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Joshua 17:2

in Joshua 17

So this allotment was for the rest of the descendants of Manasseh—the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These are the other male descendants of the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

So the lot was for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to 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 according to their families.

KJV

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.

This verse in Joshua 17

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

The rest of the children of Manasseh - That is, his grandchildren; for it is contended that Manasseh had no other son than Machir; and these were very probably the children of Gilead, the son of Machir.

This site's exposition

was the firstborn of Joseph

on Joshua 17:1-2

Manasseh is called the firstborn of Joseph here and still receives his lot after Ephraim, which is Genesis 48:14-20 working itself out on a map, where Jacob crossed his hands and set the younger before the elder. Machir already held Gilead and Bashan, granted by Moses at Numbers 32:39-40 and Deuteronomy 3:15 for taking them, so half of this tribe was settled before anyone crossed the Jordan. The six families of verse 2 are the same six counted at Numbers 26:30-32, and Gideon comes out of the first of them, Abiezer, at Judges 6:11.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening5 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

The most remarkable person of this half tribe in after-time was Gideon, whose great actions were done within this lot. He was of the family of Abiezer; Cesarea was in this lot, and Antipatris, famed in the latter ages of the Jewish state.

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

why they were allotted to him or his posterity, because this was a frontier country, and the out-works to the land of Canaan, and therefore required valiant persons to defend it.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

A Lot - A distinct inheritance. The rest - Namely, those of them which had not received their possessions beyond Jordan. Male- children - This expression is used to bring in what follows, concerning his female children.
There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Or if Hepher had other sons besides 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. Here is, (1.) The claim which the daughters of Zelophehad made, grounded upon the command God gave to Moses concerning them,
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Machir--his descendants. the father of Gilead--Though he had a son of that name (Nu 26:29; 27:1), yet, as is evident from the use of the Hebrew article, reference is made, not to the person, but the province of Gilead. "Father" here means lord or possessor of Gilead.
For the rest ... - i. e. for those who were not settled on the east of Jordan.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

To Mochir, the firstborn of Menashe. Since he was the firstborn, he was the first to take a portion in the days of Moshe, on the other side of the Jordan, and thus Gilod and Boshon were his portion.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Joshua 17:1:1, via Sefaria, The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997

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. 2 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

24 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַ֠יְהִיand it belonged

    vayhiH19613559 times

  • לִבְנֵ֨יto [the] descendants of

    livneiH11214930 times

  • מְנַשֶּׁ֥הManasseh

    menashehH4519146 times

  • הַנּוֹתָרִים֮who remained

    hanotarimH3498106 times

  • לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם֒to clans their

    lemishpechotamH4940303 times

  • לִבְנֵ֨יto [the] descendants of

    livneiH11214930 times

  • אֲבִיעֶ֜זֶרAbiezer

    ʾaviezerH44

  • וְלִבְנֵי־and to [the] descendants of

    velivnei-H11214930 times

  • חֵ֗לֶקHelek

    chelekH2507

  • וְלִבְנֵ֤יand to [the] descendants of

    velivneiH11214930 times

  • אַשְׂרִיאֵל֙Asriel

    ʾasrielH844

  • וְלִבְנֵי־and to [the] descendants of

    velivnei-H11214930 times

  • שֶׁ֔כֶםShechem

    shekhemH7928

  • וְלִבְנֵי־and to [the] descendants of

    velivnei-H11214930 times

  • חֵ֖פֶרHepher

    cheferH26609 times

  • וְלִבְנֵ֣יand to [the] descendants of

    velivneiH11214930 times

  • שְׁמִידָ֑עShemida

    shemida'H8061

  • אֵ֠לֶּהthese

    ʾelehH428746 times

  • בְּנֵ֨י[were] [the] descendants of

    beneiH11214930 times

  • מְנַשֶּׁ֧הManasseh

    menashehH4519146 times

  • בֶּן־[the] son of

    ben-H11214930 times

  • יוֹסֵ֛ףJoseph

    yosefH3130213 times

  • הַזְּכָרִ֖יםthe males

    hazekharimH2145

  • לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָֽם׃to clans their

    lemishpechotamH4940303 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Judges 6:11

    Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it…

    it leads to

    • Judges 8:2

      But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Hebrews 11:32

      And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

    • Judges 13:3

      The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.

    • Genesis 16:7

      Now the angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur.

    • Isaiah 63:9

      In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days…

  • Through

    1 Chronicles 7:18

    These were the sons of Gilead son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. His sister Hammolecheth gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.

    it leads to

    • Judges 6:11

      Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it…

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

  • Through

    Judges 8:2

    But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?

    it leads to

    • Judges 6:34

      So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • James 1:19–20

      My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

About Joshua

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); 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 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.