He went up against the inhabitants of Debir: now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher. Caleb said, “He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.” Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
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Joshua 15:15-17 sits inside this longer paragraph.
He gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of Yahweh to Joshua, even Kiriath Arba, named after the father of Anak (also called Hebron). Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. He went up against the inhabitants of Debir: now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher. Caleb said, “He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.” Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. When she came, she had him ask her father for a field. She got off her donkey, and Caleb said, “What do you want?”
Parallel Translations
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He went up against the inhabitants of Debir: now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.
Caleb said, “He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.”
Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
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And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher.
And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.
And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.
Show all 3 translations
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And he went up thence against the inhabitants of Debir — now the name of Debir beforetime was Kiriath-sepher.
And Caleb said: 'He that smiteth Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.'
And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.
Cross-references (11)
- Judges 1:13 (v17) Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it, so he gave him Achsah his daughter as his wife.
- Judges 3:9 (v17) When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of…
- Joshua 10:38 (v15) Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir, and fought against it.
- Joshua 14:6 (v17) Then the children of Judah came near to Joshua in Gilgal. Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the thing that…
- Judges 1:12-13 (v16) Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter as wife to the man who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it.” Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s…
Show all 11 cross-references
- Judges 3:11 (v17) The land had rest forty years, then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
- Numbers 32:12 (v17) except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, because they have followed Yahweh completely.’
- Joshua 10:3 (v15) Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of…
- Judges 1:6 (v16) But Adoni-Bezek fled. They pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.
- Judges 1:11-13 (v15) From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir before that was Kiriath Sepher.) Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my…
- 1 Chronicles 2:49 (v17) She bore also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbena, and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (15 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v17 Or, cousins.
Or, cousins.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Jos 15:15 And he went up thence to the…
Jos 15:15 And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before [was] Kirjathsepher.
Ver. 15. And the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher.] Which signifieth a city of books, as Debir doth a secret and sacred place. Some think it was a University, or at least, that there was a famous library, such as was afterwards the Serapion at Alexandria, furnished with the best books by Ptolomy Philadelph, who was φιλολογωτατος βασιλευς, as Cyril noteth, a great lover of learning.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Debir; the same mentioned above, Jos 15:7. The name…
Debir; the same mentioned above, Jos 15:7. The name of Debir before was
Kirjath-sepher: this clause seems to be added to distinguish this from the other Debir subdued by Joshua, Jos 10:38,39.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv15–17 And he went up from thence to the inhabitants…
And he went up from thence to the inhabitants of Debir,.... Having conquered Hebron, and got possession of that, Caleb marched to Debir, a city not many miles from Hebron, and seems to have been in the country, and part of the land, which was given him; of which See Gill on Jos 10:38,
and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher; or "the city of books"; either a place of literature, a sort of an academy, or where was a public library; the Targum calls it Kirjatharche, or the city of the archives, in which were laid up the public records of the Canaanites; the same is called Kirjathsannah for the like reason; see Gill on Jos 15:49.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Debir - The same mentioned above, ver. 7. The…
Debir - The same mentioned above, ver. 7. The name was Kirjath-sepher - This clause seems to be added to distinguish this from the other Debir subdued by Joshua, chap. x, 38, 39.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Verse 15. Kirjath-sepher.] The city of the book. Why…
Verse 15. Kirjath-sepher.] The city of the book. Why so named is uncertain. It was also called Debir, and Kirjath-sannah. See Jos 15:49.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v16 Jos 15:16. Caleb said — Made proclamation throughout the…
Jos 15:16. Caleb said — Made proclamation throughout the army which he led against Debir. Achsah my daughter to wife — Which is to be understood with some conditions, as, if he were one who could marry her according to God’s law; and if she were willing; for though parents had a great power over their children, they could not force them to marry any person against their own wills. He might otherwise be an unfit and unworthy person; but this was a divine impulse, that Othniel’s valour might be more manifest, and so the way prepared for his future government of the people, Jdg 3:9.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv15, 17 The name Debir belonged to two other places; namely,,…
The name Debir belonged to two other places; namely,, that named in Jos 15:7, between Jerusalem and Jericho, and the Gadite town mentioned in Jos 13:26. The Debir here meant appears (and its site has been conjecturally placed at Dhaheriyeh (Conder)) to have been situated in the mountain district south of Hebron. It was one of the towns afterward assigned to the Levites. Its other name Jos 15:49, “Kirjath-sannah”, i. e. perhaps, “city of palm branches,” or “city of law, or sacred learning,” no less than the two given in the text, would indicate that Debir was an ancient seat of Canaanite learning, for Debir probably is equivalent to “oracle,” and Kirjath-sepher means “city of books.” This plurality of names marks the importance of the town, as the inducement held out in Jos 15:16, by Caleb, to secure its capture (compare 1Sa 17:25; 1Sa 18:17), points to its strength.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Letters, as the Septuagint render it. St. Jerome adds…
CHAPTER XV.
Letters, as the Septuagint render it. St. Jerome adds this interpretation. (Haydock) --- It means literally "the city of the book." Senna, may also mean "instruction," ver. 49. Here probably a famous school was kept, before the arrival of the Israelites; or the archive of the nation might be deposited among these giants, as the Chaldean Kiriat-arche, "the city of the library, or archives," insinuates. (Bochart, Phaleg. ii. 17.)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Debir--"oracle." Its former name, Kirjath-sepher, signifies "city of the…
Debir--"oracle." Its former name, Kirjath-sepher, signifies "city of the book," being probably a place where public registers were kept.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv15–17 15. Debir — See on Jos_10:38.
15. Debir — See on Jos_10:38.
{We have now, in 16-19, a glimpse of romance in Hebrew history. It was memorable tradition connected with the capture of Debir, and with the history of one of the princely families of the period.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv15–17 15. to the inhabitants of Debir] On Debir see…
15. to the inhabitants of Debir] On Debir see above, Jos_11:21. Joshua had conquered and devoted it.
Debir before was Kirjath-sepher] = “the city of Books”, “citee of lettrys;” Wyclif, or (Jos_15:49) Kirjath-Sannah = “city of palm.”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Kirjath-sepher. (see note on Jos_10:38)
Kirjath-sepher. (see note on Jos_10:38)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v16 Kiriath Sepher
Kiriath Sepher
This is the name of a place. (See: How to Translate Names)
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Aksah
This is a woman's name. (See: How to Translate Names)
Othniel ... Kenaz
These are men's names. (See: How to Translate Names)
translationWords
Caleb
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv16–17 15:16 Cp. 1 Sam 17:25; 18:27.
15:16 Cp. 1 Sam 17:25; 18:27.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.