Joshua 16:3

And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

16:20-63 Here is a list of the cities of Judah. But we do not here find Bethlehem, afterwards the city of David, and ennobled by the birth of our Lord Jesus in it. That city, which, at the best, was but little among the thousands of Judah, Mic 5:2, except that it was thus honoured, was now so little as not to be accounted one of the cities.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Of Japhleti - Rather "of the Japhletite." All history of the name is lost.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 16

Jos 16:1-4. The General Borders of the Sons of Joseph.

1. the lot of the children of Joseph fell—Hebrew, "went forth," referring either to the lot as drawn out of the urn, or to the tract of land thereby assigned. The first four verses describe the territory allotted to the family of Joseph in the rich domains of central Palestine. It was drawn in one lot, that the brethren might be contiguously situated; but it was afterwards divided. The southern boundary only is described here; that on the north being irregular and less defined (Jos 17:10, 11), is not mentioned.

water of Jericho—(2Ki 2:19), at the joint of its junction with the Jordan.

mount Beth-el—the ridge south of Beth-el. Having described the position of Joseph's family generally the historian proceeds to define the territory; first, that of Ephraim.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Of the two

Beth-horons, see Joshua 10:10,11.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti,.... This place is now unknown, though no doubt well known to the sons of Joseph, when this lot fell to them, and its border was described:

unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether: so called to distinguish it from Bethhoron the upper, Joshua 16:5; this was about twelve miles from Jerusalem; See Gill on Joshua 10:10; and to Gezer: which was about a day's journey from Bethhoron, as appears from the passages in the Apocrypha:"39 So Nicanor went out of Jerusalem, and pitched his tents in Bethhoron, where an host out of Syria met him. 40 But Judas pitched in Adasa with three thousand men, and there he prayed, saying, ... 45 Then they pursued after them a day's journey, from Adasa unto Gazera, sounding an alarm after them with their trumpets.'' (1 Maccabees 7)Jerom (c) says in his time it was a village called Gazara, four miles from Nicopolis, or Emmaus. It is the same with Gadara, as it is sometimes called by Josephus, who says (d), the tribe of Ephraim took in the land from the river Jordan to Gadara; this was a royal city; see Joshua 10:33,

and the outgoings thereof are at the sea: the Mediterranean sea.

(c) De loc. Heb. fol. 92. A. (d) Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22.

Geneva Study Bible

And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out {b} thereof are at the sea.

(b) Of their inheritance.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. and goeth down westward] Hence the boundary passed unto the “coast” of Beth-horon the nether, i.e. the “Lower Beth-horon,” and Gezer, to the Mediterranean Sea at Jaffa.

Japhleti] is unknown.

Beth-horon] See above, ch. Joshua 10:10-11.

Gezer] See above ch. Joshua 10:33. It probably lay between Beth-horon and Lydda. “The territory assigned to ‘the house of Joseph’ may be roughly estimated at 55 miles from east to west, by 70 from north to south, a portion about equal in extent to the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk combined.”

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - Japhleth. Rather, the Japhlethite; but it is unknown what this family was. Beth-horon the nether (see Joshua 10:10). In ver. 5 we have Upper Beth-horon, but the places were close together. For Gezer; see Joshua 10:33. Joshua 16:3

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

From this point "it went down westward to the territory of the Japhletites to the territory of lower Beth-horon," or, according to Joshua 18:13, "to the mountain (or range) which is on the south by lower Beth-horon." The Japhletite is altogether unknown as the Asherite of this name cannot possibly be thought of (1 Chronicles 7:32-33). Lower Beth-horon is the present Beit-Ur Tachta, a village upon a low ridge. It is separated from Upper Beth-horon, which lies farther east, by a deep wady (see at Joshua 10:10, and Rob. iii. p. 59). "And to Gezer," which was probably situated near the village of el Kubab (see at Joshua 10:33). "And the goings out thereof are at the sea" (the Mediterranean), probably running towards the north-west, and following the Wady Muzeireh to the north of Japho, which was assigned to the Danites, according to Joshua 19:46.