“This was the territory chosen by lot for the tribe of M’nasheh, for he was the firstborn of Yosef. As for Makhir the firstborn of M’nasheh, the father of Gil‘ad, because he was a warrior he got Gil‘ad and Bashan.”-Joshua 17:1
Alrighty, let’s get back to our text study of Joshua Chapter 17 starting with verse 1.
Recall we discussed in insane detail how Jacob’s cross-handed blessing resulted in Manasseh being replaced by Ephraim as the firstborn son.
However, here we have verse 1 reminding us that it was Manasseh and NOT Ephraim who was really the firstborn son of Joseph.
What’s being implied is that we’re expected to know what I’ve already been over many times already.
That Jacob performed a divine blessing upon Joseph’s two Egyptian-born sons that for all intents and purposes took Manasseh’s firstborn status away from him and handed it over to his younger brother Ephraim.
And that wasn’t the only mind-blowing change that occurred.
In the process, Jacob also officially adopted Joseph’s two children away from him and made them his own sons!
In other words, in one fell swoop, Jacob’s grandchildren became his own sons and NOT in a metaphorical sense either.
Onward.
At this point in time it’s important that we get a firm grasp of how tribal structures worked in the ancient Middle East.
The first thing we need to know is that a tribe is basically an entity made up of many different clans.
And basically each clan was an extended family.
Notice we’re told that Makhir was the firstborn son of Manasseh.
This means he was the most prominent clan or family within the Tribe of Manasseh.
Also, let me make it clear that this verse is NOT referring to the actual person of Makhir.
The real Makhir was dead and gone a long time ago.
No, this verse is actually referring to the name of the clan that Makhir gave birth to.
And according to the ancient traditions of the times, the firstborn son of the Tribe’s founder is always the most powerful.
So what we’re being told here is that the clan of Makhir, who was presently subordinate to the leadership of Gilead, had received land on the east of of the Jordan River.
This is the land of Bashan and would later be called Gilead since they were the ruling power in the area at the time.
I get a lot out of what you’re doing here. Though I have much to learn, the tribes are a passion of mine.
Cool! Thanks for following. Be blessed and Shalom!