Debir (Place)

A Canaanite city where the Anakim lived there before the Israelites conquered it (Joshua 11:21; 15:15). There are two stories of the conquest of Debir (10:38–39; 15:13–17). In one story, Joshua leads the attack. In the other, Othniel leads the attack after Caleb asks for help. These might be two versions of the same event. Or, it could be that the Canaanites took Debir back, and Othniel helped the Israelites win it again.

However, the first explanation seems more likely. The story in Joshua sounds like the final defeat of the city.

Joshua later gave Debir and its pasturelands to the priests who were descendants of Aaron (Joshua 21:15; 1 Chronicles 6:58). This may seem appropriate because Debir had a famous pagan temple before the Israelites captured it. Debir also had other names. It was called Kiriath-sannah, which means “city of the scribes” (Joshua 15:49). It was also called Kiriath-sepher, which means “city of the books” (verse 15). Scholars do not agree on its exact location. But most scholars think it was near a place called Khirbet Rabud in the southern hill country of Judah.

A Gadite town east of the Jordan River near the Sea of Galilee (Joshua 13:26). It might be the same place as Lo-debar (2 Samuel 9:4–5; 17:27; Amos 6:13). Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, once lived there before King David called him to Jerusalem.

A town on the northern border of Judah. This was about 16 kilometers (10 miles) northeast of Jerusalem (Joshua 15:7).