Joshua 16: Ephraim
1 The lot fell to the children of Joseph from the Jordan, by Jericho, to the waters of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goes up from Jericho through the mountains to Bethel, 2 then went out from Bethel to Luz, passed along to the border of the Archites at Ataroth, 3 and went down westward to the boundary of the Japhletites, as far as the boundary of Lower Beth Horon to Gezer; and it ended at the sea.
4 So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
5 The border of the children of Ephraim, according to their families, was thus: The border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth Addar as far as Upper Beth Horon.
6 And the border went out toward the sea on the north side of Michmethath; then the border went around eastward to Taanath Shiloh, and passed by it on the east of Janohah. 7 Then it went down from Janohah to Ataroth and Naarah, reached to Jericho, and came out at the Jordan.
8 The border went out from Tappuah westward to the Brook Kanah, and it ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their families. 9 The separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
10 And they did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and have become forced laborers.
And the lot fell to the children of Joseph,... (1a) “that is, the double tribe to which his two sons gave names, Ephraim and Manasseh. In perpetual acknowledgment of the service rendered by Joseph to the family, by keeping them alive in the famine, it was ordained by Jacob that his two sons should rank with their uncles as founders of tribes (Genesis 48:5). It was also prophetically ordained by Jacob that Ephraim, the younger son, should take rank before Manasseh (Genesis 48:19)." (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.)
Verses 2-3- “The united inheritance of the two tribes includes a fruitful, for the most part, and pleasant country lying in the midst of western Palestine. It extends from the Jordan, and the eastern declivities of mount Ephraim (which are much less rough than the land of Judah), across to the seashore which borders the beautiful plain of Sharon. Of this entire district Ephraim received the southern portion, Manasseh (strictly speaking only the half-tribe of Manasseh, cf. Joshua 13:29) the northern." (Lange) “Many Bible commentators think that in naming his son Ephraim (Gn 41:52), Joseph was making a play on words based on a Hebrew root meaning ‘to be fruitful.’ In support of this theory they note that the hill country later assigned to Ephraim's tribe was one of the most fertile areas in Palestine, and at present is still planted with vines and fruit trees, such as olive, pomegranate, and carob. Prior to Israelite settlement, the area was wooded (Jos 17:18). During the monarchy, wild animals still roamed there (2 Kgs 2:24).” (Tyndale Bible Dictionary)
“So Manasseh and Ephraim took their inheritance.... (4) ”It is said, they took their inheritance, which also Judah had done before them, because the tribes of Judah and Joseph took possession of their inheritances before the rest; and it was fit they should do so, for the security of the main camp, and the body of the people, which were at Gilgal, Joshua 18:5." (Benson's Commentary) “And it was a happiness to both that they lay together: but a shameful thing that afterwards it should be said, 'Manasseh against Ephraim, and Ephraim against Manasseh; and they together against Judah.' [Isaiah 9:21]" (Trapp)
The border of the children of Ephraim, according to their families, was thus:…(5a) ” No list of towns is given, possibly because of the stress on their need to clear the forest land (Joshua 17:15-18). That was what they should have been concentrating on rather than towns." (Peter Pett's Commentary) However, the location seems significant to me. It was the northern portion of the land. The enemies of God in the Bible are always represented as from the north or from the south. The land allowed to Ephriam and Manasseh is on the north of Canaan, "as Judah’s had fallen on the south: that these two strongest tribes might be as bulwarks to both sides of the kingdom. So in their march through the wilderness, in their several companies or brigades, God put a strong tribe to two weak tribes, as Judah to Issachar and Zebulon, &c. See Isaiah 26:1; Isaiah 40:11." (Trapp’s Commentary)
Ephraim was “the ancestor of an Israelite tribe, and his name came to designate the northern kingdom of Israel (Is 7:5, 8; Jer 31:18- 20; Hos 5:3- 5).” (Tyndale Bible Commentary)- They were for the northern kingdom what Judah was for the southern kingdom.
And they- Ephraim- did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and have become forced laborers... "The failure of Ephraim here is noticed, as was the failure of Judah above (Joshua 15:63)." (Ellicott's Commentary) "This is the first mention of the fatal policy of the Israelites, in neglecting the divine command (De 20:16) to exterminate the idolaters." (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) We find the reason for this policy in the next chapter. "Although the Joseph tribes received the best part of Canaan, they were still not satisfied. They wanted more land, but they did not want to work for it or fight for it. Joshua told them that if they cleared the forests and drove out the Canaanites, they would find that they had plenty of land within the territory already allotted to them (14-18)." (Bridgeway Bible Commentary)
"This foolish indulgence later proved disastrous to the Israelites, for the heathen seduced the people of God to idolatry. Christians who love the world and enter into friendships with unbelievers are in danger of accepting the wrong views of the enemies of God, to the detriment of their souls." (The Popular Commentary by Paul E. Kretzmann)
"The Canaanites were not driven out until Solomon’s time, 1 Kings 9:16." (Poole) Then, it happened that the pagan king of Egypt executed God's wrath, which had been first charged to Ephriam, who refused to obey and instead made slave laborers of them to do the hard work needed to be done. “Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer and burned it with fire, had killed the Canaanites who dwelt in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.” (1 Kings 9:16)
Judah was unable to exterminate their enemies, but Ephraim’s sin was greater, as they refused to do it. They "grew effeminate as to fighting any more against their enemies, but applied themselves to agriculture, which producing abundance and riches, they indulged in luxury and pleasure, and, contenting themselves with the tributes that were paid them, permitted the Canaanites to live in peace.” (Josephus) “It was the language of the dying Patriarch, concerning his son Joseph, that he was, and should be, a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. And here we see how his children broke out in fruitfulness, on the right hand and on the left. [It should have been in the winning of souls to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.]
But oh! my soul, in him, to whom the son of Jacob ministered but as a type, how fruitful are thy boughs, O Jesus, and how dost thou run over the wall of thine enemies. Here indeed I see the blessings of heaven from above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, and blessings of the breasts of the womb. All nations shall call thee blessed! Blessed Jesus! be thou my portion, and do thou, for thou - alone canst accomplish it, drive out all enemies from before thy face." (Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary)
Make me fruitful, oh Lord, in obedience to your commands. Help me daily to die to self and to live unto you. Give me a double portion of your Spirit.