Joshua 15:19

Jos 15:19 Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.

Ver. 19. Give me also springs of water,] i.e., Other lands well watered, whence we may derive water to the rest.

And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.] What can a kind father deny his child? And shall not God give his dear children "upper and nether springs," blessings of both lives, bona throni et bona scabelli? and are they not worthily miserable that will not make themselves happy by asking? How confidently came Esau to his father for a blessing, and the prodigal for a child’s part! Now if men which are evil do give good things to their children that ask them: how much more will your heavenly Father? &c. See what he saith, {Isa 45:11} "Ask me of things to come concerning" (or on the behalf of) "my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me." Oh that we did but understand the latitude of this royal charter!

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 15:19. A blessing — That is, a gift, as that word signifies, Gen 33:11. A south land — That is, a dry land, which was much exposed to the south wind, which, in those parts, was very hot and drying, as coming from the deserts of Arabia. Springs of water — That is, a field wherein are springs of water, which in that country were of great price. Upper and nether springs — Of two fields, one above and the other below that south and dry ground which she complained of, that by this means it might be watered on both sides.

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

Or, grant me this petition.

Because her country was barren, she desired of her father a field that had springs, Judg. 1:14, 15.

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

Verse 19. Give me a blessing] Do me an act of kindness. Grant me a particular request.

Thou hast given me a south land] Which was probably dry, or very ill, watered.

Give me also springs of water.] Let me have some fields in which there are brooks or wells already digged.

The upper springs, and the nether springs.] He gave her even more than she requested; he gave her a district among the mountains and another in the plains well situated and well watered. There are several difficulties in this account, with which I shall not trouble the reader. What is mentioned above appears to be the sense.

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

19. Give me a blessing] Comp. the words of Jacob to Esau, Gen_33:11, “Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee;” Jos_14:13, “And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb … Hebron for an inheritance;” and the words of Naaman to Elisha, “Now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.” 2Ki_5:15.

a south land] He had given it to her, inasmuch as he had given her as a wife to the conqueror of Debir. The words are used in a double sense. “The south country” = “the barren and dry land,” “terram australem et torrentem dedisti mihi,” Vulgate; “the south loond and drye,” Wyclif.

springs of water] The word here used, “gulloth,” = “waves” or “bubblings.” “Underneath the hill on which Debir stood is a deep valley, rich with verdure from a copious rivulet, which, rising at the crest of the glen, falls, with a continuity unusual in the Judæan hills, down to its lowest depth. On the possession of these upper and lower ‘bubblings,’ so contiguous to her lover’s prize, Achsah had set her heart. The scene of this incident was first discovered by Dr Rosen, and under his guidance I saw it in 1862.” Stanley’s Lectures, i. 264.

the upper springs, and the nether springs] Caleb responded to her wish, and gave her the higher and lower fields watered by these springs. Nether adj. = lower. Comp. Exo_19:17, “And Moses brought forth the people … and they stood at the nether part of the mount;” Deu_24:6, “No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge;” 1Ki_9:17, “And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether;” Job_41:24, “His heart is as firm as a stone, yea as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.” A. S. nyðera, or nyðera. Comp. “the Netherlands” = “the Lowlands;” “a foolish hanging of thy nether lip.” Shakespeare, I. Henry IV. ii. 4.

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.

Who answered, give me a blessing,.... By which she meant not a paternal benediction, or that he would wish and pray for a blessing on her; nor food, or a maintenance, as Jarchi, that her husband would provide for her; but rather an inheritance or possession, as the Targum; or a gift, as Abendana, a present, or something over and above what he had already given her; or an addition to her portion, as Kimchi: the word is sometimes used for a fish pool, as well as a blessing, and so glances at what she had in view, pools of water, or a well watered land:

for thou hast given me a south land; a dry land, as the Jewish writers (a) generally interpret this word, otherwise all the land belonging to the tribe of Judah was south land, and Caleb could give her no other; but Debir, as Hebron was, was in the hill country, was mountainous and so dry, and wanted watering:

give me also springs of water; she means land in which there were springs of water; for unless she was possessed of the land in which they were, she would have no command of the springs, and so have little or no use of them:

and he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs; such as were in the higher grounds, and such as were in the lower ones, that she might have a sufficiency to water all her lands and fields; or as she moved her husband to ask a field, and he put her on doing the same, Caleb gave her a field, in the upper part of which were springs, and also in the lower part; though he seems to have given more than she requested.

(a) So Jarchi and Kimchi in loc. R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 34. 1.

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

A south land - This term (“negeb”) which is often equivalent to a proper name Jos 15:21, importing the well-defined district which formed the south of the promised land (Num 13:17 note), seems here used in its more general sense Psa 126:4, for a dry or barren land. The rendering of this passage adopted by Septuagint, several versions, and Commentators, etc., “thou hast given me into a south land,” i. e. “hast given me in marriage into a south land” is forced; the construction of the verb “to give,” with two accusatives, is natural and common to many languages.

Springs of water - The Hebrew words מים גלה gûllâh mayı̂m are found only here and in the parallel passage, Jdg 1:15. Hence, some take it as a proper name, “Gulloth-maim,” which like Beth-horon Jos 16:3, Jos 16:5, was applied to two distinct but adjoining places - distinguished as “the upper” and “the lower.” The tract in question was no doubt a mountain slope which had springs both on its higher and lower ground; possibly the modern “Kurmul”.

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

Blessing, or "favour, present," &c., 1 Kings xxv. 27. (Calmet) --- And dry. This is a farther explanation of southern; as the lands in that situation being exposed to the sun-beams, in Palestine, are often destitute of sufficient moisture, which is the cause of the sterility of Mount Hebal, &c. --- Watery ground. Hebrew, "springs of water, and he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs." Aquila leaves springs untranslated. (Haydock) --- Golgot. Septuagint, "Golathmaim, and the upper Golath," &c. Symmachus translates "possession on the high places," Judges i. (Calmet) --- Caleb had probably given his daughter a part of the mountain. He now grants her also some field that lay lower down, and was better supplied with water on all sides (Haydock) by springs above, and cisterns below.

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).

Give me a blessing, i.e. a gift, as that word signifies, Gen 33:11.

A south land, i.e. a dry land, which was much exposed to the south wind, which in those parts was very hot and drying, as coming from the deserts of Arabia.

Springs of water, i.e. a.field, as she desired, Jos 15:18, wherein are springs of water, which in that country were of great price; for it is not probable that he would give her the springs, and give to another the grounds in which the springs were, who could thereby at their pleasure deprive her of the use and benefit of her springs: so she begs a well-moistened field, which also might give some relief to that which was dry and barren.

The upper springs, and the nether springs, i.e. springs both in the higher and in the lower grounds; or two fields, one in high, another in low grounds; or rather, one above, and the other below, that south and dry ground which she complained of, that by this means it might be watered on both sides.

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

19. A blessing — A special favour, a gift.

Springs of water — As her portion was a field having a southern exposure to blazing suns and sultry winds, she argues the eminent propriety of supplementing the gift by adding a well-watered adjoining tract. He gave her the upper springs and the nether, a tract of hill and dale abounding in water.

The cities of Judah are grouped in four divisions corresponding to the physical geography of Judah’s lot: the NEGEB, or south country, Jos_15:21-32; the SHEPHELAH, or valley, Jos_15:33-47; the MOUNTAIN, Jos_15:48-60; and the WILDERNESS, Jos_15:61-62. The cities of the Shephelah and the Mountain are enumerated by groups. These cities are nearly all unknown. For an elaborate attempt to identify them, see Wilton’s Negeb, Part III, page 70. In the following notes nothing is said on the names of those places of which no modern trace has been certainly discovered.

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

A southland. Hebrew, the southland. The word Negeb signifies dry. (see note on Negeb, Jos_10:40) It must be remembered that it became the word for south, because the south of Palestine was an arid tract. Therefore Achsah must be understood as saying, "Thou hast given me a dry country, give me also a reservoir of water." The Vulgate translates Negeb twice over, "australem et arentem". (arentem only Jud_1:15) The LXX translates both Negeb and Gulloth as proper names. But in the parallel passage in Judges Negeb is translated "south," and Gulloth appears as lutrwsin , as if from hlg to remove. Nothing can more clearly show that the LXX translation is the work of Springs of water. tLGu different hands. akin to our well and the German quelle, and derived from llg to roll, from the circular motion observable in springs, as also from the rolling of waves. The Chaldee renders the house of irrigation (ayqv Tybe). Knobel translates Reservoirs. the upper springs and the lower springs. (see note on Debit, Jos_10:38)

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

A blessing - That is, a gift, as that word signifies, Gen. xxxiii, 11. A south land - That is, a dry land, much exposed to the south wind, which in those parts was very hot and drying, as coming from the deserts of Arabia. Springs of water - That is, a field, wherein are springs of water, which in that country were of great price; she begs a well moistened field, which also might give some relief to that which was dry and barren. Upper and nether springs - Or two fields, one above and the other below that south and dry ground which she complained of, that by this means it might be watered on both sides.

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

the upper springs and lower springs

The words "upper" and "lower" likely refer to the geographical altitude of the water springs.

translationWords

Negev

fountain

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Give me a blessing. Give me sustenance.

Dry land. חַרֵבָה —dry, land. Rashi therefore explains why it can be translated also as a dry land. which is similar to “The surface of the ground had dried,” and there Onkelos translates חָרְבוּ as נְגִיבוּ. In French it is rendered sec. [Achsoh said to Caleiv, “You gave me dry land”] I.e., a house that is “dry” of all good, a man who desires only Torah.

You have given me. The word נְתַתָּנִי is the same as נָתַתָּ לִי, as in: (the preposition לִי is missing and seems to be like a direct object. Rashi will offer similar examples of this structure.) They could not speak speak to him peacefully. ‘My children have gone away from me.’ ‘He cooked for them.’

גֻלת—springs.

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.