דברי הימים א, פרק ב׳, פסוק נ״ג

The genealogical records of the tribe of Judah detail a process of demographic and geographic expansion, illustrating how early families branched out to establish new settlements. The inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim traced their lineage back to the descendants of Shobal [רש"י, מצודת דוד, מלבי"ם]. Within this community, the residents divided into distinct family groups, taking on names derived from the heads of their ancestral households [רד"ק].

As the population grew, individuals from the families of Kiriath-jearim left their original homes to build and settle in new locations. They founded the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol, and over time, these settlers evolved into two distinct families that adopted the names of the cities they had built [רד"ק].

Attributing Zorah and Eshtaol to the tribe of Judah presents a historical difficulty. In the Book of Judges, these specific locations are prominently associated with the territory and activities of the neighboring tribe of Dan. To resolve this apparent contradiction, commentators offer several perspectives.

One approach views the overlap through a geographic and historical lens. It suggests that while the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol themselves belonged to Judah, the border region separating them was part of Dan's territory [רש"י]. A similar perspective maintains that the cities were indeed firmly within Judah's borders, but members of the tribe of Dan camped in the surrounding area temporarily while searching for their permanent homeland, giving the region the name "Camp of Dan" [רד"ק]. Alternatively, the discrepancy is resolved by a case of duplicate names. According to this view, there were actually two entirely different pairs of cities named Zorah and Eshtaol—one set located in the territory of Judah, and another distinct set in the land of Dan [מלבי"ם]. Finally, a demographic explanation proposes that these cities were, in fact, situated within the territory of Dan. However, because the neighboring tribes lived in close proximity and frequently interacted, the specific founders from Kiriath-jearim maintained their original tribal identity. Even while living in Dan's land, they preserved their heritage and continued to trace their ancestry back to the tribe of Judah [ביאור שטיינזלץ].