Joshua 16:9-10

The Later History of Ephraim Joshua 16:9-10

9And 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 drove not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.

14.

What were the separate cities? Joshua 16:9

The children of Ephraim evidently conquered, occupied, and possessed cities which were outside their borders. They did not settle cities in many of the other tribes, but it is specified that they did have such cities in the land which was given to the children of Manasseh. Since both Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of Joseph, they had a common heritage. This would make it easy for them to dwell together in harmony. The fact that they did occupy these cities must have led to a rather indefinite boundary line being maintained between these two tribes. Various reasons have been put forth as answers to the question about Ephraim settling scattered towns and villages in the territory of the tribe of Manasseh. Most commentators believe that after the boundaries had been fixed there was an evident disproportion in the amount of land given to the very numerous children of Ephraim. Since they were so numerous it was felt that they had received too small a possession and that therefore they settled cities in Manasseh in order to accommodate their many people. This is quite possibly the major reason for this extension of Ephraim's territory, but there may have been other reasons which were not recorded in the historical narrative.

15. What Canaanites remained in the land of Ephraim? Joshua 16:10

The Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer were not driven out by the Ephraimites. They continued to dwell among the Israelites, although they were reduced to a state of servitude. God had directed His people to annihilate the Canaanites, but many of the tribes failed to comply completely with God's demand. As a result, these Canaanites lived among them and seduced many of them to commit idolatry and other abominable practices. These foreign peoples living among them were like pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides (Numbers 33:55). Gezer was such an impregnable fortress that it was evidently very difficult for the Ephraimites to drive out the Canaanites who occupied the site. Fortifications which have been found there in recent years under the expeditions led by MacAlester, and in later times under Dr. Nelson Glueck, have uncovered ruins of massive walls which ran the entire length of the last mountain height on the northern end of Shephelah. This site would be almost impossible to take from the north. It would likewise be inaccessible from the lowlands of the Philistine plain on the west. Since valleys surrounded on the south and east, it was similarly hard to attack from any of these points. The Ephraimites could have taken the city with God's help, but they were dilatory in their duties. When the book of Joshua was written, the Canaanites were still there. The author says that they were there unto this day.