Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 19:27
And turneth toward the sunrising to Beth-dagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jipthah-el toward the north side of Beth-emek, and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand,
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, Jos 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 Jos 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 Kabl, 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 (1Ki 9:11-13). See Smith’s Bibl. Dict. under Cabul.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 27. Cabul on the left hand] That is, to the north of Cabul, for so the left hand, when referring to place, is understood among the Hebrews.
We must not confound this town or Cabul with the twenty cities given by Solomon to Hiram, with which he was displeased, and which in contempt he called the land of Cabul, the dirty or paltry land, 1Kg 9:11-13: there was evidently a town of this name, widely different from the land so called, long before the time of Solomon, and therefore this cannot be adduced as an argument that the book of Joshua was written after the days of David. The town in question is supposed to be the same which Josephus in his Life calls Choboulo, and which he says was situated by the sea-side, and nigh to Ptolemais. De Bell. Jud., lib. iii., c. 4.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Either,
1. That country called Cabul, wherein were twenty cities, of which 1Ki 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.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24-31. the fifth lot came out forthe tribe of the children of AsherThe western boundary istraced from north to south through the cities mentioned; the site ofthem, however, is unknown.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And turneth towards the sunrising,…. Or eastward,
to Bethdagon; there was a city of this name in the tribe of Judah,
[See comments on Jos 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 Jos 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 1Ki 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, 1Ki 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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
27. Beth-dagon, house of Dagon, must be distinguished from that in Jos 15:41. It was probably a Philistine colony, and situated somewhere east or northeast of Tantura. Zebulun is not a city, but the tribe. On Jiphthah-el, see at Jos 19:14. Cabul is probably the modern village Kabul, which stands on the top of a rocky ridge eight miles east of Acre.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And it turned towards the sunrising (the east) to Beth-dagon, and reached to Zebulun and to the valley of Iphtah-el northward, to Bethemek and Neiel, and it went out to Cabul on the left hand, and Ebron and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even to Great Zidon.’
The eastern boundary is now given. Beth-dagon was a name given to a number of cities, signifying ‘house of Dagon’. They were probably sanctuaries of the god Dagon. ‘Reached to Zebulun’ suggests that the boundary was not clearly identified in view of the relationship between the two tribes (although Zebulun may have been the name of a city, but see Jos 19:34). Then follows the northern boundary. The valley of Iphtah-el is possibly the Wadi el-Malik (see Jos 19:14). Bethemek and Neiel would be near or in the valley.
“It went out to Cabul on the left hand.” The left hand may signify north (compare its use in Gen 14:15, and Jos 17:7 where ‘the right hand’ probably means south). Cabul is probably Horvat Rosh Zayit, one to two kilometres (one mile) from modern Kabul which is today the name of a village north west of the Sahl el-Battof, and thirteen kilometres (eight miles) south east of Acco. Excavations have discovered Iron Age II buildings and a later fortress marking the border between Phoenicia and Israel. It was a frontier village between the two exchanged by Solomon’s treaty with Hiram of Tyre (1Ki 9:13) to rectify the border.
Ebron (Abdon in some Hebrew MSS) is probably Abdon (Jos 21:30), probably Khirbet ‘Abdeh six kilometres (nearly four miles) in from Achzib (Jos 19:29), ten miles north north east of Acco, and commanding a way into the hills (In Hebrew writing d and r are almost indistinguishable except in the most careful writing). Rehob – ‘broad place’ – (Jos 21:31; 1Ch 6:75) is possibly Tell Bir el-Gharbi, south east of Acco. It was one of the cities from which the Canaanites were not driven out (Jdg 1:31), although there may have been two Rehob’s (Jos 19:30). A Rehob (rhb) is mentioned in the Thutmose III lists. Hammon (‘glowing’) has been suggested as Umm el-‘Awamid where ruins still exist. A Phoenician inscription from nearby Ma‘sub refers to ‘the citizens of Hammon’ and ‘the deity of Hammon’. Kanah is probably Qana in the Lebanon foothills, ten kilometres (six miles) south east of Tyre.
“Even to Great Zidon.” That is, to the borders of the territory belonging to Zidon. The use of Great Zidon rather than Tyre indicates the age of the narrative. Later Tyre became more prominent.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ver. 27. And goeth out to Cabul on the left hand That is, to the north of this city, according to the custom of the Hebrews in the designation of the four cardinal points. Some learned men have concluded from this passage, that the Book of Joshua could not have been written before Solomon’s time, because, say they, the land of Cabul received its name from Hiram, king of Tyre, who called it so in contempt, 1Ki 9:11-13.; but this is a manifest mistake: the question here is not about the land of Cabul and its twenty cities, but about the town of Cabul, near Ptolemais. Josephus plainly makes a distinction between them, who, in his life, and Hist. Jud. Bell. lib. 3: cap. 4 speaks of the city of Chabul or Chabolo. See Huet. Demonst. Evang. prop. 4:
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Bethdagon: 1Sa 5:2
Zebulun: Situated on the sea coast, near Ptolemais.
valley: Jos 19:14
Cabul: Supposed to be the same town which Josephus calls , and which he says was situated near the sea side, near Ptolemais. 1Ki 9:13
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 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.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
19:27 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.