Joshua 17

Joshua 17:1

17:1-13 The inheritance of Manasseh was partly in Gilead and Bashan, on the east side of the Jordan (v. 1), and partly on the west side (vv. 7-11). The territory west of the Jordan was flanked on the north by six Canaanite fortressesBeth Shean, Ibleam, Dor, En Dor, Taanach, and Megiddo (vv. 11, 12). Some of the cities of Ephraim were in the territory of Manasseh, and some of Manasseh’s towns were in the territory of Asher . . . and Issachar (vv. 7-12). The daughters of Zelophehad inherited with the sons of Manasseh, as God had commanded Moses (vv. 3, 4) (Num_27:1-7). This was done to insure that the house of Zelophehad would have a portion even though there were no male heirs. The daughters had to marry within their own tribe so that the land which belonged to Manasseh would not be absorbed by another tribe through intermarriage (Num_36:1-13). 17:14-18 After Ephraim and Manasseh had received their adjoining allotments west of the Jordan, they complained that they had only one lot (v. 14) and that they were hemmed in by fortresses on the north (v. 16). Joshua turned all their arguments against them. When they said they needed more land because they were a numerous people (v. 14), he told them to use their manpower to clear out the forest in their territory and settle there (v. 15). When they complained that there were Canaanites within their borders who had chariots of iron (v. 16), he assured them that they had superior power to drive out the Canaanites (v. 18). The “one lot” of verse 14 means the combined territories of Ephraim and Manasseh west of the Jordan. When Joshua said, “You shall not have only one lot” (v. 17b), he didn’t mean that they would get additional land but that they must occupy all the land that had been given to them.