And Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen,.... Whether the first is the same with Lebaoth, a city of Judah, Joshua 15:32; and with the Bethleptepha of Josephus b, and the Betholene of Pliny c, is not certain: in this place secret to have been an idol temple of the Canaanites, dedicated to lions, as in Egypt there was a city called Leontopolis, from whence was the Leontopolitan nome, the inhabitants of which worshipped lions d; and the Egyptians had temples dedicated to them, as Aelianus e relates. Both these places are thought to be the same with Bethbirei and Shaaraim in 1 Chronicles 4:31; of the latter of which see Joshua 15:36. Those who take Sheba, Joshua 19:2, to be the same with Shema, Joshua 15:26, make but one city here, and take away the last, as the Greek version does, and render the word "and their fields", and so the number still is as follows:
thirteen cities and their villages; the sum total of those enumerated above.
b De Jud. Bell. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 1. c Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 14. d Strabo. Geograph. l. 17. p. 559. e De Animal. l. 12. c. 7.