Joshua 15:35
Iarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, Joshua 15:35 (KJV)
Historical Context: Joshua 15:35 belongs to the broader passage that records the division of the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel. In this chapter the boundaries and cities allotted to the tribe of Judah are set out, and the verse specifically enumerates four of those cities.
Jarmuth was a city situated in the lowlands of Judah. It is cited in several passages, including Joshua 10:5 and Joshua 12:11. In the campaign recorded in Joshua 10 the king of Jarmuth joined a coalition of five Amorite kings who opposed Israel, and Joshua’s forces defeated that coalition, capturing Jarmuth among other cities.
Adullam lay in the Shephelah region of Judah. The city appears in Genesis 38:1, where Judah stays in Adullam after the incident with Tamar, and later it becomes a place of refuge for David, who fled there and hid in the cave of Adullam while escaping King Saul (1 Samuel 22:1).
Socoh was another low‑land town of Judah. It is mentioned in 1 Samuel 17:1 in the narrative of David and Goliath. The Philistine champion Goliath positioned himself between Socoh and Azekah before the famous encounter, making Socoh a notable landmark in that celebrated battle.
Azekah, also located in the Shephelah, is referenced in the same David‑Goliath episode, where Goliath camped between Socoh and Azekah. The town is further noted in Jeremiah 34:7 as one of the Judahite cities besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, underscoring its continued strategic importance.
These four cities—Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah—played significant roles throughout Israel’s history. They served as sites of military conflict, places of refuge, and settings for pivotal events involving key biblical figures such as Joshua, David, and Judah. Joshua 15:35 therefore represents a small yet meaningful segment of the larger narrative that records the fulfillment of God’s promise to give the land to Israel and to establish the tribe of Judah within its allotted inheritance.
