Manasseh Had Bethshean and Her Towns - Joshua 17:11

In the book of Joshua, we learned about the territory given in which, “Southward it was Ephraim's, and northward it was Manasseh's, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east”, and in chapter seventeen and verse eleven of Joshua we learn how, “Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns” where we read,

And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.

The verse reads, “And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and Manasseh” whose name means ‘causing to forget’ and was “the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh” “had in Issachar” which means “arose, appeared and came into being within Issachar whose name means ‘there is recompense’ and was the ninth son of Jacob and the fifth by Leah his first wife and the progenitor of a tribe by his name” “and in Asher” or “and within Asher whose name means ‘happy’ and was the son of Jacob and Zilpah and the progenitor of a tribe by his name” “Bethshean” whose name means “house of ease” and was “a place in Manasseh which was west of Jordan”, “and her towns” which means “and her, Bethshean’s, settled abodes and villages”, “and Ibleam” whose name means “devouring the people” and was “a city of Manasseh apparently located in the territory of either Issachar or Asher” “and her towns” or “and her, Ibleam’s, settled abodes and villages”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Manasseh” possessed land within “Asher, Bethshean and Ibleam” along with their settled abodes and villages.

 

The verse goes on to say, “… and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and the inhabitants of Dor” which means “and the dwellers, abiders and ones who remained belonging to Dor whose name means ‘generation’ and was a coastal city in Manasseh which was south of Carmel”, “and her towns”  or “and her, Dor’s, settled abodes and villages”, “and the inhabitants of Endor” which means “and the dwellers, abiders and ones who remained belonging to Endor whose name means ‘fountain of Dor’ and was a place in the territory of Issachar yet possessed by Manasseh; located four miles (6.5 km) north of Tabor” “and her towns” or “and her, Endor’s, settled abodes and villages”, “and the inhabitants which means “the dwellers, abiders and ones who remained” “of Taanach”  “belonging to Taanach or Tanach whose name means ‘sandy’ and was an ancient Canaanite city conquered by Joshua and allotted to the half tribe of Manasseh although in the territory of Issachar; given to the Kohathite Levites; located on the west of the Jordan and near the waters of Megiddo” “and her towns” which means “and her, Taanach’s, settled abodes and villages”, “and the inhabitants of Megiddo” or “and the dwellers, abiders and ones who remained belonging to Megiddo or Megiddon whose name means ‘place of crowds’ and was ancient city of Canaan assigned to Manasseh and located on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon six miles (10 km) from Mount Carmel and 11 miles (18 km) from Nazareth” “and her towns” which means “and her, Megiddo’s, settled abodes and villages”, “even three countries” or “also and indeed three lofty places, sieves and heights”. Joshua or the writer shared how the property gained by “Manasseh” also included the people who lived in “Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo” along with their settled abodes and villages. 

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn through Joshua or the writer more about the territory obtained by the people of “Manasseh”. Land within “Issachar, Asher Bethshean, Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo” along with their settled abodes became the places where the people of “Manasseh” would live. God provided these territories to the “tribe of Manasseh”, and because He loves all of us, He has provided His Son Jesus who came into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. He raised Him from the dead after three days, and when we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and equip us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the ability to live in a manner that is pleasing to Him wherever we are to be in the world. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8; 17:28; Revelation 4:11)

Next time we learn how, “the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".