Commentaria in Josue
Chapter 16
The borders and limits of the region which by lot fell to the tribe of Ephraim are described.
1. And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from the Jordan over against Jericho and the waters thereof on the east: the wilderness which goeth up from Jericho to mount Bethel: 2. and goeth out from Bethel Luza, and passeth the border of Archi, Ataroth: 3. and goeth down westward by the border of Jephleti, even to the borders of the lower Beth-horon, and Gazer: and the countries thereof are ended by the great sea. 4. And Manasses and Ephraim the children of Joseph possessed it. 5. And the border of the children of Ephraim was made by their kindreds: and their possession toward the east was Ataroth-addar as far as upper Beth-horon. 6. And the borders go out to the sea: but Machmethath looketh to the north, and the border compasseth it over against the east to Thanath-selo: and passeth along on the east to Janoe: 7. and goeth down from Janoe to Ataroth, and Naaratha: and cometh to Jericho, and goeth out to the Jordan. 8. From Taphua it passeth on over against the sea to the Valley of reeds: and the goings out thereof are to the most salt sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families. 9. And there were cities with their villages separated for the children of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Manasses. 10. And the children of Ephraim slew not the Chanaanite that dwelt in Gazer: and the Chanaanite dwelt in the midst of Ephraim until this day, paying tribute.
1. AND THE LOT OF THE CHILDREN OF JOSEPH FELL,—namely of Ephraim and Manasses, who, as we heard in chapter 14, verse 4, constituted two tribes. The half tribe of Manasses had already received from Moses its portion of the region on this side of the Jordan; there remained, therefore, the other half with the whole tribe of Ephraim, who here receive from Josue by lot their part beyond the Jordan, but so that the lot of Manasses should be neighbouring and contiguous to the lot of Ephraim. In this chapter, therefore, the lot of Ephraim is described, in the following chapter the lot of the half tribe of Manasses; next to both, at the side and contiguous, was the lot of Benjamin. St. Jerome and Eusebius in the Hebrew Places, Masius here, and Arias in the Apparatus of the Bible, graphically describe the lots, cities, mountains and rivers of the single tribes, and Adrichomius exhibits the same in his Geographical Tables, to be seen at a glance, though some things are wanting in them. Let the reader go to them; for it would be thorny and laborious, and wearisome to the reader, and of little use, if I should pursue them here by commenting.
the torrent of reeds. For the valleys through which torrents and water flow are fertile in reeds; for these grow in marshy and moist places.
AND THE GOINGS OUT THEREOF ARE TO THE MOST SALT SEA,—that is, to the sea which by its nature is salt. The sea of salt, which our version is wont to render the most salt sea, signifies the Dead Sea, or Asphaltite lake, as is plain from chapter 18, verse 19; Numbers chapter 34, verse 3, and elsewhere. But here this cannot be understood: for the tribe of Ephraim is far from it; wherefore the Mediterranean must be understood here. Whence Serarius is of opinion that “most salt” has crept in here; for the Hebrew, Chaldean and Greek lack it, and ours omits it in the following chapter, verse 9, where the sea (namely the Mediterranean) is assigned as the boundary of the tribe of Manasses, which was conterminous with the tribe of Ephraim.
9. AND THERE WERE CITIES SEPARATED FOR THE CHILDREN OF EPHRAIM IN THE MIDST OF THE INHERITANCE OF THE CHILDREN OF MANASSES, AND THEIR VILLAGES (that is, hamlets or suburban villages, says Masius),—as if to say: Since the lot of cities which had fallen to the tribe of Ephraim was not sufficient for so great a multitude of Ephraimites, some cities from the tribe of Manasses, which was kindred and conterminous to the tribe of Ephraim, were added to them.
10. AND THE CHANAANITE DWELT IN THE MIDST OF EPHRAIM UNTIL THIS DAY, PAYING TRIBUTE.—This was done through the sloth of the Ephraimites; for God had commanded the Chanaanites to be exterminated, and no covenant to be made with them, even under the condition of tribute. Tropologically St. Gregory, book 4 of the Morals, chapter 21: “What does the Chanaanite, namely a Gentile people, signify but vice? And often we enter the land of promise with great virtues, because we are strengthened by inmost hope of eternity; but while amid sublime deeds we retain certain small vices, we allow, as it were, the Chanaanite to live in our land. Who nevertheless becomes tributary to us, because this very vice, which we cannot subdue, we humbly turn to the use of our advantage, that the mind even amid the highest things may feel its own weakness, in that by its own strength it does not overcome even the small things it desires.”