Beth Shan is on the eastern border of West Manasseh, not far from the Jordan River; Jezreel Valley runs east and west, north of Beth Shan.

For people who lived in the plains, the iron plated chariots were formidable weapons (see chariots in 11.4). At this time the Israelites had nothing to compare with them, and so they had to stay in the hill country.

In place of They replied, it may be useful to translate “The descendants of Joseph replied.” It should be made clear that the descendants of Joseph in verse 14, They of this verse, and the tribes of Ephraim and West Manasseh of verse 17 are the same people. This may be achieved by translating “The tribes of Ephraim and West Manasseh, which were the descendants of Joseph, replied….” Here again the lengthy sentence of Good News Translation may be divided into smaller units:

• “There is not enough room for us in the hill country, but the Canaanites live in the plains and the valleys. And all of them have war chariots made of iron. Those who live in the city of Beth Shan and its surrounding towns, and those who live in Jezreel Valley, all have war chariots.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .