Cabul

So Hiram called the twenty cities Solomon gave him for his aid, in the materials he furnished him with for the building of the temple. (1 Kings ix. 13.) The word signifies, unpleasant. Probably, it was one of those cities mentioned Josh. xix. 27.

the name which Hiram, king of Tyre, gave to the twenty cities in the land of Galilee, of which Solomon made him a present, in acknowledgment for the great services in building the temple, 1 Kings 9:31. These cities not being agreeable to Hiram, on viewing them, he called them the land of Cabul, which in the Hebrew tongue denotes displeasing; others take it to signify binding, or adhesive, from the clayey nature of the soil.

Ca´bul, a district given to Hiram, king of Tyre, by Solomon, in acknowledgment of the important services which he had rendered towards the building of the Temple (1Ki 9:13). Hiram was by no means pleased with the gift, and the district received the name of Cabul (unpleasing) from this circumstance. The situation of Cabul has been disputed; but we are content to accept the information of Josephus, who seems to place it in the north-west part of Galilee, adjacent to Tyre.

Probably meaning displeasing,\par 1. A name given by Hiram king of Tyre to a district in Northern Galilee containing twenty cities, which Solomon gave him for his help in building the temple, 1Ki 9:13 ; the term implying his dissatisfaction with the gift.\par 2. A city of Asher, Jos 19:27 .\par

Ca’bul.

1. One of the landmarks, on the boundary of Asher, Jos 19:27, now Kabul, 9 or 10 miles east of Accho.

2. Name of the land given to Hiram, by Solomon. 1Ki 9:10-13.

On the boundary of Asher (Jos 19:27). Solomon gave to Hiram a district containing 20 cities, Cabal included. Not liking the district, Hiram said, "What, kind of cities are these?" and called the whole from the one city Cabul, which in Phoenician means displeasing (1Ki 9:13). From 2Ch 8:2 it seems that Hiram restored the 20 cities. The district was "Galilee of the Gentiles" (Isa 9:1), i.e. the N. part of Galilee, only in part occupied by Israel, more completely so after Hiram restored the cities. Tiglath Pileser carried the inhabitants captive to Assyria (2Ki 15:29). The cities were occupied chiefly by Canaanite pagans (2Sa 24:7), and were in a bad condition. Gesenius explains Cabul "the pawned land." Solomon borrowed sixscore talents of gold from Hiram for his extensive buildings, and gave the 20 cities as an equivalent. But on Hiram expressing dissatisfaction with them, he took them back, and, doubtless in course of time, repaid the gold.

(Hebrews Kabul’, כָּבוּל, according to etymology, bound, but signification uncertain [see below]), the name of a town and a district.

1. (Sept. Χαβώλ, but other copies blend with the following words into Χωβαμασομέλ.) A city on the eastern border of the tribe of Asher, and apparently at the northern part, beyond Beth-Emek (Jos 19:27). It seems to correspond to the village Chabolo (Χαβωλώ) mentioned by Josephus (Lfe, § 43, 45) as on the confines of Ptolemais, in Galilee, 40 stadia from Jotapata. A fortress by the name of Kabul is mentioned by Arabian geographers in the district of Safed (Rosenmiuller, Analect. Arab. in, 20). Dr. Robinson, during his last visit to Palestine, accordingly found a village called Kabul on his way to Accho, situated “on the left, among the lower hills” (Biblioth. Sacra, 1853, p. 121; Later Bibl. Res. p. 88; for Talmudical notices, see Schwarz, Palest. p. 192).

2. (Sept. translates ῞Οριον, boundary, but in neglect of the context, ver. 12, which favors the derivation of Simonis [Ononmast. p. 417] and Hiller [Onomast. p. 435, 775], as i.q. “something exhaled, as nothing ;” Josephus [Ant. 8:5, 3] calls it Χαβαλών, and says [apparently from conjecture] that it is a Phoenician word indicative of dissatisfaction.) A district containing “twenty cities,” given to Hiram, king of Tyre, by Solomon, in acknowledgment of the important services which he had rendered toward the building of the Temple (1Ki 9:13). Hiram was by no means pleased with the gift, and the district received the name of Ca. bul (as if signifying unpleasing) from this circumstance. The situation of Cabul has been disputed; but we are content to accept the information of Josephus (Ant. 8:5, 3), who seems to place it in the north-west part of Galilee, adjacent to Tyre. The foregoing town, named Cabul (Jos 19:27), being also in Galilee, it is possible that it was one of the twenty towns consigned to Hiram, who, to mark his dissatisfaction, applied the significant name of this one town to the whole district. The cause of Hiram’s dislike to what Solomon doubtless considered a liberal gift is very uncertain. It has been conjectured (Kitto, Pictorial Bible, note on 1Ki 9:13) that “probably, as the Phoenicians were a maritime and commercial people, Hiram wished rather for a part of the coast, which was now in the hands of Solomon, and was therefore not prepared to approve of a district which might have been of considerable value in the eyes of an agricultural people like the Hebrews. Perhaps the towns were in part payment of what Solomon owed Hiram for his -various services and contributions.” SEE HIRAM.

[Ca’bul]

1. Border city of Asher. Jos 19:27. Identified with Kabul, 32° 52’ N, 35° 12’ E’.

2. Name given by Hiram king of Tyre to the twenty cities in Galilee given him by Solomon, because he was displeased with them. 1Ki 9:13. Josephus says (Ant. viii. 5, 3) that the meaning of the term in the Phoenician tongue was ’what does not please.’ Apparently Hiram returned them to Solomon. 2Ch 8:2.

By: Morris Jastrow, Jr., Gerson B. Levi

A city on the boundary-line of Asher (Josh. xix. 27), identical with the modern Kabul (Buhl, "Geographie," p. 221). Josephus ("Vita," § 43) refers to it as "the village of Chabolo situated in the confines of Ptolemais." The name was applied also to an entire district which included twenty cities given by Solomon to Hiram, king of Tyre (I Kings ix. 13). Josephus ("Ant." viii. 5, § 3) interprets "Cabul" as meaning, in Phenician, "what does not please"; but doubt has been cast on this interpretation of the term.

CABUL (Jos 19:27, 1Ki 9:13).—A town of Asher on the border of Zebulun. The district was ceded by Solomon to Tyre. Prob. the large village Kabul, E. of Acco.

kā´bul (כּבוּל, kābhūl; Codex Vaticanus, Χωβαμασομέλ, Chōbamasomél; Codex Alexandrinus, Χαβὼλ ἀπὸ ἀριστερῶν, Chabō̇l apó aristerō̇n):

(1) A city on the boundary between Asher and Zebulun (Jos 19:27). It corresponds to the Chabolo of Josephus (Vita, 43, etc.), and is represented by the modern village Kābūl, about nine miles Southeast of Acre.

(2) A district probably connected with (1), containing 20 cities, given by Solomon to Hiram king of Tyre (1Ki 9:10).