An Archeological Disney Land
Joshua 17:1-18
1Then
allotment was made to the people of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of
Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, were
allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war. 2And
allotments were made to the rest of the people of Manasseh by their clans,
Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male
descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, by their clans. 3Now
Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh,
had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters:
Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4They approached Eleazar
the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the leaders and said, “The Lord
commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers.” So
according to the mouth of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the
brothers of their father. 5Thus there fell to Manasseh ten portions,
besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the
Jordan, 6because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance
along with his sons. The land of Gilead was allotted to the rest of the people
of Manasseh. 7The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to
Michmethath, which is east of Shechem. Then the boundary goes along southward
to the inhabitants of En-tappuah. 8The land of Tappuah belonged to
Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah on the boundary of Manasseh belonged to the
people of Ephraim. 9Then the boundary went down to the brook Kanah.
These cities, to the south of the brook, among the cities of Manasseh, belong
to Ephraim. Then the boundary of Manasseh goes on the north side of the brook
and ends at the sea, 10the land to the south being Ephraim’s and
that to the north being Manasseh’s, with the sea forming its boundary. On the
north Asher is reached, and on the east Issachar. 11Also in Issachar
and in Asher Manasseh had Beth-shean
and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor and
its villages, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the
inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its
villages; the third is Naphath. 12Yet the people of Manasseh could
not take possession of those cities, but the Canaanites persisted in dwelling
in that land. 13Now when the people of Israel grew strong, they put
the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out. 14Then
the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me but one
lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since
all along the Lord has blessed me?” 15And Joshua said to them, “If
you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear
ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the
hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.” 16The people of
Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who
dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its
villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.” 17Then Joshua said to
the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are a numerous people and
have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, 18but the
hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and
possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites,
though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”
As I read these chapters that detail the land assignments
for each tribe, I wonder how long that took. It sounds like an administrative
nightmare. But it is the next step in acquiring their inheritance. Of particular
interest in this passage are two details that deserve mention. First of all is
the designation of land for the five daughters of Zelophehad. This man had no
sons and while the land generally moved through the male side of the family, he
had no sons and his daughters petition Joshua for his continued inheritance and
receive it. I think that Christianity is frequently portrayed as “anti-woman”
when there could be nothing further from the truth. These five women were
granted their request and it appears as though it was with little or not
contest. (And I’ve spoken before about Jesus’ treatment of women. He was all-inclusive.)
As I was reading the commentaries about this passage, I stumbled
across an interesting little bit of archeological information about the city of
Beth-shean.
In later OT history, the headless bodies of King Saul and
his three sons were displayed on the walls of Beth-shean by the victorious Philistines (1 Samuel 31). In NT times
the city just below the high tel was known as Scythopolis. Today Beth-shean has
been dubbed “the Disneyland of archaeology” in Israel because this interesting
attraction draws so many tourists. From ancient Beth-shean you can look down on
Scythopolis, much of which has been uncovered. You can walk the ancient cardo (the central street through the
“heart” of the city) and get a real feeling for the magnificence of a Roman-era
city. In one area of the town is a row of ancient toilets at the bathhouse.
Harstad, A. L. ©2004. Joshua (p. 563). Saint Louis, MO: CPH.
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