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영문 원문
It is a pity that this and the following chapter should be separated, for both of them give us the lot of the children of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, who, next to Judah, were to have the post of honour, and therefore had the first and best portion in the northern part of Canaan, as Judah now had in the southern part. In this chapter we have, I. A general account of the lot of these two tribes together, Jos 16:1-4. II. The borders of the lot of Ephraim in particular, Jos 16:5-10. That of Manasseh following in the next chapter.
1-4
The Lot of Joseph (1444 BC)
繁體中文
約瑟支派的鬮分（主前1444年）
¹ 約瑟的子孫拈鬮所得之地，是從靠近耶利哥的約旦河起，耶利哥水泉的東邊，往曠野上到伯特利的山地；
² 又從伯特利到路斯，接連到亞基人的交界，直到亞他錄；
³ 又往西下到雅弗利人的交界，直到下伯和侖的交界，直到基色；直通到海為止。
⁴ 於是約瑟的子孫瑪拿西、以法蓮，就得了他們的產業。
約瑟雖然是雅各較年幼的兒子之一，卻是他最公正、最蒙愛的妻子拉結所生的長子；他自己就是「他最蒙愛的兒子」，又曾是他全家的最大榮耀和支柱，在饑荒之年保全了全家免於滅亡，且是「以色列的牧者和磐石」，因此他的後裔在拈鬮上大蒙恩待。他們的份地位於迦南地的中心。它東起約旦河（書16:1），西到大海即地中海，於是佔據了迦南從一端到另一端的整個寬度；其土地的肥美，無疑與雅各和摩西的祝福相稱（創49:25,26，申33:13-17等）。分給以法蓮和瑪拿西的份地，不像其他支派那樣詳細描述；我們只有它們的界限和邊界，沒有其中的具體城邑，不像先前我們有了猶大的諸城，後來又有其他支派的諸城。對此無法給出理由，除非我們可以推想：約書亞自己既屬約瑟的子孫，他們便把在他們鬮分之內各城的分配交託給他一人獨自處理，因此沒有把各城的名稱呈報給主持這事的眾首領大議會；正因如此，那些城名便沒有和其他支派的一同被記入書中。
영문 원문
The Lot of Joseph (1444 BC)
¹ And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Beth-el,
² And goeth out from Beth-el to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth,
³ And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Beth-horon the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea.
⁴ So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
Though Joseph was one of the younger sons of Jacob, yet he was his eldest by his most just and best beloved wife Rachel, was himself his best beloved son, and had been the greatest ornament and support of his family, kept it from perishing in a time of famine, and had been the shepherd and stone of Israel, and therefore his posterity were very much favoured by the lot. Their portion lay in the very heart of the land of Canaan. It extended from Jordan in the east (Jos 16:1) to the sea, the Mediterranean Sea, in the west, so that it took up the whole breadth of Canaan from side to side; and no question the fruitfulness of the soil answered the blessings both of Jacob and Moses, Ge 49:25,26, De 33:13-17, etc. The portions allotted to Ephraim and Manasseh are not so particularly described as those of the other tribes; we have only the limits and boundaries of them, not the particular cities in them, as before we had the cities of Judah and afterwards those of the other tribes. For this no reason can be assigned, unless we may suppose that Joshua being himself of the children of Joseph they referred it to him alone to distribute among them the several cities that lay within their lot, and therefore did not bring in the names of their cities to the great council of their princes who sat upon this affair, by which means it came to pass that they were not inserted with the rest in the books.
5-10
The Inheritance of Joseph's Children (1444 BC)
繁體中文
約瑟子孫的產業（主前1444年）
⁵ 以法蓮子孫按著宗族所得的地業，是在亞他綠‧亞達到上伯‧和崙的東邊。 ⁶ 往西通到北邊的密米他，又向東繞到他納‧示羅，又到雅挪哈的東邊。 ⁷ 從雅挪哈下到亞他綠，又到拿拉，直達耶利哥，通到約旦河為止。 ⁸ 從他普亞往西，到加拿河。這段地界直通到海。這就是以法蓮支派按著宗族所得的地業。 ⁹ 另外在瑪拿西人產業的境內，還有幾座分給以法蓮子孫的城邑和屬城的村莊。 ¹⁰ 他們沒有趕出住基色的迦南人；迦南人卻住在以法蓮人中間，直到今日，作苦工的僕人。
在此，1. 以法蓮鬮地的地界被記下，藉此它南面與便雅憫和但分開——他們在它和猶大之間——北面與瑪拿西分開；東西兩面從約旦河延伸到大河（地中海）。那些想要按此處的指示精確畫出這線的學者，發現自己十分為難，因為描述簡短而複雜。近幾個世紀到過那些地方的旅行者的報告，也不能解決這些困難，因為那地如今與當時大不相同了；不但城邑已被毀到連遺跡也沒有，連溪流乾涸，河流改道，「山崩變為無有，磐石挪開原處」（Job 14:18）。除非我能希望解決因以法蓮地界圖所生的疑問，否則提出這些疑問也無益；無疑當時這是完全可以理解的，因此記錄它的首要目的已經達到——那就是標明古時的地界，後人絕不可挪移。2. 一些分離的城邑被提到，它們不在這些地界之內——至少若按直線畫分的話不在——卻在瑪拿西的鬮地之內（Jos 16:9），這節經文也許讀作「在瑪拿西子孫的產業中，有為以法蓮子孫分出來的城」更好，因為結果表明瑪拿西能讓出這些城，以法蓮又需要它們，而且可以期望這兩個支派如此混居在一起不會帶來不便，因為他們都是約瑟的兒子，應當「像弟兄那樣相愛」。由此可見，雖然在摩押平原數點各支派時，瑪拿西在人數上超過了以法蓮——那時瑪拿西有五萬二千，以法蓮只有三萬二千（Nu 26:34,37）——但到了他們在迦南安頓下來之後，局面又翻轉了，摩西的祝福得了應驗（De 33:17）：「他們是以法蓮的萬萬，他們是瑪拿西的千千。」家族和國度的興衰、衰興，都隨神所喜悅的。3. 以法蓮人身上有了一個污點：他們沒有把迦南人從基色趕出去（Jos 16:10），無論是出於疏忽還是膽怯，要麼是因為缺乏對神應許的信心——他們若盡力而為，神必賜他們成功——要麼是因為對神命令的熱心不足——那命令要求他們「盡行趕出迦南人」，不可與他們講和。雖然他們希望以使他們服苦役來滿足律法的要求，但（如加爾文所想）這使事情更糟，因為這表明他們是出於貪婪而放過他們，好從他們的勞力中得益，而因與他們打交道來收取貢物，他們就有被其偶像崇拜傳染的危險；然而有人認為，當他們使他們服苦役時，也強迫他們放棄偶像，並遵守挪亞子孫的七條誡命；我本來也會這樣想，但我們在故事的後續中看到，以色列人非但沒有在別人身上遏制偶像崇拜，自己反而很快陷入了其中。許多著名的地方都在以法蓮支派的鬮地之內，雖然此處沒有提到。其中有拉瑪——撒母耳的城（在新約中稱為「亞利馬太」，那位安葬我們救主身體的約瑟就是那裏的人），以及示羅——會幕首先在那裏立起。得撒——耶羅波安及其繼承者的王城，以及底波拉的棕樹——她在其下審判以色列，也都在這支派中。撒瑪利亞是暗利在得撒王宮被焚之後所建的，也在這支派中，長久以來是十個支派國度的王城；離此不遠有示劍，以及以巴路山和基利心山，還有敘加，雅各井就在附近——基督在那裏與撒瑪利亞婦人談話。我們在士師記的故事中讀到許多關於以法蓮山的事，又有一座名叫「以法蓮」的城，很可能就在這支派中，基督曾退到那裏（Joh 11:54）。整個十個支派的國度在先知書中，尤其在何西阿書中，常被稱為「以法蓮」。
영문 원문
The Inheritance of Joseph's Children (1444 BC)
⁵ And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth-addar, unto Beth-horon the upper;
⁶ And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanath-shiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;
⁷ And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.
⁸ The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.
⁹ And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
¹⁰ And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.
Here, 1. The border of the lot of Ephraim is set down, by which it was divided on the south from Benjamin and Dan, who lay between it and Judah, and on the north from Manasseh; for east and west it reached from Jordan to the great sea. The learned, who aim to be exact in drawing the line according to the directions here, find themselves very much at a loss, the description being short and intricate. The report of those who in these latter ages have travelled those countries will not serve to clear the difficulties, so vastly unlike is it now to what it was then; not only cities have been so destroyed as that no mark nor footstep of them remains, but brooks are dried up, rivers alter their courses, and even the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place, Job 14:18. Unless I could hope to solve the doubts that arise upon this draught of the border of Ephraim, it is to no purpose to mention them: no doubt it was then perfectly understood, so as that the first intention of recording it was effectually answered, which was to notify the ancient landmarks, which posterity must by no means remove. 2. Some separate cities are spoken of, that lay not within these borders, at least not if the line was drawn direct, but lay within the lot of Manasseh (Jos 16:9), which might better be read, and there were separate cities for the children of Ephraim among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, because it proved that Manasseh could spare them, and Ephraim had need of them, and it might be hoped that no inconvenience would arise from this mixture of these two tribes together, who were both the sons of Joseph, and should love as brethren. And by this it appears that though, when the tribes were numbered in the plains of Moab, Manasseh had got the start of Ephraim in number, for Manasseh was then 52,000, and Ephraim but 32,000 (Nu 26:34,37), yet by the time they were well settled in Canaan the hands were crossed again, and the blessing of Moses was verified, De 33:17, They are the ten thousands of Ephraim and they are the thousands of Manasseh. Families and kingdoms are diminished and increased, increased and diminished again, as God pleases. 3. A brand is put upon the Ephraimites, that they did not drive out the Canaanites from Gezer (Jos 16:10), either through carelessness or cowardice, either for want of faith in the promise of God, that he would give them success if they would make a vigorous effort, or for want of zeal for the command of God, which obliged them utterly to drive out the Canaanites, and to make no peace with them. And, though they hoped to satisfy the law by putting them under tribute, yet (as Calvin thinks) this made the matter worse, for it shows that they spared them out of covetousness, that they might be profited by their labours, and by dealing with them for their tribute they were in danger of being infected with their idolatry; yet some think that, when they brought them under tribute, they obliged them to renounce their idols, and to observe the seven precepts of the sons of Noah; and I should think so, but that we find in the sequel of the story that the Israelites were so far from restraining idolatry in others that they soon fell into it themselves. Many famous places were within this lot of the tribe of Ephraim, though not mentioned here. In it were Ramah, Samuel's city (called in the New Testament Arimathea, of which Joseph was, that took care of our Saviour's burial), and Shiloh, where the tabernacle was first set up. Tirzah also, the royal city of Jeroboam and his successors, and Deborah's palm-tree, under which she judged Israel, were in this tribe. Samaria, built by Omri after the burning of the royal palace of Tirzah, was in this tribe, and was long the royal city of the kingdom of the ten tribes; not far from it were Shechem, and the mountains Ebal and Gerizim, and Sychar, near which was Jacob's well, where Christ talked with the woman of Samaria. We read much of Mount Ephraim in the story of the Judges, and of a city called Ephraim, it is probable in this tribe, to which Christ retired, Joh 11:54. The whole kingdom of the ten tribes is often, in the prophets, especially in Hosea, called Ephraim.
可惜本章與下一章被分開了，因為兩章都記載約瑟子孫以法蓮與瑪拿西的鬮分；他們僅次於猶大，本該居尊位，因此在迦南北部得著首先且最好的分，正如猶大如今在南部所得的一樣。本章記有：一、這兩個支派鬮分的概況（Jos 16:1-4）。二、以法蓮鬮分的具體邊界（Jos 16:5-10）。瑪拿西的則在下一章記述。