Bronze and Iron ages Cabul is first mentioned as one of the landmarks on the boundary of
Asher in
Joshua 19:27.
The Life of Flavius Josephus § 43 refers to it as "the village of Chabolo situated in the confines of Ptolemais", and was the western border of
Lower Galilee before joining the
Phoenician coast in
Josephus' other work,
The Jewish War 3.3.1. It was assigned to the
Tribe of Asher. The name "Kabul" may have been derived from the
Aramaic word
mekubbal, which means "clad", as in the inhabitants were "clad" in gold and silver. King
Solomon handed over a district in the north-west of
Galilee near
Tyre, containing twenty cities, to
Hiram I, the king of
Tyre, in repayment for his help in building
Solomon's Temple in
Jerusalem. Hiram was not pleased with the gift, however, and called them "the land of Cabul", the name signifying "good for nothing". The writer of
1 Kings 9 says they were called by this name "to this day". but doubt has been cast on this interpretation of the term. The
Pulpit Commentary suggests they were unacceptable because "really they were mere villages". Archaeological excavations at Khirbet Rosh Zayit, located 2km northeast of modern
Kabul, Israel, have revealed an Israelite settlement from the 12th century BCE and, built upon it, a Phoenician fortification from the 10th century BCE. The excavator suggests that this is evidence of Solomon's transfer of the area to Tyrian control.
Classical era Josephus describes Cabul as being "the place that divides the country of
Ptolemais from our nation" (
War II 18:503). The architecture of Cabul, unlike other cities of the Galilee, was similar to that of Tyre, Sidon, and Beirut. In the
First Jewish–Roman War, Cabul was attacked by
Syria's governor Gaius Cestius Gallus in 66 CE. had fled the city, while the soldiery were given leave to plunder and burn the city. For a time it served as Josephus' headquarters in Galilee in 67 CE.
Judah II and
Hillel, sons of
Gamaliel III, were received as guests in Cabul with great honor and paid a visit to a local bath according to
Tosefta,
Shabbat 7:17 and Tosefta,
Mo'ed Katan 2:15. It was the home of a 'Rabbi Zakkai' in
Jerusalem Talmud, Megillah 4, 78b, etc. and was famous for its abundance of wine and oil; it also had a synagogue and public baths. After the fall of Jerusalem, priests of the
Shecaniah (Shekhanyah) family settled there.
Middle Ages In the Crusader
Kingdom of Jerusalem, it was the seat of a seigniory known as Cabor. ==Aftermath==