Joshua - Chapter 15

1. What type of "map" would the author have had available in order to decline the borders, as he has, in such detail?

Maps have been in use long before Joshua's time, so it is possible a map was available; but I don't think a map is needed to explain this language. Remember that God is the general here, and from his vantage point, he doesn't need a map to define borders.


2. In verse 2 we find reference to the "Salt Sea." What does that tell us regarding the "natural characteristics" of the land thousands of years ago?

The Salt see is probably what we call the Dead Sea today - clearly the "natural characteristics" have not changed much in 3500 years.

3. In verse 4 there is reference to the "Nahal Mitzrayim." Does this have anything to do with the Nile?

Traditional interpretation ascribes this to the Nile - but perhaps a more reasonable position is that this "brook" refers to the Pelusian arm of the Nile.

4. The term "yamah" means seaward. What direction is this and, when text refers to "yam," what body of water does it invariably have in mind?

Yam, is talking about trhe Mediterranean Sea - so the direction would be west.

5. Why, in verse 8 is it necessary to add the sub-explanation "it is Jerusalem" and, further, what is "gey-hinom" and what has it come to mean subsequently?

Jerusalem had many previous names - perhaps this subtext is just there to clarify that Jebusite is really Jerusalem.

6. Why, adjunctive to the description of the boundaries of the Judea "portion," do we immediately follow with that for Kalev ben Y'funeh?

Kalev is from the tribe of Judea - so The tribal land for Judea includes that of Kalev.

7. In verse 15, there is a reference to the "city of the book." What would this imply about that particular location?

Perhaps this was a city known for its learning - perhaps set up by Noah's sons, or as a aresult of influence before the Jews went to Egypt.


8. In verse 51, there is a reference to the place named Goshen. Is this the same location as that which appears in the Egypt narrative?

Probably not the same place - since the land of Israel did not extend that far into Egypt.

9. Verse 63 confirms that the Jebusites dwell among the Judeans in Jerusalem "to this very day." What might be derived from this particular passage?

It would seem that although the Jews did not conquer Jerusalem, they still lived there - along side the previous inhabitants.