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1This was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. As for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan. 2So this was for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their families: for the children of Abiezer, for the children of Helek, for the children of Asriel, for the children of Shechem, for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida. These were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families. 3But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4They came to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the princes, saying, “Yahweh commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” Therefore according to the commandment of Yahweh he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father. 5Ten parts fell to Manasseh, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan; 6because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh. 7The border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, which is before Shechem. The border went along to the right hand, to the inhabitants of En Tappuah. 8The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh; but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim. 9The border went down to the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook, and ended at the sea. 10Southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea was his border. They reached to Asher on the north, and to Issachar on the east. 11Manasseh had three heights in Issachar, in Asher Beth Shean and its towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns. 12Yet the children of Manasseh couldn’t drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

13When the children of Israel had grown strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and didn’t utterly drive them out. 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.”

Place

Valley of Jezreel

Type
Valley
Location
32.556, 35.331

Valley of Armageddon (Plain of Jezreel and Mount Megiddo)

 Site Study | Hershel Wayne House | Israel

The Valley of Armageddon has been a location of interest for nearly two thousand years and relates to the large Plain of Jezreel between the biblical site called Megiddo on the south, and Mt. Tabor and Nazareth on the north, the Mediterranean to the west, and the Sea of Galilee to the east. The Hebrew term is Harmageddon, but most know the term Armageddon because the Hebrew "h" was omitted in the Greek and Latin languages. It only occurs in Revelation 16:16 and is the location of a gathering of world armies prior to the final battle that will occur when Jesus returns to the earth. Napoleon, upon his travel to the Holy Land of Israel, remarked that all of the nations could gather there for battle.

Copyright © 2026 Hershel Wayne House. All rights reserved.
 Site Study | Brian Kvasnica | Valley of Jezreel, in the Galilee

The Jezreel Valley is the triangular breadbasket of the Land of Israel, stretching about 20 miles on each of its three sides.  Even its name means “God sows,” something that Hosea 1:11 and 2:21-23 uses for a play on words.  While Jezreel was allotted to Issachar (Josh 19:18) in the lower Galilee region, it was not able to be taken until the time of Saul and David; and thus the valley is likely to be equated with “Horoshet HaGoim”—the Plowed Fields of the Gentiles, in this time, mainly the Egyptians (see Rainey and Notley, The Sacred Bridge, pp. 150-151).  This fertile valley shares the name Jezreel with the town Jezreel, now known as Zerin (Arabic) or Tel Yizreel (Hebrew).  Since Jezreel the city is not mentioned before the Israelite period, it seems likely to be founded by the Israelites.  The Jezreel Valley is also known as the Esdraelon Valley in the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, and on the west side of the Valley is HarMegdon, more commonly known as Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). 

Saul and the Israelite army camped at a spring near Jezreel against the Philistines (1 Sam 29:1).  Under Solomon, Jezreel is part of the border of the fifth district of the kingdom (1 Kgs 4:12).  Under Ahab (9th century b.c.), Jezreel had become the winter capital of the Israelite kingdom and we hear about Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab, King of Samaria, in 1 Kgs 21:1. The Usurper King Jehu had a famous chariot ride from Ramot Gilead (in Jordan) and then killed both kings of Israel and Judah as well as Jezebel who was thrown out of an upper story palace window (2 Kgs 9:32).  Previously Elijah had run before Ahab’s chariot when he returned to his palace in Jezreel (1 Kgs 18:46).  It may be that Jesus’ healing of the ten lepers took place near Jezreel as Luke 17:11-19 reports that he was passing “between Samaria and Galilee.” [footnote: See H.G.M. Williamson, “Jezreel in the Biblical Texts,” Tel Aviv 18 (1991):72-92; and subsequent reports in Tel Aviv.]

Tel Jezreel was excavated by David Ussishkin and John Woodhead, but unfortunately almost nothing was preserved for posterity.  Thankfully, with the few stones left and the overview of the Jezreel and Harod Valleys, one can still be greatly helped in reimagining the Biblical stories.

Copyright © 2026 Brian Kvasnica. All rights reserved.
Person & place data: Theographic Bible Metadata by Robert Rouse (Viz.Bible), CC BY-SA 4.0.