Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 19:25
And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,
25. And their border ] The general position of the tribe was on the slope of the Galilean mountains from Carmel northwards, with Manasseh on the south, Zebulun and Issachar on the south-east, and Naphtali on the north-east, a narrow, but beautiful and fertile region.
And their border was Helkath ] The first boundary given us is that formed by the cities of Helkath, afterwards given to the Levites (ch. Jos 21:31), Hali, Beten, and Achshaph (ch. Jos 12:20), of none of which cities is the situation known to us.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Helkath, a Levitical town Jos 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 Jos 13:3. Cabul Jos 19:27 still retains its ancient name; it lies between four and five miles west of Jotapata and about ten miles southeast of Acre.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Their border, on the north-west side.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And their border was Helkath,…. Helkath seems to be the same with Hukok, 1Ch 6:75; and according to Masius it lay ten or twelve miles above Ptolemais;
and Hali, of which we read nowhere else.
and Beten is by Jerom h called Bathne, and was in his time a village by the name of Bethebem, eight miles from Ptolemais to the east. Reland i seems to think it might be the Ecbatana of Pliny k, which he speaks of as near Mount Carmel, and not far from Ptolemais;
and Achshaph was a royal city, whose king was taken by Joshua,
[See comments on Jos 11:1].
h De loc. Heb. fol. 89. H. i Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 2. p. 617. k Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(25) Their border.The border of Asher on the west is the Mediterranean. On the east of Asher lies the tribe of Naphtali, but most of the towns named in these verses lie well within the territory of Asher. The northern end of the territory of this tribe lies beyond the limits of the Ordnance Survey, for it reaches unto great Zidon (Jos. 19:28). The southern boundary is said to be Carmel (Jos. 19:26), but no town is identified south of Cabul (Kabl, south-east of Akkah, sheet 5).
The towns identified are as follows:
(25) El Baneh, EL-Yasif or Kefr Yasif (sheet 3).
(26) Khurbet-el-Amd, and Masleh (? Kh.-Muslih) (sheet 3).
Shihor-libnath (river of glass), the river Belus (sheet 5).
(27) Beth-dagon (Tell- Dak), near the mouth of the Belus.
Neiel.(YArn, sheet 5).
Cabul.(Kabl, south-east of Akkah, sheet 5).
(28) Hebron.(Abdon, Kh.-Abdeh, sheet 3). Hammon (El Hama, sheet 3).
Kanah (south-east of Tyre, sheet 1).
(29) Tyre.(es-Sr, sheet 1). Hosah (Ozziyeh, sheet 1). Achzib (es-Zib, sheet 3, on the coast). (See Jos. 15:44 for another place of same name.) Ummah (Kh.-Almah, north of Achzib).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
25. Achshaph See on Jos 11:1. In this list, as in other extended lists of cities, no note is usually taken of those whose sites are now unknown.
26. [ Carmel A range of connected hills, whose average height is fifteen hundred feet, running from the northern hills of Samaria northwesterly, and terminating in a lofty promontory which projects boldly into the Mediterranean just south of the bay of Acre. All travellers agree in giving glowing descriptions of the grandeur, beauty, and excellency of Carmel. “There is not a flower,” says Van de Velde, “that I have seen in Galilee, or on the plains along the coast, that I did not find on Carmel.” Mr. Carne says: “No mountain in or around Palestine retains its ancient beauty so much as Carmel. its groves are few but luxuriant. It is no place for crags and precipices, or rocks of the wild goats; but its surface is covered with a rich and constant verdure.”] Shihor-libnath, river of whiteness, is a matter of great dispute. Every stream, from the Belus southward to the Crocodile River inclusive, has been selected as the river here mentioned. It must have been south of Dor, (Tantura,) which belonged to Asher. Jos 17:11.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, and Allammelech, and Amad, and Mishal, and it reached to Carmel westward, and to Shihor-libnath.’
These surveyors mainly depicted the border in terms of cities contained within the border. It is interesting to note the different approaches taken by the different surveyors. But all used the same technical terms.
Helkath (see also Jos 21:31) was probably located in the Kishon valley. It was also known as Hukok (1Ch 6:75). One possibility is Tell el-Harbaj ten kilometres (six miles) south east of Haifa, another is Tell el-Qasis, eight kilometres (five miles) south south east of Tell el-Harbaj. It is probably the hrkt in the lists of Tuthmosis III. Hali is unknown. Beten may be modern Abtun, east of Mount Carmel.
Achshaph was an important Canaanite city near Acco (Jos 11:1; Jos 12:20) mentioned in Egyptian lists and in Papyrus Anastasi I. Possibly Tell Keisan or Tell Regev (Khirbet Harbaj). Allamelech may be the rtmrk of the Tuthmosis list. It may connect with the Wadi el-Melek, a tributary of the Kishon, which it joins six kilometres (four miles) from the coast. Amad is unknown. Mishal is possibly the msir of the Tuthmosis list and Tell Kisan has been suggested as a possible site. It is also mentioned in the execration texts (inscriptions on small figurines in the form of prisoners – 19th century BC) and an Egyptian grain and beer ration list (along with Achshaph).
“And it reached to (or touched) Carmel westward, and to Shihor-libnath.” Carmel was clearly the border at this point. Shihor-libnath may be at the mouth of the Kishon and the harbour town Tell Abu Huwam has been suggested as the site. This was also the northern border of Manasseh (Jos 17:11).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Helkath: 2Sa 2:16
Beten: Probably the same as Bebeten or Batnai, mentioned by Eusebius, eight miles east from Ptolemais; and perhaps the Ecbatana which Pliny places not far from Ptolemais.
Achshaph: Jos 11:1, Jos 12:20
Reciprocal: Jos 21:30 – Mishal 1Ch 6:75 – Hukok