EPHRAIM

The younger son and younger tribe of Joseph. Situated in the fertile hill-country between Benjamin and the other Joseph tribe, Manasseh, the tribe of Ephraim (Heb. 'epraim, from root meaning fruitful) was, in the early history of Israel, one of the most numerous and powerful tribes, important for its religious sanctuaries and prime mover in establishing the Northern Kingdom; yet, despite early superiority, Ephraim's leadership of the north was clearly supplanted by Manasseh as early as the 9th century. This article treats in order Ephraim's occupation of the land and its historical role.

Occupation of the land. The Elohist tradition, obviously interested in Ephraim, records how Jacob mistakenly blessed the younger brother in precedence over his older brother Manasseh (Gn 48:5–20). The brothers were the eponymous ancestors of the two Joseph tribes, their double character making up for the tribe of Levi, which received no territory, and thus preserving the classical number 12. The census numbers given for Ephraim and Manasseh in Nm 26:34, 37, as contrasted with those given in Nm 1:33, 35, and the account of Joshua's allotment of territory to Ephraim in a literary context that accords primacy to Manasseh (Jos 16:4; 17:1), reflect Ephraim's later, secondary status, hardly in agreement with its early hegemony (see Phythian-Adams, 231–232). At the Israelite conquest of Canaan, Ephraim gained possession of the strategically located section of north-central hill country bounded by Manasseh on the north, Benjamin and Dan on the south, and extending from the Jordan to the sea (Jos 16:1–9). Strength of numbers led the powerful and warlike Ephraim (Jos 17:14–18) to encroach northward against Manasseh and southeastward to the Canaanite city of Gezer, whose inhabitants they subjected to forced labor and eventually absorbed into the tribe (Jos 16:10; Jgs 1:22–26, 29). The territory is one of the most fruitful in Palestine, as is reflected in its name and in the blessings of Jacob's Oracles (Gn 49:22–26) and Moses' Oracles (Dt 33:13–17).

Historical role. Its access to major zones of movement, superior position in the hill country, and military prowess cast Ephraim in the warrior's role in Israelite history. In the period of occupation Ephraimites fought under Aod against the Moabites (Jgs 3:27), under deborah and Barak against the Canaanite coalition (Jgs 5:14), and under gideon against the Madianites (Jgs 7:24). This last episode nearly ended in internal strife because of the insult offered to the martial pride of some Ephraimites (Jgs 8:1–3). A similar incident involving the Judge Jephthah during the Ammonite war erupted into open conflict that resulted in severe Ephraimite losses (Jgs 12:1–6). Ephraim also contributed the Judge Abdon to Israelite history (Jgs 12:13). The presence of the ark at the central shrines of bethel and Shiloh further enhanced Ephraimite prestige during this period, as did the renown of Samuel, last of the Judges and reluctant inaugurator of the monarchy (Jos 18:1; Jgs 20:27; 1 Sm 1:1; 4:3). In the political friction after Saul's death (c. 1000 b.c.), the Ephraimites remained faithful to his son Is-Baal until his assassination, whereupon they offered their allegiance to David at Hebron (2 Sm 2:9; 5:1; 1 Chr 12:30).

The secessionist movement of the northern tribes after Solomon's death (c. 922 b.c.) took root in Ephraim, the Prophet Ahijeh instigating Jeroboam I (both Ephraimites) to make the irrevocable break with Judah (1 Kgs 11:26–40). The sheer size and strategic location of Ephraim and Manasseh made them the nucleus of the Northern Kingdom, whose first capital was shechem (1 Kgs 12:25). Despite their alliance, there seems to have been a bitter rivalry between the two (Is 9:20–21), which probably was rooted in the disputes that arose in occupying the land (Jos 17:14–18; see Phythian-Adams, 229–230), and was perhaps reflected in the swift succession of kings and internal instability of the Northern Kingdom. While the subsequent history of the divided monarchy depicts Manasse in the predominant role in the North until its downfall in 721 b.c., early Ephraimite influence was so profound as to make its name synonymous with the Northern Kingdom, Israel, a fact amply attested in prophetic literature (Is 7:2, 5, 8, 17; 9:8; Jer 31:9, 20; Ez 37:16, 19; Hos passim ).

Bibliography: Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible, tr. and adap. by l. hartman (New York 1963) 674–675. w. j. phythianadams, "The Boundary of Ephraim and Manasseh," Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly (1929) 228–241. e. robertson, "The Period of the Judges: A Mystery Period in the History of Israel," The Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 30 (1946) 91–114. k. d. schunck, "Ophra, Ephron, and Ephraim," Vetus Testamentum 11 (1961) 188–200.

[r. barrett]