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CHAPTER 16:
Moving northward, the next two territories on the list are Ephraim and Manasseh. Even though Ephraim was the younger son of Joseph, his tribe is always mentioned before Manasseh because Jacob gave the first blessing to Ephraim. (Genesis 48:17-19) Ephraim’s southern boundary begins at Jericho, which it shares with the tribe of Benjamin, and extends westward to Beth-el. (v.1) Earlier in Genesis 28:19, Beth-el and Luz are referred to as the same place, but here there is a distinction made between the two locales. Ataroth-addar (v.5) and Ataroth (v.7) are two different cities. Hushai, the friend of King David (2 Samuel 15:32), is an Archite, which is the name of the original inhabitants of those cities. As is evident from that cross reference, the Archites are never completely eliminated from the land per God’s original instructions to Moses and Joshua. Janoah (v.7) is mentioned in 2 Kings 15:29 as one of the cities captured by Tiglath-pileser. Gezer was previously mentioned in Joshua 10:33 as already being conquered and its people wiped out as part of the southern campaign described in that chapter. Yet here in verse 10 it’s apparent that either all of Gezer’s inhabitants were not completely driven out or killed, or some escaped the original conquest and returned sometime later to rebuild the city. (Keep in mind the seven year span of the conquest of the promised land.) Gezer is mentioned in 1 Kings 9:16 as part of Pharaoh’s gift to Solomon’s wife. As with other passages in the conquest narrative, the author makes it a point to say that Israel failed to completely wipe out all the inhabitants of Canaan. Whether it was because of weariness from war or due to lack of faith is not clear from the text. Either way, they failed to follow through completely with God’s commandments in this regard and, just as God had predicted, this became a major weakness and a source of grievous sin for this generation’s descendants. CHAPTER 17: This passage details Manasseh’s borders, and verse 1 tells us that this tribe was renowned for their military prowess and might. That’s another reason that Moses granted them some of the land east of the Jordan River where Gilead and Bashan are located. Verses 2-6: Unlike the previous chapter, Manasseh’s clans are listed here by name, descended from the sons of Manasseh. (v.2) His firstborn, Machir, who was the father of Gilead, had a great grandson named Zelophehad who bore only daughters. These are the same daughters who came before Moses in Numbers 27 to dispute the laws of inheritance, and here in verse 3 they’re again listed by name, starting with the oldest. (Numbers 26:33) Later on, another dispute arose regarding the possibility of these daughters marrying into other tribes and thus causing their inheritance to leave the tribe of Manasseh. (Numbers 36:2-4) The final resolution for this matter was that the daughters were forbidden to marry outside of their tribe. Now they come before Eleazar and Joshua to receive their family’s portion of the land inheritance, and Joshua gladly grants it to them, “…according to the commandment of the Lord…”. (v.4) This made the total portions – or districts – of Manasseh’s land east of the Jordan ten instead of just five. (v.5-6) Verses 7-13: The land granted to West Manasseh is among the largest of all the tribes. (Refer back to the map in chapter 13.) Its eastern border is the Jordan River and the western border the Mediterranean Sea. (v.9) Along the southern border at Tappuah, Manasseh shares the land with Ephraim to whom belongs the city of Tappuah. (v.9) (Joshua 16:8) The town of Endor (v.11) is where King Saul will meet secretly with a witch (1 Samuel 28:7), and it’s also mentioned in Psalm 83:9-10 as the site where Israel will have victory over the Midianites. Once again, the author makes a footnote regarding the Canaanites that dwelled in the cities listed in verse 11. Israel fails to completely drive them out, but instead makes them slaves. This was not God’s command, and it will cause the Israelites much grief later on. (Judges 1:27-28) Verses 14-18: Both tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh complain to Joshua about the size of their land, saying that it’s too small for both their tribes! They don’t think it’s fair that they both receive only one lot together instead of one lot for each of them. (v.14) The reason for this complaint is that God has blessed their tribes with many offspring, and thus there isn’t enough land for all of their families to settle. Joshua’s answer is simple: clear out the highland forests that are currently inhabited by “…the Perizzites and of the giants…” (v.15) Notice the contrast between the great faith of Caleb (Joshua 14:12) and the utter lack of faith of the men of Ephraim and Manasseh! (v.16) These men took one look at the chariots of iron used by the Canaanites, and they trembled with fear instead of going forth boldly in faith, taking hold of the promise that God had given them at the start of this whole campaign! Joshua’s response is a stern rebuke for their doubt and lack of faith. (v.17-18) He again reminds them of the great number of warriors in their two tribes and that God is with them. “…Thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.” Sadly, however, verses 12 and 13 confirm that the men of Ephraim and Manasseh did not heed Joshua’s advice. They settled for the path of least resistance and instead made the Canaanites slaves. Their lack of faith and their disobedience will cause them – and all of Israel – much grief later on.
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Chapters 15-19 detail the distribution of the land for the tribes that settled west of the Jordan river. Chapter 15 deals with just the tribe of Judah. It begins by describing the borders of Judah’s land (v.1-12) and then proceeds with a lengthy list of all the cities conquered and settled within those borders (v.20-63). Once again, passages like this may seem redundant and tedious to readers today, but remember that 1) this is God’s word, and He chose every single word for a good reason; and 2) the Bible is a book of world history, specifically that of the Jews, God’s chosen people. In keeping with tradition of the ANE at this time period, records such as this chapter were important for posterity. Not only that, but some of the cities mentioned here are sites of major events for Israel later on in the time of the judges and then the kings.
Verses 1-12: The eastern border of Judah is the Dead Sea, a.k.a. the Salt Sea (v.4-5), and the western border is the Mediterranean Sea, a.k.a. the Great Sea. (v.12) The southern border starts at the Dead Sea, following the course of “…the river of Egypt…” (v.4) to the point where it empties into the Mediterranean. The northern border starts at the Mediterranean and follows an arc that connects to the Jordan River and then follows that south of Jerusalem and Jericho to the northern tip of the Dead Sea. (Refer back to the map in chapter 13.) The mention of the Jebusites and Jerusalem in verse 8 is important, as we will see later in verse 63. Verses 13-19: This passage details Caleb’s successful victories against the Anakim, starting with the conquering of the city of Hebron that was mentioned in chapter 14. Now, Caleb leads a campaign against the city of Kirjath-sepher, which is then renamed Debir. Caleb promises his daughter, Achsah, as wife to the man who will successfully conquer that city. (v.16) His nephew, Othniel, answers the call, and is victorious in battle. (v.17) Later, Achsah makes a specific request of her father for the upper and lower springs of fresh water that are adjacent to the land conquered by Othniel. (v.18-19) Caleb is more than willing to honor the request. The fact that Caleb, at 85, has a daughter who is still young and, presumably, has just reached marrying age, is also a testament to God’s blessing on Caleb because of his faithfulness and obedience. Like Abraham, Caleb and his wife were blessed with children in their old age, and this should be a source of inspiration and hope for older believers today. Nothing is impossible with God! Verses 20-32: This lengthy list of Judah’s cities are grouped according to the region of the land where they are located. The first section is the southern region (the Moody Bible commentary refers to each region as a “district”), and of the cities listed here, there are a few names that stand out. The first is Ziph (v.24) which is mentioned in 1 Samuel 23:14 as one of the hiding places where David flees during Saul’s manhunt for him. Later in that same chapter it’s revealed that the Ziphites betray David to Saul. Beer-sheba (v.28) is the same region that was once occupied by Abraham and Isaac. (Genesis 21:32-34, 26:23-25) Ziklag is also apportioned to Simeon (Joshua 19:5), but it’s clear from 1 Samuel 27:6-7 and 30:1 that it’s never fully conquered and settled by Israel. Verses 33-44: The second region is the western foothills. The cities of Eshtaol and Zoreah (v.33) are key sites in the story of Samson. (Judges 13:25, 16:31) Adullam (v.35) is another of David’s hiding places from Saul. (1 Samuel 22:1) Socoh and Azekah (v.35) are where David defeats Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:1) Lachish is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:19 and Jeremiah 34:7. Verses 45-47: The third region contains cities that border Philistia: Ekron, Ashdod, and Gaza. These locations figure prominently in the story of Samson (Judges 13-16) as well as the narrative of the theft of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines during Samuel’s reign as judge of Israel (1 Samuel 4-6). Ashdod is also home to the last of the giants of the Anakim. (Joshua 11:22) Another of the Philistines’ principal cities near this region is Gath, home to the giant Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:4) While these cities and lands are apportioned to Judah, the Philistines are never completely driven out and conquered by Israel. In fact, many Israelites intermarried with the inhabitants of Ashdod following their return from the Babylonian captivity. (Nehemiah 13:23) Verses 48-60: The fourth region is the hill country, which includes Debir, the city conquered by Othniel. As already noted in the previous chapter, Hebron was rewarded to Caleb, and it eventually becomes a city of refuge. It’s also where David establishes his royal house in the wake of Saul’s death and is anointed king of Israel. (2 Samuel 2:1, 4) Later, Absalom uses Hebron to stage his insurrection against David. (2 Samuel 15:7, 10) Maon, Carmel, and Jezreel are also key sites in the saga of King David’s reign. (1 Samuel 25) Kirjath-jearim is mentioned in Judges 18:12, and it’s also where the ark of the covenant remains for a time after it’s recaptured from the Philistines. (1 Samuel 6:21, 7:1-2) Verses 61-62: The last district is the desert region. En-gedi is yet another refuge site for David during his years of hiding from Saul. (1 Samuel 23:29) Verse 63: Although Jerusalem is in the region allotted to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:21, 28), that territory shares a border with Judah (Joshua 18:11). As already mentioned earlier in this chapter (v.8), the southern part of Jerusalem is located on Judah’s side of the border. That verse also mentions the Jebusites and now Joshua confirms that those people are never fully driven from their land. Not even in the era of the judges or the reign of King David are those native people completely wiped out. (Judges 1:8, 21, 2 Samuel 5:6, 24:18) The reason for this is not made clear in any of the texts, but given God’s command to both Moses and Joshua regarding His judgment against the Canaanites, the logical conclusion if that the Israelites failed to completely follow through on the Lord’s directive to wipe out all inhabitants of the promised land. This could also be a clue as to why the land purchased by King David for the site of the temple that Solomon eventually built is so revered and so fiercely contested even up to our present day. Araunah’s property that David bought is regarded as sacred by modern day Jews, Christians, and Muslims. This is the same site that contained the Mosque of Omar (a.k.a. the Dome of the Rock) in the medieval era, so it's very likely that the Jebusites are connected to the lineage of Muhammed, the founder of Islam, who was born in the 6th century.  CHAPTER 13:
Verses 1-6: Despite all of the victories in the military campaign thus far, there still remains for Israel much of the promised land left to conquer and subdue. (v.2-6) But Joshua is now old and close to the end of his life. (v.1) God promises him that He will drive out of the remaining land Israel’s enemies, but Joshua’s only responsibility now is to properly divide the land Israel has conquered thus far among the twelve tribes as originally instructed by God to Moses. (v.6) (Refer to the map above, courtesy of the Thomas Nelson KJV Study Bible.) Verses 7-14: This is a summary of the land east of the Jordan river that Moses granted to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. (Numbers 32:33, Deuteronomy 3:12-13) However, the Israelites failed to completely drive out the Geshurites and the Maachathites, as noted in verse 13. There’s also a reminder in verse 14 that the Levites are excluded from any land allotments and inheritance because of God’s decree to Moses that their service in the tabernacle is their unique privilege and inheritance from the LORD. (Numbers 18:20, 23-24, Deuteronomy 18:1) Verses 15 – 33: Now the author of Joshua goes into detail regarding the land given to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. This may seem tedious to modern readers, but remember that the point of the book of Joshua is the conquering and settling of the promised land by Israel. As such, passages like this one are designed to be an official record for future generations. Remember also that this was a custom for the people of this time living in the ANE, so while it may seem repetitive and somewhat dull to us today to read what has already been recorded in earlier books, it’s written here for good reasons. CHAPTER 14: This chapter is divided into two parts: a summary of the division of the newly conquered promised land among the rest of the tribes on the western side of the Jordan River (v.1-5); and the special request by Caleb for the land of Hebron (v.6-15). Verses 1-5: The author gives a summary of the division of all the land west of the Jordan among the remaining nine and a half tribes. He confirms that Israel divides up the land according to lot, “…as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses…”. (v.2) The same phrase is repeated in verse 5, affirming Israel’s obedience to all that Moses had instructed them, according to the word of the Lord. There’s also yet another reminder in verse 3 that the Levites have no land inheritance, and this is partly because of the two tribes that came out of the lineage of Joseph. (v.4) Only twelve tribes divided up the land, although there are technically thirteen tribes because of Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, hence the additional explanation for the reader in verses 3-4. The Levites have no land inheritance because God had set apart their men for the priesthood and full time service in the tabernacle as their inheritance. Instead, that tribe would be given specific cities and pastures for their dwelling and habitation as they served in the tabernacle. (v.4) (Numbers 35:2) Verses 6-15: Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, a Kenezite, (v.6) now appears on the page for the first time in the book of Joshua. Caleb’s heritage was first mentioned in Numbers 32:12, and the name “Kenizzite” first appears in Genesis 15:19 where God lists the foreign nations and peoples that are currently occupying the promised land which He will give to the descendants of Abraham. That means that Caleb is not a direct descendant of the twelve sons of Jacob, but because he is listed as a member of the tribe of Judah (Numbers 13:6) when Moses is naming and commissioning the twelve spies, we can logically infer that Caleb’s father or grandfather must have been absorbed into Israel at some point after the exodus from Egypt; or possibly even his great grandfather, at some point during the four hundred and thirty years of Israel’s slavery. There is continual mention throughout Exodus and Leviticus of the strangers that are not Israelites, many of whom came with them out of Egypt. It appears that Caleb and his ancestry fall into that category. Caleb comes to Joshua with a special request. He reminds Joshua of God’s promise to the two of them because of their faithfulness in the aftermath of the scouting mission that doomed all of Israel to wander for another thirty-eight years in the wilderness. All of that first generation, except for Caleb and Joshua, died because of their disobedience to God and their unfaithfulness. (v.8) But “…because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God…” (v.9), Caleb was promised by Moses a portion of the promised land. In verse 7 Caleb states that he was forty years old when he was selected by Moses as one of the twelve spies. In verse 10, Caleb is now eighty-five years old, which means the conquest of the promised land took seven years. (Thirty-eight years total of wandering in the wilderness following the mission of the twelve spies.) Caleb affirms to Joshua that “…I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me…”. (v.11) He goes on to say that he is even ready for war today, just as he was forty-five years ago! The phrase “… to go out, and to come in…” means that he had returned from all his battles unharmed. It’s hard for us today to imagine an eighty-five year old man as healthy, fit and robust enough to lead an army into battle, but this is clearly the case as we will see in the coming verses. It also helps to keep in mind that this period in history was a much different time than our modern era today. Even with so many generations now come and gone since the global flood of Noah’s day, men and women still lived to be well over a hundred years old, primarily by the grace of God. It’s even one of His promises for all those that honor and obey their parents. (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Ephesians 6:1-3) So it shouldn’t be that surprising that both Caleb and Joshua were still mighty men of war even though they were both pushing ninety! Caleb’s request is for the land containing the city of Hebron (v.14) that is still currently occupied by the Anakim. (v.12) (Numbers 13:28, 33) (Refer back to the map at the top of this post.) Caleb’s faith is just as great as it was forty-five years earlier. He has no doubt that God is with him, and He will give Caleb and the army of Israel victory over the heathen giants that currently occupy that city. This is confirmed in verses 14-15. Hebron was originally named Kirjath-Arba after one of the giants that lived there. (v.15) Following Caleb’s victorious conquest of that city “…the land had rest from war.” Caleb’s faith and patience should be an example for all believers today. Sometimes we must wait several years – or even decades – for God’s promises in our lives to be fulfilled, and that is often a test or trial in and of itself. Our timing is rarely God’s timing, and we should never try to rush ahead nor lag behind. Instead, as we see with Caleb in this passage, we are to simply go where the LORD leads us, serving him faithfully and consistently each day wherever He has placed us until such time as He deems fit to fulfill His ultimate plan for our life. Waiting on God and His timing will always be worth the years of pain, struggle, and – often – tears! There is always joy in the morning, and God always rewards the faithfulness of His children, and always more bountifully than we could have imagined! |
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