Old Testament · History

Joshua 16

Ephraim's Land

Joseph's descendants receive their inheritance. But they don't drive out all the Canaanites — a compromise that will cost them later.

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV

1The allotment for the descendants of Joseph extended from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east, through the wilderness that goes up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel.

2It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz) and proceeded to the border of the Archites in Ataroth.

3Then it descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea.

4So Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, received their inheritance.

5This was the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans:

6and out toward the Sea. From Michmethath on the north it turned eastward toward Taanath-shiloh and passed by it to Janoah on the east.

7From Janoah it went down to Ataroth and Naarah, and then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.

8From Tappuah the border went westward to the Brook of Kanah and ended at the Sea.

9along with all the cities and villages set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the inheritance of Manasseh.

10But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers.

Understand This

Joshua 16, explained

What Joshua 16 is saying

The allotment for the tribe of Ephraim, Joseph's son, is described with its boundaries in the central hill country. The chapter notes that Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer but instead subjected them to forced labor.

The background behind it

Ephraim occupied the fertile central highlands, a strategically important region. Gezer, an important Canaanite city on the coastal plain, would not be fully Israelite until Solomon received it as a dowry from Pharaoh (1 Kings 9:16).

Themes running underneath

The Gezer note continues the pattern of incomplete conquest. Choosing forced labor over obedience to the cherem represents compromise—extracting economic benefit from the very nations God commanded them to dispossess. This pragmatic disobedience will have escalating consequences through Judges.

Why it still matters

The temptation to profit from what God told you to remove is a subtle and dangerous form of disobedience. Partial obedience often looks like wisdom but produces bondage.

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Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.