Joshua 19:46

And Meiarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Iapho. Joshua 19:46 (KJV)

The book of Joshua records the division of the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel after their conquest of the Promised Land. This passage is often cited as describing the territory of the tribe of Dan, although the exact wording does not appear in the standard translations of Joshua. The verse lists Me‑jarkon and Rakkon together with the border before Japho, marking a segment of Dan’s allotted inheritance.

Historical background shows that the tribe of Dan was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Its allotted territory lay in the western part of Canaan, extending along the Mediterranean coast north of Judah and bordering the territory of Ephraim. The region was centrally‑western within Canaan, with Judah to the south and Ephraim to the north. The coastal city of Japho—also known as Joppa or Jaffa—served as an important Mediterranean port.

The significance of the mentioned places is twofold. Japho (Joppa) was a major port city that played a notable role in Israel’s history. In the Old Testament, it is the harbor from which the prophet Jonah embarked on a ship before being swallowed by a great fish (Jonah 1:3). In the New Testament, Japho is noted in Acts 9:36‑42, where the Apostle Peter raises the disciple Tabitha (also called Dorcas) back to life, an event sometimes described as a miracle rather than a simple healing narrative. Mejarkon and Rakkon are mentioned only briefly in the biblical text, and their exact locations remain uncertain. Both were likely border points or landmarks near Japho that helped define the tribal inheritance of Dan, serving as reference markers for the delineation of the Danite territory.

Thus, this verse, though brief, anchors the Danite border in a recognizable coastal region and connects the obscure sites of Me‑jarkon and Rakkon to the well‑known port of Japho, underscoring the practical and theological importance of geographic markers in the biblical narrative.