7 It went down from Janoah to Ataroth, to Naarah, reached to Jericho, and went out at the Jordan.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, (d) and went out at Jordan.
(d) For so far the coasts reach.
And it went down from Johanan to Ataroth,.... This is different from Ataroth before mentioned, Joshua 16:2; there were several places of this name, as before observed; this seems to be that which Jerom places four miles from Sebaste or Samaria; see Gill on Joshua 16:2,
and to Naarath; Jerom (g) says, that Naarath was in his time called Naorath, a village of the Jews, five miles from Jericho; and is the village Josephus (h) calls Neara, where was a water, half of which Archelaus turned, and led to the field planted with palm trees, near Jericho; and, according to the Jewish writers (i): there was a place called Noaran near to Jericho, which seems to be this:
and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan; where it ended this way, which was eastward.
(g) De loc. Hebrews. fol. 93. I. (h) Antiqu. l. 17. c. 15. sect. 1. (i) Vajikra Rabba, sect. 23. fol. 164. 3. Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 9. 3. Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 4.
From Janoah the boundary went down "to Ataroth and Naarath," Ataroth, a different place from the Ataroth or Atroth-addar mentioned in Joshua 16:3 and Joshua 16:5, is apparently to be sought for on the eastern slope of the mountains by the side of the Ghor, judging from the expression "went down;" but it has not yet been discovered. Naarath, probably the same as Naaran, in eastern Ephraim (1-Chronicles 7:28), is described in the Onom. (s. v. Naaratha) as viculus Judaeorum Naorath, five Roman miles (i.e., two hours) from Jericho, probably on the north-east. The boundary line then touched Jericho, i.e., the district of Jericho, namely on the north side of the district, as Jericho was allotted to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:21). At this point it also coincided with the southern boundary of the tribe of Joseph (Joshua 16:1) and the northern boundary of Benjamin (Joshua 18:12).
To Jericho - Not to the city of Jericho, which belonged to Benjamin's lot, Joshua 18:21, but to its territory.
*More commentary available at chapter level.