Jo’s Place

Accommodating the Needs of Manasseh in the west. Manasseh’s boundary ran along the northern side of the Kanah Ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.  North of Manasseh was the territory of Asher, and to the east was the territory of Issachar.  The following towns, within the territory of Issachar and Asher, however, were given to Manasseh: Beth-shan, Ibleam, Dor (also called, Naphoth-dor), Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.  But, the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these towns, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region.  Later, however, when the Israelites became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work, as slaves.  But they did not drive them out of the land.  The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked,  “Why have you given us only one portion of land, as our homeland when the Lord has blessed us with so many people?”  Joshua replied, “If there are so many o...

​ The Land Given to the Other Half of Manasseh West of the Jordan ( An ) allotment of land was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph’s older son.  Makir, the firstborn son of Manasseh, was the father of Gilead.  Because his descendants were experienced soldiers, the regions of Gilead and Bashan, on the east side of the Jordan, had already been given to them.  So, the allotment, on the west side of the Jordan, was for the remaining families, within the clans, of the tribe, of Manasseh: Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida.  These clans represent the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph.  However, Zelophehad, a descendant of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons.  He had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.  These women came to Eleazar, the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite leaders …and said,  “The Lord commanded Moses to gi...

The Land Given to Ephraim and the rest of Manasseh The allotment, for the descendants of Joseph, extended from the Jordan River, near Jericho, east of the springs of Jericho, through the wilderness, and into the hill country of Bethel.  From Bethel (that is, Luz) …it ran over to Ataroth, in the territory of the Arkites.  Then, it descended westward, to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer …and ( finally ) over to the Mediterranean Sea.  This was the homeland allocated to the families of Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.  The Land Given to Ephraim was the following …this is the territory that was given to the clans of the tribe of Ephraim.  The boundary of their homeland began at Ataroth-addar, in the east.  From there it ran to Upper Beth-horon, then on to the Mediterranean Sea.  From Micmethath, on the north, the boundary curved eastward, past Taanath-shiloh, to the east of Janoah.  From Janoah, it turned...

The Lands Given to the Tribe of Gad and the Half-Tribe of Manasseh Moses had assigned the following area to the clans of the tribe of Gad.  Their territory included Jazer, all the towns of Gilead, and half of the land of Ammon, as far as the town of Aroer, just west of Rabbah.  It extended from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Lo-debar.  In the valley were Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, Zaphon, and the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon.  The western boundary ran along the Jordan River …. It extended as far north as the tip of the Sea of Galilee and then turned eastward.  The towns and their surrounding villages, in this area, were given as a homeland to the clans of the tribe of Gad.  Moses had also assigned the following area to the clans of the half-tribe of Manasseh.  Their territory extended from Mahanaim, including all of Bashan, all the former kingdom of King Og, and the sixty towns of Jair...

The Tribes of Zebulun and Manasseh These were the clans descended from the sons of Zebulun:  The Seredite clan, named after their ancestor Sered.  The Elonite clan, named after their ancestor Elon.  The Jahleelite clan, named after their ancestor Jahleel.  These were the clans of Zebulun.  Their registered troops numbered 60,500.  ———————————————— Then, there were  two  clans descended from Joseph, through Manasseh and Ephra im .  These were the clans descended from Manasseh:  The Makirite clan, named after their ancestor Makir.  The Gileadite clan, named after their ancestor Gilead, Makir’s son.  …and these were the  subclans  descended from the Gileadites:  The Iezerites, named after their ancestor Iezer.  The Helekites, named after their ancestor Helek.  The Asrielites, named after their ancestor Asri el .  The Shechemites, named after their ancestor Shechem.  The Shemida ites , named after...

​ Jacob Blesses Joseph   Then Jacob blessed Joseph and said (to him),  “May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham  and my father, Isaac, walked—  the God who has been my shepherd all my life, to this very day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may He bless these boys.  May they preserve my name  and the names of Abraham and Isaac …and may their descendants multiply greatly throughout the earth.”  But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head.  So Joseph lifted (Jacob’s hand) to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.  “No, my father,” (Joseph) said.  “This one is the firstborn.  Put your right hand on his head.”  But his father refused.  “I know, my son; I know,” he replied… “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater.  And (Ephraim’s) descendants will become a multitude of nations.”  So Jacob blesse...

​ Jacob Blesses Manasseh and Ephraim One day not long after (Joseph made his    vows to Jacob, to bury him in Canaan), word came to Joseph,  “Your father is failing rapidly.”  So Joseph went to visit his father, and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.  When Joseph arrived, Jacob was told,  “Your son Joseph has come to see you.”  So Jacob gathered his strength and sat up in his bed.  Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.  He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply your descendants.  I will make you a multitude of nations.  And I will give this land of Canaan to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’  “Now I am claiming as my own sons these two boys of yours, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived.  They will be my sons, just as Reuben and Simeon are.  But any children ...