Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 19:33
And their coast was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum; and the outgoings thereof were at Jordan:
33. And their coast ] The territory appropriated to the tribe was bounded ( a) on the west by Asher, ( b) on the south by Zebulun and Issachar, ( c) on the east by the Sea of Gennesaret and the Jordan, while ( d) on the north it reached far up into Cle-Syria, “the splendid valley which separates the two ranges of Lebanon.”
from Heleph ] Apparently the west border towards Asher is first described, with the north and east boundary. The southern border is defined in Jos 19:34. Heleph is unknown.
Allon to Zaanannim ] = the oak, or terebinth, by Zaanannim. It is the same place, on the N. W. of Lake Merom, as that mentioned in Jdg 4:11, where Sisera was slain by Jael, “the wife of Heber the Kenite,” and derived its name Zaanannim or Zaanaim, the unloading of Tents, from the strange sight of the encampment of nomads in tents amidst the regular cities and villages of the mountains.” “Even to the present day the Bedouins more or less friendly disposed wander about in the north of Palestine, in the plain of Jezreel, on Gilboa, and on Tabor.” See Lange’s Commentary. “The reconnaissance survey along the watershed from Hnin led across a succession of mountain peaks, forming the great western vale of the Jordan. The highlands we are in the tribe of Naphtali form a series of valleys with which the country is intersected, the ridges between them being described as somewhat of the character of open glades, gently sloping towards the sea. The hills are well wooded, though the oaks are being thinned out to supply the Damascus market with charcoal. At the last peak the hill slopes to the southward, overlooking a little plain, one mile wide and two long, lying sheltered among the surrounding hills. This is the plain of Zaanaim.” Our Work in Palestine, pp. 174, 175.
Adami, Nekeb, Jabneel, Lakum, are all unknown.
and the outgoings thereof ] The boundary is traced from the southwest towards the north-east to the sources of the Jordan, above the Lake of Galilee.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
From Allon to Zaanannim – Render from the oak forest at Zaanannim. From Jdg 4:11 it appears that this oak or oak-forest was near Kedesh.
Adami, Nekeb – Render Adami of the Pass. Possibly the ancient Deir el Ahmar (red cloister), which derives its name from the color of the soil in the neighborhood, as perhaps Adami did. The spot lies about 8 miles northwest of Baalbek.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Their coast; their northern border, drawn from west to east, as appears, because when this coast is described and brought to its end, the coast is said to turn from the east westward, Jos 19:34. The outgoings, i.e. the end of that coast.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And their coast was from Heleph,…. That is, their northern coast, reaching from west to east, as appears by the ending of it at Jordan; the Alexandrian copy of the Greek version calls it Mlepeh, the Targum, Meheleph, and Jerom, Mealeb, which he calls the border of Naphtali; which, though to the north, cannot be expressly said what and where it was:
from Allon to Zaanannim; or rather from the oak, or from the plain in Zaanannim d; for it seems to be the same with the plain of Zanaaim, Jud 4:11.
and Adami, Nekeb; some make these to be but one city, and the latter only an epithet of the former; but the Talmudists e make them two, as we do, and call the first Damin, and the latter Ziadetha; but what and where either of them were exactly is not known; for Adami cannot be the same with Adam, Jos 3:16; as some think; for that was in Peraea, on the other side Jordan; [See comments on Jos 3:16]:
and Jabneel; Jabneel is different from that which was on the borders of Judah, Jos 15:11; and is called by the Jews f since Cepherjamah;
unto Lakum; of which we nowhere else read:
and the outgoings thereof were at Jordan; here the coast ended this way.
d “Ab querceto in Tzahanannimis”, Junius Tremellius so Piscator. e T. Hieros. Megillah, fol. 70. 1. f T. Hieros. Megillah, fol. 70. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(33) And their coast was . . .This verse is thus translated by Conder, Their coast was from Heleph and the Plain of Bitzanannim and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel,unto Lakum,and the outgoings were at Jordan.
The east border of the tribe is Jordan, including the waters of Merom and the Sea of Galilee. The tribe of Issachar on the south, and the tribes of Zebulun and Asher on the west, are conterminous with Naphtali.
The places mentioned are identified as follows:
Heleph.(Beit Lif, sheet 4). The plain of Bitzanannim (Kh.-Bessum, sheet 6). Adami (Kh.-Admah, sheet 9): this is the southernmost of all the towns named. Nekeb (Kh.-Seiydeh, sheet 6). Jabneel (Yemma, sheet 5). All the above places, except Heleph, lie near the Sea of Galilee, on the south-west side.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
33. The cities here mentioned are so far unknown that there is great difficulty in attempting an accurate description of the boundaries of this tribe. The northern and a part of the western boundary seem to have been identical, running mainly in a northeasterly direction, and Heleph, the starting point, seems to have been some central place on this line, from which the border ran first eastward, but somewhat towards the north, and then seaward. Jos 19:34. [Van de Velde proposes to identify Heleph with Beitlif, an ancient site about twelve miles southeast of Tyre and about the same distance west of Kades. It stands on the edge of a very marked ravine, which may very possibly have formed a part of the border of Naphtali and Asher.
Allon As the Hebrew word means an oak, some critics very plausibly understand it of some remarkable tree near Zaanannim, and render, From the oak at Zaanannim. This was probably the same tree by which Heber the Kenite pitched his tent. See Jdg 4:11, note.
Out-goings at Jordan That is, this northwestern boundary terminated at the upper sources of the Jordan.]
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel to Lakkum, and its goings out were at Jordan.’
In view of the fact that ‘the oak in Zaanannim (or ‘of Bezaanannim’)’ is in each case identified by a place name (Heleph here, compare Jdg 4:11 where it is Kedesh(-naphtali?)), this may be a description of a certain type of sacred oak rather than the same tree. Thus the border begins from the sacred tree at Heleph (possibly Khirbet ‘Irbadeh at the foot of Mount Tabor). However some have placed Zaanannim at Khan et-Tuggar four kilometres north east of Tabor.
Adami-nekeb (‘the pass Adami’) has been identified with modern Khirbet ed-Damiyeh eight kilometres (five miles) south west of Hammath on the sea of Galilee (near the later Tiberias). For Jabneel modern Khirbet Yamma (or Tell en-Na’am), eleven kilometres (seven miles) south west of Hammath has been suggested. For Lakkum Khirbet el-Mansurah has been posited. The border then finished at the Jordan. This seems to be describing the south east border of Naphtali.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
outgoings = utmost limits.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Zaanannim: Jdg 4:11, Zaanaim
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
19:33 And their coast was from {h} Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum; and the outgoings thereof were at Jordan:
(h) These cities were in the country of Zaanannim.