Joshua — Chapter 16
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1The 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.
2It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz) and proceeded to the border of the Archites in Ataroth.
3Then 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.
4So Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, received their inheritance.
5This 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
6and out toward the Sea. From Michmethath on the north it turned eastward toward Taanath-shiloh and passed by it to Janoah on the east.
7From Janoah it went down to Ataroth and Naarah, and then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.
8From 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,
9along with all the cities and villages set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the inheritance of Manasseh.
10But 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.
1And 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,
2And goeth out from Bethel to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth,
3And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Beth-horon the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea.
4So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
5And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth-addar, unto Beth-horon the upper;
6And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanath-shiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;
7And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.
8The 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.
9And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
10And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.
1And the lot came out for the children of Joseph from the Jordan at Jericho, at the waters of Jericho on the east, even the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill-country to Beth-el;
2and it went out from Beth-el to Luz, and passed along unto the border of the Archites to Ataroth;
3and it went down westward to the border of the Japhletites, unto the border of Beth-horon the nether, even unto Gezer; and the goings out thereof were at the sea.
4And the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
5And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was [thus]: the border of their inheritance eastward was Ataroth-addar, unto Beth-horon the upper;
6and the border went out westward at Michmethath on the north; and the border turned about eastward unto Taanath-shiloh, and passed along it on the east of Janoah;
7and it went down from Janoah to Ataroth, and to Naarah, and reached unto Jericho, and went out at the Jordan.
8From Tappuah the border went along westward to the brook of Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their families;
9together with the cities which were set apart for the children of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
10And they drove not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell in the midst of Ephraim unto this day, and are become servants to do taskwork.
1The land allotted to Joseph’s descendants extended from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho to the east, through the desert and on up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel.
2The southern border extended from Bethel to Luz, and crossed to Arkite territory at Ataroth.
3It then descended westward to Japhletite territory, as far as the territory of lower Beth Horon and Gezer, and ended at the sea.
4Joseph’s descendants, Manasseh and Ephraim, were assigned their land.
5The territory of the tribe of Ephraim by its clans included the following: The border of their assigned land to the east was Ataroth Addar as far as upper Beth Horon.
6It then extended on to the sea, with Micmethath on the north. It turned eastward to Taanath Shiloh and crossed it on the east to Janoah.
7It then descended from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, and extended to the Jordan River.
8From Tappuah it went westward to the Valley of Kanah and ended at the sea. This is the land assigned to the tribe of Ephraim by its clans.
9Also included were the cities set apart for the tribe of Ephraim within Manasseh’s territory, along with their towns.
10The Ephraimites did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites live among the Ephraimites to this very day and do hard labor as their servants.
1The lot came out for the children of Joseph from the Jordan at Jericho, at the waters of Jericho on the east, even the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel.
2It went out from Bethel to Luz, and passed along to the border of the Archites to Ataroth;
3and it went down westward to the border of the Japhletites, to the border of Beth Horon the lower, and on to Gezer; and ended at the sea.
4The children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
5This was the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families. The border of their inheritance eastward was Ataroth Addar, to Beth Horon the upper.
6The border went out westward at Michmethath on the north. The border turned about eastward to Taanath Shiloh, and passed along it on the east of Janoah.
7It went down from Janoah to Ataroth, to Naarah, reached to Jericho, and went out at the Jordan.
8From Tappuah the border went along westward to the brook of Kanah; and ended at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their families;
9together with the cities which were set apart for the children of Ephraim in the middle of the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
10They didn’t drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell in the territory of Ephraim to this day, and have become servants to do forced labor.
Summary
The allotment for the descendants of Joseph begins with a general southern boundary before turning to Ephraim's specific inheritance in the central hill country (vv. 1-4). Ephraim's territory is marked out with towns and borders reaching toward Gezer and the Mediterranean (vv. 5-9). Despite the conquest, Ephraim fails to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, and instead lets them remain as forced laborers among them, a compromise repeated elsewhere in the land (v. 10).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Ephraim's territory: Central hill country between Benjamin (south) and Manasseh (north)
- Key boundaries: Jordan River (east) to the Mediterranean (west); includes Bethel area and the ridge route
- Gezer (western lowlands) remains unconquered — Canaanites dwell among Ephraim as forced laborers
Places on this map
- Jordan RiverIsrael / Jordan borderRuns about 65 miles as the crow flies from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping from 700 to 1,400 feet below sea level. Narrow enough to wade at most fords, it was still the boundary that divided wilderness from inheritance. Wikipedia
- Mediterranean SeaCalled simply the Great Sea, and treated as the western edge of the world. Israel's coast has almost no natural harbours, so for most of its history the sea was a boundary rather than a road, and seafaring was left to the Phoenicians. Wikipedia
- BethelBeitin, West BankA ridge-road town about 11 miles north of Jerusalem, where Jacob dreamed of the stairway and named the place house of God. Jeroboam later put one of his two golden calves here precisely because pilgrims already came. Wikipedia
- Ephraimcentral West BankThe central hill country north of Benjamin, the largest and best watered of the northern territories. It dominated the north so thoroughly that the prophets use Ephraim to mean the whole northern kingdom. Wikipedia
- GezerTel Gezer, IsraelA mound commanding the junction where the road from Joppa turns up toward Jerusalem. Pharaoh took it and gave it to Solomon as a dowry. Wikipedia
- CanaanIsrael, West Bank, LebanonThe land bridge between Egypt and Mesopotamia, which is why armies crossed it for three thousand years. Within about 60 miles it goes from coastal plain to hill country to rift valley to desert plateau, so control of it was always local and piecemeal. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes that Ephraim's failure at Gezer illustrates a common spiritual pattern: we prefer to manage our sins (put them to "tribute") rather than eliminate them completely. Keeping Canaanites as slaves seemed pragmatic — free labor! — but it violated God's command and eventually led to spiritual contamination. The short-term gain became a long-term snare.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Joshua -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- A Promise Fulfilled Generations Later (v.4) — The double portion blessing Jacob spoke over Joseph in Genesis is finally realized here in the land grant to Ephraim and Manasseh. What promise has God made that you're still waiting to see fulfilled, maybe even beyond your own lifetime?
- Territory That Overlaps and Interweaves (v.9) — Ephraim is given cities scattered within Manasseh's larger territory rather than a cleanly separated plot. Where is God calling you to cooperate and share life with others rather than insist on strict independence?
- Settling for Forced Labor Instead of Full Obedience (v.10) — Ephraim never drives out the Canaanites of Gezer, instead putting them to forced labor for economic gain. What sin or compromise have you put "to work" for your benefit instead of removing it altogether?