Cabul
| |
|---|---|
Local council (from 1974) | |
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • ISO 259 | Kabbul |
| • Also spelled | al-Kabul (official) |
  Cabul | |
| Coordinates:32°52′11″N35°12′8″E / 32.86972°N 35.20222°E /32.86972; 35.20222 | |
| Grid position | 170/252PAL |
| District | Northern |
| Founded | 1200 BCE(Biblical Cabul) |
| Area | |
• Total | 7,149 dunams (7.149 km2 or 2.760 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 14,628 |
| • Density | 2,000/km2 (5,300/sq mi) |
| Name meaning | (Phoenician) = "what does not please"[2] |
Cabul (Hebrew:כבול), classical spelling:Chabolo;Chabulon, is a location in theLower Galilee mentioned in theHebrew Bible, now theKabullocal council inIsrael, 9 or 10 miles (16 km) east ofAcco.
Cabul is first mentioned as one of the landmarks on the boundary ofAsher, inJoshua 19:27.Josephus refers to it as "the village of Chabolo situated in the confines of Ptolemais",[3] and was the western border ofLower Galilee before joining the Phoenician coast.[4] It was assigned to theTribe of Asher.[5] The name "Kabul" may have been derived from theAramaic wordmekubbal, which means "clad", as in the inhabitants were "clad" in gold and silver.[6]
KingSolomon handed over a district in the north-west ofGalilee nearTyre, containing twenty cities, toHiram I, the king ofTyre, in repayment for his help in buildingSolomon's Temple inJerusalem.[7] Hiram was not pleased with the gift, however, and called them "the land of Cabul", the name signifying "good for nothing". The writer of1 Kings 9 says they were called by this name "to this day".[7] Josephus interprets "Cabul" as meaning "what does not please" (inPhoenician)[8] but doubt has been cast on this interpretation of the term.[citation needed] ThePulpit Commentary suggests they were unacceptable because "really they were mere villages".[9]
Archaeological excavations at Khirbet Rosh Zayit, located 2km northeast of modernKabul, Israel, have revealed an Israelite settlement from the 12th century BCE, and built upon it a Phoenician fortification from the 10th century BCE. The excavator suggests that this is evidence of Solomon's transfer of the area to Tyrian control.[10]
Josephus describes Cabul as being "the place that divides the country ofPtolemais from our nation" (War II 18:503).[11] The architecture of Cabul, unlike other cities of the Galilee, was similar to that of Tyre, Sidon, and Beirut. In theFirst Jewish–Roman War, Cabul was attacked byCestius Gallus in 66 CE.[12] Upon the approach of the Roman army, the inhabitants of Cabul (Greek:Χαβουλών, translated in some English texts asZabulon)[13] had fled the city, while the soldiery were given leave to plunder and burn the city.[14] For a time it served as Josephus' headquarters in Galilee in 67 CE.[15]
Judah andHillel, sons of R.Gamaliel III, were received as guests in Cabul with great honor and paid a visit to a local bath.[16] It was the home of a Rabbi Zakkai,[17] and was famous for its abundance of wine and oil; it also had a synagogue and public baths. After the fall of Jerusalem, priests of theShecaniah (Shekhanyah) family settled there.
In the CrusaderKingdom of Jerusalem, it was the seat of a seigniory known as Cabor.[12]
In 2010, an archaeological survey of Cabul was conducted by Omar Zidan on behalf of theIsrael Antiquities Authority (IAA).[18]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Cabul".The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
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