Bible Strands
Joshua 15:11
Then it went out to the northern slope of Ekron, curved toward Shikkeron, proceeded to Mount Baalah, went on to Jabneel, and ended at the Sea.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the territorial boundaries being allocated to the tribe of Judah under Joshua’s leadership. This geographical survey occurs during the final settlement of the Promised Land among the Israelite clans.
The words — The text uses כֶּתֶף (ke.tef), literally “slope” or “shoulder,” to mark the northern edge of Ekron, and תָּאַר (ta.'ar), meaning “it turns” or “curves,” to describe the border’s directional shift. These terms ground the boundary in physical terrain rather than abstract lines.
The thread — The border’s path through Ekron reappears in Joshua 15:45 and Joshua 19:43 as part of Judah’s and other tribes’ territorial lists. The city later features in 1 Samuel 5:10 when the Philistines move the ark of God there.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to recognize that divine promise is tied to specific, surveyed geography. It demands attention to how territorial boundaries function as concrete markers of covenant inheritance rather than vague ideals.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea.
Cross-references
- Joshua 15:45 Ekron, with its towns and villages;
- Joshua 19:43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
- 1 Samuel 5:10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron, but as it arrived, the Ekronites cried out, “They have brought us the ark of the God of Israel in order to kill us and our people!”
- 1 Samuel 7:14 The cities from Ekron to Gath, which the Philistines had taken, were restored to Israel, who also delivered the surrounding territory from the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between the Israelites and the Amorites.
- 2 Kings 1:2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers and instructed them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”
- 2 Kings 1:6 They replied, “A man came up to meet us and said, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him that this is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.’”
- 2 Kings 1:16 And Elijah said to King Ahaziah, “This is what the LORD says: Is there really no God in Israel for you to inquire of His word? Is that why you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.”