Joshua 15:63

As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem,.... From whom the city was called Jebus, Jude 19:10.

As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

For though Jerusalem was in part taken by Joshua before this, yet the upper and stronger part of it, called Zion, was still kept by the Jebusites, even until David’ s time; and it seems from thence they descended to the lower town called Jerusalem, and took it; so that the Israelites were forced to win it a second time; yea, and a third time also, for afterwards it was possessed by the Jebusites, ,7. Could not drive them out; namely, because of their unbelief, as Christ could do no mighty work— because of the people’ s unbelief, ,6 Matthew 13:58, and because of their sloth, and cowardice, and wickedness, whereby they forfeited God’ s help, and then they must needs be impotent; but this inability was wilful, and brought upon them by themselves. Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem: the same things which are here said of the children of Judah, are said of the Benjamites, . Hence ariseth a question, To which of the tribes Jerusalem belonged? whether to Benjamin, as is gathered from , or to Judah, as is implied here, and ,69. Some think, that being in the borders of both, it was common to both, and promiscuously inhabited by both; and it is certain that after the captivity it was possessed by both, . But for the present, though it did belong to Benjamin, yet the children of Judah being possibly very active in the first taking of it by Joshua, as they certainly were after his death, , they might thereby get some right share with the Benjamites in the possession of it. It seems most probable that part of it, and indeed the greatest part and main body of it, stood in the tribe of Benjamin; and hence this is mentioned in the list of their cities, and not in Judah’ s list: and part of it stood in Judah’ s share, even Mount Moriah, on which the temple was built; and Mount Sion, when it was taken from the Jebusites. Unto this day; when this book was written, whether in Joshua’ s life and old age, which continued many years after the taking of Jerusalem; or after his death, when this clause was added here and elsewhere in this book by some other man of God, which must needs be done before David’ s time, when the Jebusites were quite expelled, and their fort taken.

(63) Could not drive them out.—It is observable that the failure of the three great tribes of Judah and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) to clear the inheritance assigned to them is specially noticed in the Book of Joshua—viz., Judah in this place, and Ephraim and Manasseh in Joshua 16:10; Joshua 17:11-12. A list of the failures of all the tribes is given in Judges 1.

Verse 63. The Jebusites dwell - at Jerusalem unto this day.] The whole history of Jerusalem, previously to the time of David, is encumbered with many difficulties. Sometimes it is attributed to Judah, sometimes to Benjamin, and it is probable that, being on the frontiers of both those tribes, each possessed a part of it. If the Jebusites were ever driven out before the time of David, it is certain they recovered it again, or at least a part of it - what is called the citadel or strong hold of Zion, (see 2 Samuel 5:7), which he took from them; after which the city fell wholly into the hands of the Israelites. This verse is an additional proof that the book of Joshua was not written after the times of the Jewish kings, as some have endeavoured to prove; for when this verse was written, the Jebusites dwelt with the children of Judah, which they did not after the days of David; therefore the book was written before there were any kings in Judea. IT is very likely, not only that many cities have by the lapse of time changed their names or been totally destroyed, (see the note on Joshua 15:1,) but that the names of those in the preceding catalogue have been changed also, several of them repeated that should have been mentioned but once, and not a few confounded with the terms by which they are described. But we must not suppose that every repetition of the name is through the carelessness of copyists; for there are often two places which bear the same name, which is frequently the case in England. But besides this, villages are mentioned as being apparently in the tribe of Judah, which afterwards appear to have been in an other tribe. The reason appears to be this: many towns are mentioned which were frontier towns, and when the limits of a tribe are pointed out, such places must necessarily be mentioned, though allotted to a different tribe. This consideration will serve to remove several difficulties which occur in the reading of this and the following chapters.

63. As for] The Author closes the catalogue of the cities of Judah with an announcement that the children of this royal tribe failed to drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem. the Jebusites] The Jebusites are noticed above, ch. Joshua 10:1, and ch. Joshua 11:3. They were a strong mountain-tribe, and as long as the “Upper City” remained in their hands they practically had possession of the whole. The children of Judah, as also the children of Benjamin, took and burnt the “Lower City,” but relinquished the attempt to capture the “Upper City.” (See Judges 1:8; Judges 1:21.) unto this day] It is plain from this that the Book of Joshua was written before the reign of David (1 Chronicles 11:3-9).