Joshua 17:1-13

Inheritance of Manasseh West Joshua 17:1-13

There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the first-born of Joseph; to wit, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.
2 There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.
3 But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
4 And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore according to the commandment of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.
5 And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side Jordan;
6 Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead.
7 And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethah, that lieth before Shechem; and the border went along on the right hand unto the inhabitants of En-tappuah.
8 Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim;
9 And the coast descended unto the river Kanah, southward of the river: these cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh: the coast of Manasseh also was on the north side of the river, and the outgoings of it were at the sea:
10 Southward it was Ephraim'S, and northward it was Manasseh'S, and the sea is his border, and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.
11 And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of En-dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.
12 Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
13 Yet is came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them out.

1.

Who was Machir? Joshua 17:1

Machir was the eldest son of Manasseh. This inheritance had already been given to him (Numbers 32:39-42). His people had led in conquering Bashan, and his descendants were given the territory as an inheritance. This land lay east of the Sea of Galilee and was the north end of the territory east of Jordan. Their fierce warring had earned for Machir the title of a man of war. Their land had formerly been the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan.

2.

How many sons did Manasseh have? Joshua 17:2

Six other sons of Manasseh were listed in addition to Machir. The men listed were not the men who settled the land but the sons of Manasseh from whom those Israelites of Joshua's day were descendants. The total of these men was 52,700 as they were numbered before crossing the Jordan into Canaan (Numbers 26:34).

3.

Who was Zelophehad? Joshua 17:3

Zelophehad was a descendant of Manasseh who had no sons to inherit his land. His daughters petitioned Moses in this respect. Moses and the elders decided that it was proper for them to inherit as long as they married men who were members of their own tribe (Numbers 36). This became a statute in Israel. Such a provision prevented the woman's inheriting land in her tribe and her husband's inheriting land in another tribe. At the same time, it gave recognition to the woman as an heiress, The five daughters were given by name here and in Numbers 36,

4.

Did the territory of Manasseh include Shechem? Joshua 17:7

Some confusion exists in the minds of some commentators who study these statements about the land, but it seems apparent from the text that the land of Manasseh stopped at Michmethah which lay before Shechem. Other passages of Scripture bear out the fact that Ephraim possessed Shechem. Manasseh's territory lay north of Shechem. Shechem was an important site. Abraham first stopped there when he entered Canaan (Genesis 12:6). Jacob bought land there when he returned from Haran (Genesis 33:19). In the present time, it is the center of bustling activity; and it has always been an important site in Palestine,

5.

Who possessed Tappuah? Joshua 17:8

The city of Tappuah belonged to Ephraim. Men of Ephraim possessed it. At the same time it is clear that it lay on the border of Ephraim and Manasseh. The men of Manasseh probably possessed the fields around Tappuah on the north, but the town itself was inhabited by the Ephraimites. Many important border towns enjoyed this kind of situation. Although legally belonging to one tribe, some of these cities fell largely under the commercial and social influence of a neighboring tribe.

6.

Where was the river Kanah? Joshua 17:9

The river Kanah rose in the hill country of Ephraim and made its way westward to the Mediterranean Sea. It was a natural boundary between Ephraim and Manasseh. Manasseh had the land lying on the north and Ephraim possessed the land on the south of the river. The stream was not navigable; but it did provide water, especially in the rainy season. Its chief importance, however, was in its being a landmark which served as a boundary.

7.

What sea was Manasseh's west border? Joshua 17:10 a

The Mediterranean Sea formed the west border of Manasseh. The maritime plain was theirs for the taking. The sloping hills which rose up from the sea were also available to the men of Manasseh. This gave the people an outlet to the sea and its commerce as well as access to the rich marine life which was in the sea. Since both Ephraim and Manasseh failed to drive out the Philistines who lived along the seacoast, neither of these Israelite tribes became great seafaring people.

8.

What were the northern and eastern borders of Manasseh? Joshua 17:10 b

On the north, Manasseh reached to the territory of the tribe of Asher. On the east, these people reached to the territory of the tribe of Issachar. In actuality, his east border reached to the Jordan River, but the southern border of Issachar ran in a diagonal line from the northwest to the southwest and thus formed much of Manasseh's northeastern border.

9.

Why did Manasseh possess cities in Issachar? Joshua 17:11

Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor, En-dor, and Megiddo, with their towns, were listed as cities which were in Issachar but possessed by the people of Manasseh. Natural borders, such as the Kishon River, apparently made it practical for Manasseh to possess these rather than Issachar, since they lay south of the river and across the river from the main part of Isaachar's territory. V. G. Blaikie, (The Book of Joshua, The Expositor's Bible, page 304), says that these cities were very important to the defense of the Esdraelon Plain and that it was therefore necessary that they be held by some tribe stronger than Issachar.

10.

Why could Manasseh not drive out the Canaanites? Joshua 17:12

Manasseh may have been numerous and strong, but she was not able to do all God expected the people to do. They possessed many cities, even taking possession of some which lay in the territory of her neighbors, but the people could have done better. Perhaps they trusted in their rich heritage and did not reach the potential which was possible for them. Heredity is never a guarantee of success; success takes hard work.

11.

How did most of the children of Israel deal with the Canaanites? Joshua 17:13

God had commanded the children of Israel to drive out the Canaanites. He expected His people to exterminate them, lest they pollute the people with their idolatrous ways. Evidently, the rest of the children of Israel were like the children of Manasseh. They were not strong enough or ambitious enough to do what God commanded them to do. They allowed the Canaanites to be subject to task work. This was the agreement made with the Gibeon-ites who had deceived Joshua. The Gibeonites were made to be hewers of wood and drawers of water (Joshua 9). The people of Israel put the Canaanites under tribute and made them perform servile tasks.