Bible Strands
Joshua 15:44
Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah—nine cities, along with their villages.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joshua catalogs the southern district of the Judah tribal allotment, listing specific settlements to define the boundaries of inherited land. The narrator operates as a territorial record-keeper documenting the distribution of conquered territory among the tribes.
The words — The text specifies עָרִ֥ים ('a.Rim) as cities and תֵּ֖שַׁע (Te.sha') as nine, quantifying the urban centers in this district. It further notes וְ/חַצְרֵי/הֶֽן (ve./chatz.rei./Hen) as their villages, distinguishing the primary settlements from their surrounding agricultural outposts.
The thread — These locations recur in Genesis 38:5, 1 Samuel 23:1, and Micah 1:14. Each citation tracks the changing military and political control of the same geographic corridor across different historical periods.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to track the administrative geography of Judah’s tribal inheritance. It demands recognition of how specific named towns and their dependent villages functioned as concrete markers of land allocation and territorial control.
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 Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages:
Cross-references
- Genesis 38:5 Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.
- 1 Samuel 23:1 Now it was reported to David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and looting the threshing floors.”
- Micah 1:14 Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib will prove deceptive to the kings of Israel.