The lot of Asher lay upon the coast of the great sea. We read not of any famous person of this tribe but Anna the prophetess, who was a constant resident in the temple at the time of our Saviour's birth, Luk 2:36. Nor were there many famous places in this tribe. Aphek (mentioned Jos 19:30) was the place near which Benhadad was beaten by Ahad, Kg1 20:30. But close adjoining to this tribe were the celebrated sea-port towns of Tyre and Sidon, which we read so much of. Tyre is called here that strong city (Jos 19:29), but Bishop Patrick thinks it was not the same Tyre that we read of afterwards, for that was built on an island; this old strong city was on the continent. And it is conjectured by some that into these two strong-holds, Sidon and Tzor, or Tyre, many of the people of Canaan fled and took shelter when Joshua invaded them.

Beth-shemesh - The house or temple of the sun; there were several cities or towns of this name in Palestine; an ample proof that the worship of this celestial luminary had generally prevailed in that idolatrous country.

And Alammelech, and Amad,.... Of the two first of these there is no mention elsewhere:

and Misheal is the same with Mashal, Ch1 6:74; and is by Jerom (l) called Masan, and said to be near Carmel to the sea:

and reacheth to Carmel westward; or, "to the sea", as Carmel is called "Carmel by the sea"; see Gill on Jer 46:18, it is hereby distinguished from Carmel in the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:55; (Pliny (m) calls it a promontory):

and to Shihorlibnath; the Vulgate Latin and Septuagint versions make two places of it: but the sum of the cities after given will not admit of it: more rightly Junius renders it Sihor by Libhath, and takes Sihor to be the river Belus, or Pagidus; so called either because of its likeness to the Nile, one of whose names is Sihor, Jer 2:18; or because its waters might be black and muddy; it was the river out of which sand was fetched to make glass of: and Libnath, which has its name from whiteness, the same writer thinks may be the Album Promontorium, or white promontory of Pliny (n), which he places near Ptolemais, between Ecdippa and Tyre, and is very probable.

(l) De loc. Heb. fol. 93. E. (m) Ut supra. (Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19.) (n) Ibid.

OF ASHER. (Jos 19:24-31)

the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher--The western boundary is traced from north to south through the cities mentioned; the site of them, however, is unknown.