Joshua 19:3 — Word Study
WLCוַחֲצַ֥ר שׁוּעָ֛ל וּבָלָ֖ה וָעָֽצֶם׃
BSAHazar-shualChătsar Shûwʻâl [jackal village, a town in southern Judah] BalahBâlâh△ [become old, waxed old] EzemʻEtsem [a city in the territory of Judah]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַחֲצַ֥ר | and Hazar | Conjunction, noun proper |
| שׁוּעָ֛ל | Shual | Noun proper |
| וּבָלָ֖ה | and Balah | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וָעָֽצֶם׃ | and Ezem | Conjunction, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, |
| KJV | And Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Azem, |
| ASV | and Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Ezem, |
| YLT | and Hazar-Shual, and Balah, and Azem, |
| WEB | Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, |
| BBE | And Hazar-shual and Balah and Ezem |
The translations agree on the names and meanings of the towns listed.
The sentence is a simple list of names, indicating places in Judah.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 4 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word 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 19:3
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 Land in Joshuagenerated
Joshua 19:3 is part of a larger passage where Joshua is detailing the cities and territories allotted to the tribes of Israel. This verse specifically names three locations within the territory of Judah, contributing to the understanding of the land distribution in ancient Israel.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua 15:28–29 | Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בָּלָה, ba.Lahgenerated
The name בָּלָה (Balah) is derived from a feminine form of a related word meaning 'failure' or 'waxed old.' It signifies a place that has a history or is perhaps worn down by time. The parsing as a noun proper indicates it is a specific location.
Balah is mentioned only once in the Bible, which highlights its unique role in the geography of the region. The name reflects a characteristic of aging, suggesting a place that may have seen better days.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
Translations of this verse generally agree on the names of the towns.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of this verse is straightforward, with a series of noun phrases connected by conjunctions. The main clause lists the towns: וַחֲצַ֥ר שׁוּעָ֛ל, וּבָלָ֖ה, and וָעָֽצֶם.
The conjunctions וְ and וּ serve to connect the names, indicating that they are all part of the same list of places in Judah.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates the names with a different word order but retains the same essential names. The Greek rendering reflects the Hebrew names, though it does not provide additional interpretation.
This shows continuity in the recognition of these locations from Hebrew to Greek, maintaining their significance in the geography of ancient Israel.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Joshua 19:3 lists three towns in the territory of Judah: Hazar-shual, which means 'jackal village'; Balah, meaning 'become old'; and Ezem, a city in Judah. These names reflect characteristics of the places they represent.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Hazar-shual means 'jackal village' and refers to a town in southern Judah.
Balah means 'become old' or 'waxed old', indicating a place that may have historical significance or has aged over time.
Ezem is mentioned as a city in the territory of Judah, later given to the tribe of Simeon.
These towns are part of the allotment of land among the tribes of Israel, detailing the geographical distribution of their inheritances.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What do the names of these towns tell us about the history of the region?
- How might the meanings of these names reflect the experiences of the people who lived there?
- In what ways can understanding the geography of ancient Israel enhance our reading of the Bible?
- What significance do names hold in our own lives and communities today?
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Joshua 19:3 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd 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.
Read John Gill on Joshua 19 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Azem, Balah (Joshua 15:29) - or Bilhah (1 Chronicles 4:29).
Read Robert Jamieson on Joshua 19 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleBalah, 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, .
Read Matthew Poole on Joshua 19 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJoshua 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.
Read John Trapp on Joshua 19 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersXIX. 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…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Joshua 19 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 3. Hazar-shual] For this and several of the following places, See Clarke on Joshua 15:32.
Read AdamClarke on Joshua 19 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges3. 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;
Read Cambridge 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
Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,
Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,
Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,
Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,
Tyndale line
And Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Azem,
and Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Ezem,
and Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Ezem;
And Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Azem,
And Hazur-shual, and Balah, and Azem,
Strictly literal
and Hazar-Shual, and Balah, and Ezem,
and Hazar-Shual, and Balah, and Azem,
and Hazar-Shual, and Balah, and Azem,
And Chazar-shu'al, and Balah, and 'Ezem,
Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,
From the Latin
And Hasersual, Bala and Asem,
Simplified
Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,
And Hazar-shual and Balah and Ezem
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 show agreement on three of the four words. The Septuagint's translation reflects a similar understanding of the towns, although the exact wording differs.
וַחֲצַ֥ר שׁוּעָ֛ל וּבָלָ֖ה וָעָֽצֶם׃
3 of the 4 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 19:3
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.
חֲצַר שׁוּעָל n.pr.loc.
place in southern Judah
place in Simeon
base
H2705 חֲצַר שׁוּעָל
2705 Chatsar Shuw`al khats-ar' shoo-awl'
from 2691 and 7776; village of (the) fox; Chatsar-Shual, a
place in Palestine:--Hazar-shual.
see HEBREW for 02691
see HEBREW for 07776
חֲצַר שׁוּעָל (cha.tsar shu.al) — Hazar-shual.
§ Hazar-shual = "jackal village"
a town in southern Judah
N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
ha'-zar (chatsar, construct of chatser, "an enclosure," "settlement," or "village"): Is frequently the first element in Hebrew place-names.
1. Hazar-addar:
Hazar-addar (Hebrew chatsar 'addar), a place on the southern boundary of Judah (Nu 34:4), is probably identical with Hazron (Jos 15:3), which, in this case, however, is separated from Addar (the King James Version "Adar"). It seems to have lain somewhere to the Southwest of Kadesh-barnea.
חֲצַר שׁוּעָל n.pr.loc.
place in southern Judah
place in Simeon
base
H2705 חֲצַר שׁוּעָל
2705 Chatsar Shuw`al khats-ar' shoo-awl'
from 2691 and 7776; village of (the) fox; Chatsar-Shual, a
place in Palestine:--Hazar-shual.
see HEBREW for 02691
see HEBREW for 07776
חֲצַר שׁוּעָל (cha.tsar shu.al) — Hazar-shual.
§ Hazar-shual = "jackal village"
a town in southern Judah
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
shoo'-al (shu`al): An Asherite (1Ch 7:36).
(a jackal), son of Zophah, an Asherite. (1 Chronicles 7:36) (B.C. after 1445.)
fox; path; first
בָּלָה (Balah) refers to a location in the territory of Simeon, mentioned in Joshua 19:3. The name is derived from a feminine form of a related word meaning 'failure' or 'waxed old.' There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons regarding its meaning or usage.
בָּלָה n.pr.loc. in Simeon Jos 19:3.
done
H1088 בָּלָה
1088 Balah baw-law'
feminine of 1087; failure; Balah, a place in
Palestine:--Balah.
see HEBREW for 01087
בָּלָה (ba.lah) — Balah.
§ Balah = "waxed old"
a place in Simeon
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
Balah
A city in the tribe of Simeon (Josh. 19:3), elsewhere called Bilhah (1 Chr. 4:29) and Baalah (Josh. 15:29).
(Joshua 19:3) [BAAL, Geogr. No. 2, b]
עֶ֫צֶם (Etsem) refers to 'bone' and is also the name of a location in Palestine, specifically a city in the Negev of Judah that was allotted to Simeon. The entries indicate that it is closely related to another word, H6106, but do not provide further details on its usage or significance.
עֶ֫צֶם n.pr.loc. in Negeb of Judah, Simeon
base
H6107 עֶ֫צֶם
6107 `Etsem eh'-tsem
the same as 6106; bone; Etsem, a place in Palestine:--Azem,
Ezem.
see HEBREW for 06106
עֶ֫צֶם (e.tsem) — Ezem.
§ Azem or Ezem = "bone"
a city in the Nekeb of Judah afterwards allotted to Simeon
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
(bone), one of the towns of Simeon. (1 Chronicles 4:29)
a bone