Joshua Chapter 16 in Simple English

Updated on October 1, 2026

Read Joshua Chapter 16

1The land given by lot to the children of Joseph began at the Jordan by Jericho. It ran to the water of Jericho on the east, and on to the wilderness that goes up from Jericho through the hill country of Bethel.

2It went on from Bethel to Luz, and passed along to the borders of Archi at Ataroth,

3and went down westward to the border of the Japhletites, as far as the border of Lower Bethhoron, and on to Gezer. It ended at the sea.

4So the children of Joseph, that is Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.

5This was the border of the children of Ephraim, family by family: the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, as far as Upper Bethhoron.

6The border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side. Then the border turned eastward to Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah.

7It went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and ended at the Jordan.

8The border went out from Tappuah westward to the river Kanah, and it ended at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, family by family.

9There were also separate cities for the children of Ephraim inside the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all those cities with their villages.

10They did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim to this day, and work for them as forced labour.

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Explanation

Joshua 16

In short

Joshua divides the land promised by God among the twelve tribes. This chapter describes the territory given to the descendants of Joseph, split between his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. The text traces the boundaries of this land and notes that Ephraim failed to remove the Canaanites living in one city within their territory.

Context

Joshua has been allotting the conquered land of Canaan to each Israelite tribe. Verses 1-3 describe the boundary of the combined territory of Joseph's two sons. From verse 4 onward, the focus narrows to Ephraim's specific portion within that larger area. The chapter is part of the straightforward boundary descriptions that make up much of Joshua 13 onward, establishing where each tribe will settle.

What the text says

Verses 1-3 trace the outer boundary of Joseph's sons' territory, starting from the Jordan River near Jericho and moving through the wilderness toward Bethel, Luz, and westward to the sea at Gezer. Verse 4 confirms that Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, received this inheritance. Verses 5-8 then give Ephraim's specific borders in detail, running from Ataroth-addar in the east, extending to the Mediterranean coast in the west, with the Jordan River marking the eastern edge. Verse 9 adds that Ephraim also received scattered cities within Manasseh's territory. Verse 10 states a significant failure: the Ephraimites "drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer," and these Canaanites remained among them, serving under forced labor "unto this day," meaning when this account was written.

Takeaways

Ephraim received a substantial territory with clear boundaries, but it included a Canaanite population they did not expel.
The phrase "unto this day" in verse 10 suggests this account was written long after the initial settlement, when Canaanites were still present as a subject population.
The inheritance included both a main territory and separate cities scattered within neighboring Manasseh's land.

Joshua 16 - Simple English