1 Kings 9:13

9:13 Hiram asked, ¹  “Why did you give me these cities, my friend ² ?” He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day. ³ 

1 Kings 13:5

13:5 The altar split open and the ashes ⁴  fell from the altar to the ground, ⁵  in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had announced with the Lord’s authority. ⁶ 

[9:13]  ¹ tn Heb “and he said.”

[9:13]  ² 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]  ³ 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.”

[13:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “the fat.” Reference is made to burnt wood mixed with fat. See HALOT 234 s.v. דשׁן.

[13:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “were poured out from the altar.”

[13:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.”