Commentary for Joshua 15:8
וְעָלָ֨ה הַגְּב֜וּל גֵּ֣י בֶן־הִנֹּ֗ם אֶל־כֶּ֤תֶף הַיְבוּסִי֙ מִנֶּ֔גֶב הִ֖יא יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְעָלָ֨ה הַגְּב֜וּל אֶל־רֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֗ר אֲ֠שֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵ֤י גֵֽי־הִנֹּם֙ יָ֔מָּה אֲשֶׁ֛ר בִּקְצֵ֥ה עֵֽמֶק־רְפָאִ֖ים צָפֹֽנָה׃
And the border went up by the Valley of the son of Hinnom unto the side of the Jebusite southward—the same is Jerusalem—and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the Valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the uttermost part of the vale of Rephaim northward.
Rashi on Joshua
The boundary went up to the valley of Ben-hinom. It continued going up somewhat until it reached Ein-itim and from there on it descends. This is what our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said in the chapter of שְׁחִיטַת קָדְשִׁים:11See Maseches Zevachem 54b. They considered building [the Beis Ha Mikdosh] in Ein-itim which is a bit higher than Yerushalayim.12Since the verse states, “וּבֵין כְּתֵפָיו שָׁכֵן, and He resides between his shoulders,” (Devorim 33:12), they remarked, “Let us descend a little, because the shoulders are below the head.” The verse states that the Almighty will reside between the shoulders of the boundary of Binyomin, i.e., that the Beis Ha Mikdosh which is the resting place of the Shechina, will be built in the area of the Tribe of Binyomin. King David thought it should be built at Ein-itim which is twenty-three amohs higher than Yerushalayim, but they said, “There is nothing more pleasing about the ox than his shoulders.
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Rashi on Joshua
To the southern side of the Yevusi. Yerushalayim is outside the boundary line, and is not in the boundary of Yehudah, but within the boundary of Binyomin which is to the north of Yehudah.
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