Joshua 15:33 — Word Study
WLCבַּשְּׁפֵלָ֑ה אֶשְׁתָּא֥וֹל וְצָרְעָ֖ה וְאַשְׁנָֽה׃
BSA[These were] in the foothillsshᵉphêlâh [lowland, valley, Shephelah] EshtaolʼEshtâʼôl [a city of entreaty] ZorahTsorʻâh [where Samson grew up] AshnahʼAshnâh [meaning 'I will cause change']
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בַּשְּׁפֵלָ֑ה | in the Shephelah | Preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| אֶשְׁתָּא֥וֹל | Eshtaol | Noun proper |
| וְצָרְעָ֖ה | and Zorah | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וְאַשְׁנָֽה׃ | and Ashnah | Conjunction, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | These were in the foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, |
| KJV | And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah, |
| ASV | In the lowland, Eshtaol, and Zorah, and Ashnah, |
| YLT | In the low country: Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah, |
| WEB | In the lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, |
| BBE | In the lowland, Eshtaol, and Zorah, and Ashnah; |
Where they part company is שְׁפֵלָה — see How Translations Differ.
The verse consists of a main clause followed by a list of three cities, creating a straightforward enumeration.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, AdamClarke & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
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 15:33
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 Cities of Judahgenerated
Joshua 15:33 identifies several cities located in the foothills of Judah, an area known as the Shephelah. This region played an important role in the settlement of the Israelite tribes and is characterized by its lowland geography, which contrasts with the higher elevations of the Judean mountains. The cities mentioned here, including Eshtaol, Zorah, and Ashnah, each have unique historical and cultural significance within the biblical narrative.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua 19:41 | The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, |
| 2 | Numbers 13:23 | When they came to the Valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, which they carried on a pole between two men. They also took some pomegranates and figs. |
| 3 | Judges 13:25 | And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. |
| 4 | Judges 16:31 | Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he had judged Israel twenty years. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — שְׁפֵלָה, ba.she.fe.Lahgenerated
The term שְׁפֵלָה (shphelah) refers to a lowland or valley, specifically the strip of land west of the Judean mountains and near the coast. It is derived from the root word for 'low' and is used in the context of geographical features in Palestine. The Shephelah is significant as it served as a transitional zone between the coastal plain and the mountainous regions.
In this verse, the Shephelah serves as the geographical context for the cities listed. This lowland area is crucial for understanding the settlement patterns of the tribes of Israel and the strategic importance of these cities.
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 the verse is straightforward, with a prepositional phrase leading into a noun phrase that lists the cities. The finite verb is implicit, as the sentence is descriptive rather than narrative.
The prepositional phrase בַּשְּׁפֵלָ֑ה sets the geographical context, while the noun phrases אֶשְׁתָּא֥וֹל, וְצָרְעָ֖ה, and וְאַשְׁנָֽה enumerate the specific cities located within that region.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בַּשְּׁפֵלָ֑ה as ἐν, which means 'in.' This choice reflects a direct correspondence to the Hebrew, maintaining the geographical context.
The cities are rendered as ασταωλ, ραα, and ασσα, showing a consistent approach in naming the locations while adapting them to Greek phonetics.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Joshua 15:33 lists the cities of Eshtaol, Zorah, and Ashnah, which are located in the foothills of Judah. This region, known as the Shephelah, is significant for its geography and the role it played in the settlement of the Israelite tribes.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The Shephelah refers to the lowlands in Palestine, near the coast, specifically the area west of the Judean mountains.
Eshtaol means 'entreaty,' suggesting a place associated with humble requests or prayers.
Zorah is significant as the hometown of Samson, a prominent biblical figure known for his strength.
Ashnah means 'I will cause change,' indicating a potential transformation associated with the place.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the significance of the cities mentioned in this verse?
- How does the geographical context of the Shephelah influence the history of the Israelites?
- In what ways do the names of these cities reflect their historical or cultural significance?
- How can understanding the geography of biblical locations enhance our reading of the text?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Joshua 15:33 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible[And] in the valley,.... In Joshua 15:33 are enumerated the several cities belonging to the tribe of Judah which lay in the valley.
Read John Gill on Joshua 15 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah, In the valley , [ bashªpeelaah (H8219)].
Read Robert Jamieson on Joshua 15 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(33) In the valley—i.e., the Shephêlah, or plain of the coast. Of the fourteen that follow in Joshua 15:33-36, Conder identifies ten. Eshtaol, and Zoreah, were afterwards assigned to Dan (Joshua 19:41).
Read Charles John Ellicott on Joshua 15 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 33. Eshtaol, and Zoreah] Here Samson was buried, it being the burial-place of his fathers; see Judges 16:31. These places though first given to Judah, afterwards fell to the lot of Dan, Joshua 19:41.
Read AdamClarke on Joshua 15 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges33–47. Cities in the Lowland 33. in the valley] i.e. the Lowland. See above, Joshua 15:20, and also Joshua 10:40; Joshua 11:16. The places mentioned are arranged in four groups. The first of these lies in the north-eastern portion of the Shephêlah:—Group I. 1. Eshtaol = Yeshû’a; 2. Zoreah = Sûrah, the residence of Manoah (Judges 13:2; Judges 13:25) and the native place of Samson. It lay close to Eshtaol. Here Samson spent his boyhood, and to a spot between the two places his dead body was brought after his last great exploit (Judges 13:25; Judges 16:31); 3. Ashnah, unknown; 4. Zanoah now Zântû’a; 5. En-gannim, and 6. Tappuah are unknown; 7. Enam is mentioned Genesis 38:14; Genesis 38:21…
Read Cambridge on Joshua 15 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible33. In the valley — Hebrews, Shephelah, the lowland. See on Joshua 10:40. These cities are enumerated in four groups. A portion of these in the north was afterwards conceded to Dan.
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
These were in the foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
In the lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
These were in the foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
These cities were in the lowlands: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
Tyndale line
And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,
In the lowland, Eshtaol, and Zorah, and Ashnah,
In the lowland, Eshtaol, and Zorah, and Ashnah;
And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,
In the lowe countrey were Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,
Strictly literal
— In the lowland: Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,
In the low country: Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,
In the low country: Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,
And in the lowlands, Eshtaol, and Zor'ah, and Ashnah.
In the lower hill country to the west, there were Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
From the Latin
But in the plains: Estaol and Sarea and Asena,
Simplified
The towns in the western foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
In the lowland, Eshtaol, and Zorah, and Ashnah;
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 agree in the listing of the cities, with all four words matched. This indicates a strong consistency between the Hebrew and Greek traditions in this passage.
בַּשְּׁפֵלָ֑ה אֶשְׁתָּא֥וֹל וְצָרְעָ֖ה וְאַשְׁנָֽה׃
4 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 15:33
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.
שְׁפֵלָה (shphelah) refers to a lowland or valley, specifically the strip of land west of the Judean mountains and near the coast north of Carmel. It is derived from the root word for 'low' and is used in the context of geographical features in Palestine.
שְׁפֵלָה n.f. lowland
base
H8219 שְׁפֵלָה lowland
8219 shphelah shef-ay-law'
from 8213; Lowland, i.e. (with the article) the maritime
slope of Palestine:--low country, (low) plain, vale(-ley).
see HEBREW for 08213
שְׁפֵלָה (she.phe.lah) — Shephelah.
1) lowland, valley
1a) lowland
1a1) strip west of Judean mountains (technical term)
1a1a) the Shephelah
1a2) strip near coast north of Carmel
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHRd/Ncfsa
shef-e'-la (ha-shephelah; sephela, saphela):
1. Name and References:
The word denotes "lowland," and is variously rendered in the King James Version. It is "vale" in De 1:7; Jos 10:40; 1Ki 10:27; 2Ch 1:15; Jer 33:13; "valley" in Jos 9:1; 11:2,16; 12:8; 15:33; Jud 1:9; Jer 32:44; "low plain" in 1Ch 27:28; 2Ch 9:27; "plain" in
אֶשְׁתָּאוֹל (Eshta'ol) refers to a city associated with the Danites in ancient Palestine, meaning 'entreaty.' The entries indicate it is likely derived from a root meaning to 'intreat.' Additionally, the term can refer to the inhabitants of the city, known as אֶשְׁתָּאֻלִי (Eshtaolite), but there are no significant disagreements among the sources.
אֶשְׁתָּאוֹל, אֶשְׁתָּאֹל n.pr.loc. city of Danites
base
H847 אֶשְׁתָּאוֹל, אֶשְׁתָּאֹל
847 'Eshta'ol esh-taw-ole'
or mEshtafowl {esh-taw-ole'}; probably from 7592; intreaty;
Eshtaol, a place in Palestine:--Eshtaol.
see HEBREW for 07592
אֶשְׁתָּאוֹל (esh.ta.ol) — Eshtaol.
Eshtaol = "entreaty"
a Danite city located within Judah
Also named: esh.ta.u.li (אֶשְׁתָּאֻלִי "Eshtaolite" H0848)
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
esh'-ta-ol ('eshta'ol; Astaol):
A town in the Shephelah of Judah named next to Zorah (Jos 15:33; 19:41). Between these two cities lay Mahaneh-dan (the camp of Dan) where the Spirit of the Lord began to move Samson (Jud 13:25), and where he was buried (Jud 16:31). A contingent from Eshtaol formed part of the 600 Danites who captured Laish (Jud 18:2,11).
It is probably represented by the modern Ashu`a, about a mile and a half East of Zorah, the modern Car`ah.
Eshtaol
Narrow pass or recess, a town (Josh. 15:33) in the low country, the She-phelah of Judah. It was allotted to the tribe of Dan (Josh. 19:41), and was one of their strongholds. Here Samson spent his boyhood, and first began to show his mighty strength; and here he was buried in the burying-place of Manoah his father (Judg. 13:25; 16:31; 18:2, 8, 11, 12). It is identified with the modern Yeshua, on a hill 2 miles east of Zorah. Others, however, identify it with Kustul, east of Kirjath-jearim.
(a pass), a town in the low country --the Shefelah --of Judah, after wards allotted to Dan. (Joshua 15:33; 19:41) Here Samson spent his boyhood, and hither after his last exploit his body was brought. (Judges 13:25; 16:31; 18:2,8,11,12)
צָרְעָה (Tsor`ah) refers to a location in the Shephelah of Judah, identified with the town of Zorah, which is associated with the biblical figures Manoah and Samson. The name is linked to the meaning 'hornet.' It appears in various forms, including Zareah and Zoreah, but all denote the same place.
צָרְעָה n.pr.loc. in the Shephelah of Judah
base
H6881 צָרְעָה
6881 Tsor`ah tsor-aw'
apparently another form for 6880; Tsorah, a place in
Palestine:--Zareah, Zorah, Zoreah.
see HEBREW for 06880
צׇרְעָה (tsor.ah) — Zorah.
§ Zareah or Zoreah or Zorah = "hornet"
a town in Dan, residence of Manoah and the home town of Samson
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
zo'-ra (tsor`ah; Saraa): A city on the border of Dan, between Eshtaol and Ir-shemesh (Jos 19:41); the birthplace of Samson (Jud 13:2,25); near here too he was buried (Jud 16:31); from here some Danites went to spy out the land (Jud 18:2,11). In Jos 15:33 it is, with Eshtaol, allotted to Judah, and after the captivity it was reinhabited by the "children of Judah" (Ne 11:29, the King James Version "Zareah"). It was one of the cities fortified by Rehoboam (2Ch 11:10). It is probable that it is mentioned under the…
Zorah
Place of wasps, a town in the low country of Judah, afterwards given to Dan (Josh. 19:41; Judg. 18:2), probably the same as Zoreah (Josh. 15:33). This was Samson’s birthplace (Judg. 13:2, 25), and near it he found a grave (16:31). It was situated on the crest of a hill overlooking the valley of Sorek, and was fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chr. 11:10). It has been identified with Sur’ah, in the Wady Surar, 8 miles west of Jerusalem. It is noticed on monuments in the fifteenth century B.C. as attacked by the Abiri or Hebrews.
(hornet), a town in the allotment of the tribe of Dan, (Joshua 19:41) It is previously mentioned ch. (Joshua 15:33) in the catalogue of Judah, among the places in the district of the Shefelah (Authorized Version "Zoreah"), It was the residence of Manoah and the native place of Samson. It is mentioned among the places fortified by Rehoboam. (2 Chronicles 11:10) It is perhaps identical with the modern village of Sur’ah .
A city of Danites within the limits of Judah, 2Ch 11:12, called also Zoreah, Jos 15:33 19:40. Samson was a Zorite, or Zorathite, Jud 13:2,25 1Ch 2:54 4:2. It is now recognized in a secluded mountain village called Surah, on the edge of the hills north of Bethshemesh.
The road followed by Samson in going to Timnath leads down through rocky gorges, very likely to be haunted by wild beasts. It was here that he slew the lion, without the help of any weapon, Jud 14:5-7.
אַשְׁנָה (ashnah) refers to a name of two locations in Judah. The entries suggest it may derive from a root meaning related to change. It appears in the context of the Old Testament, specifically in Joshua 15:33.
אַשְׁנָה n.pr.loc. (the firm?) name of two cities in Judah.
v 43.
done
H823 אַשְׁנָה
823 'Ashnah ash-naw'
probably a variation for 3466; Ashnah, the name of two places
in Palestine:--Ashnah.
see HEBREW for 03466
אַשְׁנָה (ash.nah) — Ashnah.
§ Ashnah = "I will cause change"
a town in Judah
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
the name of two cities, both in the lowlands of Judah: (1) named between Zoreah and Zanoah, and therefore probably northwest of Jerusalem, (Joshua 15:33) and (2) between Jiptah and Nezib, and therefore to the southwest of Jerusalem. (Joshua 15:43) Each, according, to Robinson’s map (1857), would be about 16 miles from Jerusalem.
change
→ Name of two towns in Judah Jos 15:33,43