13:5a

the land of the Gebalites: It may be more natural to begin a new sentence at the beginning of verse 5, for example:

It also includes the land of the Gebal people

the Gebalites: The term Gebalites indicates the people who lived in Gebal, a town on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, eighteen miles northeast of modern Beirut. The ancient Greek name of this town was Byblos, and some English versions (New International Version (2011), NET Bible) refer to it by this name. The modern Arabic name for this town is Jubayl.

13:5b

and all Lebanon to the east: The phrase all Lebanon to the east indicates that the rest of Lebanon east of Gebal must still be conquered.

The places named in 13:5c describe the southern and northern limits of all Lebanon.

13:5c

from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon: The town of Baal-gad was mentioned in Joshua 11:17. It was in the Lebanon Valley at the western foot of Hermon Mountain. Baal-gad was at the southern point Lebanon Valley.

Here is another way to spell the word Baal-gad:

Baal Gad (New International Version, NET Bible)

below Mount Hermon: The phrase below Mount Hermon indicates that the town of Baal-gad was at the base of Hermon Mountain.

to Lebo-hamath: There are two ways to interpret the phrase Lebo-hamath.

(1) The Hebrew text reads lebo hamath. The Hebrew word lebo means “entrance.” Some English versions translate this as the entrance of Hamath or the Hamath Mountain Pass. For example:

the border of Hamath (God’s Word)

(God’s Word, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, King James Version)

(2) Some English versions translate this as a proper name, Lebo Hamath. For example:

Lebo Hamath (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, English Standard Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), NET Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Revised English Bible)

It is difficult to know which is the proper interpretation. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) unless the national version used in your area uses interpretation (2).

Lebo-hamath: The town of Lebo-hamath and its mountain pass occurs several times in the Bible in boundary lists. See, for example, Numbers 13:21 and Judges 3:3. Hamath town was the northern point of the Lebanon Valley.

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