Bible Strands
Joshua 15:20
This is the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Judah.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator concludes the detailed land distribution list for Judah’s subdivisions. This statement marks the transition between Caleb’s grant of springs to his daughter and the enumeration of Judah’s southern border cities.
The words — The text uses זֹאת (Zot), meaning “this,” and נַחֲלַת (nachalat), meaning “inheritance,” to formally designate the assigned territory. These terms function as a legal summary marker for the tribal allotment.
The thread — Joshua 15:20 establishes the territorial anchor for the tribe of Judah, which later appears in Genesis 49:8 regarding Judah’s future prominence and Deuteronomy 33:7 concerning the tribe’s role in Israel’s defense. The verse grounds those later promises in a specific, surveyed inheritance.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to recognize land distribution as a concrete, clan-by-clan reality rather than an abstract blessing. It demands attention to how specific families receive their allotted portions within the broader tribal inheritance.
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
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.
Cross-references
- Genesis 49:8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
- Deuteronomy 33:7 And concerning Judah he said: “O LORD, hear the cry of Judah and bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause, but may You be a help against his foes.”