Ephraim (Place)

A region in the central highlands of Israel. It was the land Joshua assigned to the tribe of Ephraim as their inheritance (Joshua 16:5–8; 17:7–11). At first, the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh were called “the people of Joseph” (Joshua 16:4). Together, they lived in the hill country between Jerusalem and the plain of Esdraelon. Ephraim’s land was south of Manasseh’s land.

This area was high and rocky. The Bible often calls it “the hill country of Ephraim”(1 Samuel 1:1). The land had steep hills made of hard rock, and deep valleys. Because of this, roads followed the ridges between valleys instead of going through the valleys. Travel between Ephraim and the coast was difficult. One way through was along the edge of the Sarida Valley. Another road came from Aphek. The Philistines used this road to invade Israel (1 Samuel 4)

Joshua 16:9 says that there were towns inside Manasseh’s land that were given to the people of Ephraim. This may mean the two tribes once disagreed about their borders. But Ephraim grew stronger over time and became a powerful tribe in Israel. Later, the name "Ephraim" was sometimes used to mean all of Israel (Hosea 4:17; 5:3, 11–14; 6:4, 10).

Boundaries of Ephraim

The land given to the tribe of Ephraim is described in Joshua 16:5–8 and 17:1–11. . These verses give many place names, but the exact location of some of them is still uncertain today.

The eastern boundary began at Micmethah. It might be the same as the site now called Khirbet en-Nabi. From there, the boundary went south through Taanath-shiloh, Janoah, Ataroth, and Naarah to a place near Jericho.

The southern boundary seems to have passed westward toward Bethel, Beth-horon, and Gezer. Then it went to to the Mediterranean Sea.

The western boundary is not clearly described. It may have included some land that still belonged to the Canaanites at that time.

The northern boundary separated Ephraim from the tribe of Manasseh. It started again at Micmethah, which was near Shechem. From there, it went to Tappuah and then followed the Wadi Qana, a small seasonal river. This line reached the Mediterranean Sea north of the city of Joppa.

Even though the Bible gives many details, the exact borders of Ephraim’s land are not completely clear. The tribe of Benjamin lived just to the south of Ephraim.

Climate of Ephraim

The hill country of Ephraim gets more rain than the land of Judah, which is farther south. The soil in Ephraim is reddish, rich, and good for growing crops.

Because of this, the land was very productive. Even today, the area has many orchards, and olive trees grow in large numbers.

Deuteronomy 33:14–17 describes the land: “The bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons, with the best of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills, with the choice gifts of the land.” This description gives a good picture of how rich and fruitful the land of Ephraim was.

A town near Baal-hazor. Absalom invited his half brother Amnon to this town so that he could have him killed (2 Samuel 13:23–29). Absalom did this because Amnon had committed incest with Absalom’s sister Tamar. The town lay to the north of Jerusalem. It might be the same as Ephron (2 Chronicles 13:19). It was probably the place near the wilderness where Jesus went after He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:54). Many people today identify this town with a village called et-Taiyibeh. It is about 20.9 kilometers (13 miles) northeast of Jerusalem and about 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) northeast of Bethel.