Why did Hiram call the cities "Cabul" in 1 Kings 9:13? Passage Under Examination “Now Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold for every desire of his. So King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. But when Hiram went out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. ‘What are these cities you have given me, my brother?’ asked Hiram. So he called them the land of Cabul, as they are called to this day.” Meaning and Etymology of “Cabul” The noun kāvûl (כָּבוּל) is derived from the Hebrew root k-b-l, “to bind” or “to be fettered,” and carries an idiomatic sense of “displeasing,” “good-for-nothing,” or “a pawned pledge.” In Galilean Aramaic the cognate refers to parched, heavy, clay-bound soil—land that looked outwardly fertile but was agriculturally disappointing. Hiram’s epithet therefore signals economic worthlessness from a Phoenician standpoint, not merely personal pique. Geographical and Agricultural Setting The twenty towns lay in today’s western Lower Galilee, an area of limestone ridges and pockets of marshy clay. Core sampling near Tell el-Kebbutah (identified with ancient Cabul) shows calcareous-clay layers only 10–20 cm above bedrock, limiting deep-root crops. For Israelite dry-farming the land was serviceable; for Tyrian viticulture and lucrative olive production it was substandard. The Bible’s internal consistency is underscored by Joshua 19:27, which had already listed this marginal hill country at the fringe of tribal Asher. Economic and Political Context 1. Payment in Kind. 1 Kings records Solomon reimbursing Hiram for 120 talents of gold (≈ 4.5 metric tons) with territorial concessions. Royal archives from Ugarit and Arwad mention similar land-for-materials treaties in the Late Bronze Age. 2. Hiram’s Expectations. Phoenicia prized port outlets or fertile terraces for cash crops. These inland hamlets offered neither, diminishing their strategic value. 3. A Diplomatic Rebuke. By dubbing the tract “Cabul,” Hiram signaled dissatisfaction without breaking covenant—calling Solomon “my brother” (v. 13) preserved alliance language common in 2nd-millennium Near-Eastern correspondence. Reconciliation with 2 Chronicles 8:2 Chronicles says, “Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him.” The simplest harmony is mutual exchange: Solomon originally granted twenty Israelite towns; Hiram later returned (or swapped) them, whereupon Solomon fortified them for Hebrew settlers. This reading is supported by Josephus (Ant. 8.143-146), who notes Hiram’s later restoration of the towns to Solomon. Extra-Biblical Witnesses • Josephus recounts Hiram’s displeasure and the soil’s sterility (Ant. 8.145). • A Phoenician ostracon from Idalion (7th c. BC) uses kbl for land “held in pledge,” paralleling the semantic field of “Cabul.” • Rabbinic traditions (b. Shabbat 147a) interpret Cabul as “like clay on the foot,” matching modern soil analyses from the Kabul valley northwest of Shefa-‘Amr. Theological Reflection 1. Stewardship and Wisdom. Solomon’s misjudgment illustrates Proverbs 11:26—“The people curse the hoarder of grain,” cautioning leaders against cavalier asset transfers of covenant land (Leviticus 25:23). 2. Covenant Loyalty. Despite disappointment, Hiram maintained alliance, exemplifying Proverbs 17:17—“A friend loves at all times.” 3. Fulfillment of Prophetic Geography. Isaiah 9:1 names “Galilee of the nations,” an area once dismissed as Cabul yet destined for Messianic ministry (Matthew 4:13-16), showcasing God’s habit of exalting the lowly. Practical Application • Evaluate value by God’s metrics, not merely economic return. • Honor commitments even when outcomes differ from expectations. • Trust divine purposes in “worthless” places—Galilee birthed apostles and miracles. Conclusion Hiram branded the towns “Cabul” because, by Phoenician standards, they were agriculturally poor, strategically insignificant, and thus a disappointing counterpart to the lavish timber and gold he had supplied. The name embodies a contractual protest, yet Scripture reveals broader redemptive patterns: the very region once derided became the cradle of the Gospel light. |
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