Solomon traded land for gold and cedars he bought from the King Hiram of Tyre in what is now Lebanon. When Hiram saw the land, he renamed it: Cabul (1 Kings 9:13 NLT). First-century Jewish writer Josephus said it meant “unfruitful” in Hiram’s language of Phoenician. It works in Hebrew, too. It sounds like the word for “worthless.” Strange and Mysterious Stuff in the Bible, p. 20.
About Stephen M. Miller
STEPHEN M. MILLER is an award winning bestselling Christian author of easy-reading books about the Bible and Christianity and author of the Casual English Bible® paraphrase. His books have sold over two million copies and include The Complete Guide to the Bible and Who’s and Where’s Where in the Bible.
Love the sense of humor you bring to biblical studies, Steve!
Hey, thanks Steve. Not everyone appreciates humor in Bible study.