Joshua - 19:6



6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages;

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Joshua 19:6.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
And Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities and their villages:
And Bethlebaoth and Sarohen: thirteen cities, and their villages.
and Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen: thirteen cities and their hamlets;
And Beth-lebaoth, and Sheruhen; thirteen cities and their villages:
And Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen; thirteen towns with their unwalled places;
Et Beth-Lebaoth, et Saruhen: urbes tredecim, et villae earum.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

Thirteen - Fourteen names have been given. The error is probably due to the use of letters for numbers, which has led to many similar mistakes in other places (see Joshua 15:32).

Beth-lebaoth - The house or city of lionesses. Probably so called from the numbers of those animals which bred there.

And Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen,.... Whether the first is the same with Lebaoth, a city of Judah, Joshua 15:32; and with the Bethleptepha of Josephus (b), and the Betholene of Pliny (c), is not certain: in this place secret to have been an idol temple of the Canaanites, dedicated to lions, as in Egypt there was a city called Leontopolis, from whence was the Leontopolitan nome, the inhabitants of which worshipped lions (d); and the Egyptians had temples dedicated to them, as Aelianus (e) relates. Both these places are thought to be the same with Bethbirei and Shaaraim in 1-Chronicles 4:31; of the latter of which see Joshua 15:36. Those who take Sheba, Joshua 19:2, to be the same with Shema, Joshua 15:26, make but one city here, and take away the last, as the Greek version does, and render the word "and their fields", and so the number still is as follows:
thirteen cities and their villages; the sum total of those enumerated above.
(b) De Jude. Bell. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 1. (c) Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 14. (d) Strabo. Geograph. l. 17. p. 559. (e) De Animal. l. 12. c. 7.

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