Joshua 19:46

Called Joppa.

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

Verse 46. Japho.] The place since called Joppa, lying on the Mediterranean, and the chief sea-port, in the possession of the twelve tribes.

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

46. Me-jarkon, and Rakkon] still remain to be discovered.

with the border before Japho] i.e. with the whole district extending to the suburbs opposite to Japho.

Japho] (= “beauty”) is the Hebrew form of the more familiar Joppa (2Ch_2:16; Eze_3:7). It was situated on the south-west coast of Palestine, and having a harbour attached to it was afterwards the port of Jerusalem. It was the spot (a) whither the cedar and pinewood were floated from Phœnicia by Hiram, king of Tyre, for Solomon’s temple (2Ch_2:16); (b) whither similar materials were conveyed by the permission of Cyrus for the rebuilding of the second temple under Zerubbabel (Eze_3:7); (c) where Jonah took ship to flee “from the presence of the Lord” (Jon_1:3); (d) where Jonathan Maccabæus met Ptolemy (1Ma_11:6); (e) where St Peter had the vision on the housetop of Simon the tanner (Act_10:9-18). On the east the town is surrounded by a wide circle of gardens and groves of noble trees. “The figs and oranges of Joppa are noted for their size and flavour. The water-melons, which thrive on the sandy soil around, are in great repute, and are carried in great numbers to Alexandria and Cairo. Through all Syria, too, they have a reputation.… The horticulturist Bové, who visited the place in 1832, observed three kinds of figs, apricots, almonds, pomegranates, peaches, oranges, pears, and apples, plums, bananas and grapes, while the sugar-cane grows to the height of five or six feet.” Ritter, Geog. Pal. iv. 259. In a.d. 1188 Saladin destroyed its fortifications, to be rebuilt by Richard of England, who was here confined by sickness. In 1253 it was occupied by St Louis, and afterwards fell into the hands first of the Sultans of Egypt and then of the Turks.

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 coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them,.... Being a very numerous tribe, the cities allotted them were not sufficient for them; or rather, leaving out the supplement "too little", the words will run, it "went out from them"; they lost part of it, being driven out of the valley into the mountain by the Amorites, Jdg 1:34; which obliged them to seek out elsewhere for habitations:

therefore the children of Dan went out to fight against Leshem; called Laish, Jdg 18:1, where the whole story is related of their lighting against this place and taking it; which, though some time after the death of Joshua, is here recorded to give at once an account of the inheritance of Dan; and which is no argument against Joshua's being the writer of this book, as is urged; since it might be inserted by another hand, Ezra, or some other inspired man, for the reason before given:

and took and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it,

and dwelt therein; being a Canaanitish city, they put all in it to the sword, as the Lord had commanded, and took possession of it for an habitation:

and called Leshem Dan, after the name of Dan their father; this is the place which is always meant, where the phrase is used "from Dan to Beersheba", Jdg 20:1, this being at the utmost northern border of the land of Canaan, as Beersheba was at the further part of the southern coast of it. It was, according to Jerom (c), situated near Paneas, out of which the river Jordan flowed; and Kimchi on the text observes, their Rabbins (d) say, that Leshem is Pamias (i.e. Paneas), and that Jordan flows from the cave of Pamias, and had its name because it descended from Dan; and so Josephus (e) says, that Panium is a cave under a mountain, from whence rise the springs of Jordan, and is the fountain of it; and Pliny also says (f), the river Jordan rises out of the fountain Paneas. This city was enlarged and beautified by Philip Herod, and he called it by the name of Caesarea Philippi, both in honour of Tiberius Caesar (g) and after his own name, by which name it goes in Mat 16:13; and is called in the Jerusalem Targum on Gen 14:14, Dan of Caesarea.

(c) De loc. Heb. fol. 93. A. (d) T. Bab. Megillah, fol. 6. 1. & Bava Bathra, fol. 74. 2. (e) Antiqu. l. 15. c. 10. sect. 3. De Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 21. sect. 3. & l. 3. c. 9. sect. 7. (f) Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 15. (g) Joseph. Antiqu. l. 18. c. 2. sect. 1.

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

Japho (the modern Jaffa, or Yafa), elsewhere (see the margin) called Joppa, is often mentioned in the history of the Maccabees and was, as it still is, the leading port of access to Jerusalem both for pilgrims and for merchandise. It is a very ancient town.

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

Mejarcon, "the waters of Jarcon" and Arecon, were near Joppe. (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).

[46. Japho — The ancient Joppa, modern Jaffa, the famous seaport town of Palestine, distinguishable alike in sacred and common history. Hither the Lebanon timber was brought in floats for building Solomon’s temple, (2Ch_2:16,) and also for the second temple under Zerubbabel. Ezr_3:7. Here Jonah embarked when he sought to flee from the presence of Jehovah. Here Peter raised Tabitha, and here was the house of Simon the tanner, where Peter had his vision. See cut of modern town at Act_9:42.]

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

Before. Or opposite. Japho. The Joppa of the New Testament, and the modern Jaffa. It is called Joppa in 2Ch_2:16, in Ezr_3:7, and in the book of Jonah, (Jon_1:3) in which places it is mentioned as a famous seaport, a position it still maintains, being still, as it was of old, the port of Jerusalem. The LXX and Vulgate have Joppa here, and it is unfortunate that our translators, in this instance only, should have adhered to the Hebrew form. Joppa appears to have been an important city in the time of the Maccabees. (see RAPC 1Ma 10:75, 76; and RAPC 2Ma 4:21) Its mention in the New Testament as the place where St. Peter"s vision occurred will be known to all. The name signifies "beauty," though Joppa does not seem to be distinguished above all other places in Palestine by the beauty of its situation. But according to Hovers, Japho signifies in Phoenician, "high place." It is certainly built on a range of terraces above the sea, but the term "high place" would seem unsuitable. The soil is very productive, and it is "the only harbour in Central Palestine" (Ritter).

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