יהושע, פרק י״ט, פסוק ט״ו

Concluding the land grant for the Tribe of Zebulun involves mapping out its inner cities and establishing a final count of its settlements. The territorial line turns inward, passing through Kattath, which is identified as the city of Kitron, before finally reaching Bethlehem. With this progression, the borders of Zebulun's inheritance are completely sealed from all four directions [מלבי״ם].

The mention of Bethlehem often brings to mind the famous southern city, but the settlement within Zebulun's territory is entirely different. This is a northern city known as Bethlehem of Galilee [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The existence of two cities sharing the same name clarifies a broader biblical pattern. Whenever the southern city is mentioned elsewhere, it is specifically called "Bethlehem of Judah" simply to distinguish it from this northern settlement in Zebulun [רד״ק].

A final tally concludes the tribal inheritance, stating that there are twelve cities in total. However, only five cities are listed at this specific point. The complete number is reached by combining these five inner cities with seven others that were mentioned earlier when the outer borders were being traced, such as Sarid, Maralah, Jokneam, Japhia, Gath-hepher, Eth-kazin, and Rimmon [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].

Several other locations were also named during the mapping process, yet they are excluded from the final count of twelve. These exclusions happen for a few practical reasons. Some locations actually belonged to neighboring tribes, like Daberath, which was part of Issachar's land. Other spots, such as Dabbesheth, served merely as external landmarks; the border touched them, but they were not contained within Zebulun's actual territory. Finally, certain names referred to natural geographic features rather than populated settlements, such as the Valley of Iphtahel [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד].