Joshua · chapter 16 of 24
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Joshua 16 describes the inheritance of the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, in central Canaan, from the Jordan by Jericho westward. The chapter traces the borders of the tribe of Ephraim, with its cities inside the territory of Manasseh, and ends by noting that the Ephraimites did not drive out the Canaanites of Gezer, who became forced laborers.
After Judah, Joshua 16 turns to the descendants of Joseph, one of Jacob's most beloved sons. Instead of one tribe called Joseph, the land is divided between his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who form two tribes. The chapter is short and geographical, but it recalls how God keeps his promise to a family across generations.
The lot of the sons of Joseph begins at the Jordan by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, and goes up through the wilderness into the hill country of Bethel. From Bethel it goes to Luz and continues to the territory of the Archites at Ataroth, descends to the territory of the Japhletites, to Lower Beth-horon, to Gezer, and ends at the sea. So Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph, received their inheritance.
Then the territory of the sons of Ephraim is described specifically, by their clans. Their eastern border reaches Ataroth-addar and Upper Beth-horon, and from there goes to the sea. To the north it goes to Michmethath, turns eastward to Taanath-shiloh and passes east of Janoah, goes down to Ataroth and Naarah, touches Jericho and ends at the Jordan. From Tappuah the border goes west to the brook Kanah and ends at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim by their clans.
It also mentions cities set apart for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of Manasseh, with their villages. But the chapter ends with a negative note: they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live among Ephraim to this day and are subjected to forced labor.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The lot of the sons of Joseph begins at the Jordan by Jericho and goes up toward Bethel. The land is divided from a concrete point, the very place where Israel entered Canaan.
Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph, received their inheritance. The blessing Jacob gave to Joseph's two sons becomes real in territory.
Cities are noted that the Ephraimites received inside the territory of Manasseh, with their villages. Tribal boundaries were not entirely rigid, and God cared for the needs of each tribe.
Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites of Gezer, who were put to forced labor. It is a half obedience that will later bring consequences for Israel.
5 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The sons of Joseph, that is, Ephraim and Manasseh. — Joshua 16:1-4
Answer: At the Jordan by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho. — Joshua 16:1
Answer: Cities set apart with their villages, inside the inheritance of Manasseh. — Joshua 16:9
Answer: The Canaanites. — Joshua 16:10
Answer: They lived among the Ephraimites under forced labor. — Joshua 16:10
Joshua 16 shows that each tribe received a different portion, and each had to take charge of its own. Sometimes we compare ourselves with others for the portion they received, but each person has his or her own share and responsibility. In a small group you can talk about how to be thankful for what we have received and manage it faithfully, without looking with envy at the lot of others.
The note about Gezer reminds us that leaving unresolved what God asked us to remove may seem comfortable but has a later cost. A habit, a relationship or an injustice we leave unconfronted can become a permanent part of the landscape.
Joshua 16 ends with Ephraim in its territory, though with the Canaanites of Gezer still present. In Joshua 17, the book continues with the inheritance of the half-tribe of Manasseh, the daughters of Zelophehad and the complaint of the sons of Joseph about the size of their land.
Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, as his own and gave them a place equal to that of his own sons. So Joseph did not receive one tribe but two portions. It is a form of double share for the son whom Jacob chose to bless.
Gezer was a fortified city on an important route. That the Canaanites stayed there shows that the conquest was incomplete. Later, in Solomon's time, a pharaoh of Egypt conquered it and gave it as a dowry to his daughter.