1 Kings 9:12-13

9:12 When Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the cities Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. ¹  9:13 Hiram asked, ²  “Why did you give me these cities, my friend ³ ?” He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day. ⁴ 

[9:12]  ¹ tn Heb “they were not agreeable in his eyes.”

[9:13]  ² tn Heb “and he said.”

[9:13]  ³ tn Heb “my brother.” Kings allied through a parity treaty would sometimes address each other as “my brother.” See 1 Kgs 20:32-33.

[9:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “he called them the land of Cabul to this day.” The significance of the name is unclear, though it appears to be disparaging. The name may be derived from a root, attested in Akkadian and Arabic, meaning “bound” or “restricted.” Some propose a wordplay, pointing out that the name “Cabul” sounds like a Hebrew phrase meaning, “like not,” or “as good as nothing.”