in Shuweikeh, (the diminutive of Shaukeh,) a little northwest of Jattir.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And in the hill country Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh, and Dannah, and Kiriath-sannah, the same is Debir, and Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim, and Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh. Eleven cities with their villages.’
The hill country (literally ‘the mountain’) signifies the central mountain range west of Jordan. It was divided up on the basis of the tribes occupying it (Jos 20:7) into the hill country of Judah (Jos 21:11), the hill country of Ephraim (Jos 17:15-18) and the hill country of Naphtali (Jos 20:7). But they recognised that it composed a single mountain range, even though interrupted by ravines and the Plain of Esdraelon. Thus they called it ‘the mountain’ (Jos 9:1; Jos 10:40; Jos 11:16). This was where Judah initially settled and carved out its territory, establishing itself securely in the hill country before expanding.
The hill country of Judah is broken up into grey limestone hills, generally bare of vegetation, but not altogether unfruitful, for olives and terraced vineyards are found on their slopes, and in the valleys small patches of cultivable soil. There are no perennial streams and few springs, the water supply depending chiefly on the winter rains stored in pools and cisterns.
Shamir is perhaps Khirbet Somerah, twenty kilometres (thirteen miles) south west of Hebron and 650 metres (2,100 feet) up. Jattir is Khirbet Attir on the south west escarpment of the hill country of Judah, twenty one kilometres (fourteen miles) from Hebron. It was offered as residence to the priests (Jos 21:14). David shared the spoils of the Amalekites with its inhabitants (1Sa 30:27). Socoh is probably Khirbet Suweike, three kilometres (two miles) east of Dhahriya, not the same as Socoh in verse 35. Danna is not known.
Kiriath-sanna (‘city of palm leaf’ – palm leaves were writing materials) is the ancient name of Debir. Compare verse 15 and Jdg 1:11 where it is Kiriath-sepher (‘city of writing’). It would thus appear to have been a scribal city. The use of the names demonstrates the age of the sources. Debir was probably Khirbet Rabbud, thirteen kilometres (eight miles) south west of Hebron, a strong position overlooking the River Hevron. Anab (Jos 11:22) was a small city which is now a ruin but still called ‘Anab, and was eight kilometres (five miles) south of Debir. It is mentioned as Kart-‘anabu in Papyrus Anastasi I and in the Amarna letters. For Eshtemoh compare Eshtemoa, one of the priests’ towns (Jos 21:14; 1Ch 6:57). It is now es-Semu‘a and still inhabited, fourteen kilometres (eight miles) south south west of Hebron at a height of 680 metres (2200 feet).
Anim may be el-Ghuwein, four kilometres (three miles) south of es-Semu‘a. Goshen is not specifically identified, but is probably connected with the Judaean ‘country of Goshen’ (Jos 10:41; Jos 11:16), the area of which is not yet known. Holon was a priestly town (Jos 21:15 – compare Hilen (1Ch 6:58)). Giloh was the home of Ahithophel, David’s adviser (2Sa 15:12; 2Sa 23:34), possibly grandfather of Bathsheba (2Sa 11:3 with 2Sa 23:34). ‘Eleven cities with their villages,’ possibly looking to Debir as their centre.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
the mountains = the hill country.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jattir: Jos 21:14
Reciprocal: Jos 15:35 – Socoh Jdg 10:1 – Shamir 1Sa 30:27 – Jattir 1Ch 4:18 – Socho 1Ch 6:57 – Jattir 2Ch 28:18 – Shocho Luk 1:39 – into
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 15:48. The mountains That is, in the higher grounds, called mountains or hills, in comparison of the sea-coast.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Five groups of cities stood in the mountainous hill country of Judah north of the Negev, east of the Shephelah, and west of the wilderness of Judah. This area became home to a large number of Judahites. Eleven towns stood in the southwest section (Jos 15:48-51) and nine to the north of these (near Hebron, Jos 15:52-54). Ten more stood to the east of both former groups toward the desert wilderness (Jos 15:55-57), six to the north of Hebron (Jos 15:58-59), and two on Judah’s northern border (Jos 15:60).