Joshua 19:42 — Word Study
WLCוְשַֽׁעֲלַבִּ֥ין וְאַיָּל֖וֹן וְיִתְלָֽה׃
BSAShaalabbinShaʻalbîym [place of foxes, Shaalbim] AijalonʼAyâlôwn [field of deer] IthlahYithlâh△ [he hangs]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְשַֽׁעֲלַבִּ֥ין | and Shaalabbin | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וְאַיָּל֖וֹן | and Aijalon | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וְיִתְלָֽה׃ | and Ithlah | Conjunction, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, |
| KJV | And Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and Jethlah, |
| ASV | and Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Ithlah, |
| YLT | and Shalabbin, and Aijalon, and Jethlah, |
| WEB | Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, |
| BBE | And Shaalabbin and Aijalon and Ithlah |
The translations agree on the names of the towns listed in this verse.
This verse consists of a straightforward list of towns with no additional clauses.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, AdamClarke & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 3 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 19:42
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 Inheritance of the Tribe of Dangenerated
Joshua 19:42 lists towns that were part of the territory allotted to the tribe of Dan. This verse is part of a longer passage that details the boundaries and cities of the tribes of Israel as they settled in the Promised Land, highlighting the geographical and cultural significance of these locations.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Judges 1:35 | And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor. |
| 2 | Joshua 10:12 | On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” |
| 3 | Joshua 21:24 | Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon—four cities, together with their pasturelands. |
| 4 | 1 Samuel 14:31 | That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, the people were very faint. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — שַׁעֲלַבִּין, ve.sha.'a.la.Bingenerated
The word שַׁעֲלַבִּין (sha'alabbin) is a proper noun referring to a town in the territory of Dan. It is derived from a root that suggests a connection to foxes, indicating that the area may have been known for such wildlife.
Shaalabbin is mentioned in other biblical texts, which helps to establish its historical and geographical context. It is associated with the Amorites and is significant in the narrative of Israel's settlement.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree on the names of the towns listed in this verse.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse consists of a simple list of three proper nouns, each preceded by a conjunction: וְשַֽׁעֲלַבִּ֥ין, וְאַיָּל֖וֹן, and וְיִתְלָֽה. This structure indicates a straightforward enumeration of towns.
The use of conjunctions emphasizes the connection between these locations as part of the territory of Dan.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates שַׁעֲלַבִּין as σαλαβιν, אַיָּל֖וֹן as αμμων, and יִתְלָֽה as σιλαθα. This shows a direct correspondence between the Hebrew names and their Greek equivalents.
The choice of these Greek words indicates an effort to maintain the original meanings and associations of the towns, although the exact nuances may differ in translation.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Joshua 19:42 lists three towns in the territory of Dan: Shaalabbin, Aijalon, and Ithlah. These towns are part of the inheritance given to the tribe of Dan as they settled in the Promised Land.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Shaalabbin means 'place of foxes' and refers to a town in the territory of Dan.
Aijalon, meaning 'field of deer', was a Levitical city and held historical importance in the region.
Ithlah means 'he hangs' and is another town in the territory of Dan.
These towns were part of the land allotted to the tribe of Dan as they settled in their inheritance.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What do the names of these towns reveal about the geography and culture of ancient Israel?
- How can understanding the historical context of these locations enhance our reading of the Bible?
- In what ways do the meanings of these town names reflect the characteristics of the land?
- How does this passage fit into the larger narrative of Israel's settlement in the Promised Land?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Joshua 19:42 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd Shaalabbin,.... The first of these is the same with Shaalbim, Jude 1:35; and which Jerom (r) calls Selab, in the tribe of Dan; and which he says was in his day shown a large village on the
Read John Gill on Joshua 19 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and Jethlah, Shaalabbin - or Shaalbim (Judges 1:35; 1 Kings 4:9), city of foxes or jackals; not discovered.
Read Robert Jamieson on Joshua 19 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(41-46) All the towns mentioned here are identified by Conder. Zorah—Sur’ahEshtaol—Eshû’aIr-shemesh—Ain Sheme Shaalabbin—SelbîtAjalon—YâloJethlah—(Ruin) Beit TulAre all in sheet 17Elon—Beit ElloThimnathah—(Ruin) TibnehSheet 14Ekron-(akir, sheet 16)13For Gath-rimmon, Conder suggests Gath; but this he identifies with Tell-es-Safi, which is well within the territory of Judah (to the south of sheet 16). Me-jarkon, “the yellow water,” is thought to be the river ’Aujeh (sheet 13), and Rakkon, Tell-er-Rakkeit, to the north of the mouth of it. Japho is Jaffa, on the same sheet.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Joshua 19 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 42. Shaalabbin] The foxes. Of this city the Amorites kept constant possession. See Judges 1:35. Ajalon] There was a place of this name about two miles from Nicopolis or Emmaus, on the road to Jerusalem.-Calmet.
Read AdamClarke on Joshua 19 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges42. Shaalabbin] = “the place of foxes;” comp. the story of Samson, Judges 15:4. It appears in 1 Kings 4:9 as the home of one of David’s “mighty men.” For Ajalon see above, ch. Joshua 10:12; Jethlah has not been identified.
Read Cambridge on Joshua 19 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleDAN’S LOT, Joshua 19:40-48.[The territory assigned to Dan was the smallest of all the tribe divisions. But it was not without advantages.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon 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
Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
Tyndale line
And Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and Jethlah,
and Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Ithlah,
and Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Ithlah;
And Shaalabbim, and Ajalon, and Jethlah,
And Shaalabbin, and Aiialon, and Ithlah,
Strictly literal
and Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and Jithlah,
and Shalabbin, and Aijalon, and Jethlah,
and Shalabbin, and Aijalon, and Jethlah,
And Sha'alabbin, and Ayalon, and Yithlah,
Shaalabbin, Aijalon, and Ithlah.
From the Latin
Selebin and Aialon and Jethela,
Simplified
Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
And Shaalabbin and Aijalon and Ithlah
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 on the names of the towns listed in this verse. Both sources present the same three locations without variation, indicating a consistent tradition regarding these geographical references.
וְשַֽׁעֲלַבִּ֥ין וְאַיָּל֖וֹן וְיִתְלָֽה׃
3 of the 3 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 19:42
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.
שַׁעַלְבִים (Sha'albiym) refers to a location in ancient Palestine, specifically a town in the territory of Dan, possibly meaning 'place of foxes.' It is mentioned in relation to the Amorites and is linked to the term for fox-holes. The word is a plural form derived from another Hebrew root.
שַׁעַלְבִים n.pr.loc. (perh. haunt of foxes);—in (orig.) territory of Dan
base
H8169 שַׁעַלְבִים
8169 Sha`albiym shah-al-beem'
or Sha.alabbiyn {shah-al-ab-been'}; plural from 7776;
fox-holes; Shaalbim or Shaalabbin, a place in
Palestine:--Shaalabbin, Shaalbim.
see HEBREW for 07776
שַׁעַלְבִים (sha.al.vim) — Shaalbim.
Shaalbim or Shaalabbin = "place of foxes"
a town in Dan occupied by the Amorites
Also named: sha.al.vo.ni (שַׁעַלְבֹנִי "Shaalbonite" H8170)
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
sha-a-lab'-in (sha`alabbin; Codex Vaticanus Salabein; Codex Alexandrinus Salamein): A town in the territory of Da named between Irshemesh and Aijalon (Jos 19:42). It seems to be identical with SHAALBIM.
Shaalabbin
Or Shaal’bim, a place of foxes, a town of the tribe of Dan (Josh. 19:42; Judg. 1:35). It was one of the chief towns from which Solomon drew his supplies (1 Kings 4:9). It is probably the modern village of Selbit, 3 miles north of Ajalon.
→ See SHAALBIM
אַיָּלוֹן (Ayalown) means 'deer-field' and refers to Aijalon, a name for five locations in Palestine. It is identified as a Levitical city in Dan, located northwest of Jerusalem, and has historical ties to the Amorites, Benjamites, and Philistines.
אַיָּלוֹן n.pr.loc. (Deer-field) Aijalon
city in Dan
city in Zebulun
base
H357 אַיָּלוֹן
357 'Ayalown ah-yaw-lone'
from 354; deer-field; Ajalon, the name of five places in
Palestine:--Aijalon, Ajalon.
see HEBREW for 0354
אַיָּלוֹן (ay.ya.lon) — Aijalon.
§ Ajalon or Aijalon = "field of deer"
Levitical city in Dan, 14 miles or 25 km NW of Jerusalem, later ruled by the Amorites, then the Benjamites of Judah, then by the Philistines
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
a'-ja-lon ('ayyalon, "deerplace"; the King James Version, Ajalon (Jos 10:12)):
(1) The name of a town allotted to the tribe of Da (Jos 19:42), which was also designated a Levitical city (Jos 21:24), which fell to the Sons of Kohath (1Ch 6:69). The first mention of Aijalon is in the narrative of Joshua's defeat of the five Amorite kings: "thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon" (Jos 10:12). The Danites failed to take it from the Amorites (Jud 1:35), although the men of Ephraim held it in vassalage. Here Saul and Jonathan won a great victory over the Philistines (
→ See AJALON
יִתְלָה (Yithlah) refers to a location in southern Dan, identified as Jethlah. The name is thought to mean 'he hangs' and is derived from a root meaning to hang or be high. It appears in Joshua 19:42.
יִתְלָה n.pr.loc. in (Southern) Dan Jos 19:42
ref
H3494 יִתְלָה
3494 Yithlah yith-law'
probably from 8518; it will hang, i.e. be high; Jithlah, a
place in Palestine:--Jethlah.
see HEBREW for 08518
יִתְלָה (yit.lah) — Ithlah.
§ Jethlah = "he hangs"
one of the towns in southern Dan
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl