Joshua 16 explained: Ephraim's Share of the Land

Joseph's southern edge (vv. 1-4)

Joseph's descendants formed two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, and together they received the heart of the land, stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. These verses trace the southern edge of that territory, from near Jericho up past Bethel and west toward Gezer.

Ephraim's borders (vv. 5-8)

Ephraim received the southern part of Joseph's land, between Benjamin and Dan to the south and Manasseh to the north. The description is brief and many of the places can no longer be identified, so scholars are unsure exactly where the lines ran.

No list of towns (vv. 5-8)

Unlike Judah's section, which names dozens of towns, Ephraim's section gives only borders. No one knows for certain why.

Towns inside Manasseh (v. 9)

Some of Ephraim's towns sat within Manasseh's territory. This was probably because Ephraim needed more room, and the two tribes were closely related as descendants of brothers.

The Canaanites of Gezer (v. 10)

Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer and instead forced them into labor, a fact the text reports without softening. In the wider book this counts as a failure to carry out the command to remove the Canaanites, and the phrase "to this day" shows the writer lived some time later.

Key verse: Joshua 16:4

Something to think about

When one group settles land where another people already live, what do you think the newcomers owe the people who were there first?