DFA: The ancient city of Sidon is Lebanon’s third largest city, which is famous for its archaeological sites and references in biblical passages. It is also home to at least 300 Filipinos working and residing in the city. END
"Saida"
אוי ואבוי לכן, כורזין ובית-צידה! אילו חוללתי בצור ובצידון את הנסים שחוללתי בקרבכן, מזמן היו שם כולם חוזרים בתשובה ולובשים שק ואפר לאות חרטה. כן, צור וצידון תקבלנה עונש קל משלכן ביום הדין!
Simba Shani Kamaria Russeau: The POEA estimates there are over 30,000 Filipino workers in Lebanon.
Terry Kulakowski: Zarephath was in Sidon [see Luke 4:26] and Sidon was in Asher’s territory [Josh. 19:28].Neta Stahl: R. Levi can be credited with identifying the widow of Zarephath as from the tribe of Asher. Jonah was the son of the widow of Zarephath, the son that Elijah brought back to life [1 Kings 17:8-24]. If Zarephath is within the inheritance of the tribe of Asher and if Jonah is the son of the widow of Zarephath, then clearly Jonah is from the tribe of Asher.
David Virkler: The original land grant given to the Israelites would have included Tyre [Genesis 15:18–21] and a good part of what is now Lebanon was originally given to the tribe of Asher [Joshua 19:24]. Asher’s tribal land went farther than Tyre up to Sidon. Shouldn’t that have been part of the territory of David’s reign? When the tribes came into the land under Joshua, they were to totally subdue those peoples, but Judges 2 says that the Israelites could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley. The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem and Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco or Zidon or a number of other cities. The result was that God said that He would not drive out these people and that they would be thorns in their side [Judges 2:1-3]. Incomplete obedience to the Lord cost Israel exclusive control of Gaza, which is the area of the Palestinian mess today, and it cost them any control of the area of Lebanon, now a hotbed of terrorism with Hezbollah. God is teaching us a very important lesson in bringing these cities into the focus of modern war.
JewishEncyclopedia: The tribal affinities of Jonah constitute a point of controversy; generally assigned to Asher, he is claimed for Zebulun by R. Johanan on the strength of his place of residence (II Kings xiv. 24); these opinions were harmonized by the assumption that his mother was of Asher while his father was of Zebulun (Yer. Suk. v. 1; Gen. R. xcviii. 11; Yalḳ., Jonah, 550; Abravanel’s commentary to Jonah).
