16
📚And the allotment of the children of Joseph fell from the Jordan at Jericho to the water of Jericho on the east to the wilderness that extends up from Jericho through the hill country of Bethel,16:1 The two tribes descended from Joseph (Manasseh and Ephraim) received as their inheritance some of the finest, most fruitful areas in Canaan. See the blessings pronounced on them by Jacob in Gen 49:22-26 and by Moses in Deut 33:13-17. Since the lot for their inheritance was determined by God this suggests that past behavior, God’s foreknowledge of the future, and the inspired words of Jacob and Moses concerning the tribes, had much to do with the inheritance each tribe received.⚜
2 📚and continues out from Bethel to Luz, and proceeds along to the borders of Archi to Ataroth, 3 📚and goes down on the west to the border of Japhleti to the border of Upper Beth-Horon and on to Gezer. And its end was 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 this: the border of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth-Addar, to Upper Beth-Horon; 6 📚and the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north; and the border turned about on the east to Taanath-Shiloh and continued on by it on the east to Janohah; 7 📚and it went down from Janohah to Ataroth and to Naarath and came to Jericho, and came out at the Jordan. 8 📚The border went out from Tappuah on the west to the stream of Kanah; and its end was at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families. 9 📚And the cities set apart for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
10 📚And they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, and the Canaanites live among the Ephraimites to this day and serve as forced laborers.
16:10 Another instance of incomplete victory because of disobedience. In this case it is not written that they could not drive them out, only that they did not. They had been commanded not to permit any of the Canaanites to live among them – Deut 20:16-18. The Canaanites were still in Gezer a few centuries later, in King Solomon’s time (1 Kings 9:16). Note at Josh 15:63.⚜