Bible Strands
Joshua 15:54
Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior—nine cities, along with their villages.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joshua lists the southern towns allotted to the tribe of Judah, recording each settlement and its dependent villages as part of the territorial division.
The words — The text identifies Kiriath-arba (קִרְיַת אַרְבַּע, kir.Yat 'ar.Ba), literally "city of Arba," and immediately equates it with Hebron (חֶבְרוֹן, chev.Ron).
The thread — The location appears in Genesis 23:2 as Sarah’s burial site, Joshua 14:15 as the former name of Hebron after the Anakim leader Arba, and Joshua 15:13 as part of Caleb’s inherited portion.
Why it lands — The verse establishes the precise geographic boundaries granted to Judah and anchors those claims in the region’s established historical and legal names.
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 Humtah, and Kirjath–arba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages:
Cross-references
- Joshua 15:13 According to the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah—Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)
- Genesis 23:2 She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.
- Joshua 14:15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath-arba, after Arba, the greatest man among the Anakim.) Then the land had rest from war.