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 

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¹ tn Heb “and he said.”

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.

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.”