1
Then the lot came out for the children of Joseph. Their border was from the Jordan by Jericho, on the east side of the waters of Jericho, through the wilderness, going up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel,
2
and going out from Bethel to Luz, and passing along to the border of the Archites to Ataroth,
3
and going down westward to the border of the Japhletites, as far as the border of Lower Beth Horon, and to Gezer, and ending at the sea.
4
So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance.
5
This was the territory of the children of Ephraim according to their families: the border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth Addar, as far as Upper Beth Horon.
6
And the border went out westward to Michmethath on the north; then the border turned eastward to Taanath Shiloh, and passed along beyond it to the east of Janoah,
7
and went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, and touched Jericho, and came out at the Jordan.
8
From Tappuah the border went westward to the brook Kanah, and ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their families.
9
And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
10
Yet they did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell in the midst of Ephraim to this day, but became forced laborers.
🏞️🧭🧱 Summary of Joshua 16 – The Inheritance of Ephraim and Half of Manasseh
Joshua 16 records the division of land for the descendants of Joseph, namely the tribe of Ephraim and half of the tribe of Manasseh. Their territory lay in the central part of the Promised Land, a fertile and strategically important region. Though they had received their inheritance, they did not drive out all the Canaanites — a failure that had long-term consequences.
📌 1. The Borders of Joseph’s Descendants (verses 1–4)
- The descendants of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) received a territory beginning from:
the Jordan near Jericho, rising up into the hills of Bethel,
continuing westward toward the sea,
including land from east to west in the midst of Canaan.
- This was the geographic and economic center of the land of Israel.
🎯 The Lord gives strategic blessing according to His long-term purpose.
📌 2. The Inheritance of the Tribe of Ephraim (verses 5–9)
- They were given a specific portion, with cities and the villages around them.
- There were also cities in the territory of Manasseh that remained Ephraim’s (because of the closeness of Joseph’s family).
🎯 The division of the inheritance shows God’s just and measured planning.
📌 3. The Canaanites Were Not Driven Out (verse 10)
“They did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer, so the Canaanites dwelt in the midst of Ephraim to this day, but became hired laborers.”
- The tribe of Ephraim failed fully to obey the Lord’s command to drive out the inhabitants.
- As a result, they lived alongside sin and pagan culture — something that would later become a spiritual snare for future generations.
🎯 Incomplete obedience brings long-term compromise.
📖 Main Lessons
- The Lord gives blessings in specific and strategic ways.
- A good inheritance requires responsibility and full obedience.
- If we do not remove sin completely, it can become a harmful influence over time.
- Receiving the inheritance of faith and land must be joined with spiritual discipline.
- Enjoying God’s blessings must not make us careless about His commands.
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“Come out from among them, and be separate…”
“…laying aside every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles us…”
“Therefore let not sin reign in your mortal body…”
🎯 The Lord gives a spiritual inheritance, yet obedience and separation from sin remain part of our responsibility.
“But the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer were not driven out by the Ephraimites…” – Joshua 16:10
“They became hired laborers…” – a sign of compromise with the command of God.
