Joshua 15:35 — Word Study
WLCיַרְמוּת֙ וַעֲדֻלָּ֔ם שׂוֹכֹ֖ה וַעֲזֵקָֽה׃
BSAJarmuthYarmûwth [a city of heights] AdullamʻĂdullâm [in the lowlands of Judah] SocohSôwkôh [in the valley, a low place] AzekahʻĂzêqâh [dug over, possibly a fortified city]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| יַרְמוּת֙ | Jarmuth | Noun proper |
| וַעֲדֻלָּ֔ם | and Adullam | Conjunction, noun proper |
| שׂוֹכֹ֖ה | Socoh | Noun proper |
| וַעֲזֵקָֽה׃ | and Azekah | Conjunction, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, |
| KJV | Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, |
| ASV | Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, |
| YLT | Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, |
| WEB | Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, |
| BBE | Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah; |
Where they part company is minimal; all versions agree on the names and descriptions of the cities.
The verse consists of a single main clause listing the cities, emphasizing their collective significance.
3 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, 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 15:35
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 — Cities of Judahgenerated
Joshua 15:35 lists cities allocated to the tribe of Judah, emphasizing the geographical diversity of the region. This verse contributes to the broader context of the land distribution among the tribes of Israel, highlighting the importance of these locations in the historical narrative of the Israelites settling in Canaan.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua 10:3–23 | Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, |
| 2 | Joshua 12:11 | the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; |
| 3 | Nehemiah 11:29 | in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, |
| 4 | Joshua 12:15 | the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; |
| 5 | 1 Samuel 22:1 | So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יַרְמוּת, yar.Mutgenerated
The first city mentioned is יַרְמוּת (yar.Mut), a proper noun that means "heights." This indicates its elevated position, possibly making it a strategic location in the region. It is one of the cities given to the Levites, reflecting its significance in the biblical narrative.
The parsing as a noun proper shows that it is a specific location, and its frequency of occurrence suggests its importance in the historical context of Judah.
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, listing four cities in a noun phrase format. The cities are presented in a series, each connected by conjunctions, which emphasizes their collective significance.
The use of conjunctions to link the cities suggests a cataloguing style typical of ancient texts, where cities are grouped together to provide a comprehensive overview of the region.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יַרְמוּת as οδολλαμ, which indicates a continuity in the identification of this location, though the Greek rendering suggests a different phonetic interpretation.
This choice reflects an adaptation for a Greek-speaking audience, maintaining the reference to a significant city while altering its presentation.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Joshua 15:35 lists four cities in Judah: Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah. Each city is described with a phrase that highlights its geographical features, such as elevation or location in the lowlands.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Jarmuth means 'heights,' indicating its elevated position in the region.
Adullam is notable as the site where David hid in a cave, reflecting its strategic importance.
Both cities are part of the lowland region of Judah, highlighting the geographical diversity in the area.
These cities were allocated to the tribe of Judah, marking their significance in the settlement of the Israelites in Canaan.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do the geographical features of these cities influence their historical significance?
- In what ways does understanding the locations of these cities enhance our comprehension of the biblical narrative?
- What can we learn from the allocation of cities to the tribes of Israel regarding their settlement patterns?
- How does the naming of these cities reflect the culture and history of the people living in Judah?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Joshua 15:35 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleJarmuth, and Adullam,.... The two first of these were royal cities, of which see Joshua 10:3; Socoh; Jerom says (m) there were two little villages in his day of the name of Socho, as you go to Aelia
Read John Gill on Joshua 15 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryJarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, Jarmuth , [ Yarmuwt (H3412), height; Septuagint, Hiermouth] - anciently a royal city of the Canaanites (Joshua 10:3; Joshua 12:11 : cf. Nehemiah 11:29), new Yarnuk.
Read Robert Jamieson on Joshua 15 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 35. Jarmuth] See Clarke on Joshua 10:3. Adullam] See Clarke on Joshua 12:15. Socoh] It was near this place that David fought with and slew Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, 1 Samuel 17:1.
Read AdamClarke 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
Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
Tyndale line
Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,
Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,
Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah;
Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,
Iarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,
Strictly literal
Jarmuth and Adullam, Sochoh and Azekah,
Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,
Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,
Yarmuth, and 'Adullam, Sochoh, and 'Azekah,
Jarmuth, Adullam, Sokoh, Azekah,
From the Latin
And Jerimoth and Adullam, Socho and Azeca,
Simplified
Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah;
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 some agreement in naming the cities, though only two of the four cities are matched in the Greek translation. This indicates a partial alignment in the textual tradition, with some differences in the rendering.
יַרְמוּת֙ וַעֲדֻלָּ֔ם שׂוֹכֹ֖ה וַעֲזֵקָֽה׃
2 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 15:35
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.
יַרְמוּת (yar-moot) refers to Jarmuth, which means "heights." It denotes two locations in Palestine: a Canaanite city with a king situated between Hebron and Lachish, and a Levitical city in Issachar assigned to the Gershonite Levites. The word is derived from H7311, indicating elevation.
יַרְמוּת n.pr.loc.
Canaanitish city, with a king, named between Hebron and Lachish
Levitical city in Issachar
base
H3412 יַרְמוּת
3412 Yarmuwth yar-mooth'
from 7311; elevation; Jarmuth, the name of two places in
Palestine:--Jarmuth.
see HEBREW for 07311
יַרְמוּת (yar.mut) — Jarmuth.
§ Jarmuth = "heights"
a Canaanitish city in the lowlands of Judah with a king and located between Hebron and Lachish
יַרְמוּת (yar.mut) — Jarmuth.
§ Jarmuth = "heights"
a Levitical city of Issachar allocated to the Gershonite Levites
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
jar'-muth (yarmuth:
(1) A city of the Canaanites in the Shephelah (Jos 15:35) of Judah whose "king," Piram, joined the league of the "five kings" against Joshua (Jos 10:3-5), was defeated at Gibeon and slain at Makkedah (10:23). One of the 31 "kings" defeated in Joshua' s campaign (Jos 12:11). In Jos 15:35 it is mentioned in conjunction with Adullam, Socoh and Azekah, and in Ne 11:29 with Zorah, Zanoah and Adullam. Cheyne (Encyclopedia Biblica) suggests that the "Maroth" of Mic 1:12 may be a copyist's error for Jarmuth. In Eusebius, Onomasticon (OS2 132 31; 266 38)…
Jarmuth
Height. (1.) A town in the plain of Judah (Josh. 15:35), originally the residence of one of the Canaanitish kings (10:3, 5, 23). It has been identified with the modern Yarmuk, a village about 7 miles north-east of Beit-Jibrin.
(2.) A Levitical city of the tribe of Issachar (Josh. 21:29), supposed by some to be the Ramah of Samuel (1 Sam. 19:22).
(high). A town in the low country of Judah. (Joshua 16:35) Its king, Piram, was one of the five who conspired. to punish Gibeon for having made alliance with Israel, (Joshua 10:3,5) and who were routed at Beth-horon and put to death by Joshua at Makkedah. ver. 33. Its site is probably the modern Yarmuk . A city of Issachar allotted with its suburbs to the Gershonite Levites. (Joshua 21:29)
fearing, or seeing, or throwing down, death
עֲדֻלָּם (Adullam) refers to an ancient Canaanite city in Palestine, associated with the tribe of Judah. The name is thought to mean 'justice of the people.' It is noted as the location of the cave where David sought refuge. The word may derive from a related term, but the exact connection is not detailed.
עֲדֻלָּם n.pr.loc. old Canaanite city
base
H5725 עֲדֻלָּם
5725 `Adullam ad-ool-lawm'
probably from the passive participle of the same as 5724;
Adullam, a place in Palestine:--Adullam.
see HEBREW for 05724
עֲדֻלָּם (a.dul.lam) — Adullam.
Adullam = "justice of the people"
a town of the Canaanites allotted to Judah and lying in the lowlands; site of the cave where David hid
Also named: a.dul.la.mi (עֲדֻלָּמִי "Adullamite" H5726)
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
a-dul'-am (`adhullam):
(1) A city, with dependencies, and in ancient times having a king, mentioned five times in the Old Testament, each time in a list with other cities (Jos 12:15; 15:35; 2Ch 11:7; Mic 1:15; Ne 11:30). In the list of 31 kings whom Joshua smote, Adullam follows Hormah, Arad, Libnah, and precedes Makkedah. Among the 14 Judahite cities of the first group in "the lowland" Adullam is mentioned between Jarmuth and Socoh. In the list of 15 cities fortified by Rehoboam it appears between Socoh and Gath. Micah gives what may be a list of cities concerned in some Assyrian approach to Jerusalem; it begins with Gath, includes Lachish, and ends with Mareshah and…
Adullam
One of the royal cities of the Canaanites, now ‘Aid-el-ma (Josh. 12:15; 15:35). It stood on the old Roman road in the valley of Elah (q.v.), which was the scene of David’s memorable victory over Goliath (1 Sam. 17:2), and not far from Gath. It was one of the towns which Rehoboam fortified against Egypt (2 Chr. 11:7). It was called “the glory of Israel” (Micah 1:15).
The Cave of Adullam has been discovered about 2 miles south of the scene of David’s triumph, and about 13 miles west from Bethlehem. At this place is a hill some 500 feet high pierced with numerous caverns, in one of which David gathered together “every one that was in distress, and every one that…
(justice of the people), Apocr. ODOLLAM, a city of Judah int he lowland of the Shefelah, (Joshua 15:35) the seat of a Canaanite king, (Joshua 12:15) and evidently a place of great antiquity. (Genesis 38:1,12,20) Fortified by Rehoboam, (2 Chronicles 11:7) it was one of the towns reoccupied by the Jews after their return from Babylon, (Nehemiah 11:30) and still a city in the time of the Macabees. 2Ma 12:38 Adullam was probably near Deir Dubban , five or six miles north of Eleutheropolis. The limestone cliffs of the whole of that locality are pierced with extensive excavations, some one of which is doubtless the "cave of…
An ancient city in the plain of Judah, southwest of Jerusalem, Ge 38:1 Jos 15:35. Its king was slain by Joshua, Jos 12:15. It was one of the cities rebuilt and fortified by Rehoboam, 2Ch 11:7 Mic 1:15, and was reoccupied by the Jews after the captivity, Ne 11:30.
When David withdrew from Achish, king of Gath, he retired to the "cave of Adullam," 1Sa 22:1 2Sa 23:13. The location of this cave, however, is uncertain. Tradition places it in the hill country, about…
שׂוֹכֹה (Sowkoh) refers to a name for two locations in Judah, described as a town in both the lowlands and the hill-country. The name is derived from a root meaning 'bushy.' Additionally, a man named Soco is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:18. The lexicons provide various spellings for the name, including Shocho and Sochoh.
שׂוֹכֹה, שׂוֹכוֹ n.pr.loc. in Judah
in Shephelah
in hill-country
base
H7755 שׂוֹכֹה, שׂוֹכוֹ
7755 Sowkoh so-ko'
or Sokoh {so-ko'}; or Sowkow {so-ko'}; from 7753; Sokoh or
Soko, the name of two places in Palestine:--Shocho, Shochoh,
Sochoh, Soco, Socoh.
see HEBREW for 07753
שׂוֹכֹה, שֹׂכֹה (s.vo.khoh) — Socoh.
§ Shocho or Shochoh or Sochoh or Shoco or Socoh = "bushy"
a town in the lowlands of Judah
שׂוֹכֹה (s.vo.khoh) — Socoh.
§ Shocho or Shochoh or Sochoh or Shoco or Socoh = "bushy"
a town in the mountain district of Judah
שׂוֹכֹוֹ (s.vo.khoh) — Soco.
A man of the tribe of Judah(?) living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.4.18;
son of: Heber (H2268I)
§ Shocho or Shochoh or Sochoh or Shoco or Socoh = "bushy"
1) a town in the lowlands of Judah
2) a town in the mountain district of Judah
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
the name of two towns in the tribe of Judah. In the district of the Shefelah. (Joshua 15:35; 1 Samuel 17:1; 2 Chronicles 11:7; 8:18) In the time of Eusebius it bore the name of Socchoth, and lay between eight and nine Roman miles from Eleutheropolis, on the road to Jerusalem. It may be identified with esh-Shuweikeh , in the western part of the mountains of Judah. From this village probably came Antigonus of Soco, who lived about the commencement of the third century B.C. Also a town of Judah, but in the mountain district. (Joshua 15:48) It has been discovered about 10 miles southwest of Hebron; bearing, like the other Socoh, the name of esh-Shuweikeh .
tents; tabernacles
עֲזֵקָה (Azeqah) refers to a specific location in the lowlands of Judah, described as 'tilled' or 'dug over.' The entries indicate it is a proper noun and a town in the Shephelah region, with no significant disagreement among the sources.
עֲזֵקָה n.pr.loc. in the Shephelah of Judah
base
H5825 עֲזֵקָה
5825 `Azeqah az-ay-kaw'
from 5823; tilled; Azekah, a place in Palestine:--Azekah.
see HEBREW for 05823
עֲזֵקָה (a.ze.qah) — Azekah.
§ Azekah = "dug over"
a town in the lowlands of Judah
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
a-ze'-ka `azekah: A town of some importance in the Shephelah of Judah mentioned (Jos 15:35) next to Socoh. In Jos 10:10 the defeated kings of the Arnorites are described as flying before Joshua "by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon .... to Azekah, and unto Makkedah" and (Jos 10:11) as the host fled "Yahweh cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died." In 1Sa 17:1 it is recorded that before David's combat with Goliath, the Philistines "gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammin." In 2Ch 11:9 it is mentioned as one of the…
Azekah
Dug over, a town in the Shephelah or low hills of Judah (Josh. 15:35), where the five confederated Amoritish kings were defeated by Joshua and their army destroyed by a hailstrom (10:10, 11). It was one of the places re-occupied by the Jews on their return from the Captivity (Neh. 11:30).
(dugover), a town of Judah, with dependent villages, lying in the Shefelah or rich agricultural plain. It is most clearly defined as being near Shochoh, (1 Samuel 17:1) but its position has not yet been recognized.