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
And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel, ​
2
And goeth out from Bethel to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth, ​
3
And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea.
4
So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance. ​

Boundaries of the Tribe of Ephraim

5
And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper; ​
6
And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;
7
And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.
8
The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.
9
And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. ​
10
And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute. ​

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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