1 Kings 4:12

1Ki 4:12 Baana the son of Ahilud; [to him pertained] Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which [is] by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, [even] unto [the place that is] beyond Jokneam:

Ver. 12. Taanach and Megiddo.] These were in the tribe of Manasseh: he had also part of Issachar, and part of Zebulun; for in this business they shared out the land, not by tribes but districts, or provinces; that things might be equally carried.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Or, to the plain.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(12) The fifth division must have been large and important, including much of the great plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel, the garden and battle-field of Northern Palestine, and extending to the Jordan valley. Taanach, Megiddo, and Beth-shean are all named as Canaanitish cities not taken by Manasseh, but made tributary (Jos_17:11; Jdg_1:27). Taanach and Megiddo are referred to in the song of Deborah (Jdg_5:19). Megiddo is the place of the death of Ahaziah (2Ki_9:27) and the fall of Josiah (2Ki_23:29). Beth-shean is the city in which the body of Saul was exposed in triumph (1Sa_31:12). Abel-meholah, the birth-place of Elisha (1Ki_19:16), lies south of Beth-shean, and is mentioned in the record of the rout of the Midianites by Gideon (Jdg_7:22). Jokmeam (for such is the right reading) is a Levitical city in Ephraim (1Ch_6:68), apparently called Kibzaim in Jos_21:22, and must have been an outlying part of this division.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

12. Baana the son of Ahilud] Probably the brother of Jehoshaphat the recorder mentioned in 1Ki_4:3.

Taanach and Megiddo] These places are both inland to the east of Dor, Megiddo being a little north of Taanach which lies in the valley of Esdraelon. Cf. Jdg_5:19 ‘Taanach by the waters of Megiddo.’ Beth-shean is still further east nearer to the Jordan, and Zartanah is no doubt Zarethan or Zarthan (Jos_3:16), which must have been close to the Jordan. Abel-meholah is south from Beth-shean in the Jordan valley. The name Jokneam should be, on the authority both of Hebrew, Septuagint and Vulgate, written Jokmeam. This place is mentioned 1Ch_6:68, but in the parallel passage Jos_21:22 Kibzaim is given instead. In both passages the place is assigned as one of the Levitical cities in the tribe of Ephraim, which would suit entirely with the text of the present verse, as it would then be in the same district as Zarthan and Abel-meholah, whereas Jokneam lies to the north of the ridge of Carmel, not far from the coast of the Mediterranean. The scribe’s confusion between Jokmeam יקמעם and Kibzaim קבצים is not difficult to understand on looking at the forms in Hebrew.

Instead of the italics to him pertained at the beginning of this verse, it is simpler to substitute in, which stands in all the previous verses.

beneath Jezreel] implies that the place or district so described lay in the plain country stretching south of Jezreel. That city was built on a small height and looked south over the plain of Esdraelon.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The son of Geber in Ramothgilead,.... A city in the tribe of Gad, and was a city of refuge, Jos 20:8;

to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; of which see Num 32:41;

to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan,

threescore great cities with walls, and brasen bars; called by Josephus (s) Ragaba, beyond Jordan; See Gill on Deu 3:4.

(s) Antiqu. l. 13. c. 15. sect. 5.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

On these cities see Jos 12:21; Jos 3:16; Jdg 7:22; Jos 21:22.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Zartanah beneath Jezreel, which was in Issachar. And this seems added to distinguish it from that

Zartanah, Jos 3:16.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

12. Taanach and Megiddo — In the great plain of Esdraelon. See on Jos_12:21; Jdg_5:19.

Beth-shean — The modern Beisan, between Mount Gilboa and the Jordan. See Jos_17:11.

Zartanah — This place has not been identified.

Beneath Jezreel — The city of Jezreel, which gave its name to the whole neighbouring valley, was on the site of the modern Zerin, near the western end of Mount Gilboa. See on Jos_19:18. Beneath Jezreel indicates that Beth-shean and its neighbouring towns lay lower than Jezreel, a fact confirmed by Robinson: “Zerin lies comparatively high, and commands a wide and noble view, extending down the broad low valley on the east to Beisan. We could here see the acropolis of Beisan lying much lower than Zerin; and from every account that place appears to be situated not far above the level of the Jordan valley.”

Abel-meholah — Perhaps the modern Khurbet-esh-Shuk, at the eastern end of Mount Gilboa.

Jokneam — The Hebrew is here Jok-meam, but probably a later corruption of Jokneam, called in Jos_12:22, Jokneam of Carmel, and identified by Dr. Robinson with the modern Tell Kaimon, which holds a conspicuous position on the Carmel range, “commanding the main pass from the western portion of Esdraelon to the more southern plain.” Baana’s district thus took in the great valley of Jezreel, and extended from Bethshean on the east to Jokneam on the west.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Baana, the son of Ahilud cf. ver. 3. Probably the recorder"s brother, to him pertained the original, true to its character as a list, omits these words, simply giving the name of the officer and then the towns of his district or province Taanach and Megiddo similarly associated, Jos_12:21; Jud_1:5:19 1:27. These towns, which became famous in later Jewish history (2Ki_23:29; 2Ch_35:22) lay at the foot of the E. spurs of Carmel, on the margin of the plain of Esdraelon. See Conder"s "Tent Work in Palestine," p. 67 and all Bethshean Jos_17:11, Jos_17:16; Jud 1:27. Otherwise Bethshan (1Sa_31:10, 1Sa_31:12; 2Sa_21:12) now Beisan. The LXX here translate the word oJ oikov San; elsewhere they write baiqsan or baiqsam, and inliv, Jud 1:27 explain h ejsti Skuqwn po hence its later name Scythopolis. Rawlinson, by an oversight, interprets the name to mean "house of the sun," which is the translation of Bethshemesh. Bethshan prob. means "house of rest." "The site of the town is on the brow of the descent by which the great plain of Esdraelon drops down to the level of the Ghor." The present writer was much struck (in 1861) by its situation. See Conder, pp. 233, 234. The text shows that it gave its name to the adjoining district, which is by Zartanah probably the Zaretan of Jos_3:16 and the Zarthan (same word in the Heb.) of 1Ki_7:46, which place is called Zeredathah in 2Ch_4:17, and is probably the Zererath of. Jud_1:7:22. (The variations in spelling are again to be noticed) Here Solomon cast the Temple vessels. By some it is identified with Kurn Sartabeh (but see quart. Stat. of Pal. Explor. Fund, July, 1874, and Conder, pp. 233, 234), a few miles below Bethshan. It is noticeable (in connexion with Jos_3:16) that at this point the Jordan valley narrows (Keil). It occupies high ground and commands an extensive view (Robinson) beneath or below Jezreel Wordsworth remarks that "Jezreel, now Zerin, is a lofty site." But the idea of "beneath" is not that of depression, but of geographical position=the district southeast of Jezreel from LXX and from. Bethshean to Abelmeholah lit. meadow of the dance. It lay ten miles south of Bethshean. It is mentioned in connexion with Zererath (Zaretan) in Jud_1:7:22, but is best known as the home of Elisha 1Ki_19:16 even unto the place that is beyond Heb. unto the other side of Jokneam. Properly, Jokmeam. Identified by the Survey (Conder, p. 68) with Tell Keimun. A Levitical town (1Ch_6:68) probably the same as Kibzaim (cf. Jos_21:22) Thisdistrict coincided practically with the tribe of Manasseh. It embraced a part (see ver. 17) of the fertile plain of Esdraelon and of the Jordan valley.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.