Joshua 17:14
New International Version
The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the LORD has blessed us abundantly.”

New Living Translation
The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, “Why have you given us only one portion of land as our homeland when the LORD has blessed us with so many people?”

English Standard Version
Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the LORD has blessed me?”

Berean Standard Bible
Then the sons of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one portion as an inheritance? We have many people, because the LORD has blessed us abundantly.”

King James Bible
And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?

New King James Version
Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the LORD has blessed us until now?”

New American Standard Bible
Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion as an inheritance, though I am a numerous people whom the LORD has blessed up to this point?”

NASB 1995
Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the LORD has thus far blessed?”

NASB 1977
Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the LORD has thus far blessed?”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom Yahweh has thus far blessed?”

Amplified Bible
The sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one portion as an inheritance, when we are a numerous people whom the LORD has so far blessed?”

Christian Standard Bible
Joseph’s descendants said to Joshua, “Why did you give us only one tribal allotment as an inheritance? We have many people, because the LORD has been blessing us greatly.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Joseph’s descendants said to Joshua, “Why did you give us only one tribal allotment as an inheritance? We have many people, because the LORD has been blessing us greatly."”

American Standard Version
And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one part for an inheritance, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as hitherto Jehovah hath blessed me?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the children of Yoseph said to Yeshua: “Why have you given us one part of an inheritance and one portion, and we are many people since LORD JEHOVAH has blessed us here?”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the sons of Joseph answered Joshua, saying, Wherefore hast thou caused us to inherit one inheritance, and one line? whereas I am a great people, and God has blessed me.

Contemporary English Version
One day the Joseph tribes came to Joshua and asked, "Why didn't you give us more land? The LORD has always been kind to us, and we have too many people for this small region."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the children of Joseph spoke to Josue, and said: Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to possess, whereas I am of so great a multitude, and the Lord hath blessed me?

English Revised Version
And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one part for an inheritance, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as hitherto the LORD hath blessed me?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Joseph's descendants asked Joshua, "Why did you give us only one region for an inheritance? We have a lot of people because the LORD has blessed us."

Good News Translation
The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, "Why have you given us only one part of the land to possess as our own? There are very many of us because the LORD has blessed us."

International Standard Version
At that time, the descendants of Joseph asked Joshua, "Why did you give us only one allotment and portion for an inheritance, since we're numerous and the LORD has blessed us all along?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the children of Joseph spoke unto Joshua, saying: 'Why hast thou given me but one lot and one part for an inheritance, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me thus?'

Literal Standard Version
And the sons of Joseph speak with Joshua, saying, “Why have you given an inheritance to me—one lot and one portion, and I [am] a numerous people? YHWH has blessed me until now.”

Majority Standard Bible
Then the sons of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one portion as an inheritance? We have many people, because the LORD has blessed us abundantly.”

New American Bible
The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one lot and one share as our heritage? Our people are too many, because of the extent to which the LORD has blessed us.”

NET Bible
The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, "Why have you assigned us only one tribal allotment? After all, we have many people, for until now the LORD has enabled us to increase in number."

New Revised Standard Version
The tribe of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, since we are a numerous people, whom all along the LORD has blessed?”

New Heart English Bible
The people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given me just one lot and one part for an inheritance, since I am a great people, because the LORD has blessed me so far?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath hitherto blessed me?

World English Bible
The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me just one lot and one part for an inheritance, since we are a numerous people, because Yahweh has blessed us so far?”

Young's Literal Translation
And the sons of Joseph speak with Joshua, saying, 'Wherefore hast thou given to me an inheritance -- one lot and one portion, and I a numerous people? hitherto hath Jehovah blessed me.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Manasseh's Inheritance
13However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they put the Canaanites to forced labor; but they failed to drive them out completely. 14Then the sons of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one portion as an inheritance? We have many people, because the LORD has blessed us abundantly.” 15Joshua answered them, “If you have so many people that the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go to the forest and clear for yourself an area in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.”…

Cross References
Numbers 13:7
from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;

Joshua 16:4
So Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, received their inheritance.

Joshua 17:15
Joshua answered them, "If you have so many people that the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go to the forest and clear for yourself an area in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim."

Ezekiel 48:5
Ephraim will have one portion bordering the territory of Manasseh from east to west.


Treasury of Scripture

And the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, Why have you given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, for as much as the LORD has blessed me till now?

one lot

Genesis 48:22
Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.

Numbers 26:34-37
These are the families of Manasseh, and those that were numbered of them, fifty and two thousand and seven hundred…

Deuteronomy 33:13-17
And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, …

a great

Genesis 48:19
And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

Genesis 49:22-26
Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: …

Jump to Previous
Blessed Children Inherit Inheritance Joseph Joshua Lot Part Portion
Jump to Next
Blessed Children Inherit Inheritance Joseph Joshua Lot Part Portion
Joshua 17
1. The lot of Manasseh
7. His coast
12. The Canaanites not driven out
14. The children of Joseph obtain another lot














Verse 14. - And the children of Joseph. The attitude of the children of Joseph throughout the history of the twelve tribes is in precise accordance with the hint given here. They were proud of their numerical preponderance over the remaining tribes. Thus they, and they only, ventured to remonstrate with Joshua about the inadequacy of the portion allotted to them. Such a sensitiveness was likely to degenerate into insolence when the authority of the great leader was removed. And the history of Gideon (Judges 8:1-3) and of Jephthah (Judges 12:6) shows that this was actually the case. Here, again, we have a sign of that deep undercurrent of consistency which underlies our history, and is a guarantee of its authenticity. Seeing I am a great people. The tribe of Joseph, at the census described in Numbers 1, outnumbered every tribe but that of Judah. At the census in the plains of Moab (Numbers 26.) the tribe of Joseph outnumbered them all, though the relative proportions of Ephraim and Manasseh were altered, the latter being now considerably the larger of the two tribes. The whole number of the fighting men of Israel underwent a slight diminution during the passage through the wilderness. But the demand of the tribe of Joseph seems to have been a little unbecoming, since Joseph had obtained two lots and two portions, since half the tribe of Manasseh had settled on the east of Jordan. Hence no doubt the covert sarcasm of Joshua's reply, for, as Delitzsch shows, Judah, and even Dan, considerably outnumbered Ephraim and the half tribe of Manasseh. Part, however, of their complaint was no doubt caused by the idea that Joshua, as one of themselves, ought to have taken more care of the interests of his own tribe. Joshua, however, as a true servant of God ought to be, was above such petty considerations, though many who live under a higher dispensation find it impossible to emancipate themselves from such bondage. Forasmuch as the Lord hath blessed me hitherto. Or, hath blessed me to this extent (but see Exodus 7:16). There is doubtless here an allusion to Jacob's blessing (Genesis 48:20; Genesis 44:22-26), the fulfilment of which would naturally make a deep impression on the minds of the children of Joseph. Blessing was the word reiterated over and over again by the dying patriarch as he gazed upon the children of his best-beloved son. Here, again, we have one of those delicate touches, impossible to a writer of fiction, which show that we have here an authentic record of facts. No doubt the consciousness of the enthusiastic language of Jacob, reiterated upon an almost equally solemn occasion by Moses (Deuteronomy 33:13-17), coupled with the obvious fulfilment of these predictions, led the tribe of Joseph to demand as a right the leadership in Israel, and no doubt predisposed the other tribes to concede it. The rivalry of Judah, to which reference has already been made, and which culminated in the sovereignty of David, was calculated to produce a beach which it required the utmost tact to heal. Pity it was that the Ephraimites and Manassites forgot the fact that the blessing was conditional, and neglected to lay to heart the terrible warnings in Deuteronomy 28. But it is too often so with men. They expect the fulfilment of prophecies which predict their aggrandisement, and too often strive themselves to hasten the hand of God, while the warnings of God's Word, since they are less pleasant to the natural man, are permitted to pass by unheeded (see vers. 12, 13, which was the first step on the downward road).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then the sons
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of Joseph
יוֹסֵ֔ף (yō·w·sêp̄)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3130: Joseph -- 'he increases', a son of Jacob, also the name of several Israelites

said
וַֽיְדַבְּרוּ֙ (way·ḏab·bə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

to
אֶת־ (’eṯ-)
Preposition
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

Joshua,
יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ (yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3091: Joshua -- 'the LORD is salvation', Moses' successor, also the name of a number of Israelites

“Why
מַדּוּעַ֩ (mad·dū·a‘)
Interrogative
Strong's 4069: Why? for what reason?

have you given
נָתַ֨תָּה (nā·ṯat·tāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

us
לִּ֜י (lî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew

[only]
אֶחָד֙ (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

one
אֶחָ֔ד (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

portion
גּוֹרָ֤ל (gō·w·rāl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1486: Lot -- a lot (for casting)

as an inheritance?
נַחֲלָ֗ה (na·ḥă·lāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5159: Something inherited, occupancy, an heirloom, an estate, patrimony, portion

We
וַֽאֲנִ֣י (wa·’ă·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

have many
רָ֔ב (rāḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great

people,
עַם־ (‘am-)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

because
עַ֥ד (‘aḏ)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

the LORD
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

has blessed us abundantly.”
בֵּֽרְכַ֥נִי (bê·rə·ḵa·nî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 1288: To kneel, to bless God, man, to curse


Links
Joshua 17:14 NIV
Joshua 17:14 NLT
Joshua 17:14 ESV
Joshua 17:14 NASB
Joshua 17:14 KJV

Joshua 17:14 BibleApps.com
Joshua 17:14 Biblia Paralela
Joshua 17:14 Chinese Bible
Joshua 17:14 French Bible
Joshua 17:14 Catholic Bible

OT History: Joshua 17:14 The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 17:13
Top of Page
Top of Page