Joshua 15:9

Jos 15:9 And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which [is] Kirjathjearim:

Ver. 9. Which is Kirjathjearim,] i.e., Urbs nemorum. Vat.

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.

15:9 the spring at the waters of Nephtoah: It is possible that the place name is a reference to Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah (late 1200s BC); an Egyptian papyrus refers to the “wells of Merneptah” on the mountain ridges of Canaan.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, the city of wood.

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

Verse 9. Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim] This place was rendered famous in Scripture, in consequence of its being the residence of the ark, for twenty years after it was sent back by the Philistines; see 1Sa 5:1-7.

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

(9) Kirjath-jearim is by Conder identified as ’Arma (spelt ’Erma on the Ordnance map), four miles east of Beth-shemesh (’Ain Shemes, or Shems).

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

9. and the border was drawn] From the summit of the mountain just alluded to, the border was drawn to “the fountain of the water at Nephtoah.” Nephtoah has been identified with Ain Lifta, a spring situated a little distance above the village of the same name, N.W. of Jerusalem. It irrigates a strip of smiling gardens, and its excellent water is carried also to Jerusalem.

and went out to the cities of mount Ephron] Ephron is nowhere else mentioned. It is probably the range of hills on the west side of Wâdy-Beit-Hanina, opposite Lifta.

and … was drawn to Baalah] another name for Kirjath-jearim or Kirjath-Baal (Jos_15:60; Jos_18:14). Baalah was probably the earlier or Canaanite appellation. We have already met with Kirjath-jearim as one of the four cities of the Gibeonites (above, ch. Jos_9:17). It is famous as the spot, (a) behind which the band of Danites pitched their camp before their expedition to Laish (Jdg_18:12); (b) where the Ark remained upwards of twenty years (1Sa_7:2), and (c) whence it was removed by David to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite (1Ch_13:5-6). It is now known as Kureyet el-Enab.

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.

And the border was drawn from the top of the hill,.... Mount Moriah, and went round in a circuit, so Jarchi and Kimchi:

unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah; which lay at the bottom of it; which, according to the Jewish writers, is the same with the fountain of Etam, from whence a stream flowed to the dipping room in the water gate of the temple, where the high priest for the first time dipped himself on the day of atonement (p):

and went out to the cities of Mount Ephron; Jerom (q) speaks of an Ephron in the tribe of Judah, which was a very large village in his time, and went by the name of Ephraea, and was twenty miles from Aelia or Jerusalem to the north; and which Eusebius better places eight miles from it; and Jarchi observes, that the line went to the north side, and the border enlarged to this place; near to this mountain were cities, and it is not improbable that one of them might have its name from it; but whether this, or what mountain is here meant, is uncertain: some have thought of Ephraim, with its towns, mentioned in Ch2 13:19; which seems to have been in the tribe of Ephraim; though Reland (r) places it in the tribe of Benjamin:

and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjathjearim; called Kirjathbaal, or the city of Baal, Jos 15:60; where it is probable there was a temple of Baal; and when it came into the hands of the Israelites, they changed its name to Kirjathjearim, or the city of the woods, because of the great number of trees which grew about it; for which reason it might have been pitched upon by the Heathens for their idolatrous service; it was one of the cities of the Gibeonites, Jos 9:17; and, according to Eusebius and Jerom (s), it was nine or ten miles from Jerusalem, as you go to Lydda; it is also called Baalah in Ch1 13:6; and Baale of Judah, Sa2 6:2.

(p) T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 31. 1. & Gloss. in ib. & T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 54. 2. Kimchi in loc. (q) De loc. Heb. fol. 91. A. (r) Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 765. (s) Apud ib. tom. 1. p. 488.

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

Nephtoab is probably the modern “Ain Lifta”, two miles and a half northwestward of Jerusalem: and Mount Ephron is conjecturally connected with the city Ephrain 2Ch 13:19 or Ophrah Jos 18:23.

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

Of Mount Ephron, i.e. belonging to or bordering upon Mount Ephron.

Kirjath-jearim, called Kirjath-baal, Jos 15:60; 18:14.

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

9. Nephtoah is identified by Dr. Barclay with Ain Lifta, a spring three miles northwest of Jerusalem, near a village of the same name. Mount Ephron is probably the range of hills on the west side of the Wady Beit Hanina, the traditional Valley of the Terebinth. Baalah, or Kirjath-jearim, is identified by Dr. Robinson with the modern Kuryet-el-Enab. See Jos_9:17, note.

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

Was drawn. Or, extended. The fountain of the waters of Nephtoah. If these be identified with En Etam, as is done by the Rabbis (whom Conder follows), and if we suppose it to have supplied Jerusalem with water by the aqueduct which ran from a point southwest of Betlehem to Jerusalem, we must place it south of Bethlehem, and imagine that the border ran directly south here. Far more probable is the notion of Vandevelde, which places it northwest of Jerusalem, at Ain Lifta. Conder"s view is dominated by the situation he has assigned to Kirjath-jearim. (see note on Jos_9:17) If the view there given in these notes is sound, the border now ran in a northwesterly direction from Jerusalem to within five miles of Gibeon. (see also note on Jos_18:14) Kirjath-jearim. Jos_9:17. To the authorities mentioned there in favour of Kuriet el Enab we may add Knobel, Ritter, and Tristram, in his last book, "Bible Lands." The view taken above corresponds to the minuteness of detail with which the boundary is given. To place Nephtoah south of Bethlehem and Kirjath-jearim at "Arma would make the boundary far less distinct.

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

Nephtoah ... Mount Ephron ... Baalah ... Kiriath Jearim ... Mount Seir ... Mount Jearim ... Kesalon ... Beth Shemesh ... Timnah

These are the names of places. (See: How to Translate Names)

translationWords

Beth Shemesh

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

And it encompassed. This is an expression of circling, similar to, “and with a compass, he circles it.” Targum Yonasan translates them all, and he encircled.

And extended to the cities of Mount Efron. The boundary line extended northward, and the boundary widens to encompass the cities of Mount Efron.

And the boundary circled to Baaloh. This is not in a westerly direction, but its projection was to the north.

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.