Joshua 18:14

And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Joshua 18:14. The corner of the sea southward — No account can be given of this border, according to our translation. For it is certain it did not compass any corner of the Mediterranean sea, (and no other sea can be here meant,) nor come near unto it. Therefore, by פאת ים, peath-jam, which we translate corner of the sea, must be meant the side of the sea; or rather the west side. So the Vulgate hath it, and the Seventy to the same purpose.

And the word southward is joined by the Vulgate, not to the sea, or west, but to the next words; southward from the hill, &c. Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim — The Israelites changed the name, to blot out the remembrance of Baal.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

18:11-28 The boundaries of each portion were distinctly drawn, and the inheritance of each tribe settled. All contests and selfish claims were prevented by the wise appointment of God, who allotted the hill and the valley, the corn and pasture, the brooks and rivers, the towns and cities. Is the lot of any servant of Christ cast in affliction and sorrow? It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good. Are we in prosperity and peace? It is from above. Be humbled when you compare the gift with your own unworthiness. Forget not Him that gave the good, and always be ready to resign it at his command.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And compassed the corner ... - Render "and turned on the west side southward." The meaning is, that at lower Beth-horon the northern boundary-line of Benjamin curved round and ran southward - Beth-horon being its extreme westerly point.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

11. the lot of … Benjamin came up—It has been supposed that there were two urns or vessels, from which the lots were drawn: one containing the names of the tribes, the other containing those of the seven portions; and that the two were drawn out simultaneously.

the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph—Thus the prophecy of Moses respecting the inheritance of Benjamin was remarkably accomplished. (See on [199]De 33:12).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Kirjath-jearim; the Israelites changed the name, to blot out the remembrance of Baal. Compare Joshua 15:9 Numbers 32:38.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the border was drawn thence,.... From Bethhoron:

and compassed the corner of the sea southward; it is hard to say what sea is meant, or what by it. Fuller (k) conjectures, that as the Hebrews call any confluence of water a sea, as we call such a "mere", the great waters in Gibeon may be meant, Jeremiah 41:12; for it cannot mean the Mediterranean sea, for Dan lay between Benjamin and that; and yet if a sea is meant, no other can be; wherefore it is best to render it the "west quarter", as it is in the latter part of this verse; and so the same word is translated, Joshua 18:12; the "west", and not the "sea", as it sometimes is; for the border of Benjamin did not reach the sea any where; though Josephus (l) makes it to extend to it, and says, that the length of it was from the river Jordan to the sea:

the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; the hill that lay to the south of nether Bethhoron, as in Joshua 18:13,

and the goings out thereof, the end of the western coast:

were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah; of which see Joshua 15:9,

this was the west quarter; as thus described.

(k) Pisgah Sight, B. 2. c. 12. p. 251. (l) Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22.)

Geneva Study Bible

And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

14. And the border was drawn thence] From the mountain south of Beth-horon the boundary line of Benjamin trended in a southerly direction towards “Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim, a city of the children of Judah.”

compassed] On “compass,” see above, note on ch. Joshua 15:3.

Kirjath-jearim] See above, note on Joshua 9:17.

this was the west quarter] The word here rendered quarter, = (i) a mouth, then (ii) a side, which is turned to any quarter of the heavens. The Eastern boundary was formed by the Jordan, see Joshua 18:20.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 14. - And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the border of the sea. This is a serious mistranslation, arising from the same word being used for sea and west in Hebrew. The LXX. has πρὸς (some copies have παρὰ) θάλασσαν. The literal translation is, and the border extended, and deflected to the western side. What is meant is that the further portion of the border now described was the western side of Benjamin. Southward. The western border of course ran in a southerly direction. Quarter. This is the same word that is translated border above, in the phrase, "border of the sea." Kirjath-Jearim. Any one who will take the trouble to examine a map will see how much more probable the site Kuriet el Enab is here, than any place "four miles from Beth-shemesh," as suggested by Lieut. Conder. The distance from nether Beth-horon to Kuriet el Enab is not great. It is improbable that the boundary should have run double that distance without any mention of locality. Joshua 18:14

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The northern boundary ("the boundary towards the north side") therefore coincided with the southern boundary of Ephraim as far as Lower Beth-horon, and has already been commented upon in the exposition of Joshua 16:1-3. The western boundary follows in Joshua 18:14. At Beth-horon the boundary curved round and turned southwards on the western side, namely from the mountain before (in front of) Beth-horon southwards; and "the going out thereof were at Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim," the town of the Judaeans mentioned in Joshua 15:60, the present Kureyet el Enab (see at Joshua 9:17).