Joshua 15:26 — Word Study
WLCאֲמָ֥ם וּשְׁמַ֖ע וּמוֹלָדָֽה׃
BSAAmamʼĂmâm△ [their mother, a city in Judah] ShemaShᵉmâʻ△ [a place near Edom] MoladahMôwlâdâh [meaning birth or race, a town in southern Canaan]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אֲמָ֥ם | Amam | Noun proper |
| וּשְׁמַ֖ע | and Shema | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וּמוֹלָדָֽה׃ | and Moladah | Conjunction, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Amam, Shema, Moladah, |
| KJV | Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, |
| ASV | Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, |
| YLT | Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, |
| WEB | Amam, Shema, Moladah, |
| BBE | Amam, and Shema, and Moladah; |
Where they part company is in the details of the translations — see How Translations Differ.
The verse is a simple list of towns, with no subordinate clauses present.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
2 of 3 occur nowhere else in the Old Testament — words chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Joshua 15:26
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Boundaries of Judahgenerated
Joshua 15:26 is part of a larger passage that details the cities and regions allocated to the tribe of Judah. This verse specifically mentions three towns, highlighting their significance in the geographical and cultural landscape of ancient Israel. The listing of towns serves to establish the boundaries and heritage of the tribes as they settled in the Promised Land.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Chronicles 4:28 | They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — מוֹלָדָה, u.mo.la.Dahgenerated
The word מוֹלָדָה (Moladah) is a noun that refers to a town in southern Canaan. It is derived from a root meaning 'birth' or 'race', indicating a place associated with lineage or origin. The parsing as a noun proper shows it is a specific place within the biblical narrative.
In this context, מוֹלָדָה is mentioned alongside other towns, indicating its geographical importance. The name suggests a connection to the idea of birth or ancestry, linking the town to the identity of the people of Judah.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of this verse is straightforward, consisting of a main clause listing the towns: אֲמָ֥ם, וּשְׁמַ֖ע, וּמוֹלָדָֽה. The finite verb is absent, as this is a simple enumeration of proper nouns.
The towns are presented in a noun phrase format, emphasizing their status as significant locations within the territory of Judah.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates מוֹלָדָה as μωλαδα, indicating a direct correspondence to the Hebrew name. This choice reflects a consistent understanding of the town's identity across both texts.
The other two names are also represented, showing that the Septuagint translators recognized the importance of these locations in the same way as the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Joshua 15:26 lists three towns: Amam, Shema, and Moladah. These towns are part of the territory allocated to Judah and reflect the historical geography of the region.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The names reflect geographical locations significant to the tribe of Judah, with meanings that may connect to their heritage.
They are part of the historical record of the land allocations to the tribes of Israel, marking their settlements.
They are mentioned in the context of the boundaries of Judah and are cross-referenced in other passages, such as 1 Chronicles 4:28.
The listing provides insight into the geographical and cultural landscape of ancient Israel, showing how the tribes were organized.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What significance do place names hold in understanding biblical history?
- How do the towns listed in this verse reflect the identity of the tribe of Judah?
- In what ways can we connect modern geography with the ancient locations mentioned in the Bible?
- What other towns or locations in the Bible have names that carry significant meanings?
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Joshua 15:26 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAmam,.... Of Amam we read nowhere else; and Shema is thought by some to be the same with Sheba, though wrongly, given afterwards to the tribe of Simeon, as was also Moladah, mentioned with it, Joshua
Read John Gill on Joshua 15 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor, (10) And Hazor-hadattah , [Chadat, Chaldee form of Hebrew chaadash , new; Septuagint omits, unless it be included in the words: kai hai
Read Robert Jamieson on Joshua 15 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(21) And the uttermost cities.—The cities of the tribe of Judah are given under four heads: (a) towards Edom; (b) in the Shephêlah, or plain of the coast (Joshua 15:33, &c.); (c) in the mountains (Joshua 15:48); (d) in the wilderness (Joshua 15:61). Of those in Joshua 15:21-32, the first twenty-nine, Conder identifies only four—viz., Adadah, Joshua 15:22 (Ad’adah); Kerioth Hezron (some see a trace of Kerioth in the sobriquet of Judas Is-cariot, the man of Kerioth), Joshua 15:25 (Hudîreh); Beer-sheba, Joshua 15:28 (Bîr es-seb’a); and Ain Rimmon, Joshua 15:32 ( Umm er-Rumânûn). It is not easy to say precisely how the twenty-nine are to be obtained from the thirty-three, but evidently some of…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Joshua 15 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges26. Amam (c) Third group of nine cities:— (1) Amam, unknown; (2) Shema, a place of the Simeonites (ch. Joshua 19:2); (3) Moladah, called Malatua by the Greeks and Romans = the modern El-Milh, four English miles from Tell Arad and nine or ten due east of Beersheba; (4) Hazar-gaddah, unknown; (5) Heshmon, unknown; (6) Beth-palet, unknown; (7) Hazar-shual = “village of jackals,” inhabited after the Captivity by men of Judah (Nehemiah 11:27); (8) Beer-sheba = either (a) “Well of Seven” or (b) “Well of the Oath” (Genesis 21:28-32). We find Beer-sheba visited by Abraham, who dug the well (Genesis 21:31); the place where Samuel’s sons judged Israel (1 Samuel 8:2); constituting, with Dan in the…
Read Cambridge on Joshua 15 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible26. Moladah, afterwards given to Simeon, is the modern el Milh, about twenty miles south of Hebron. [This place was identified by Dr. Robinson.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Joshua 15 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Amam, Shema, Moladah,
Amam, Shema, Moladah,
Amam, Shema, Moladah,
Amam, Shema, Moladah,
Tyndale line
Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,
Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,
Amam, and Shema, and Moladah;
Aman, and Shema, and Moladah,
Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,
Strictly literal
Amam, and Shema, and Molada,
Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,
Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,
Amam, and Shema', and Moladah,
Amam, Shema, Moladah,
From the Latin
Amam, Sama and Molada,
Simplified
Amam, Shema, Moladah,
Amam, and Shema, and Moladah;
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text lists אֲמָ֥ם, וּשְׁמַ֖ע, and וּמוֹלָדָֽה without variation. The Septuagint matches two of the three towns, maintaining the integrity of the names across the witnesses.
אֲמָ֥ם וּשְׁמַ֖ע וּמוֹלָדָֽה׃
2 of the 3 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Joshua 15:26
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אֲמָם (Amam) refers to a location in southern Judah, specifically mentioned in Joshua 15:26. It is derived from a root meaning 'gathering-spot.' The entries consistently identify it as a place name without significant disagreement.
אֲמָם n.pr.loc. in southern Judah Jos 15:26
ref
H538 אֲמָם
538 'Amam am-awm'
from 517; gathering-spot; Amam, a place in Palestine:--Amam.
see HEBREW for 0517
אֲמָם (a.mam) — Amam.
§ Amam = "their mother"
a city in southern Judah
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
a'-mam ('amam): An unidentified town in southern Palestine, which fell to Judah In the allotment of the land; occurs only in Jos 15:26.
(gathering place), a city in the south of Judah named with Shema and Moladah in (Joshua 15:26) only.
→ A city of Judah Jos 15:26
→ Within the district assigned to Simeon Jos 19:1-9
שְׁמַע (shema) refers to a location in southern Judah, mentioned in Joshua 15:26. It is associated with the root meaning 'hear' and is linked to the word for 'sound' (שֶ֫מַע, H8088A). The entries indicate that it is primarily a proper noun, specifically a town.
שְׁמַע n.pr.loc. in S. Judah, Jos 15:26
ref
H8090 שְׁמַע, שְׁמָע
8090 Shma` shem-aw'
for 8087; Shema, a place in Palestine:--Shema.
see HEBREW for 08087
שְׁמַע (she.ma) — Shema.
§ Shema = "hear"
a town in Judah at the limits of the tribe toward Edom in the south
same as she.ma (שֶׁ֫מַע "sound" H8088A) which is the actual word in the Hebrew text
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
Shema
Rumour. (1.) A Reubenite (1 Chr. 5:8).
(2.) A Benjamite (1 Chr. 8:13).
(3.) One who stood by Ezra when he read the law (Neh. 8:4).
(4.) A town in the south of Judah (Josh. 15:26); the same as Sheba (ver. 5).
A Reubenite, ancestor of Bela. (1 Chronicles 5:8) (B.C. before 1090.) Son of Elpaal. (1 Chronicles 8:13) Probably the same as Shimhi. (B.C. after 1450.) One of those who stood at Ezra’s right hand when he read the law to the people. (Nehemiah 8:4) (B.C. 458.) (Joshua 15:26) [SHEBA]
hearing; obeying
מוֹלָדָה (Mowladah) refers to a place in Palestine, specifically a town in the territory of Simeon. The word is derived from the root meaning 'birth' and can also denote 'race.' It appears in the context of geographical locations in the Old Testament.
מוֹלָדָה, מֹלָדָה n.pr.loc. town in Simeon
base
H4137 מוֹלָדָה, מֹלָדָה
4137 Mowladah mo-law-daw'
from 3205; birth; Moladah, a place in Palestine:--Moladah.
see HEBREW for 03205
מוֹלָדָה (mo.la.dah) — Moladah.
§ Moladah = "birth" or "race"
a town in the south of Canaan allocated to Judah then reallocated to Simeon
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
mol'-a-da, mo-la'-da (moladhah; Molada): A place in the far south (Negebh) of Judah, toward Edom (Jos 15:26), reckoned to Simeon (Jos 19:2; 1Ch 4:28). It was repopulated after the captivity (Ne 11:26). It is mentioned always in close proximity to Beersheba. Moladah is probably identical with Malatha, a city in Idumea to which Agrippa at one time withdrew himself (Josephus, Ant, XVIII, vi, 2). The site of this latter city has by Robinson and others been considered to be the ruins and wells of Tell el-Milch, some 13 miles to the East of Beersheba and some 7 miles Southwest of Arad. The chief difficulty is the statement of Eusebius and Jerome that Malatha was "by Jattir,"…
Moladah
Birth, a city in the south of Judah which fell to Simeon (Josh. 15:21-26; 19:2). It has been identified with the modern el-Milh, 10 miles east of Beersheba.
(birth, race), a city of Judah, one of those which lay in the district of "the south." (Joshua 15:26; 19:2) In the latter tribe it remained at any rate till the reign of David, (1 Chronicles 4:28) but by the time of the captivity it seems to have come back into the hands of Judah, by whom it was reinhabited after the captivity. (Nehemiah 11:26) It may be placed at el-Milh , which is about 4 English miles from Tell Arad , 17 or 18 from Hebron, and 9 or 10 due east of Beersheba.
birth; generation