Joshua 19:5

And Ziklag,.... Another of the cities of Judah, [See comments on Joshua 15:31]; and Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusah; or Hazarsusim, as in 1 Chronicles 4:31; the one signifies a chariot house, and the

And Ziklag, and Bethmarcaboth, and Hazar-susah, No JFB commentary on this verse.

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 5. Beth-marcaboth] The house or city of chariots. Probably a place where their war-chariots and cavalry were laid up.

5. 9. Ziklag] See ch. Joshua 15:31, identified by Rowlands and Wilton (Negeb, p. 209) with Asloodg or Kasloodg; (a) Achish bestowed the town upon David; (b) here David resided upwards of one year and four months (1 Samuel 27:7; 1 Samuel 30:14; 1 Samuel 30:26); (c) here he received the news of Saul’s death (2 Samuel 1:1; 2 Samuel 4:10); 10. Beth-marcaboth = “house of chariots,” and 11. Hazar-susah = “village of horses,” appear to be the old names of Madmannah and Sansannah (see ch. Joshua 15:31). These names indicate, remarks Dean Stanley, “that they were stations of passage, like those which now are to be seen on the great line of Indian transit between Cairo and Suez,” we recognise in them “the dêpots and stations for the ‘horses’ and ‘chariots,’ such as those which in Solomon’s time went to and fro between Egypt and Palestine.” Sinai and Palestine, p. 160;