Ashdod, Gaza, the River of Egypt and the Great Sea - Joshua 15:47

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “this is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families” which included among others “sixteen cities with their villages: Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan, and Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib, and Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages: Ekron, with her towns and her villages; From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages”, and in chapter fifteen and verse forty-seven of Joshua we learn about,“Ashdod, Gaza, the river of Egypt and the great sea” where we read,

Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, 

unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof:

The verse reads, “Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, …” Joshua or the writer began with the word, “Ashdod" whose name means “powerful” and was “a major Philistine city on the Mediterranean Sea west from Jerusalem, modern Esdud”, “with her towns” which means “alongside and accompanied by her, Ashdod’s, settled abodes and hamlets” “and her villages” or “and her, Ashdod’s, hamlets and towns”, “Gaza” whose name means “the strong” and was “another name for 'Gaza', a city of the Philistines located in the extreme southwest of Palestine close to the Mediterranean” “with her towns” which means “alongside and accompanied by her, Gaza’s, settled abodes and towns” “and her villages” or “and her, Gaza’s, hamlets and towns”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Ashdod and Gaza” along with their accompanying settled abodes were allotted to the “tribe of Judah”. 

 

The verse goes on to say, “… unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof:” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “unto the river of Egypt” which means “to the flowing waters belonging to Egypt whose name means land of the Copts and was a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows”, “and the great sea” or “and the massive and large body of water, the Mediterranean Sea”, “and the border thereof” which means “and the edge and boundary of the Mediterranean Sea”. Joshua or the writer said the land granted to the “tribe of Judah” extended to the flowing waters belonging to “Egypt”, to the Mediterranean Sea and to the boundary of the Sea. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we see how vast the territory was that was bestowed upon the people of “Judah”. From “Ashdod” to “Gaza” and all their accompanying towns, to the flowing waters of “Egypt” and the boundary of the Mediterranean Sea, God provided for the “tribe of Judah” even as He promised. God will provide for us as well, and when we believe and trust in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and empower us to live according to that truth in a manner that is pleasing to Him in the world. (See John 16:13; Acts 1:8; Revelation 4:11)

Next time Joshua or the writer shares about, “in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".