Joshua 16:1-10
Q.1. What were the main boundaries of Ephraim’s tribal land? Were the lands of Joseph’s sons kept together? What did they do with the people who were not driven out? – (Josh.16:1-10)
The sons of Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim, received their inheritance from Joshua (Josh.16:4). Joseph was the especially beloved and outstanding son of his father Jacob, born to Rachel. That was not just because he had been raised to prominence as Prime Minister of Egypt, or because he became the saviour of Israel. It was more so because he was a godly son, who always sought to obey his father, and maintain the integrity of his father’s name … and God’s (Gen.37:2; 39:9). He showed some of the greatest insights into God’s dealings with him, including the treatment from his jealous brothers. He saw God in all his circumstances and was most like his Lord (Gen.45:4-8; 50:15-21). Manasseh’s territory extended from beyond the Jordan River, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea (Josh.16:1-4 c.f. Josh.1:12-15). The territory of Ephraim was bordered by the inheritance of Manasseh to the north, within the Promised Land (Josh.16:9). It was also flanked by the tribal lands of Benjamin on the south-east, and Dan on the south-west. Ephraim failed to totally possess its inheritance – … so the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and they became forced labourers (Josh.16:10).