Joshua 15:12 kjv
And the west border was to the great sea, and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about according to their families.
Joshua 15:12 nkjv
The west border was the coastline of the Great Sea. This is the boundary of the children of Judah all around according to their families.
Joshua 15:12 niv
The western boundary is the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. These are the boundaries around the people of Judah by their clans.
Joshua 15:12 esv
And the west boundary was the Great Sea with its coastline. This is the boundary around the people of Judah according to their clans.
Joshua 15:12 nlt
The western boundary was the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea.
These are the boundaries for the clans of the tribe of Judah.
Joshua 15 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 15:18 | "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates..." | Prophetic promise of the vast land. |
| Num 34:6 | "And for the west border you shall have the Great Sea and its coast..." | God's specific command for western boundary of the land for all Israel. |
| Josh 1:3 | "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses." | God's faithfulness in fulfilling land promises. |
| Josh 11:23 | "So Joshua took the whole land... and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes." | General statement of land conquest and division. |
| Josh 14:1-2 | "These are the inheritances... which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua... distributed for inheritance by lot." | Procedure for land distribution. |
| Josh 18:12 | "Their border on the north side began at the Jordan..." | Example of similar boundary description for another tribe (Benjamin). |
| Judg 1:1-2 | "After the death of Joshua... the Lord said, 'Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.'" | Judah's initial prominence in continued conquest. |
| Deut 1:7 | "Go... and enter the land... unto the Great Sea." | Moses' command to possess the land up to the Mediterranean. |
| Deut 11:24 | "Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours... even to the Utmost Sea shall be your territory." | The broad extent of the promised land. |
| Deut 33:7 | "And this he said of Judah: 'Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people...'" | Moses' blessing on the tribe of Judah. |
| Gen 49:8-10 | "Judah, your brothers shall praise you... The scepter shall not depart from Judah..." | Jacob's prophecy of Judah's leadership and royal destiny. |
| Ps 78:55 | "He drove out nations before them; he allotted their inheritance by measure and settled the tribes of Israel..." | God's active role in providing the inheritance. |
| Ezek 47:20 | "The west side shall be the Great Sea... This shall be the west side." | Future prophetic land distribution re-affirming the boundary. |
| Exod 23:31 | "And I will fix your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines..." | Early divine designation of the Mediterranean as a boundary. |
| Neh 11:25 | "And for the villages with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba..." | Records actual habitation within Judah's allotted area. |
| Isa 60:9 | "For the coastlands await me; the ships of Tarshish come first... bringing their silver and gold with them..." | Prophetic imagery using "coastlands" that may include this region. |
| Amos 1:8 | "I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron..." | Refers to Philistine cities bordering Judah’s western territory. |
| Heb 4:1 | "Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it." | The land as a type of spiritual rest in God. |
| Col 1:12 | "...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." | Believers' spiritual inheritance in Christ. |
| Eph 1:11 | "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things..." | The secure nature of a believer's divine inheritance. |
| 1 Pet 1:4 | "...to an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." | The eternal spiritual inheritance. |
Joshua 15 verses
Joshua 15 12 Meaning
This verse explicitly delineates the western boundary of the tribal land allotted to Judah, declaring the Mediterranean Sea, referred to as "the Great Sea," as the unequivocal limit of Judah's inheritance in that direction. The phrase "and the coast thereof" serves to emphasize that the entire length of this western watery border was part of Judah's territory. The concluding statement clarifies that this detailed geographical outline applied specifically to the tribe of Judah, with the land meticulously divided "round about according to their families," underscoring the precise, orderly, and familial-based fulfillment of God's covenant promises.
Joshua 15 12 Context
Joshua chapter 15 initiates the detailed account of the territorial distribution among the Israelite tribes following the major conquests under Joshua. This precise delineation fulfills the ancient promises of God to Abraham and his descendants, marking out their inheritance in Canaan. The entire chapter focuses solely on Judah's significant portion, starting with its southern border, moving to the eastern and northern, and concluding with the western boundary in verse 12. This geographical specification serves as a legal deed, validating Israel's divinely granted possession of the land and providing clear demarcation to prevent future disputes between tribes. Judah received the largest portion of the land, indicating its anticipated preeminence among the tribes of Israel, a fact significant in the broader biblical narrative culminating in the line of David.
Joshua 15 12 Word analysis
- And the west border: Hebrew: ug'vul yam (וּגְבוּל יָם). Gevul means boundary or limit, and yam means sea. This pairing denotes the "sea border" which traditionally points westward in ancient Israelite geography, as the Mediterranean was the prominent sea to their west.
- was to the great sea: Hebrew: hayam hagadol (הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל). This specific Hebrew phrase consistently identifies the Mediterranean Sea throughout the Old Testament. It signifies a vast, natural, and definitive boundary set by divine will.
- and the coast thereof: Hebrew: ug'vul. A direct repetition of the word for "border" or "coastline." This stylistic choice emphasizes the entire linear extent of Judah's western reach, indicating that the whole length of their land in the west met the Mediterranean Sea, not just a single point.
- This is the coast: Hebrew: zeh g'vul. This introductory phrase serves as a formal declaration, solidifying the preceding description as the definitive boundary. It carries a legal or official weight, akin to "this shall be the border."
- of the children of Judah: Hebrew: livneih Yehudah. Refers collectively to the tribe descending from Judah, one of Jacob's sons. The tribal name indicates the corporate identity receiving this inheritance.
- round about: Hebrew: saviv. Implies encircling or all sides, confirming that the delineated borders encompass Judah's entire tribal territory, establishing a complete and defined portion.
- according to their families: Hebrew: l'mishpechotam. This detail underscores the meticulous and systematic division of land. Inheritance was not just a tribal allotment but was distributed precisely down to individual family units (mishpachah), which was crucial for their patrimonial system and prevented land disputes for generations.
Joshua 15 12 Bonus section
The careful preservation of these land boundaries throughout Israel's history was vital, not just for practical purposes, but for their covenant identity. Any blurring of these lines could undermine their unique status as God's chosen people with a promised inheritance. The detailed border descriptions in Joshua also provide geographical grounding for understanding later biblical narratives, particularly those involving conflicts with neighboring peoples like the Philistines, whose territories were adjacent to Judah's western and southwestern borders, thus providing important context for the struggles faced by Judah and later by figures like Samson or David. These specific boundaries also serve as a foundational element in understanding the scope of the Davidic kingdom and later, prophetic visions concerning the future land of Israel.
Joshua 15 12 Commentary
Joshua 15:12, as the culmination of Judah's border description, concisely establishes the Mediterranean Sea as the unquestionable western limit of their extensive land. This detailed mapping underscores the faithfulness of God in literally fulfilling His promises to Israel through the exact demarcation of their inherited land. The explicit naming of "the Great Sea" emphasizes a clear, God-ordained natural barrier. The repetitive reference to "coast" reinforces the comprehensive nature of this boundary, encompassing the entire western length of their territory. Furthermore, the allocation "according to their families" speaks to divine order and provision, securing land tenure and identity for each generation within Judah's tribal framework, and subtly highlighting Judah's future significance in the unfolding redemptive history.