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Joshua 19:24-30
And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families…

of Acco
Acco, known today as Acre, was a significant port city on the Mediterranean coast. Its strategic location made it a valuable asset, but also a challenging city to conquer. The failure to capture Acco meant that Asher missed out on controlling a key trade and military location, which could have strengthened their position in the region.

Sidon
Sidon was a major Phoenician city north of Israel's territory. Known for its wealth and maritime prowess, Sidon was influential in the ancient world. The presence of Sidonites in Asher's territory indicates the strong cultural and economic influence of the Phoenicians, which could lead to idolatry and assimilation into pagan practices, as warned against in Deuteronomy.

Ahlab
Little is known about Ahlab, but its mention alongside other significant cities suggests it was an established settlement. The presence of Canaanites in Ahlab would have contributed to the cultural and religious challenges faced by the Israelites in maintaining their distinct identity and worship of Yahweh.

Achzib
Achzib, also known as Ecdippa, was another coastal city. Its mention highlights the pattern of Asher's failure to secure coastal regions, which were often more prosperous and influential due to trade. This failure would have economic and strategic implications for the tribe.

Helbah
Helbah's exact location is uncertain, but it is believed to be in the northern part of Asher's territory. The inability to drive out its inhabitants suggests a broader pattern of incomplete conquest in the northern regions, which would later contribute to the fragmentation and vulnerability of the Israelite tribes.

Aphik
Aphik, possibly identified with the site of Tel Afek, was a fortified city. Its mention indicates the military challenges faced by Asher. The Canaanites' retention of such strongholds would have posed a continual threat to the security and stability of the Israelite settlements.

and Rehob
Rehob was likely located near the northern border of Asher's territory. The failure to drive out its inhabitants underscores the incomplete occupation of the land, which would have implications for the tribe's ability to fully establish itself and fulfill its role within the nation of Israel. This incomplete conquest is a microcosm of the larger narrative in Judges, where Israel's disobedience leads to cycles of oppression and deliverance.

Judges 1:31 opens with sobering clarity: “Asher failed to drive out the inhabitants…”. The LORD had promised victory if Israel obeyed (Exodus 23:31-33;Deuteronomy 7:1-2), and earlier successes by Judah showed that God’s word stood (Judges 1:4). Yet Asher, like the tribes mentioned inJudges 1:27-30, settled for coexistence.

• Incomplete obedience left strong pockets of pagan culture that later drew Israel into idolatry (Judges 2:1-3;Psalm 106:34-36).

• What begins as toleration soon becomes bondage, as later chapters reveal when “the Israelites once again did evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judges 3:12).

• The New Testament echoes the principle—believers are called to “lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1).

Acco sat on a natural harbor just north of Mount Carmel. God had allotted this valuable port to Asher (Joshua 19:24-30), yet the tribe surrendered it to Canaanite influence.

• Losing Acco meant forfeiting economic strength and a strategic location that could have blessed the whole nation.

• Allowing a coastal stronghold of idol worship jeopardized Israel’s distinct witness, contrasting sharply withDeuteronomy 4:6-8, where Israel was meant to display God’s wisdom to the nations.

Sidon was the leading Phoenician city, later home of Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31).Judges 10:6 shows Israel eventually served “the gods of Sidon,” fulfillment of the compromise begun here.

• Sidon’s continued independence became a channel for Baal worship to enter Israel (1 Kings 18:19).

•Ephesians 5:11 calls believers to “have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness,” underscoring the danger Asher ignored.

Mentioned again inJoshua 19:29, Ahlab lay in the northern hills. Though less famous than Sidon, its retained Canaanite population still mattered.

• Even “small” pockets of disobedience weaken the fabric of covenant faithfulness, as seen when “little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9).

• Ahlab reminds us that everyday, hidden compromises are as perilous as the high-profile ones.

This coastal town appears later inMicah 1:14, where the prophet plays on its name to warn of deception. The seed of that warning was planted when Asher let Achzib remain Canaanite.

• Unchallenged idolatry in Achzib foreshadowed Israel’s tendency to seek security in false hopes (Jeremiah 2:13).

• The failure here illustratesProverbs 14:12—“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

Helbah’s precise site is uncertain, yet its inclusion shows that no corner of Asher’s inheritance was exempt from compromise.

•Numbers 33:55 had warned, “If you do not drive out the inhabitants… those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes.” Helbah represents the barbs that remain when obedience is partial.

•2 Corinthians 6:17 urges separation from what pollutes; Helbah reminds us why.

Aphik, on the border with Phoenicia (Joshua 13:4; 19:30), later served as a Philistine staging ground against Israel (1 Samuel 4:1; 29:1).

• What Asher neglected became an enemy stronghold that threatened the entire nation.

•Ephesians 4:27 warns, “Do not give the devil a foothold.” Aphik became exactly that.

Situated near the entrance to the Lebanon range (Joshua 19:28), Rehob controlled inland trade routes.

• Leaving Rehob in Canaanite hands meant surrendering influence that could have showcased the LORD’s glory to neighboring peoples (Psalm 67:1-2).

• Later, the city appears in2 Samuel 10:6-8 allied against Israel, another example of compromise breeding conflict.

Judges 1:31 records more than geographical trivia; it chronicles the slide from partial obedience to long-term spiritual loss. Each town Asher left untouched became a point of future trouble, illustrating God’s repeated call to wholehearted faithfulness. The verse challenges every generation to trust the LORD enough to remove whatever opposes Him, believing His promises are as literal and sure today as they were on the day the land was allotted.

Accho.--The seaport so famous under the names of Ptolemais (Acts 21:7;1 Maccabees 5:15;1 Maccabees 10:1), Acre, and St. Jean d'Acre (now Acca). Josephus called it Ako (Antt. ix. 14, ? 2).

Zidon.--(Joshua 11:8.) Asher never succeeded in conquering Zidon, which was the capital of Ph?nicia, though eclipsed by its neighbour Tyre. (2Samuel 5:11; Isaiah 23; Jeremiah 27, 47;Matthew 11:22, &c.) It is now calledSaida. . . .

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