12 Yer * the children of Manaſſeh cou'd not y drive * Judges out the inhabitants of thoſe cities, but the Canaanites 1. 27; wouid dwell z in that land. :
y S:eon Joſh. 15. 63. z Were reſ-Ived to Fight, rather than be turned out vt rhetir ancient habitations,
i2 Yetit came to paſs when the children of Iſ:ael were waxen ſtrong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute bur did not utterly diive them out 3. # Which they were o lidged to, now they were ſtrong and nu« merous enough 70 poll-{s thoſe places.
14 And the children of Joſeph 5 ſpake unto Joſhua c ſaving, Why haſt thou given me 54; one lot, and one portion 4 to inherit, feing 1 az a great e people, for- aſmuch as the LORD hath blefled me hicherto ?
b (i. e.) Of Ephraim and Manaſ-h, as is manifeſt, partly from v. 17. where it 1s ſo explained ; and partly, becauſe they mention it as an unreafonable thing, thar they being two, thould have but
one Lot. c(.e.) Expoſtulared with hum, w!.en they went and faw that Portion which was allotted to them, and found] ic much 2 N 2 ſhore
j [i | phaims. {1997
hap, XVIIE J 0 $5 "Nt | 1 ettat Td 131.18 + 1 gon Por eee ifterwards divided by the Arbitrators between |. 4:16 [ them. Or 2». Becauſe the Land ſeverally allotted to them, was no A more than was little enough for one of them. o Or, numerous, for
ſo the Hebrew word off ſignifies. 15 And Joſhua auſwered them, If thou be a great
people f, then ger thee up to the wood-ceuntry g, and cut down & for thy ſelf there in the land of the Periz- zires i, and of the {| giants &, if mount Ephraim be too
narrow for thee /.
f He retorts their own Argument ; ſeeing thon art a great and num:rous people, turn thy Complaints into Actions and valiant Exploits, and enlarge thy Borders by thy own hand,'to which thou maiſt confidently expe& Gods aſſiſtance. g To the Mountain, as it js called v. 17. where among ſome Towns there is much Wood- Jand, which thou maiſt without much difficulty poſl:ſs, and ſo get the more room, h Either the Wood, v. 18. for thy own advantage and uſe; partly in building more Cities and Towns ; and partly for preparing rhe Land for the uſe of paſture and Tillage. 7 Sup- poſed to be afſavage and brutiſh kind of People, that lived in Woods and Mountains. & Who lived in Caves and Mountains, now eſpe-
Hi} | i k | Or, Re-
jon. d Either 1. Becauſe they really had but]
= OS 2
cure, and were unwilling to run into new Hazards ard Wars, as. hey II by Jeſhuas anſwer to the Tribe of Joſeph, Joſs x79: ms -— Sexes likely to do when they entied upon their
4 Give out from among you three men 4 for each tribe e: and TI will ſend them, and they ſh.ull riſe, and go through the land f, and deſcribe it accoiding to the
inheritance of them, and they ſhall come again to me.
a Three, not One, for more exaC& obſervation bok of the mea- ſure and quality of the ſeveral portions, and for greater aſſurance and eViG2nce of their care and faithfulneſs in giving in their Accounr. e Either One of each of theſe Tribes, who were yet unprovided for; or rather Two of all the Tribes, even of them who had already re- ceived their Portions ; which was highly expedient, that in calc it- ſhould appear that there was not a tufficiency for each of theſe Tribes who wanted their Portions, their Brethren might be more ready either to afliſt them in procuring more Land, or to part with ſome of their own portion to them. f Which they might now ſafe- ly do, becauſethe Terror of the late War was yer upon the Consa- tes, who were loath to rouſe ſo near and potent an Enemy.
5 And they ſhall divide it into ſeven parts f : Judah
cially when they were driven out of their Ciries. / Or, ſeing Mount Ephraim fs too narrow for thee, as thou complaineſt ; take to thy ſelf the reſt of that Hilly and Wooa Connrrey. Mount Ephraim was a particular and eminert portion of the Land, belonging to the Tribe of Ephraim, «S appears from Joſh. 19. 50. and 20. 7. and 21. 21. Judg 4: 5: And this ſeems to be here mentioned Synecdochi- cally, for all the portion allotted to Ephraim and Manaſſeh, as ap= pears from their complaint, which was not, that this part, bur that their whole portion was too ſtrait for them. =
16 And the children of Joſeph ſaid, The hill is not enough for us : and all the Canaanites that dwell in
67 | * Judg. the land of the valley », have * chariots of iron o, both 4. 3» they who are of Beth-ſhean, and her towns, and they
who are of the valley of Jezreel p.
2 If we ſhould Invade and Conquer at, and cut down both Woud and Men, yetit would not be ſufhcient for us. Heb. The HH: will/not be found, 1. e. obtained by us; thoſe fierce and ſtrong people the Pe- rizzites and the Giants will eaſily defend themſelves, and fruſtrate our attempts, having the advantage of the Woods and Mountains. n ( 7. e.) And ifthou ſayeſt, as we know thou wilt reply, That if the Hill either cannot be Conquered, or be not ſufficient for us, we may go down and take more Land out of the pleaſant and fruirtu] Valleys, we ſhall meet with no leſs difficulty there than in the Mountains. Or thus, in going to the Hills to which thou di- reteſt us, we mult paſs through Valleys, where we ſhall be way- laid by powerful and armed Enemies. o Not all made of Iron, but armed with iron, not only for Defence, but for Offence alſo, ha- ving as it were Sithes and Swords faſtened to them, to cut down all thar ſtood in their way. p Which waseither in the Tribe of 1/achar, or upon the Borders of it, Joſh. 19: 18.
17 And Jofhua ſpake unto the houſe of Joſeph, ever to Ephraim, and to Manaſleh, ſaying, Thou art a _ great people, and haſt great power : thou ſbalt nothave
one lot only q. | q Thou needeſt and deſerveſt more than that Lot, of which thou
art actually poſſeſſed, and thou haſt power to get more; which -fchou endeavoureſt to do, God will bleſs thee, and give thee more. : HR
18 But the mountain ſhall be thine : for it 7s a wood, and thou ſhalt cut ir down : and the outgoings of it » ſhall be thine: for thou ſhalt drive out the Canaa-
nites, though they have iron chariots, and though they _ be ſtrong.
r Either 1. The Produfions orFruits of that Land, when it is cleared from the Wood, and purged: or rather, 2. The Valleys and Fields belonging or adjoyning to 1t, for there the Canaanites
Were, V. 16. | CHAP. XVII.