And turneth towards the sunrising
Or eastward,
to Bethdagon;
there was a city of this name in the tribe of Judah, (See Gill on Joshua 15:41). Dagon, being a god of the Phoenicians, had temples built for him in various places in Canaan:
and reacheth to Zebulun;
not the tribe of Zebulun, but a city so called, the same Josephus F15 calls a strong city of Galilee, which had the name of Men, perhaps from the populousness of it, and separated Ptolemais from Judea;
and to the valley of Jiphthahel;
see ( Joshua 19:14 ) ;
toward the north side of Bethemek;
of Bethemek no mention is made elsewhere: perhaps here was an idol temple before dedicated to the god of the valleys; see ( 1 Kings 20:28 ) ;
and Neiel;
which the Greek version calls Inael, of which Jerom says {p}, it is a certain village called Betoaenea, fifteen miles from Caesarea, situated on a mountain to the east, on which are said to be wholesome baths:
and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand;
not the land of Cabul, ( 1 Kings 9:13 ) ; but a city, which Josephus F17 calls a village on the borders of Ptolemais. The Jews F18 speak of a city of this name, destroyed because of contentions in it.