Joshua 19:10

The third lot. Either the tribes were called up in the order designated by God in Elias’ prediction through Jacob, according to their pre-eminence, or the lot was drawn in this order. Though Zebulun was younger than Issachar, yet, in both the prophetic blessing of Jacob (Gen. 49) and that of Moses (Deut. 33) Zebulun came before him. Now again the precedence is shown in the allotment of the inheritance. According to the prediction of Jacob, the lot of Zebulun was to “dwell at the haven of the sea,” and Zebulun was to be a “haven of ships” (Gen. 49:13). Josephus (Antiquities vi. i. 22) held that their possession extended from the Sea of Chinnereth to Carmel and the sea. But from the description of the territory in the book of Joshua it is doubtful whether their boundary actually extended to the sea.

If the land of the Manassites touched upon that of the tribe of Asher (see Joshua 17:10), the land of Zebulun, unless in some detached way, could not have extended continuously to the Mediterranean. Perhaps Zebulun had access to the sea through Asher, or by a corridor that might have included the bay area north of the base of Mt. Carmel. The prediction was that Zebulun was to be a people dwelling at the haven of the sea, and this was probably accomplished by some arrangement with Asher whereby the children of Zebulun had easy access to harbors and thus were in convenient reach of rich markets. It has also been noted that their country was traversed by the ancient international highway known as “the way of the sea.”

Unto Sarid. The LXX (Codex Alexandrinus) agrees with this reading, but the Codex Vaticanus has Esedek Gola. The Syriac has “Ashdod.” But this cannot be the Ashdod of the Philistines. Some MSS read “Shadud,” which means “ruins.” There is a Tell Shadud, an extensive ruin, on the northern side of the plain of Esdraelon, 4 1/2 mi. (7.2 km.) southwest of Nazareth.