(pictured is a potential site of the Tabernacle at Shiloh)

The tribal inheritance of Ephraim and Manasseh is central to the vitality of Israel. These two brothers dwelled in a land that was first inhabited and continued to be capital of the land at different times. This area is just as popular if not more popular than Jerusalem in the first five books of Moses. It was the richest land and was therefore given to the favored son of Jacob: Joseph. Shiloh of Ephraim and Shechem of Manasseh are two places that show the crucial aspects of this land.

Ephraim is just north of the tribe of Judah and South of the inheritance of Manasseh. The Cenomanian-Turonian limestone creates a ruggedness of the land that is similar to that of the Jerusalem area. The land was given to the younger but favored son of Joseph, and was thought to be the better of the two inheritances. Ephraim is drained to the West by the Shiloh Wadi and has rich soil for bountiful agriculture.

Shiloh is the principal city of the tribal inheritance of Ephraim. It is off the main highways and guarded by the rugged Cenomanian valleys and mountains. Its placement created a quiet life for its people and safety, which would be expected to provide a long lasting capital for Israel. According to Eusebius, this city is the site of the tabernacle. Unfortunately however, the Ark of the Covenant was stolen and archeology shows the destruction of the Israelite layer by the Philistines about 1050 B.C.E.

Manasseh is also a blessed tribal inheritance. The land is more open with lower hills and less steep terrain. Such turf creates a connection to the World in all directions. Samaria opens up to Caesaria in the West. Dothan opens to the Jezreel Valley in the Northwest. Beth-Shean is easily accessed to the Northeast and Adam, Penuel are accessible through Tirzah. Shechem in the South completes the spoke-like connectedness of the land, making way to the tribal inheritance of Ephraim. Such an international and intertribal scene can be helpful in times of peace, but in times of war the area is easily taken and over-run.

Though overall very open, the landscape of Manasseh is very diverse. In the East the territory is a bit more rugged with the Wadi Farah providing rich agricultural land and plenty of water. In Central Manasseh one finds the towering mountains of Ebal and Gerazim. Such land is central to the story of the Samaritans, and they continue to claim Gerazim as the true Temple Mount to this very day. In sight from Mt. Gerazim is the New Testament site of Jacob’s Well, where Jesus spoke with the Samaritan Woman about where true worship will soon take place.

The prominent city of Manasseh is Shechem, where Jeroboam set up the capital of the Northern Kingdom. It is interesting to note Abraham’s interactions with the king of Shechem. One could hypothesize that Abraham had covenanted relations with him, for only then would Abraham be allowed to build an altar to God as he does. This may explain the later move into the land by Abraham’s grandson without obvious battle conquest. The abundance of water and fertile soil led to a quickly populated city. This land is the open of the open and the networked of the networked, which ultimately led to its defeat.