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The
territory of Judah is generally divided in four parts; 1, the South; 2, the
Lowlands; 3, the
Mountains; and 4, the
Desert. (Compare Joshua 10:40; 15 in
various parts.)
The Towns of the Southern Part.
Kabzeel
קבצאל Joshua
15:21; Neh. 11:25; its situation is entirely unknown.
Eder
עדר, perhaps there may be
here supposed a transposition of the letter ד and
ר D and R, whence we should have Arad,
(see Num. 32:38), although this would overthrow my idea as given above under
Chormah and Arad.
Jagur
יגור; the situation of
this place is uncertain. (See Tosephtah, end of Ahaloth, where, according to the
reading of Rabbi Shamson the ר״ש,
it says, "The borders of Ashkelon extend from the great grave to Jagur,"
&c.) The supposition that this is the village Dshura situated between Migdol
(Meshdal) and Ashkelon, is proved erroneous, because of its being in the
Lowlands, whilst Jagur is reckoned among the towns of the South.
Kinah
קינה; probably Cinah, a
town situated near the wilderness of Zin צין.
Kedesh
קדש; this is Kadesh-Barnea,
in the Wady Bierin. (See above in the
Boundaries of Palestine.)
Ithnan
יתנן; Hieronymus says
that is in the neighbourhood of Beth Djibrin, in the direction of Hebron, 6 mill
from the former; at the present time there is on the spot indicated the village
Ithna; but this would place this town in the Mountains and not in the South.
Ziph
ציף Five English miles north of
Mount Madura (which see), is the narrow valley Nukab al Zapha, which name is
probably derived from the town of Ziph, which once stood here.
Telem
טלם. This town was situated
south of Madura, wherefore this district is caled to this day Tulam. I am
induced to believe that in this vicinity there was yet another city of the same
name, whence "and he numbered them in Telaim," טלאים
with a plural termination (1 Sam. 15:4), indicating two places called Telem; and
hence then, also, the modern appellation of the whole district, Tulam, or the
space between the two towns. In Midrash Koheleth to chap. 5:10, there is
mentioned a Menachem Talmia, who was probably a native of Telem.
Bealoth
בעלות, is
probably the Kubit al Ba-ul, situated 7½ English miles southeast of Telem, and
northwest of Zapha.
Moladah
מולדה, is the
modern village Muladah, 3 English miles southeast of Arad.
Chazar-Gaddah
חצר גדה.
According to Hieronymus, this town was situated in the southern part, near the
Dead Sea. Perhaps he meant En-Gedi (which see).
Beer-Sheba
באר שבע, is
30 English miles southwest of Hebron (Chebron), and is now called Bir-Siba.
Ezem
עצם, is probably identical
with Azmon (which see).
Kesil
כסיל, is the same place
which is represented as belonging to the mountainous part of Simeon, under the
name of Bethuel (1 Chron. 4:30), and in the conquests of David (which see) as
Beth-El, in 1 Sam. 30:27.
Chormah
חרמה.
I have already said, when speaking of the 31 Kings, that Chormah is identical
with the previous Zephath of Judges 1:17, and that there is the valley of
Zephatha near Mareshah (2 Chron. 14:9). Chormah must therefore have stood in
this neighbourhood, not far from Beth-Djibrin. The only difficulty in the case
is that Chormah is reckoned as belonging to the South, whereas Mareshah was
reckoned among the cities of the Lowlands. It is possible, however, that the
valley of Zephatha alone extended to Mareshah, whilst the town of Zephath, i. e.
Chormah, was actually in the south district. At present I could find no trace of
the same.
Ziklag צקלג,
is also not fully ascertained; this much, however, is known, that it was north
of the stream Besor (Wady Sheria), which flows 2½ English miles south of Gaza,
and it must, consequently, have stood not far from the Mediterranean, and
probably between the Wadys Sheria and Simsum.
Madmannah מדמנה,
is probably the Levitical city Mandah, in which, according to the book of
Jashar, end of Joshua, Simeon was buried. According to Eusebius, it is called
Minos, and lies opposite to Gaza.
Sansannah סנסנה,
is probably the village of Simsum (as the Arabs often exchange the ג
N, with מ M), which is situated on the
river Simsum, which runs 5 English miles northeast of Gaza, and falls by
Ashkelon into the sea. I admit that, according to our assumption, all the three
last-mentioned towns would belong to the Lowland, and not to the South of Judah;
but the boundary lines are so little known with certainty, that it is possible
that the vicinity of Gaza may have actually belonged to the South, and not to
the Lowland, or the שפלה.
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