βNow these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:β
Wilderness. Hebrew, βall the plain country (Araba) on the east.β
βSihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;β
Galaad. Sehon occupied from the middle of the torrent Arnon, as far as half of the mountains of Galaad, and the torrent Jaboc. (Calmet) β Og possessed the other half of the mountains northward, while the Ammonites had the eastern parts. (Haydock)
βAnd from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Bethjeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdothpisgah : the south: or, Teman Ashdothpisgah: or, the springs of Pisgah, or, the hillβ
Bethsimoth is ten miles from Jericho, (Eusebius) near the Dead Sea, in the plains of Moab. (Calmet) β Phasga. Asedoth lay at the foot of this mountain, being well supplied with water. Subjacet Acedoth usque Phasga, the southern limits of Sehonβs dominions had βabundance of springs, as far as Phasga.β (Haydock)
βAnd the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,β
Og. See Numbers xxi. 33., and Deuteronomy iii. 11.
βAnd these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;β
Seir. The same expression occurs, chap xi. 17. Hebrew, βfrom Baalgad, in the vale of Libanus, even unto Mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir.β (Haydock) β Halak means, βbald or naked.β It is not know what mountain it denotes. Josue, (Calmet) or the Israelites, (Haydock) conquered βall the country beyond the Jordan, on the north from Baalgad, at the foot of Libanus, and from Hermon, where these mountains meet, as far as the mountains of separation,β which divide the country of Chanaan from that of Seir, on the south of Judea. (Calmet) β Baalgad was situated on the north western borders of this territory, not of the Jordan. (Haydock)
βIn the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:β
Asedoth, or βin the springs,β or valleys, ver. 3.
βThe king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;β
Herma, βa curse,β where the Israelites defeated king Arad, Numbers xiv. 45., and xxi. 3.
βThe king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;β
Odullam, ten miles east of Eleutheropolis, and famous for the retreat of David. (Calmet)
βThe king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one;β
Bethel. Josue perhaps slew the king, but did not take the city, Judges i. 22. (Menochius)
βThe king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; Lasharon: or, Sharonβ
Aphec. A place of this name was in the tribe of Aser, another in that of Juda. β Saron. Hebrew, βLasharon;β probably Sarona, (Acts ix. 35,) or a canton near Joppe. (Eusebius)
βThe king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;β
Madon, or Maron. Septuagint, chap xi. 1. This place is joined with Semeron, in Hebrew (ver. 20,) improperly. Perhaps it may be the Meros, (Judges v. 23,) or Maronia, a city of PhΕnicia.
βThe king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;β
Thenac, a city of the Levites, but seized afterwards by the Chanaanites, Judges i. 27. It was near the town of Legion, built by the Romans. β Mageddo, where Josias was overcome, 2 Paralipomenon xxxv. 22. (Calmet)
βThe king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one;β
Jachanan was near Mount Carmel. Sometimes Josue specifies both the city and the canton, where it was situated; at other times he only mentions the latter, as in the following verse.
βThe king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one;β
Galgal, not where the Israelites had encamped, but that part which was afterwards called the Galilee of the Gentiles, in some corner of which the king in question had fixed his residence. For we cannot suppose that he ruled over all that country, extending from Tyre to beyond the Jordan. His people might probably be a mixed multitude of various nations, as Strabo (xvi.) observes, that many parts of Palestine were peopled by men of this description.
βThe king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty and one.β
Thersa. Here the kings of Israel kept their court, till Amri built Samaria, (Calmet) about nine miles more to the north. (Brocard.) β One. The two kings slain by Moses (Worthington) are not included. (Menochius)