Bible Encyclopedia: Jabneel

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

JABNEEL; JABNEH

jab'-ne-el, jab'-ne (yabhne'el, "God is builder"; Septuagint Lebna, Swete reads Lemna; the Apocrypha has Iamnia, Iamneia):

(1) A town on the northern border of the land assigned to Judah, near the western sea, mentioned in connection with Ekron (Joshua 15:11). The place is now represented by the modern village of Yebna which stands upon a hill a little to the South of the Nahr Rubin, about 12 or 13 miles South of Jaffa, on the road from there to Askelon, and about 4 miles from the sea. It had a port, now called Mina Rubin, a short distance South of the mouth of the river, some remains of which still exist. Its harbor was superior to that of Jaffa (PEFS, 1875, 167-68). It does not occur in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament except in the passage mentioned, but it appears under the form "Jabneh" (yabhneh) in 2 Chronicles 26:6, as is evident from the mention of Gath and Ashdod in connection with it. The Septuagint reads Gemna (Jabneh) where the Hebrew reads wa-yammah, "even unto the sea," in Joshua 15:46, where Ekron and Ashdod and other cities and villages are mentioned as belonging to Judah's inheritance. Josephus (Ant., V, i, 22) assigns it to the tribe of Dan. We have no mention of its being captured by Joshua or occupied by Judah until the reign of Uzziah who captured it and demolished its wall, in connection with his war upon the Philistines (2 Chronicles 26:6). The position of Jabneel was strong and was the scene of many contests, both in the period of the monarchy and that of the Maccabees. It is mentioned frequently in the account of the wars of the latter with the Syrians. It was garrisoned by the Seleucid kings, and served as a base for raiding the territory of Judah. When Judas Maccabeus defeated Gorgias and the Syrians he pursued them to the plains of Jabneel, but did not take the fortress (1 Maccabees 4:15). Gorgias was there attacked by the Jewish generals Joseph and Azarias, contrary to Judas' orders, who were repulsed with loss (1 Maccabees 5:56-60; Josephus, Ant, XII, viii, 6). Apollonius occupied it for King Demetrius (1 Maccabees 10:69); and Cendebeus for Antiochus, and from there harassed the Jews (1 Maccabees 15:40). Judas burned the port and navy of Jabneel (2 Maccabees 12:8-9). It was taken by Simon in 142 B.C. (Josephus, Ant, XIII, vi, 7; BJ, I, ii, 2), together with Gazara and Joppa, but was restored to its inhabitants by Pompey in 62 B.C. (Ant., XIV, iv, 4), and was rebuilt by Gabinius in 57 B.C. (BJ, I, viii, 4). It was restored to the Jews by Augustus in 30 A.D. Herod gave it to his sister Salome and she bequeathed it to Julia, the wife of Augustus (Ant., XVIII, ii, 2; BJ, II, ix, 1). The town and region were prosperous in Roman times, and when Jerusalem was besieged by Titus the Sanhedrin removed to Jabneel, and it afterward became the seat of a great rabbinical school (Milman, History of the Jews, II, 411-12), but was suppressed in the persecution under Hadrian. Antonius allowed it to be revived, but it was again suppressed because of hostile language on the part of the rabbis (ibid., 451-52). The Crusaders built there the castle of Ibelin, supposing it to be the site of Gath. It was occupied by the Saracens, and various inscriptions in Arabic of the 13th and 14th centuries have been found there (SWP, II, 441-42).

(2) A town of Naphtali mentioned in Joshua 19:33, and supposed to be the site of the modern Yemma, Southwest of the sea of Galilee (SWP, I, 365). It is the Kefr Yama of the Talmud

H. Porter

Strong's Hebrew

2995. Yabneel -- "El causes to build," two cities in Isr.
... "El causes to build," two cities in Isr. Transliteration: Yabneel Phonetic Spelling:
(yab-neh-ale') Short Definition: Jabneel. ... NASB Word Usage Jabneel (2). ...
/hebrew/2995.htm - 6k

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Jabneel

building of God

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Jabneel

(building of God).

One of the points on the northern boundary of Judah, not quite at the sea, though near it. (Joshua 15:11) There is no sign, however, of its ever having been occupied by Judah. Josephus attributes it to the Danites. There was a constant struggle going on between that tribe and the Philistines for the possession of all the places in the lowland plains, and it is not surprising that the next time we meet with Jabneel it should be in the hands of the latter. (2 Chronicles 26:6) Uzziah dispossessed them of it and demolished its fortifications. Called also JABNEH. At the time of the fall of Jerusalem, Jabneh was one of the most populous places of Judea. The modern village of Yebna , more accurately Ibna , stands about two miles from the sea, on a slight eminence just south of the Nahr Rubin .
One of the landmarks on the boundary of Naphtali, (Joshua 19:33) in upper Galilee.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Built by God.

(1.) A town in the north boundary of Judah (Joshua 15:11), called afterwards by the Greeks Jamnia, the modern Yebna, 11 miles south of Jaffa. After the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), it became one of the most populous cities of Judea, and the seat of a celebrated school.

(2.) A town on the border of Naphtali (Joshua 19:33). Its later name was Kefr Yemmah, "the village by the sea," on the south shore of Lake Merom.

Thesaurus

Jabneel (2 Occurrences)
... Its later name was Kefr Yemmah, "the village by the sea," on the south shore of
Lake Merom. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. JABNEEL; JABNEH. ...
/j/jabneel.htm - 11k

Jabneh (1 Occurrence)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Building, (2 Chronicles 26:6), identical with Jabneel
(Joshua 15:11). Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. JABNEEL; JABNEH. ...
/j/jabneh.htm - 10k

Shikkeron (1 Occurrence)
... the King James Version Shicron): A place mentioned in Joshua 15:11 as being on the
northern border of Judah, between Ekron and Baalah, Jabneel being beyond ...
/s/shikkeron.htm - 7k

Outgoings (21 Occurrences)
... unto the side of Ekron northward, and the border hath been marked out 'to' Shicron,
and hath passed over to mount Baalah, and gone out 'to' Jabneel; and the ...
/o/outgoings.htm - 12k

Lakkum (1 Occurrence)
... lak'-um (laqqum; the King James Version, Lakum): A town on the border of Naphtali,
named with Adami, Nekeb and Jabneel, apparently nearer the Jordan (Joshua 19 ...
/l/lakkum.htm - 7k

Ending (22 Occurrences)
... Joshua 15:11 And out to the side of Ekron to the north: then it is marked out to
Shikkeron and on to Mount Baalah, ending at Jabneel; the end of the line is at ...
/e/ending.htm - 13k

Goings (42 Occurrences)
... the border went out to the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to
Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out at Jabneel; and the ...
/g/goings.htm - 22k

Ended (146 Occurrences)
... the border went out to the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to
Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out at Jabneel; and the ...
/e/ended.htm - 37k

Zaanannim (2 Occurrences)
... Zaanannim (2 Occurrences). Joshua 19:33 Their border was from Heleph, from the oak
in Zaanannim, Adaminekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakkum. It ended at the Jordan. ...
/z/zaanannim.htm - 8k

Bible Concordance

Jabneel (2 Occurrences)

Joshua 15:11 and the border went out to the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out at Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 19:33 Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, Adaminekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakkum. It ended at the Jordan.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Jabneel

Jabneel: A City in the Territory of the Tribe of Judah

Jabneel: A City of the Tribe of Naphtali

Related Terms

Jabneh (1 Occurrence)

Shikkeron (1 Occurrence)

Outgoings (21 Occurrences)

Lakkum (1 Occurrence)

Ending (22 Occurrences)

Goings (42 Occurrences)

Ended (146 Occurrences)