that no inconvenience would arise from this mixture of these two tribes together, who were both the sons of Joseph, and should love as brethren. And by this it appears, that though when the tribes were numbered in the plains of Moab, Manasseh had got the start of Ephraim in number, for Manasseh was then fifty-two thousand, and Ephraim but thirty-two thousand, Numb. 26. 34, 37. yet by the time they were well settled in Canaan, the hands were crossed again, and the blessing of Moses was verified, Deut 33. 17, They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. Families and kingdoms are diminished and increased, increased and diminished again, as God pleases.
3. A brand is put upon the Ephraimites, that they did not drive out the Canaanites from Gezer, v. 10. Either through carelessness or cowardice, either for want of faith in the promise of God, that he would give them success if they would make a vigorous effort, or for want of zeal for the command of God, which obliged them utterly to drive out the Canaanites, and to make no peace with them. And though they hoped to satisfy the law by putting them under tribute, yet (as Calvin thinks) that made the matter worse, for it shows that they spared them out of covetousness, that they might be profited by their labours, and by dealing with them for their tribute they were in danger of being infected with their idolatry; yet some think, when they brought them under tribute, they obliged them to renounce their idols, and to observe the seven precepts of the sons of Noah; and I should think so, but that we find in the sequel of the story, that the Israelites were so far from restraining idolatry in others, that they soon fell into it themselves.
Many famous places were within this lot of the tribe of Ephraim, though not mentioned here. In it were Ramah, Samuel's city, called in the New Testament, Arimathea, of which Joseph was, that took care of our Saviour's burial, and Shiloh, where the tabernacle was first set up. Tirzah, also, the royal city of Jeroboam and his successors, and Deborah's palm-tree, under which she judged Israel, were in this tribe. Samaria, built by Omri, after the burning of the royal palace of Tirzah, was in this tribe, and was long the royal city of the kingdom of the ten tribes; not far from it were Shechem, and the mountains Ebal and Gerizim, and Sychar, near which was Jacob's well, where Christ talked with the woman of Samaria. We read much of mount Ephraim in the story of the Judges, and of a city called Ephraim, it is probable in this tribe, to which Christ retired, John 11. 54. The whole kingdom of the ten tribes is often in the prophets, especially in Hosea, called Ephraim.
CHAP. XVII.
The half-tribe of Manasseh comes next to be provided for; and here we have, I. The families of that tribe that were to be portioned, v. 1..6. II. The country that fell to their lot, v. 7..13. III. The joint request of the two tribes that descended frbm Joseph, for the enlargement of their lot, and Joshua's answer to that request, v. 14..18.
1.THERE was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the first-born of Joseph; to wit, for Machir the first-born of Manasseh, the father of Gilead; because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan. 2. There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek,and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families. 3. But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4. And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore, according to the commandment of the Lord, he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father. 5. And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side Jordan; 6. Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead.
Manasseh was itself but one half of the tribe of Joseph, and yet was divided and subdivided.
1. It was divided into two parts, one already settled on the other side Jordan, consisting of those who were the posterity of Machir, v. 1. This Machir was born to Manasseh in Egypt, there he had signalized himself as a man of war, probably, in the contest between the Ephraimites and the men of Gath, 1 Chron. 7. 21. His warlike disposition descended to his posterity, and therefore Moses gave them Gilead and Bashan, on the other side Jordan, of which before, ch. 13. 31. It is here said, that the lot came to Manasseh, for he was the first-born of Joseph. Bishop Patrick thinks it should be translated, though he was the first-born of Joseph, and then the meaning is plain, that the second lot was for Manasseh, because, though he was the first-born, yet Jacob had preferred Ephraim before him. See the names of those heads of the families that settled on the other side Jordan, 1 Chron. 5. 24.
2. That part on this side Jordan was subdivided into ten families, v. 5. There were six sons of Gilead here named, v. 2, the same that are recorded, Numb. 26. 30. 32. only that he who is there called Jeezer, is here called Abiezer; five of these sons had each of them a portion, the sixth, which was Hepher, had his male line cut off in his son Zelophehad, who left daughters only, five in number, of whom we have often read, and these five had each of them a portion; though perhaps they claiming under Hepher, all their five portions were but equal to one of the portions of the five sons. Or if Hepher had other sons beside Zelophehad, in whom the name of his family was kept up, their posterity married to the daughters of Zelophehad the elder brother, and in their right had these portions assigned them. See Numb. 36. 12.
Here is, (1.) The claim which the daughters of Zelophehad made, grounded upon the commands God gave to Moses concerning them, v. 4. They had themselves, when they were young, pleaded their own cause before Moses, and obtained the grant of an inheritance with their brethren, and now they would not lose die benefit of that grant
