What is the meaning of Joshua 15:57? Kain “Joshua 15:57 – Kain” • A literal settlement included in Judah’s hill-country allotment (Joshua 15:48–57). • Likely connected with the Kenite clan that had settled among Judah (Judges 1:16; 1 Samuel 15:6; Numbers 24:21), reminding us that God’s land grant embraced even those grafted into Israel’s story. • Its placement in the list shows the meticulous boundary-keeping of the conquest; every town mattered, fulfilling promises such as Genesis 15:18–21. Gibeah “Joshua 15:57 – Gibeah” • Meaning “hill,” this Gibeah lies in Judah, distinct from Saul’s Gibeah in Benjamin (Joshua 18:28; 1 Samuel 10:26). • The name hints at high, defensible terrain—strategic in the hill country where Judah would need protection (Psalm 18:2; 2 Samuel 5:9). • Its inclusion underscores how God provided not just fertile plains but strongholds for His people’s security. Timnah “Joshua 15:57 – Timnah” • Well-known later as the place where Samson sought a Philistine wife (Judges 14:1–4) and where Judah visited his shepherds (Genesis 38:12-14). • Positioned on the border zone with Philistia, Timnah illustrates Judah’s calling to stand firm in contested spaces (2 Chronicles 28:18; Judges 15:6). • The town’s presence in Judah’s allotment confirms God’s intention that His people occupy even frontier regions, trusting His strength (Deuteronomy 11:24). ten cities “… ten cities…” (Joshua 15:57) • The phrase sums up the whole subsection that began at Joshua 15:55, a pattern seen elsewhere (“nine cities,” Joshua 15:54; “twenty-nine cities,” Joshua 15:32). • By counting, Scripture stresses completeness and accuracy—no part of the inheritance was vague or symbolic; it was measured, numbered, and deeded (Joshua 21:43-45). • The listing quietly proclaims God’s faithfulness: every promise translated into actual real estate (Hebrews 6:13-18). along with their villages “…along with their villages.” (Joshua 15:57) • God’s care extends beyond walled towns to the surrounding hamlets, farms, and shepherd encampments (Joshua 17:11; 1 Chronicles 4:32). • Villages meant livelihoods: fields, vineyards, and wells (Deuteronomy 6:10-11). The Lord secured not only political centers but family homesteads. • This detail highlights covenant wholeness—land, work, and community all wrapped in God’s gracious gift (Psalm 16:5-6). summary Joshua 15:57 records three particular towns—Kain, Gibeah, Timnah—then notes that they complete a set of ten cities with their surrounding villages. Every word reinforces God’s precise, literal fulfillment of His land promise to Judah. Strategic hills, border outposts, rural hamlets—all were counted as evidence that the Lord keeps covenant down to the last boundary marker, inviting His people to live, work, and worship in the territory He faithfully supplies. |
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