Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 16:9
And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim [were] among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
9. And the separate cities ] Or, the places which were portioned off.
were ] This verb, introduced into our Version, should be omitted, and the full stop at the end of Jos 16:8 should be replaced by a colon. The author intended us to add to “the inheritance of the children of Ephraim” the “separate” or “single” cities allotted to the tribe within the borders of Manasseh. It is supposed that after their relative boundaries had been fixed though the subdivision of the territory assigned to the two brother tribes does not seem to have been very definite it was found that the territory of Ephraim was too small in proportion to its strength.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The verb were, introduced by the King James Version in this verse should be omitted; and the full stop after Jos 16:8 replaced by a colon. The purport of Jos 16:9 is simply to add to the inheritance of Ephraim, defined by the preceding context, the separate cities or more properly single cities which were allotted to them in addition within the borders of Manasseh. The reasons for granting these additional cities to the Ephraimites can only be conjectured. Perhaps the territory assigned to this numerous tribe proved on experiment to be too small; and therefore some towns, which are named in 1Ch 7:29, were given to them from the kindred Manassites, the latter being recompensed (Jos 17:11 note) at the expense of Issachar and Asher.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. And the separate cities] That is, the cities that were separated from the tribe of Manasseh to be given to Ephraim; see Jos 17:9.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The separate cities, i.e. besides those cities which were within Ephraims bounds, he had some other cities, to which all their territories were annexed out of Manassehs portion, because his tribe was all here, and was larger than Manassehs.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. separate cities for the childrenof Ephraim were among the inheritance of Manasseh (Jos17:9), because it was found that the tract allotted to Ephraimwas too small in proportion to its population and power.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim,…. The tribe of Ephraim, being much larger than the half tribe of Manasseh, besides the lot that fell to it, described before by its boundaries, had several particular and distinct cities given to it: which
[were] among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh; some that were upon the borders of Ephraim, and within the territory of Manasseh, and it may be where it jetted out in a nook or corner, see
Jos 17:8;
all the cities with their villages; not the separate cities only, but the little towns adjacent to them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The tribe of Ephraim also received some scattered towns in the territory of the tribe of Manasseh, in fact all those towns to which Tappuah belonged, according to Jos 17:8, with the dependent villa Ges.
(Note: The reason why the Ephraimites received scattered towns and villages in the tribe-territory of Manasseh, is supposed by Calvin, Masius, and others, to have been, that after the boundaries had been arranged, on comparing the territory allotted to each with the relative numbers of the two tribes, it was found that Ephraim had received too small a possession. This is quite possible; at the same time there may have been other reasons which we cannot discover now, as precisely the same thing occurs in the case of Manasseh (Jos 17:11).)
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
The Later History of Ephraim Jos. 16:9-10
9 And 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 drove not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.
14.
What were the separate cities? Jos. 16:9
The children of Ephraim evidently conquered, occupied, and possessed cities which were outside their borders. They did not settle cities in many of the other tribes, but it is specified that they did have such cities in the land which was given to the children of Manasseh. Since both Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of Joseph, they had a common heritage. This would make it easy for them to dwell together in harmony. The fact that they did occupy these cities must have led to a rather indefinite boundary line being maintained between these two tribes. Various reasons have been put forth as answers to the question about Ephraim settling scattered towns and villages in the territory of the tribe of Manasseh. Most commentators believe that after the boundaries had been fixed there was an evident disproportion in the amount of land given to the very numerous children of Ephraim. Since they were so numerous it was felt that they had received too small a possession and that therefore they settled cities in Manasseh in order to accommodate their many people. This is quite possibly the major reason for this extension of Ephraims territory, but there may have been other reasons which were not recorded in the historical narrative.
15. What Canaanites remained in the land of Ephraim? Jos. 16:10
The Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer were not driven out by the Ephraimites. They continued to dwell among the Israelites, although they were reduced to a state of servitude. God had directed His people to annihilate the Canaanites, but many of the tribes failed to comply completely with Gods demand. As a result, these Canaanites lived among them and seduced many of them to commit idolatry and other abominable practices. These foreign peoples living among them were like pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides (Num. 33:55). Gezer was such an impregnable fortress that it was evidently very difficult for the Ephraimites to drive out the Canaanites who occupied the site. Fortifications which have been found there in recent years under the expeditions led by MacAlester, and in later times under Dr. Nelson Glueck, have uncovered ruins of massive walls which ran the entire length of the last mountain height on the northern end of Shephelah. This site would be almost impossible to take from the north. It would likewise be inaccessible from the lowlands of the Philistine plain on the west. Since valleys surrounded on the south and east, it was similarly hard to attack from any of these points. The Ephraimites could have taken the city with Gods help, but they were dilatory in their duties. When the book of Joshua was written, the Canaanites were still there. The author says that they were there unto this day.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(9) The separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh; and Jos. 17:10-11 : Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher, Beth-shean, &c. This fact would manifestly tend to produce a solidarity among the several tribes, and to prevent disunion by creating common interests. The interest of the stronger tribes would be served by completing the conquest of the territory assigned to the weaker. And the general formation thus produced would resemble that which was known by the name of the testudo, or tortoise, in Roman warfare. When a body of soldiers approached the wall of a town which it was intended to assault, they sometimes held their shields over them, overlapping like scales, each mans shield partly sheltering his own, and partly his neighbours body, so that no missile could penetrate. Thus it may be said not only of Jerusalem, but of all the tribes in the land of their possession, that they were built as a city that is compact together, and at unity in itself: united by joints and bands, so that if one member of the body politic should suffer, all the members must suffer with it. For a further illustration of the same topic, see on the inheritance of Benjamin (Jos. 18:11) and of Simeon (Jos. 19:1).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. Separate cities That is, cities separated or selected out of Manasseh for the use of Ephraim. Of these only Tappuah is named in Jos 17:8-9. Compare also 1Ch 7:28-29. It is generally supposed, that when the boundary lines had been drawn, the territory of Ephraim was found not as large proportionally as his numbers and importance demanded. But the relation of Ephraim and Manasseh was such that they might be regarded as having one lot. Compare Jos 17:14. Hence they held many cities in common, and hence too, perhaps, the reason why no complete enumeration of the cities of these two brother tribes is anywhere given.] 10. The Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer These held their ancient seat until the days of Solomon. 1Ki 9:16. Compare Jdg 1:29.
Under tribute This implies the power to extirpate, but instead of this a fatal compromise was made. Josephus explains the reason: “After this the Israelites 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.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ver. 9. And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were, &c. The natural sense of these words is, that besides the above-mentioned cities, through which the line of separation of the tribe of Ephraim, from that of Manasseh, crossed, the Ephraimites had some other cities beyond the boundaries of their country, in the land of the half-tribe of Manasseh, see ch. Jos 17:7-9. Or else the words may be paraphrased thus: These are the cities which were separated for the children of Ephraim, in the country of Manasseh, with the villages which sprung from them. According to this interpretation, the historian speaks not of cities different from those just mentioned, but of those very cities; and he calls them separate cities, inasmuch as, the lot of the tribe of Manasseh proving too large in proportion to the number of its families, some cities were set apart from them, to be given to the children of Ephraim, who, on the contrary, were too much confined. See Wells. But here we should observe, 1. That, in the numbering of the tribes, the Ephraimites were less numerous than the Manassites by about twenty thousand men. Num 28:31. But afterwards Moses foretold to the Ephraimites, that there should be ten of them for one Manassite, Deu 33:17.; and the event justified the prediction. 2. That several celebrated cities, not mentioned here, fell to the lot of Ephraim. Such, among others, are Ramah, the country of Samuel, known in the New Testament under the name of Arimathea; Shiloh, where the tabernacle resided; Tirzah, the royal city of Jeroboam, and some of his successors; Samaria, the capital of the kingdom of Israel, after the destruction of Tirzah; and Sichem, with the mountains of Ebal, Gerizzim, Sichar, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jos 16:9 And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim [were] among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
Ver. 9. And the separate cities, &c. ] Allotted to Ephraim, a numerous tribe, within the portion of Manasseh.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jos 17:9
Reciprocal: Jos 17:11 – Manasseh
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 16:9. The separate cities That is, besides those cities which were within Ephraims bounds, he had some other cities out of Manassehs portion, because his tribe was all here, and was larger than Manassehs.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
16:9 And the {e} separate cities for the children of Ephraim [were] among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
(e) Because Ephraim’s tribe was far greater than Manasseh, therefore he had more cities.