References (37)
Canaan [Ham's fourth son, whom Noah cursed, see ] received:
Sidon [Hebr. Tsidon, from the verb tsod to hunt/fish; also the name of the coastal city of Sidon in present-day Lebanon], his firstborn, and
Chet [ancestor of the Hittites],
The borders of the Canaanites stretched from
Sidon [the coastal city in Syria in the north], down to Gerar, to
Gaza [in the south], further away towards Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah
[meaning: red earth] and Zeboim
[meaning: gazelles] all the way to Lasha.
Zebulun [Hebr. Zevolun means "exalted"] shall dwell by the seashore
and he shall become a haven
(Hebr. chof) (safe harbor – Hebr. chof) for ships
and his side
[border] shall face
Sidon.
[Zebulun is blessed before his older brother Issachar. This prophecy is interesting because the land that Zebulun is eventually assigned is not located on the Mediterranean coast or the Sea of Galilee, but in a small area between them. Over time, however, they gain access to both the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee, as the Via Maris passes through their territory and they later distinguish themselves as seafarers.] — the Hermon [in the north] which the Sidonians call Sirion and the Amorites call Senir —
And the Lord
(Yahweh) delivered them into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them and pursued them to great
Sidon [on the Mediterranean coast in the northwest, see ] and to Misrephoth Maim
["burning waters" – hot springs; probably referring to a place or area near Sidon, see ] and the valley of Mizpeh to the east
[northeast of Hazor], and smote them until none were left.
In the south, all the land of the Canaanites and Mera belonging to the Sidonians [descendants of Canaan from Sidon, see – from Sidon in present-day Lebanon] to Aphek to the border of the Amorites,
all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrefot-Maim, all the Sidonians, I will drive them out from among the sons of Israel; you shall only divide it as an inheritance to Israel, as I have commanded you.
And Evron and Rechov and Chamon and Kana as far as the great
Sidon [the city and the area around the city].
[Here, too, there is a list of seven cities that were not captured.] Asher did not drive out
the inhabitants of Akko,
and the inhabitants of
Sidon [descendants of Canaan from Tsidon, see ],
nor the inhabitants of Achlav,
nor the inhabitants of Achziv,
nor the inhabitants of Helbah,
nor the inhabitants of Aphek,
nor the inhabitants of Rehob,
The five Philistine princes
[of the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod on the Mediterranean coast, and Ekron and Gath a little further inland, see ],
and all the Canaanites
[general term for the peoples of the land] and the
Sidonians
[people from Phoenicia, with the cities of Tyre and Sidon, see ; ] and the Hivites
[] who lived in the mountains of Lebanon
from Mount Baal-Hermon
[] to Lebo Chamat
[Hebr. lebo means "entrance" and can also refer to the mountain pass of Chamat; probably the city of Labweh in northern Lebanon at the sources of the Orontes River].
[The Philistines are a designation for the seafaring people who came from the Greek islands (mainly Crete, see ; ; ; ). These five cities/kingdoms (sometimes called the Philistine pentapolis, from the Greek words for five and city, cf. 'the ten cities' called the decapolis in the New Testament, see ) had a common city league and were enemies of Israel, see .]And the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord
(Yahweh) and served
[now seven idols are listed:] the Baals
and the Ashtaroth
(stars) and
the gods of Aram
[which were Chehadad, Mot, Anat, and Rimmon] and
the gods of Sidon and the gods of Moab
[Chemosh, see ] and the gods of the sons of Ammon
[Moloch, see ] and the gods of the Philistines
[Dagon, see ] and they forsook the Lord
(Yahweh) and did not serve him.
and the Sidonians
and the Amalekites []
and the Moabites [here the Midianites are expected]
when they oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you from their hand. [; ; ]
And the five men went on and came to Laish [in the north].
[Hebr. lajish means "full-grown lion." The city is also called Leshem, see . It is located at the foot of Mount Hermon in the northernmost part of Israel. The area is fertile and there is plenty of water from the headwaters of the Jordan River. The city is later named Dan, see . In Moses' blessing over Dan, the wording is that Dan shall be a lion cub leaping forth in Bashan (which is another name for the same area), see .]
The [five spies] saw the people who were there, [they] lived securely under the Sidonians' decree (binding legal decision – Hebr. mishpat) [were under their military protection], had peace and security, and no one dishonored them in the land [through any attack, see ; ; ; ; ] and no controlling government (Hebr. etser, found only here) and they were far from the Sidonians, and they had no contact with other people [literally: "no one spoke to them with a man"].
And there was no rescue because they were far from
Sidon and they did not speak to any man, and it was in the valley that is by Beit-Rachov.
And they built the city and lived in it.
And they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-Haddash, and they came to Dan-Jaan and around to
Sidon,
Now therefore command that they cut cedar trees for me from Lebanon, and my servants shall be with your servants, and I will pay you for your servants according to all that you say, for you know that there is no one among us who has the skill to cut timber like the Sidonians."
[This passage frames the chiasmus in chapters 3-11. It was precisely the marriages to foreign women that he was not to do (; ), and this proved to be his downfall. In recent years, archaeologists have begun to analyze fingerprints on clay shards. In excavations where there are Canaanite temples (including Tell Burna 2022), it has been seen that idols, figurines, masks, and vessels for religious use were made by female potters, while ordinary vessels were made by men. Here, archaeology confirms that foreign women were involved in creating these occult objects.]
And King Solomon loved many foreign women, in addition to (besides) the daughter of Pharaoh [who is excluded, see ] – Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites –
And Solomon went after Ashtoreth [Ishtar – goddess of love and war; queen of heaven, wife of Baal], goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom [also called Molech, see ], the abomination of the Ammonites.
because they have forsaken me and have worshipped
Ashtoreth [Ishtar – goddess of love and war; queen of heaven and wife of Baal], goddess of the Sidonians,
Chemosh, the god of Moab, and Milcom [also called Molech], the god of the Amorites, and have not walked in my ways to do what is right in my sight and to keep (guard, protect, preserve) my statutes (literally "things engraved") and my ordinances (binding legal decisions) as his father David did.
And it came to pass, as if it were a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that he took as his wife Jezebel (Hebr. Izevel), the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshipped him.
"Get up, go to Zarephath, which is near Sidon, and settle there. I have already commanded a widow who lives there to provide you with food."
And the high places that were in front of (east of) Jerusalem, to the right [the southern hill] of the Mount of Destruction [a play on words for "Mount of Anointing," i.e., the Mount of Olives], which Solomon, king of Israel, had built for
Ashtoret [Ishtar – goddess of love and war; queen of heaven and wife of Baal], the abomination of the Sidonians, King of Israel, had built for Ashtoreth [Ishtar – goddess of love and war; queen of heaven and wife of Baal], the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom [also called Molech], the abomination of the sons of Ammon,
the king defiled himself.
Canaan was the father of Sidon, who was his firstborn, and Chet,
and cedar beams in countless numbers, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought cedar wood in abundance to David.
They gave money to the stonecutters and carpenters and food, drink, and oil to the
Sidonians and Tyrians so that they would bring cedar wood from Lebanon, via the sea to
Jaffa, as the Persian king Cyrus had permitted.
Be still
[mourn in silence], you inhabitants of the coast,
you merchants of
Sidon – those who crossed the seas have filled you
[with merchandise, riches, and prosperity].
Be ashamed,
Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea says: "I have not been in labor, I have not given birth,
I have not raised young men, I have not brought up virgins."
And he said, "You shall no longer rejoice, O oppressed virgin, daughter of Sidon.
Arise, go over to the land of the Kittim [Cyprus, but also the countries to the west – Hebr. erets Kittim],
nor shall you have rest there.
and all the kings of
Tyre and all the kings of
Sidon and all the kings of the coastland
(island) [singular – may refer to Crete] beyond the sea
[Mediterranean],
and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the sons of Ammon, and to the king of
Tyre, and to the king of
Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who came to Jerusalem to Zedekiah
(Hebr. Tsidqijah), king of Judah,
Over the day that is coming to destroy all of Philistia,
to cut off from
Tyre and from
Sidon every helper that remains
[Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Tyre lasted 13 years],
for the Lord
(Yahweh) has destroyed the Philistines,
the remnant of the island of Chaftor
[Crete].
[The Philistines are believed to have originated in Crete, see ; .]The inhabitants of
Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen,
your wise men,
Tyre, which is in you, were your pilots.
Son of man, set your face toward
Sidon and prophesy against it
and say: Thus says the Lord God
(Adonai Yahweh):
Behold, I am against you,
Sidon,
and I will be glorified in your midst,
and they shall know that I am the Lord
(Yahweh) when I execute judgments in her
and sanctify myself in her.
There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians who have gone down with the slain, who are ashamed of all the terror they have caused through their mighty ones, and they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down into the pit.
And likewise, what are you to me,
Tyre and
Sidon and all the regions of Philistia? Do you want to repay me? Even if you want to repay me, I will quickly and smoothly send that repayment back over your own heads.
And also Hamath
[a Syrian kingdom with a capital of the same name, north of Damascus],
shall border her
[shall share the same fate],
[also] Tyre and
Sidon [coastal cities along a conqueror's route to Egypt, see ],
for she is
[believed herself to be] very wise
[see ].
