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Joshua 15:2

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Joshua 15:2 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And their south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looketh southward;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And their south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looketh southward;
Joshua 15:2 — American Standard Version

Context — Joshua 15

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And the lot for the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families was unto the border of Edom, even to the wilderness of Zin southward, at the uttermost part of the south.
2And their south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looketh southward;
3and it went out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and went up by the south of Kadesh-barnea, and passed along by Hezron, and went up to Addar, and turned about to Karka;
4and it passed along to Azmon, and went out at the brook of Egypt; and the goings out of the border were at the sea: this shall be your south border.
5And the east border was the Salt Sea, even unto the end of the Jordan. And the border of the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the end of the Jordan;
← Joshua 15:1Joshua 15:3 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, etc.] Sometimes called the dead sea, the sea of Sodom, and the lake Asphaltites, which, as Jarchi observes, was southeast of the land of Israel: from the bay that looketh southward; or the “tongue”, as the Hebrew, which the Targum and Kimchi interpret of a rock or promontory, the point that ran out into the sea, looking to the southeast.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“the bay--Hebrew, "tongue." It pushes its waters out in this form to a great distance [ROBINSON].”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“The bay - Heb. the tongue: either a creek or arm of that sea; or a promontory, which by learned authors is sometimes called a tongue. Every sea is salt, but this had an extraordinary saltness, the effect of that fire and brimstone which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah: the ruins of which lie buried at the bottom of this dead water, which never was moved itself by any tides, nor had any living thing in it. Joshua 15:5”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“15:2-4 Judah’s southern boundary extended well into the desert of the Negev, which had little if any settled population throughout the Old Testament period.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the salt sea: Jos 3:16; Gen 14:3; Num 34:3; Eze 47:8, Eze 47:18 bay: Heb. tongue, Isa 11:15 Joshua 15:3”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification