Joshua 17

THere was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh, (for he was the first born of Joseph The sense is, though Ephraim was to be more potent and numerous, yet Manasseh was the First-born, and had the priviledg of the First-born, which was translated to Ioseph, to wit, a double portion; and therefore though this were but half the Tribe of Manasseh, yet they are not made Inmates to Ephraim, but have a distinct Lot of their own as their Brethren, or other half Tribe had beyond Iordan.) to wit, for Machir The only Son of Manasseh, who therefore is here, and... udg. 5. 14. put for the whole Tribe., the first-born So even only Sons are sometimes called, as Mat. 1. 25. See Exod. 4. 22. of Manasseh, the father of Gilead Or, and the Father, or who was also the Father of Gilead; not of the Land of Gilead, but of the man Gilead, who was Machir's Son, Numb. 26. 29.: because he was a man of war He, i. e. Machir, had given great proof of his Valour in his Generation, (though the particular History be not mentioned) and his Posterity were no degenerate Sons, but had his valiant Blood still running in their Veins., therefore he had Gilead and Bashan i. e. Part of those Countreys; for part of them also was given to the Reubenites, and part to the Gadites, as appears from Ios. 13. 30, 31. This may be added as a reason, either 1. Why he got those places from the Amorites: or 2. Why they were allotted to him or his Posterity, because this was a Frontier Country, and the Out-works to the Land of Canaan, and therefore required such valiant persons to defend it..

There was also a lot Or, a Portion, or distinct Inheritance. for the rest of the children of Manasseh To wit, those of them which had not received their Possessions beyond Iordan, Numb. 26. 30, &c. by their families: for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Afriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the malechildren This expression is used to bring in what follows, concerning his Female Children. of Manasseh the Son of Joseph by their families.

But Zelophehad the son of Hephir, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but daughters Of whom see on Numb. 26. 33. and 27. 1.: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

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 i. e. Eleazar, or Ioshua, with the consent of the Princes appointed for that work. gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.

And there fell ten portions Either 1. Six portions for the six Sons, whereof one was Hepher; and because he had no Sons, his part was subdivided into five equal parts, for each of the Daughters: Or, 2. Ten Portions, five for the Sons, and five for the Daughters; for as for Hepher, both he and his Son Zelophehad was dead, and that without Sons, and therefore he had no Portion; but his Daughters had several Portions allotted to them. to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead, and Bashan, which were on the other side Jordan:

Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons i. e. No less than the Sons, so their Sex was no bar to their Inheritance.: and the rest of Manassehs sons had the land of Gilead.

¶ 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.

Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but the city of Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.

And the coast descended unto the river Kanah southward of the river: these cities of Ephraim Tappuah, and the cities upon the Coast descending to the River, &c. last mentioned. are among the cities of Manasseh i. e. Are intermixed with their Cities, which was not strange nor unfit, these two being linked together by a nearer Alliance than the rest., the coast of Manasseh also was on the north-side of the river, and the out-goings of it were at the sea.

Southward it was Ephraims, and northward it was Manassehs, and the sea is his border Either 1. Manasseh's, whose portion is here described, and whose Name was last mentioned. Or 2. Ephraim's and Manasseh's both expressed in the foregoing words, and implyed in the following, they., and they met together in Asher i. e. Upon the Tribe of Asher; for though Zabulon came between Asher and them for the greatest part of their Land; yet it seems there were some Necks or Parcels of Land, both of Ephraim's and of Manasseh's, which jutted out farther than the rest, and touched the borders of Asher. And it is certain there were many such incursions of the Land of one Tribe upon some parcels of another, although they were otherwise considerably distant one from the other. See Ios. 19. 34. And you must not judg of these things by the present Maps, which are drawn according to the Opinions of late Authors, which many times are false; and they are to be judged by the Scripture, and not the Scripture by them: But, that part of Manasseh did reach to Asher, appears from hence, that Dor, a City of Manasseh, v. 11. was, as Iosephus witnesseth, near Carmel, which belonged to Asher, Jos. 19. 26. on the north s, and in Issachar on the east.

And Manasseh had in Issachar, and in Asher Either 1. Bordering upon them, as in Asher is taken v. 10. and as Aarons Rod is said to be in the Ark, i. e. close by it, Heb. 9. 4. or 2. Properly in them, as Ephraim had some Cities in the Tribe of Manasseh, Jos. 16. 9. and as it was not unusual, when the place allotted to any Tribe was too narrow for it, and the next too large, to give away part from the larger to the less portion; nay sometimes o... e whole Tribe was taken into another; as Simeon was into Iudah's Portion, when it was found too large for Iudah, Jos. 19. 9., Beth-shean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor Not the places only, but the people; whom, contrary to Gods Command, they spared and used for Servants, whom therefore they are said to have or possess. and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countreys This may be referred either to some, to wit, the three last places, or to all the places named in this verse, which are here said, either to have three Countreys or Tracts of Land belonging to them, or to be in three several Countreys or Portions, as they seem to have been, some in Issachar, and some in Asher, and yet both belonging to Manasseh. Or, the words may be rendred, the third part of that Countrey; for the Hebrew word is of the Singular Number, and the Article seems emphatical; and so the meaning may be, That the Cities and Towns here mentioned are a third part of that Country, i. e. of that part of Issachars and Ashers Portion, in which those places lay.

Yet the children of Manasseh could not y drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites would dwell Were resolved to Fight, rather than he turned out of their ancient habitations. in that land. q See on Ios. 15. 63.

Yet it 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 Which they were obliged to, now they were strong and numerous enough to possess those places..

And the children of Joseph i. e. Of Ephraim and Manasseh, as is manifest, partly from v. 17. where it is so explained; and partly, because they mention it as an unreasonable thing, that they being two, should have but one Lot. spake unto Joshua i. e. Expostulated with him, when they went and saw that Portion which was allotted to them, and found it much short of their expectation., saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot, and one portion Either 1. Because they really had but one Lot, which afterwards was divided by the Arbitrators between them. Or 2. Because the Land severally allotted to them, was no more than was little enough for one of them. to inherit, seeing I am a great Or, numerous, for so the Hebrew word oft signifies. people, forasmuch as the LORD has blessed me hitherto?

And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people He reports their own Argument; Seeing thou art a great and numerous People, turn thy Complaints into Actions and valiant Exploits, and enlarge thy Borders by thy own hand to which thou maist confidently expect Gods assistance., then get thee up to the woodcountrey To the Mountain, as it is called v. 17. where among some Towns there is much Wood-land, which thou maist without much difficulty possess, and so get the more room., and cut down Either the Wood, v. 18. for thy own advantage and use; partly in building more Cities and Towns; and partly in preparing the Land for the use of Pasture and Tillage. for thy self there in the land of the Perizzites Supposed to be a savage and brutish kind of people, that lived in Woods and Mountains., and of the giants Who lived in Caves and Mountains, now especially when they were driven out of their Cities., if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee Or, seeing Mount Ephraim is too narrow for thee, as thou complainest; take to thy self the rest of that Hilly and Wood Countrey. Mount Ephraim was a particular and eminent Portion of the Land, belonging to the Tribe of Ephraim, as appears from Iosh. 19. 50. and 20. 7. and 21. 21. Iudg. 4. 5. And this seems to be here mentioned Synecdochically, for all the Portion allotted to Ephraim and Manasseh, as appears from their complaint, which was not, that this part, but that their whole Portion was too strait for them..

And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us If we should Invade and Conquer it, and cut down both Wood and Men, yet it would not be sufficient for us. Heb. The Hill will not be found, i. e. obtained by us; those fierce and strong people the Perizzites and the Giants will easily defend themselves, and frustrate our attempts, having the advantage of the Woods and Mountains.: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley i. e. And if thou sayest, as we know thou wilt reply, That if the Hill either cannot be Conquered, or be not sufficient for us, we may go down and take the more Land out of the pleasant and fruitful Valleys, we shall meet with no less difficulty there than in the Mountains. Or thus, in going to the Hills to which thou directest us, we must pass through Valleys; where we shall be way-laid by powerful and armed Enemies., have charets of iron Not all made of Iron, but armed with Iron, not only for Defence, but for Offence also, having as it were Sithes and Swords fastned to them, to cut down all that stood in their way., both they who are of Beth-shean, and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezzeel Which was either in the Tribe of Issachar, or upon the Borders of it, Ios. 19. 18..

And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim, and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only Thou needest and deservest more than that Lot, of which thou art actually possessed, and thou hast Power to get more; which if thou endeavourest to do, God will bless thee, and give thee more..

But the mountain shall be thine: for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it Either 1, The Productions or Fruits of that Land, when it is cleared from the Wood, and purged: or rather 2. The Valleys and Fields belonging or adjoining to it, for there the Canaanites were, v. 16. shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron charets, and though they be strong.