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Joshua16

Joshua 16 details the territorial inheritance allotted to the children of Joseph, encompassing the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Their lot extended from the Jordan near Jericho westward to the Mediterranean Sea. The chapter specifically outlines the boundaries for the tribe of Ephraim and notes their failure to fully dispossess the Canaanites in Gezer.
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The Inheritance of the Children of Joseph

1
The allotment for the descendants of Joseph extended from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east, through the wilderness that goes up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel. ​
2
It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz) and proceeded to the border of the Archites in Ataroth. ​
3
Then it descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea.
4
So Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, received their inheritance. ​

Boundaries of the Tribe of Ephraim

5
This was the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The border of their inheritance went from Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper Beth-horon ​
6
and out toward the Sea. From Michmethath on the north it turned eastward toward Taanath-shiloh and passed by it to Janoah on the east.
7
From Janoah it went down to Ataroth and Naarah, and then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.
8
From Tappuah the border went westward to the Brook of Kanah and ended at the Sea. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Ephraim,
9
along with all the cities and villages set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the inheritance of Manasseh. ​
10
But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers. ​

Study Notes for Joshua 16

Verse 1

The 'children of Joseph' refers to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who received their inheritance jointly before the specific boundaries were delineated. This territory formed the central highlands, the geographical and political heart of the later Northern Kingdom.

Verse 2

The mention of 'Bethel to Luz' suggests that Luz was the older, Canaanite name for the city, which Israel renamed Bethel ('House of God') after Jacob’s experience there (Gen. 28:19).

Verse 4

Joseph received a double portion (two tribes) through his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, fulfilling the blessing given by Jacob (Gen. 48:5).

Verse 5

Ephraim, though the younger son, was blessed by Jacob as the greater tribe (Gen. 48:19), and its territory was highly fertile and strategically important, lying just north of Benjamin.

Verse 9

This verse shows that the borders were porous, and some cities belonging to Ephraim existed as enclaves within the territory of Manasseh, indicating a degree of shared settlement and cooperation.

Verse 10

This failure to fully drive out the Canaanites in Gezer is the first recorded instance of incomplete obedience in the conquest narrative. This compromise violated Yahweh’s command and became a major theological problem, setting the stage for the religious and military struggles documented later in the book of Judges.

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