Unlocking Zebulun's Seaside Blessing: A Journey Through Ancient Geography

On Simchat Torah, we read Moses's blessing to the tribe of Zebulun: "They will feast on the abundance of the seas." Jacob's blessing to his son Zebulun also states, "Zebulun will live by the seashore, and he will be a harbor for ships; his border will extend to Sidon."

If you look at the territorial allocations in the Book of Joshua, you’ll notice Zebulun's land doesn’t actually reach the sea. So, how did our forefathers declare it would dwell by the coast?

Zebulun's territory stretches from the Kishon River in the west to Mount Tabor in the east, as noted in the Book of Joshua: "And meets the river opposite Jokneam... along the border of Chesulloth Tabor." It’s a very small inheritance compared to others, reaching near Jokneam, close but not touching the sea. The coastline from Acre to Haifa belongs to the tribe of Asher.

In the Song of Deborah, Asher is also said to "dwell on the coast and settle in its bays."

In the past, scholars attempted to redraw Zebulun's borders to stretch from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean, but identifying cities mentioned by the prophet, such as Jokneam, showed this wasn't accurate. Divine land allocation did not allow any tribe to cut across the country, possibly to prevent any one group from blocking access during wars and such.

However, there's a curious protrusion at Jokneam in Zebulun's territory, which puzzled researchers exploring the region's topography. Zebulun's land is a valley, so why the mountainous extension along the Kishon?

In the east, Zebulun’s territory has another long protrusion toward the east up to the Horns of Hittin, which topographers have also tried to understand.

It seems the answer lies in Zebulun's destiny as traders, hence the strategic location between two seas, as Moses said, "They will feast on the abundance of the seas." True, their land didn't directly touch the coast, but there were arrangements with neighboring tribes. As a merchant tribe, Zebulun had access to the Mediterranean with Asher's consent to the west and to the Sea of Galilee by agreement with Naphtali to the east. This mutual dependence fostered peace and collaboration among the tribes. Each tribe needed the other.

What's also fascinating about Jacob's blessing that mentions Zebulun living "by the shore" is an idea proposed by Professor Micha Klein. He suggests evidence might indicate there was once a lagoon at the northern end of Haifa Bay, a sea inlet that could have given Zebulun shoreline access for its trading ships.

Even for those who disagree with Klein, we know there was a "delta" in the area—the Kishon River widened and flooded a large area, possibly allowing ships to head out to sea. Nowadays, there's a port at the Kishon estuary, close to the coast. In ancient times, the Kishon might have been broader and deeper, even near Jokneam.

The Gaon of Vilna offers an intriguing interpretation of the phrase "and his border will extend to Sidon," suggesting the river took on a leg shape, bent like a human knee. In the Midrash Rabbah, it’s mentioned that Zebulun's territory included a "Galilee lake," interpreted by some as marshy lands rich in fish, from which Zebulunites also made a living.

So, while today the city of Jokneam isn’t exactly coastal, in ancient times, Zebulun's access to the sea was more immediate, supporting the blessings from Jacob and Moses to this seafaring tribe.