Shihor-libnath
Shihor-libnath is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in modern-day Israel. Known today as mouth of the Kishon River. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Shihor-libnath appears in only one verse of the Old Testament, in Joshua 19:26, where it marks a boundary point in the tribal allotment of Asher. The text describes Asher's southern boundary as touching "Carmel on the west and Shihor-libnath." The compound name has been interpreted in two main ways: as a single place name designating a specific location, or as a description of a watercourse — "the dark waters of Libnath" or "the muddy stream of Libnath." The location near Mount Carmel and along the Mediterranean coast points toward the area of the Kishon River estuary or a nearby coastal stream. In the context of the tribal boundaries, Shihor-libnath served as a geographically recognizable landmark that distinguished Asher's territory from that of neighboring Manasseh and Zebulun to the south and east. Asher's coastal inheritance placed the tribe in a region of significant commercial activity along the ancient Via Maris, making precise boundary markers essential for territorial integrity. The coastal waters near the Carmel promontory represented a strategically significant point where land and sea routes converged.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Shihor-libnath is most commonly identified with the area near the mouth of the Kishon River, south of the Carmel promontory at modern Tel Akko or the coastal area near modern Haifa. An alternative identification places it at the Nahal Tanninim (Crocodile River), a coastal stream north of Caesarea Maritima. Neither site has yielded inscriptional evidence confirming the identification. The Kishon estuary area has been surveyed but not extensively excavated for Bronze or Iron Age remains. The Carmel coastline, however, is one of the best-attested regions of ancient Phoenician maritime activity. Tel Dor, nearby, has been extensively excavated and reveals Canaanite through Hellenistic occupation, demonstrating the region's continuous strategic importance.
Verse Appearances (1)
Josh
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →