Joshua
Summary
Joshua Chapter 16 details the allotment for the "sons of Joseph", the tribes of Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Together they receive the central hill country of Canaan, a fertile and strategic region. This specific chapter focuses on the borders of Ephraim, extending from the Jordan River near Jericho to the Mediterranean Sea. The text notes that although Ephraim was a powerful tribe, they failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, who remained among them as forced labourers.
The allotment for the descendants of Joseph [1] extended from the Jordan, east of the springs of Jericho, and went up from there through the desert into the hill country of Bethel.
It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz), crossed over to the territory of the Arkites at Ataroth,
descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as the region of Lower Beth Horon and on to Gezer, ending at the Mediterranean Sea.
So Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their inheritance.
This was the territory of Ephraim, according to its clans: The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar in the east to Upper Beth Horon
and continued to the Mediterranean Sea. From Mikmethath on the north it curved eastward to Taanath Shiloh, passing by it to Janoah on the east.
Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho and came out at the Jordan.
From Tappuah the border went western to the Kanah Ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim, according to its clans.
It also included all the towns and their villages that were set aside for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites.
They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labour.