2Sa 20:14 | KD | STEP | But Joab “went through all the tribes of Israel to Abela, and Beth-maacah, and all Berim.” Abela ( ), or Abel ( ), has been preserved in the large Christian village of Abil , a place with ruins, and called Abil-el-Kamh on account of its excellent wheat ( Kamh ), which lies to the north-west of Lake Huleh, upon a Tell on the eastern side of the river Derdâra ; not in Ibl-el-Hawa , a place to the north of this, upon the ridge between Merj Ayun and Wady et Teim (vid., Ritter, Erdk . xv. pp. 240, 241; Robinson , Bibl . Researches , pp. 372-3; and v. de Velde, Mem . p. 280). Beth-maacah was quite close to Abela; so that the names of the two places are connected together in , and afterwards, as Abel-beth-maacah (vid., 1Ki 15:20, and 2Ki 15:29), also called Abel-maim in 2Ch 16:4. Berim is the name of a district which is unknown to us; and even the early translators did not know how to render it. There is nothing, however, either in the πάντες ἐν χαῤῥί is the lxx or the omnes viri electi of the Vulgate, to warrant an alteration of the text. The latter, in fact, rests upon a mere conjecture, which is altogether unsuitable; for the subject to ויּקּהלוּ cannot be כּל־הבּרים on account of the vav consec ., but must be obtained from ישׂראל בּכל־שׁבטי. The Chethib ויקלהו is evidently a slip of the pen for ויּקּהלוּ.

‏ 2 Samuel 20:14

But Joab “went through all the tribes of Israel to Abela, and Beth-maacah, and all Berim.” Abela (2Sa 20:15), or Abel (2Sa 20:18), has been preserved in the large Christian village of Abil, a place with ruins, and called Abil-el-Kamh on account of its excellent wheat (Kamh), which lies to the north-west of Lake Huleh, upon a Tell on the eastern side of the river Derdâra; not in Ibl-el-Hawa, a place to the north of this, upon the ridge between Merj Ayun and Wady et Teim (vid., Ritter, Erdk. xv. pp. 240, 241; Robinson, Bibl. Researches, pp. 372-3; and v. de Velde, Mem. p. 280). Beth-maacah was quite close to Abela; so that the names of the two places are connected together in 2Sa 20:15, and afterwards, as Abel-beth-maacah (vid., 1Ki 15:20, and 2Ki 15:29), also called Abel-maim in 2Ch 16:4. Berim is the name of a district which is unknown to us; and even the early translators did not know how to render it. There is nothing, however, either in the πάντες ἐν χαῤῥί is the lxx or the omnes viri electi of the Vulgate, to warrant an alteration of the text. The latter, in fact, rests upon a mere conjecture, which is altogether unsuitable; for the subject to ויּקּהלוּ cannot be כּל־הבּרים on account of the vav consec., but must be obtained from ישׂראל בּכל־שׁבטי. The Chethib ויקלהו is evidently a slip of the pen for ויּקּהלוּ.