‘ 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 Joshua 19:34). Then follows the northern boundary. The valley of Iphtah-el is possibly the Wadi el-Malik (see Joshua 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 Genesis 14:15, and Joshua 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 (1 Kings 9:13) to rectify the border.
Ebron (Abdon in some Hebrew MSS) is probably Abdon (Joshua 21:30), probably Khirbet ‘Abdeh six kilometres (nearly four miles) in from Achzib (Joshua 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' - (Joshua 21:31; 1 Chronicles 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 (Judges 1:31), although there may have been two Rehob's (Joshua 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.