Joshua 17:11

And Manasseh had in Issachar, and in Asher, Bethshean, and her towns,.... As Ephraim had cities in Manasseh, so had Manasseh cities in these two tribes, which in some parts bordered on it, before described, even the cities following, and the first that is named is Bethshean: this lay in the tribe of Issachar, and was the uttermost border of Manasseh that way; it was, as Josephus m says, called Scythopolis; but not from the Scythians, as Pliny n suggests, but from Succoth, a place where Jacob resided, and which was not far from it, Genesis 33:17; it lay before the great plain of Jezreel, and was at the entrance into it,

"After this went they over Jordan into the great plain before Bethsan.'' (1 Maccabees 5:52)

and was six hundred furlongs, or seventy five miles, from Jerusalem, according to:

"From thence they departed to Scythopolis, which lieth six hundred furlongs from Jerusalem,'' (2 Maccabees 12:29)

and was one of the cities of Decapolis, from whence our Lord had hearers, Matthew 4:25. It was such a pleasant place, that it is said in the Talmud o, that if the garden of Eden was in the land of Israel, Bethshean was the gate of it; on which the gloss says, that its fruits were the sweetest in the land of Israel:

and Ibleam and her towns; it seems to be the same with Bileam, by a transposition of the two first letters, 1 Chronicles 6:70; and was a place not far from Megiddo, after mentioned, as appears from 2 Kings 9:27;

and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns; this had been a royal city,

Joshua 11:2 and

Joshua 12:23;

and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns; this place became famous for a witch there in the times of Saul, 1 Samuel 28:7; in the times of Jerom p it was a large village near Mount Tabor, four miles to the south, which he calls Aeudor, of or in Jezreel; and elsewhere q he speaks of Endor, as near the town of Nain, where our Lord raised the widow's son the dead, and is about: Scythopolis:

and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns; this had been a royal city, Joshua 12:22;

and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: this was another royal city mentioned with the former; Joshua 12:21; there

[even] three countries; the three last cities, with their towns, that are mentioned, Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo; all which perhaps belonged to Dor, and may be the Naphothdor spoken of Joshua 11:2; where the same word is used as here; so Jarchi interprets it.

m Antiqu l. 12. c. 8. sect. 5. n Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 18. o T. Bab. Eruvin, fol. 19. 1. p De loc. Heb. fol. 88. L. q lbid. fol. 91. E.