The Inheritance of the Tribe of Ephraim

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

The last chapter began descriptions of the lands allotted to each of the tribes of Israel, beginning with the tribe of Judah.  Following is the same map before used to show the division of the twelve tribes:

(Joshua 16:1) And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho to the water of Jericho on the east to the wilderness that goes up from Jericho throughout Mount Bethel.

Now began a description of the lot of land that fell to the children of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh.  Half the tribe of Manasseh had already taken their land on the east side of the Jordan River, so this allotment included the other half of the tribe of Manasseh and Ephraim.  These lots began on the west side of the Jordan River by Jericho to the water of Jericho that lay east of Jericho throughout the wilderness of Mount Bethel, said to be the wilderness of Beth Haven.  I found this wonderfully detailed map at Precept Austin that gives a more comprehensive view of the land:

(2) And goes out from Bethel to Luz and passes along to the borders of Archi to Ataroth, (3) And goes down westward to the coast of Japhleti to the coast of Beth Horon the lower and to Gezer and the goings out of it are at the sea. (4) So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.

The southern boundary of the lot given to the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, went from Jericho and along a line through Bethel, Ataroth, Lower Beth Horon, and Gezer that went toward the Mediterranean Sea, as seen on the map above.

(5) And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was: the border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth Addar to Beth Horon the upper,

The description of the land continued with what would be Ephraim's lot.  Ataroth Addar and Upper Beth Horon are clearly seen on the map above.  I'm not sure why it is called the eastern border, but I got some comfort when I saw that John Wesley himself wrote in his Notes on the Bible:

It is no wonder, if some of these descriptions are dark to us at this distance of time; there having been so many alterations made in places, and so many circumstances, being now altogether undiscoverable. But this is certain, that all the descriptions here mentioned, were then evident to the Israelites, because these were the foundations of all the possessions which then they took, and peaceably possessed in succeeding ages.

(6) And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side, and the border went around eastward to Taanath Shiloh and passed by it on the east to Janohah, (7) And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth and to Naarath and came to Jericho and went out at Jordan.

The boundary went westward to the Mediterranean Sea and then on the north ran along a line through the cities of Michmethah, Taanath Shiloh, and Janoah, and down to Jericho, as seen on the map above.

(8) The border went out from Tappuah westward to the river Kanah, and the goings out of it were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.

Back to the northern border, it went from Tappuah westward to the Kanah River and out to the Mediterranean Sea.  That completed the description of the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim.

(9) And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.

However, the tribe of Ephraim was also given some of the cities that were within the tribe of Manasseh, perhaps because the tribe of Ephraim was much larger than the half tribe of Manasseh and needed more territory than the lot that fell to it.

(10) And they did not drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer, but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and serve under tribute.

The tribe of Ephraim never did drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer, and they continued to live among the Ephraimites to the day of Joshua's writing, but they did serve under them and paid them tribute.

Although this chapter began by describing the land that went to both the sons of Joseph, it mainly dealt with the inheritance of Ephraim, with the inheritance of the half tribe of Manasseh described in the next chapter.