Joshua 17
17
The Half-Tribe of West Manasseh
1Joshua assigned land to the descendants of Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn son. Joshua allotted Gilead and Bashan to Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a brave warrior. 2And Joshua assigned land west of the Jordan River to the rest of the tribe of Manasseh. The male descendants of Manasseh were Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. All of these men were heads of families, and each of their families received territory west of the Jordan River.
3Manasseh’s grandson Gilead had a son named Hepher who had a son named Zelophehad, # 17:3 Zelophehad means “first one [to break through]” or “firstborn.” who had no sons. # 17:3 See Num. 27:1–7. But he did have five daughters: Mahlah, # 17:3 Mahlah means “smooth,” “polished,” “caressing,” or “pleasing.” Noah, # 17:3 Noah is found here as a woman’s name and means “rest,” “call,” “quiet,” or “peace.” Hoglah, # 17:3 Hoglah means “hopping bird” or “quail.” Milcah, # 17:3 Milcah means “queen,” “rule,” or “counsel.” and Tirzah. # 17:3 Tirzah means “pleasure,” “delight,” “loving,” or “graciousness.” 4They came before the priest Eleazar and Joshua son of Nun and the leaders, and said, “Yahweh commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives.” So according to Yahweh’s commandment, he gave an inheritance to them as he did to their uncles. 5-6Since Joshua assigned land to both Manasseh’s male and female descendants, the tribe of Manasseh received ten shares of land on the west side of the Jordan River and two on the east (the territories of Gilead and Bashan).
7The northwest territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to Michmethath, which is east of Shechem; the boundary went southward to the inhabitants of the spring of Tappuah # 17:7 Tappuah means “apple.” 8and divided the land of Tappuah belonging to the tribe of Manasseh from the town of Tappuah belonging to the Ephraimites. 9-10From there, the southern border followed the Kanah Stream westward to the Mediterranean Sea. The main territory of Manasseh lay north of the stream of Kanah, but south of it were some cities that belonged to the tribe of Ephraim even though they were located inside the territory of Manasseh. In the northwest, Manasseh bordered on the tribe of Asher, and in the northeast, it bordered on the tribe of Issachar. 11Within these two territories, there were several cities together with their surrounding towns that belonged to Manasseh: Beth Shean, Ibleam, Dor, Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo. These constituted three regions. # 17:11 The Hebrew meaning is uncertain. 12Yet the men of Manasseh failed to take possession of those towns, and the Canaanites continued to live in that land. 13Later, when the Israelites grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor but did not utterly drive them out.
The Tribes of Ephraim and West Manasseh Request More Land
14One day, the descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and said, “Yahweh has blessed us with many people, but you have given us only one part of the land. We ought to have more land!”
15Joshua said to them, “If the hill country of Ephraim is too small for the large number of people in your tribes, then go into the forests which belong to the Perizzites and the Rephaites, and clear ground for yourselves there.”
16The descendants of Joseph answered, “Indeed, there’s not enough room for us in the hill country of Ephraim. Yet all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels, both those in Beth Shean and its villages, and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”
17Then Joshua said to the tribe of Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh, # 17:17 Or “Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph.” “There are indeed many people in your tribes, and for that reason, you are very powerful. I will give you more than one share of land. 18Therefore, I will give you the hill country as well. It is a forest, but Yahweh will empower you to take possession of it and clear it from one end to the other. You will conquer all the Canaanites even though they not only have iron chariots but also are a strong people.”
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Joshua 17: TPT
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