3522. Kabbon

Lexical Summary

Kabbon: Kabbon

Original Word: כַּבּוֹן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Kabbown
Pronunciation: kab-BONE
Phonetic Spelling: (kab-bone')
KJV: Cabbon
NASB: Cabbon
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to heap up]

1. hilly
2. Cabon, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Cabbon

From an unused root meaning to heap up; hilly; Cabon, a place in Palestine -- Cabbon.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a place in Judah
NASB Translation
Cabbon (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

כַּבּוֺן proper name, of a location in Judah Joshua 15:40 possibly = following, ᵐ5 Ξαβρα, ᵐ5^L Ξαββω.

Topical Lexicon

Geographical Identification

Kabbon appears as one of the southern towns within the inheritance of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:40). Though its exact location remains uncertain, many scholars place it in the Shephelah—the low-lying foothills between the Judean hill country and the coastal plain—based on its placement among neighboring towns such as Eglon, Lachish, and Keilah. Suggested sites include Khirbet el-Kubeibeh, near modern-day Beit Jibrin, or Khirbet Kibbân southeast of Lachish, yet no identification is universally accepted. Its inclusion among fortified settlements implies both strategic and agricultural importance in guarding routes from the coast into Judah’s heartland.

Biblical Context and Usage

Unique within Scripture, Kabbon is mentioned only once:

“Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish” (Joshua 15:40).

The verse forms part of a detailed catalog of Judah’s territorial allotment—one of the longest land-grant passages in the Old Testament. Such specificity serves multiple purposes: it validates the historical claim of Israel to the land, demonstrates the meticulous fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21), and provides a legal record for tribal inheritance. Even an otherwise obscure village like Kabbon witnesses to the covenantal faithfulness that ensured every family received its apportioned inheritance (Joshua 21:45).

Historical and Archaeological Considerations

1. Strategic Setting: The Shephelah functioned as Judah’s first line of defense against Philistine incursions. Towns listed with Kabbon formed a chain of fortified agricultural settlements supplying provisions and manpower for military campaigns.
2. Agricultural Role: Low-lying, rolling hills with fertile soil yielded grain, olives, and grapes. The town’s economy likely centered on these staples, contributing to Judah’s self-sufficiency.
3. Possible Ruination: Repeated conflicts—first the conquest, later Philistine pressure, and Assyrian and Babylonian invasions—would have threatened or destroyed many Shephelah settlements. If Kabbon’s site lies beneath unexcavated ruins, its material culture could illuminate daily Judean life before the exile.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Land Grant: Kabbon exemplifies how divine promises translate into tangible geography. Every listed border stone and village reinforces the reliability of Yahweh’s oath (Joshua 21:43).
2. Corporate Identity: While Judah produced celebrated heroes like Caleb and David, the tribe’s stability rested on numerous unnamed families occupying towns like Kabbon. Scripture therefore honors both prominent leaders and ordinary households.
3. Divine Attention to Detail: The single mention of Kabbon underscores that God’s Word preserves even what appears insignificant. “Every word of God is flawless” (Proverbs 30:5) includes town lists, anchoring redemptive history in real time and place.

Ministry and Devotional Applications

• Value of the Anonymous: Kabbon reminds believers that unseen faithfulness in small places matters to the Lord. Pastors in rural parishes, missionaries in remote villages, or lay members quietly serving their congregations can take heart that their labors are recorded before God (Hebrews 6:10).
• Trust in Specific Promises: Just as Kabbon received its precise boundary within Judah, so every promise in Christ is “Yes and Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
• Encouragement for Bible Study: Lists and genealogies may seem tedious, yet they offer a framework confirming Scripture’s historical grounding. Studying Kabbon invites deeper confidence in the accuracy of biblical revelation.

Kabbon’s solitary appearance in Joshua is thus more than a geographical footnote; it is a testament to God’s fidelity, the dignity of ordinary believers, and the trustworthy precision of the inspired Word.

Forms and Transliterations

וְכַבּ֥וֹן וכבון vechabBon wə·ḵab·bō·wn wəḵabbōwn

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 15:40
HEB: וְכַבּ֥וֹן וְלַחְמָ֖ס וְכִתְלִֽישׁ׃
NAS: and Cabbon and Lahmas and Chitlish,
KJV: And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish,
INT: and Cabbon and Lahmas and Chitlish

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3522
1 Occurrence

wə·ḵab·bō·wn — 1 Occ.