Joshua 18:28

Jos 18:28. And Jebusi, which is Jerusalem — See Jos 15:63, where it is reckoned to the tribe of Judah; for both that tribe and Benjamin had an interest in it, as we have there stated. The inheritance of the children of Benjamin — Which was one of the smallest, with respect to the quantity of ground which they possessed, but the soil was the richest of all the other tribes, as Josephus informs us.

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

18:28 Jerusalem: See study note on 15:8. • Kiriath: The Kiriath-jearim of 18:14 belonged to Judah; another town with this name might have existed but is otherwise unknown. The word Kiriath here was probably originally followed by a word that has been lost in the process of copying.

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

Which was not wholly in the tribe of Benjamin, but part of it was also in the tribe of Judah.

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

Verse 28. And Zelah] This was the burying-place of Saul, Jonathan, and the family of Kish. See 2Sa 21:14.

Jebusi, which is Jerusalem] We often meet with this name, and it is evident that it was the ancient name of Jerusalem, which was also called Salem; and was probably the place in which Melchizedek reigned in the days of Abraham; though some think a different place is meant; for that there was another place of the same name, is evident from Joh 3:23. This place, called Salim by the evangelist, is said to be near to Enon, and there John baptized, because there was much water in the place. This, however, must not be confounded with the Salem mentioned above; for that this was a name of Jerusalem, is evident from Ps 76:1-2: In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. In SALEM also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Zion. This must refer to Jerusalem, where the temple was situated. Whether Jebus or Jebusi had its name from the Jebusites, or the Jebusites from it, cannot be ascertained.

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

28. 10. Zelah] = Beit Jala, S. of the plain of Rephaim, is afterwards mentioned as the burial-place of Saul and Jonathan (2Sa_21:14). 11. Eleph is unknown; 12. Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, see note above, Jos_15:8. 13. Gibeath is the Gibeah of Saul, now Tuleil-el-Fûl, about one hour and 25 minutes north of Jerusalem. Here (a) occurred the outrage recorded in Judges 19; here (b) was Jonathan with a thousand chosen warriors when he made his victorious onslaught on the garrison of the Philistines (1Sa_13:2-3). 14. Kirjath is at present unrecognised.

This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin] The situation of the territory of this tribe was highly favourable, forming almost a parallelogram, of about 26 miles in length by 12 in breadth. The smallness of the district, hardly larger than the county of Middlesex, was compensated for by the excellence of the land.

(a) The general level of this part of Palestine is very high, being 2000 feet above the level of the Mediterranean on the western side, and 3000 feet above the deep valley of the Jordan on the eastern side. This plateau is surmounted by a large number of eminences (Gibeon, Gibeah, Geba, all = “hill;” Ramah = “eminence;” Mizpeh = “a watch-tower”), which presented favourable sites for strong fortresses.

(b) No less important than these eminences are the torrent-beds and ravines by which the upper country looks down into the deep tracts on each side of it, forming then, as they do now, the only mode of access from either the plains of Philistia and of Sharon on the west, or the Ghôr of the Jordan on the east.

(c) In the broken and hilly country, “little Benjamin” (Psa_68:27), famous above the rest for skill in archery (2Sa_1:22), for its slingers (Jdg_20:16) and left-handed warriors (Jdg_3:15), became warlike and indomitable. “In his mountain passes—the ancient haunt of beasts of prey, he ‘ravined as a wolf in the morning,’ descended into the rich plains of Philistia on the one side, and of the Jordan on the other, and ‘returned in the evening to divide the spoil’ (Gen_49:27). In the troubled period of the Judges, the tribe of Benjamin maintained a struggle, unaided and for some time with success, against the whole of the rest of the nation (Judges 20, 21.). And to the latest times they never could forget that they had given birth to the first king.” Stanley’s Sinai and Palestine, pp. 200, 201.

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.

Jebus. The city was called Salem in the days of Abraham, Genesis xiv. 18., and Psalm lxxv. 3. St. Jerome supposes that Melchisedec resided near Scythopolis, at Salem. (Genesis xxxiii. 17., ep. ad Evag.) Usher thinks he lived at Salim, John iii. 23. --- Gabaath. There seems to have been two cities of this name; one famous for the tomb of Habacuc, (St. Jerome) and the other in the tribe of Ephraim, chap. xxiv. 33. (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).

Which is Jerusalem: so it seems this city did properly and primarily belong to Benjamin, although the tribe of Judah had also an interest in it, either because some part of it was allotted to them, or because the Benjamites gave them a share in it, for the assistance which either they had received or did expect from that potent tribe, for the getting or defending of that very important place. See Poole "Jos 15:63". It is more than probable that all the cities belonging to this tribe are not here named, because Anathoth and Almon are omitted here, but expressed Jos 21:18.

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

28. Jebusi, or, the Jebusite. See Jos_10:1. Gibeath, commonly called Gibeah, famous as the birthplace and residence of Saul, the first king of Israel. It was the scene of that atrocious crime which led almost to the annihilation of the tribe of Benjamin. Jdg_19:15, ff. Robinson identifies it with the lofty and commanding hill el-Fal, three or four miles north of Jerusalem.

Kirjath — See Jos_9:17. “For a short time Benjamin rose to the highest rank in the commonwealth, when this tribe gave birth to the first king. Its ultimate position in the nation was altered by the one great change which affected the polarity of the whole political and geographical organization of the country, but of none more than that of Benjamin, when the fortress of Jebus, hitherto within its territory, was annexed by Judah, and became the capital of the monarchy.” — Stanley.

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

Gibeath. Almost certainly the same as "Gibeah of Saul". (1Sa_11:4) It was Saul"s home. (1Sa_10:26 1Sa_13:2, 1Sa_13:15, 1Sa_13:16) It was near Saul"s home, at the time his temporary refuge, that the Philistines encamped when Jonathan (1Sa 14) made his daring attack on them. It was the scene of the terrible outrage recorded in Judges 19 Lieut. Conder has identified it with Jeba, not far from Miehmash, situated on one of the branches of the precipitous Wady Suwaynit. The situation explains the otherwise unintelligible narrative in 1Sa_13:14. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin. Dean Stanley ("Sinai and Palestine," ch. 4) reminds us how the very names suggest the "remarkable heights" which constitute the "table land" of which the inheritance of Benjamin consists. Thus Gibeon, Gibeah, Geba, or Gaba, all signify hill. Ramah signifies high place, and Mizpeh, watch tower, which of necessity must be situated on an eminence. Only by narrow passes along deep torrent beds could access be obtained to this mountainous region. Thus it was that the otherwise inexplicable resistance to all Israel in arms, recorded in Jud_1:20 Jud_1:21, was maintained. In a country like this the skill of the Benjamites with the sling (Jud_1:20:16) and the bow (2Sa_1:22) could be used with terrible effect upon foes powerless to come to a hand-to-hand conflict. To Dean Stanley"s vivid description of the physical geography of the country the student is referred for a detailed account.

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

Tzeilah, Eleph and Yevusi which is Yerushalayim. Each of these are individual cities. Similarly, Givas and Kiryas [are individual cities]. Thus five cities are mentioned in this verse.

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.