Joshua 17:16

16 cui responderunt filii Ioseph non poterimus ad montana conscendere cum ferreis curribus utantur Chananei qui habitant in terra campestri in qua sitae sunt Bethsan cum viculis suis et Iezrahel mediam possidens vallem

Joshua 17:16 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 17:16

And the children of Joseph said, the hill is not enough for
us
Meaning either Mount Ephraim, and all included in it; or it may be rather the wood country on the hills and mountains they were bid to go up to; signifying, that if they could gain that out of the hands of the Perizzites and giants, and clear it of the wood, and make it habitable, even that would not be sufficient for them; or that hill and mountain cannot be "found by us" F18 or obtained and possessed by us; we are not able to get it into our hands; there being a valley between us and that:

and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have
chariots of iron;
not chariots made of iron, but chariots with iron scythes fastened to the sides, or axle trees of them, which when driven with great force and fury, would cut down the infantry in battle, as grass is cut down with scythes, see ( Judges 4:2 Judges 4:3 ) ;

[both they] who [are] of Bethshean and her towns, and [they] who [are]
of the valley of Jezreel;
both which belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, or were on the borders of it, though as yet they had not got possession, see ( Joshua 17:11 ) ; and this circumstance seems to favour the notion, that tribe of Manasseh were at least chiefly concerned in this address.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 (wnl aumy al) "non invenietur nobis", Montanus; "non possumus montem istum assequi", Tigurine version; "non obtinebitur a nobis", Masius.

Joshua 17:16 In-Context

14 locutique sunt filii Ioseph ad Iosue atque dixerunt quare dedisti mihi possessionem sortis et funiculi unius cum sim tantae multitudinis et benedixerit mihi Dominus
15 ad quos Iosue ait si populus multus es ascende in silvam et succide tibi spatia in terra Ferezei et Rafaim quia angusta est tibi possessio montis Ephraim
16 cui responderunt filii Ioseph non poterimus ad montana conscendere cum ferreis curribus utantur Chananei qui habitant in terra campestri in qua sitae sunt Bethsan cum viculis suis et Iezrahel mediam possidens vallem
17 dixitque Iosue ad domum Ioseph Ephraim et Manasse populus multus es et magnae fortitudinis non habebis sortem unam
18 sed transibis ad montem et succides tibi atque purgabis ad habitandum spatia et poteris ultra procedere cum subverteris Chananeum quem dicis ferreos habere currus et esse fortissimum
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.