From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages:

JOSHUA 15:46KJV
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Joshua 15:46 (KJV)

What does Joshua 15:46 mean?

Joshua 15:46 describes part of the territory assigned to the tribe of Judah. It identifies a stretch from Ekron toward the Mediterranean coast and includes places near Ashdod, along with their surrounding villages.

Following the mention of Ekron in verse 45, the description looks westward toward the sea. The phrase “all that lay near Ashdod” brings nearby settlements into the description rather than naming each one separately.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 15:46

  • “near” — יָד (yad): The word often means “hand,” but it can also refer to a place beside or near something. Here the expression locates places in the vicinity of Ashdod.
  • “villages” — חָצֵר (ḥatser): The word can refer to a settlement associated with a larger town. It shows that the description includes smaller communities as well as named cities.

Why Joshua 15:46 matters

  • The territory is described in relation to landmarks, not as a list of precise boundaries. “From Ekron even unto the sea” gives the reach of the area, while “near Ashdod” locates the places included.
  • The assignment of an area is not the same as a report that every place was already under Judah’s control. Later, Joshua 13:2–3 describes land that remained to be possessed and names the Philistine region that included Ashdod and Ekron.

Where else these words appear

“Ashdod” Hebrew H795 · used in 15 verses

  • Joshua 11:22 There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.
  • 1 Samuel 5:6 But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
  • Jeremiah 25:20 And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,

“Ekron” Hebrew H6138 · used in 20 verses

  • Joshua 13:3 From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:
  • 1 Samuel 6:16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
  • 2 Kings 1:6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.