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Joshua Chapter
Sixteen
Joshua 16
Chapter Contents
The sons of Joseph.
This and the following chapter should not be separated.
They give the lots of Ephraim and Manasseh, the children of Joseph, who, next
to Judah, were to have the post of honour, and therefore had the first and best
portion in the northern part of Canaan, as Judah in the southern part. God's
people now, as of old, suffer his enemies to remain. Blessed Lord, when will
all our enemies be subdued? 1 Corinthians 15:26. Do thou drive them all out;
thou alone canst do it. These settled boundaries may remind us, that our
situation and provision in this life, as well as our future inheritance, are
appointed by the only wise and righteous God, and we should be content with our
portion, since he knows what is best for us, and all we have is more than we
deserve.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Joshua》
Joshua 16
Verse 1
[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,
Children of Joseph —
That is, of Ephraim, and the half tribe of Manasseh, which are here put
together in one; because in these first verses he speaks of them in common; and
then of their several portions.
Verse 4
[4] So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
Manasseh —
That is, half Manasseh.
Their inheritance —
Their several portions which here follow. It is said, they took their
inheritance, which also Judah had done before them, because the tribes of Judah
and Joseph did take their inheritances before the rest; and it was fit they
should do so, for the security of the main camp, and the body of the people
which were at Gilgal, chap. 18:5.
Verse 5
[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;
East-side —
That is, the north-east side. It is no wonder, if some of these descriptions
are dark to us at this distance of time; there having been so many alterations
made in places, and so many circumstances, being now altogether undiscoverable.
But this is certain, that all the descriptions here mentioned, were then evident
to the Israelites, because these were the foundations of all the possessions
which then they took, and peaceably possessed in succeeding ages.
Verse 6
[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;
Toward the sun —
The midland sea, towards the west.
Verse 7
[7] And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to
Jericho, and went out at Jordan.
To Jericho —
Not to the city of Jericho, which belonged to Benjamin's lot, chap. 18:21, but to its territory.
Verse 9
[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.
The separate cities —
That is, besides those cities which were within Ephraim's bounds, he had some
other cities, to which all of all their territories were annexed out Manasseh's
portion, because his tribe was all here, and was larger than Manasseh's.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Joshua》
16 Chapter 16
Verses 1-10
The lot of . . . Joseph.
The inheritance of Joseph
Next to Judah, the most important tribe was Joseph; that is, the
double tribe to which his two sons gave names, Ephraim and Manasseh. In
perpetual acknowledgment of the service rendered by Joseph to the family, by
keeping them alive in the famine, it was ordained by Jacob that his two sons should
rank with their uncles as founders of tribes (Genesis 48:5). It was also prophetically
ordained by Jacob that Ephraim, the younger son, should take rank before
Manasseh (Genesis 48:19). The privilege of the
double portion, however, remained to Manasseh as the elder son. Hence, in
addition to his lot in Gilead and Bashan, he had also a portion in Western
Palestine. But Ephraim was otherwise the more important tribe; and when the
separation of the two kingdoms took place, Ephraim often gave his name to the
larger division. And in the beautiful prophetic vision of Ezekiel, when the
coming reunion of the nation is symbolised, it is on this wise (Ezekiel 37:16-17). The superiority
allotted to Ephraim was not followed by very happy results; it raised an
arrogant spirit in that tribe. The delimitation of the tribes of Ephraim and
Manasseh is not easy to follow, particularly in the A.V., which not only does
not translate very accurately, but uses some English expressions of uncertain
meaning. The R.V. is much more helpful, correcting both classes of defects in
its predecessor. Yet even the R.V. sometimes leaves us at a loss. It has been
supposed, indeed, that some words have dropped out of the text. Moreover, it
has not been found possible to ascertain the position of all the places
mentioned. The portion of the land occupied by Ephraim and Manasseh is,
however, on the whole, very clearly known, just as their influence on the
history of the country is very distinctly marked. In point of fact, the lot of
Joseph in Western Palestine was, in many respects, the most desirable of any.
It was a fertile and beautiful district. It embraced the valley of Shechem, the
first place of Abraham’s sojourn, and reckoned by travellers to be one of the
most beautiful spots, some say the most beautiful spot, in Palestine. Samaria,
at the head of another valley celebrated for its “glorious beauty,” and for its
“fatness” or fertility (Isaiah 28:1), was at no great distance.
Tirzah, a symbol of beauty, in the Song of Solomon (Song of Solomon 6:4) was another of its
cities, as was also Jezreel, “a lovely position for a capital city.” On the
other hand, this portion of the country laboured under the disadvantage of not
having been well cleared of its original inhabitants. The men of Ephraim did
not exert themselves as much as the men of Judah. This is apparent from what is
said in verse 10, and also from Joshua’s answer to the request of Ephraim for
more land (Joshua 17:15-18). In the definition of
boundaries we have first a notice applicable to Joshua as a whole, then
specifications applicable to Ephraim and Manasseh respectively. The southern
border is delineated twice with considerable minuteness, and its general
course, extending from near the Jordan at Jericho, past Bethel and Luz, and
down the pass of Bethhoron to the Mediterranean, is clear enough. The border
between Ephraim and Manasseh is not so clear, nor the northern border of
Manasseh. It is further to be remarked that, while we have an elaborate
statement of boundaries, we have no list of towns in Ephraim and Manasseh such
as we have for the tribe of Judah. This gives countenance to the supposition
that part of the ancient record has somehow dropped out. We find, however,
another statement about towns which is of no small significance. At verse 9 we
find that several cities were appropriated to Ephraim that were situated in the
territory of Manasseh. And in like manner several cities were given to Manasseh
which were situated in the tribes of Issachar and Asher. Of these last the
names are given (Joshua 17:11). They were Bethshean,
Ibleam, Dor, Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo. Some of them were famous in
after-history. Bethshean was the city to whose wail the body of Saul and his
sons were fixed after the fatal battle of Gilboa; Ibleam was in the
neighbourhood of Naboth’s vineyard (2 Kings 9:25; 2 Kings 9:27); Endor was the place
of abode of the woman with a familiar spirit whom Saul went to consult; Taanach
was the battlefield of the kings of Canaan whom Barak defeated, and of whom
Deborah sang (Judges 5:19). As for Megiddo, many a
battle was fought in its plain. We can only conjecture why these cities, most
of which were in Issachar, were given to Manasseh. They were strongholds in the
great plain of Esdraelon, where most of the great battles of Canaan were
fought. For the defence of the plain it seemed important that these places
should be held by a stronger tribe than Issachar. Hence they appear to have
been given to Manasseh. But, like Ephraim, Manasseh was not able to hold them
at first. Undoubtedly these sons of Joseph occupied a position which gave them
unrivalled opportunities of benefiting their country. But with the exception of
the splendid exploit of Gideon, a man of Manasseh, and his little band, we hear
of little in the history that redounded to the credit of Joseph’s descendants.
Nobility of character is not hereditary. Sometimes nature appears to spend all
her intellectual and moral wealth on the father and almost to impoverish the
sons. And sometimes the sons live on the virtues of their fathers, and cannot be
roused to the exertion or the sacrifice needed to continue their work and
maintain their reputation. (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》
16 Chapter 16
INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 16
This
chapter gives us an account of the lot of the children of Joseph, Ephraim, and
the half tribe of Manasseh, one half having settled on the other side Jordan;
and first the borders of the whole lot in general are given, Joshua 16:1; and
then the borders of the tribe of Ephraim in particular, Joshua 16:4; and it
is observed, that this tribe had besides separate cities among the children of
Manasseh, and that there were some Canaanites, particularly in Gezer, not
driven out by the Ephraimites, Joshua 16:9.
Verse 1
And the lot of the children of Joseph fell,.... Or,
"went out"F1ויצא "et
egressa est", Pagninus, Montanus; "exivit", Piscator. ; of the
pot or urn, this being the next lot that was drawn to that of Judah, the
government being Judah's, and the birthright Joseph's, 1 Chronicles 5:2;
and by his children are here meant the tribe of Ephraim, and the tribe of
Manasseh: or the line and border according to the lot went forth
from Jordan by Jericho unto the water of Jericho on the east; by which it
appears, that this was the southern border of the lot; for the tribe of
Benjamin, in which Jericho was, lay between Judah and Ephraim, and the border
began at Jordan, where it flowed near Jericho, and proceeded to a water which
belonged to that city, and is generally thought to be the waters Elisha healed,
2 Kings 2:19,
to the wilderness that goeth up throughout Mount Bethel; this was the
wilderness of Bethaven, Joshua 18:12;
Jarchi interprets it of the border that went up through Mount Bethel; which is
true, and so might the wilderness also, for which the Targum is express;
mention is made of a mountain on the east of Bethel, Genesis 12:8.
Verse 2
And goeth out from Bethel to Luz,.... For though these two
places in time became one, yet they were originally distinct. Bethel, at which
Jacob stopped, and who gave it its name, was a field adjacent to the city of
Luz, Genesis 38:11; and
therefore with propriety may be, as they here are, distinguished:
and passeth along unto the borders Archi to Ataroth; or to
Archiataroth; these two words being the name of one and the same place, and to
be joined as they are, in the Greek version, and others; and is the same with
Atarothaddar, Joshua 16:5.
Ataroth was its proper name, but it had these additional epithets to
distinguish it from another Ataroth; see Joshua 16:7; JeromF2De
loc. Heb. fol. 88. G. makes mention of Atharoth by Ramma, in the tribe of
Joseph, and of another in the tribe of Ephraim, now a village at the north of
Sebaste, or Samaria, four miles from it, called Atharus; the former is here
meant.
Verse 3
And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti,.... This
place is now unknown, though no doubt well known to the sons of Joseph, when
this lot fell to them, and its border was described:
unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether: so called to
distinguish it from Bethhoron the upper, Joshua 16:5; this
was about twelve miles from Jerusalem; See Gill on Joshua 10:10; and
to Gezer: which was about a day's journey from Bethhoron, as appears from the passages
in the Apocrypha:"39 So Nicanor went out of Jerusalem, and pitched his
tents in Bethhoron, where an host out of Syria met him. 40 But Judas pitched in
Adasa with three thousand men, and there he prayed, saying,... 45 Then they
pursued after them a day's journey, from Adasa unto Gazera, sounding an alarm
after them with their trumpets.' (1 Maccabees 7)JeromF3De loc. Heb.
fol. 92. A. says in his time it was a village called Gazara, four miles from
Nicopolis, or Emmaus. It is the same with Gadara, as it is sometimes called by
Josephus, who saysF4Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22. , the tribe of
Ephraim took in the land from the river Jordan to Gadara; this was a royal
city; see Joshua 10:33,
and the outgoings thereof are at the sea: the
Mediterranean sea.
Verse 4
So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their
inheritance. As it fell to them by the lot; by Manasseh is meant the half
tribe of Manasseh, one half of that tribe having been settled by Moses on the
other side Jordan; and next follows an account of the borders of the
inheritance of Ephraim in particular, as that of the half tribe of Manasseh is
given in Joshua 17:1.
Verse 5
And the border of the children of Ephraim, according to their
families, was thus,.... Or what follows is the description of
it:
even the border of their inheritance on the east side was
Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper; the first was on the
south of the inheritance, and the latter on the north, as Masius has placed
them: who has given us a type of this description, by which it appears that
this lot is here described in its breadth from south to north.
Verse 6
And the border went out towards the sea,.... The
Mediterranean sea:
to Michmethah on the north side; of the border, the same
on which Bethhoron was, from whence the border proceeded on to this place, of
which we have no other account but in Joshua 17:7; by
which it appears to have been near Shechem, and in sight of it:
and the border went about eastward unto Taanathshiloh; this seems to
be the same JeromF5De loc. Heb. fol. 95. C. calls Thenath in the
tribe of Joseph; and who observes there was in his day a village of this name
ten miles from Neapolis (or Shechem) to the east, as you go down to Jordan:
and passed by it on the east to Janohah: which the
above writerF6Ibid. fol. 92. I. wrongly calls Janon, and says, that
in his time a village of this name was shown in the country of Acrabatena,
twelve miles to the east from Neapolis or Shechem; the border passed by Taanath
on the east of it, and went on this place.
Verse 7
And it went down from Johanan to Ataroth,.... This is
different from Ataroth before mentioned, Joshua 16:2; there
were several places of this name, as before observed; this seems to be that
which Jerom places four miles from Sebaste or Samaria; see Gill on Joshua 16:2,
and to Naarath; JeromF7De loc. Heb. fol. 93. I.
says, that Naarath was in his time called Naorath, a village of the Jews, five
miles from Jericho; and is the village JosephusF8Antiqu. l. 17. c.
15. sect. 1. calls Neara, where was a water, half of which Archelaus turned,
and led to the field planted with palm trees, near Jericho; and, according to
the Jewish writersF9Vajikra Rabba, sect. 23. fol. 164. 3.
Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 9. 3. Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 4. : there was a place
called Noaran near to Jericho, which seems to be this:
and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan; where it
ended this way, which was eastward.
Verse 8
The border went out from Tappuah westward,.... Which was
different from the Tappuah in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:34; this
was in the tribe of Ephraim on the border of Manasseh, Joshua 17:8,
unto the river Kanah; supposed by some to be
the brook Cherith, by which Elijah hid himself, 1 Kings 17:3;
though objected to by others; it seems to have had its name from the reeds
which grew in it, or on the banks of it:
and the goings out thereof were at the sea; if the river
Kanah was the brook Cherith, this must be the dead or salt sea: but that is
never called "the sea", rather the Mediterranean sea is meant, and consequently
Kanah could not be Cherith, which was at too great a distance from this sea:
this is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of
Ephraim by their families; that is, this is the description of the
border of it; for the cities within are not mentioned, and the descriptions in
general are very obscure.
Verse 9
And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim,.... The tribe
of Ephraim, being much larger than the half tribe of Manasseh, besides the lot
that fell to it, described before by its boundaries, had several particular and
distinct cities given to it: which
were among the
inheritance of the children of Manasseh; some that were upon the
borders of Ephraim, and within the territory of Manasseh, and it may be where
it jetted out in a nook or corner, see Joshua 17:8,
all the cities with their villages; not the separate cities
only, but the little towns adjacent to them.
Verse 10
And they drove not out the Canaanites which dwelt in Gezer,.... Which was
the border of their tribe length ways, and was near the sea, Joshua 16:3; in
this they did not obey the command of God, and either they did not drive them
out, because they could not, God not delivering them up into their hands,
because of their sins; or through their slothfulness, or it may be through
covetousness, being willing to make some advantage to themselves by them, being
a trading people, which seems to be intended in the next clause:
but the Canaanites dwelt among the Ephraimites unto this day; which Joshua,
the writer of this book, might truly say, and be no objection to it, since the
same is observed after his death, Judges 1:29; and
indeed they continued to dwell there until the times of Solomon, when it was
taken by Pharaoh king of Egypt, and given as a present to his daughter, the
wife of Solomon, 1 Kings 9:15; and
though this clause does not furnish out an argument against the writing of this
book by Joshua, yet, from the instance given, it appears it must have been
written before the times of Solomon, and so not by Ezra, as some:
and serve under tribute; so that they were under
their power, and therefore could have driven them out, or slain them, as by the
command of God they should; but they spared them for the sake of the tribute
they received from them, which seems to agree with the character of the
Ephraimites, Hosea 12:8.
──《John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible》