And Betharabah ,.... Of the first of these; see Gill on Joshua 15:6 , and Zemaraim ; one of the sons of Canaan was named Zemira, Genesis 10:18 ; by whom this city Zemaraim might be built, or however have its name given it, in memory of him; there was a mountain of this name in the tribe of Ephraim, near to which this city might be, 2 Chronicles 13:4 . and Bethel ; of the last of these; see Gill on Joshua 7:2 . read more
And Avim, and Parah ,.... Of the two first of these we read nowhere else: and Ophrah is not the same with Ophrah in Judges 6:11 ; that belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, but rather that which was in the land of Shuah, 1 Samuel 13:17 . Jerom calls this place Aphrah, in the tribe of Benjamin, and says F15 De loc. Heb. fol. 88. H. , in his time there was a village called Effrem, five miles from Bethel to the east, which very probably is the same with this. read more
And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni ,.... Of the two first of these no mention is made elsewhere: and Gaba is the same with Gibeah, a well known place, because of the foul fact committed there, which had like to have been the ruin of this tribe, Judges 19:14 ; and for being the native place of King Saul, hence called "Gibeah of Saul", 1 Samuel 11:4 ; it was about six or seven miles from Jerusalem; see Gill on Hosea 5:8 ; twelve cities with their villages; which agrees with the account... read more
Gibeon ,.... Gibeon is the place from whence the Gibeonites came, who deceived Joshua, Joshua 9:3 . Jerom says F16 De loc. Heb. fol. 92. A. , in his time there was a village shown of this name, four miles from Bethel to the east, near Ramah, next mentioned: and Ramah , which Jerom relates F17 Ibid. fol. 94. B. was six miles from Aelia or Jerusalem to the north, against Bethel. Rauwolff, a traveller in those parts, says F18 Travels, par. 3. c. 1. p. 215. Ed. Ray. ,... read more
And Mizpeh ,.... Frequent mention is made of Mizpeh in Scripture; according to Fuller F20 Pisgah-Sight, B. 2. c. 12. p. 209. , it was about eight miles from Gibeah; it was near Ramathon, which Josephus says F21 Antiqu. l. 8. c. 12. sect. 3. was forty furlongs from Jerusalem: and Chephirah was one of the cities subject to Gibeon, Joshua 9:17 . and Mozah ; there was a place called Motza, near to Jerusalem, where they used to go to get willows at the feast of tabernacles ... read more
And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah. Of these cities there is no mention made elsewhere. read more
And Gaba - Supposed to be the same as Gibeah of Saul, a place famous for having given birth to the first king of Israel; and infamous for the shocking act towards the Levite's wife, mentioned Judges 19:16-30 , which was the cause of a war in which the tribe of Benjamin was nearly exterminated. Judges 20:29-48. read more
Gibeon - See before, Joshua 10:1-14 ; (note). This place is famous for the confederacy of the five kings against Israel, and their miraculous defeat. Ramah, a place about six or eight miles north of Jerusalem. Beeroth, i.e., wells; one of the four cities which belonged to the Gibeonites, who made peace with the Israelites by stratagem. See Joshua 9:3-15 . read more
And Mizpeh - This place is celebrated in the sacred writings. Here the people were accustomed to assemble often in the presence of the Lord, as in the deliberation concerning the punishment to be inflicted on the men of Gibeah, for the abuse of the Levite's wife. Judges 20:1-3 . Samuel assembled the people here to exhort them to renounce their idolatry, 1 Samuel 7:5 , 1 Samuel 7:6 . In this same place Saul was chosen to be king, 1 Samuel 10:17 . It was deemed a sacred place among... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 18:11-28
We have here the lot of the tribe of Benjamin, which Providence cast next to Joseph on the one hand, because Benjamin was own and only brother to Joseph, and was little Benjamin (Ps. 68:27), that needed the protection of great Joseph, and yet had a better protector, for the Lord shall cover him all the day long, Deut. 33:12. And it was next to Judah on the other hand, that this tribe might hereafter unite with Judah in an adherence to the throne of David and the temple at Jerusalem. Here we... read more