Joshua 16:5-9

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 16:5-10

Here, 1. The border of the lot of Ephraim is set down, by which it was divided on the south from Benjamin and Dan, who lay between it and Judah, and on the north from Manasseh; for east and west it reached from Jordan to the great sea. The learned, who aim to be exact in drawing the line according to the directions here, find themselves very much at a loss, the description being short and intricate. The report of those who in these latter ages have travelled those countries will not serve to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 16:5

And the border of the children of Ephraim, according to their families, was thus ,.... Or what follows is the description of it: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper ; the first was on the south of the inheritance, and the latter on the north, as Masius has placed them: who has given us a type of this description, by which it appears that this lot is here described in its breadth from south to north. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 16:6

And the border went out towards the sea ,.... The Mediterranean sea: to Michmethah on the north side ; of the border, the same on which Bethhoron was, from whence the border proceeded on to this place, of which we have no other account but in Joshua 17:7 ; by which it appears to have been near Shechem, and in sight of it: and the border went about eastward unto Taanathshiloh ; this seems to be the same Jerom F5 De loc. Heb. fol. 95. C. calls Thenath in the tribe of Joseph;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 16:7

And it went down from Johanan to Ataroth ,.... This is different from Ataroth before mentioned, Joshua 16:2 ; there were several places of this name, as before observed; this seems to be that which Jerom places four miles from Sebaste or Samaria; see Gill on Joshua 16:2 , and to Naarath ; Jerom F7 De loc. Heb. fol. 93. I. says, that Naarath was in his time called Naorath, a village of the Jews, five miles from Jericho; and is the village Josephus F8 Antiqu. l. 17. c. 15.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 16:8

The border went out from Tappuah westward ,.... Which was different from the Tappuah in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:34 ; this was in the tribe of Ephraim on the border of Manasseh, Joshua 17:8 , unto the river Kanah ; supposed by some to be the brook Cherith, by which Elijah hid himself, 1 Kings 17:3 ; though objected to by others; it seems to have had its name from the reeds which grew in it, or on the banks of it: and the goings out thereof were at the sea ; if the river... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 16:9

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 Joshua 17:8 , all the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 16:5

Ataroth-addar - See the note on Joshua 16:2 . Beth-horon the upper - The situation of this town is little known. It was eastward of Beth-horon the nether, and consequently not far from it. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 16:8

Tappuah - This was a city in the tribe of Manasseh, and gave name to a certain district called the land of Tappuah. See Joshua 17:8 . The sea - The Mediterranean, as before. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 16:9

And the separate cities - That is, the cities that were separated from the tribe of Manasseh to be given to Ephraim; see Joshua 17:9 . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 16:5

The border of the children of Ephraim. The Hebrew word is translated indifferently by coast and border in our translation. The border of Joseph is very slightly traced out by the historian. It is difficult to give a reason for this fact, when we remember that Joseph, consisting as it did of the preponderating tribe of Ephraim, together with half the tribe of Manasseh, constituted by far the most important portion of Jewish territory. See, however, Introduction for the bearing of this... read more

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