Commentary - Joshua 15:33-47

Bird's-eye view

We come now to one of those portions of Scripture that modern readers are tempted to skim. It is a long list of place names, a divine geography lesson that can feel as dry as the Negev dust. But we must resist the temptation to treat God's Word like a buffet, picking and choosing only the narrative bits we find immediately appetizing. The God who saved us is the God who names things. He named the stars, He named Adam, and here He is naming the inheritance of His people. This detailed accounting of Judah's allotment in the Shephelah and the coastal plain is not just filler. It is the legal deed of God's faithfulness, written on the very landscape of history. God promised Abraham a land, and this is the granular fulfillment of that promise. Every city named is a nail driven deep into the bedrock of God's covenant-keeping character. This is not mythology; this is real estate. And it is given to Judah, the tribe of the Lion, the tribe from which our Lord would come. This detailed list is therefore a foundational part of the gospel story. It is the setting of the stage for the coming of the true King who would secure an eternal inheritance for His people, an inheritance not of dirt and rocks, but of a new heaven and a new earth.

Paul tells us that all Scripture is profitable, and that includes the long lists. The profit here is manifold. It teaches us that God is meticulous. He cares about the details. Our lives, our homes, our towns, these are not insignificant to Him. It teaches us that God's promises are tangible. They are not wispy spiritual sentiments; they have substance and heft. And it teaches us that our inheritance in Christ is just as real, just as specific, just as secure as Judah's portion. As we walk through these verses, we are walking through the title deed of a blood-bought people, a type and shadow of the inheritance that is kept in heaven for us.

Outline

The Nitty Gritty of a Real Inheritance

We must not read these chapters in Joshua as though they were an appendix to a history textbook. This is the heart of the matter. For generations, Israel had been defined by what they did not have, a home. They were sojourners in Egypt, then wanderers in the wilderness. Their identity was wrapped up in the promise of a place. Now, under Joshua, whose name is Hebrew for Jesus, that promise is being realized in dirt, hills, and riverbeds. The casting of lots was not a game of chance; it was a surrender to divine providence, a way of ensuring that the division was God's work, not man's political wrangling. This is God's heritage, and He is the one who assigns the portions. This is a foundational principle for the New Covenant as well. The elders are not to be lords over God's heritage, His kleros, His allotment (1 Pet. 5:3). The church is God's portion, and He is the one who builds His house.

The sheer number of cities is staggering. This is not a token gift. This is a lavish, detailed, and comprehensive inheritance. God does not deal in vague generalities. He gives His people specific places, with specific names, and specific boundaries. This is a tangible sign of His favor and a concrete fulfillment of His word. Our salvation in Christ is no different. It is not a vague hope, but a specific reality with defined benefits: forgiveness of sins, adoption as sons, the indwelling of the Spirit, and a guaranteed inheritance in the New Jerusalem. These lists are a reminder that our God is a God of substance.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 33 In the Shephelah: Eshtaol and Zorah and Ashnah,

The commentary begins by specifying the region: the Shephelah. This is the rolling hill country between the coastal plain and the higher mountains of Judah. It was a crucial buffer zone, a place of frequent conflict, and the setting for many of Israel's stories, not least of which is the story of Samson, who was from this very area of Eshtaol and Zorah. The Spirit of the Lord first began to stir in Samson between these two towns (Judg. 13:25). So right away, this is not just a list of names. It is a map of future spiritual battles, of faithfulness and failure, of divine deliverance and human weakness. God gives His people the land, but it is a land that must be held, a land where their faith will be tested.

v. 34-36 and Zanoah and En-gannim, Tappuah and Enam, Jarmuth and Adullam, Socoh and Azekah, and Shaaraim and Adithaim and Gederah and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages.

The list continues, and we should pay attention to some of these names. Adullam would later become famous as the location of the cave where David hid from Saul, gathering to himself all who were in distress, in debt, or discontented (1 Sam. 22:1-2). This makes Adullam a wonderful type of Christ and His church. The King in exile gathers a ragtag army of outcasts and forges them into the foundation of his kingdom. Socoh and Azekah mark the valley of Elah, where David would later fight Goliath (1 Sam. 17:1). God was not just handing out real estate; He was mapping out the future battlegrounds of redemptive history. He was giving His people the very ground on which their great deliverer, David, would win his iconic victory. The text concludes the section with a tally: fourteen cities. God is orderly. He is not just dumping blessings on them; He is cataloging them. This is an audited inheritance.

v. 37-41 Zenan and Hadashah and Migdal-gad, and Dilean and Mizpeh and Joktheel, Lachish and Bozkath and Eglon, and Cabbon and Lahmas and Chitlish, and Gederoth, Beth-dagon and Naamah and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages.

Here is the second district of cities in the lowland. Again, the names resonate with future events. Lachish was a major fortified city, second in importance only to Jerusalem for a time. It would become a symbol of Judah's rebellion and God's judgment, as depicted in the Assyrian reliefs of Sennacherib's siege. Makkedah was the cave where Joshua trapped and executed the five Amorite kings after the sun stood still (Josh. 10:16-28). So this land is a gift, but it is a gift consecrated by the holy justice of God. The land is given, but it is a land that had to be cleansed of its prior inhabitants' wickedness. The inheritance is free, but it was not cheap. It was purchased through holy war, a type of the spiritual warfare through which Christ won our eternal inheritance. Notice also the name Beth-dagon, "house of Dagon." This indicates a former center of Philistine worship. Israel is inheriting the enemy's strongholds and must cleanse them, rededicating them to the worship of Yahweh. This is the dominion mandate in action.

v. 42-44 Libnah and Ether and Ashan, and Iphtah and Ashnah and Nezib, and Keilah and Achzib and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.

The third district is listed. Keilah is another town that features prominently in David's life. He rescued it from the Philistines, only to learn that its inhabitants would betray him to Saul (1 Sam. 23:1-13). This is a sober reminder that possessing the land does not automatically fix the heart. The battle for the land is external, but the battle for faithfulness is internal. The greatest threat to Israel's inheritance was never the chariots of the Canaanites, but the idolatry in their own hearts. Mareshah was the site of a great victory for King Asa, who trusted in the Lord against a massive Ethiopian army (2 Chron. 14:9-15). The land is a stage for faith. It is the place where God's people are called to live out their trust in Him, and where God demonstrates His power on their behalf.

v. 45-46 Ekron, with its towns and its villages; from Ekron even to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages.

Now the list moves to the coastal plain, the territory of the Philistines. Ekron and Ashdod were two of the five major Philistine cities. This is a faith-based allotment. At the time of this writing, Judah did not fully control these areas. This is a promissory note from God. He is granting them the title deed to lands still occupied by the enemy. The conquest is both "already" and "not yet." They have been given the land, but they must still rise up and take it. This is precisely the shape of our Christian lives. In Christ, we have been given every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3). We are seated with Him in the heavenly places. And yet, we are still called to fight the good fight, to mortify sin, and to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Our victory is secured, but it must be walked out.

v. 47 Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; as far as the brook of Egypt and the Great Sea, even its coastline.

The list concludes with Ashdod and Gaza, two more Philistine strongholds, and extends the boundary to the natural borders of the "brook of Egypt" (the Wadi El-Arish) and the Mediterranean ("the Great Sea"). This is a statement of total claim. God is not ceding any of this promised territory to the idols of the Philistines or the armies of Egypt. It all belongs to His people. This is a comprehensive, maximalist vision of the inheritance. It is a reminder to us that Christ's claim is total. He is Lord of all, and our gospel task is to proclaim His crown rights over every square inch of the cosmos, from our own hearts to the halls of government. There is no territory that is neutral. It either belongs to King Jesus or it is in rebellion against Him. This geography lesson in Joshua is a theology lesson for us. God's promises are vast, specific, and sure. He has given us a great inheritance in His Son. Let us therefore rise up and possess our possessions.