Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/122

58 Naaran, and westward Gezer, with the towns thereof; Shechem also and the towns thereof, unto Azzah and the towns thereof: and by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Beth-shean and her towns, Taanach and her towns, Megiddo and her towns, Dor and her towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph the son of Israel. The sons of Asher; Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith. And Heber begat Japhlet, and Shomer, and Hotham, and Shua their sister. And the sons of Japhlet; Pasach, and Bimhal, and Ashvath. These are the children of Japhlet. And the

Naaran] the eastern boundary. In Josh. xvi. 7, Naarath (R.V. Naarah).

Gezer Shechem] On Gezer the western, and Shechem the northern boundary—see the note on vi. 67.

Azzah] or Ayyah, has not yet been identified. Probably, like Shechem, it serves to define the northern border between Ephraim and Manasseh.

29. For Manasseh four important towns are enumerated: Beth-shean on the east in the valley of the Jordan, Taanach and Megiddo in the plain of Esdraelon or Megiddo, and Dor on the Mediterranean coast, south of Mt Carmel.

Beth-shean] In 1 Sam. xxxi. 10, 12 spelt Beth-shan. It is the Greek Scythopolis, the modern Beisan.

Taanach] See vi. 70, note on Aner.

Megiddo] Judg. v. 19; 2 Kin. xxiii. 29; Zech. xii. 11.

Dor] modern Tantura. Cp. Josh. xvii. 11.

30—40.&emsp;

30. The sons of Asher] The names in vv. 30, 31 are derived from Gen. xlvi. 17 (cp. Num. xxvi. 44—46). There is no variation in the Heb. spelling of the names, but Ishvah is missing in Num. Either Ishvah or Ishvi must be regarded as an error of dittography.

Beriah] Beriah is mentioned above, ver. 23, as a clan of Ephraim, and appears also as a family of Benjamin, viii. 13, 16.

31. Heber, and Malchiel] The antiquity of these two names seems to be attested by the mention of "Habiri and Malchiel" in the Amarna tablets (c. 1400 ).

Birzaith] probably the name of a place, "The well of the olive-tree."