1tn Heb The lot was to the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans to the border of Edom, the wilderness of Zin toward the south, southward.
2tn Heb Their southern border was from the end of the Salt Sea, from the tongue that faces to the south.
sn The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (also in v. 5).
3tn Heb went out.
4tn Or the Ascent of Scorpions (aqrabbim means scorpions in Hebrew).
5tn Traditionally the Brook of Egypt, although a number of recent translations have the Wadi of Egypt (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).
6tn The translation follows the LXX at this point. The MT reads, This will be your southern border.
7tn Heb end.
8tn The word River is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.
9tn Heb the border on the northern side was from the tongue of the sea, from the end of the Jordan.
10tn Or ascent.
11map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
12tn Heb the Great Sea, the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
13tn Heb this was the border of the sons of Judah round about, by their clans.
14tn Heb To Caleb son of Jephunneh he gave a portion in the midst of the sons of Judah according to the mouth [i.e., command] of the Lord to Joshua, Kiriath Arba (the father of Anak), it is Hebron.
15tn Or dispossessed.
16tn Heb he went up against the inhabitants of Debir.
17tn Calebs brother may refer either to Othniel or to Kenaz. If Kenaz was the brother of Caleb, Othniel is Calebs nephew.
18tn Heb he; the referent (Caleb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19tn Heb she; the referent (Acsah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20tn Heb him. The referent of the pronoun could be Othniel, in which case the translation would be, she incited him [Othniel] to ask her father for a field. This is problematic, however, for Acsah, not Othniel, makes the request in v. 19. The LXX has he [Othniel] urged her to ask her father for a field. This appears to be an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency and probably does not reflect the original text. If Caleb is understood as the referent of the pronoun, the problem disappears. For a fuller discussion of the issue, see P. G. Mosca, Who Seduced Whom? A Note on Joshua 15:18//Judges 1:14, CBQ 46 (1984): 18-22. This incident is also recorded in Judg 1:14.
21tn Elsewhere this Hebrew word (hk*r`b=) is often translated blessing, but here it refers to a gift (as in Gen 33:11; 1 Sam 25:27; 30:26; and 2 Kgs 5:15).
22tn Heb This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans.
23tn Heb and the cities were at the end of the tribe of the sons of Judah, at the border of Edom, to the south.
24map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1.
25tn The total number of names in the list is thirty-six, not twenty-nine. Perhaps (1) some of the names are alternatives (though the text appears to delineate clearly such alternative names here and elsewhere, see vv. 8, 9, 10, 13, 25b) or (2), more likely, later scribes added to a list originally numbering twenty-nine and failed to harmonize the concluding summary statement with the expanded list.
26tn The words these cities were have been supplied for English stylistic reasons.
27tn Or the foothills; Heb the Shephelah.
28tn Heb daughters.
29tn See the note on this place name in 15:4.
30tn Heb the Great Sea, the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
31tn The words These cities were have been supplied in the translation for English stylistic reasons.
32tc Some Hebrew mss and some mss of the LXX read Rumah in place of Dumah.
33tn The words These cities were have been supplied for English stylistic reasons.
34map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
35sn The statement to this very day reflects the perspective of the author, who must have written prior to Davids conquest of the Jebusites (see 2 Sam 5:6-7).