Joshua 16:8

8 From ¹Tappuah the boundary goes westward to the brook Kanah and ends at the sea. Such is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Ephraim by their clans,

Joshua 16:8 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 16:8

The border went out from Tappuah westward
Which was different from the Tappuah in the tribe of Judah, ( Joshua 15:34 ) ; this was in the tribe of Ephraim on the border of Manasseh, ( Joshua 17:8 ) ;

unto the river Kanah;
supposed by some to be the brook Cherith, by which Elijah hid himself, ( 1 Kings 17:3 1 Kings 17:5 ) ; though objected to by others; it seems to have had its name from the reeds which grew in it, or on the banks of it:

and the goings out thereof were at the sea;
if the river Kanah was the brook Cherith, this must be the dead or salt sea: but that is never called "the sea", rather the Mediterranean sea is meant, and consequently Kanah could not be Cherith, which was at too great a distance from this sea:

this [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by
their families;
that is, this is the description of the border of it; for the cities within are not mentioned, and the descriptions in general are very obscure.

Joshua 16:8 In-Context

6 and the boundary goes from there to the sea. On the north is Michmethath. Then on the east the boundary turns around toward Taanath-shiloh and passes along beyond it on the east to Janoah,

7 then it goes down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, and touches Jericho, ending at the Jordan.

8 From Tappuah the boundary goes westward to the brook Kanah and ends at the sea. Such is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Ephraim by their clans,

9 together with the towns that were set apart for the people of Ephraim within the inheritance of the Manassites, all those towns with their villages.

10 However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.

Cross References

• 1. Joshua 17:8, 9