CHAPTER 15 May 29 
The Inheritance of Judah
The lot for the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families was to the border of Edom, even to the wilderness of Zin southward, at the uttermost part of the south. 2Their south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looks southward; 3and it went out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and went up by the south of Kadesh Barnea, and passed along by Hezron, went up to Addar, and turned about to Karka; 4and it passed along to Azmon, went out at the brook of Egypt; and the border ended at the sea. This shall be your south border. 5The east border was the Salt Sea, even to the end of the Jordan. The border of the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the end of the Jordan. 6The border went up to Beth Hoglah, and passed along by the north of Beth Arabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 7The border went up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is over against the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the river. The border passed along to the waters of En Shemesh, and ended at En Rogel. 8The border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite southward (the same is Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the farthest part of the valley of the Rephaim northward. 9The border extended from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of Mount Ephron; and the border extended to Baalah (the same is Kiriath Jearim); 10and the border turned about from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and passed along to the side of Mount Jearim on the north (the same is Chesalon), and went down to Beth Shemesh, and passed along by Timnah; 11and the border went out to the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out at Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea. 12The west border was to the shore of the great sea. This is the border of the children of Judah according to their families.
The Spiritual Ambition of Caleb and His Family
13To Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a portion among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of Yahweh to Joshua, even Kiriath Arba, named after the father of Anak (the same is Hebron). 14Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. 15He went up against the inhabitants of Debir: now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher. 16Caleb said, He who strikes Kiriath Sepher and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife. 17Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. 18It happened that she came to ask her father for a field. She got off her donkey, and Caleb said, What do you want? 19She said, Give me a blessing. Because you have set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water. He gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
The Cities and Villages of Judah
20This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families. 21The farthest cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the border of Edom in the South were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (the same is Hazor), 26Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, 28Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, 31Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. All the cities are twenty-nine, with their villages. 33In the lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 36Shaaraim, Adithaim and Gederah (or Gederothaim); fourteen cities with their villages. 37Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, 38Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel, 39Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish, 41Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages. 42Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages. 45Ekron, with its towns and its villages; 46from Ekron even to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages. 47Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; to the brook of Egypt, and the great sea with its coastline. 48In the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (which is Debir), 50Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51Goshen, Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages. 52Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, 54Humtah, Kiriath Arba (the same is Hebron) and Zior; nine cities with their villages. 55Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Jutah, 56Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages. 58Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 59Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages. 60Kiriath Baal (the same is Kiriath Jearim), and Rabbah; two cities with their villages. 61In the wilderness, Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi; six cities with their villages. 63As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah couldn’t drive them out; but the Jebusites live with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.

Commentary

15:8 In the New Testament there are two Greek words translated ‘hell’ in many Bibles. The Greek hades is the equivalent of the Hebrew sheol which refers to the grave. ‘Gehenna’ is the name of the rubbish tip which was just outside Jerusalem, where the refuse from the city was burnt. As a proper noun - i.e. the name of an actual place - it should have been left untranslated as ‘Gehenna’ rather than be translated as ‘hell’. ‘Gehenna’ is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew ‘Ge-ben-Hinnon’. This was located near Jerusalem (15:8; 18:16), and at the time of Christ it was the city rubbish dump. Dead bodies of criminals were thrown onto the fires which were always burning there, so that Gehenna became symbolic of total destruction and rejection. What was thrown onto those fires did not remain there forever- the bodies decomposed into dust.

15:13 Joshua had taken Hebron (10:36) but Israel had not followed up his victory, and the Philistines had returned; and so Caleb then took it. Joshua / Jesus has won great victories for us against every barrier which might stop us entering the Kingdom- but we have to do our part in making good that victory.
15:18 Such examples of spiritual ambition are inspirational; just as soldiers inspire each other by their acts of bravery. Achsah followed her father Caleb’s spiritual ambition in specifically asking for an inheritance in the Kingdom (14:12); and this in turn inspired another woman to ask for an inheritance soon afterwards (17:4). And so it ought to be in any healthy congregation of believers.
15:33-36 Zorah, Samson's home town, was originally Judah's inheritance, but they spurned it, and passed it to Dan (19:41), who also weren't interested; for they migrated to the north and took over the land belonging to the less warlike Sidonians (Jud. 18:2,7-10). Those who don’t want an inheritance in the Kingdom won’t have it; those who truly love Christ’s appearing and the things of the Kingdom will be given it (2 Tim. 4:8). Yet from such a weak, spiritually disinterested background, a man of faith like Samson came.
15:60 Kiriath Baal (the same is Kiriath Jearim)- Often in the lists of place names we are told that the name was changed; in this case, from “Baal” to “Jearim”. All restimulations of and associations with paganism, idolatry and the old life are to be erased.
15:63 They, like us, could have driven them out, because Joshua-Jesus had won the victory; but they failed to follow up on it.