Joshua 19:3

And Hazarshual,.... [See comments on Joshua 15:28]; and Balah, and Azem; of these places see Gill "Joshua 15:29"; for Balah is the same with Baalah there, and with Bilhah 1 Chronicles 4:29; and Azem with Ezem there.

And Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Azem, Balah (Joshua 15:29) - or Bilhah (1 Chronicles 4:29).

Balah, called also Bilhah, ; and Baalah, . For let this be observed, once for all, that the names of persons or places are frequently changed through length of time, or difference of dialects, or study of brevity and easiness in pronunciation, or new accidents, or other causes. Thus Eltolad and Bethul, are called Tokad and Bethstel, ,30; and for Beth-lebaoth, , is Beth-birei, .

Joshua 19:2 And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, or Sheba, and Moladah, Joshua 19:3 And Hazarshual, and Balah, and Azem, Joshua 19:4 And Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, Ver. 2-4, &c. These, though but bare names of places, should not be skipped over in our course of reading, as being a part of God’ s Holy Word: but to speak particularly of their signification or site, would be a work of more difficulty than use: and besides, it is but curiosity to search into those things whereof we can neither have proof nor profit.

XIX. OF SIMEON (Joshua 19:1-9). (1) Their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.—The southern part of the inheritance of Judah was given up to Simeon. (See Judges 1:3; Judges 1:17.) In this fact a prophecy was fulfilled; for the effect of the allotment was to separate Simeon from the tribes with whom he had been united in the journey through the wilderness (viz., Reuben and Gad), who had cast off Simeon, and united themselves with the half tribe of Manasseh instead. Being also separated from Levi, Simeon was still further isolated: with the result that in the final separation of Israel and Judah, after Solomon’s death, the tribe of Simeon, though adhering to the kingdom of the ten tribes (for the children of Simeon were counted strangers in Judah—2 Chronicles 15:9), was separated from the territory of that kingdom by the whole breadth of the kingdom of Judah. Thus were Jacob’s words brought to pass, which he spoke on his death-bed regarding Simeon and Levi: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.(2) Beer-sheba.—Bir-es-seba. Sheba (Shema). (7) Ain, Remmon.—Timm er-Rumâmîn.The rest of the cities of Simeon are not identified in Conder’s Biblical Gazetteer, with the exception of Sharuhen (Tell esh-Sherî’ah, north-west of Beer-sheba). (9) The part of the children of Judah was too much for them.—In Judges 1 we read that Judah invoked the assistance of Simeon to complete the conquest of his inheritance, and also assisted Simeon to conquer his. This fact illustrates the character of the conquest of Canaan by Joshua, and shows that when his work was done, something was still left for the individual tribes to do.

Verse 3. Hazar-shual] For this and several of the following places, See Clarke on Joshua 15:32.

3. 3. Hazar-shual] Between Beer-sheba and Hazar-gaddah; see 1 Chronicles 4:28; 4. Balah, see ch. Joshua 15:29; in 1 Chronicles 4:29 it is called Bilhah; 5. Azem, elsewhere called Ezem, 1 Chronicles 4:29;