Joshua 17:11

11 And the heritage of Manasseh was in Issachar and in Asher, Bethshean, and the towns thereof, and Ibleam, with his towns, and the dwellers of Dor, with her cities, and the dwellers of Endor, with her towns, and also the dwellers of Taanach, with her towns, and the dwellers of Megiddo, with her towns, and the third part of the city (of) Naphath . (And Manasseh had possessions within Issachar and Asher, Bethshean, and its towns, and Ibleam, and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor, and its towns, and the inhabitants of Endor, and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach, and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo, and its towns, and the third part of the city of Naphath.)

Joshua 17:11 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 17:11

And Manasseh had in Issachar, and in Asher, Bethshean, and
her towns
As Ephraim had cities in Manasseh, so had Manasseh cities in these two tribes, which in some parts bordered on it, before described, even the cities following, and the first that is named is Bethshean: this lay in the tribe of Issachar, and was the uttermost border of Manasseh that way; it was, as Josephus ^F13 says, called Scythopolis; but not from the Scythians, as Pliny ^F14 suggests, but from Succoth, a place where Jacob resided, and which was not far from it, ( Genesis 33:17 ) ( 1 Kings 4:12 ) ( 7:46 ) ; it lay before the great plain of Jezreel, and was at the entrance into it,

``After this went they over Jordan into the great plain before Bethsan.'' (1 Maccabees 5:52)

and was six hundred furlongs, or seventy five miles, from Jerusalem, according to:

``From thence they departed to Scythopolis, which lieth six hundred furlongs from Jerusalem,'' (2 Maccabees 12:29)

and was one of the cities of Decapolis, from whence our Lord had hearers, ( Matthew 4:25 ) . It was such a pleasant place, that it is said in the Talmud {o}, that if the garden of Eden was in the land of Israel, Bethshean was the gate of it; on which the gloss says, that its fruits were the sweetest in the land of Israel:

and Ibleam and her towns;
it seems to be the same with Bileam, by a transposition of the two first letters, ( 1 Chronicles 6:70 ) ; and was a place not far from Megiddo, after mentioned, as appears from ( 2 Kings 9:27 ) ;

and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns;
this had been a royal city, (See Gill on Joshua 11:2) and (See Gill on Joshua 12:23);

and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns;
this place became famous for a witch there in the times of Saul, ( 1 Samuel 28:7 ) ; in the times of Jerom ^F16 it was a large village near Mount Tabor, four miles to the south, which he calls Aeudor, of or in Jezreel; and elsewhere ^F17 he speaks of Endor, as near the town of Nain, where our Lord raised the widow's son the dead, and is about: Scythopolis:

and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns;
this had been a royal city, (See Gill on Joshua 12:22);

and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns:
this was another royal city mentioned with the former; (See Gill on Joshua 12:21); there

[even] three countries;
the three last cities, with their towns, that are mentioned, Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo; all which perhaps belonged to Dor, and may be the Naphothdor spoken of ( Joshua 11:2 ) ( 12:23 ) ; where the same word is used as here; so Jarchi interprets it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 Antiqu l. 12. c. 8. sect. 5.
F14 Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 18.
F15 T. Bab. Eruvin, fol. 19. 1.
F16 De loc. Heb. fol. 88. L.
F17 lbid. fol. 91. E.

Joshua 17:11 In-Context

9 And the term of the valley of the place of reeds goeth down in the south of the strand of the cities of Ephraim, that be in the midst of the cities of Manasseh. The term of Manasseh is from the north of the strand, and the going(s) out thereof goeth to the sea; (And the border goeth down to the Kanah River, and then south of the river; the cities there belonged to Ephraim, even though they be in the midst of the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh is along the north side of the river, and its end, or its limit, is the Mediterranean Sea;)

10 so that the possession of Ephraim is from the south, and the possession of Manasseh is from the north, and the sea closeth ever either; and those possessions be joined to themselves in the lineage of Asher from the north, and in the lineage of Issachar from the east. (so the possession of Ephraim is from the south side of the river, and the possession of western Manasseh is from the north side of the river, and the Mediterranean Sea closeth, or endeth, both; and the tribe of Asher is to the north, and the tribe of Issachar is to the east.)

11 And the heritage of Manasseh was in Issachar and in Asher, Bethshean, and the towns thereof, and Ibleam, with his towns, and the dwellers of Dor, with her cities, and the dwellers of Endor, with her towns, and also the dwellers of Taanach, with her towns, and the dwellers of Megiddo, with her towns, and the third part of the city (of) Naphath . (And Manasseh had possessions within Issachar and Asher, Bethshean, and its towns, and Ibleam, and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor, and its towns, and the inhabitants of Endor, and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach, and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo, and its towns, and the third part of the city of Naphath.)

12 And the sons of Manasseh might not destroy these cities, but Canaanites began to dwell in this land. (And the sons of Manasseh could not destroy these cities, and so the Canaanites continued to live in this land.)

13 And after that the sons of Israel had waxed strong, they made subject (these) Canaanites, and they made them tributaries to themselves, and they killed them not. (And after the Israelites had grown strong, they made these Canaanites to pay tribute, or taxes, to them, but they did not kill them.)