3521. Kabul

Lexical Summary

Kabul: Kabul

Original Word: כָּבוּל
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Kabuwl
Pronunciation: kah-BOOL
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-bool')
KJV: Cabul
NASB: Cabul
Word Origin: [from the same as H3525 (כֶּבֶל - fetters) in the sense of limitation]

1. sterile
2. Cabul, the name of two places in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Cabul

From the same as kebel in the sense of limitation; sterile; Cabul, the name of two places in Palestine -- Cabul.

see HEBREW kebel

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a city in Asher, also a region in Galilee
NASB Translation
Cabul (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

כָּבוּל proper name, of a location 1. city on border of Asher Joshua 19:27, modern Kâbûl, 4 h. (9 miles) southeast from Akko, Rob^{BR iii, 88} Guérin^{Gal, i. 422 f.}

2 אֶרֶץ כָּבוּל district in Galilee 1 Kings 9:13 containing 20 cities given by Solomon to Hiram (popular etymology possibly כּ as + בֻּל = בַּל not, i.e. as good as nothing, compare 1 Kings 9:12, so Ew Th; Klo conjectures ארץ גָּלִיל), Buhl^{Geogr. § 116}.

כבל (√ of following = bind; Late Hebrew כָּבַל bind, כֶּבֶל fetter; Aramaic כְּבַל id., כַּבְלָא id., , ; Arabic bind, fetter).

Topical Lexicon

Geographic Setting

Cabul designates both a single town and a broader district in the western portion of Lower Galilee, several miles southeast of Acco (Ptolemais) and not far from the Mediterranean coast. The locale occupies the rugged hill country that slopes down toward the coastal plain, an area marked by olive‐covered ridges, fertile valleys, and access to long-standing trade routes linking Phoenicia with the interior of Israel.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Joshua 19:27 lists Cabul among the boundary towns of Asher’s tribal inheritance: “and continued to Cabul on the left”.
2. 1 Kings 9:13 records the “land of Cabul,” the twenty Galilean cities Solomon transferred to Hiram of Tyre as partial payment for construction materials: “‘What kind of cities are these that you have given me, my brother?’ asked Hiram. So he called them the land of Cabul, as they are called to this day”.

Historical Context and Significance

• Tribal Boundaries: Cabul serves as a fixed landmark on the border between Asher and its neighbors. The notice in Joshua underscores the precision with which God parcelled the Promised Land, validating His covenant faithfulness to the tribes (Joshua 21:45).
• Royal Diplomacy: Centuries later Solomon ceded the surrounding district to Hiram. The Phoenician king’s disappointment—he dubbed the region “Cabul,” a term that conveyed uselessness in his tongue—highlights the contrast between human appraisal and divine allotment. What appeared unimpressive to a foreign monarch had long been part of the inheritance God granted His people.
• Economic Interface: The episode illustrates the burgeoning Israelite-Phoenician partnership. Timber, gold, and skilled craftsmanship flowed south; agricultural settlements and strategic corridors moved north. Cabul, straddling Israelite and Phoenician spheres, became a tangible token of that alliance.

Theological Reflection

1. Covenant Continuity: From Joshua to Kings, Cabul’s mention bookends a narrative of promise and performance. The land granted by divine decree (Joshua) endures through dynastic expansion (Kings), attesting that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).
2. True Value vs. Earthly Assessment: Hiram’s disdain for Cabul mirrors the wider biblical theme that spiritual worth often escapes worldly eyes (1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Corinthians 1:27-29). The land’s perceived barrenness does not annul its covenant status.
3. Stewardship and Accountability: Solomon’s choice to barter covenant land for cedar and gold invites sober consideration. Later prophets condemned the alienation of ancestral inheritances (Isaiah 5:8; Micah 2:1-2). Cabul warns that convenience in leadership must never eclipse fidelity to God’s purposes for His land and people.

Archaeological and Later History

Tradition locates ancient Cabul at modern day Kabul (Arabic: Kabūl), a village roughly twelve kilometers east of Acco. Excavations have unearthed Iron Age fortifications and domestic structures consonant with occupation during both the tribal and monarchic periods. Pottery remains and Phoenician inscriptions in nearby sites support the biblical picture of Israelite–Phoenician cultural overlap.

Ministry Applications

• Boundary Stones of Faith: Just as Cabul marked a literal border, believers today are called to uphold clear spiritual boundaries—truth, holiness, and ethical integrity—established in Scripture (Proverbs 22:28; Hebrews 12:14).
• Assessing God’s Gifts: Cabul cautions against undervaluing what God entrusts. Congregations situated in obscure locales, or ministries that seem “small,” retain kingdom significance because their worth is assigned by the Lord, not by cultural acclaim (Zechariah 4:10).
• Partnerships and Discernment: The Solomon-Hiram arrangement affirms that cooperative ventures can advance God’s work, yet it also urges discernment lest material gain compromise covenant responsibilities. Modern ministry alliances should be tested against scriptural priorities and gospel integrity (Philippians 1:9-10).

Summary

Cabul stands at the intersection of promise and politics, tribal heritage and royal commerce. Whether marking Asher’s frontier or anchoring a diplomatic bargain, its two brief appearances remind readers that every parcel of the land—and every aspect of life—lies within the sovereign, evaluative gaze of God.

Forms and Transliterations

כָּב֔וּל כָּב֖וּל כבול kā·ḇūl kāḇūl kaVul

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 19:27
HEB: וְיָצָ֥א אֶל־ כָּב֖וּל מִשְּׂמֹֽאל׃
NAS: then it proceeded on north to Cabul,
KJV: and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand,
INT: proceeded to Cabul north

1 Kings 9:13
HEB: לָהֶם֙ אֶ֣רֶץ כָּב֔וּל עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם
NAS: the land of Cabul to this
KJV: them the land of Cabul unto this day.
INT: bewray the land of Cabul against day

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3521
2 Occurrences

kā·ḇūl — 2 Occ.