Inheritance of Ephraim and Manasseh: 16:1–17:18 After Judah receives its inheritance, the tribes of Joseph receive theirs. Now that the territory of the north has been separated from Judah, the allotment describes the boundaries of Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Ephraim receives its territory first in compliance with the wishes of Jacob, who blessed Ephraim over Manasseh (Gen. 48:14, 19). Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh receive land west of the Jordan. The description of the southern border of Ephraim indicates the boundary list begins by separating the northern territory from Dan and Benjamin. That southern border of Ephraim moves east to west from Jericho to Bethel in the highlands and down to Gezer and the Mediterranean Sea (16:1–4).

An anti-Ephraim viewpoint appears in t…