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? 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?
The “children of Joseph” who ask the question are Ephraim together with the half tribe of Manasseh. Their question is a demand for more than the one lot assigned them, a double portion claimed on the ground that they are a great people. That greatness is understood as superior numbers, and on that basis they press for a larger inheritance.
They consider themselves entitled to special consideration as one of the largest tribes in Israel, and further as the tribe to which Joshua himself belongs. The lot already given them is in fact the richest in the land, including the fertile plain of Sharon, although many of the principal towns in the valley are still in Canaanite possession. Their real motive is to shrink from the toil and danger of conquering those possessions for themselves, desiring instead an additional share in territory already subdued so as to shun hardship and danger. The claim thus reveals a spirit widely different from Caleb’s, lacking the faith and courage to drive out the Canaanites in reliance on the pledged power of the God of Israel, and no plea of this kind can win Joshua to depart from strict justice.