It is not clearly stated whether Kattath and the other cities mentioned belonged to Zebulon or are merely noted here as border cities. Kattath is possibly Khirbet Qoteina, northwest of Megiddo. Nahallal is possibly Tell en-Nahl, a place near the Kishon brook. Shimron was a principal city whose king was conquered by Joshua (ch. 12:20). Bethlehem is not Bethlehem-ephrata of Judah, but a place 7 mi. (11.2 km.) northwest of Nazareth, and now called Beit Lahm.

 The 5 cities just mentioned are 7 short of the 12. If all the cities named in connection with the borders of Zebulun are counted, there are more than 12. It may be that some of these cities were merely border cities that did not belong to Zebulun. Some of the names may not have represented cities at all, so that the actual cities would have made up the number 12. From the following verse it would seem that the 12 cities had been enumerated in the preceding list, but which they are is difficult to determine. That all the cities belonging to Zebulun are not set down is clear from ch. 21:34, 35, where Kartah and Dimnah are mentioned as being given to the Levites.