1Now this lot fell to the tribe of Manasseh, since he is the firstborn of Joseph: to Machir, the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, who was a fighting man, and he had as a possession Gilead and Bashan;
2and to the rest of the sons of Manasseh, according to their families: to the sons of Abiezer, and to the sons of Helek, and to the sons of Asriel, and to the sons of Shechem, and to the sons of Hepher, and to the sons of Shemida. These are the sons of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the males, by their families.
3Yet truly, Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, whose names are these: Mahlah and Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah.
4And they went before the sight of Eleazar, the priest, and Joshua, the son of Nun, and the leaders, saying: “The Lord instructed by the hand of Moses that a possession ought to be given to us, in the midst of our brothers.” And so, he gave to them, in accord with the order of the Lord, a possession in the midst of the brothers of their father.
5And by lot, there fell ten portions to Manasseh, aside from the land of Gilead and Bashan beyond the Jordan.
6And so the daughters of Manasseh possessed an inheritance in the midst of his sons. But the land of Gilead fell by lot to the sons of Manasseh that were left.
7And the border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, which looks out toward Shechem. And it goes out, to the right, beside the inhabitants of the Fountain of Tappuah.
8For by lot, there also fell to Manasseh the land of Tappuah, which is beside the borders of Manasseh, and which belongs to the sons of Ephraim.
9And the border descends to the Valley of Reeds, to the south of the torrent of the cities of Ephraim, which are in the midst of the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh is to the north of the torrent, and its exit extends to the sea.
10So it is that the possession of Ephraim is in the south, and that of Manasseh is in the north, and both are enclosed by the sea, and they are joined together by the tribe of Asher to the north, and by the tribe of Issachar to the east.
11And the inheritance of Manasseh, in Issachar and in Asher, was Bethshean and its villages, and Ibleam with its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor, with their towns, likewise the inhabitants of Endor with their villages, and similarly the inhabitants of Taanach with their villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo with their villages, and one third part of the city of Naphath.
12The sons of Manasseh were not able to overthrow these cities, and so the Canaanite began to dwell in their land.
13But after the sons of Israel had grown strong, they subdued the Canaanites, and made them their tributaries, but they did not kill them.
14And the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, and they said, “Why have you given to me as a possession one lot and one portion, while I am of such a great multitude, and the Lord has blessed me?”
15And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up into the forest, and cut out space for yourself in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the possession of mount Ephraim is too narrow for you.”
16And the sons of Joseph responded to him: “We are not able to ascend to the mountains, since the Canaanites, who live in the plains, in which are situated Bethshean, with its villages, and Jezreel, possessing the middle of the valley, use chariots of iron.”
17And Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh: “You are a numerous people, and you have great strength. You shall not have only one lot.
18Instead, you shall cross to the mountain, and you shall cut down and clear out for yourselves space in which to live. And you shall be able to advance further, when you will have destroyed the Canaanite, who, as you say, has iron chariots and is very strong.”
Verse 6
If one examines as carefully as possible, he will find in the Scriptures that there are forty-two stages in the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt; and, further, the coming of our Lord and Savior into this world is traced through forty-two generations. This is what Matthew the Evangelist points out when he says, “from Abraham to David the king, fourteen generations. And from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations. And from the Babylonian exile to Christ, fourteen generations.” Therefore, in descending to the Egypt of this world Christ passed those forty-two generations as stages; and those who ascend from Egypt pass by the same number, forty-two stages.… Therefore, the children of Israel by forty-two stages attained the beginning of taking their inheritance. And the beginning of taking their inheritance was when Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh received the land of Gilead. And so the number is fixed for Christ’s descent, when he came down to us through forty-two ancestors according to the flesh as through forty-two stages. And the ascent of the children of Israel to the beginning of the promised inheritance was through the same number of stages.
Verse 13
After Ham had been cursed through his one son, [Noah] blessed Shem and Japheth and said, “May God increase Japheth and may he dwell in the tent of Shem, and let Canaan be their slave.” Japheth increased and became powerful in his inheritance in the north and in the west. And God dwelt in the tent of Abraham, the descendent of Shem, and Canaan became their slave when in the days of Joshua son of Nun, the Israelites destroyed the dwelling-places of [Canaan] and pressed their leaders into bondage.
Verse 14
Thus if we too are a numerous people and the Lord blesses us, we hear from Jesus, “You are a numerous people; go up into the forest, and clear and prepare a place for yourself in the land. Purge the Perizzites and Rephaites.” Therefore, we must cast out the Perizzites. Moreover, we find the Perizzites to mean “fructification.” But just as we have already often said concerning other names, the meaning in this one is also twofold, for there is a good fructification and a bad one, as it is pointed out in the Gospels, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.” Therefore, it is fitting for us to expel everything that does not bear fruit properly and to cut away the fruit of sin and to purge the fruit of unrighteousness.
It also says drive away, or rather, “purge the Rephaites from you.” We find Rephaites to be interpreted “slack mothers.” According to that which is said in a mystery concerning the soul as though concerning a woman, there is a certain power in our soul that brings forth perceptions and is, so to speak, the mother of those perceptions or understandings that proceed from us; “and she will be saved through the begetting of children, if they have persevered in the faith and in truth.” Therefore, those mothers, that is, that power of the soul, begets sound and powerful perceptions among those in whom it is strong, sound and robust. These cannot be overcome by someone contradicting them. In others, that power indicated by perceptions is indeed slack and languid when certain weak and absurd points possessing no strength are put forth. Therefore, this is indicated under the name Rephaites, so that we may purge ourselves of these languid mothers, who bear weak and useless thoughts. And this name adequately preserves the peculiar nature of the spiritual understanding, for it did not say that the Rephaites must be destroyed but purged. For we are not enjoined to demolish and to destroy the natural impulses of the soul, but to purge, that is, to purify and to drive away the filth and uncleanness that reached them from our negligence. Then the natural vigor of its own innate strength may shine forth.
Verse 15
Thus if we too are a numerous people and the Lord blesses us, we hear from Jesus, “You are a numerous people; go up into the forest, and clear and prepare a place for yourself in the land. Purge the Perizzites and Rephaites.” Therefore, we must cast out the Perizzites. Moreover, we find the Perizzites to mean “fructification.” But just as we have already often said concerning other names, the meaning in this one is also twofold, for there is a good fructification and a bad one, as it is pointed out in the Gospels, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.” Therefore, it is fitting for us to expel everything that does not bear fruit properly and to cut away the fruit of sin and to purge the fruit of unrighteousness.
It also says drive away, or rather, “purge the Rephaites from you.” We find Rephaites to be interpreted “slack mothers.” According to that which is said in a mystery concerning the soul as though concerning a woman, there is a certain power in our soul that brings forth perceptions and is, so to speak, the mother of those perceptions or understandings that proceed from us; “and she will be saved through the begetting of children, if they have persevered in the faith and in truth.” Therefore, those mothers, that is, that power of the soul, begets sound and powerful perceptions among those in whom it is strong, sound and robust. These cannot be overcome by someone contradicting them. In others, that power indicated by perceptions is indeed slack and languid when certain weak and absurd points possessing no strength are put forth. Therefore, this is indicated under the name Rephaites, so that we may purge ourselves of these languid mothers, who bear weak and useless thoughts. And this name adequately preserves the peculiar nature of the spiritual understanding, for it did not say that the Rephaites must be destroyed but purged. For we are not enjoined to demolish and to destroy the natural impulses of the soul, but to purge, that is, to purify and to drive away the filth and uncleanness that reached them from our negligence. Then the natural vigor of its own innate strength may shine forth.
Verse 16
For if at last we come to perfection, then the Canaanite is said to have been exterminated by us and handed over to death. But as to how this is accomplished in our flesh, hear the apostle saying, “Mortify your members that are upon the earth: fornication, impurity,” and the other things that follow. And again it says, “For those who belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with its vices and lusts.” Thus, therefore, in the third stage, that is, when we come to perfection and mortify our members and carry around the death of Christ in our body, the Canaanite is said to be exterminated by us.
You see what is being said to us in the spiritual interpretation, to clear the woodland that is in us and, cutting useless and unfruitful trees out of us, to make fallow lands there that we would always renew and from which we would reap fruit “thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Does not the word of the Gospel also proclaim the same things to us, saying, “Behold the axe has already been placed at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire”9? These are the things Jesus [Joshua] the son of Nun commanded to our ancestors concerning cutting down unfruitful trees; these are the mandates the Lord Jesus describes in the Gospel. So how is it not true that a shadow has preceded and truth has followed after?
Verse 17
For if at last we come to perfection, then the Canaanite is said to have been exterminated by us and handed over to death. But as to how this is accomplished in our flesh, hear the apostle saying, “Mortify your members that are upon the earth: fornication, impurity,” and the other things that follow. And again it says, “For those who belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with its vices and lusts.” Thus, therefore, in the third stage, that is, when we come to perfection and mortify our members and carry around the death of Christ in our body, the Canaanite is said to be exterminated by us.
You see what is being said to us in the spiritual interpretation, to clear the woodland that is in us and, cutting useless and unfruitful trees out of us, to make fallow lands there that we would always renew and from which we would reap fruit “thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Does not the word of the Gospel also proclaim the same things to us, saying, “Behold the axe has already been placed at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire”9? These are the things Jesus [Joshua] the son of Nun commanded to our ancestors concerning cutting down unfruitful trees; these are the mandates the Lord Jesus describes in the Gospel. So how is it not true that a shadow has preceded and truth has followed after?
Verse 18
For if at last we come to perfection, then the Canaanite is said to have been exterminated by us and handed over to death. But as to how this is accomplished in our flesh, hear the apostle saying, “Mortify your members that are upon the earth: fornication, impurity,” and the other things that follow. And again it says, “For those who belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with its vices and lusts.” Thus, therefore, in the third stage, that is, when we come to perfection and mortify our members and carry around the death of Christ in our body, the Canaanite is said to be exterminated by us.
You see what is being said to us in the spiritual interpretation, to clear the woodland that is in us and, cutting useless and unfruitful trees out of us, to make fallow lands there that we would always renew and from which we would reap fruit “thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Does not the word of the Gospel also proclaim the same things to us, saying, “Behold the axe has already been placed at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire”9? These are the things Jesus [Joshua] the son of Nun commanded to our ancestors concerning cutting down unfruitful trees; these are the mandates the Lord Jesus describes in the Gospel. So how is it not true that a shadow has preceded and truth has followed after?