Joshua 15:61-62 Commentary: Wilderness Cities

The wilderness of Judah, often called the Judaean Desert, stretches from the central mountain ridge down to the Dead Sea. It is a stark landscape of limestone, deep wadis, and rocky cliffs, receiving only a few inches of rain each year. Yet the Cambridge Bible, citing the explorer Tristram, describes how the northern slopes showed a 'carpeting of tender green' after the rains and supported grazing goats. It was a true wilderness, not a lifeless desert.

The City of Salt likely exploited the mineral wealth of the Dead Sea, where salt deposits are abundant. Clarke observes that the whole country around the Dead Sea 'abounds with salt,' and some traditions identify this city with Zoar, the place of Lot's escape (Genesis 19:22). En Gedi stands as the best-known site in the list. Its warm, sweet spring creates an oasis of palm trees and balsam shrubs, a striking contrast to the surrounding aridity. Here David took refuge from Saul (1 Samuel 23:29), and the Kenites were said to have their 'nest' in the cliff (Numbers 24:21). The area was also the site of Chedorlaomer's campaign (Genesis 14:7) and later became a center for the Essenes (Cambridge).

The inclusion of these cities shows that even the wilderness could sustain settled life. Each city had its villages, suggesting a network of small agricultural or pastoral communities. The list itself is an administrative record, a careful inventory of the territory God gave to Judah.

The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Joshua 15:61-62. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. Lange's Commentary mentions that in verse 61 the Kethib (written form) has a singular verb while the Keri (read form) suggests a plural, but this does not affect the list of cities. The name 'City of Salt' appears consistently as Ir-hammelech in the Hebrew.

Early Jewish and Christian readers treated these verses as part of the faithful record of Israel's inheritance. The fourth-century church father Jerome, in his book on Hebrew place names, noted that Engaddi (En Gedi) was a large Jewish village near the Dead Sea known for its balsam. Later pilgrims and geographers identified En Gedi with Ain Jidy, a warm spring still visited today. The Essene community, mentioned in the Cambridge Bible, settled in the wilderness near the Dead Sea in the intertestamental period, perhaps drawn to the ascetic character of the land. In Christian tradition, En Gedi became a symbol of refreshment and refuge, often cited in hymns and devotional writings as an image of God's provision in spiritual deserts. The unknown cities of Middin, Secacah and Nibshan have generated little devotional reflection but remind readers that God cares for the obscure and forgotten.

Three-point outline

1. God provides in the wilderness. The six cities show that even the most barren region was part of Judah's inheritance. God does not overlook the hard places.
2. Known and unknown places are both remembered. En Gedi and Beth Arabah reappear elsewhere; Middin, Secacah and Nibshan appear only here. God values what is obscure to us.
3. En Gedi as a place of refuge. A spring in the desert, it points to God as our source of life and shelter in difficult seasons.

Five-point outline

1. The wilderness district of Judah, a land that seems unpromising but is part of God's gift.
2. The City of Salt, a reminder of judgment (Lot’s wife) and of God's provision (salt for preservation and trade).
3. En Gedi, an oasis of life, used by David and visited by armies.
4. The unknown cities, God knows every place and every person, even those lost to history.
5. The summary 'six cities with their villages', God is a God of order and completeness.

Illustration hooks

• A will that lists every piece of property, including a remote, rocky field no one has visited in years. The testator cares about every acre.
• A desert spring that becomes a lifeline for hikers, hidden but crucial. The contrast between the arid surroundings and the abundant water.
• An outdated map listing towns that no longer exist, yet each one represents real people and real lives.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Why does the Bible include lists of places I've never heard of? How do I read these passages without getting bored?
• What does it mean that God gave His people a land that included wilderness? Does that have anything to say about my own struggles?
• How can I find 'En Gedi' moments in my own wilderness seasons?

This passage is a land list, but it is also a sign of God's faithfulness. Even the wilderness was mapped and counted. As you read, notice the contrast between the barren landscape and the life-giving spring at En Gedi.

Discussion questions

1. What do you notice about the cities listed here? Which ones are familiar, and which are completely unknown?
2. Why do you think the writer included cities that appear nowhere else in Scripture? What does this tell us about the original purpose of this list?
3. En Gedi is described as a place of refuge and a lush oasis. How does this help you understand God's character or His provision?
4. The City of Salt may be connected to the Dead Sea and the story of Lot (Genesis 19). How do judgment and provision meet in this landscape?
5. If you had been a member of Judah’s tribe receiving this wilderness territory, how might you have felt about your inheritance?
6. What does it mean for us today that God cares about the details of geography and settlement? How can this shape our view of His care for our own lives?
7. How does seeing God's hand in the 'wilderness' places challenge or encourage you in a current difficulty?