Joshua 19:25 — Word Study
WLCוַיְהִ֖י גְּבוּלָ֑ם חֶלְקַ֥ת וַחֲלִ֖י וָבֶ֥טֶן וְאַכְשָֽׁף׃
BSATheir territorygᵉbûwl [border, limit, allocation] includedhâyâh▸ HelkathChelqath [a place in Palestine, meaning smooth] HaliChălîy△ [a boundary town, meaning necklace] BetenBeṭen△ [a city, meaning womb] AchshaphʼAkshâph [a city in northern Canaan, meaning I shall be bewitched]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֖י | and it was | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| גְּבוּלָ֑ם | border their | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| חֶלְקַ֥ת | Helkath | Noun proper |
| וַחֲלִ֖י | and Hali | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וָבֶ֥טֶן | and Beten | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וְאַכְשָֽׁף׃ | and Acshaph | Conjunction, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, |
| KJV | And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, |
| ASV | And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, |
| YLT | and their border is Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, |
| WEB | Their border was Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, |
| BBE | And their limit was Helkath and Hali and Beten and Achshaph |
Where they part company is in the choice of words for describing the territory — see How Translations Differ.
The structure presents a main clause followed by a list of cities, emphasizing their significance as part of the territory.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
verbהָיָה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
2 of 6 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 19:25
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 Allotment of the Tribe of Ashergenerated
Joshua 19:25 describes the territory allocated to the tribe of Asher, highlighting key locations that define their land. This allocation is part of the larger narrative of Israel's settlement in the Promised Land, where each tribe received its inheritance as outlined in the book of Joshua. The mention of specific cities not only marks geographical boundaries but also reflects the cultural and historical significance of these places.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Samuel 2:16 | Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side, and they all fell together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is called Helkath-hazzurim. |
| 2 | Joshua 11:1 | Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph; |
| 3 | Joshua 12:20 | the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חֶלְקָת, chel.Katgenerated
The word חֶלְקָת (chelqath) is a proper noun referring to a specific location in Palestine. It is derived from a root meaning 'smooth', indicating the nature of the land. In this context, it serves as a boundary point for the tribe of Asher, marking the extent of their territory.
As a noun, it emphasizes the physical allocation of land, which is a critical aspect of the tribal divisions in Israel. The use of proper nouns in this verse indicates the importance of these locations in the identity and heritage of the tribes.
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 finite verb וַיְהִ֖י, and it was, governs the entire verse, linking the subject to the object. The structure presents the territory as a defined allocation, with the cities listed as part of that territory.
The word order places emphasis on the territory first, followed by the specific locations, highlighting their importance in the context of the tribe's inheritance.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, חֶלְקָת is rendered with a Greek term that corresponds closely to the Hebrew, maintaining the focus on the geographical and cultural significance of the location.
This choice reflects a continuity in the understanding of these places, as the translators aimed to convey the same meanings to their Greek-speaking audience.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Joshua 19:25 lists the cities included in the territory of the tribe of Asher. These cities are Helkath, Hali, Beten, and Achshaph, each with its own meaning. This verse is part of the larger narrative of Israel's settlement in the Promised Land.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Helkath means 'smooth' and is a location in Palestine that served as a boundary point for the tribe of Asher.
Each city represents a part of the territory allocated to the tribe of Asher, marking their inheritance in the Promised Land.
Achshaph means 'I shall be bewitched' and is a city located in northern Canaan, associated with the tribe of Asher.
This verse is part of the distribution of land among the tribes of Israel, highlighting the fulfillment of God's promise to give them a homeland.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does the allocation of land to the tribes teach us about God's promises?
- How can we understand the significance of place names in our own context?
- What does it mean to have a defined territory or identity in our lives?
- How do the meanings of these cities reflect the character of the tribe of Asher?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Joshua 19:25 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd their border was Helkath,.... Helkath seems to be the same with Hukok, 1 Chronicles 6:75; and according to Masius it lay ten or twelve miles above Ptolemais; and Hali, of which we read nowhere else.
Read John Gill on Joshua 19 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, No JFB commentary on this verse.
Read Robert Jamieson on Joshua 19 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(25) Their border.—The border of Asher on the west is the Mediterranean. On the east of Asher lies the tribe of Naphtali, but most of the towns named in these verses lie well within the territory of Asher. The northern end of the territory of this tribe lies beyond the limits of the Ordnance Survey, for it reaches “unto great Zidon” (Joshua 19:28). The southern boundary is said to be Carmel (Joshua 19:26), but no town is identified south of Cabul (Kabϋl, south-east of Akkah, sheet 5). The towns identified are as follows:— (25) El B’aneh, EL-Yasif or Kefr Yasif (sheet 3). (26) Khurbet-el-Amϋd, and M’aξsleh (? Kh.-Muslih) (sheet 3). Shihor-libnath (river of glass), the river Belus (sheet 5).…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Joshua 19 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges25. And their border] The general position of the tribe was on the slope of the Galilean mountains from Carmel northwards, with Manasseh on the south, Zebulun and Issachar on the south-east, and Naphtali on the north-east, a narrow, but beautiful and fertile region. And their border was Helkath] The first boundary given us is that formed by the cities of Helkath, afterwards given to the Levites (ch. Joshua 21:31), Hali, Beten, and Achshaph (ch. Joshua 12:20), of none of which cities is the situation known to us.
Read Cambridge on Joshua 19 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleHelkath, a Levitical town Joshua 21:31, is probably Yerka, a village about seven or eight miles north-west of Acre, in a Wady of the same name.
Read Albert Barnes on Joshua 19 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible25. Achshaph — See on Joshua 11:1. In this list, as in other extended lists of cities, no note is usually taken of those whose sites are now unknown.26.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Joshua 19 →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
Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,
Their border was Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,
Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,
Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph,
Tyndale line
And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,
And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,
And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,
And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,
And their coast was Helcath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,
Strictly literal
And their territory was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Acshaph,
and their border is Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,
and their border is Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,
And their boundary was Chelkath, and Chali, and Beten, and Achshaph,
Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph,
From the Latin
And their border was Halcath and Chali and Beten and Axaph,
Simplified
Their allocation included the towns of Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph,
And their limit was Helkath and Hali and Beten and Achshaph
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 and the Septuagint align closely in their representation of this verse, with four out of six words matched. This consistency indicates a shared understanding of the territory allocated to the tribe of Asher, despite differences in word order and syntax.
וַיְהִ֖י גְּבוּלָ֑ם חֶלְקַ֥ת וַחֲלִ֖י וָבֶ֥טֶן וְאַכְשָֽׁף׃
4 of the 6 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 19:25
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.
The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.
הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be
Qal
Fall out, happen
occur, take place, come about, come to pass
esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass
וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
Come into being, become
abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
sq. prep.
become
sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
sq. pred. adj.
become like
sq. pred. לְ pers.
sq. לְ pred.
oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.
with עַל and לְ
sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)
exist, be in existence
abide, remain, continue
with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie
as copula, joining subj. & pred.
H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen
. occur, take place, come about, come to pass
. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
. sq. prep.
. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
. sq. pred. adj.
. become like
. sq. pred. + לְ pers.
. sq. לְ pred.
. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.
. with עַל and לְ
. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence
. abide, remain, continue
1961 hayah haw-yaw
a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,
come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or
auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,
committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,
fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit
(one-)self, require, X use.
see HEBREW for 01933
הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.
1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out
1a) (Qal)
1a1) ---
1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass
1a1b) to come about, come to pass
1a2) to come into being, become
1a2a) to arise, appear, come
1a2b) to become
1a2b1) to become
1a2b2) to become like
1a2b3) to be instituted, be established
1a3) to be
1a3a) to exist, be in existence
1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)
1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)
1a3d) to accompany, be with
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about
1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vqw3ms
גְּבוּל (gbuwl) refers to a border or boundary, often implying a defined territory. It can denote a physical limit, such as a coast or landmark, and can also have figurative uses, like a region of darkness. The word is derived from a root meaning 'cord' and encompasses various meanings related to boundaries and territories.
גְּבוּל 240 n.m. border, boundary, territory
border, boundary
territory (enclosed within boundary)
base
H1366 גְּבוּל border, boundary, territory
1366 gbuwl gheb-ool'
or (shortened) gbul {gheb-ool'}; from 1379; properly, a cord
(as twisted), i.e. (by implication) a boundary; by extens. the
territory inclosed:--border, bound, coast, X great, landmark,
limit, quarter, space.
see HEBREW for 01379
גְּבוּל (ge.vul) — border: boundary.
: boundary
1) border, territory
1a) border
1b) territory (enclosed within boundary)
1c) region, territory (of darkness) (fig.)
Also means: ge.vul (גְּבוּל ": area" H1366H)
גְּבוּל (ge.vul) — border: area.
: area
1) border, territory
1a) border
1b) territory (enclosed within boundary)
1c) region, territory (of darkness) (fig.)
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp3mp
חֶלְקָת (chelqath) refers to a location in Palestine, specifically a city in the territory of Asher. The name means 'smooth' and is associated with the boundaries of the tribe of Asher and the Gershonite Levites. It is derived from the root meaning 'smoothness' and is linked to the related term חוּקֹק (chu.qoq), which also refers to a place.
חֶלְקָת֙ n.pr.loc. (portion, possession) city in Asher
base
H2520 חֶלְקָת֙, חֶלְקַת
2520 Chelqath khel-kath'
a form of 2513; smoothness; Chelkath, a place in
Palestine:--Helkath.
see HEBREW for 02513
חֶלְקָת֙ (chel.qat) — Helkath.
Helkath = "smooth"
the town named as the starting point for the boundary of the tribe of Asher and allotted with its suburbs to the Gershonite Levites
Also named: chu.qoq (חוּקֹק "Hukok" H2712B)
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
Helkath
Smoothness, a town of Asher, on the east border (Josh. 19:25; 21:31); called also Hukok (1 Chr. 6:75).
חֲלִי n.pr.loc. in Asher Jos 19:25, site unknown (v. conject. in Di).
done
H2482 חֲלִי
2482 Chaliy khal-ee'
the same as 2481; Chali, a place in Palestine:--Hali.
see HEBREW for 02481
חֲלִי (cha.li) — Hali.
§ Hali = "necklace"
a town on the boundary of Asher between Helkath and Beten
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
ha'-li (chali): A town named with Helkath, Beten and Achshaph on the border of Asher (Jos 19:25). No certain identification is possible; but it may be represented by the modern Khirbet `Alia, circa 13 miles Northeast of Acre.
(necklace), a town on the boundary of Asher, named between Helkath and Beten. (Joshua 19:25)
sickness; a beginning; a precious stone
→ A border town of the tribe of Asher Jos 19:25
בֶּ֫טֶן n.pr.loc. city in Asher Jos 19:25
ref
H991 בֶּ֫טֶן
991 Beten beh'-ten
the same as 990; Beten. a place in Palestine:--Beten.
see HEBREW for 0990
בֶּ֫טֶן (be.ten) — Beten.
§ Beten = "womb"
a city in Asher
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
be'-ten (beTen; Batne): A city of Asher mentioned between Hall and Achshaph (Jos 19:25). Eusebius, Onomasticon places it 8 Roman miles East of Ptolemais, giving it the name Bethseten. It may be identical with the modern village el-B`aneh, but no certainty is possible.
(height), one of the cities on the border of the tribe of Asher. (Joshua 19:25)
belly
→ A city of the territory of the tribe of Asher Jos 19:25
אַכְשָׁף (Akshaph) refers to a location in northern Canaan, specifically a city at the foot of Mount Carmel, associated with the tribe of Asher. The name is linked to the concept of fascination or bewitchment, derived from a related root. It appears in the context of a geographical reference rather than a specific narrative in the Old Testament.
אַכְשָׁף n.pr.loc. in (Northern) Canaan, with a king; situated on the border of Asher
base
H407 אַכְשָׁף
407 'Akshaph ak-shawf'
from 3784; fascination; Acshaph, a place in
Palestine:--Achshaph.
see HEBREW for 03784
אַכְשָׁף (akh.shaph) — Achshaph.
§ Achshaph = "I shall be bewitched"
city in north Canaan at foot of Mt Carmel
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl