Joshua 15:59
New International Version
Maarath, Beth Anoth and Eltekon—six towns and their villages.

New Living Translation
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon—six towns with their surrounding villages.

English Standard Version
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon: six cities with their villages.

Berean Standard Bible
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon—six cities, along with their villages.

King James Bible
And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages:

New King James Version
Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon: six cities with their villages;

New American Standard Bible
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

NASB 1995
and Maarath and Beth-anoth and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

NASB 1977
and Maarath and Beth-anoth and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

Legacy Standard Bible
and Maarath and Beth-anoth and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

Amplified Bible
and Maarath and Beth-anoth and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

Christian Standard Bible
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon—six cities, with their settlements;

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon—six cities, with their villages;

American Standard Version
and Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

English Revised Version
and Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Maarath, Bethanoth, and Eltekon were six other cities with their villages that were given to Judah.

Good News Translation
Maarath, Bethanoth, and Eltekon: six cities, along with the towns around them.

International Standard Version
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon, for a total of six cities and villages.

Majority Standard Bible
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon—six cities, along with their villages.

NET Bible
Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon--a total of six cities and their towns.

New Heart English Bible
and Maarath, and Beth Anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages. Tekoa, and Ephrathah (that is, Bethlehem), and Peor, and Etam, and Kolan, and Tatem, and Shoresh, and Kerem, and Gallim, and Bether, and Manocho; eleven cities with their villages.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages:

World English Bible
Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and Maarath, and Beth-Anoth, and Eltekon; six cities and their villages.

Young's Literal Translation
and Maarath, and Beth-Anoth, and Eltekon; six cities and their villages.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Maarath and the House of Anoth, and Eltekon; six cities and their enclosures:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Mareth, and Bethanoth, and Eltecon: six cities and their villages.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Maarath and Bethanoth and Eltekon: six cities, and their villages.

New American Bible
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities and their villages. Tekoa, Ephrathah (that is, Bethlehem), Peor, Etam, Kulom, Tatam, Zores, Karim, Gallim, Bether, and Manoko; eleven cities and their villages.

New Revised Standard Version
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon: six towns with their villages.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Lath-kin; six cities with their villages:

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Marath and Bayth Enath and Lathqan, six cities and their fields
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
and Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and Magaroth, and Baethanam, and Thecum; six cities, and their villages; Theco, and Ephratha, this is Baethleem, and Phagor, and Aetan, and Culon, and Tatam, and Thobes, and Carem, and Galem, and Thether, and Manocho: eleven cities, and their villages,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Cities of Judah
58Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, 59Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon— six cities, along with their villages. 60Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah—two cities, along with their villages.…

Cross References
Joshua 10:3-5
Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, / “Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” / So the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They camped before Gibeon and made war against it.

Joshua 18:21-28
These were the cities of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, / Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, / Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, ...

1 Chronicles 6:57-60
So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, / Hilen, Debir, / Ashan, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh, together with their pasturelands. ...

Nehemiah 11:25-30
As for the villages with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba, Dibon, Jekabzeel, and their villages; / in Jeshua, Moladah, and Beth-pelet; / in Hazar-shual; in Beersheba and its villages; ...

2 Samuel 5:7-9
Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David). / On that day he said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must use the water shaft to reach the lame and blind who are despised by David.” That is why it is said, “The blind and the lame will never enter the palace.” / So David took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built it up all the way around, from the supporting terraces inward.

1 Kings 9:15-17
This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. / Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. / So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon,

2 Chronicles 11:5-10
Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built up cities for defense in Judah. / He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, / Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, ...

Jeremiah 34:7
as the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the remaining cities of Judah—against Lachish and Azekah. For these were the only fortified cities remaining in Judah.

Ezekiel 16:46-49
Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters to your north; and your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters to your south. / And you not only walked in their ways and practiced their abominations, but soon you were more depraved than they were. / As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did as you and your daughters have done. ...

Micah 1:15-16
I will again bring a conqueror against you, O dweller of Mareshah. The glory of Israel will come to Adullam. / Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in mourning for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they will go from you into exile.

Matthew 2:1-6
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, / asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” / When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ...

Luke 2:4-7
So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David. / He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in marriage and was expecting a child. / While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born. ...

John 7:42
Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”

Acts 7:45-47
And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David, / who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. / But it was Solomon who built the house for Him.

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.


Treasury of Scripture

And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages:

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Beth Cities Hamlets Places Six Towns Unwalled Villages
Joshua 15
1. The borders of the lot of Judah
13. Caleb's portion and conquest
16. Othniel, for his valour, marries Achsah, Caleb's daughter
18. She obtains a blessing of her father
21. The cities of Judah
63. The Jebusites unconquered














Maarath
This name is derived from the Hebrew root "מַעֲרָה" (ma'arah), which means "cave" or "den." Maarath is one of the cities in the hill country of Judah. The mention of caves may suggest a place of refuge or hiding, which is a recurring theme in the Bible, symbolizing God's protection and shelter for His people. Historically, the region of Judah was known for its rugged terrain, which provided natural fortifications and places of safety.

Beth-anoth
The name "Beth-anoth" comes from the Hebrew "בֵּית עֲנוֹת" (Beit Anot), meaning "house of Anath." Anath was a Canaanite goddess of war and fertility, indicating that this city may have had a history of pagan worship before being integrated into the Israelite territory. The transformation of such places into part of the inheritance of God's people reflects the broader biblical theme of redemption and the reclaiming of territories for the worship of Yahweh.

Eltekon
This city, "אֶלְתְּקוֹן" (Eltekon), is less well-documented in biblical and archaeological records, but its inclusion in the list of cities in Judah highlights the comprehensive nature of the land distribution. Each city, regardless of its size or prominence, played a role in the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham regarding the land. The name itself does not have a clear etymology, but its presence in the text underscores the importance of every part of the promised land.

Six cities with their villages
The phrase "six cities with their villages" emphasizes the organized and detailed nature of the land allotment to the tribe of Judah. The number six, while not as symbolically significant as seven, still represents completeness in the context of the tribal inheritance. The mention of "villages" indicates the broader community and agricultural life that surrounded these cities, reflecting the settled and prosperous life that God intended for His people in the Promised Land. This distribution of land is a testament to God's faithfulness in providing for His people and ensuring that each tribe had a place to call home.

(59) Five of these six have been identified.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Maarath,
וּמַעֲרָ֥ת (ū·ma·‘ă·rāṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4638: Maarath -- a place in Judah

Beth-anoth,
עֲנ֖וֹת (‘ă·nō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1042: Beth-anoth -- perhaps 'temple of Anat', a place in Judah

and Eltekon—
וְאֶלְתְּקֹ֑ן (wə·’el·tə·qōn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 515: Eltekon -- a city in Palestine

six
שֵׁ֖שׁ (šêš)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 8337: Six (a cardinal number)

cities,
עָרִ֥ים (‘ā·rîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5892: Excitement

along with their villages.
וְחַצְרֵיהֶֽן׃ (wə·ḥaṣ·rê·hen)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common plural construct | third person feminine plural
Strong's 2691: A yard, a hamlet


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OT History: Joshua 15:59 Maarath Beth Anoth and Eltekon (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 15:58
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