What does Josue tell Joseph’s children when they say one lot is too little and object to the iron chariots?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He tells them to clear room in the woodland because Mount Ephraim is too narrow. After their objection he calls Ephraim and Manasses a great, strong people, says they will not have only one lot, and tells them to clear the mountain for dwelling and proceed farther when they have destroyed the strong Chanaanites they describe as having iron chariots. Their later execution of these instructions is not recorded here.

Chapter breakdown

The lot falls to Manasses, Joseph’s firstborn, and to Machir, Manasses’s firstborn and father of Galaad. Machir is a warlike man and has Galaad and Basan as possession. The rest of Manasses’s children receive by families: the children of Abiezer, Helec, Esriel, Sechem, Hepher and Semida. These are the male children of Manasses son of Joseph by their kindreds.

Salphaad, son of Hepher, son of Galaad, son of Machir, son of Manasses, has no sons, only daughters: Maala, Noa, Hegla, Melcha and Thersa. They appear before Eleazar the priest, Josue son of Nun and the princes, saying the Lord commanded through Moses that they receive possession among their brethren. According to that command they receive possession among their father’s brethren. Ten portions fall to Manasses besides Galaad and Basan beyond the Jordan, because Manasses’s daughters inherit among his sons. Galaad falls to the rest of Manasses’s children.

Manasses’s border runs from Aser to Machmethath facing Sichem and goes out on the right hand by the inhabitants of Taphua’s fountain. Manasses’s lot includes Taphua’s land on its borders, which belongs to Ephraim’s children. The border descends to the valley of reeds, south of the torrent of Ephraim’s cities amid Manasses’s cities. Manasses’s border is north of the torrent and ends at the sea. Ephraim’s possession is south and Manasses’s north; the sea bounds both, with Aser joined on the north and Issachar on the east. Manasses’s inheritance within Issachar and Aser includes Bethsan and Jeblaam with their villages; Dor’s inhabitants with its towns; Endor’s, Thenac’s and Mageddo’s inhabitants with their villages; and the third part of Nopheth’s city.

Manasses’s children cannot overthrow these cities, and the Chanaanite begins dwelling in their land. After Israel’s children grow strong, they subdue the Chanaanites and make them tributaries, but do not kill them.

Joseph’s children ask Josue why he gives them only one lot and one portion when they are so numerous and the Lord has blessed them. Josue answers that if they are a great people, they should go to the woodland and clear room in the Pherezite’s and Raphaims’ land, because Mount Ephraim’s possession is too narrow. They answer that they cannot go up to the mountains because the Chanaanites in the lowlands, where Bethsan and its towns and Jezrael amid the valley are situated, have iron chariots. Josue tells Joseph’s house—Ephraim and Manasses—that they are a great people of great strength and will not have only one lot. They are to go to the mountain, cut down the wood and make room to dwell. They may proceed farther when they have destroyed the Chanaanites, whom they say have iron chariots and are very strong. The chapter ends with these words, not a report that the further clearing and destruction have happened.

The story inside

Manasses’s families and Machir’s eastern possession introduce the lot. Salphaad’s five named daughters then cite the Lord’s command before three named authorities, and the grant follows according to that command. Ten portions are stated beside the eastern lands, with daughters inheriting among sons given as the reason. The boundaries and possessions within Issachar and Aser include dependent towns and villages and only a third of Nopheth. The inability to overthrow cities is followed by Israel’s later strength and tribute without killing. The closing dialogue records Joseph’s complaint, Josue’s woodland answer, the iron-chariot objection and his final instructions. The words promising more than one lot and making further advance conditional on destruction must both remain; no completed expansion or political refusal is added.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The daughters’ claim is followed by a real grant. Maala, Noa, Hegla, Melcha and Thersa cite the command through Moses before Eleazar, Josue and the princes. They receive among their father’s brethren, and the chapter gives ten portions to Manasses besides Galaad and Basan.
2
The city list carries qualifications. Dor has towns, other named places have villages, and Nopheth is a third part of a city. Manasses’s inability to overthrow those cities and the later tribute arrangement remain separate stages.
3
Josue’s final answer is a direction, not an accomplished conquest. He says Joseph’s house will not have only one lot and tells it to clear mountain woodland and advance farther when the Chanaanites are destroyed. The chapter supplies no later outcome of that instruction.

Test your recall

Why does Josue first tell Joseph’s children to clear woodland, and what condition does he name for proceeding farther after their iron-chariot objection?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 24101–24113
Josue Chapter 17 The lot of the half tribe of Manasses. 17:1. And this lot fell to the tribe of Manasses for he is the firstborn of Joseph to Machir the firstborn of Manasses the father of Galaad, who was a warlike man, and had for possession Galaad and Basan. 17:2. And to the rest of the children of Manasses according to their families: to the children of Abiezer, and to the children of Helec, and to the children of Esriel, and to the children of Sechem, and to the children of Hepher, and to the children of Semida: these are the male children of Manasses the son of Joseph, by their kindreds.
Lines 24115–24130
17:3. But Salphaad the son of Hepher the son of Galaad the son of Machir the son of Manasses had no sons, but only daughters: whose names are these, Maala and Noa and Hegla and Melcha and Thersa. 17:4. And they came in the presence of Eleazar the priest and of Josue the son of Nun, and of the princes, saying: The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, that a possession should be given us in the midst of our brethren. And he gave them according to the commandment of the Lord a possession amongst the brethren of their father. 17:5. And there fell ten portions to Manasses, beside the land of Galaad and Basan beyond the Jordan. 17:6. For the daughters of Manasses possessed inheritance in the midst of his sons. And the land of Galaad fell to the lot of the rest of the children of Manasses.
Lines 24132–24154
17:7. And the border of Manasses was from Aser, Machmethath which looketh towards Sichem: and it goeth out on the right hand by the inhabitants of the fountain of Taphua. 17:8. For the lot of Manasses took in the land of Taphua, which is on the borders of Manasses, and belongs to the children of Ephraim. 17:9. And the border goeth down to the valley of the reeds, to the south of the torrent of the cities of Ephraim, which are in the midst of the cities of Manasses: the border of Manasses is on the north side of the torrent, and the outgoings of it are at the sea: 17:10. So that the possession of Ephraim is on the south, and on the north that of Manasses, and the sea is the border of both, and they are joined together in the tribe of Aser on the north, and in the tribe of Issachar on the east. 17:11. And the inheritance of Manasses in Issachar and in Aser, was Bethsan and its villages, and Jeblaam with its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor, with the towns thereof: the inhabitants also of Endor with the villages thereof: and in like manner the inhabitants of Thenac with the villages thereof: and the inhabitants of Mageddo with their villages, and the third part of the city of Nopheth.
Lines 24156–24161
17:12. Neither could the children of Manasses overthrow these cities, but the Chanaanite began to dwell in his land. 17:13. But after that the children of Israel were grown strong, they subdued the Chanaanites, and made them their tributaries, and they did not kill them.
Lines 24163–24186
17:14. And the children of Joseph spoke to Josue, and said: Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to possess, whereas I am of so great a multitude, and the Lord hath blessed me? 17:15. And Josue said to them: If thou be a great people, go up into the woodland, and cut down room for thyself in the land of the Pherezite and the Raphaims: because the possession of mount Ephraim is too narrow for thee. 17:16. And the children of Joseph answered him: We cannot go up to the mountains, for the Chanaanites that dwell in the low lands, wherein are situate Bethsan with its towns, and Jezrael in the midst of the valley, have chariots of iron. 17:17. And Josue said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasses: Thou art a great people, and of great strength, thou shalt not have one lot only: 17:18. But thou shalt pass to the mountain, and shalt cut down the wood, and make thyself room to dwell in: and mayst proceed farther, when thou hast destroyed the Chanaanites, who as thou sayest have iron chariots, and are very strong.