Joshua 17 · Verse 15

Joshua 17:15

And 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.
Joshua 17:15, King James Version

Joshua 17:15 in other translations

BSBJoshua answered them, “If you have so many people that the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go to the forest and clear for yourself an area in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.”
WEBJoshua 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.”
ASVAnd 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.
YLTAnd 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.'
DARBYAnd 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.
BBEThen Joshua said to them, If you are such a great people, go up into the woodlands, clearing a place there for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, if the hill-country of Ephraim is not wide enough for you.
WebsterAnd Joshua answered them, If thou art a great people, then go up to the wood, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim is too narrow for thee.

What does Joshua 17:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 17:14-18

Jos 17:14-18. The Children of Joseph Ask for Another Lot. 14-18. the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua--The two tribes join in laying a complaint before the leader, as to the narrow boundaries of their allotment and its insufficiency to be the residence of tribes so vastly increased. But Joshua's answer was full of wisdom as well as patriotism. Knowing their character, he treated them accordingly, and…

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Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 15 If thou be a great people - Joshua takes them at their own word; they said, Jos 17:14, that they were a great people; then said he, If thou be a great people or seeing thou art a great people, go to the wood country, and clear away for thyself. Joshua would not reverse the decision of the lot; but as there was much woodland country, he gave them permission to clear away as much of it as they found necessary to extend themselves as far as they pleased.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Joshua 17:14-18

Joshua, as a public person, had no more regard to his own tribe than to any other, but would govern without favour or affection; wherein he has left a good example to all in public trusts. Joshua tells them, that what was fallen to their share would be a sufficient lot for them, if they would but work and fight. Men excuse themselves from labour by any pretence; and nothing serves the purpose better than having rich…

Read the full comment on Joshua 17:14-18 →

Joshua 17:15 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם'a.lei.Hemto themH413
יְהוֹשֻׁ֗עַye.ho.Shu.a'JoshuaH3091
אִם\־'im-ifH518
עַם\־'am-[are] a peopleH5971
רַ֤בravnumerousH7227
אַתָּה֙'a.TahyouH859
עֲלֵ֣ה'a.Lehgo upH5927
לְךָ֣le.Khafor <the> yourself
הַיַּ֔עְרָהhai.Ya'.rahthe forest towardsH3293
וּבֵרֵאתָ֤u.ve.re.Taand you will cut downH1254
לְךָ֙le.Khafor <the> yourself
שָׁ֔םShamthereH8033
בְּאֶ֥רֶץbe.'E.retzin [the] land ofH776
הַפְּרִזִּ֖יha.pe.ri.Zithe Perizzite[s]H6522
וְהָֽרְפָאִ֑יםve.ha.re.fa.'Imand the RephaitesH7497
כִּֽי\־ki-thatH3588
אָ֥ץ'atzit is narrowH213
לְךָ֖le.Khafor <the> you
הַר\־har-[the] hill country ofH2022
אֶפְרָֽיִם\׃'ef.Ra.yimEphraimH669

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Joshua 17:15

  • Genesis 14:5

    And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

  • Genesis 13:7

    And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

  • Ezra 9:1

    Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

  • 2 Samuel 5:22

    And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

  • Exodus 33:2

    And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:

  • Luke 12:48

    But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

  • 2 Samuel 5:18

    The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

  • Genesis 15:20

    And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
If thou be.
Lu 12:48
the Perizzites.
Ge 13:7; Ex 33:2; Ezr 9:1
giants. or, Rephaims.
Ge 14:5; 15:20; 2Sa 5:18,22

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Joshua 17:14

    And 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?

  • Joshua 17:15

    And 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.

  • Joshua 17:16

    And 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.

Read all of Joshua 17

Joshua 17:15 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y Josué les respondió: Si eres pueblo tan grande, sube tú al monte, y corta para ti allí en la tierra del Pherezeo y de los gigantes, pues que el monte de Ephraim es angosto para ti.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Josué leur dit: Si tu es un peuple nombreux, monte à la forêt, et coupe-la pour t’y faire de la place dans le pays des Phéréziens et des Rephaïm, si la montagne d’Éphraïm est trop étroite pour toi.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Josua sprach zu ihnen: Wenn du ein zahlreiches Volk bist, so ziehe in den Wald hinauf und haue dir daselbst aus in dem Lande der Perisiter und der Rephaim, wenn dir das Gebirge Ephraim zu enge ist.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ad quos Josue ait: Si populus multus es, ascende in silvam, et succide tibi spatia in terra Pherezæi et Raphaim: quia angusta est tibi possessio montis Ephraim.