‘ And Kattath, and Nahalal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Bethlehem. Twelve cities with their villages.'
These five cities are in addition to those previously mentioned. The twelve presumably included those of the latter which were seen as in Zebulun's borders. Kattath is unidentified. Nahalal (Joshua 21:35; Judges 1:30) was probably not far from modern Nahalal, nine kilometres (six miles) west of Nazareth. Some identify it with Tell el-Beida. Shimron was allied with Hazor (see Joshua 11:1) and defeated by Joshua. Some have suggested Tell es-Semuniyeh about five kilometres south south east of the Bethlehem mentioned here. Idalah has been connected with Tell Hawwareth through its being identified in the Talmud as Hiriyeh, two kilometres (one mile) south of Bethlehem. Bethlehem (a different one from Bethlehem-judah) is now Bet-lahm, eleven kilometres (seven miles) north west of Nazareth.