The Book of Joshua
Joshua 16
Chapter XVI · Vol. I, p. 564
1 The general borders of the sons of Joseph. 5 The border of the inheritance of Ephraim. 10 The Canaanites not conquered, but become tributaries.
1 And the lot of the children of Joseph afell from Jordan by bJericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the cwilderness that goeth up from Jericho, throughout mount Beth-el,
2 And goeth out from dBeth-el to Luz,1 and passeth along unto the borders of eArchi to fAtaroth,
d Ge.28.19; 12.8. Ju.1.26. ch.4.9; 7.2.
1 It would seem that Bethel and Luz were originally distinct, though very close to each other. Eventually their suburbs met, the separate villages became one town, and the Canaanitish name Luz was superseded by the more distinguished Hebrew Bethel.—P.
e 2 Sa.16.16. 1 Ch.27.33.
f Not that Nu.32.3.
3 And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of gBeth-horon the nether,2 and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the hsea.3
g 1 Ki.9.16,17. ch.10.10; 18.13. 2 Ch.8.5.
2 There were two Bethhorons; one, the upper situated on a projecting brow of the mountain range, commanding a splendid view of the western plain; the other at the foot of a steep and difficult pass about three miles westward.—P.
h Nu.34.5,6. ch.15.11,12. The Mediterranean Sea on the west.
3 This describes the southern boundary of the common inheritance of the two tribes.—C.
4 Soi the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
i ch.17.14. 1 Ch.7.28,29. Ge.41.50-52; 46.20; 48.5,20; 49.22-26. De.33.13-17.
5 And the border of the children of Ephraim, according to their families, was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was kAtaroth-adar, unto Beth-horon the upper;
k ch.18.13; 10.10; ver.2,3.
6 And the border went out toward lthe sea to Michmethah on the north side; mand the border went about eastward unto nTaanath-shiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;
7 And it went down from Janohah to oAtaroth, and to pNaarath, and came to qJericho, and went out at Jordan.
8 The border went out from rTappuah westward unto the sriver Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the tsea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.
Notes
[Ver. 5. The border of the children of Ephraim. This is confessedly one of the greatest geographical difficulties in the whole Bible: and our attempt at solution is offered with much diffidence. The commencing point is Ataroth-adar, which, as we learn from ch. 18. 13, was near to Nether Beth-horon, which was not far west of Jerusalem. Following the translation of Boothroyd—'The boundary of their inheritance went on the east side of Ataroth-adar, to Upper Beth-horon;' from which point the boundary, passing on the north side of Michmethah—which town we conceive to be situate in the southern and not in the northern border, according to the maps—extends westward to the Mediterranean. From the same point at Ataroth-adar, the boundary line eastward passes by Taanath-shiloh, turning a little way south, so as to leave it on the east, and reaching Janohah, resumes its easterly course by Ataroth, Naarath, Jericho, to Jordan. Then, omitting the eastern boundary, the Jordan, the line commences at Tappuah in the north, and passing on westward to Kanah, thence makes its way to the sea. C.]