All that land, of Cannaan, whose parts here follow. The hill, or, the mountain, i.e. the mountainous country, to wit, of Judea, as may seem,
1. Because in the following enumeration he begins in the south parts, where there was an eminent mountain, Numbers 13:17.
2. Because a considerable part of Judea was called the hilly or the mountainous country, Luke 1:39,65, which is not likely to be omitted in this particular description of the land; the rather because Hebron, one of the places taken by Joshua, Joshua 10:36,37 was in the mountain of Judah, Joshua 20:7.
3. Because this is here distinguished from the mountain of Israel, and therefore most likely to be the mountain of Judah, especially if you compare this with Joshua 10:21, where having mentioned the mountain in general, from which Joshua cut off the Anakims, he comes to particularize, and names only two, all the mountain of Judah, and all the mountain of Israel. All the south country, i.e. not only the mountainous part, but all the country of Judea, which lay in the southern part of Canaan, and oft comes under the name of the south, as Numbers 13:22,29 Numbers 21:1 Joshua 10:40, Joshua 18:5, &c. the land of Goshen; of which see Joshua 10:41. The vale; the low countries. The plain; the fields or champaign grounds. The mountain of Israel; either,
1. Some one particular and eminent mountain, possibly the hill of Samaria, mentioned 1 Kings 16:24; or rather,
2. The mountains or mountainous country of Israel. See the second note on this verse. The vale of the same, i.e. of Israel.