What is the meaning of Joshua 15:40? Cabbon “Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish,” (Joshua 15:40) • This first name in the trio reminds us that the land allotment to Judah was not a vague promise but a pinpointed reality. God had said, “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads I have given to you” (Joshua 1:3), and Cabbon stands as one proof among many that He kept that word. • The listing of Cabbon also echoes the sweeping covenant first voiced to Abram: “To your descendants I have given this land” (Genesis 15:18). What began as a promise now appears on a surveyor’s roster. • Details such as Cabbon reinforce the truth that Scripture is historically rooted. The same chapter that sketches Judah’s broad boundaries (Joshua 15:1–12) zooms in to name specific towns (vv. 21–62), underscoring God’s precision. • Personal takeaway: just as Cabbon was a marked-out place within Judah, so each believer has a defined inheritance in Christ (Ephesians 1:11). The God who counts towns also numbers hairs (Matthew 10:30). Lahmas “Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish,” (Joshua 15:40) • Lahmas sits in the Shephelah—the Judean lowlands that bridged the coastal plain and the hill country. This strategic zone later became the stage for battles such as David and Goliath’s (1 Samuel 17:1). God allotted even contested ground to His people, showing that no piece of territory lay outside His sovereign plan. • The inclusion of Lahmas parallels God’s earlier command: “Drive out all the inhabitants of the land” (Numbers 33:52). Judah’s responsibility was to trust and obey, occupying what the Lord had already given. • By Nehemiah’s day, towns of Judah were repopulated after the exile (Nehemiah 11:25–30), demonstrating that God preserves His inheritance even when His people falter. Lahmas testifies that divine promises outlast human failures. • Personal takeaway: if God is faithful over valleys like Lahmas, He is just as faithful over the low points in our lives. Philippians 1:6 assures that He will finish what He starts. Chitlish “Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish,” (Joshua 15:40) • Chitlish rounds out the verse, showing that God’s record is complete. No corner town is forgotten, echoing Psalm 16:6, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yes, I have a beautiful inheritance”. • Though Scripture preserves little else about Chitlish, its mere mention affirms that every part of Judah’s territory mattered. Likewise, 1 Corinthians 12:22 notes that “the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable”. • The trio ends here, but Joshua continues listing towns through verse 62, stacking evidence that the Lord fulfilled the land promise down to the last boundary marker (Joshua 21:43–45). • Personal takeaway: obscurity does not equal insignificance. A town known only to God’s record still shares in Judah’s blessing, just as believers hidden from public view share fully in Christ’s riches (Colossians 3:3–4). summary Joshua 15:40 may look like a simple catalog—Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish—but each name spotlights God’s exactness, faithfulness, and care. Cabbon underscores the precision of divine promises, Lahmas shows God’s claim over contested ground, and Chitlish reminds us that no place or person is overlooked. The Lord who kept His word to Judah keeps His word to us, down to the smallest detail. |
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