Matthew Poole and continuators on Joshua 17:1

THere was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh, (for he was the first born of Joseph ) to wit, for Machir , the first-born of Manasseh, the father of Gilead : because he was a man of war , therefore he had Gilead and Bashan .

The sense is, though Ephraim was to be more potent and numerous, yet Manasseh was the First-born, and had the priviledg of the First-born, which was translated to Ioseph, to wit, a double portion; and therefore though this were but half the Tribe of Manasseh, yet they are not made Inmates to Ephraim, but have a distinct Lot of their own as their Brethren, or other half Tribe had beyond Iordan.

The only Son of Manasseh, who therefore is here, and [illegible: 1+ letters]udg. 5. 14. put for the whole Tribe.

So even onely Sons are sometimes called, as Mat. 1. 25. See Exod. 4. 22.

Or, and the Father, or who was also the Father of Gilead; not of the Land of Gilead, but of the man Gilead, who was Machir's Son, Numb. 26. 29.

He, i. e. Machir, had given great proof of his Valour in his Generation, (though the particular History be not mentioned) and his Posterity were no degenerate Sons, but had his valiant Blood still running in their Veins.

i. e. Part of those Countreys; for part of them also was given to the Reubenites, and part to the Gadites, as appears from Ios. 13. 30, 31. This may be added as a reason, either 1. Why he got those places from the Amorites: or 2. Why they were allotted to him or his Posterity, because this was a Frontier Country, and the Out-works to the Land of Canaan, and therefore required such valiant persons to defend it.

Marginal references: Gen. 41. 51. and [illegible: 1+ letters]6. 20.; Gen. 50. 23. Numb. 32. 39, 40.