Joshua 19:15

Jos 19:15. Beth-lehem — Not that where Christ was born, which was in Judah, but another. Twelve cities — They are more numerous here, but the rest either were not cities, properly so called, or were not within this tribe, but only bordering upon it, and belonging to other tribes.

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

19:15 This Bethlehem was not the birthplace of David and Jesus in Judah. • More than twelve towns are named; some apparently did not belong to Zebulun but were on its borders.

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

There was another Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah.

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

Verse 15. Shimron] See Clarke on Jos 12:20.

Beth-lehem] The house of bread; a different place from that in which our Lord was born.

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

(15) Nahallal.—(‘Ain Mahil, sheet 6).

Shimron.—(Simûmieh, west of Nazareth, sheet 5).

Idalah.—(El Huwârah, a ruin just south of Bethlehem, sheet 5).

Beth-lehem.—(Beit-Lahm, sheet v.). It seems right to refer Ibzan of Bethlehem (Jdg_12:8; Jdg_12:10) to this town. The other Bethlehem is called in Judges and Ruth, Bethlehem-Judah; and in Micah, Bethlehem-Ephratah (Jdg_17:7; Jdg_19:1; Rth_1:1; Mic_5:2). Bethlehem-Judah is designated Bethlehem only when it is impossible to mistake it for Bethlehem of Zebulun (e.g., Rth_1:19, and 1Sa_16:4).

Twelve cities.—Ittah-kazin, Neah, Dabbasheth, and Kattath have not been identified, and they may not all be names of towns.

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

15. and Kattath] The account of the cities here appears to be imperfect. We have only the names of five cities given, though there are said to have been “twelve cities and their villages.” There is nothing to which the list of terms here given, introduced by and, can be attached.

Kattath] This also has been supposed to be “Cana of Galilee.”

Nahallal, Shimron (ch. Jos_11:1), Idalah, are all as yet unknown.

Beth-lehem] This Beth-lehem in Zebulun is not to be confounded with Beth-lehem Ephratah in Judah (Gen_35:19).

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.

This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun, according to their families,.... Which was allotted to it and divided, according to the number of its families:

these cities with their villages; before enumerated, excepting such as only bordered on them; though indeed there were other cities which belonged to them, or might be after given them, not here mentioned, as Kartah and Dimnah, Jos 21:34.

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

Twelve cities - Only five have been mentioned, and the names in the verses preceding are apparently not names of Zebulonite cities, but merely of points in or near the boundary line. It would therefore appear that seven names have disappeared from the text, and perhaps also the definition of the western frontier.

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

Bethlehem, very different from that of Juda. --- Twelve. Nineteen are mentioned, but some of them belong to other tribes, (Calmet) or were not properly cities. (Menochius) --- All the towns of Zabulon are not specified. (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).

Bethlehem; not that where Christ was born, which was in Judah, thence called

Bethlehem Judah, Mat 2:1, but another.

Twelve cities: there are more numbered here, but the rest either were not cities properly so called, having villages under their jurisdiction; or were not within this tribe, but only bordering upon it, and belonging to other tribes, which is evident of some of them, and may well be presumed of others.

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

15. Beth-lehem is the only one of the five cities named in this verse which has been with any certainty identified. Dr. Robinson found it about six miles west of Nazareth, still bearing the name Beit-lahm, but only a miserable village, with no traces of antiquity except the name. This verse seems to be only a fragment of the list of cities belonging to Zebulun; a supposition confirmed by the mention of twelve cities when only five are named. Even if we suppose that all the border cities named are counted, we meet with as great a difficulty, for then we have at least sixteen cities named. We may appropriately say with Keil: “From all that has been hitherto ascertained, we can merely decide respecting the inheritance of Zebulun that it comprised the western half of the plain of Esdraelon, between Jokneam and Tabor, and extended to the mountains of Galilee.”]

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

Beth-lehem. This name, signifying the "house of bread," would naturally enough be given to a place in a fertile situation. We are not to suppose that it was "Bethlehem-Ephratah, among the thousands of Jadah". (Mic_5:2) It is now Beit-lahm, about eight miles in a westerly direction from Nazareth.

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

Beth-lehem - Not that where Christ was born, which was in Judah, but another. Twelve cities - There are more numbered here, but the rest either were not cities properly so called, or were not within this tribe, but only bordering upon it, and belonging to other tribes.

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