Mearah

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

("cave".)  Joshua 13:4. A town "beside (rather "belonging to") the Sidonians, which Israel failed to take possession of. Keil makes Mearah "the cave of Jezzin," E. of Sidon, in the steep of Lebanon, a hiding place of the Druses at the present time. But then one would expect the to precede. Reland suggests Meroth, the limit of Galilee on the W. (Josephus Ant. 2:20, section 6; 3:3, section 1.)

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Mea'rah. (A Cave). A place named in  Joshua 13:4 only. The word means in Hebrew A Cave , and it is commonly assumed that the reference is to some remarkable cavern in the neighborhood of Zidon.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Place in the north of Canaan, mentioned by Joshua as a boundary of the land that had not then been possessed: it is called in the margin 'the cave.'  Joshua 13:4 . Identified with Mogheiriyeh, 33 38' N, 35 26' E .

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

MEARAH. Mentioned amongst the districts of Palestine that had yet to be possessed (  Joshua 13:4 ). The text is doubtful.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

(See  Joshua 13:4) It should seem to have been a cavern, or cave, as Mahar, a cavern.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Joshua 13:4

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Joshua 13:4

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Hebrews Mearah', מְעָרָה , a Cave , as often; Sept. Ἀπὸ Γάζης , apparently reading מֵעִזָּה From Gaza ; Vulg. Maara ), a place mentioned in  Joshua 13:4 as situated in the northern edge of Palestine: "From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians, unto Aphek." Some find it in the town Marathos (Strabo, 16:753; Pliny, v. 17; Ptolemy, v. 15, 16). Most interpreters, following the Chaldee and Syriac (see the Critici Biblici, s.v.), are of the opinion that the term should rather be rendered as an appellative-the cave (Keil's Comment. ad loc.); but if a mere cave were intended, and not a place called Mearah, the name would surely have been preceded by the definite article, and would have stood as הִמְּעָרָה , "the cave." Besides, the scope of the passage shows that some place-either a city or district-must be meant. "Reland ( Palaest . p. 896) suggests that Mearah may be the same with Meroth, a village named by Josephus (Ant . 3:3,1) as forming the limit of Galilee on the west (see also Ant . 2:20, 6), and which again may possibly have been connected with the waters of Merom. A village called El-Mughar is found in the mountains of Naphtali, some ten miles west of the northern extremity of the Sea of Galilee (Robinson, 3:79, 30; Van de Velde's Map ), which may possibly represent an ancient Mearah." "About half-way between Tyre and Sidon. close to the shore, are the ruins of an ancient town; and in the neighboring cliffs are large numbers of caves and grottos hewn in the rock, and formerly used as tombs. Dr. Robinson suggested that this may be ‘ Mearah of the Sidonians (ii. 474). The ruins are now called ‘ Adlan , but perhaps take that name from the village on the mountain-side." Ritter (Erdk. 17:10; also 16:8, 9), on the other hand, identifies Mearah, under the name Mughara, with the remarkable cavern (Rosenmiller, Alterth. II, 1:39 sq., 66) which the Crusaders fortified, and Which is described by William of Tyre (Histor. Hieros. 19:2, 11) as "a certain fortress of ours in the Sidonian territory, namely, an impregnable grotto, commonly called the Cave of Tyre (Cavea de Tyron)." It was afterwards the last retreat of the emir Fakhr ed-Din. The place is now also known as Shukif Tairun (Abulfeda, Table). Schultz is the first traveller who mentions it in modern days. .It is situated in the high cliff east of Sidon, between Jezim and Michmurhy (Van de Velde, Memoir, s.v.). (See Cave).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mḗ - ā´ra ( מערה , me‛ārāh  ; omitted in the Septuagint): A town or district mentioned only in   Joshua 13:4 , as belonging to the Zidonians. The name as it stands means "cave." If that is correct it may be represented by the modern village Mogheirı̄yeh , "little cave," not far from Sidon. Perhaps, however, we should find in the word the name of a Sidonian city, with the preposition מן , min , that has suffered change in transcription. Septuagint reads "from Gaza"; but Gaza is obviously too far to the South.