turned toward Debir
The act of "turning toward" indicates a strategic decision and a shift in focus. Debir, known in earlier texts as Kiriath-Sepher, was a significant Canaanite city. The Hebrew root for "Debir" (דְּבִיר) can mean "sanctuary" or "oracle," suggesting that this city may have held religious or cultural importance. Archaeological findings suggest that Debir was a fortified city, which would have posed a considerable challenge to the Israelites. The decision to turn toward Debir signifies a deliberate and courageous move to confront and overcome a formidable obstacle, trusting in God's promise of victory.

and fought against it
The phrase "fought against it" highlights the active engagement in battle, a recurring theme in the book of Joshua. The Hebrew verb לָחַם (lacham) means "to fight" or "to wage war," and it conveys the intensity and determination required in the conquest. This action is not merely a physical battle but also a spiritual one, as the Israelites are executing God's judgment against the Canaanite nations. The historical context of ancient warfare involved not only military might but also reliance on divine favor. For the Israelites, each battle was an opportunity to demonstrate their faith and obedience to God, who had promised them the land. This phrase serves as a reminder of the spiritual warfare that believers face, encouraging them to rely on God's strength and promises in their own battles.

1. Debir (see last note) was southward of Hebron.

2. The circumstances require an arid locality, but within a moderate distance two sets of springs, or pools of water.

3. There must be signs of ancient dwellings, and, as Debir was a royal city, it must be the converging point of the various roads. All these conditions are fulfilled by El Dhaheriyeh. The rock excavations, the sign of the most ancient dwellings, are plentiful there; ancient roads are found converging in all directions. And six miles and a half north of the village fourteen springs, or pools, are found, some at the head of the valley, some lower down, and some at a lower level still. The distance of these from Debit is in exact accordance with the narrative. They are too far off to be included as a matter of course within the boundaries of Debit, and would naturally enough become the object of such a petition as Achsah is said to have preferred in the passage above cited. Wilson's 'Lands of the Bible,' 1:351, speaks of the excavations here, but does not appear to have been aware of their antiquity. He describes the inhabitants as living in them. But he remarks - and it is a singular confirmation of Lieut. Conder's subsequent discovery - that the sites of five out of the ten cities mentioned in conjunction with Debir in Joshua 15:48-51, are to be found in the immediate neighbourhood of Dhaheriyeh (ibid. p. 353). From this passage and some others, however, Knobel has anticipated Lieut. Conder's suggestion. He describes Thaharijeh, as he calls it, as on the high road from Gaza, with ruins of great antiquity, situated in the midst of a country which, though barren in appearance and destitute of trees and arable land, is yet rich in pasture. But he says nothing of the springs, the only thing wanting to make the evidence complete. Ritter's description of the place as the "first place of importance" on arriving in Palestine from the south, and as the meeting place of the roads from Beersheba, from Gaza and Egypt, and from Petra and Sinai, confirm Lieut. Conder's view, but Bitter does not seem to have identified it with Debir, though he regards it as "one of a series of fortresses designed to protect the southern frontier of Judaea" (3:193, 288). It became a Levitical city (Joshua 21:15; 1 Chronicles 6:58).

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