and plain west of Benjamin. Its boundaries are not stated, but on the south coincided with Judah, from which tribe Zorah and Eshtaol on the border were taken. Near these was Ir-shemesh (Ain Shems), and farther north Shaalabbin (Se/bit) and Aijalon (Yalo). Timnah and Ekron (T7ibneh and ‘Akir) were also on the Judah border. Eltekeh (perhaps Beit Likia) and Gibbethon (Kibbieh) were on the north-east, and Jehud (e/-Yehudiyeh) with Bene-berak (/bn Ibrak) in the plain north of Joppa. Me-jarkon (‘yellow water’) may have been the boundary stream already noticed, and Rakkon (‘shore ’) may be the present Tell er-Rakkeit on the shore north ὁ donne (are). The territory was insuflicient (v.‘”), and the plain was held by the Canaanites (Jg 15. 85), so that the Danites were forced to migrate from their plain or ‘camp’ (Mahaneh-dan, Jg 18**) west of Kiriath-jearim (in the valley of Sorek, south of Zorah) to the extreme north under Hermon.
Of the cities of Dan, Joppa is noticed in the Tel el-Amarna tablets (15th cent. B.C.) as well as by Sennacherib in B.C. 701, and the latter also notices Beth-dagon (on the border of Judah), Bene- berak, Eltekeh, and Timnah.
The children of Joseph appear at first to have spread over all Samaria and Wee Galilee, as well as over Bashan and half Gilead. Their original boundary (Jos 161%) coincided with that of Benja- min, an aperoashed Judah at Gezer (Tell Jezer), which was, however, not taken (v.'”), though they claimed the plains subsequently given to Dan. Out of their territory also Issachar received a portion in the final division by lot. Ephraim had a small and rugged portion ; but Manasseh was a ‘ great people’ (Jos 172"), yet unable to drive the Canaanites out of the chariot cities in the plains. Manasseh held some of the best lands in Central Palestine, and a wooded mountain, perhaps Car- mel (see Mic 74). The north border of Ephraim is briefly described (Jos 1058), running on the west from the north-west angle of Benjamin to Michmethah east of Shechem (177), apparently the Mukhnah plain, and thence east to Taanath-shiloh (T"ana) and Janoah (Yaniin), and thus to the Jordan Valley near Jericho. The river Kanah (Wdady Kanah) formed the border on the north- west, running to the sea; but the plains north of Dan were not occupied. The list of ‘separate cities’ (16°) seems to have been lost. The bound- aries of Manasseh are not stated, and only two towns within the portion of this tribe west of Jordan are noticed, namely, Shechem and Tappuah. The site of the latter is unknown, but it is perhaps the same as Yashubi ‘En Tappuah, which would find a fitting site at Yds#f close to the Mukhnah
lain, the border of Ephraim (see Heb. Jos 177).
anasseh had originally ‘touched upon’ Asher and Issachar, and claimed cities in these tribes, of which in Issachar Bethshean (Beisdn), Ibleam (Yebla), Endor (παν), Taanach (7"dnuk), and Megiddo (probably Mujedd'a) are well known. It is remarkable that very few Samaritan towns are noticed, but in the Bk. of Joshua generally we find Shiloh, Tirzah, and Shechem mentioned. Monumental records are equally silent as to this very rugged mountain region. On the other hand, Megiddo and Taanach are noticed by Thothmes Ul. (in B.C. 1600) and in the Tel el-Amarna texts (a century later); and again, in the reign of Ramses i. (about B.C. 1330), Megiddo is noticed as if near the Jordan.
The boundaries of Issachar are also unnoticed Jos 19'7-2), but coincided with those of Manasseh,
aphtali, and Zebulun, including the plain of Dothan and that of Esdraelon. The known cities include Jezreel (Zer'in), Chesulloth (/ksd/), Shu-
nem (Sélem), Hapharaim (e/-Ferrtyeh), Anaharath (En N'atirah), Rabbith (44a), Remeth (RdmeA), HS mae (Jenin), and En-haddah (perhaps Kefr Addn). Of these, Anaharath, and perhaps others, are noticed by Thothmes 1. in his lists.
The borders of Zebulun are more particular! described. The lot included the Nazareth hills and the plain of Asochis with hills to its north. The north and south limits seem to be fixed by Dabbesheth (Dabsheh) and Jokneam (7'ell Keimin) respectively (Jos 19"). The south border was at Sarid (or perh. Sadid, ef. LXX B in ν. 13), which may be Yell Shadid at the foot of the Nazareth hills. It ran east to Chesulloth and Daberath (Debdrieh), where, at the western foot of Tabor, the three tribes, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Issachar met (see 19%). The south border of Zebulun also touched Japhia (γάζα, west of Nazareth), and reached the Kishon at Jokneam. Theeast borderskirted the Tabor plateau on the west, running north on the hills to Gath- hepher (now el-Mesh-hed) and to Rimmon (Rummé- neh) east of the Asochis plain. The north border started on the east at Hannathon (Kefr‘Andn) and passed along a deep valley to Dabbesheth. The remainder of the line coincided with the south border of Asher (Jos 1957), running north of Cabul (Kabul) to Beth-dagon (probably Tell Davik south of Acre) and to Shihor-libnath —apparently the river Belus. The shores of the bay of Acre seem to have belonged to Asher, perhaps as far as the Kishon (1935), but Zebulun would seem to have had a ‘haven’ for ‘ships’ (Gn 49%), probably at Haifa under Carmel, in which name the Heb word for ‘haven’ or ‘shore’ survives. Of the other cities of Zebulun, only Bethlehem (Bett Lahm) is certainly known.