translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: JOS

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “and the lot belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph.”


text: Heb “to Makir, the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, for he was a man of war.”


text: Heb “Gilead and Bashan belonged to him.” sn On the assignment of Manasseh’s territory in Gilead and Bashan, see Josh 13:31 .


text: Heb “and it belonged to the sons of Manasseh who remained.”


text: Heb “The Lord commanded Moses to assign to us an inheritance in the midst of our brothers.” Since Zelophehad had no sons, “brothers” must refer to their uncles, as the next sentence makes clear.


text: Heb “he.” The referent is probably Joshua, although Eleazar is mentioned first in the preceding list.


text: Heb “and he assigned to them in accordance with the mouth [i.e., command] of the Lord an inheritance in the midst of the brothers of their father.”


text: Heb “and the allotted portions of Manasseh fell out ten.”


text: Heb “was.”


text: Heb “in front of”; perhaps “east of.”


text: Heb “these cities belonged to Ephraim in the midst of the cities of Manasseh.”


text: Heb “his”; the referent (Manasseh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “they”; the referent (their territory) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: For location see Map1-D4 ; Map2-C1 ; Map4-C2 ; Map5-F2 ; Map7-B1 .


text: Or “the third [is] Napheth”; or “Napheth-dor.” The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain.


text: Heb “Beth Shean and its surrounding towns, Ibleam and its surrounding towns, the residents of Dor and its surrounding towns, the residents of En Dor and its surrounding towns, the residents of Taanach and its surrounding towns, the residents of Megiddo and its surrounding towns, three of Nepheth.”


text: Heb “sons”; “men” has been used in the translation because the context involves the conquest of cities; therefore, warriors (hence males) would be in view here.


text: Or “were determined.”


text: Heb “Why have you given me as an inheritance one lot and one portion, though I am a great people until [the time] which, until now the Lord has blessed me?” The construction עַד אֲשֶׁר־עַד־כֹּה (’ ad- ’ asher- ’ ad-koh , “until [the time] which, until now”) is extremely awkward. An emendation of the first עַד (’ ad ) to עַל (’ al ) yields a more likely reading: “for until now” (see HALOT 2:787).


text: Heb “If you are a great people.”


text: The Hebrew text has simply “the hill country,” which must here include the hill country of Ephraim and the forest regions mentioned in v. 15 .


text: Heb “and there are iron chariots among all the Canaanites who live in the land of the valley, to those who are in Beth Shean and its daughters and to those who are in the Valley of Jezreel.” Regarding the translation “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels” see Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands , 255 and R. Drews, “The ‘Chariots of Iron’ of Joshua and Judges,” JSOT 45 (1989): 15-23.


text: Heb “house.”


text: Heb “and its limits will be yours.”