Genesis 49:13

49:13 Zebulun will live ¹  by the haven of the sea

and become a haven for ships;

his border will extend to Sidon. ² 

Joshua 11:8

11:8 The Lord handed them over to Israel and they struck them down and chased them all the way to Greater Sidon, ³  Misrephoth Maim, ⁴  and the Mizpah Valley to the east. They struck them down until no survivors remained.

Isaiah 23:4

23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon,

for the sea ⁵  says this, O fortress of the sea:

“I have not gone into labor

or given birth;

I have not raised young men

or brought up young women.” ⁶ 

¹ tn The verb שָׁכַן (shakhan) means “to settle,” but not necessarily as a permanent dwelling place. The tribal settlements by the sea would have been temporary and not the tribe’s territory.

² map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

³ map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew name “Misrephoth Maim” is perhaps “lime-kilns by the water” (see HALOT 2:641).

⁵ tn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:430-31) sees here a reference to Yam, the Canaanite god of the sea. He interprets the phrase מָעוֹז הַיָּם (ma’oz hayyam, “fortress of the sea”) as a title of Yam, translating “Mighty One of the Sea.” A more traditional view is that the phrase refers to Sidon.

⁶ tn Or “virgins” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).