1tnHeb “The lot was to the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans to the border of Edom, the wilderness of Zin toward the south, southward.”
2tnHeb “Their southern border was from the end of the Salt Sea, from the tongue that faces to the south.”
sn The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (also in v. 5).
3tnHeb “went out.”
4tn Or “the Ascent of Scorpions” (עַקְרַבִּים [’aqrabbim] means “scorpions” in Hebrew).
5tn Traditionally “the Brook of Egypt,” although a number of recent translations have “the Wadi of Egypt” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).
6tn The translation follows the LXX at this point. The MT reads, “This will be your southern border.”
7tnHeb “end.”
8tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.
9tnHeb “the border on the northern side was from the tongue of the sea, from the end of the Jordan.”
10tn Or “ascent.”
11map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
12tnHeb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
13tnHeb “this was the border of the sons of Judah round about, by their clans.”
14tnHeb “To Caleb son of Jephunneh he gave a portion in the midst of the sons of Judah according to the mouth [i.e., command] of the Lord to Joshua, Kiriath Arba (the father of Anak), it is Hebron.”
15tn Or “dispossessed.”
16tnHeb “he went up against the inhabitants of Debir.”
17tn “Caleb’s brother” may refer either to Othniel or to Kenaz. If Kenaz was the brother of Caleb, Othniel is Caleb’s nephew.
18tnHeb “he”; the referent (Caleb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19tnHeb “she”; the referent (Acsah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20tnHeb “him.” The referent of the pronoun could be Othniel, in which case the translation would be, “she incited him [Othniel] to ask her father for a field.” This is problematic, however, for Acsah, not Othniel, makes the request in v. 19. The LXX has “he [Othniel] urged her to ask her father for a field.” This appears to be an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency and probably does not reflect the original text. If Caleb is understood as the referent of the pronoun, the problem disappears. For a fuller discussion of the issue, see P. G. Mosca, “Who Seduced Whom? A Note on Joshua 15:18//Judges 1:14,” CBQ 46 (1984): 18-22. This incident is also recorded in Judg 1:14.
21tn Elsewhere this Hebrew word (בְּרָכָה, b˙rakhah) is often translated “blessing,” but here it refers to a gift (as in Gen 33:11; 1 Sam 25:27; 30:26; and 2 Kgs 5:15).
22tnHeb “This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans.”
23tnHeb “and the cities were at the end of the tribe of the sons of Judah, at the border of Edom, to the south.”
24map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1.
25tn The total number of names in the list is thirty-six, not twenty-nine. Perhaps (1) some of the names are alternatives (though the text appears to delineate clearly such alternative names here and elsewhere, see vv. 8, 9, 10, 13, 25b) or (2), more likely, later scribes added to a list originally numbering twenty-nine and failed to harmonize the concluding summary statement with the expanded list.
26tn The words “these cities were” have been supplied for English stylistic reasons.
27tn Or “the foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”
28tnHeb “daughters.”
29tn See the note on this place name in 15:4.
30tnHeb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
31tn The words “These cities were” have been supplied in the translation for English stylistic reasons.
32tc Some Hebrew mss and some mss of the LXX read “Rumah” in place of “Dumah.”
33tn The words “These cities were” have been supplied for English stylistic reasons.
34map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
35sn The statement to this very day reflects the perspective of the author, who must have written prior to David’s conquest of the Jebusites (see 2 Sam 5:6-7).