Joshua 15:49

Study note

Setting — Joshua catalogs the hill country towns allocated to the tribe of Judah, continuing the geographical inventory from the preceding verse. This listing occurs during the final distribution of the Promised Land.

The words — The text records קִרְיַת־סַנָּה (kir.yat-sa.Nah), literally "City of Sannah," and immediately identifies it as דְבִיר (de.Vir), or "Debir." The explanatory phrase הִיא (hi') = "that is" functions as a direct equivalence marker.

The thread — The location reappears in Joshua 15:15 and Judges 1:11, where the text notes it was formerly known as Kiriath-sepher. These passages document Caleb’s military advance and the tribe’s ongoing settlement of the site.

Why it lands — The verse requires precise recognition of Judah’s territorial boundaries and the historical continuity of its place names. It asks the reader to track how conquered settlements were formally integrated into the tribe’s allotment.

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.