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Joshua 15

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Joshua 15
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Old Testament Minute: Joshua

Stephen O. Smoot

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Contents

Joshua 1
Joshua 2
Joshua 3
Joshua 4
Joshua 5
Joshua 6
Joshua 7
Joshua 8
Joshua 9
Joshua 10
Joshua 11
Joshua 12
Joshua 13
Joshua 14
Joshua 15
Joshua 16
Joshua 17
Joshua 18
Joshua 19
Joshua 20
Joshua 21
Joshua 22
Joshua 23
Joshua 24
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Contents

Joshua 1
Joshua 2
Joshua 3
Joshua 4
Joshua 5
Joshua 6
1 2 … 4 Next »
Genesis 1
Genesis 2
Genesis 3
Genesis 4
Genesis 5
Genesis 6
Genesis 7
Genesis 8
Genesis 9
Genesis 11
Genesis 12
Genesis 13
Genesis 14
Genesis 15
Genesis 16
Genesis 17
Genesis 18
Genesis 19
Genesis 20
Genesis 21
Genesis 22
Genesis 23
Genesis 24
Genesis 25
Genesis 26
Genesis 27
Genesis 28
Genesis 29
Genesis 30
Genesis 31
Genesis 32
Genesis 33
Genesis 34
Genesis 35
Genesis 36
Genesis 37
Genesis 38
Genesis 39
Genesis 40
Genesis 41
Genesis 42
Genesis 43
Genesis 44
Genesis 45
Genesis 46
Genesis 47
Genesis 48
Genesis 49
Genesis 50

Stephen O. Smoot, “Joshua 15,” in Joshua, Old Testament Minute Commentary Series, ed. Taylor Halverson (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).

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Joshua 15. The Territory of Judah

Continuing the description of the allotment of Judah’s territory in the previous chapter (Joshua 14:6–15), the fifteenth chapter of the book of Joshua provides further descriptions of Judah’s inheritance (verses 1–12, 20–62) and a brief narrative detailing how Caleb and the Judahites secured their territorial claim from lingering threats (verses 13–19).

The territorial boundaries described in verses 1–12 appear to be more idealistic than concretely historical, reflecting what the author of Joshua probably thought deservedly belonged to Judah. It begins in the south (verses 2–4) and works its way counterclockwise in its description, going east (verse 5), north (verses 6–11), and finally west (verse 12).

Although Caleb was afforded Judah’s territorial claim in the previous chapter, in verses 13–19 he and other Judahite heroes nevertheless had to deal with lingering Canaanite threats. Caleb’s brother Othniel (verse 17) later served as the first of Israel’s judges (see Judges 3:7–11).

The concluding comment of this chapter that “the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day” (verse 63) is clear indication that some time has passed between the events described in the text and its composition. If taken at face value, it may mean that the book (or an early version of it) was composed sometime after the events described in it but before David’s capture of Jerusalem from the Jebusites (see 2 Samuel 5:6–10; 1 Chronicles 11:1–9). It could also be merely the same kind of formulaic postscript that occurs elsewhere without necessarily implying much about the actual social situation of the author’s time (see, for example, Joshua 16:10).

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