Debir

Debir in the Bible

Debir is a Canaanite city mentioned in the books of Joshua and Judges.

• Conquest by Joshua: According to Joshua 10:38-39, Joshua attacked Debir and destroyed its king and inhabitants. Joshua 12:13 includes the king of Debir in the list of conquered kings. Joshua 11:21 records that Joshua cut off the Anakim from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and other places.
• Capture by Othniel: According to Joshua 15:15-17 and Judges 1:11-13, Caleb promised to give his daughter Achsah in marriage to whoever would attack Kirjath-sepher. Othniel the son of Kenaz captured the city and married Achsah. In the passages that follow (Joshua 15:18-19; Judges 1:14-15), Achsah asks her father for springs of water in addition to land in the south, and Caleb gives her the upper springs and the nether springs.
• A Levitical city: According to Joshua 21:15 and 1 Chronicles 6:58, Debir and its suburbs were given to the descendants of Aaron, the priestly family among the Levites.

Background

Joshua 15:15 states that Debir's original name was Kirjath-sepher, and Joshua 15:49 identifies Kirjath-sannah with Debir. Kirjath means "city," so Kirjath-sepher is commonly interpreted as "city of books," although the precise origin of the name is uncertain.

Debir appears in the list of cities of the hill country of Judah and is thought to have been located in the region south of Hebron. Several sites have been proposed for its exact location, including Tell Beit Mirsim and Khirbet Rabud, and scholarly opinion remains divided.

The same name is also used for other referents. In Joshua 10:3, Debir is the name of the king of Eglon. The Debir on the northern border of Judah in Joshua 15:7 is generally regarded as a different place from the southern Debir.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

The account of Debir illustrates how the promise to give the land of Canaan was actually fulfilled tribe by tribe and family by family. It is also the passage that first introduces Othniel, who appears in Judges 3:9-11 as Israel's first judge. Debir is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretations and Debated Questions

• Two conquest accounts: Joshua 10 states that Joshua destroyed Debir, while Joshua 15 and Judges 1 state that Othniel captured the city. Several interpretations have been offered:
• The Canaanites reoccupied the city, which was later recaptured.
• Joshua 10 summarizes the conquest as a whole, while Joshua 15 and Judges 1 provide a more detailed record.
• The texts report the same event from different perspectives.
• The relationship between Othniel and Caleb: The phrase "Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb" (Joshua 15:17) can be read in two ways: either Othniel was Caleb's younger brother, or he was the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, that is, Caleb's nephew. Translations and commentaries differ in their understanding.

In the Korean Church

Debir is seldom treated as a topic in its own right; it is more often mentioned in sermons on the stories of Caleb, Othniel, and Achsah.