Joshua 16 f. This section deals with the inheritance of the Joseph tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. It is composite, but the different parts are easily separated. The old narrative speaks of the tribe of Joseph, the new, i.e. P, of Ephraim and Manasseh. The section begins with three verses (Joshua 16:1-3) from the older source which give the dividing line of the lot of Joseph, i.e. the boundary between the N. and S.; the line goes from Jordan near Jericho, leaving Jericho on the S., and is drawn by Bethel, Bethhoron, and Gezer. One would naturally expect that this line would be the same as the southern border of Ephraim which P gives in the following verses (Joshua 16:4-9). But for some reason, which we can only conjecture, the borders of Ephraim are confused and unintelligible. It has been suggested that as P was written after the Exile by a scribe in Judah, his knowledge of the northern part of Palestine would be very imperfect, hence the unsatisfactory nature of the account. Joshua 16:10, which states that the inhabitants of Gezer maintained their ground, is another fragment of the same kind, as Joshua 15:63, and like it, has a duplicate in Judges 1, viz. in 29.
Joshua 16:1-10
1 And the lot of the children of Joseph fella from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel,
2 And goeth out from Bethel to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth,
3 And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea.
4 So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
5 And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper;
6 And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanathshiloh, 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.
8 The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.
9 And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
10 And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.