JOSHUA 16

Inheritance of Ephraim

The powerful house of Joseph made up of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, inherited the rich territory of central Canaan. Although Manasseh was the oldest brother, Ephraim is mentioned first and the reason for this is found in Genesis 48.

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, 2 And goeth out from Bethel to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth, 3 And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea. 4 So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance. 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; 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; 7 And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan. 8 The 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. 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.10 And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.

• But the men of Ephraim, like those of Judah, did not completely drive out the Canaanites from their region. Motivated by a materialistic attitude, they chose to put the Canaanites in Gezer under tribute to gain additional wealth. That proved to be a fatal mistake for in later centuries, in the time of the Judges, the arrangement was reversed as the Canaanites rose up and enslaved the Israelites. In addition to the historical lesson there is a spiritual principle here. It is all too easy for a believer to tolerate and excuse some pet sin only to wake up some day to the grim realization that it has risen up to possess and drive him to spiritual defeat. It pays to deal with sin decisively and harshly. Bible Knowledge Commentary

JOSHUA 17

Inheritance of half tribe of Manasseh

1 ¶ There 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. 2 There 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.

3 But 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. 4 And 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. 5 And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side Jordan; 6 Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead.

• Special note is taken of the five daughters of Zelophehad, a great-great grandson of Manasseh. Because their father died without sons they, as the Lord had declared in this and other such cases, should receive the inheritance (cf. Num. 27:1-11). They now went to the high priest Eleazar (Aaron’s son, Josh. 24:33) who with Joshua and the tribal leaders oversaw the allotments to the tribes (cf. 19:51). These five women claimed and received their portion within the territory of Manasseh. This incident is significant, for it shows a concern for the rights of women at a time when most societies regarded them as mere chattel.

7 ¶ And 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 Entappuah. 8 Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim;

 9 And 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: 10 Southward 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.

11 And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean 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. 12 Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. 13 Yet 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.

• Note that several cities located in the tribes of Issachar and Asher were given to Manasseh. Apparently it was considered necessary for military purposes that these cities be held by a strong tribe. The decision, however, was in vain for the sons of Manasseh, like the Ephraimites, chose tribute over triumph.

The complaint of Ephraim and Manasseh verses 14-18

14 ¶ And 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?

• The descendants of Joseph registered a belligerent complaint with Joshua, claiming that their allotment was too small in light of their large population.
• Puffed up with pride, the children of Manasseh wanted more land, yet they failed to destroy the Canaanites from the land they already had.

15 And 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.

• Joshua challenged them first to clear the trees and settle in the forested hill country. But this is not what they wanted to hear.

16 And 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 Bethshean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.

• They insisted that the hill country was not sufficient for them and that the Canaanites in the region possessed iron chariots, probably chariots of wood covered with iron.

17 And 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: 18 But 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.

• Again Joshua reminded his fellow tribesmen that they were numerous and very powerful and fully capable of expanding their territory by clearing the hill country and driving out the enemy Canaanites. The tribes had to act in courageous faith if they were to possess the Promised Land fully.

JOSHUA 18

Survey of the remaining land verses 1-10

Jos 18:1 ¶ And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

• Before the final divisions of the land were made the Israelites moved en masse from Gilgal to Shiloh, about 20 miles northwest, from the Jordan Valley to the hill country. It is located in the center of the land given to Ephraim. Why? Probably because Shiloh, located in the center of the land, was a convenient location where the tabernacle (the Tent of Meeting) could remind the people that the key to prosperity and blessing in the land was worshiping and serving Yahweh.

2 ¶ And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.

• At this point in time, seven of the tribes were still without homes, apparently content to continue a nomadic and purposeless existence such as they had experienced in the wilderness. Their listlessness provoked Joshua who took steps to prod them into action.

3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?

• Joshua’s question still needs to be asked those who are spiritually wandering around in our generation and congregation as well: “When are you going to quit floating around, sink some roots, put your hand to the plow, and claim territory for the kingdom?”

4 Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.

• 21 men (3 from each tribe) were to be sent out to survey the topography of the land and report to Joshua what they found out.

5 And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north. 6 Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God. 7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them. 8 And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh. 9 And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh. 10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.

• They recorded their findings on a scroll, presented them to Joshua, who in turn divided the land to the tribes by the casting of lots.
• The word “divide” seen here in verse 9 and previously in verse 4, literally means “to survey.” Three men from each of the seven tribes who hadn’t claimed their inheritance were sent to survey the land. After their survey, they would need to step out in faith and count the cost of the battle that lie ahead.
• Just as the borders were carefully given to each tribe, we must never forget that God has an exacting plan, custom-designed for you and me as well.

Inheritance of Benjamin

Jos 18:11 ¶ And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. 12 And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven. 13 And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Bethhoron. 14 And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter. 15 And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjathjearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah: 16 And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel, 17 And was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, 18 And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah: 19 And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the south coast. 20 And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families. 21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz, 22 And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel, 23 And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah, 24 And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages:25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,26 And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah, 27 And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, 28 And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

• Benjamin was the smallest of the tribes territorially. The site of the future temple would be located in the territory assigned to Benjamin.
• In the history of Israel, Judah and Ephraim were often rivals. Located in between them, Benjamin played the role of peacemaker.

JOSHUA 19

Inheritance of Simeon verses 1-9

1 ¶ And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah. 2 And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, or Sheba, and Moladah, 3 And Hazarshual, and Balah, and Azem, 4 And Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, 5 And Ziklag, and Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusah, 6 And Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities and their villages: 7 Ain, Remmon, and Ether, and Ashan; four cities and their villages: 8 And all the villages that were round about these cities to Baalathbeer, Ramath of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. 9 Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.

• Because Judah had more territory than it needed (v. 9), and in fulfillment of Jacob’s prophecy (cf. Gen. 49:5-7), Simeon was given land in the southern section of Judah’s territory with 17 towns and their villages. But it was not long before Simeon was to lose her individuality as a tribe, for her territory was incorporated eventually into that of Judah and many of her citizens migrated north to Ephraim and Manasseh (cf. 2 Chron. 15:9; 34:6). This explains why after the division of the kingdom following Solomon there were 10 tribes in the north and only 2 in the south (Judah and Benjamin).
• As Jacob pronounced a final blessing on his sons, he declared that, because they were instruments of cruelty, Simeon and Levi would have no inheritance in the land. This was in reference to the account in Genesis 30, when Dinah, the sister of the twelve brothers who became the twelve tribes, was raped by Shechem. Jacob didn’t seem to do anything about this initially, so two of his sons—Simeon and Levi—took matters into their own hands.
• When cruelty and anger rules in our hearts, we lose ground spiritually. We lose intimacy with The Lord when we take matters into our own hands instead of placing them totally into His.

Inheritance of Zebulon verses 10-16

10 ¶ And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families: and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid: 11 And their border went up toward the sea, and Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth, and reached to the river that is before Jokneam; 12 And turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising unto the border of Chislothtabor, and then goeth out to Daberath, and goeth up to Japhia, 13 And from thence passeth on along on the east to Gittahhepher, to Ittahkazin, and goeth out to Remmonmethoar to Neah; 14 And the border compasseth it on the north side to Hannathon: and the outgoings thereof are in the valley of Jiphthahel: 15 And Kattath, and Nahallal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages.

• The Bethlehem mentioned in verse 15 is not the same Bethlehem village in Judah where Jesus Christ was born (Mic 5.2).

16 This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

• According to Jacob’s prophecy Zebulun would “live by the seashore and become a haven for ships” (Gen. 49:13). She was assigned a portion in lower Galilee which many consider to have been landlocked. However, it is possible to understand that a strip of land extended to the Mediterranean Sea forming an enclave in Issachar’s territory.

Inheritance of Issachar verses 17-23

17 ¶ And the fourth lot came out to Issachar, for the children of Issachar according to their families. 18 And their border was toward Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem, 19 And Hapharaim, and Shion, and Anaharath,

20 And Rabbith, and Kishion, and Abez, 21 And Remeth, and Engannim, and Enhaddah, and Bethpazzez; 22 And the coast reacheth to Tabor, and Shahazimah, and Bethshemesh; and the outgoings of their border were at Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages. 23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.

Inheritance of Asher verses 24-31

24 ¶ And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families. 25 And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, 26 And Alammelech, and Amad, and Misheal; and reacheth to Carmel westward, and to Shihorlibnath; 27 And turneth toward the sunrising to Bethdagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthahel toward the north side of Bethemek, and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand, 28 And Hebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even unto great Zidon; 29 And then the coast turneth to Ramah, and to the strong city Tyre; and the coast turneth to Hosah; and the outgoings thereof are at the sea from the coast to Achzib: 30 Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty and two cities with their villages. 31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

• Although Asher does not go down in history as a very prominent or important tribe, there is one specific mention of Asher that stands out. It relates to the story of Jesus. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated, a woman in the temple recognized Him immediately as Messiah. Luke identifies her as Anna. I find it interesting that it wasn’t the strength of its army or the mighty deeds of its people that caused the tribe of Asher to be uniquely known. Rather, it was the spiritual sensitivity of an eighty-four-year-old widow who brought notoriety to the tribe of Asher.
• Lu 2:36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

Inheritance of Naphtali verses 32-39

32 ¶ The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families. 33 And their coast was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum; and the outgoings thereof were at Jordan: 34 And then the coast turneth westward to Aznothtabor, and goeth out from thence to Hukkok, and reacheth to Zebulun on the south side, and reacheth to Asher on the west side, and to Judah upon Jordan toward the sunrising. 35 And the fenced cities are Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth, 36 And Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor, 37 And Kedesh, and Edrei, and Enhazor,

38 And Iron, and Migdalel, Horem, and Bethanath, and Bethshemesh; nineteen cities with their villages. 39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.

• The inheritance of Zebulun and Naphtali is called “the Galilee of the Gentiles” in Matthew 4. Throughout Israel’s history, Zebulun and Naphtali were always being beat up because the enemies of Israel—the Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Persians, and Romans came from the north.
• Isaiah prophesied that the land of Zebulun and Naphtali would see a great light (Isaiah 9:1, 2). Indeed, those who were depressed, in bondage, and under attack were those who saw a great light because where did Jesus base His ministry? Where did He spend virtually all of His time except when He traveled to Jerusalem? Galilee. You might be in the dark today—depressed and beat up. If so, you’re just the person the Lord wants especially to visit. If you’re in a place of being wiped out, understand that it was the people who sat in great darkness who saw a great, great Light (Matthew 4:13–16).

Inheritance of Dan verses 40-48

40 ¶ And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families. 41 And the coast of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Irshemesh, 42 And Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and Jethlah,

43 And Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron, 44 And Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath, 45 And Jehud, and Beneberak, and Gathrimmon, 46 And Mejarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Japho. 47 And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

• Not only was their original location too small but after part of the territory of Dan was lost to the Amorites (Jud. 1:34) most of the tribe migrated to the far north, and attacked and settled in the city of Leshem (Laish) opposite the northern sector of Naphtali and named it Dan (cf. Jud. 18; Gen. 49:17). But there is more to the story….
• They left the region which God had assigned to them and went north because it was easier—or so they thought. In reality, they fell into idolatry, made a golden calf eventually, and were attacked constantly. Thus, by trying to avoid struggle where they were, they eventually found themselves in an infinitely worse situation They were under attack to a greater degree and had a tough time throughout history because they didn’t stay in the place the Lord had planted them in. And oh, how often we have found the same to be true in our lives when we have taken the bait of the greener pastures.

48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.

• So God provided for the needs of each tribe, though in some cases parts of their inheritances were still in the hands of the enemy. The Israelites were to possess the land by faith, trusting God to enable them to defeat their foes.

Special inheritance to Joshua

49 ¶ When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their coasts, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them: 50 According to the word of the LORD they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnathserah in mount Ephraim: and he built the city, and dwelt therein.

• Only after all the tribes had received their allotments did Joshua ask for his. What a selfless spirit he possessed, and how his behavior contrasts with many political leaders who use their positions and influence to enrich themselves and their families.
• With deep appreciation for his godly leadership the sons of Israel granted Joshua his modest request, and he built up the town and settled there. In one of the final pictures of this stalwart leader, Joshua is seen as a builder (in addition to his being a general and an administrator). The combination is rare among God’s servants.
• Timnath-serah literally means “abundant portion” because abundance is always found when we lay down our rights. It’s the hard stuff that brings abundance. It’s when you have to roll up your sleeves and put your hand to the plow, it’s when you get involved and engaged that you find abundant life. The abundant life is found in walking in the Spirit, seeking first the kingdom, taking on the territory you’ve been assigned, and not giving up. Joshua claimed Timnath-serah as his own.

51 These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they made an end of dividing the country.