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Joshua 16:1–10 — Ephraim’s Inheritance. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

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Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

The order of precedence among the tribes of Israel was always Judah first and the sons of Joseph second. In the words of 1Chronicles 5:2 , “Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s.”

Anchors the order of the drawing in the divided inheritance of Reuben's forfeited birthright (1 Chronicles 5:1–2).

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Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871

the lot of the children of Joseph fell—Hebrew, "went forth," referring either to the lot as drawn out of the urn, or to the tract of land thereby assigned. The first four verses describe the territory allotted to the family of Joseph in the rich domains of central Palestine. It was drawn in one lot, that the brethren might be contiguously situated; but it was afterwards divided.

Recovers the literal verb 'went forth' and the one-lot-then-divided logic of vv. 1–4.

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Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834

To the wilderness - Strike out "to," for the word is in apposition to "lot." The wilderness is Joshua 18:12 "the wilderness of Bethaven."

The unit's sharpest grammatical correction: the wilderness IS the lot, not a place the line runs to.

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Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

The water of Jericho is the present fountain of es Sultan, half an hour to the north-west of Riha, the only large fountain in the neighbourhood of Jericho, whose waters spread over the plain, and form a small brook, which no doubt flows in the rainy season through the Wady Kelt into the Jordan

Identifies the 'waters of Jericho' with the spring of 2 Kings 2:19, locating the boundary on the ground.

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The allotment for the descendants of Joseph extended from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east, through the wilderness that goes up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hag·gō·w·rāl liḇ·nê yō·w·sêp̄ way·yê·ṣê mî·yar·dên yə·rî·ḥōw lə·mê yə·rî·ḥōw miz·rā·ḥāh ham·miḏ·bār ‘ō·leh mî·rî·ḥōw bā·hār bêṯ- ’êl

Word by word15 · parsed

הַגּוֹרָ֜לhag·gō·w·rālThe allotmentH1486

√ gôwrâl — properly, a pebble, iArticleNounmasculine singular

gôwrâl (H1486), "the lot" — properly a pebble cast and read as a verdict. Joseph's portion is the second drawn, after Judah's; the casting itself is the mechanism by which "the disposing thereof is of the LORD" (Proverbs 16:33), so the boundary that follows is published as God's own decision, not human partition. Benson: "as he had the prerogative of being made the chief of all Jacob’s children... so Joseph had that privilege of the firstborn, a double portion, transferred to his family."

לִבְנֵ֤יliḇ·nêfor the descendantsH1121

√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcPreposition-lNounmasculine plural construct

bên (H1121), "sons of" — "the children of Joseph" is the unit's governing phrase, meaning, says Gill, "the tribe of Ephraim, and the tribe of Manasseh." Two tribes drawn in one lot.

יוֹסֵף֙yō·w·sêp̄of JosephH3130

√ Yôwçêph — Joseph, the name of seven IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular

Yôwçêph (H3130), "Joseph" — the rare double honor. Ellicott: "the order of precedence among the tribes of Israel was always Judah first and the sons of Joseph second."

וַיֵּצֵ֨אway·yê·ṣêextendedH3318

√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular

מִיַּרְדֵּ֣ןmî·yar·dênfrom the JordanH3383

√ Yardên — Jarden, the principal river of PalestinePreposition-mNounproperfeminine singular

יְרִיח֔וֹyə·rî·ḥōwat JerichoH3405

√ Yᵉrîychôw — Jericho or Jerecho, a place in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

Yᵉrîychôw (H3405), "Jericho" — named four times in this single verse, the fixed pivot of the southern line. The "waters of Jericho" are, by long tradition (Keil & Delitzsch, the Pulpit Commentary), "the present fountain of es Sultan," the spring Elisha healed (2 Kings 2:19).

לְמֵ֥יlə·mêto the watersH4325

√ mayim — waterPreposition-lNounmasculine plural construct

יְרִיח֖וֹyə·rî·ḥōwof JerichoH3405

√ Yᵉrîychôw — Jericho or Jerecho, a place in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

מִזְרָ֑חָהmiz·rā·ḥāhon the eastH4217

√ mizrâch — sunrise, iNounmasculine singularthird person feminine singular

הַמִּדְבָּ֗רham·miḏ·bārthrough the wildernessH4057

√ midbâr — a pasture (iArticleNounmasculine singular

midbâr (H4057), "wilderness" — identified by comparison with Joshua 18:12 as "the wilderness of Bethaven." Joseph's gift begins in barren ground that must be climbed.

עֹלֶ֧ה‘ō·lehthat goes upH5927

√ ʻâlâh — to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount)VerbQalParticiplemasculine singular

מִירִיח֛וֹmî·rî·ḥōwfrom JerichoH3405

√ Yᵉrîychôw — Jericho or Jerecho, a place in PalestinePreposition-mNounproperfeminine singular

בָּהָ֖רbā·hārinto the hill countryH2022

√ har — a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)Preposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular

בֵּֽית־bêṯ-vvvH1008

√ Bêyth-ʼÊl — Beth-El, a place in PalestinePreposition

Bêyth-ʼÊl (H1008), "Bethel" — "house of God," the place of Jacob's ladder (Genesis 28). The hill country it names is the northern terminus of this opening boundary clause.

אֵֽל׃’êlof BethelH1008

√ Bêyth-ʼÊl — Beth-El, a place in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-the-lot for-the-sons-of Joseph went-out from-the-Jordan-of Jericho, to-the-waters-of Jericho eastward, the-wilderness going-up from-Jericho into-the-hill-country-of Bethel.

Where the English smooths the original

הַגּוֹרָ֜ל hag·gō·w·rāl ("the lot") is, per Strong's, "properly, a pebble" — a cast stone. BSB's "The allotment" names the territory the lot produced; the Hebrew names the instrument that produced it. The whole map of Joseph is, in the word itself, the outcome of a stone read as God's verdict (Proverbs 16:33).
וַיֵּצֵ֨א way·yê·ṣê is the plain verb "and it went out / came forth," which BSB renders "extended." Jamieson, Fausset & Brown flag the literal force: "the lot of the children of Joseph fell—Hebrew, 'went forth,'" referring "either to the lot as drawn out of the urn, or to the tract of land thereby assigned." The single Hebrew verb carries both senses; the smooth English keeps only the second.
הַמִּדְבָּ֗ר ham·miḏ·bār ("the wilderness") stands in stark apposition to "the lot," not under a preposition. Barnes: "Strike out 'to,' for the word is in apposition to 'lot.'" The desert is not a destination the border reaches but the very thing being given — Joseph's inheritance opens with uncultivated waste.
עֹלֶ֧ה ‘ō·leh is a present participle, "going up" — the wilderness itself is pictured as continually ascending from Jericho's deep Jordan valley toward the Bethel heights. BSB's "that goes up" is faithful but flattens the live participle into a relative clause; the land is described as if in motion.

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Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

Bethel is distinguished from Luz in this passage, because the reference is not to the town of Bethel, which was called Luz by the Canaanites (vid., Genesis 28:19 ), but to the southern range of mountains belonging to Bethel, from which the boundary ran out to the town of Luz, so that this town, which stood upon the border, was allotted to the tribe of Benjamin ( Joshua 18:22 ).

Reconciles the apparent contradiction with Genesis 28:19 by reading 'Bethel' here as the mountain-range, not the town.

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Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s

The borders of Archi to Ataroth — Or rather, the borders of Archi-Ataroth, as both the Seventy and the Vulgate render it, and as the words are in the Hebrew, this being the same city which is afterward called Ataroth, Joshua 16:7 .

Notes the Septuagint and Vulgate join Archi-Ataroth as one name where the English splits it.

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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s

unto the borders of Archi ] Comp. 2 Samuel 16:16 , 1 Chronicles 27:33 , where we read of Hushai the Archite . The precise locality is unknown.

Connects the obscure border-clan to Hushai, David's friend — the boundary preserves a name later loyal to the throne.

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It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz) and proceeded to the border of the Archites in Ataroth.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·yā·ṣā mib·bêṯ- ’êl lū·zāh wə·‘ā·ḇar ’el- gə·ḇūl hā·’ar·kî ‘ă·ṭā·rō·wṯ

Word by word9 · parsed

וְיָצָ֥אwə·yā·ṣāIt went onH3318

√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular

מִבֵּֽית־mib·bêṯ-fromH1008

√ Bêyth-ʼÊl — Beth-El, a place in PalestinePreposition

Bêyth-ʼÊl (H1008), "Bethel" — distinguished from Luz here for boundary-precision; the lexeme pairs with H3870 Luz to make the rare-word link to Genesis 28:19 (see Threads).

אֵ֖ל’êlBethelH1008

√ Bêyth-ʼÊl — Beth-El, a place in PalestinePrepositionNounproperfeminine singular

ל֑וּזָהlū·zāh([that is,] LuzH3870

√ Lûwz — Luz, the name of two places in PalestineNounproperfeminine singularthird person feminine singular

Lûwz (H3870), "Luz" — found in only seven verses in all Scripture; this rarity is what makes its co-occurrence with Bethel a verbal (not merely thematic) cross-reference.

וְעָבַ֛רwə·‘ā·ḇarand proceededH5674

√ ʻâbar — to cross overConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular

אֶל־’el-toH413

√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition

גְּב֥וּלgə·ḇūlthe borderH1366

√ gᵉbûwl — properly, a cord (as twisted), iNounmasculine singular construct

הָאַרְכִּ֖יhā·’ar·kîof the ArchitesH757

√ ʼArkîy — an Arkite or native of ErekArticleNounpropermasculine singular

ʼArkîy (H757), "the Archite" — Strong's: "an Arkite or native of Erek." Cambridge links it to "Hushai the Archite," David's loyal friend (2 Samuel 15:32; 1 Chronicles 27:33); this border-clan name is the only clue to his origin.

עֲטָרֽוֹת׃‘ă·ṭā·rō·wṯin AtarothH5852

√ ʻĂṭârôwth — Ataroth, the name (thus simply) of two places in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

ʻĂṭârôwth (H5852), "Ataroth" — "crowns." Distinguished by Barnes from the trans-Jordan Ataroth of Numbers 32:34, a different place sharing the name.

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-it-went-out from-Bethel to-Luz, and-it-passed-over to the-border-of the-Archite, to-Ataroth.

Where the English smooths the original

ל֑וּזָה lū·zāh ("to Luz") is here distinguished from Bethel in the same breath, though Genesis 28:19 says Bethel was Luz. Keil & Delitzsch resolve it: the text means "not the town of Bethel, which was called Luz by the Canaanites... but to the southern range of mountains belonging to Bethel, from which the boundary ran out to the town of Luz." BSB's parenthetical "(that is, Luz)" equates them; the Hebrew separates mountain from town.
וְעָבַ֛ר wə·‘ā·ḇar is the verb "cross over / pass through" — the same root used of crossing the Jordan. BSB's "proceeded" is bland; the boundary is pictured as a traveler stepping over terrain, one of several motion-verbs (went out, went down, turned, passed by) that personify the line throughout the unit.
עֲטָרֽוֹת׃ BSB reads "of the Archites in Ataroth" as two things, but Benson notes the original may join them: "the borders of Archi-Ataroth, as both the Seventy and the Vulgate render it, and as the words are in the Hebrew." The Hebrew construct leaves open whether Archi and Ataroth are one place-name or two adjoining points.

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Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

Lower Beth-horon is the present Beit-Ur Tachta, a village upon a low ridge. It is separated from Upper Beth-horon, which lies farther east, by a deep wady

Locates the Lower/Upper Beth-horon pair (vv. 3, 5) on the ground, two towns split by a ravine.

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Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834

Of Japhleti - Rather "of the Japhletite." All history of the name is lost.

A pointed reminder that the boundary preserves names whose bearers are otherwise gone without trace.

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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s

“The territory assigned to ‘the house of Joseph’ may be roughly estimated at 55 miles from east to west, by 70 from north to south, a portion about equal in extent to the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk combined.”

Gives the modern reader a felt sense of the gift's scale.

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Then it descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·yā·raḏ- yām·māh ’el- gə·ḇūl hay·yap̄·lê·ṭî ‘aḏ gə·ḇūl bêṯ- taḥ·tō·wn ḥō·w·rōn wə·‘aḏ- gā·zer wə·hā·yū ṯō·ṣə·ʾō·ṯō yām·māh

Word by word15 · parsed

וְיָֽרַד־wə·yā·raḏ-Then it descendedH3381

√ yârad — to descend (literally, to go downwardsConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular

יָ֜מָּהyām·māhwestwardH3220

√ yâm — a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of waterNounmasculine singularthird person feminine singular

אֶל־’el-toH413

√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition

גְּב֣וּלgə·ḇūlthe borderH1366

√ gᵉbûwl — properly, a cord (as twisted), iNounmasculine singular construct

הַיַּפְלֵטִ֗יhay·yap̄·lê·ṭîof the JaphletitesH3311

√ Yaphlêṭîy — a Japhletite or descendant of JaphletArticleNounpropermasculine singular

Yaphlêṭîy (H3311), "the Japhletite" — wholly lost to history. Barnes: "All history of the name is lost." A border-marker whose people vanished, yet whose name God kept in the record.

עַ֣ד‘aḏasH5704

√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition

גְּב֧וּלgə·ḇūlfar as the borderH1366

√ gᵉbûwl — properly, a cord (as twisted), iNounmasculine singular construct

בֵּית־bêṯ-ofH1032

√ Bêyth Chôwrôwn — Beth-Choron, the name of two adjoining places in PalestinePreposition

תַּחְתּ֖וֹןtaḥ·tō·wnLowerH8481

√ tachtôwn — bottommostAdjectivemasculine singular

tachtôwn (H8481), "Lower" — pairing with H1032 Beth-horon to mark "Lower Beth-horon" against the "Upper" of v. 5. These two adjoining towns, says K&D, are "separated... by a deep wady."

חוֹרֹ֛ןḥō·w·rōnBeth-horonH1032

√ Bêyth Chôwrôwn — Beth-Choron, the name of two adjoining places in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

וְעַד־wə·‘aḏ-and on toH5704

√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Conjunctive wawPreposition

גָּ֑זֶרgā·zerGezerH1507

√ Gezer — Gezer, a place in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

Gezer (H1507), "Gezer" — a frontier town named here, unconquered in v. 10, and finally taken by Pharaoh and given to Solomon's wife (1 Kings 9:16). This rare place-name threads the unit to that later resolution.

וְהָי֥וּwə·hā·yūand it endedH1961

√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person common plural

תֹצְאֹתוֹṯō·ṣə·ʾō·ṯō. . .H8444

√ tôwtsâʼâh — (only in plural collective) exit, iNounfeminine plural constructthird person masculine singular

tôwtsâʼâh (H8444), "goings-out" — the technical boundary-word for a line's terminus, found in only twenty-three verses, shared with the other tribal surveys (Joshua 18:14).

יָֽמָּה׃yām·māhat the SeaH3220

√ yâm — a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of waterNounmasculine singularthird person feminine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-it-went-down seaward to the-border-of the-Japhletite, as-far-as the-border-of Lower Beth-horon, and-on-to Gezer; and-its-goings-out were at-the-Sea.

Where the English smooths the original

יָ֜מָּה yām·māh means "to the sea" but functions as the standard Hebrew word for "west" — the sea lay west of Israel. BSB renders it "westward," losing that in Hebrew the compass-direction and the Mediterranean are literally the same word, a coincidence that becomes a translation crux in v. 8 (Pulpit Commentary).
וְיָֽרַד־ wə·yā·raḏ ("and it went down") is a real descent-verb. Cambridge on v. 7: the border "went down" because "it descended along the slopes." BSB's "descended" is right, but the verb is one of a matched pair — yârad (down) against ‘ālāh (up, v. 1) — that tracks real elevation as the line climbs and drops across the ridge.
תֹצְאֹתוֹ ṯō·ṣə·ʾō·ṯō ("its goings-out / extremities," H8444) is a vivid plural noun, the boundary's "exits." BSB smooths it to "it ended," a verb. The Pulpit Commentary insists the noun carries weight: to render it merely "westward" would "rob the expression of all meaning." The border does not stop; it goes out.

The Voices✦ 3 public domain

Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s

It is said, they took their inheritance, which also Judah had done before them, because the tribes of Judah and Joseph took possession of their inheritances before the rest; and it was fit they should do so, for the security of the main camp, and the body of the people, which were at Gilgal, Joshua 18:5 .

Reads the verb 'took' as marking the two leading tribes, settled first to shield the encampment.

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Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685

Manasseh, i.e. half Manasseh, by a synecdoche. Their inheritance, i.e. their several portions which here follow.

Clarifies that only the western half-tribe of Manasseh is meant — a synecdoche the English does not signal.

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Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599

So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, {c} took their inheritance. (c) Severally, first Ephraim, and then Manasseh.

Notes the inheritance was taken severally — Ephraim's portion (ch. 16) before Manasseh's (ch. 17).

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So Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, received their inheritance.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·’ep̄·rā·yim mə·naš·šeh ḇə·nê- yō·w·sêp̄ way·yin·ḥă·lū

Word by word5 · parsed

וְאֶפְרָֽיִם׃wə·’ep̄·rā·yimSo EphraimH669

√ ʼEphrayim — Ephrajim, a son of JosephConjunctive wawNounpropermasculine singular

ʼEphrayim (H669), "Ephraim" — the younger, named last here but first throughout the chapter, mirroring Jacob's deliberate crossing of his hands in Genesis 48 to put the younger ahead.

מְנַשֶּׁ֥הmə·naš·šehand ManassehH4519

√ Mᵉnashsheh — Menashsheh, a grandson of Jacob, also the tribe descended from him, and its territoryNounpropermasculine singular

Mᵉnashsheh (H4519), "Manasseh" — here the half-tribe west of Jordan. Gill: "one half of that tribe having been settled by Moses on the other side Jordan."

בְנֵי־ḇə·nê-the sonsH1121

√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine plural construct

יוֹסֵ֖ףyō·w·sêp̄of JosephH3130

√ Yôwçêph — Joseph, the name of seven IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular

וַיִּנְחֲל֥וּway·yin·ḥă·lūreceived their inheritanceH5157

√ nâchal — to inherit (as a (figurative) mode of descent), or (generally) to occupyConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine plural

nâchal (H5157), "received as inheritance" — Benson notes this verb is used pointedly of Judah and Joseph: "the tribes of Judah and Joseph took possession of their inheritances before the rest; and it was fit they should do so, for the security of the main camp."

Literal — word-for-word from the original

So-they-received-as-inheritance, the-sons-of Joseph — Manasseh and-Ephraim.

Where the English smooths the original

וַיִּנְחֲל֥וּ way·yin·ḥă·lū is a single verb from nāchal, "to take/receive as inheritance." BSB unfolds it into the phrase "received their inheritance." The same verb-root will reappear as the noun naḥălāh ("inheritance") in vv. 5, 8, 9 — the theological spine of the whole unit packed into one word here.
מְנַשֶּׁ֥ה The Hebrew order is "Joseph — Manasseh and Ephraim," naming the elder son first, where BSB writes "Ephraim and Manasseh" (the order it follows from v. 1). Poole reads the verb itself: "Manasseh, i.e. half Manasseh, by a synecdoche" — only the half-tribe not already settled east of Jordan is in view.

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Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

We thus obtain for the territory of Ephraim four boundary-lines—viz.: ( a ) the plain of Jordan on the east; ( b ) the line of hills bordering the Shephelah on the west; ( c ) the brook Kanah, and the line passing through Taanath-shiloh and Janohah to Jordan on the north; and ( d ) the north border of Benjamin ( Joshua 16:1-3 , and Joshua 18:12-14 ) on the south.

Synthesizes the scattered boundary-points into Ephraim's four enclosing lines.

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Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834

From the abrupt manner in which the statements are introduced, as well as from their imperfect character, there is probability in the conjecture that some words have, in these verses, fallen out of the text. Few of the places are known for certain.

An honest textual-critical flag: the boundary list of vv. 5–8 reads as if damaged in transmission.

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Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

Upper Beth-horon is mentioned here instead of Lower Beth-horon ( Joshua 16:3 ). This makes no difference, however, as the two places stood quite close to one another (see at Joshua 10:10 ).

Resolves the Upper/Lower Beth-horon variance between vv. 3 and 5 as a non-problem.

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This was the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The border of their inheritance went from Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper Beth-horon

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

way·hî gə·ḇūl bə·nê- ’ep̄·ra·yim lə·miš·pə·ḥō·ṯām way·hî gə·ḇūl na·ḥă·lā·ṯām ’ad·dār ‘aḏ- miz·rā·ḥāh ‘aṭ·rō·wṯ ‘el·yō·wn bêṯ ḥō·w·rōn

Word by word15 · parsed

וַיְהִ֛יway·hîThis wasH1961

√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular

גְּב֥וּלgə·ḇūlthe territoryH1366

√ gᵉbûwl — properly, a cord (as twisted), iNounmasculine singular construct

gᵉbûwl (H1366), "border" — the measuring-cord; the unit's most-repeated structural word, the lexeme that links every tribal survey (Joshua 17:7–9; see Threads).

בְּנֵֽי־bə·nê-of the descendantsH1121

אֶפְרַ֖יִם’ep̄·ra·yimof EphraimH669

√ ʼEphrayim — Ephrajim, a son of JosephNounpropermasculine singular

לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑םlə·miš·pə·ḥō·ṯāmby their clansH4940

√ mishpâchâh — a family, iPreposition-lNounfeminine plural constructthird person masculine plural

mishpâchâh (H4940), "clans" — the same word frames Judah's allotment (Joshua 15:1, 12); the land descends to families, not abstractions.

וַיְהִ֞יway·hî. . .H1961

√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular

גְּב֤וּלgə·ḇūlThe borderH1366

√ gᵉbûwl — properly, a cord (as twisted), iNounmasculine singular construct

נַחֲלָתָם֙na·ḥă·lā·ṯāmof their inheritanceH5159

√ nachălâh — properly, something inherited, iNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine plural

nachălâh (H5159), "their inheritance" — "something inherited." The noun governs the chapter; this is land received, not seized — the gift-language that v. 10's failure will strain.

אַדָּ֔ר’ad·dārwent from Ataroth-addarH5853

√ ʻAṭrôwth ʼAddâr — Atroth-Addar, a place in PalestinePreposition

ʻAṭrôwth ʼAddâr (H5853), "Ataroth-addar" — "crowns of Addar." Barnes: "crowns of fame or greatness," distinguished from the trans-Jordan Ataroth of Numbers 32:34.

עַד־‘aḏ-. . .H5704

√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition

מִזְרָ֔חָהmiz·rā·ḥāhin the eastH4217

√ mizrâch — sunrise, iNounmasculine singularthird person feminine singular

עַטְר֣וֹת‘aṭ·rō·wṯH5853

√ ʻAṭrôwth ʼAddâr — Atroth-Addar, a place in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

עֶלְיֽוֹן׃‘el·yō·wnto UpperH5945

√ ʻelyôwn — an elevation, iAdjectivemasculine singular

‘elyôwn (H5945), "Upper" — the same adjective is a divine title elsewhere ("the Most High"); here strictly topographical, marking the higher of the two Beth-horons.

בֵּ֥יתbêṯvvvH1032

√ Bêyth Chôwrôwn — Beth-Choron, the name of two adjoining places in PalestinePreposition

חוֹרֹ֖ןḥō·w·rōnBeth-horonH1032

√ Bêyth Chôwrôwn — Beth-Choron, the name of two adjoining places in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-it-was the-border-of the-sons-of Ephraim by-their-clans: and-the-border-of their-inheritance was from-the-east Ataroth-addar, as-far-as Upper Beth-horon.

Where the English smooths the original

גְּב֥וּל gᵉḇūl ("border") is, by Strong's root, "properly, a cord (as twisted)" — a measuring-line, not an abstract frontier. This single word recurs across the unit (vv. 2, 3, 5×2, 6×2, 8); BSB varies it as "territory," "border," and "line," obscuring that one twisted cord is being traced around Ephraim's gift.
לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑ם lə·miš·pə·ḥō·ṯām ("by their clans/families") reaches below the tribe to the household. BSB's "by their clans" is right, but the word frames the whole boundary as a family-by-family distribution, not a single tribal block — the gift is parceled down to kin.
עֶלְיֽוֹן׃ ‘el·yō·wn ("Upper") names Upper Beth-horon here, where v. 3 named the Lower. Cambridge finds it "a little remarkable" the upper town appears now, "but both places were situated close to each other." The pair of heights, not a single town, marks this stretch of the line.

The Voices✦ 3 public domain

The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

Went about. Rather, deflected. The border ran m a northeasterly direction to Michmethah. It then bent back and ran in a southeasterly direction to Jericho.

Corrects 'went about' to 'deflected,' explaining the boundary's hard-to-follow doubling-back.

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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s

Then it went north-westward (or toward the sea) to Michmethah, which lay “facing Shechem” ( Joshua 17:7 ), but which has not been discovered by any travellers.

Concedes that a named boundary-point of the inspired text is now unrecoverable on the map.

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John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

this seems to be the same Jerom (e) calls Thenath in the tribe of Joseph; and who observes there was in his day a village of this name ten miles from Neapolis (or Shechem) to the east, as you go down to Jordan

Preserves Jerome's fourth-century witness to Taanath-shiloh as a still-living village.

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and out toward the Sea. From Michmethath on the north it turned eastward toward Taanath-shiloh and passed by it to Janoah on the east.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·yā·ṣā hag·gə·ḇūl hay·yām·māh ham·miḵ·mə·ṯāṯ miṣ·ṣā·p̄ō·wn hag·gə·ḇūl wə·nā·saḇ miz·rā·ḥāh ta·’ă·naṯ ši·lōh wə·‘ā·ḇar ’ō·w·ṯōw yā·nō·w·ḥāh mim·miz·raḥ

Word by word14 · parsed

וְיָצָ֨אwə·yā·ṣāand out towardH3318

הַגְּב֜וּלhag·gə·ḇūlH1366

√ gᵉbûwl — properly, a cord (as twisted), iArticleNounmasculine singular

הַיָּ֗מָּהhay·yām·māhthe SeaH3220

√ yâm — a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of waterArticleNounmasculine singularthird person feminine singular

הַֽמִּכְמְתָת֙ham·miḵ·mə·ṯāṯFrom MichmethathH4366

√ Mikmᵉthâth — Mikmethath, a place in PalestineArticleNounproperfeminine singular

Mikmᵉthâth (H4366), "Michmethath" — never identified by travelers; Cambridge: it "lay 'facing Shechem' (Joshua 17:7), but... has not been discovered." Knobel (via the Pulpit Commentary) guessed its name means "hiding place," fitting a watershed marker.

מִצָּפ֔וֹןmiṣ·ṣā·p̄ō·wnon the northH6828

√ tsâphôwn — properly, hidden, iPreposition-mNounfeminine singular

הַגְּב֛וּלhag·gə·ḇūlitH1366

√ gᵉbûwl — properly, a cord (as twisted), iArticleNounmasculine singular

וְנָסַ֧בwə·nā·saḇturnedH5437

√ çâbab — to revolve, surround, or borderConjunctive wawVerbNifalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular

çâbab (H5437), "turned/deflected" — the verb of doubling-back; the Pulpit Commentary insists on "deflected" over "went about," explaining the line's awkward zigzag.

מִזְרָ֖חָהmiz·rā·ḥāheastwardH4217

√ mizrâch — sunrise, iNounmasculine singularthird person feminine singular

תַּאֲנַ֣תta·’ă·naṯvvvH8387

√ Taʼănath Shilôh — Taanath-Shiloh, a place in Palestine

שִׁלֹ֑הši·lōhtoward Taanath-shilohH8387

√ Taʼănath Shilôh — Taanath-Shiloh, a place in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

Taʼănath Shilôh (H8387), "Taanath-shiloh" — ten Roman miles from Shechem on the road to the Jordan (K&D), the present Tana / Ain Tana.

וְעָבַ֣רwə·‘ā·ḇarand passed byH5674

√ ʻâbar — to cross overConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular

אוֹת֔וֹ’ō·w·ṯōwitH853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person masculine singular

יָנֽוֹחָה׃yā·nō·w·ḥāhto JanoahH3239

√ Yânôwach — Janoach or Janochah, a place in PalestineNounproperfeminine singularthird person feminine singular

Yânôwach (H3239), "Janoah" — found in only three verses; this rarity links it to 2 Kings 15:29, where Tiglath-Pileser later carries it captive (see Threads).

מִמִּזְרַ֖חmim·miz·raḥon the eastH4217

√ mizrâch — sunrise, iPreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-the-border went-out seaward: Michmethath on-the-north; and-the-border turned eastward to-Taanath-shiloh, and-it-passed-by it on-the-east to-Janoah.

Where the English smooths the original

וְנָסַ֧ב wə·nā·saḇ (Niphal of sābab, "to revolve, turn round, circle") is rendered by BSB simply "turned." The Pulpit Commentary insists on the stronger sense: "Went about. Rather, deflected." The border does not merely turn a corner — it doubles back, swinging north-westward then bending southward, which is why the line is so hard to trace.
הַיָּ֗מָּה hay·yām·māh again means both "to the sea" and "westward." Here the article makes it concrete — "toward THE Sea." The repetition of the same sea/west word in vv. 3, 6, and 8 is precisely what creates the unit's recurring translation ambiguity that the commentators wrestle with.
וְעָבַ֣ר wə·‘ā·ḇar ("and it passed by") personifies the boundary as a walker stepping past Taanath-shiloh "on the east." BSB's "passed by it" keeps the sense; the Hebrew uses the same crossing-verb as v. 2, knitting the whole survey into one continuous journey of the line.

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The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

Came to Jericho. Or perhaps skirted Jericho. The word used (see note on ver. 5) is akin to the Latin pango and our impinge.

Recovers the violent edge of pāga‘ — the border 'impinges' on Jericho rather than gently reaching it.

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Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685

Not to the city of Jericho, which belonged to Benjamin’s lot, Joshua 18:21 , but to its territory.

Guards against reading Jericho the city into Ephraim's lot — the border only meets its district.

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Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

The boundary line then touched Jericho, i.e., the district of Jericho, namely on the north side of the district, as Jericho was allotted to the tribe of Benjamin ( Joshua 18:21 ). At this point it also coincided with the southern boundary of the tribe of Joseph ( Joshua 16:1 ) and the northern boundary of Benjamin ( Joshua 18:12 ).

Shows the eastern line closing the loop back at v. 1's starting point, where three tribal borders meet.

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From Janoah it went down to Ataroth and Naarah, and then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

mî·yā·nō·w·ḥāh wə·yā·raḏ ‘ă·ṭā·rō·wṯ wə·na·‘ă·rā·ṯāh ū·p̄ā·ḡa‘ bî·rî·ḥōw wə·yā·ṣā hay·yar·dên

Word by word8 · parsed

מִיָּנ֖וֹחָהmî·yā·nō·w·ḥāhFrom JanoahH3239

√ Yânôwach — Janoach or Janochah, a place in PalestinePreposition-mNounproperfeminine singularthird person feminine singular

Yânôwach (H3239), "Janoah" — the pivot from northern to eastern border; the same rare name carried captive in 2 Kings 15:29.

וְיָרַ֥דwə·yā·raḏit went downH3381

√ yârad — to descend (literally, to go downwardsConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular

עֲטָר֣וֹת‘ă·ṭā·rō·wṯto AtarothH5852

√ ʻĂṭârôwth — Ataroth, the name (thus simply) of two places in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

ʻĂṭârôwth (H5852), "Ataroth" — the northern Ataroth, distinct from v. 2's, per the Pulpit Commentary and K&D.

וְנַעֲרָ֑תָהwə·na·‘ă·rā·ṯāhand NaarahH5292

√ Naʻărâh — Naarah, the name of an Israelitess, and of a place in PalestineConjunctive wawNounproperfeminine singularthird person feminine singular

Naʻărâh (H5292), "Naarah" — found in only three verses; Cambridge links it to Naaran of 1 Chronicles 7:28, "about five miles north of Jericho."

וּפָגַע֙ū·p̄ā·ḡa‘and then reachedH6293

√ pâgaʻ — to impinge, by accident or violence, or (figuratively) by importunityConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular

בִּֽירִיח֔וֹbî·rî·ḥōwJerichoH3405

√ Yᵉrîychôw — Jericho or Jerecho, a place in PalestinePreposition-bNounproperfeminine singular

Yᵉrîychôw (H3405), "Jericho" — the line touches, but does not enter, the city; Jericho itself fell to Benjamin (Joshua 18:21). Poole: "Not to the city of Jericho, which belonged to Benjamin’s lot... but to its territory."

וְיָצָ֖אwə·yā·ṣāand came outH3318

הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃hay·yar·dênat the JordanH3383

√ Yardên — Jarden, the principal river of PalestineArticleNounproperfeminine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-it-went-down from-Janoah to-Ataroth and-Naarah, and-it-reached Jericho, and-it-went-out at-the-Jordan.

Where the English smooths the original

וּפָגַע֙ ū·p̄ā·ḡa‘ is a forceful verb — Strong's: "to impinge, by accident or violence, or (figuratively) by importunity." BSB's gentle "reached" loses it. The Pulpit Commentary catches the edge: "Came to Jericho. Or perhaps skirted Jericho. The word used... is akin to the Latin pango and our impinge." The same verb elsewhere means to strike or fall upon a person.
עֲטָר֣וֹת This Ataroth is a different place from the Ataroth of v. 2, though identically spelled. Pulpit Commentary: "Another Ataroth, on the northern border of Ephraim." BSB cannot mark the distinction the commentators must supply; the name "crowns" was simply common.
וְיָצָ֖א wə·yā·ṣā ("and it went out") closes the eastern circuit with the very verb that opened the unit in v. 1 (way·yê·ṣê). BSB renders it "came out," but the matching of the boundary's first and last 'going-out' frames vv. 1–7 as one completed loop back to the Jordan.

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The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

And the goings out (literally, extremities ) thereof were at the sea This is the only possible interpretation of the passage, in spite of the obscurity caused by the same word being used for "sea" and "west."

Names the unit's central translation crux: one Hebrew word does duty for both 'sea' and 'west.'

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Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871

from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah—It is retraced from east to west, to describe the prospective and intended boundary, which was to reach to the sea. Kanah ("reedy") flows into the Mediterranean.

Glosses Kanah as 'reedy' and reads the western line as a prospective, intended reach to the sea.

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John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

this is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families; that is, this is the description of the border of it; for the cities within are not mentioned, and the descriptions in general are very obscure.

Frankly admits the survey gives borders without a city-catalogue, and 'the descriptions in general are very obscure.'

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From Tappuah the border went westward to the Brook of Kanah and ended at the Sea. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Ephraim,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

mit·tap·pū·aḥ hag·gə·ḇūl yê·lêḵ yām·māh na·ḥal qā·nāh wə·hā·yū ṯō·ṣə·’ō·ṯāw hay·yām·māh zōṯ na·ḥă·laṯ lə·miš·pə·ḥō·ṯām maṭ·ṭêh ḇə·nê- ’ep̄·ra·yim

Word by word15 · parsed

מִתַּפּ֜וּחַmit·tap·pū·aḥFrom TappuahH8599

√ Tappûwach — Tappuach, the name of two places in Palestine, also of an IsraelitePreposition-mNounproperfeminine singular

Tappûwach (H8599), "Tappuah" — found in only five verses; Gill distinguishes it from the Tappuah of Judah (Joshua 15:34). Its rarity links this verse to that southern namesake (see Threads).

הַגְּב֥וּלhag·gə·ḇūlthe borderH1366

√ gᵉbûwl — properly, a cord (as twisted), iArticleNounmasculine singular

יֵלֵ֨ךְyê·lêḵwentH1980

√ hâlak — to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular

יָ֙מָּה֙yām·māhwestwardH3220

√ yâm — a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of waterNounmasculine singularthird person feminine singular

נַ֣חַלna·ḥalto the BrookH5158

√ nachal — a stream, especially a winter torrentNounmasculine singular construct

nachal (H5158), "brook/torrent" — the seasonal Wadi Kanah, the reed-brook forming the Ephraim–Manasseh line (Joshua 17:9).

קָנָ֔הqā·nāhof KanahH7071

√ Qânâh — Kanah, the name of a stream and of a place in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular

וְהָי֥וּwə·hā·yūand endedH1961

√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person common plural

תֹצְאֹתָ֖יוṯō·ṣə·’ō·ṯāw. . .H8444

√ tôwtsâʼâh — (only in plural collective) exit, iNounfeminine plural constructthird person masculine singular

הַיָּ֑מָּהhay·yām·māhat the SeaH3220

√ yâm — a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of waterArticleNounmasculine singularthird person feminine singular

זֹ֗אתzōṯThisH2063

√ zôʼth — this (often used adverb)Pronounfeminine singular

נַחֲלַ֛תna·ḥă·laṯwas the inheritanceH5159

√ nachălâh — properly, something inherited, iNounfeminine singular construct

nachălâh (H5159), "inheritance" — the summary noun; this clause is the formal close of Ephraim's allotment, matching the close of Judah's (Joshua 15:12).

לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָֽם׃lə·miš·pə·ḥō·ṯāmof the clansH4940

√ mishpâchâh — a family, iPreposition-lNounfeminine plural constructthird person masculine plural

מַטֵּ֥הmaṭ·ṭêhof the tribeH4294

√ maṭṭeh — a branch (as extending)Nounmasculine singular construct

maṭṭeh (H4294), "tribe" — "a branch (as extending)," the same staff-word used for Judah in Joshua 15:1; Ephraim is the spreading branch of Joseph's house.

בְנֵי־ḇə·nê-vvvH1121

אֶפְרַ֖יִם’ep̄·ra·yimof EphraimH669

√ ʼEphrayim — Ephrajim, a son of JosephNounpropermasculine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

From-Tappuah the-border went seaward to-the-Brook-of Kanah, and-its-goings-out were at-the-Sea. This was-the-inheritance of-the-tribe-of the-sons-of-Ephraim by-their-clans.

Where the English smooths the original

יָ֙מָּה֙ Here the sea/west crux comes to a head. yām·māh ends at "the Sea" (hayyāmmāh, with article, next clause). The Pulpit Commentary: "This is the only possible interpretation of the passage, in spite of the obscurity caused by the same word being used for 'sea' and 'west.'" BSB's "westward" here and "the Sea" there both translate the identical Hebrew word.
נַ֣חַל na·ḥal ("brook," H5158) is, per Strong's, "a stream, especially a winter torrent" — dry much of the year. BSB's "Brook of Kanah" is fine, but the word names a wadi that runs only in the rains; J,F&B note Kanah means "reedy," so this is the reed-choked seasonal torrent dividing Ephraim from Manasseh.
זֹ֗את zōṯ ("This") is the summary demonstrative closing Ephraim's survey: "This was the inheritance." The same closing formula (zōṯ naḥălaṯ) seals each tribal portion. BSB keeps it, but the word marks a deliberate literary full-stop before the appended exceptions of vv. 9–10.

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Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

This fact would manifestly tend to produce a solidarity among the several tribes, and to prevent disunion by creating common interests. The interest of the stronger tribes would be served by completing the conquest of the territory assigned to the weaker.

Reads the interlocking of tribal cities as God's design for solidarity — the famous 'testudo' image follows in the source.

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Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834

Perhaps the territory assigned to this numerous tribe proved on experiment to be too small; and therefore some towns, which are named in 1 Chronicles 7:29 , were given to them from the kindred Manassites, the latter being recompensed ( Joshua 17:11 note) at the expense of Issachar and Asher.

Offers the practical conjecture: Ephraim outgrew its lot, so Manasseh ceded towns and was repaid from Issachar and Asher.

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Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599

(e) Because Ephraim's tribe was far greater than Manasseh, therefore he had more cities.

States the reason plainly: Ephraim's greater numbers earned cities inside the elder brother's land.

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along with all the cities and villages set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the inheritance of Manasseh.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·he·‘ā·rîm kāl- he·‘ā·rîm wə·ḥaṣ·rê·hen ham·miḇ·dā·lō·wṯ liḇ·nê ’ep̄·ra·yim bə·ṯō·wḵ na·ḥă·laṯ bə·nê- mə·naš·šeh

Word by word11 · parsed

וְהֶעָרִ֗יםwə·he·‘ā·rîmH5892

√ ʻîyr — a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Conjunctive waw, ArticleNounfeminine plural

ʻîyr (H5892), "cities" — the chapter gave Ephraim borders but no city-list (v. 8); now it names extra cities, an appendix to the survey.

כָּֽל־kāl-[along] with allH3605

√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct

הֶעָרִ֖יםhe·‘ā·rîmthe citiesH5892

√ ʻîyr — a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)ArticleNounfeminine plural

וְחַצְרֵיהֶֽן׃wə·ḥaṣ·rê·henand villagesH2691

√ châtsêr — a yard (as inclosed by a fence)Conjunctive wawNouncommon plural constructthird person feminine plural

הַמִּבְדָּלוֹת֙ham·miḇ·dā·lō·wṯset apartH3995

√ mibdâlâh — a separation, iArticleNounfeminine plural

mibdâlâh (H3995), "set apart" — "a separation"; the towns are formally carved out, says Cambridge, as "the places which were portioned off."

לִבְנֵ֣יliḇ·nêfor the descendantsH1121

אֶפְרַ֔יִם’ep̄·ra·yimof EphraimH669

√ ʼEphrayim — Ephrajim, a son of JosephNounpropermasculine singular

בְּת֖וֹךְbə·ṯō·wḵwithinH8432

√ tâvek — a bisection, iPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct

נַחֲלַ֣תna·ḥă·laṯthe inheritanceH5159

√ nachălâh — properly, something inherited, iNounfeminine singular construct

nachălâh (H5159), "inheritance" — strikingly, Ephraim's cities sit within Manasseh's inheritance: the gift overlaps. Barnes conjectures Ephraim's own "territory... proved on experiment to be too small."

בְּנֵֽי־bə·nê-vvvH1121

מְנַשֶּׁ֑הmə·naš·šehof ManassehH4519

√ Mᵉnashsheh — Menashsheh, a grandson of Jacob, also the tribe descended from him, and its territoryNounpropermasculine singular

Mᵉnashsheh (H4519), "Manasseh" — the shared lexeme threading this verse to Joshua 17:11, where Manasseh in turn holds cities inside Issachar and Asher (see Threads).

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-the-cities set-apart for-the-sons-of-Ephraim were within the-inheritance-of the-sons-of-Manasseh — all the-cities and-their-villages.

Where the English smooths the original

הַמִּבְדָּלוֹת֙ ham·miḇ·dā·lō·wṯ (H3995) is from bādal, "to divide, separate, set apart" — the verb used of God separating light from dark (Genesis 1:4) and Israel from the nations. BSB's "set apart" is exact, but the same holiness-word here marks ordinary towns carved out of Manasseh's land for Ephraim — separation as administrative grace.
בְּת֖וֹךְ bə·ṯō·wḵ ("within / in the midst of") places Ephraimite cities inside Manasseh's territory. BSB's "within" is right, but the word (from tāvek, "a bisection, the middle") stresses interpenetration — the tribes are deliberately interlocked, not cleanly partitioned (so Ellicott).

The Voices✦ 4 public domain

Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871

This is the first mention of the fatal policy of the Israelites, in neglecting the divine command (De 20:16) to exterminate the idolaters.

Names v. 10 as the seed of a 'fatal policy' — the compromise with Canaan that Judges will indict.

source ↗

John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

either they did not drive them out, because they could not, God not delivering them up into their hands, because of their sins; or through their slothfulness, or it may be through covetousness, being willing to make some advantage to themselves by them, being a trading people, which seems to be intended in the next clause

Diagnoses the motive as covetousness — Ephraim the trader (Hosea 12:8) kept the Canaanite for profit.

source ↗

The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

Here the Ephraimites seem deliberately to have preferred the easier task of reducing the Canaanites to tribute to the sterner and more difficult task of destroying them utterly.

Distinguishes Ephraim's chosen disobedience from Judah's inability (15:63): here the easier road was preferred.

source ↗

Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

They drave not out. —The failure of Ephraim here is noticed, as was the failure of Judah above ( Joshua 15:63 ).

Pairs Ephraim's failure with Judah's, the two leading tribes each closing their survey with an unconquered city.

source ↗

But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·lō hō·w·rî·šū ’eṯ- hak·kə·na·‘ă·nî hay·yō·wō·šêḇ bə·ḡā·zer hak·kə·na·‘ă·nî way·yê·šeḇ bə·qe·reḇ ’ep̄·ra·yim ‘aḏ- haz·zeh hay·yō·wm way·hî lə·mas- ‘ō·ḇêḏ

Word by word16 · parsed

וְלֹ֣אwə·lōBut they did notH3808

√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle

הוֹרִ֔ישׁוּhō·w·rî·šūdrive outH3423

√ yârash — to occupy (by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place)VerbHifilPerfectthird person common plural

yârash (H3423), "drive out / dispossess" — the key covenant verb; its negation links this verse verbally to Judah's failure (Joshua 15:63) and to the near-identical Judges 1:29 (see Threads).

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖יhak·kə·na·‘ă·nîthe CanaanitesH3669

√ Kᵉnaʻanîy — a Kenaanite or inhabitant of KenaanArticleNounpropermasculine singular

Kᵉnaʻanîy (H3669), "the Canaanite" — the people Deuteronomy 20:17 commanded to be devoted to destruction. J,F&B: "This is the first mention of the fatal policy of the Israelites, in neglecting the divine command (De 20:16) to exterminate the idolaters."

הַיּוֹשֵׁ֣בhay·yō·wō·šêḇwho livedH3427

√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgeArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular

בְּגָ֑זֶרbə·ḡā·zerin GezerH1507

√ Gezer — Gezer, a place in PalestinePreposition-bNounproperfeminine singular

Gezer (H1507), "Gezer" — left unconquered until "Pharaoh king of Egypt" took it and gave it to Solomon's wife (Gill, Poole: 1 Kings 9:16). The unfinished task of v. 10 waits centuries for a king to finish.

הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֜יhak·kə·na·‘ă·nîSo the CanaanitesH3669

√ Kᵉnaʻanîy — a Kenaanite or inhabitant of KenaanArticleNounpropermasculine singular

וַיֵּ֨שֶׁבway·yê·šeḇdwellH3427

√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgeConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular

בְּקֶ֤רֶבbə·qe·reḇamongH7130

√ qereb — properly, the nearest part, iPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct

אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙’ep̄·ra·yimthe EphraimitesH669

√ ʼEphrayim — Ephrajim, a son of JosephNounpropermasculine singular

עַד־‘aḏ-toH5704

√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition

הַזֶּ֔הhaz·zehthisH2088

√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatArticlePronounmasculine singular

הַיּ֣וֹםhay·yō·wmdayH3117

√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)ArticleNounmasculine singular

yôwm (H3117), "day" — "unto this day" dates the writing: Gill argues the note means the book was "written before the times of Solomon," when Gezer was finally cleared.

וַיְהִ֖יway·hîbut they areH1961

√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular

לְמַס־lə·mas-forcedH4522

√ maç — properly, a burden (as causing to faint), iPreposition-lNounmasculine singular construct

maç (H4522), "forced labor" — the same tribute-system Solomon would later impose; the chapter ends not in triumph but in a managed, monetized disobedience.

עֹבֵֽד׃פ‘ō·ḇêḏlaborersH5647

√ ʻâbad — to work (in any sense)VerbQalParticiplemasculine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

But-they-did-not drive-out the-Canaanite dwelling in-Gezer; so-the-Canaanite has-dwelt among Ephraim unto this day, and-he-became forced-labor, a-serving-one.

Where the English smooths the original

הוֹרִ֔ישׁוּ hō·w·rî·šū (Hiphil of yārash) means "dispossess, drive out and take the place of" — the precise covenant command of Deuteronomy 20:16–17. BSB's "drive out" is right but soft; the verb means to seize-by-dispossession. Its negation here ("they did NOT dispossess") is the unit's one note of failure, echoing Judah's identical failure in Joshua 15:63.
וַיֵּ֨שֶׁב way·yê·šeḇ ("and he dwelt/settled," from yāshab) is repeated in the verse: the Canaanite who was dwelling (participle) in Gezer goes on dwelling among Ephraim. BSB's present-tense "dwell" renders the second; the doubling stresses that what should have ended did not — the inhabitant who should have been displaced stays put.
לְמַס־ lə·mas ("to forced-labor," H4522) is, per Strong's, "a burden (as causing to faint)" — a labor-gang. With ‘ōḇêḏ ("serving"), BSB gives "forced laborers." The compromise that spared the Canaanite turned obedience into economics: profit was taken where extermination was commanded (so Gill, citing Hosea 12:8 on Ephraim the trader).

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The second pebble: Joseph receives the birthright's double portion — Joshua 16:1, 16:4

The chapter opens with the same cast stone that opened Judah's: hag·gō·w·rāl, "the lot" — by Strong's, "properly, a pebble." But where Judah's lot was drawn first for the kingship, Joseph's is drawn second for the birthright. Ellicott states the rule that governs the whole arrangement: "the order of precedence among the tribes of Israel was always Judah first and the sons of Joseph second," quoting 1 Chronicles 5:2 — "Judah prevailed above his brethren... but the birthright was Joseph’s." Benson sees the providence in it: "Joseph had that privilege of the firstborn, a double portion, transferred to his family. And therefore they have their inheritance assigned them before any of the other tribes except Judah." The double portion is visible in the grammar itself: one lot, two tribes. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown note the territory "was drawn in one lot, that the brethren might be contiguously situated; but it was afterwards divided" — and v. 4 names them together, way·yin·ḥă·lū, "so they received as inheritance... Manasseh and Ephraim." The pebble that fell from the urn carried out a verdict spoken generations earlier over a deathbed in Egypt (Genesis 48).

ii. The walking cord: a boundary personified across waste and ridge — Joshua 16:1–8

The unit's literary engine is a single word, gᵉḇūl ("border"), whose root is "a cord (as twisted)" — a measuring-line. Around it cluster a chain of motion-verbs that make the line a traveler: it goes out (v. 1), goes down (vv. 3, 7), passes over (v. 2), turns / deflects (v. 6), passes by and impinges (vv. 6–7). Barnes first restores the grammar of v. 1 — "Strike out 'to,' for the word is in apposition to 'lot'" — so that the wilderness itself is the gift, not a place the line reaches. The Pulpit Commentary sharpens the verbs: at v. 6 "Went about" should be "deflected," and at v. 7 the border "impinges" on Jericho, the word "akin to the Latin pango." Yet for all this vividness the survey is broken: Barnes twice flags that "some words have... fallen out of the text," and Gill concedes outright, "the descriptions in general are very obscure." The cord walks confidently, but the parchment that traced it has frayed — and the synthesis honors both: a real line on real ground (Keil & Delitzsch identify spring, ridge, and wadi by name), recorded in a text the editors themselves call damaged.

iii. The interlocked tribes: a gift that overlaps on purpose — Joshua 16:5, 16:9

Ephraim's portion is not a clean block. Verse 9 gives it cities bə·ṯō·wḵ — "in the midst of" — Manasseh's inheritance, the towns "set apart" (ham·miḇ·dā·lō·wṯ, from the same verb that separates light from darkness in Genesis 1:4). Barnes reasons the cause: Ephraim's "territory... proved on experiment to be too small." Ellicott reads the deeper design — the interpenetration "would manifestly tend to produce a solidarity among the several tribes, and to prevent disunion by creating common interests." Where Judah's border (ch. 15) was strictly drawn and exclusive, Joseph's is deliberately entangled, brother inside brother's land. The same word, naḥălāh ("inheritance"), names both the portion and the overlap: the gift is shared at the seams, and the stronger tribe's interest is bound to completing the weaker's conquest.

iv. The honest seam: an unconquered Gezer and a managed disobedience — Joshua 16:10

The chapter that opened in the providence of the lot ends in candor about failure. "They did not dispossess (hō·w·rî·šū) the Canaanite dwelling in Gezer." Jamieson, Fausset & Brown mark it as "the first mention of the fatal policy of the Israelites, in neglecting the divine command (Deuteronomy 20:16) to exterminate the idolaters." And where Judah simply could not take the Jebusite stronghold (15:63), Ephraim's is worse: the Pulpit Commentary reads it as deliberate — they "preferred the easier task of reducing the Canaanites to tribute to the sterner and more difficult task of destroying them utterly." Gill names the motive as covetousness, "being a trading people," pointing to Hosea 12:8. The verse closes the inheritance not on conquest but on compromise turned to profit: lə·mas ‘ōḇêḏ, "forced labor." And the phrase "unto this day" quietly dates the failure's resolution — Gill notes the book must have been written "before the times of Solomon," when Pharaoh at last took Gezer and handed it to Solomon's bride (1 Kings 9:16). The map was given in full; the taking was left unfinished, and the text says so.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Read under Sola Scriptura, Joshua 16 is two truths held in one chapter and not allowed to cancel. The first is gift: the land falls to Joseph by a pebble in an urn, the double portion of the birthright made visible, drawn before all but Judah. Every border-clause is grace — even the wilderness is named as the inheritance itself (v. 1, per Barnes). The second is failure: the same chapter that lavishes territory ends with "they did not drive out the Canaanite" and a labor-gang where there should have been obedience. Scripture does not soften this. It does not pretend Ephraim finished; it writes "unto this day" over the unfinished work and lets the seam show. The honest reading, then, refuses both triumphalism and despair: the inheritance is truly given (the lot is God's verdict, Proverbs 16:33) and truly not yet possessed (Gezer still holds Canaanites). This is precisely the tension Hebrews 4 will name — a rest given by oath yet still "remaining" to be entered — and the tension Paul will press on the church: you are an heir already sealed, and you have not yet laid hold. The chapter's last word is not "crowns" (Ataroth) but "serving" (‘ōḇêḏ): the gift was real, the obedience was partial, and God recorded both without flinching. That refusal to edit the failure out is itself the doctrine — a Bible that flatters its heroes would be worth less than this one, which does not.

The lot fell and the cord was drawn — yet the Canaanite still tills Gezer: the inheritance is wholly given and not yet wholly taken. (An interpretive line from the synthesis layer, not a verse of Scripture.)

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

Bethel that was Luz: the boundary names Jacob's ladder-place verbal / quotation — confirmed

Verse 2's border runs "from Bethel to Luz," pairing two names that Genesis 28:19 fuses into one when fleeing Jacob "called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first." The Verifier flags this as a verbal link, not merely thematic, because Lûwz is a rare lexeme (H3870, in only 7 verses): its co-occurrence with Bethel is a genuine verbal echo of the naming-text. Keil & Delitzsch resolve the apparent doubling: here the words distinguish "the southern range of mountains belonging to Bethel" from "the town of Luz." The line that divides Ephraim from Benjamin runs straight through the ground where Jacob saw the ladder and God renewed the covenant of the land now being parceled.

Joshua 16:2 · Genesis 28:19 · Joshua 18:13

basis: Rare shared lexeme H3870 Lûwz (in only 7 vv), co-occurring with H1008 Bêyth-ʼÊl — the Verifier-computed basis for a confirmed verbal link to the naming-text of Genesis 28:19; Joshua 18:13 carries the same Bethel/Luz pairing for Benjamin's border.

Gezer unfinished: the same town Ephraim spared, Solomon received structural / thematic — confirmed

The chapter ends with Gezer's Canaanites undriven (v. 10); centuries later "Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer... and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon’s wife" (1 Kings 9:16). Gill and Poole both make the connection explicit: "The Canaanites were not driven out until Solomon’s time" (Poole). The shared place-name Gezer (H1507, in 14 vv) is the Verifier's basis. The thread is structural rather than verbal — it is the resolution of an unfinished task across the books, the rare town-name marking where Joshua's incomplete obedience finally meets a king's completion, with the Canaanites still under mas (forced labor) in both passages.

Joshua 16:10 · 1 Kings 9:16 · Joshua 16:3

basis: Shared lexeme H1507 Gezer (in 14 vv), with H3669 Kᵉnaʻanîy and H3427 yâshab shared in 1 Kings 9:16 (Verifier-computed); a thematic/structural continuation — the unconquered town of v. 10/v. 3 resolved under Solomon — not a quotation.

"They did not drive out": Ephraim's failure echoes Judah's, repeated in Judges structural / thematic — confirmed

Verse 10 — "they did not dispossess (hō·w·rî·šū) the Canaanite... so the Canaanite dwells among Ephraim unto this day" — is nearly recapitulated in Judges 1:29: "Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them." The Verifier records a dense overlap (Gezer H1507, Kᵉnaʻanîy H3669, ʼEphrayim H669, yârash H3423, plus qereb and yāshab) — a structural near-quotation. Ellicott and the Pulpit Commentary tie it back to Judah's parallel failure at Joshua 15:63; the two leading tribes each close their inheritance with an unconquered city, and Judges reopens the indictment.

Joshua 16:10 · Judges 1:29 · Joshua 15:63

basis: Multiple shared lexemes H1507 Gezer, H3669 Kᵉnaʻanîy, H669 ʼEphrayim, H3423 yârash (Verifier-computed); a structural near-repetition of the same failure-formula, not an explicit citation — Judges 1:29 restates Joshua 16:10 without claiming to quote it.

The measuring-cord shared with the brother tribe: Ephraim and Manasseh interlocked structural / thematic — confirmed

Verses 5–9 share the boundary-vocabulary and the very ground of Manasseh's allotment in the next chapter. The Verifier links Joshua 16:9 to Joshua 17:11 by Mᵉnashsheh (H4519), and 16:5/16:9 to Joshua 17:7–9 by gᵉbûwl (the cord, H1366), yâm (sea), and yârad (went down). Ellicott draws the meaning: the cities Ephraim holds inside Manasseh, and Manasseh inside Issachar and Asher, produce "a solidarity among the several tribes." The link is structural — the shared gᵉbûwl is a common boundary-noun (196 vv), not a rare quotation — but it is the literary seam binding the two halves of Joseph into one interlocking inheritance.

Joshua 16:9 · Joshua 17:11 · Joshua 17:7

basis: Shared lexemes H4519 Mᵉnashsheh (133 vv) and H1366 gᵉbûwl (196 vv), with H3220 yâm and H3381 yârad in Joshua 17:9 (Verifier-computed); common boundary-prose vocabulary, hence structural — these are frequent shared words, not a rare verbal quotation.

Janoah carried captive: a border-town's later fate under Assyria structural / thematic — confirmed

Janoah, the pivot of Ephraim's northern line (vv. 6–7), reappears in 2 Kings 15:29: "In the days of Pekah... came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took... Janoah... and carried them captive to Assyria." The Verifier links the two by Yânôwach (H3239), a rare lexeme found in only 3 verses. The thread is structural — the same town named here in gift is later named in exile — a quiet foreshadow that the land so carefully measured for Ephraim would, for unfaithfulness, be measured back out from under it.

Joshua 16:6 · 2 Kings 15:29 · Joshua 16:7

basis: Rare shared place-name H3239 Yânôwach (in only 3 vv), Verifier-computed; a structural link — the same border-town in inheritance (Joshua) and in deportation (2 Kings) — with no quotation claim between the passages.

Two Tappuahs: Ephraim's western marker and its Judahite namesake structural / thematic — confirmed

Ephraim's western line begins "from Tappuah" (v. 8); the same name marks a town in Judah's Shephelah list (Joshua 15:34). The Verifier links the two by the rare lexeme Tappûwach (H8599, in only 5 vv), which on frequency alone would register as a verbal echo. But Gill is emphatic that they are different places: this Tappuah "was different from the Tappuah in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:34; this was in the tribe of Ephraim on the border of Manasseh (Joshua 17:8)." The thread is therefore kept structural, not verbal — like the Ataroth pair below, the lexical match is real but the towns are demonstrably distinct, and the link is included precisely to keep a reader from collapsing the two. The same border-Tappuah resurfaces in Joshua 17:8 as the contested seam between the two halves of Joseph.

Joshua 16:8 · Joshua 15:34 · Joshua 17:8

basis: Rare shared lexeme H8599 Tappûwach (in only 5 vv), Verifier-computed; tiered structural (homonym-distinguishing), NOT verbal — Gill shows Ephraim's Tappuah (also Joshua 17:8) and Judah's Tappuah (Joshua 15:34) are different towns sharing a common 'apple/quince' name, so the lexical match must not be read as quotation.

Crowns east of Jordan: distinguishing Ataroth from its Reubenite namesake structural / thematic — confirmed

Ephraim's "Ataroth" (vv. 2, 7) shares its name with the trans-Jordan Ataroth that Reuben and Gad built in Numbers 32:3, 34. The Verifier flags the link by ʻĂṭârôwth (H5852, in only 4 vv). Barnes is careful to separate them: the Ephraimite town is distinguished "from two other places bearing the same name but situated on the other side of Jordan, in the territory of Gad (Numbers 32:34)." This thread is included precisely to guard against a false identification — the rarity of the name (4 verses) makes the lexical match real, but the places are demonstrably different, and the basis is recorded as such.

Joshua 16:7 · Numbers 32:34 · Numbers 32:3

basis: Rare shared lexeme H5852 ʻĂṭârôwth (in only 4 vv), Verifier-computed; structural (homonym-distinguishing), NOT verbal — Barnes shows the Ephraimite and trans-Jordan Ataroths are different places sharing a common 'crowns' name, so the lexical match must not be read as quotation.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The double portion of the firstborn: Joseph's birthright and the true Firstborn widely-held

Joseph receives the birthright's double portion (Ellicott, Benson, citing 1 Chronicles 5:2), the right Reuben forfeited transferred to a son loved and rejected and raised to save his brothers. The New Testament reads Joseph's pattern — sold, descended, exalted to feed the nations — as a figure of Christ, "the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29) and "the firstborn of all creation" (Colossians 1:15), who holds the double portion not by lot but by right, and shares His inheritance with the brothers who once rejected Him. The chapter's drawn-by-pebble gift to Joseph's house anticipates an inheritance secured by the true Joseph for all who are in Him.

Joshua 16:1 · Romans 8:29 · Colossians 1:15

Given and not yet possessed: the rest that still remains ancient/widely-held

Joshua 16 hands Ephraim a full inheritance and then admits, in its last verse, that the conquest is unfinished — Gezer's Canaanites remain "unto this day." Hebrews 4:8 names exactly this gap: "if Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day" — the rest Joshua distributed by lot was real yet provisional, leaving "a rest [that] remains for the people of God" (Hebrews 4:9). The inheritance "reserved in heaven" (1 Peter 1:4) is the answer to the chapter's honest seam: what Joshua could give in part, Christ gives in full and finally. This is a cross-Testament typological reading — Greek to Hebrew, so no shared Strong's lexeme is claimed; the link is figural, drawn by Hebrews itself naming Joshua.

Joshua 16:10 · Hebrews 4:8 · 1 Peter 1:4

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

This unit is almost entirely a boundary survey, and the machine layer is constrained accordingly. (1) The text itself is flagged as damaged. Barnes twice notes that "some words have... fallen out of the text" in vv. 5–8, and Gill calls the descriptions "very obscure"; the synthesis follows the sourced parses without resolving the lacunae the commentators report. Several named points — Michmethath, Tappuah, the Japhletite — are conceded by Cambridge and Keil & Delitzsch to be unrecoverable on the ground. (2) The sea/west crux is real and recurring. One Hebrew word, yām, serves for both "the Sea" and "westward" in vv. 3, 6, and 8; the Pulpit Commentary's note at v. 8 is followed. (3) Cross-references are tiered conservatively. Only the Bethel/Luz link to Genesis 28:19 rises to verbal, on the strength of the rare lexeme Lûwz (7 vv); the Gezer, Ephraim-failure, Janoah, Tappuah, and Ataroth links are kept structural because their shared words are either common boundary-vocabulary (gᵉbûwl, 196 vv) or rare place-names that mark continuation rather than quotation. Two threads — Tappuah (16:8 → 15:34) and Ataroth (16:7 → Numbers 32:34) — carry rare lexemes (Tappûwach 5 vv, ʻĂṭârôwth 4 vv) that the Verifier scores as verbal, yet both are deliberately downgraded to structural because the commentators (Gill, Barnes) show each pair names two demonstrably different towns; these threads are included expressly to prevent conflating same-named places, never to assert a quotation. (4) Both Christ-readings are figural, not lexical. The Hebrews 4 link is cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew) and therefore cannot rest on a Strong's match; it is drawn by Hebrews' own naming of Joshua and marked typological/widely-held. No NT quotation of this unit is claimed, so no provenance-flag is required here; the Joshua 1:5 → Hebrews 13:5 flag does not apply to this unit (1:5 is not present).

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)