Lexical Summary Nahalal or Nahalol: Nahalal or Nahalol Original Word: נַהֲלָל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Nahalal, Nahallal, Nahalol Or Nahalol {nah-hal-ole'}; the same as nahalol; Nahalal or Nahalol, a place in Palestine -- Nahalal, Nahallal, Nahalol. see HEBREW nahalol NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom nahal Definition a place in Zebulun NASB Translation Nahalal (2), Nahalol (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. נַהֲלֹל proper name, of a location Judges 1:30 in Zebulun, ᵐ5 Δωμανα, A Εναμμαν, ᵐ5L Αμμαν; = נַהֲלָל Joshua 19:15; Joshua 21:35, ᵐ5 Ναβααλ, Νααλωλ, ᵐ5L Αναλωθ, Αλωμ; — site unknown, compare GFMJudges 1:30. Topical Lexicon Name and Meaning Nahalal (also rendered Nahallal or Nahalol) is usually understood to denote “pasture” or “cultivated field,” an apt description for a settlement positioned on the fertile fringe of the Jezreel Valley. Geographical Setting Most scholars locate Nahalal at modern Tell en-Nahlol or at the nearby site of Maʽlul, northwest of present-day Nazareth. Its setting on the edge of the broad Jezreel Plain afforded abundant farmland and a strategic vantage point over the north-south trade routes that crossed Galilee. Tribal Allotment in Zebulun Joshua 19:15 lists Nahalal among the “twelve cities, along with their villages” granted to the tribe of Zebulun. The roster shows the careful distribution of the land promise made to Abraham and confirms the Lord’s faithfulness in providing each tribe with an inheritance “flowing with milk and honey.” Designation as a Levitical City Joshua 21:35 records that Nahalal, together with Dimnah, became one of four cities allotted to the Merarite branch of the Levites within Zebulun. The Levites’ presence ensured ongoing teaching of the Law and perpetual reminders of covenant worship amid an agrarian population. Its pastures supplied livestock for the sacrificial system centered at Shiloh and later Jerusalem, illustrating the partnership between secular labor and sacred service. Incomplete Conquest and Spiritual Lessons Judges 1:30 notes Zebulun’s failure to expel the Canaanite inhabitants: “Zebulun failed to drive out the people of Kitron or Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them and were put to forced labor.” The compromise brought immediate economic advantage but long-term spiritual erosion. Subsequent prophetic warnings against syncretism (for example Hosea 4:17) echo the pattern first hinted at in Nahalal. The episode challenges believers in every generation to pursue full obedience rather than partial compliance masked by convenience. Possible Identification and Archaeological Data Survey work at Tell en-Nahlol has uncovered Iron Age walls, storage pits, and grain silos, corroborating a fortified agricultural settlement that fits the biblical timeline. Pottery shards from the Late Bronze and Early Iron periods align with the conquest and settlement narratives. No definitive Levitical installations have been found, yet the agricultural abundance implied by the name harmonizes with the tithe-supported ministry of the Levites. Prophetic and Redemptive Themes 1. Covenant Fulfillment: Nahalal’s inclusion in the tribal lists attests that “not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made… had failed” (Joshua 21:45). Practical Ministry Applications • Stewardship: Like the fertile plots of Nahalal, believers are entrusted with resources meant to support worship and advance the gospel. In sum, Nahalal stands as a microcosm of promise, privilege, and peril—an agricultural town chosen for worship, blessed with abundance, yet marred by partial obedience—reminding the people of God that faithfulness in “small” places shapes the larger redemptive story. Forms and Transliterations וְנַֽהֲלָל֙ ונהלל נַהֲלָ֖ל נַהֲלֹ֑ל נהלל na·hă·lāl na·hă·lōl nahaLal nahălāl nahaLol nahălōl venahaLal wə·na·hă·lāl wənahălālLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 19:15 HEB: וְקַטָּ֤ת וְנַֽהֲלָל֙ וְשִׁמְר֔וֹן וְיִדְאֲלָ֖ה NAS: [Included] also [were] Kattah and Nahalal and Shimron KJV: And Kattath, and Nahallal, and Shimron, INT: also Kattah and Nahalal and Shimron and Idalah Joshua 21:35 Judges 1:30 3 Occurrences |
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