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Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.
Joshua 16:7 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB It went down from Janoah to Ataroth, to Naarah, reached to Jericho, and went out at the Jordan.
  • KJV And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.
  • BSB From Janoah it went down to Ataroth and Naarah, and then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.
  • NKJV Then it went down from Janohah to Ataroth and Naarah, reached to Jericho, and came out at the Jordan.
  • NLT From Janoah it turned southward to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, and ended at the Jordan River.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The border of Ephraim continued down past Janoah, Ataroth, and Naarah, reaching Jericho and ending at the Jordan. It traces the eastern boundary of Joseph's tribe.

Overview

This verse maps the southeastern edge of Ephraim's allotment, descending from the central highlands toward the Jordan valley near Jericho. The careful naming of towns underscores that Israel's inheritance was concrete and verifiable, not a vague promise. God's faithfulness to give the land sworn to the patriarchs is recorded in surveyor's detail, anchoring redemption in real history and pointing forward to the secure inheritance Christ secures for His people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • 1 Chr 7:28Their possessions and settlements were Bethel and its towns, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, with its towns; Shechem also and its towns, to Azzah and its towns;
  • Num 33:48They traveled from the mountains of Abarim, and encamped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
  • Josh 3:16the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people passed over near Jericho.
  • Josh 6:1Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in.
  • Josh 6:26Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before Yahweh, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Joshua videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Joshua 16:7YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JoshuaMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.

How Joshua 16:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.