Joshua 19:27

And turneth toward the sunrising to Bethdagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthahel toward the north side of Bethemek, and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Joshua 19:27. Cabul — A city so called. Left hand — That is, on the north, which, when men look toward the east, as is usual, is on their left hand.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

19:17-51 Joshua waited till all the tribes were settled, before he asked any provision for himself. He was content to be unfixed, till he saw them all placed, and herein is an example to all in public places, to prefer the common welfare before private advantage. Those who labour most to do good to others, seek an inheritance in the Canaan above: but it will be soon enough to enter thereon, when they have done all the service to their brethren of which they are capable. Nor can any thing more effectually assure them of their title to it, than endeavouring to bring others to desire, to seek, and to obtain it. Our Lord Jesus came and dwelt on earth, not in pomp but poverty, providing rest for man, yet himself not having where to lay his head; for Christ pleased not himself. Nor would he enter upon his inheritance, till by his obedience to death he secured the eternal inheritance for all his people; nor will he account his own glory completed, till every ransomed sinner is put in possession of his heavenly rest.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Helkath, a Levitical town Joshua 21:31, is probably Yerka, a village about seven or eight miles north-west of Acre, in a Wady of the same name. Alammelech was in the "Wady Melik," which joins the Kishon from the northeast, not far from the sea.

Shihor-libnath - i. e. "black-white." The two words are now generally admitted to be the name of a river, probably the modern "Nahr Zerka," or Blue River, which reaches the sea about 8 miles south of Dor, and whose name has a correspondence both to black and white. Possibly we have in the occurrence of the term Shihor here a trace of the contact, which was close and continuous in ancient times, between Phoenicia and Egypt Joshua 13:3. Cabul Joshua 19:27 still retains its ancient name; it lies between four and five miles west of Jotapata and about ten miles southeast of Acre.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

26. to Carmel … and to Shihor-libnath—that is, the "black" or "muddy river"; probably the Nahr Belka, below Dor (Tantoura); for that town belonged to Asher (Jos 17:10). Thence the boundary line turned eastward to Beth-dagon, a town at the junction of Zebulun and Naphtali, and ran northwards as far as Cabul, with other towns, among which is mentioned (Jos 19:28) "great Zidon," so called on account of its being even then the flourishing metropolis of the Phœnicians. Though included in the inheritance of Asher, this town was never possessed by them (Jud 1:31).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Either,

1. That country called Cabul, wherein were twenty cities, of which 1 Kings 9:13. But this is not probable, because that was not within nor belonging to any particular tribe; for then Solomon could not have alienated it from them, and given it unto Hiram, whereas this did belong to Asher. Or

2. A certain city so called.

On the left hand, i.e. on the north, which, when men look towards the east, as is usual, is on their left hand.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And turneth towards the sunrising,.... Or eastward:

to Bethdagon; there was a city of this name in the tribe of Judah; see Gill on Joshua 15:41. Dagon, being a god of the Phoenicians, had temples built for him in various places in Canaan:

and reacheth to Zebulun; not the tribe of Zebulun, but a city so called, the same Josephus (o) calls a strong city of Galilee, which had the name of Men, perhaps from the populousness of it, and separated Ptolemais from Judea:

and to the valley of Jiphthahel; see Joshua 19:14,

toward the north side of Bethemek; of Bethemek no mention is made elsewhere: perhaps here was an idol temple before dedicated to the god of the valleys; see 1 Kings 20:28,

and Neiel; which the Greek version calls Inael, of which Jerom says (p), it is a certain village called Betoaenea, fifteen miles from Caesarea, situated on a mountain to the east, on which are said to be wholesome baths:

and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand; not the land of Cabul, 1 Kings 9:13; but a city, which Josephus (q) calls a village on the borders of Ptolemais. The Jews (r) speak of a city of this name, destroyed because of contentions in it.

(o) De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 18. sect. 9. (p) De loc. Heb. fol. 88. I.((q) Vita ejus, sect. 43. (r) Echa Rabbati, fol. 75. 4.

Geneva Study Bible

And turneth toward the sunrising to Bethdagon, and reacheth to {f} Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthahel toward the north side of Bethemek, and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand,

(f) Joins to the tribe of Zebulun, which lay more to the east.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

27. and turneth toward the sunrising] From the Shihor-libnath, the border, still keeping to the south of Carmel, turned in an easterly direction towards Beth-dagon, of which we know as little as of the Beth-dagon of Judah, above, Joshua 15:41.

and reacheth to Zebulun] Thence it trended in a north-easterly direction, and “touched the border of Zebulun,” and the valley, or ravine, of Jiphthah-el, where, according to Joshua 19:14, were “the outgoings” of the north-western boundary of the latter tribe; and passed on north of Beth-emek and Neiel (which has been identified with Mi’ar), “and went out to Cabul on the left hand,” i.e. on the north side of it.

Cabul] it is thought, may be considered as still existing in the modern Kabûl, found about eight or nine miles east of Akka, and thus on the very borders of Galilee. It is possible, therefore, that there may be some connection between this place and the district containing twenty cities, which was presented by Solomon to Hiram, king of Tyre (1 Kings 9:11-13). See Smith’s Bibl. Dict. under Cabul.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 27. - Beth-dagon. We learn that Dagon, the fish-god, was worshipped here as well as in the south of Palestine (see Joshua 15:41). The Valley of Jiphthah-el. This valley, or gai, is mentioned above, ver. 14, as the extreme northern border of Zebulun. Cabul. We read of a Cabul in 1 Kings 9:11-13, but it can hardly be this place, though clearly not far off. For we read that the name given to that territory was given then by Hiram. There is a κωμὴ Ξαβωλώ Πτολεμαίδος μεθόριον οῦσα mentioned by Josephus. There is a village four hours northeast of Acre, which still bears this name. Joshua 19:27

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

From this point the boundary "turned towards the east," probably following the river Libnath for a short distance upwards, "to Beth-dagon," which has not yet been discovered, and must not be identified with Beit Dejan between Yafa and Ludd (Diospolis), "and touched Zebulun and the valley of Jiphtah-el on the north of Beth-emek, and Nehil, and went out on the left of Cabul," i.e., on the northern side of it. The north-west boundary went from Zebulun into the valley of Jiphtah-el, i.e., the upper part of the Wady Abiln (Joshua 19:14). Here therefore the eastern boundary of Asher, which ran northwards from Wady Zerka past the western side of Issachar and Zebulun, touched the north-west corner of Zebulun. The two places, Beth-emek and Nehil (the latter possibly the same as Neah in Joshua 19:13), which were situated at the south of the valley of Jiphtah-el, have not been discovered; they may, however, have been upon the border of Zebulun and yet have belonged to Ashwer. Cabul, the κώμη Χαβωλώ of Josephus (Vit. 43), in the district of Ptolemais, has been preserved in the village of Kabul, four hours to the south-east of Acre (Rob. Bibl. Res. p. 88, and Van de Velde, R. i. p. 218).