Joshua — Chapter 17

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1There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph; to wit, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.

2There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.

3But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

4And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.

5And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side Jordan;

6Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manasseh’s sons had the land of Gilead.

7And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethah, that lieth before Shechem; and the border went along on the right hand unto the inhabitants of En-tappuah.

8Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim;

9And the coast descended unto the river Kanah, southward of the river: these cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh: the coast of Manasseh also was on the north side of the river, and the outgoings of it were at the sea:

10Southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.

11And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Beth-shean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.

12Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

13Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them out.

14And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?

15And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.

16And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Beth-shean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.

17And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only:

18But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.

1And [this] was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the first-born of Joseph. As for Machir the first-born of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.

2So [the lot] was for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their families: for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.

3But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

4And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, Jehovah commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren: therefore according to the commandment of Jehovah he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.

5And there fell ten parts to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan;

6because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead belonged unto the rest of the sons of Manasseh.

7And the border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, which is before Shechem; and the border went along to the right hand, unto the inhabitants of En-tappuah.

8The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh; but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.

9And the border went down unto the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook: these cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh: and the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook, and the goings out thereof were at the sea:

10southward it was Ephraim`s, and northward it was Manasseh`s, and the sea was his border; and they reached to Asher on the north, and to Issachar on the east.

11And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Beth-shean and its towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, even the three heights.

12Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out [the inhabitants of] those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

13And it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxed strong, that they put the Canaanites to taskwork, and did not utterly drive them out.

14And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one part for an inheritance, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as hitherto Jehovah hath blessed me?

15And Joshua said unto them, If thou be a great people, get thee up to the forest, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim; since the hill-country of Ephraim is too narrow for thee.

16And the children of Joseph said, The hill-country is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are in Beth-shean and its towns, and they who are in the valley of Jezreel.

17And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power; thou shalt not have one lot only:

18but the hill-country shall be thine; for though it is a forest, thou shalt cut it down, and the goings out thereof shall be thine; for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.

1The tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn son, was also allotted land. The descendants of Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn and the father of Gilead, received land, for they were warriors. They were assigned Gilead and Bashan.

2The rest of Manasseh’s descendants were also assigned land by their clans, including the descendants of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These are the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.

3Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

4They went before Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The Lord told Moses to assign us land among our relatives.” So Joshua assigned them land among their uncles, as the Lord had commanded.

5Manasseh was allotted 10 shares of land, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan,

6for the daughters of Manasseh were assigned land among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

7The border of Manasseh went from Asher to Micmethath, which is near Shechem. It then went south toward those who live by En Tappuah.

8(The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah, located on the border of Manasseh, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.)

9The border then descended southward to the Valley of Kanah. Ephraim was assigned cities there among the cities of Manasseh, but the border of Manasseh was north of the valley and ended at the sea.

10Ephraim’s territory was to the south, and Manasseh’s to the north. The sea was Manasseh’s western border, and their territory touched Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.

11Within Issachar’s and Asher’s territories Manasseh was assigned Beth Shean, Ibleam, the residents of Dor, the residents of Endor, the residents of Taanach, the residents of Megiddo, the three of Napheth, and the towns surrounding all these cities.

12But the men of Manasseh were unable to conquer these cities; the Canaanites managed to remain in those areas.

13Whenever the Israelites were strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them.

14The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you assigned us only one tribal allotment? After all, we have many people, for until now the Lord has enabled us to increase in number.”

15Joshua replied to them, “Since you have so many people, go up into the forest and clear out a place to live in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites, if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you.”

16The descendants of Joseph said, “The whole hill country is inadequate for us, and the Canaanites living down in the valley in Beth Shean and its surrounding towns and in the Valley of Jezreel have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels.”

17Joshua said to the family of Joseph—to both Ephraim and Manasseh: “You have many people and great military strength. You will not have just one tribal allotment.

18The whole hill country will be yours; though it is a forest, you can clear it, and it will be entirely yours. You can conquer the Canaanites, though they have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels and are strong.”

1This was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. As for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.

2So this was for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their families: for the children of Abiezer, for the children of Helek, for the children of Asriel, for the children of Shechem, for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida. These were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.

3But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

4They came to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the princes, saying, “Yahweh commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” Therefore according to the commandment of Yahweh he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father.

5Ten parts fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan;

6because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.

7The border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, which is before Shechem. The border went along to the right hand, to the inhabitants of En Tappuah.

8The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh; but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.

9The border went down to the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook, and ended at the sea.

10Southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea was his border. They reached to Asher on the north, and to Issachar on the east.

11Manasseh had three heights in Issachar, in Asher Beth Shean and its towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns.

12Yet the children of Manasseh couldn’t drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

13When the children of Israel had grown strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and didn’t utterly drive them out.

14The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me just one lot and one part for an inheritance, since we are a numerous people, because Yahweh has blessed us so far?”

15Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest, and clear land for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim; since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”

16The children of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. All the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth Shean and its towns, and those who are in the valley of Jezreel.”

17Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, that is, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people, and have great power. You shall not have one lot only;

18but the hill country shall be yours. Although it is a forest, you shall cut it down, and it’s farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

The rest of Manasseh receives its territory, but complains their allotment is too small. Joshua challenges them to clear the forested hill country rather than shrink from the Canaanites with iron chariots.

Authorship & Background

Author: Joshua, with possible later editorial additions (such as the account of his own death in 24:29-31). Joshua was Moses' assistant and successor who led Israel into the Promised Land. The book covers approximately 25 years (1406-1381 BC). Hebrew name: 'Yehoshua' = 'YHWH saves' (the same name as Jesus in Greek).
Purpose: To record God's faithfulness in fulfilling His land promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21) and to demonstrate that victory comes through faith and obedience, not human strength.

Map & Geography

  • West Manasseh: Central highlands north of Ephraim, extending to the Jezreel Valley
  • Key unconquered cities: Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo — all in the fertile Jezreel/Esdraelon plain
  • Zelophehad's daughters receive land in west Manasseh — the hill country is forested and must be cleared

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik contrasts the Joseph tribes with Caleb: Caleb asked for the mountain with the giants; Joseph's tribes complained about the difficulty of their territory. Joshua's response is essentially: "Don't come to me with complaints — go conquer." Guzik notes that Joshua refused to enable their laziness. He affirmed their strength but directed it toward action, not entitlement.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "The children of Joseph said, 'The hill is not enough for us.' And Joshua said, 'Then clear the forest and take the valley.' They wanted more room but less work. They wanted a larger inheritance without a larger faith. But God does not give territory to those who will not fight for it. If you want more of God's blessing, you must be willing to do more of God's work."

Reflection

  • 1. Zelophehad's daughters: bold faith (vv.3-4). They knew God's promise and claimed it. They did not passively accept exclusion — they approached the leaders and stated their case based on God's Word. Do we know God's promises well enough to claim them? Do we approach Him boldly (Hebrews 4:16)?
  • 2. Complaint vs. conquest (vv.14-18). The Joseph tribes wanted more territory but less effort. They complained to Joshua rather than conquering their land. How often do we complain about our circumstances rather than doing the work God has set before us?
  • 3. Joshua's challenge: "If you are great, act great" (v.15). Joshua does not coddle them. He turns their own claim back on them. True greatness is demonstrated in action, not in complaint. If God has blessed you with strength, use it — don't demand that others make your life easier.
  • 4. Iron chariots are no excuse (v.18). The Canaanites had superior technology. But Joshua says: "You shall drive them out, though they have iron chariots." God's power is not limited by human technology. What "iron chariots" do we use as excuses for inaction? No obstacle is too great when God has commanded us to advance.
  • 5. The contrast with Caleb. Caleb: "Give me this mountain — where the giants are." Joseph's tribes: "The hill is not enough — and the valley has iron chariots." Same God, same promises, opposite responses. Faith embraces difficulty; unbelief shrinks from it.
  • 6. Strength without obedience (v.13). When Israel grew strong, they enslaved the Canaanites rather than driving them out. Increased capacity did not produce increased obedience. Spiritual maturity should lead to greater holiness, not greater compromise.