Joshua 17:1-13
1 Now this was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war.
2 So the lot was made for the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families: for the sons of Abiezer, the sons of Helek, the sons of Asriel, the sons of Shechem, the sons of Hepher, and the sons of Shemida; these were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.
3 However, Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
4 They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the leaders, saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So in accordance with the command of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers.
5 So ten portions fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan,
6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.
7 The border of Manasseh ran from Asher to Michmethath which was east of Shechem; then the border went southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah.
8 The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the sons of Ephraim.
9 And the border went down to the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook (these cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh), and the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook, and it ended at the sea.
10 The south side belonged to Ephraim and the north side to Manasseh, and the sea was their border; and they reached to Asher on the north and to Issachar on the east.
11 In Issachar and in Asher, Manasseh had Beth-shean and its towns and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; the third is Napheth.
12 But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in this land.
13 And it came about when the sons of Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.
Territory of the Tribe of Joseph (2)
Manasseh’s allotment
The half-tribe of Manasseh already had a large area east of the Jordan River as their inheritance. The land west of Jordan River was given to the remaining half tribe, which was a northern area adjacent to the allotment of Ephraim. (1) The land was distributed to the clans of the tribe of Manasseh. (2) An individual named Zelophehad died without having sons but had five daughters. The daughters (Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, Tirzah) once went to Moses and requested land as an inheritance. They reasoned that the name of their father, Zelophehad, should not be withdrawn from his family just because he had no sons. Moses heard their case and promised them they would have a portion. Now, the daughters went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the chiefs, asking for the promise to be fulfilled. Their claim, of course, was based on them marrying within their own tribe, which was a condition for granting them an inheritance. (3) The border between Manasseh and Ephraim is unclear.
Cities unable to conquer
Here, too, is the list of cities they were unable to conquer. The tribes of Manasseh also allowed the Canaanites to continue living in their territory. Even after the Israelites became strong, they only used the Canaanites for hard work, rather than completely destroying them. This clearly was not in line with what the Lord had commanded through Moses. This resulted in the following problems: (1) There was a risk of the Israelites’ religion getting morphed into some sort of syncretistic religion. (2) There was a risk of Israelites getting themselves involved in idolatry and becoming apostates. (3) They would be unable to have the peace that Joshua promised due to continuing battles. This actually becomes the historical background of the book of Judges. We, as Christians, also must clarify our flag color—who we are—or we, too, will have to face many risks similar to those listed above. Let’s deepen our understanding of the words and seek faith to continue in obedience.
Today's prayer
God the Father of Jesus Christ, may my walk today vividly fly the banner of a Christian. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.