Ζαβουλών

From the study of Matthew 4:13

Range of meaning

Two of the twelve tribes of Israel, sons of Jacob by Leah and by Bilhah's line respectively. Their allotments lay in the hill country of lower Galilee (Zebulun) and in upper Galilee down to the western shore of the lake (Naphtali) (Josh 19:10–16, 32–39).

Against the English

English versions agree. KJV 'Zabulon and Nephthalim' keeps the Greek spellings rather than the Hebrew-based forms.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 8:23 (9:1 in English Bibles), in Hebrew and Greek, names 'the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.' These were the first Israelite lands taken by Assyria under Tiglath-pileser III around 733–732 BC (2 Kings 15:29). Matthew's spellings match the Greek Old Testament.

From the study of Matthew 4:15

Range of meaning

Personal names of two sons of Jacob (Gen 30:8, 20), and then the names of the tribes descended from them and of their land allotments (Josh 19:10–16, 32–39). Zebulun's land lay in lower Galilee between the Jezreel Valley and the hills around Nazareth. Naphtali's ran up the western side of the Sea of Galilee and into upper Galilee.

Against the English

English versions mostly agree. The KJV keeps the Greek spellings 'Zabulon' and 'Nephthalim', and modern versions use the Hebrew forms 'Zebulun' and 'Naphtali'. Nothing is lost either way. What a modern reader may miss is that these were not working place-names in Jesus' day. No one in the first century lived in 'the land of Zebulun' administratively. The terms belonged to Israel's ancient story.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 49:13 says Zebulun 'shall dwell at the shore of the sea', a possible echo behind 'way of the sea'. In Judges 4–5 Zebulun and Naphtali are the tribes that fought hardest under Deborah and Barak. In 2 Kings 15:29 'all the land of Naphtali' is the first Israelite territory taken by the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III (c. 733–732 BC), whose policy included deporting populations. Second Temple Jews kept these tribal identities alive in writings such as the Testaments of Zebulun and Naphtali (part of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs) and in hopes that all twelve tribes would be regathered (e.g., Psalms of Solomon 17).