Joshua 17:14-18 Meaning: Claim the Inheritance You Already Have
14The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me just one lot and one part for an inheritance, since we are a numerous people, because Yahweh has blessed us so far?”
15Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest, and clear land for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”
16The children of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. All the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth Shean and its towns, and those who are in the valley of Jezreel.”
17Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, that is, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people, and have great power. You shall not have one lot only;
18but the hill country shall be yours. Although it is a forest, you shall cut it down, and it’s farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”
14And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the Lord hath blessed me hitherto?
15And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.
16And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Beth–shean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.
17And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only:
18But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.
14And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one part for an inheritance, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as hitherto Jehovah hath blessed me?
15And Joshua said unto them, If thou be a great people, get thee up to the forest, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim; since the hill-country of Ephraim is too narrow for thee.
16And the children of Joseph said, The hill-country is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are in Beth-shean and its towns, and they who are in the valley of Jezreel.
17And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power; thou shalt not have one lot only:
18but the hill-country shall be thine; for though it is a forest, thou shalt cut it down, and the goings out thereof shall be thine; for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.
14And the sons of Joseph speak with Joshua, saying, `Wherefore hast thou given to me an inheritance--one lot and one portion, and I a numerous people? hitherto hath Jehovah blessed me.'
15And Joshua saith unto them, `If thou art a numerous people, go up for thee to the forest, then thou hast prepared for thee there, in the land of the Perizzite, and of the Rephaim, when mount Ephraim hath been narrow for thee.'
16And the sons of Joseph say, `The hill is not found to us, and a chariot of iron is with every Canaanite who is dwelling in the land of the valley--to him who is in Beth-Shean and its towns, and to him who is in the valley of Jezreel.'
17And Joshua speaketh unto the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, `Thou art a numerous people, and hast great power; thou hast not one lot only ,
18because the mountain is thine; because it is a forest--thou hast prepared it, and its outgoings have been thine; because thou dost dispossess the Canaanite, though it hath chariots of iron--though it is strong.'
14And the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me as inheritance one lot and one portion, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as Jehovah has blessed me hitherto?
15And Joshua said unto them, If thou art a great people, then get thee up to the wood, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if the hill-country of Ephraim is too narrow for thee.
16And the children of Joseph said, The hill-country will not be enough for us; and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, those that are of Beth-shean and its dependent villages, and those that are in the valley of Jizreel.
17And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only,
18but the hill-country shall be thine, as it is a wood, thou shalt cut it down, and its outgoings shall be thine; for thou shalt dispossess the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots; for they are powerful.
Meaning in one sentence
In Joshua 17:14-18, Joseph's tribes complain their inheritance is too small.
Context
The land is being divided among the tribes of Israel. The descendants of Joseph, the powerful tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, come to Joshua with a complaint. They say they have been given only one lot and one portion, yet they are a numerous people, blessed by God. Joshua, himself from Ephraim, does not give in to their demand for an easier allotment. Instead, he points to the forested hill country still occupied by enemies and tells them to go clear it themselves. When they object that the plains are held by Canaanites with iron chariots, Joshua affirms their strength and insists that the hill country is theirs to take, forest, iron chariots, and all.
Key Words
The Hebrew word behind “too narrow” in verse 15 is uts. It means to be pressed, confined, or cramped. The tribes felt squeezed, but Joshua saw room they were not seeing, room that required work to access. The verb “cut down” (bera) appears twice and means to clear, to open up a space by removing what blocks it. Joshua is saying: the forest is not a barrier; it is your future home. And in verse 18, “the outgoings of it” (totza’ot) refers to the farthest borders, the places where the land opens out. God’s promise includes the edges we have not yet reached. The narrowness we feel is often a call to expand, not to complain.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this passage in different ways. Some see the complaint of Joseph’s descendants as understandable, even reasonable, they were numerous and blessed, so a larger portion seemed fair. Others, like many Protestant commentators, view it as a failure of faith: the tribes focus on obstacles (iron chariots) instead of God’s strength. Calvin called their reply dishonest and self-serving. The Catholic tradition from the Douay version notes Joshua’s pastoral wisdom in redirecting them to action. Across traditions, there is agreement that Joshua’s call to clear the forest and drive out the Canaanites is an invitation to trust God through active obedience.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is that Joshua rebukes the tribes for asking. In fact, he does not scold them; he takes them at their word. “You say you are numerous and powerful,” he says. “Then go claim the forest.” Joshua sees that the real problem is not the size of their inheritance, but their unwillingness to fight for it. The complaint is not dismissed; it is redirected.
Living This Out
A friend of mine once told me she felt stuck in a small life, too little time, too little money, too little room to grow. She prayed for God to give her more. But as she read this passage, she felt a nudge: maybe God was not going to hand her more; maybe He was showing her a forest to clear. That forest looked like a hard conversation she had been avoiding, a skill she never learned, a risk she would not take. For each of us this week, the question is not whether God has been unfair with our portion. The question is: what “forest” has He already placed within our reach, waiting for us to clear it?
Main takeaway: God often places the challenge within the promise, calling us to clear the forest and claim what He has already given.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The people of Joseph said their land was too small. Joshua told them to go cut down trees and make more room. When we think we don’t have enough, God might be asking us to work hard and trust Him.
For ages 9, 12
The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh complained that their part of the land was too small. But Joshua knew they had strength to do more. So he told them to clear the forest and drive out the Canaanites, even though the Canaanites had scary iron chariots. He was saying, “You are strong enough with God’s help to take more.” Sometimes we complain about our limits when God is waiting for us to push through them. Instead of asking for an easier path, we can ask for courage to take the next step.
Questions People Ask
Why did Joseph’s descendants complain about their inheritance in Joshua 17:14?
They believed they deserved more land because they were a numerous people whom God had greatly blessed. They felt that one lot and one portion was not enough for their large population.
What did Joshua mean when he told them to “go up to the forest and clear land”?
Joshua pointed to forested hill country that was still unclaimed. He was telling them to take action: clear the trees, cultivate the land, and expand their territory through their own effort, trusting God to help them.
Why were iron chariots such an obstacle for the tribes of Joseph?
Iron chariots were advanced military technology that made the Canaanite armies seem unbeatable, especially on flat plains. The tribes were afraid to fight in the valley because of these chariots, but Joshua reminded them that God was stronger.
Was Joshua being unfair to his own family, the tribe of Ephraim?
Joshua was from Ephraim, but he did not give them special treatment. Instead, he challenged them to act on their own strength and trust God. This shows that spiritual leadership values faithfulness over favoritism.
What is the main lesson of Joshua 17:14-18 for Christians today?
The passage teaches that when we feel limited, God often provides opportunity within the difficulty. Instead of complaining about what we do not have, we are called to trust God, face the obstacles, and claim the promise through active faith.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study