Joshua 19:41

Verse 41. Zorah, and Eshtaol] See Clarke on Jos 15:33.

Ir-shemesh] The city of sun; another proof of the idolatry of the Canaanites. Some think this was the same as Beth-shemesh.

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

(41) And the coast . . .—Zorah and Eshtaol, in the tribe of Dan, had been originally assigned to Judah (Jos_15:33); so also Ekron. But it is not clear whether they are mentioned here as marking the border of Dan and Judah, or actually in the territory of the former. However, Dan is wedged in, as it were, between the powerful tribes of Judah and Ephraim, the unconquered Philistines, and the sea. It is not surprising that their coast “went out from them” (Jos_19:47) when it was partly unconquered, partly taken from other tribes in the first instance. Conder says it was carved out of the country of Ephraim.

(41-46) All the towns mentioned here are identified by Conder.

Zorah—Sur’ah

Eshtaol—Eshû’a

Ir-shemesh—Ain Sheme Shaalabbin—Selbît

Ajalon—Yâlo

Jethlah—(Ruin) Beit Tul}Are all in sheet 17

Elon—Beit Ello

Thimnathah—(Ruin) Tibneh}Sheet 14

Ekron-(akir, sheet 16){

Gibbethon-(Kibbiah, sheet 14)

Baalath—(Belaîn, sheet 14)

Jehud—El-Yehudîyeh

Bene-berak—Ibn Ibrak}Sheet 13For Gath-rimmon, Conder suggests Gath; but this he identifies with Tell-es-Safi, which is well within the territory of Judah (to the south of sheet 16).

Me-jarkon, “the yellow water,” is thought to be the river ’Aujeh (sheet 13), and Rakkon, Tell-er-Rakkeit, to the north of the mouth of it. Japho is Jaffa, on the same sheet.

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

41. And the coast] allotted to the tribe, in spite of the numbers just mentioned, was the smallest of all. Compressed into the narrow space between the north-western hills of Judah and the Mediterranean, it was surrounded by the three most powerful tribes of the whole confederacy, Ephraim and Benjamin on the north and east, Judah on the south and south-east.

was Zorah] Observe that the boundaries of this tribe are not defined. They naturally follow from those of Judah, Ephraim, and Benjamin.

Zorah, and Eshtaol] See above, ch. Jos_15:33. For Ir-shemesh = Beth-shemesh = modern ’Ain-Shems, see above, ch. Jos_15:10.

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 Shaalabbin,.... The first of these is the same with Shaalbim, Jdg 1:35; and which Jerom (r) calls Selab, in the tribe of Dan; and which he says was in his day shown a large village on the borders of Sebaste, by the name of Selaba.

and Ajalon is famous for the standing still of the moon in its valley while Joshua pursued his enemies; see Gill on Jos 10:12,

and Jethlah, of which we read nowhere else.

(r) De loc. Heb. fol. 94. K.

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

Sun. Some suppose that it is the same with Bethsames of Juda, which was ceded to the Levites. (Calmet) --- Dan lay on the west of Juda. (Haydock) --- Selebin, where the Amorrhites maintained themselves, Judges i. 35.

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).

Their inheritance; which is here described only by its cities, not by its borders, which are in part the same with Judah’s; and their inheritance is in good part taken out of Judah’s too large portion, as appears from divers of the cities here mentioned, which are also reckoned as in Judah’s portion.

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

41. Zorah, and Eshtaol — These cities were originally allotted to Judah, (see Jos_15:33,) and so also were other cities of this list. But the original allotment being found too large for Judah, the southwestern portion was given to Simeon, (Jos_19:1-9,) and a part of the northwestern to Dan. Ir-shemesh is supposed to be the same as Beth-shemesh in Jos_15:10.

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

Zorah and Eshtaol. On the border between Judah and Dan, but abandoned by the tribe of Judah to the Danites. (see Jud_1:13:2, 25) "The wild and impassable wadies, the steep, hard, rocky hills, their wildernesses of mastic, clear springs, and frequent caves and precipices, are the fastnesses in which Samson was born, and from which he descended into the plain to harry the Philistines (Lieut. Conder in Pal. Expl. Fund, Quart. Paper, Jan., 1874). Robinson identifies Zorah with Surat. Irshemesh. Another sign of sun-worship. Ir-shemaesh is "the city of the sun."

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

Of their inheritance - Which is here described only by its cities, not its borders, which are in part the same with Judah's, and their inheritance is in good part taken out of Judah's too large portion; as appears from divers of the cities here mentioned, which are also reckoned in Judah's portion.

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

Tzoroh, Eshtaeil. These were cities in the portion of Yehudah, and the lot of Bnei Don fell near them.

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.