Joshua 17:14 (KJV)

What does Joshua 17:14 mean?

Joshua 17:14 describes a complaint about the land assigned to Joseph’s descendants. They tell Joshua that the land allotted to them seems too limited for their large population, which they say has grown because the LORD has blessed them.

The speakers are the descendants of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, addressing Joshua as their representative. Their words “one lot and one portion” picture the land as a share assigned to a people. “Hitherto” means “up to this point.”

The Hebrew behind Joshua 17:14

• “lot” — גּוֹרָל (goral): A lot can be a means of assigning a share. Here the word points to the way land was distributed, as well as to the share received.
• “portion” — חֶבֶל (ḥevel): This word can mean a cord or a measured tract of land. Here the sense is a portion of territory assigned for inheritance.

Why Joshua 17:14 matters

• Joseph’s descendants give their reason for asking for more land: they are “a great people,” or a large population. Their request concerns the size of their share in relation to their numbers.
• The complaint treats Joseph’s descendants as one people, though Ephraim and Manasseh each receive territory in the surrounding chapters. “One lot and one portion” expresses their own description of their share.
• Joshua’s answer develops the question of usable land. In verse 15, he tells them to clear land in the wooded hill country if their present territory is too small.