Jabneel

Two distinct towns share the name Jabneel — one in Judah on the Mediterranean coast, the other in Galilee on the eastern frontier of Naphtali. Both are preserved as boundary points in the tribal allotments of Joshua, where the name marks the limit of a territory rather than a settlement story.

Jabneel of Judah

The northern boundary of Judah swings westward toward the sea, and Jabneel stands as the last named landmark before the coastline: "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" (Josh 15:11). The town sits on the seaward edge of Judah's territory, just south of Ekron and the Philistine plain.

Jabneel of Naphtali

The Naphtali border in the north runs east toward the Jordan and likewise passes through a Jabneel: "And their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and Adaminekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakkum; and the goings out of it were at the Jordan" (Josh 19:33). This Jabneel is plotted along the line of waypoints — Heleph, the oak in Zaanannim, Adaminekeb, Jabneel, Lakkum — that define Naphtali's southern edge as it descends to the Jordan valley.