Joshua 16:8

Jos 16:8 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.

Ver. 8. The border went out from Tappuah.] So called from the plenty of apples that grew there: as Perton in Worcestershire is from the plenty of pears.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah--It is retraced from east to west, to describe the prospective and intended boundary, which was to reach to the sea. Kanah ("reedy") flows into the Mediterranean.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 8. Tappuah] This was a city in the tribe of Manasseh, and gave name to a certain district called the land of Tappuah. See Jos 17:8.

The sea] The Mediterranean, as before.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. The border] In this verse the western half of the northern border is described.

from Tappuah] It ran from Tappuah, which has not yet been met with at all in the central district of Palestine, south of Shechem, “westward unto the river Kanah,” or rather “the brook of reeds.” This is probably the modern Nahr el Khassab, which reaches the Sea between Joppa and Cæsarea, under the name of Nahr Falaik, or as some think, the Nahr el Aujeh, just below the last-mentioned city.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim,.... The tribe of Ephraim, being much larger than the half tribe of Manasseh, besides the lot that fell to it, described before by its boundaries, had several particular and distinct cities given to it: which

were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh; some that were upon the borders of Ephraim, and within the territory of Manasseh, and it may be where it jetted out in a nook or corner, see Jos 17:8,

all the cities with their villages; not the separate cities only, but the little towns adjacent to them.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Reeds. Septuagint, "of Cana." The vale belonged to Manasses, but the cities were ceded to Ephraim, ver. 9., chap. xvii. 19. The limits of these two tribes are very confused. (Calmet) --- Most salt. This is the title generally applied to the lake of Sodom. But here the Mediterranean is meant, which, compared with many of the seas of Palestine, is certainly most salt. (Menochius) --- The epithet is not, however, found in Hebrew or Septuagint (Calmet) and Serarius thinks it has crept in here by mistake. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

8. From Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah — This is a completion of the northern boundary westward from the central ridge of Palestine. The site of Tappuah is unknown. The river Kanah is uncertain. Robinson identifies it with a wady still bearing the name Kanah, which rises south of Shechem and runs southwest, and empties into the Mediterranean four miles north of Joppa. But this is too far south to be a boundary between Ephraim and Manasseh. Compare Jos_17:8-9. It is more probably identical with the Wady Kassab, (stream of reeds,) which falls into the sea nearly west of Shechem.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The border went out from Tappuah westward. This would seem to be a more minute description of the border line drawn from the sea to Michmethah above. Tappuah seems to have been near Mich-methah, and on the border (Jos_17:8) of Manasseh. According to Knobel, Tappuah signifies plain, which is a little inconsistent with his idea that Michmethah, close by, was the watershed. Tappuah elsewhere signifies apple. Unto the river Trench. The winter-bound torrent Kanah, so named from its reeds and canes, formed the border between Ephraim and Manasseh. And the goings out (literally, extremities) thereof were at the sea This is the only possible interpretation of the passage, in spite of the obscurity caused by the same word being used for "sea" and "west."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The western half of the northern boundary went from Tappuah westwards to the Cane-brook, and terminated at the sea. Tappuah, called En-tappuah in Jos 17:7, as the southern boundary of Manasseh, which is there described, and which ran from Michmethah to En-tappuah, coincides with the northern boundary of Ephraim, must not be identified with the royal town of that name mentioned in Jos 12:17, and therefore was not Kefr Kud (Capercota), on the west of Jenin (Gina). This place was so far to the north, viz., seven hours to the north of Nabulus, that the boundary from Michmethah, in the neighbourhood of Shechem (Nabulus) onwards, would have run from south to north instead of in a westerly direction. Still less can En-tappuah be found, as Van de Velde supposes, in the old well of the deserted village of Atf, five hours to the east of Nabulus. It must have been to the west of Shechem; but it has not yet been discovered, as the country to the west of Nabulus and Sebastieh has "not been examined" (Van de Velde). The Cane-brook is no doubt the brook of that name mentioned by Bohad. (vita Salad. pp. 191, 193); only it is not quite clear "whether the Abu Zabura is intended, or a brook somewhat farther south, where there is still a Nahr el Kassab."

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Tappuah ... Kanah

These are the names of places. (See: How to Translate Names)

This was the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim

The land that Ephraim possessed is spoken of as if it were an inheritance that they received as a permanent possession. AT: "This was the land that the tribe of Ephraim received as an inheritance" (See: Metaphor)

clan by clan

This can be stated in active form. AT: "which Joshua assigned to their clans" (See: Active or Passive)

the cities that were chosen

This can be stated in active form. AT: "the cities that Joshua had chosen" (See: Active or Passive)

within the inheritance of the tribe of Manasseh

The land that the tribe of Manasseh possessed is spoken of as if it were an inheritance that they received as a permanent possession. AT: "within the land that the tribe of Manasseh had received as an inheritance" (See: Metaphor)

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.