Joshua 11:17

Jos 11:17 [Even] from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.

Ver. 17. Even from the mount Halak.] Or, The smooth or bare mountain; not unlike that they call Axylon, by which Manlius marched against the Gallo-Grecians. {a}

{a} Non ligni modo quicquam, sed ne spinas quidem habet. - Liv., lib. 38.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jos 11:17. That goeth up to Seir — That is, to the country of Seir or Edom, namely, to that part of it which was south from Judea. Unto Baal-gad, in the valley of Lebanon, &c. — As the preceding words express the bounds of Joshua’s conquest southward, so hither they extended northward. And this seems to be a description of the length of the country which he took from the king of Hazor, and all those who joined with him, as Archbishop Usher understands it.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Or, the valley of Gad.

So called, because it was bare and without trees.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

from the mount Halak--Hebrew, "the smooth mountain."

that goeth up to Seir--an irregular line of white naked hills, about eighty feet high, and seven or eight geographical miles in length that cross the whole Ghor, eight miles south of the Dead Sea, probably "the ascent of Akrabbim" [ROBINSON].

unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon--the city or temple of the god of destiny, in Baalbec.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 17. From the mount Halak] All the mountainous country that extends from the south of the land of Canaan towards Seir unto Baal-gad, which lies at the foot of Mount Libanus or Hermon, called by some the mountains of Separation, which serve as a limit between the land of Canaan and that of Seir; see Jos 12:7.

The valley of Lebanon] The whole extent of the plain which is on the south, and probably north, of Mount Libanus. Calmet conjectures that Coelesyria is here meant.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(17) The mount Halak is marked as unknown in Conder’s Biblical Gazetteer. But “the smooth hill which goeth up to Seir,” may very possibly be the salt hill now called Khasur-Usdum, which has a glacier-like appearance, and forms a sufficiently striking object to be mentioned as a boundary-mark.

Baal-gad has by some been identified with Baal-hermon, afterwards Paneas, and Caesarea Philippi. Others think it is still unknown.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. even from the mount Halak] Or, as it is rendered in the margin, “the smooth mountain,” or “the bald mountain.” We find this name only once again, viz. in Jos_12:7, and there, as here, it seems to mark the southern limit of Joshua’s conquests. Several ranges near the southern border of Canaan might be thus described. (a) Some would identify it with the modern Jebel-el-Mukrah, 60 miles south of the Dead Sea; (b) others with the mountain Madurah, or Maderah; (c) while others would identify it with the range of white cliffs, which cuts the Arabah obliquely at about eight English miles to the south of the Dead Sea, and divides the great valley into the two parts El Ghor and El Arabah. This row of cliffs, which is about 60 to 80 feet high, might very well be called “the bald mountain which ascends to Seir,” for it was a point well adapted to form the southern boundary of Canaan, since it both touches the territory of Kadesh-Barnea, and joins in the east the upper chain of the mountains of Seir.—See Keil in loc.

even unto Baal-Gad] This was a town dedicated to Baal, under the aspect of “Gad” or the “god of good fortune” (Jos_12:7; Jos_13:5), probably the same as Baal-Hermon (Jdg_3:3; 1Ch_5:23). In later times it was known as Panium or Paneas, and when enlarged and embellished by Herod Philip, Cæsarea Philippi, to distinguish it from Cæsarea “Palestinæ” or Cæsarea “on the sea” (Mar_8:27). Dean Stanley calls it a Syrian Tivoli, and certainly there is much in the rocks, caverns, cascades, and the natural beauty of the scenery, to recall the Roman Tibur. Behind the village, in front of a great natural cavern, a river bursts forth from the earth, the “upper source” of the Jordan. Inscriptions and niches in the face of the cliff tell of the old idol worship of Baal and of Pan. Tristram’s Land of Israel, p. 581.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up unto Seir,.... Or the "smooth" and "bald" mountain, which had no trees on it, as some interpret it, observed by Kimchi; it was a mount on the borders of Edom, to which the land of Canaan reached on that side:

even unto Baalgad, in the valley of Lebanon, under Mount Hermon; and so describes the northern part of the land conquered by Joshua:

and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them; both in the southern and northern parts of the land.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The mount Halak - See the margin and reference. The name serves to mark the southern limit of Joshua’s conquests. It suits equally well several of the ranges near the south border of Palestine, and it is uncertain which of them is the one here indicated.

Baal-gad Jos 12:7; Jos 13:5 is probably Paneas, the Caesarea Philippi of later times. The name means “troop or city of Baal,” or a place where Baal was worshipped as the giver of “good luck.” Compare Isa 65:11. It was probably the same as Baal-Hermon (Jdg 3:3; 1Ch 5:23; and see Deu 3:9).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And part. Hebrew, "from Mount Halak, (Haydock; or the bald mountain, destitute of wood) going up to Seir, (which is very shady; that is, from the southern parts of Chanaan, by Seir) as far as Baalgad," on the east side of the Jordan, perhaps unto Cœlosyria. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

That goeth up to Seir i.e. to the country of Seir or Edom, to wit, that part of it which was south from Judea, not that which was eastward from it, as appears from hence, that here, as also Jos 12:7, is mention of the two extreme bounds of the land conquered by Joshua; whereof the other which follows being in the north, this must needs be in the south of the land.

Baal-gad; a part of Mount Lebanon.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. From the Mount Halak — The bald mount was south of the land of Canaan, toward Seir or Edom. “It is probably a row of white cliffs, sixty to eighty feet high, which cuts the Arabah obliquely at about eight English miles to the south of the Dead Sea, and divides the great valley into two parts.” — Keil. Baal-gad, fortune-bringing Baal, was evidently a well-known landmark in the time of Joshua, and designates the northern limit of his conquest, but its site has not been certainly identified. Some are disposed to identify it with Baalbek in Coele-Syria; others with Banias, near Cesarea Philippi.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Mount Halak. The smooth mountain. Literally," monte glabro," Vulg.; leion , Symmachus. This may either be interpreted "the mountain bare of foliage," as opposed to Seir, the hairy or wooded mountain, as Masius and Rosenmuller suppose, or, as the latter also suggests, it may mean the mountain which has a smooth outline, as opposed to a precipitous cliff. This falls in with the character of the hills on the south of Palestine. (see note on Jos_10:40) The LXX rendersby a proper name. But this the article forbids. The Syriac interpreter renders "the dividing mountain." But qlj rather signifies in this sense to assign by lot. Keil would identify it with "the row of white cliffs which cuts the Arabah obliquely at about eight English miles to the south of the Dead Sea," and divides the great valley into two parts, the Ghor and the Arabah. He gives up the other "smooth" or "bald" mountains, because they do not "go up to Self." Later explorers have failed to settle its situation. Seir. This mountainous region was well known as the territory of Esau. (see Gen_32:2) Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon. For valley (hqBi) see note on ver. 8. Baal-gad has been by some identified with Baalbek, or Heliopolis, a Syrian city, whose vast ruins strike the beholder with astonishment even now. But Baalbek lay considerably to the north of Palestine. It has therefore with greater probability been identified by Robinson, Von Raumer, and others, with Paneas or Caesarea Philippi. Baal-gad signifies "the lord of fortune," an aspect under which the Babylonian Baal or Bel was frequently worshipped. The word Gad, erroneously translated "troop" in our version, (Gen_30:11 Isa_65:11) is properly "fortune," and hence the god Fortune. The worship of Pan in later times supplanted that of Baal, but traces of both cults, in inscriptions and niches, may be found in the neighbourhood to the present day (see Tristram, "Land of Israel"). All travellers speak with enthusiasm of the situation of Banias. Josephus says that it affords a profusion of natural gifts. Seetzen corroborates him. Dean Stanley compares it to Tivoli, and Canon Tristram thinks that in its rocks, caverns, and cascades there is much to remind the visitor of what is perhaps the loveliest place in all Italy. He continues, "The situation of Banias is indeed magnificent. With tall limestone cliffs to the north and east, a rugged torrent of basalt to the south, and a gentle slope for its western front, Banias is almost hidden till the traveller is among the ruins." Banias stands at the end of a gorge of the Hermon range with the wide range of the Huleh plain opening out before it, as the Campagna and Rome in the distance are seen from the mouth of the gorge at Tivoli. Vandevelds, however, identifies Banias with Bethrehob, on the insufficient ground that Baal-gad is said to be in, not at, the mouth of the valley or Bik"ath of Lebanon. He prefers the castles either of Bostra or of Aisafa, the one an hour and a half, the other three hours north of Banias. It should be added that an arm of the Jordan rises and rushes through the gorge here, "praeceps," like the Anio at Tivoli. The valley of Lebanon is supposed by some not to be the valley between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, but the country on the southern declivity of Mount Hermon. But the term hqBi here unquestionably means the well-known Bukeia or Coele Syria, i.e., the tract between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon (see Knobel).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To Seir - That is, To the country of Seir or Edom; namely, that part of it which was south from Judea, not that which was eastward from it, as appears from hence, that here is mention of the two extreme bounds of the land conquered by Joshua; whereof the other which follows being in the north, this must needs be in the south of the land. Baal-Gad - A part of mount Lebanon.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The bare, divided mountain. A smooth mountain. This was a bare (smooth) mountain to Baal-gad, which was on the eastern border. During his lifetime, Yehoshua, was unable to conquer the entire eastern border to the north.

Baal-gad—the plain of gad.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.