Joshua Chapter 16
Showing all 10 verses for Joshua Chapter 16.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel, "
"The territory assigned to the descendants of Joseph began at the Jordan River near Jericho, at the springs east of Jericho, and ran up through the wilderness into the hill country towards Bethel."
Every good inheritance starts somewhere specific - a landmark, a starting line, a first step of faith. I want you to notice that even a huge promise from God gets worked out in real, ordinary geography: rivers, wildernesses, hills. Your calling will not arrive in the abstract either; it will begin exactly where you are standing today, so start walking.
"And goeth out from Bethel to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth, "
"The border went from Bethel to Luz, then on to the territory of the Archites at Ataroth."
The border keeps moving from place to place, town to town - a reminder that faithfulness is often just steady, unglamorous progress rather than one dramatic leap. I am with you in the plodding, careful stages of life as much as in the breakthroughs, so do not despise the slow, mapping-out seasons.
"And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleft, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer; and the goings out thereof are at the sea. "
"The border went down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, to Lower Beth-horon, and on to Gezer, ending at the sea."
The border finally reaches the sea - every line of promise eventually meets its horizon. Whatever boundary God has drawn around your life, trust that it ends somewhere good, even if you cannot yet see the coastline from where you stand.
"So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance. "
"So Joseph's descendants - Manasseh and Ephraim - received their inheritance."
Joseph's sons finally receive what was promised - proof that patience is rewarded and that God does not forget a family's story. If you have been waiting a long time for something promised to you, take heart: the taking of the inheritance is as real as the promising of it.
"And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper; "
"The territory of Ephraim's descendants, family by family, had this as its eastern border: Ataroth-addar, up to Upper Beth-horon."
Even the details of a border - upper Bethhoron, Atarothaddar - mattered enough to be written down and kept forever. Nothing about your life is too small or too ordinary for me to care about; every family, every boundary line, is precious to me.
"And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah; "
"The border went out to the sea at Micmethath on the north, curved eastward to Taanath-shiloh, and passed by it to Janoah."
The border winds east then curves back - life's path is rarely a straight line, and that is no failure of the plan. Trust the turns and detours; they are still carrying you towards the inheritance God has for you.
"And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan. "
"From Janoah the border went down to Ataroth and Naarath, reached Jericho, and ended at the Jordan."
The border comes right back down to Jericho and the Jordan - the very place where Israel's journey into the land began. Sometimes life brings you full circle, back to where your story with me started, so you can see how far grace has carried you since.
"The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families. "
"From Tappuah the border ran westward to the Kanah Ravine, ending at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim, family by family."
This verse closes the description with a simple summary: this is Ephraim's inheritance. Once the details are laid out, I want you to be able to rest in what has actually been given to you rather than always straining after more.
"And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. "
"In addition, there were certain towns set aside for Ephraim that were actually located within Manasseh's territory, all with their villages."
Ephraim received cities scattered inside Manasseh's territory too - a picture of how families and tribes overlapped and depended on one another rather than living in tidy isolation. Love your neighbour includes the neighbour whose boundary lines are tangled up with your own.
"And they drave not out the Canaanites that in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"But they did not drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. So the Canaanites still live among the people of Ephraim today, forced to work for them as labourers."
Ephraim failed to fully drive out the Canaanites, settling instead for tribute and compromise - a warning about leaving unfinished business in your own heart. I would rather you deal honestly and fully with what needs to change in you than quietly tolerate it because it has become convenient.