BIBLE STUDY LESSON 16
CLAIM YOUR LAND
THE BOUNDARIES OF JOSEPH’S LAND
From Joshua 16:1-4
The boundaries of Joseph’s land, that is the land which the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh inherited, went from the Jordan River near Jericho through the wilderness country to Bethel in the hill country. From there it went on to Luz, Ataroth, land of the Archites, down to the land of the Japhletites to Lower Beth-horon, through Gezer and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.
EPHRAIM’S LAND
From Joshua 16:5-10
The boundaries of Ephraim’s inheritance were as follows: From Ataroth-addar westward to Upper Beth-horon and out to the Mediterranean Sea. From the sea eastward past Micmethath, Taanath-shiloh and Janoah, past Ataroth to Naarah, past Jericho and on to the Jordan River. From Tappuah westward along the Kanah River and then to the Mediterranean Sea. This was the land assigned to the tribe of Ephraim and its families. The people of Ephraim also received some of the cities which lay within the boundaries of Manasseh’s land. Ephraim never did drive out the Canaanites who lived at Gezer, so they still live there at the time this is written. However, these Canaanites were slaves to the people of Ephraim.
MANASSEH’S LAND
From Joshua 17:1-18
The land assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn son, was as follows: The land of Gilead and Bashan, on the east side of the Jordan River, had already been given to Machir, Manasseh’s oldest son and the father of Gilead, for he was a great warrior. The other male descendants of Manasseh received land on the west side of the Jordan River. This land included the families of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida and Hepher.
There was a member of the family named Zelophehad, who was the son of Hepher, grandson of Gilead, great-grandson of Machir, and great-great grandson of Manasseh. He had no sons but had five daughters; Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. These five met with Joshua, Eleazar the priest and the leaders of Israel to settle their inheritance. “The Lord commanded Moses to give an inheritance of land to women the same as to men,” they said. Thus these five women received their inheritance along with their relatives, as the Lord had commanded. Manasseh’s land on the west side of the Jordan was ten parcels, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan already given on the east side of the Jordan. The boundaries of Manasseh’s land were described this way: From the land of Asher to Michmethath, east of Shechem. From Michmethath to the Spring of Tappuah. The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the village of Tappuah on the border belonged to Ephraim. From there to the brook of Kanah, where it followed the brook to the Mediterranean Sea. The border followed the north side of the brook, but some of the cities south of there belonged to Ephraim, even though they were in the territory assigned to Manasseh. The land south of the brook belonged to Ephraim. The land north of the brook belonged to Manasseh. Their western boundary was the Mediterranean Sea. Manasseh’s territory went to Asher on the north and Issachar on the east. The following cities and their surrounding villages were given to Manasseh, even though they were located in the lands of Issachar and Asher; Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor, Endor, Taanach, Megiddo. The people of Manasseh’s tribe were not able to drive out the Canaanites who lived among them, although later the Canaanites were forced to work for the people of Israel. The people of Ephraim and Manasseh approached Joshua to talk about their share of the land. “We have many, many people in our tribes,” they said. “Why must we have such a small territory, equal to one tribe’s share?” “If you have so many people, then go up to the forest land occupied by the Perizzites and Rephaim,” Joshua answered. “You may occupy that land, too.” “That’s all right, but we need more land than that,” they told Joshua. “The Canaanites in the Valley of Jezreel, Beth-shean, and the surrounding towns are too strong for us with their chariots of iron, so what can we do there?” “You may have both lands,” said Joshua. “You have many people, so you can clear the forest lands and you can also drive out the Canaanites, even though they are strong and fight with chariots of iron.”
COMMENTARY
POTTERY IN CANAAN
While organized resistance to Israel had been crushed, there were still regions where the Canaanites lived. When one tribe complained about the size of their land allotment, Joshua had a simple answer. They could drive out the enemy still living in their territory! God had given them the land, but they must claim their inheritance by conquest. Besides making their own pottery, the Canaanites imported ware from cities across the Mediterranean. Many jugs and bottles first came to Canaan as containers for things brought from other countries. But foreign pottery itself became so popular that merchants began to import it alone. One of the most common vessels was the bilbil, from Cyprus. The name of this oddly shaped jug probably came from the gurgle of water as it flowed from the fat base down through the narrow neck. More delicate and artistic vessels came from Mycenae, in southern Greece. Small red jugs decorated with bands of black paint came from the Phoenicians along the coast. In the south the Philistines made a finer version of the handmade jugs from the island of Cyprus. The imports were expensive and local potters fashioned cheap, crude imitations of the more sophisticated styles. The Israelites adapted all these styles for their own use, combining the different traditions into new designs of their own.
TEST YOURSELF
1.) The five daughters of Zelophehad asked the leaders of Israel for?
A.) The right to marry foreigners
B.) Land to inherit
2.) The people of Ephraim and Manasseh complained because?
A.) Their land was too dry
B.) There was not enough land for their people
3.) Joshua told the people of Ephraim and Manasseh to?
A.) Pray for guidance
B.) Conquer the land themselves
C.) Get some other tribes to help them drive the enemy out
4.) One reason the Canaanites were so hard to defeat in battle was?
A.) They had better weapons
B.) They had chariots
C.) Both these answers are correct |
