Joshua 16

Joshua 16:1-17:18

Joseph had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim (Genesis 41:50–52). Half of those descended from Manasseh received their inheritance east of the Jordan River. The tribe of Ephraim and the rest of Manasseh's tribe now received their land. This made the total number of land portions twelve, fulfilling Jacob's blessing to Joseph (Genesis 49:22–26). Like Judah in the south, Joseph’s tribes led from their central position in the north.

Joshua 16:1

The tribe of Benjamin received Jericho as their territory (18:21).

Joshua 16:3

• Ephraim's border went from Lower Beth-horon to upper Beth-horon. This gave this tribe control of one of the two main roads to Jerusalem from the west (see 16:5).

• Gezer was a large and important town of Canaan at the meeting point of the coastal plain and the hill country. This apparently did not come into Israel's possession until the time of King Solomon (see Judges 1:29; 1 Kings 9:16).

Joshua 16:5-8

This description of Ephraim’s northern boundary with Manasseh is general and incomplete. Because Shechem belonged to Manasseh, the border between the two tribes ran south of that town.

Aquifer Open Study Notes © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.