Joshua 16:9
in Joshua 16along with all the cities and villages set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the inheritance of Manasseh.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
together with the cities which were set apart for the children of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
KJV
And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
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This verse in Joshua 16
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The verb “were,” introduced by the King James Version in this verse should be omitted; and the full stop after Jos 16:8 replaced by a colon. The purport of Jos 16:9 is simply to add to the inheritance of Ephraim, defined by the preceding context, “the separate cities” or more properly “single cities” which were allotted to them in addition within the borders of Manasseh. The reasons for granting these additional cities to the Ephraimites can only be conjectured.
This site's exposition
the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans
on Joshua 16:5-9
Ephraim's line is drawn by clans, and it runs over ground the book has fought on, since Lower and Upper Beth-horon sit on the descent where the hailstones fell at Joshua 10:10-11. Verse 9 gives Ephraim cities inside Manasseh's inheritance, and 17:9 records the same arrangement from the other side. The text gives no reason, and Albert Barnes says the reason can only be conjectured.
This site's exposition
within the inheritance of Manasseh
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown cite Ephraim's large population. Yet Numbers 26:34 and 26:37 register Manasseh at 52,700 and Ephraim at 32,500, the smaller figure. Wesley's answer is that all of Ephraim settled west of the Jordan, while half of Manasseh stayed east of it.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
The separate cities - That is, besides those cities which were within Ephraim's bounds, he had some other cities, to which all of all their territories were annexed out Manasseh's portion, because his tribe was all here, and was larger than Manasseh's.
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. xxxiii. 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.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim,....
Though Joseph was one of the younger sons of Jacob, yet he was his eldest by his most just and best beloved wife Rachel, was himself his best beloved son, and had been the greatest ornament and support of his family, kept it from perishing in a time of famine, and had been the shepherd and stone of Israel, and therefore his posterity were very much favoured by the lot.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the border of their inheritance . . . was Ataroth-addar--Ataroth-addar (now Atara), four miles south of Jetta [ROBINSON], is fixed on as a center, through which a line is drawn from Upper Beth-horon to Michmethah, showing the western limit of their actual possessions.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of Manasseh-- (Jos 17:9), because it was found that the tract allotted to Ephraim was too small in proportion to its population and power.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
And the separate cities - That is, the cities that were separated from the tribe of Manasseh to be given to Ephraim; see Jos 17:9.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
The separated cities. These too were included in the inheritance of Ephraim. They had cities that were separated from their portion and were incorporated within the boundary of the inheritance of Menashe.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהֶעָרִ֗ים | vehearim | and the cities | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| הַמִּבְדָּלוֹת֙ | hamivdalot | the separate places | H3995 → | |
| לִבְנֵ֣י | livnei | for [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אֶפְרַ֔יִם | ʾefrayim | Ephraim | H669 → | 180 times |
| בְּת֖וֹךְ | betokh | [are] in [the] midst of | H8432 → | 418 times |
| נַחֲלַ֣ת | nachalat | [the] inheritance of | H5159 → | 222 times |
| בְּנֵֽי־ | benei- | [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה | menasheh | Manasseh | H4519 → | 146 times |
| כָּֽל־ | kal- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הֶעָרִ֖ים | hearim | the cities | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| וְחַצְרֵיהֶֽן׃ | vechatzreihen | and villages their | H2691 → | 191 times |
וְהֶעָרִ֗יםand the cities
vehearimH5892 →1090 times
הַמִּבְדָּלוֹת֙the separate places
hamivdalotH3995 →
לִבְנֵ֣יfor [the] descendants of
livneiH1121 →4930 times
אֶפְרַ֔יִםEphraim
ʾefrayimH669 →180 times
בְּת֖וֹךְ[are] in [the] midst of
betokhH8432 →418 times
נַחֲלַ֣ת[the] inheritance of
nachalatH5159 →222 times
בְּנֵֽי־[the] descendants of
benei-H1121 →4930 times
מְנַשֶּׁ֑הManasseh
menashehH4519 →146 times
כָּֽל־all
kal-H3605 →5413 times
הֶעָרִ֖יםthe cities
hearimH5892 →1090 times
וְחַצְרֵיהֶֽן׃and villages their
vechatzreihenH2691 →191 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
3 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Joshua 17:9From there the border continued southward to the Brook of Kanah. There were cities belonging to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh, but the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the…
it leads to
- Joshua 16:3
Then it descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea.
- Joshua 16:8–9
From Tappuah the border went westward to the Brook of Kanah and ended at the Sea. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Ephraim,
- Joshua 19:29
The border then turned back toward Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah, and came out at the Sea in the region of Achzib,
- Joshua 16:3
About Joshua
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and The Berean Standard Bible, Joshua 16, with the verses cited in the note.