American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Joshua 16
1
And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, to the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goes up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel,
Reference
2
And goes out from Bethel to Luz, and passes along to the borders of Archi to Ataroth,
Reference
📍 Ataroth 2
3
And goes down westward to the coast of Japhleti, to the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer; and the goings out thereof are at the sea.
Reference
📍 Lower Beth-horon
4
So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
Reference
Parallel theme
Joshua 17:14
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, to Bethhoron the upper;
Reference
📍 Locations
Parallel theme
Joshua 18:13
6
And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward to Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;
Reference
📍 Locations
Parallel theme
Joshua 17:7
7
And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.
Reference
📍 Locations
Parallel theme
1 Chronicles 7:28
8
The border went out from Tappuah westward to 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.
📍 Kanah 1
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.
Summary of Joshua 16
Joshua chapter 16 describes the inheritance which belonged to the descendants of Joseph. It was divided between the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, which were counted as two tribes, because Joseph’s descendants received two portions of land. This chapter focuses mainly on the territory belonging to Ephraim and also points out that the Canaanites that lived in Gezer were not completely removed.
The inheritance of the children of Joseph started from Jericho. From there the border went through the hill country toward Bethel and Luz. Then the description proceeds to a line going through towns and regions until the Mediterranean Sea is reached.
This boundary was significant, because it determined the territory that would belong to the descendants of Joseph. Ephraim and the western part of Manasseh would occupy a large portion of the center of Canaan.
The chapter proceeds to describe in detail the portion of land belonging to Ephraim. The boundary went through Ataroth-addar, Beth-horon, Gezer, Michmethah, Tappuah and other towns. The location of some of them is unknown today, but this list shows the extent of the region that was the Ephraim’s inheritance.
It is located in the central part of Canaan, which included fertile areas and several passes in the hill country. This tribe was destined to become one of the most powerful and influential tribal groups of northern Israel.
It is noteworthy that the possession was divided among the family groups belonging to the tribe of Ephraim. Every family received its share according to the size of the land plot divided among them.
However, one significant detail is missing in the description of Joshua 16. The descendants of Joseph did not manage to drive away the Canaanites from Gezer. They continued living there together with the Israelites.
The Israelites assigned them to forced labor, but they were not removed from the territory of the city. It is this episode that is connected with the narration about the battles of the Israelites with the Canaanites described in the previous book. Victories of Israelite troops over the Canaanite kings could not lead to the complete removal of this people from the region. The remnants of the Canaanite tribes continued living within the territory of Israel among the Israelite tribes.
This fact will become significant for the future history of Israel. Joshua 16 is a short chapter, but the information it contains is essential for understanding the subsequent description of the distribution of the land among the tribes of Israel. Battles and fortified cities give way to a detailed description of the borders and cities belonging to the Ephraim tribe.
The name of Joseph is mentioned again, because one of the tribes, Ephraim, was named after him. Joseph was one of the sons of Jacob and the second son of Rachel. His brothers were born from different mothers and their descendants formed separate tribes. Because Joseph died after his father Jacob, his sons Ephraim and Manasseh were considered to be the sons of Jacob as well. That is why they both received a double share of the land and a part of Canaan belonging to the central region of the country was assigned to Joseph’s descendants.
The tribe of Ephraim was destined to become the strongest and most influential one among the northern tribes. The territory of Ephraim extended to the central part of Canaan and included fertile lands and strategic passes. The name of this tribe became so well-known that it often came to refer to the whole of Israel.
Nevertheless, the possession of this land was not enough for the Israelites to complete their conquest of Canaan. They needed to occupy the cities and assign their possessions to different tribes. The existence of the Canaanites within the borders of Israelite cities was also a problem.
This situation is illustrated by the example of Gezer, the inhabitants of which were subject to forced labor, but still, remained within the city. The division of the land among the tribes of Israel and their subsequent occupation was a lengthy process. It can be seen from the description of Joshua 16 that the Israelites devoted much attention to the organization of the territory of Ephraim.
They did not only fight the enemies, but also distributed the conquered land among their own people, dividing the cities and districts between them.
To summarize, Joshua chapter 16 describes the Israelites’ conquest of the central region of Canaan and its division among the Ephraim tribe and the tribe of Joseph’s descendants. The territory received by the Ephraim tribe was extensive and located in the most strategic position.
The assignment of this region to one tribe demonstrates that the Israelites did not consider dividing the land among their people as the main condition of possessing the conquered land. They fought not only the enemies, but also organized the occupation of the cities and the distribution of land among their people.
The fact that the Israelites did not remove the Canaanites from the cities illustrates that the conquest of Canaan was only the first step. The subsequent occupation of the cities and towns by the Israelites tribes was no less important.
The division of the land among the Ephraim tribe and Joseph’s descendants demonstrates the special role of this tribe among the Israelites. The central location of its territory and its fertile lands and strategic passes contributed to the prominence of this tribe.
Nevertheless, the Israelites still had to complete the division of the land among their people. Thus, the future chapters of the book of Joshua will narrate about the occupation of the Ephraim’s inheritance by the Ephraim tribe and the division of the possessions among the family groups belonging to it.
The subsequent chapters will also describe the distribution of the land among the tribes of Asher, Naphtali, Dan, and Gad and the difficulties the Israelites faced occupying the cities and towns of the region.
Therefore, Joshua 16 prepares the reader for the description of the further distribution of the land and the difficulties Israelites experienced.
It also helps to understand the history of the Israelites better, demonstrating that not only the battles, but also the division of the land and cities among the tribes played an important role in it.
The inheritance of the children of Joseph started from Jericho. From there the border went through the hill country toward Bethel and Luz. Then the description proceeds to a line going through towns and regions until the Mediterranean Sea is reached.
This boundary was significant, because it determined the territory that would belong to the descendants of Joseph. Ephraim and the western part of Manasseh would occupy a large portion of the center of Canaan.
The chapter proceeds to describe in detail the portion of land belonging to Ephraim. The boundary went through Ataroth-addar, Beth-horon, Gezer, Michmethah, Tappuah and other towns. The location of some of them is unknown today, but this list shows the extent of the region that was the Ephraim’s inheritance.
It is located in the central part of Canaan, which included fertile areas and several passes in the hill country. This tribe was destined to become one of the most powerful and influential tribal groups of northern Israel.
It is noteworthy that the possession was divided among the family groups belonging to the tribe of Ephraim. Every family received its share according to the size of the land plot divided among them.
However, one significant detail is missing in the description of Joshua 16. The descendants of Joseph did not manage to drive away the Canaanites from Gezer. They continued living there together with the Israelites.
The Israelites assigned them to forced labor, but they were not removed from the territory of the city. It is this episode that is connected with the narration about the battles of the Israelites with the Canaanites described in the previous book. Victories of Israelite troops over the Canaanite kings could not lead to the complete removal of this people from the region. The remnants of the Canaanite tribes continued living within the territory of Israel among the Israelite tribes.
This fact will become significant for the future history of Israel. Joshua 16 is a short chapter, but the information it contains is essential for understanding the subsequent description of the distribution of the land among the tribes of Israel. Battles and fortified cities give way to a detailed description of the borders and cities belonging to the Ephraim tribe.
The name of Joseph is mentioned again, because one of the tribes, Ephraim, was named after him. Joseph was one of the sons of Jacob and the second son of Rachel. His brothers were born from different mothers and their descendants formed separate tribes. Because Joseph died after his father Jacob, his sons Ephraim and Manasseh were considered to be the sons of Jacob as well. That is why they both received a double share of the land and a part of Canaan belonging to the central region of the country was assigned to Joseph’s descendants.
The tribe of Ephraim was destined to become the strongest and most influential one among the northern tribes. The territory of Ephraim extended to the central part of Canaan and included fertile lands and strategic passes. The name of this tribe became so well-known that it often came to refer to the whole of Israel.
Nevertheless, the possession of this land was not enough for the Israelites to complete their conquest of Canaan. They needed to occupy the cities and assign their possessions to different tribes. The existence of the Canaanites within the borders of Israelite cities was also a problem.
This situation is illustrated by the example of Gezer, the inhabitants of which were subject to forced labor, but still, remained within the city. The division of the land among the tribes of Israel and their subsequent occupation was a lengthy process. It can be seen from the description of Joshua 16 that the Israelites devoted much attention to the organization of the territory of Ephraim.
They did not only fight the enemies, but also distributed the conquered land among their own people, dividing the cities and districts between them.
To summarize, Joshua chapter 16 describes the Israelites’ conquest of the central region of Canaan and its division among the Ephraim tribe and the tribe of Joseph’s descendants. The territory received by the Ephraim tribe was extensive and located in the most strategic position.
The assignment of this region to one tribe demonstrates that the Israelites did not consider dividing the land among their people as the main condition of possessing the conquered land. They fought not only the enemies, but also organized the occupation of the cities and the distribution of land among their people.
The fact that the Israelites did not remove the Canaanites from the cities illustrates that the conquest of Canaan was only the first step. The subsequent occupation of the cities and towns by the Israelites tribes was no less important.
The division of the land among the Ephraim tribe and Joseph’s descendants demonstrates the special role of this tribe among the Israelites. The central location of its territory and its fertile lands and strategic passes contributed to the prominence of this tribe.
Nevertheless, the Israelites still had to complete the division of the land among their people. Thus, the future chapters of the book of Joshua will narrate about the occupation of the Ephraim’s inheritance by the Ephraim tribe and the division of the possessions among the family groups belonging to it.
The subsequent chapters will also describe the distribution of the land among the tribes of Asher, Naphtali, Dan, and Gad and the difficulties the Israelites faced occupying the cities and towns of the region.
Therefore, Joshua 16 prepares the reader for the description of the further distribution of the land and the difficulties Israelites experienced.
It also helps to understand the history of the Israelites better, demonstrating that not only the battles, but also the division of the land and cities among the tribes played an important role in it.