Joshua 17:8 kjv
Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim;
Joshua 17:8 nkjv
Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.
Joshua 17:8 niv
(Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.)
Joshua 17:8 esv
The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah on the boundary of Manasseh belonged to the people of Ephraim.
Joshua 17:8 nlt
The land surrounding Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah itself, on the border of Manasseh's territory, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.
Joshua 17 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 15:18-21 | "On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates..." | Covenant promise of land boundaries. |
| Num 26:28-34 | "The sons of Joseph according to their clans: Manasseh and Ephraim... These are the clans of Manasseh..." | Ancestral claim, initial family context. |
| Num 34:1-12 | "The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land with its boundaries..." | Detailed land boundaries for the whole nation. |
| Deut 19:14 | "You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set..." | Importance of established boundaries. |
| Jos 13:1 | "Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.”" | Remaining conquest, partial fulfillment. |
| Jos 16:5-8 | "The territory of the people of Ephraim by their clans was as follows... its boundary went up from Tappuah westward..." | Ephraim's parallel border, Tappuah marker. |
| Jos 17:7 | "The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to Michmethath which is east of Shechem..." | Manasseh's border context, starting point. |
| Jos 17:9 | "...and then the boundary goes down to the brook Kanah, south of the brook. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh..." | Further clarification of Ephraimite enclaves. |
| Jos 17:10 | "...and they bordered Ephraim on the south, and Manasseh on the north; and their territory touched Asher on the north and Issachar on the east." | Shared borders and tribal contiguity. |
| Jos 17:11-13 | "Also in Issachar and in Asher, Manasseh had Beth-shean and its villages... Yet the people of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities..." | Unpossessed cities within tribal lots. |
| Jos 18:11 | "Then the lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin came up according to their clans. And the territory allotted to them lay between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph." | Example of land allocated by lot. |
| Jos 19:1 | "The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the people of Simeon according to their clans, and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the people of Judah." | Tribe's inheritance within another's. |
| Jdg 1:27-28 | "Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages... When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor..." | Incomplete conquest of inherited land. |
| 1 Ki 4:8 | "Geber the son of Uri, in Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan; and there was one officer in the land." | Mentions district boundaries in Israel's kingdom. |
| Isa 5:8 | "Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room..." | Warning against violating property/land. |
| Ezek 47:13-23 | "Thus says the Lord GOD: These are the boundaries by which you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel." | Future idealized land division. |
| Joel 3:2 | "I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat... for My people Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and divided up My land." | Lament over division of God's land. |
| Acts 7:5 | "Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him..." | God's land promise, a later summary. |
| Eph 1:11 | "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will..." | Spiritual inheritance in Christ. |
| Col 1:12 | "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." | Saints' spiritual inheritance. |
| Rev 21:10-12 | "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God... having a great, high wall, with twelve gates..." | Ultimate fulfillment of divine order/boundaries. |
Joshua 17 verses
Joshua 17 8 Meaning
Joshua 17:8 details a specific portion of the tribal boundary between the half-tribe of Manasseh and Ephraim. It precisely delineates that the region originating from Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but paradoxically, the city of Tappuah itself was allotted to the sons of Ephraim. The verse further describes this border's continuation westward from Tappuah down to the Brook Kanah and extending to the Mediterranean Sea, indicating these features as the defined boundaries for Manasseh's territory, while also implying specific cities within that border belonged to Ephraim.
Joshua 17 8 Context
Joshua 17 is part of the larger section in the Book of Joshua (chapters 13-21) dedicated to the division and allocation of the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel. Specifically, chapter 17 focuses on the inheritance granted to the half-tribe of Manasseh, both to the east (already described in Joshua 13:29-31) and to the west of the Jordan River. Verse 8 forms a critical part of the detailed description of Manasseh's western border. This historical period reflects the Israelites' transition from nomadic conquest to settled community, with land ownership being central to their identity and God's covenant fulfillment. The meticulous demarcation of borders was crucial for preventing inter-tribal disputes and establishing the identity and security of each clan and tribe within God's divinely appointed territory. The mention of cities within one tribe's territory belonging to another (as seen with Tappuah for Ephraim within Manasseh) highlights the complex practicalities of land distribution, often influenced by existing Canaanite enclaves or previous conquest realities, which occasionally led to future challenges or shared jurisdictions among the tribes.
Joshua 17 8 Word analysis
- From Tappuah: (מִתַּפּוּחַ, mittappuach) - Tappuah refers to a geographical location, a significant landmark in the central hill country. This marks the starting point for describing this segment of Manasseh's boundary. Its mention implies an area extending from this point.
- the land of Tappuah: This phrase indicates the region or surrounding district associated with the city Tappuah, not just the city itself. This clarifies that while the region belonged to Manasseh, the urban center was separate in its tribal assignment.
- belonged to the tribe of Manasseh: (לְמַטֵּה מְנַשֶּׁה הָיָה, l'mattei M'nasheh hayah) - Explicitly states the proprietary right of Manasseh over the defined area. This is a divine allotment.
- but Tappuah itself: (וְהַתַּפּוּחַ, v'hattauach) - The definite article "the" singles out the city proper, contrasting it with "the land of Tappuah." This introduces the critical exception or specific condition for the city.
- belonged to the sons of Ephraim: (הָיְתָה לִבְנֵי אֶפְרָיִם, hay'tah livnei Ephrayim) - This highlights the distinct ownership. The city, geographically situated within Manasseh's sphere, was culturally and administratively an Ephraimite enclave. This dual ownership could have arisen from pre-conquest situations, a specific arrangement made during the land division process, or recognition of Ephraim's stronger hold on the particular city from early settlement.
- And the border of Manasseh went down to the Brook Kanah: (וְיָרַד הַגְּבוּל אֶל-נַחַל קָנָה, v'yarad hagevul el-Nachal Qanah) - "Went down" suggests topographical descent, as "Brook Kanah" (literally "Reed Wadi") would be in a valley or low-lying area. This wadi served as a natural, well-defined border marker.
- to the sea: (הַיָּמָּה, hayammah) - Refers to the Mediterranean Sea, indicating the westward extent of this particular boundary segment. This completes the directionality of the border, defining a specific part of Manasseh's western limit.
- These are the cities for Manasseh, with their villages: (אֵלֶּה הֶעָרִים לִמְנַשֶּׁה וְחַצְרֵיהֶן, elleh ha'arim liM'nasheh v'chatzerichen) - A concluding phrase for the immediate area, encompassing not just the city proper but also its surrounding smaller settlements or "daughter villages," emphasizing the extent of the granted territory for Manasseh.
Joshua 17 8 Bonus section
The seemingly counter-intuitive ownership of the city of Tappuah by Ephraim, despite being surrounded by Manasseh's territory, highlights a recurrent theme in the distribution of the land: the ideal vision often met the challenging realities of conquest and pre-existing settlements. This specific arrangement could point to several possibilities:
- Prior Occupation/Conquest: Ephraim might have conquered Tappuah specifically and firmly established control before the final detailed land distribution by lot.
- Strategic Location: Tappuah's strategic importance, perhaps due to a fertile area or access to resources, might have necessitated its assignment to Ephraim, a strong and numerous tribe.
- Familial Connection: As Manasseh and Ephraim were brothers (sons of Joseph), such arrangements, while seemingly complex, might have been a form of practical cooperation or shared heritage within the larger "House of Joseph." It could be an early example of shared or intertwined governance within specific enclaves.
- A Foreshadowing of Challenges: This arrangement, along with other unpossessed cities (like those mentioned later in Josh 17:11-13), set the stage for potential inter-tribal tensions or future challenges in consolidating the land, illustrating the incomplete obedience and difficulties faced by Israel even in their promised inheritance. It underscores that receiving the land was one step; fully possessing and living righteously within it was another, ongoing struggle.
Joshua 17 8 Commentary
Joshua 17:8 encapsulates the detailed and often intricate process of land allocation commanded by God for the tribes of Israel. It serves as a practical example of the fulfillment of God's covenant promise to give Israel the land of Canaan. The verse specifically clarifies a pivotal and seemingly complex detail of the border between Manasseh and Ephraim, the two descendants of Joseph. The paradox of the "land of Tappuah" belonging to Manasseh while "Tappuah itself" belonged to Ephraim is crucial. This anomaly reflects the nuanced reality of land possession in ancient Israel, where ideal boundary lines met practicalities on the ground. It suggests that even in a divinely ordained distribution, flexibility existed, perhaps to accommodate prior occupancy, strategic considerations, or shared familial interests given that both were sons of Joseph. Such precise delineation underscored the legal basis for ownership and sought to minimize disputes, while the exceptions highlight the importance of respecting established claims and intricate agreements between related tribes.