Joshua 17

Chapter context

What is happening in Joshua 17?

inheritancerestcovenant fidelityholy war

Joshua 17 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as southern and northern victories with unresolved tensions. Joshua tells of the crossing into Canaan, the fall of Jericho, complex campaigns in the land, tribal allotments, and a final renewal of covenant loyalty. Read this chapter with the wider themes of inheritance, rest, and covenant fidelity in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

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. 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. 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? 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. 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. 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.

Study helps

Glossary

Bashan Place v. 1, 5: Biblical region. Modern identification: Saham al Jawlan.
Gilead Place v. 1, 5-6: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tell edh Dhahab esh Sherqiyeh.
Jordan Place v. 1-2, 5: Biblical river. Modern identification: Jordan River.
Noah Person v. 3: Rest, (Heb. Noah) the grandson of Methuselah ( Gen. 5:25-29 ), who was for two hundred and fifty years contemporary with Adam, and the son of Lamech, who was about fifty years old at the time of Adam’s death.
Zelophehad Tribe v. 3: First-born, of the tribe of Manasseh, and of the family of Gilead; died in the wilderness.
Eleazar Person v. 4: God has helped. (1. ) The third son of Aaron ( Ex. 6:23 ). His wife, a daughter of Putiel, bore him Phinehas ( Ex. 6:25 ). After the death of Nadab and Abihu.
Joshua Tribe v. 4, 14-15, 17: Jehovah is his help, or Jehovah the Saviour. The son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, the successor of Moses as the leader of Israel. He is called Jehoshua in Num. 13:16 (A. V. ), and Jesus in Acts 7:45 and Heb. 4:8 .
Nun Person v. 4: Beyond the fact that he was the father of Joshua nothing more is known of him ( Ex. 33:11 ).
En-tappuah Place v. 7, 9: Biblical spring. Modern identification: Tell Abu Zarad.
Michmethath Place v. 7: Hiding-place, a town in the northern border of Ephraim and Manasseh, and not far west of Jordan ( Josh. 16:6 ; 17:7 ). Modern identification: Khirbet en Nabi.
Shechem Place v. 7: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell Balatah.
Tappuah Place v. 8: Apple-region. (1. ) A town in the valley or lowland of Judah; formerly a royal city of the Canaanites ( Josh. 12:17 ; 15:34 ). It is now called Tuffuh, about 12 miles west of Jerusalem. Modern identification: Tell Abu Zarad.
Great Sea Place v. 9-10: (Heb. yam), signifies (1) “the gathering together of the waters,” the ocean ( Gen. 1:10 ); (2) a river, as the Nile ( Isa. 19:5 ), the Euphrates ( Isa. 21:1 ; Jer. 51:36 ); (3) the Red Sea. Modern identification: Mediterranean Sea.
Kanah Place v. 9: Reedy; brook of reeds. (1. ) A stream forming the boundary between Ephraim and Manasseh, from the Mediterranean eastward to Tappuah ( Josh. 16:8 ). Modern identification: Wadi Qana.
Beth-shan Place v. 11, 16: House of security or rest, a city which belonged to Manasseh ( 1 Chr. 7:29 ), on the west of Jordan. The bodies of Saul and his sons were fastened to its walls. Modern identification: Tel Bet Shean.
Dor Place v. 11: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Dor.
En-dor Place v. 11: Fountain of Dor; i. e., “of the age”, a place in the territory of Issachar ( Josh. 17:11 ) near the scene of the great victory which was gained by Deborah and Barak over Sisera and Jabin (comp. Ps. 83:9 , 10). Modern identification: Khirbet es Safsafa.
Ibleam Place v. 11: People-waster, a city assigned to Manasseh ( Josh. 17:11 ), from which the Israelites, however, could not expel the Canaanites ( Judg. 1:27 ). It is also called Bileam ( 1 Chr. 6:70 ). Modern identification: Khirbet Belameh.
Megiddo Place v. 11: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Megiddo.
Naphoth-dor Place v. 11: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Dor.
Taanach Place v. 11: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell Ta’anakh.
Perizzites People v. 15: Villagers; dwellers in the open country, the Canaanitish nation inhabiting the fertile regions south and south-west of Carmel.
Valley of Jezreel Place v. 16: Biblical valley. Modern identification: Jezreel Valley.