Today, our journey through biblical locations brings us to Yafo, Jaffa, one of the oldest cities in Israel. Jaffa is mentioned four times in the Bible, as one of the cities given to the Tribe of Dan: ‘And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to their families…And Mejarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Jaffa.’ Joshua 19:40,46. Jaffa was port-of-entry for the cedars of Lebanon for Solomon’s Temple:
‘And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you shall need; and we will bring it to you on rafts by sea to Jaffa, and you shall carry it up to Jerusalem.’
From Jaffa the prophet Jonah embarked for Tarshish:
‘But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Jaffa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish;’
Jaffa was once again the port-of-entry for the cedars of Lebanon for the Second Temple of Jerusalem:
‘And they gave money to the masons, and to the carpenters; and food, and drink, and oil, to the Sidonians, and to the Tyrians, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Jaffa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.’
Jaffa is mentioned in the Book of Joshua as the territorial border of the Tribe of Dan, hence the modern term “Gush Dan” for the center of the coastal plain. After Canaanite and Philistine dominion, King David and his son King Solomon conquered Jaffa and used its port to bring the cedars used in the construction of the First Temple from Tyre. The city remained in Israelite hands even after the split of the united Kingdom of Israel. In the New Testament Jaffa im mentioned 10 times as Joppa:
‘And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.’
Recent Comments