Joshua 17:14 kjv
And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?
Joshua 17:14 nkjv
Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the LORD has blessed us until now?"
Joshua 17:14 niv
The people of Joseph said to Joshua, "Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the LORD has blessed us abundantly."
Joshua 17:14 esv
Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the LORD has blessed me?"
Joshua 17:14 nlt
The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, "Why have you given us only one portion of land as our homeland when the LORD has blessed us with so many people?"
Joshua 17 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jos 17:15 | Joshua said to them, "If you are a numerous people... go up to the forest..." | Joshua's challenge to their complaint. |
| Jos 17:16 | The people of Joseph said, "The mountain is not enough for us... iron chariots." | Josephites' lack of faith/resolve. |
| Jos 17:17-18 | Joshua replied... "You are a numerous people... clear it out... drive out..." | Encouragement for effort and faith. |
| Gen 48:19 | "...Ephraim, his younger brother, will become a multitude of nations." | God's promise of numerous descendants. |
| Gen 49:22 | "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring..." | Prophetic blessing of fruitfulness. |
| Num 26:34, 37 | "These are the families of Ephraim... thirty-two thousand five hundred... Manasseh." | Census showing large tribal numbers. |
| Num 32:1-5 | Reuben and Gad had a very great number of livestock and asked for land... | Similar request for land due to possessions. |
| Deut 7:13-14 | "...He will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground..." | God's promised blessing of fruitfulness. |
| Psa 78:17-19 | Yet they sinned still more against Him by rebelling in the desert... | General theme of grumbling against God. |
| Psa 106:13-14 | They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel. | Forgetting God's past provision/blessings. |
| Exod 16:2-3 | "...The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses..." | Complaining about provisions. |
| Num 14:1-4 | "...All the congregation lifted up their voice and cried... murmured." | Complaining after seeing the giants. |
| Deut 1:26-28 | "Yet you were unwilling to go up, but rebelled against the command..." | Rebellion and lack of trust in possessing land. |
| Php 2:14 | "Do all things without grumbling or disputing..." | New Testament principle of avoiding complaints. |
| Heb 3:17-19 | "And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell..." | Disbelief and grumbling prevent entering rest. |
| Mt 6:33 | "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added..." | Trust in God's provision for needs. |
| Lk 12:15 | "...Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist..." | Warning against covetousness/dissatisfaction. |
| Isa 54:2-3 | "Enlarge the place of your tent; stretch out the curtains... for you will spread abroad." | Prophecy of God expanding His people. |
| Prov 13:4 | "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is richly supplied." | Wisdom on effort versus desire. |
| Deut 8:17-18 | "Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.'" | Attributing success to self, not God's blessing. |
| 1 Cor 10:10 | "Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer." | Warning against grumbling in Christian life. |
| 1 Tim 6:6-8 | "But godliness with contentment is great gain... if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." | Principle of contentment. |
Joshua 17 verses
Joshua 17 14 Meaning
Joshua 17:14 records a complaint from the descendants of Joseph (the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh) to Joshua. They argue that despite their significant numbers, a direct result of God's blessings, they have been allotted insufficient territory. Their core assertion is that their existing portion is too small for their numerous population, prompting them to demand additional land beyond what was designated by lot.
Joshua 17 14 Context
Joshua chapter 17 details the allocation of territory to the tribe of Manasseh, one of the two half-tribes descended from Joseph. The overall context of the Book of Joshua is the conquest and division of the Promised Land among the twelve tribes of Israel after crossing the Jordan River. While lots determined the primary allocations, specific boundaries were drawn and further subdivisions made. The Josephite tribes (Ephraim and Manasseh combined) had already received a substantial, centrally located territory (Joshua 16 for Ephraim, and Joshua 17 for Manasseh). This verse marks a moment of direct complaint and perceived injustice from these prominent tribes to Joshua himself, stemming from their view that their inheritance, specifically the forested mountainous region, was not easily accessible or sufficient for their large and growing population, which had been blessed by God. They also seemed reluctant to undertake the difficult task of clearing the existing forest and expelling the strong Canaanite presence within their assigned region, preferring a ready-made solution or an easier allotment.
Joshua 17 14 Word analysis
- The children of Joseph: This collective term refers to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph's two sons, who inherited land as distinct tribal units, but often acted in concert due to their shared patriarchal lineage. They represent a significant and powerful segment of the Israelite population.
- spoke to Joshua: The complaint is directly addressed to the leader responsible for the land distribution. This indicates a perceived problem with the division itself or its practical implications, rather than a direct lament to God. It highlights the human element of their grievance.
- saying, "Why have you given us but one lot and one portion to inherit...?": The word "lot" (גּוֹרָל, goral) refers to the method of divination used for dividing the land, indicating divine determination. "Portion" (חֶבֶל, hevel, literally "cord" or "line," referring to a measured portion) signifies the allocated share. Their complaint is not that they didn't receive an inheritance, but that their specific allocation felt constrained, despite it being a divine allotment. The phrase "one lot and one portion" reflects their perception of an undivided single territory, even if subdivided between Ephraim and Manasseh, and a desire for more or different territory.
- when we are a numerous people: Hebrew: עַם רָב (
am rav). This phrase, meaning "a great people" or "numerous people," is key to their argument. They present their large population as a factual basis for their claim, suggesting a practical inability to thrive within the allotted space. This demographic reality was also a fulfillment of God's covenant blessings (e.g., Gen 48:19). - since the LORD has blessed us hitherto?: Hebrew: יְהוָה בֵּרֲכָנוּ עַד-כֹּה (
YHWH berakhanu ad-koh). This acknowledgment of God's blessing, used as an argument for more land, is deeply significant. They cite divine favor (in increasing their numbers) as justification for demanding a greater physical inheritance from Joshua. Paradoxically, this implies that God's blessing alone (increased population) was insufficient if it didn't come with a corresponding increase in easily accessible, fully cleared land, revealing a subtle mistrust in God's continued provision or their own capacity to appropriate the blessing given. They focus on the extent of the blessing rather than the responsibility that came with it.
Joshua 17 14 Bonus section
- The Josephite complaint highlights a common tension between God's generous provision and humanity's perception of sufficiency, often tinged with impatience or a desire for convenience over overcoming challenges.
- This specific instance foreshadows a recurring problem in the book of Judges: the tribes' failure to fully dispossess the inhabitants of the land, leading to ongoing conflicts and spiritual compromise. Their initial complaint here reflects that hesitancy to exert the necessary effort.
- The very "numerousness" of the Josephites, a fulfillment of Jacob's blessing and God's promise to Abraham, was intended to empower them for conquest, not to be an excuse for passivity or dissatisfaction with their divinely assigned share. They were blessed with numbers precisely to undertake the tasks set before them.
Joshua 17 14 Commentary
Joshua 17:14 unveils a moment of human dissatisfaction within a divinely guided process. Despite God's explicit command and direct blessing in multiplying them, the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh express a complaint of perceived scarcity. Their argument, "we are a numerous people, since the LORD has blessed us hitherto," turns God's favor into a basis for grumbling, effectively asking "since God has done so much, why is it not more evident in a readily consumable portion?" This complaint highlights a common human tendency to perceive limits even within vast blessings and to seek ease over effort. Rather than recognizing the challenges (like clearing forested land or confronting remaining Canaanites) as opportunities to act in faith and demonstrate diligence in possessing what God had already promised and allotted, they resorted to an appeal for more. This episode subtly exposes a shift in mindset from absolute dependence during the wilderness wanderings to a developing, but incomplete, understanding of their responsibility in fully inheriting the land by proactive effort, underscoring that divine promises often require human action and perseverance to be fully realized.