Joshua 17:1-9

17:1 The tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn son, was also allotted land. The descendants of Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn and the father of Gilead, received land, for they were warriors. They were assigned Gilead and Bashan. 17:2 The rest of Manasseh’s descendants were also assigned land by their clans, including the descendants of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These are the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.

17:3 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 17:4 They went before Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The Lord told Moses to assign us land among our relatives.” So Joshua assigned them land among their uncles, as the Lord had commanded. 17:5 Manasseh was allotted ten shares of land, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan, 17:6 for the daughters of Manasseh were assigned land among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

17:7 The border of Manasseh went from Asher to Micmethath which is near 10  Shechem. It then went south toward those who live in Tappuah. 17:8 (The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah, located on the border of Manasseh, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.) 17:9 The border then descended southward to the Valley of Kanah. Ephraim was assigned cities there among the cities of Manasseh, 11  but the border of Manasseh was north of the valley and ended at the sea.


tn Heb “and the lot belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph.”

tn Heb “to Makir, the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, for he was a man of war.”

tn Heb “Gilead and Bashan belonged to him.”

tn Heb “and it belonged to the sons of Manasseh who remained.”

tn Heb “The Lord commanded Moses to assign to us an inheritance in the midst of our brothers.” Since Zelophehad had no sons, “brothers” must refer to their uncles, as the next sentence makes clear.

tn Heb “he.” The referent is probably Joshua, although Eleazar is mentioned first in the preceding list.

tn Heb “and he assigned to them in accordance with the mouth [i.e., command] of the Lord an inheritance in the midst of the brothers of their father.”

tn Heb “and the allotted portions of Manasseh fell out ten.”

tn Heb “was.”

10 tn Heb “in front of”; perhaps “east of.”

11 tn Heb “these cities belonged to Ephraim in the midst of the cities of Manasseh.”