15:4a
It proceeded to Azmon: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
The border then continued to Azmon
-or-
The boundary line went past the town of Azmon
15:4b
joined the Brook of Egypt: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Brook refers to a river. This river had water only in the rainy season. See Joshua 12:1 where this Hebrew word was translated “Valley.”
Brook of Egypt: The phrase Brook of Egypt refers to a river that drains rainwater from the Sinai Peninsula into the Mediterranean Sea. This river is usually dry but becomes a large river when it rains. It formed the boundary between Israel and Egypt. Today this river is called the Wadi el Arish.
Here are some ways to translate this phrase:
Stream of Egypt (NET Bible)
-or-
River of Egypt (God’s Word, King James Version)
-or-
Wadi of Egypt (New International Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
the stream on the border of Egypt (Good News Translation)
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
⌊The boundary line⌋ followed the river valley on the border of Egypt
-or-
and continued along the Brook of Egypt
15:4c
and ended at the Sea: The term the Sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea. It may be helpful to make this clear.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
and ended at the Mediterranean Sea
-or-
until it reached the Mediterranean Sea
15:4d
This was their southern border: Here the author speaks directly to the people of Judah. The Berean Standard Bible translates this as their southern border, while some English versions chose to translate this with a second person plural reference. For example:
All this describes your boundary on the south
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
their south boundary (New International Version, NET Bible)
-or-
That was the south border of the tribe of Judah
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