Joshua 17:5

_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._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

5._And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, _etc The children of Manasseh are in this passage classed under seven stems. Machir, the first-born, is placed apart; the other six follow. Here the question arises, How was the inheritance divided into ten parts? Some expositors cunningly disguise the difficulty; (155) others, because they are unable to solve it, indulge in the merest trifling. It is certainly very absurd that four portions should be given to five daughters; and it is not a whit more congruous that their share should be doubled because their father was the first-born. It is beyond all controversy, that Gilead, son of Machir, and great-grandfather of the females of whom we are now speaking, chose his settlement in mount Gilead and Bashan. Therefore, seeing he had already obtained an inheritance by privilege without lot, he ought not to have obtained one by lot in the land of Ca...

1-6 Manasseh was but half of the tribe of Joseph, yet it was divided into two parts. The daughters of Zelophehad now reaped the benefit of their pious zeal and prudent forecast. Those who take care in the wilderness of this world, to make sure to themselves a place in the inheritance of the saints in light, will have the comfort of it in the other world; while those who neglect it now, will lose it for ever. Lord, teach us here to believe and obey, and give us an inheritance among thy saints, in glory everlasting....

Verse Joshua 17:5. _THERE FELL TEN PORTIONS TO MANASSEH_] The Hebrew word חבלי _chabley_, which we translate _portions_, signifies literally _cords_ or _cables_, and intimates that by means of a _cord, cable_, or what we call a _chain_, the land was divided. We have but little account of the arts and sciences of the Hebrews, yet from the sketches which we find in different parts of the Old Testament it appears that their minds were in many respects well cultivated; nor could the division, which is mentioned in this book, have been made without such a measure of geographical knowledge, as we find it difficult to grant them. Suppose even in this case, the land was not measured with a chain, which in some cases would have been impracticable, because the ancient inhabitants still occupied the places which were allotted to certain tribes or families; yet the allusi...

TEN PORTIONS - i. e. five for the five families descended from the male children of Gilead, and five others for the five daughters of Zelophehad, who represented the sixth family, the Hepherites....

EXPOSITION JOSHUA 17:1 THERE WAS ALSO A LOT. The preferable translation is, "_and_ _the lot for the tribe of Manasseh—for he was the firstborn of Joseph—was _(_or fell_)_ to Machir the son of Manasseh. _That is to say, the proper possession of the tribe of Manasseh fell to Machir and his descendants only, because of their warlike spirit, and possibly on account of their numbers also. They were sufficient to occupy the land of Gilead and Bashan, extensive and powerful though it was, while the rest of the tribe had a share in the inheritance westward of Jordan (see also Joshua 13:29-6). FOR HE WAS THE FIRSTBORN OF JOSEPH. There has been much discussion why these words were introduced. It is probable that they a

AND THERE FELL TEN PORTIONS TO MANASSEH, BESIDE THE LAND OF GILEAD AND BASHAN, WHICH [WERE] ON THE OTHER SIDE JORDAN,.... The lot which fell to the half tribe of Manasseh was divided into ten parts: according to the Jewish writers, the six families before mentioned had six parts, and the daughters of Zelophehad had four parts; one on the account of Zelophehad their father, two on the account of their grandfather Hepher, who they say was the firstborn, and one on account of their uncle, their father's brother, who died in the wilderness without children; so Jarchi and Kimchi relate from the Talmud k; but the true case seems to be this, there were six portions for the six families, but there being no sons in Hepher's family, his part was divided into five, and given to the five daughters of Zelophehad: BESIDE THE LAND OF GILEAD AND BASHAN, WHICH [WERE] ON THE OTHER SIDE JORDAN: which were...

5. THE PORTION OF MANASSEH CHAPTER 17 _ 1. Their names (Joshua 17:1)_ 2. Their border (Joshua 17:7) 3. The complaint and the answer (Joshua 17:14) Half of the tribe of Manasseh had their inheritance on the other side of Jordan, having joined themselves to Reuben and Gad. The rest of Manasseh are now named according to their families. These are: Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida, The son of Hepher, Zelophehad, had no sons (see Numbers 27:1); the names of the five daughters are given here again. They claim now the inheritance which the Lord had given to them. They, too, exhibit the cour

Joshua 17:1, from a Priestly writer, describes the inheritance of Manasseh. In Joshua 17:7 the boundaries are given, but as in the case of Ephraim, no definite boundary line can be drawn from the names given in the text. The only point of interest is the assignment of inheritance to the daughters of Zelophehad in accordance with Numbers 27:1 ff. There Moses ordains that the daughters of a man who has no sons shall take their father's inheritance. This is in opposition to ancient law, which recognised the sons only as heirs. Later feeling was against this, and the writer of Numbers 27:1 ff. gave effect to it by the imaginary instance of Zelophehad and

THERE FELL: i.e. by lot. Compare Joshua 17:1, and note....