Joshua · chapter 17 of 24
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Joshua 17 describes the portion of the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan. The five daughters of Zelophehad claim the inheritance Moses had promised them and receive it among their father's brothers. The sons of Joseph complain that their portion is small, and Joshua answers that they are a large people and should clear the forest of the hill country and drive out the Canaanites with iron chariots.
Manasseh was Joseph's firstborn, and half of his tribe had already received land east of the Jordan. Joshua 17 describes the other half, in the west. The chapter includes a notable episode about the daughters of Zelophehad, who had asked Moses for an inheritance, and a complaint from the descendants of Joseph. Joshua answers with a mix of encouragement and challenge.
The chapter begins with the lot of Manasseh, Joseph's firstborn. The sons of Machir, father of Gilead, a man of war, had already received Gilead and Bashan. The other descendants of Manasseh receive their share by clans. Zelophehad, son of Hepher, had no sons but daughters, named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.
They approach the priest Eleazar, Joshua and the chiefs and remind them that the Lord commanded Moses to give them an inheritance among their kinsmen. By the Lord's command, Joshua gives them an inheritance among their father's brothers. So Manasseh receives ten portions west of the Jordan, besides Gilead and Bashan in the east, because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons.
The border of Manasseh is described, reaching Asher and Michmethath near Shechem, as far as the spring of Tappuah. But some cities in the territory of Issachar and Asher belong to Manasseh. The sons of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, and when Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.
The sons of Joseph complain to Joshua: why only one lot and one portion, when they are a numerous people because the Lord has blessed them? Joshua tells them that, since they are so many, they should go up to the forest and clear ground in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for them. They object that the hill country is not enough and that the Canaanites in the valley have iron chariots. Joshua answers that they are a numerous and mighty people, that they will have not just one lot but the hill country, and that they will clear the forest and drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The daughters of Zelophehad approach the leaders and recall that the Lord commanded Moses to give them an inheritance. Women without brothers receive land because God had so established; their claim is heard and fulfilled.
The daughters of Manasseh receive an inheritance among his sons, and the rest of the land goes to the other sons of Manasseh. God's word to these women is fulfilled, though it was unusual in their day.
When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely. The text points to partial obedience that will later cause trouble for Israel.
Joshua answers the sons of Joseph that they are numerous and strong and that they will have the hill country. He asks them for hard work and courage, trusting that they can defeat even those with iron chariots.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. — Joshua 17:3
Answer: That they be given an inheritance among their kinsmen, as the Lord had commanded Moses. — Joshua 17:4
Answer: He gave them an inheritance among their father's brothers, according to the Lord's command. — Joshua 17:4
Answer: They put them to forced labor but did not drive them out completely. — Joshua 17:13
Answer: That they had been given only one lot and one portion, though they were a numerous people. — Joshua 17:14
Answer: That they should go up and clear the forest, and that they would drive out the Canaanites even though they had iron chariots. — Joshua 17:15-18
The story of the daughters of Zelophehad shows that God hears the just claim of those who could be left on the margins. They had the courage to appear before the leaders and cite the Lord's word. In the church we can ask whether our structures leave room for vulnerable people to be heard, and whether we know how to speak up for those without a voice.
Joshua's answer to the sons of Joseph teaches something else: sometimes the answer to our complaint is work. He did not give them more land but the invitation to clear and possess what they already had. It is a good reminder for anyone who feels short of space: before asking for more, it is worth asking whether we have made use of what we were already given.
Joshua 17 ends with Joshua urging the sons of Joseph to conquer the hill country. In Joshua 18, the center of worship is set up at Shiloh, and men are sent to survey and describe the land that has not yet been divided among the remaining seven tribes.
Because it shows that God's law took into account the right of women to inherit when there were no male brothers. Their story begins in Numbers 27 and is completed here in Joshua 17. The account underlines that God keeps what he promised, even to those who had the least chance of being heard.
They were war chariots reinforced with iron, a powerful military technology in the valleys. The Israelites, who fought on foot in the hills, feared them. Joshua reminds them that, with the Lord, even that advantage will not stop them.