Joshua 16:5-8

The Boundaries of Ephraim Joshua 16:5-8

5 And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth-addar, unto Beth-horon the upper;
6 And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanath-shiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;
7 And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.
8 The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.

7.

What border of Ephraim was given first? Joshua 16:5

A brief description of the southern boundary was repeated in verse five. A more minute description of this boundary was given in verses one through three. Upper Beth-horon was mentioned in verse five instead of Lower Beth-horon, but the two places stood quite close together. No difficulty is created by this difference. Since the border on the south was shared by two other tribes, Dan and Benjamin, it is given more careful attention. Manasseh and Ephraim were both sons of Joseph and had much in common. The border between them is not as carefully defined or given as much attention.

8.

Where was the border between Manasseh and Ephraim? Joshua 16:6

The border of the children of Ephraim was defined by a line drawn from the area near Shechem, first to the west and then to the east. Shechem and its territory were central in the land. The people of Israel had gathered on Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim for the readings of the blessings and the curses when they first entered the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. Ephraim's border was first described by pointing out the boundary which ran west from this central spot in the mountains to the Mediterranean Seacoast on the west. The boundary line was next described as it stretched from this central location to the Jordan River.

9.

What points were on the northeastern boundary of Ephraim? Joshua 16:6-8

The northern boundary of Ephraim was given in two sections. A central point was selected and then the border as it extended to the east was described in detail. It stretched from Michmethah to Taanath-shiloh and then went along to the east of Janohah. Michmethah was near Shechem, and Taanath-shiloh was in the direction one would take in going to the Jordan River. It is thought to be the present Tana, a heap of ruins southeast of Nablus. Janohah is to be found in the ruins of Janun. The Ataroth is a different place from Ataroth-addar mentioned in verses two and five. This spot must have been on the eastern slope of the mountains which stretched down to the Jordan Valley. Naarath was found some six miles northeast of Jericho. Ephraim's boundary then went down to the territory of Jericho, but probably did not reach to the city itself since Jericho was given to the tribe of Benjamin. At this point, Ephraim's northern border coincided with her southern border and stretched out to the Jordan River along the boundary of the tribe of Benjamin.

10.

Did Jericho belong to Ephraim? Joshua 16:7

The border of Ephraim is described as coming to Jericho (Joshua 16:7). From other scriptures (Joshua 18:21), it is evident that Jericho belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. The border finally reached the Jordan River on the east. A prominent feature of the west border was a small stream which flowed across the Philistine plain to the Mediterranean Sea. This River Kanah figured prominently in establishing the border between Ephraim and Manasseh, It was customary for those laying out borderlines to use prominent physical features of the land, such as this river, to determine boundaries. The river itself was not important for commerce, but it did afford a water supply, especially in the rainy season. Its primary importance, however, was in establishing this border for Ephraim and Manasseh.

11.

What was the east border of the children of Ephraim? Joshua 16:7

The east border of the children of Ephraim was the Jordan River. The western border was the Mediterranean Sea. The land thus stretched all the way from the river to the sea and was some of the finest land of Canaan. Many future events in Israel's history occurred in the highlands which belonged to Ephraim. The capital of the northern kingdom was established in this territory. Several centuries later, the prophets worked in this area with great zeal since the false worship established by Jeroboam permeated the land. Ephraim was of great importance in the later history of Israel, and her land became filled with historical sites.

12.

What points were in the western half of Ephraim's northern border? Joshua 16:8

The narrator returned to the point from which he departed in giving the eastern half of the northern border and described the western half of the northern border of Ephraim. This border went west from the central point to Tappuah. This point was west of Shechem and has not yet been discovered. Ephraim's northern border then ran to the brook Kanah and followed it out to the Mediterranean Sea.

13.

In what way was the inheritance by their families? Joshua 16:8

When Moses took the census of the children of Israel as they lay encamped in the steppes of Moab, he found that there were 32,500 men in Ephraim who were twenty years of age and over. At that time, he also listed the following men as heads of families: Shuthelah, Becher, and Tahan. He also listed one of the sons of Shuthelah who was named Eran. These men made up the families of the Shuthalhites, Bachrites, Tahanites, and Eranites (Numbers 26:35-36). The tribe of Ephraim with these many thousands of people was subdivided into these family groups. Each one would be given enough land to meet the needs of its members. Ample provision was made for each tribe to have the territory which it needed.