Section 16:1–17:18 The clans of Ephraim and Manasseh received their land

This section describes the boundaries of the land given to Ephraim and to Manasseh, and the towns within each of their lands.

Paragraph 16:1–4

16:1a

The allotment for the descendants of Joseph: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The allotment is more literally “the lot went out.” There is a similar phrase in Joshua 15:1. It is recommended that you translate this phrase in a similar way in both places.

the descendants of Joseph: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the descendants of Joseph is more literally “the sons of Joseph.” Joseph had two sons: Ephraim and Manasseh. Their descendants became the clans of Ephraim and Manasseh.

Here are some ways to translate this phrase:

the descendants of Joseph (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), NET Bible)
-or-
the people of Joseph (English Standard Version)
-or-
Joseph (New International Version, God’s Word)
-or-
the children of Joseph (King James Version)

extended from the Jordan at Jericho: The clause extended from the Jordan at Jericho describes the starting point of the southern border of the land given to Ephraim and Manasseh. The eastern point of the border was at the Jordan River near the town of Jericho.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

The land that the descendants of Joseph received began at the Jordan River, near Jericho
-or-
The ⌊south border of⌋ the land given to the descendants of Joseph started at the Jordan River, near the town of Jericho

16:1b

to the waters of Jericho on the east: The phrase waters of Jericho refers to springs that were north of the town of Jericho.

through the wilderness: The phrase through the wilderness indicates that the border then continued west into the wilderness.

wilderness: A wilderness is an uncultivated and uninhabited area. In this verse it refers to the Judean wilderness. The Judean wilderness is between the Judean mountains and the valley of the Dead Sea. This wilderness is a rocky place that descends steeply from the mountains into the valley. It consists of flat plateaus, rounded hills, deep canyons, and cliffs. It receives little rainfall and no crops can grow there. It is not a typical desert with large areas of sand. Many languages may have a term for an uncultivated area or an uninhabited place.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

It then went to the east of the springs of Jericho and continued west into the wilderness
-or-
The border began to the east of the springs at the town of Jericho and went west into the wilderness

16:1c

that goes up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel: The clause goes up from Jericho indicates that the border ascended in elevation as it went through the wilderness, into the hill country to the town of Bethel.

hill country: The term hill country refers to the central mountain range which runs from the north to the south of Israel. This area receives a lot of rain and farmers plant crops in terraces along the hillsides. See how you translated this phrase in Joshua 9:1.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

The border went from Jericho up into the hill country to the town of Bethel
-or-
From Jericho it went up into the mountains as far as Bethel

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