Josue 17:16

Nova Vulgata

Cui responderunt filii Ioseph: "Montana non sufficiunt nobis, et ferreis curribus utuntur omnes Chananaei, qui habitant in terra campestri, Bethsan cum filiabus suis et illi, qui sunt in planitie Iezrahel".

Parallel Translations

Clementine Latin Vulgate (1592)
Cumque fuerit constitutus, non multiplicabit sibi equos, nec reducet populum in Ægyptum, equitatus numero sublevatus, præsertim cum Dominus præceperit vobis ut nequaquam amplius per eamdem viam revertamini.

Jerome's Latin Vulgate (405)
Cui responderunt filii Joseph: Non poterimus ad montana conscendere, cum ferreis curribus utantur Chananæi, qui habitant in terra campestri, in qua sitæ sunt Bethsan cum viculis suis, et Jezraël mediam possidens vallem.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

chariots: Joshua 17:18, Judges 1:19, Judges 4:3

Bethshean: Joshua 17:11, 1 Kings 4:12

Jezreel: Joshua 19:18, Judges 6:33, 1 Kings 4:12, 1 Kings 18:46, 1 Kings 21:1, 1 Kings 21:23, 2 Kings 9:10, 2 Kings 9:37, Hosea 1:4, Hosea 1:5

Reciprocal: Exodus 14:7 - General Deuteronomy 7:17 - These nations 1 Kings 9:21 - not Psalms 78:9 - The children

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the children of Joseph said, the hill is not enough for us,.... Meaning either Mount Ephraim, and all included in it; or it may be rather the wood country on the hills and mountains they were bid to go up to; signifying, that if they could gain that out of the hands of the Perizzites and giants, and clear it of the wood, and make it habitable, even that would not be sufficient for them; or that hill and mountain cannot be "found by us" r or obtained and possessed by us; we are not able to get it into our hands; there being a valley between us and that:

and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron; not chariots made of iron, but chariots with iron scythes fastened to the sides, or axle trees of them, which when driven with great force and fury, would cut down the infantry in battle, as grass is cut down with scythes, see Judges 4:2;

[both they] who [are] of Bethshean and her towns, and [they] who [are] of the valley of Jezreel; both which belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, or were on the borders of it, though as yet they had not got possession, see Joshua 17:11; and this circumstance seems to favour the notion, that tribe of Manasseh were at least chiefly concerned in this address.

r לא ימצא לנו "non invenietur nobis", Montanus; "non possumus montem istum assequi", Tigurine version; "non obtinebitur a nobis", Masius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The possession by the Canaanites of chariots strengthened and tipped with iron, such as were used by the Egyptians Exodus 14:7, is named here by the children of Joseph as a reason why they could not possess themselves of the plains. “The valley of Jezreel” is the broad low valley which sweeps from “Zerin” between the mountains of Gilboa and the range of little Hermon eastward down to the Jordan. It was most likely in this valley that the host of the Midianites was encamped, when attacked by Gideon Judges 7:1, Judges 7:8. The great plain of Jezreel, called the plain of Esdraelon (Esdrelom, Judith 1:8), extends from Carmel on the west to the hills of Gilboa, little Hermon, and Tabor on the east, a distance of full sixteen miles; and its breadth between the rocky mass of southern Palestine and the bolder mountains of Galilee on the north, is about twelve miles. Its position as well as its open area make it the natural battlefield of Palestine.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 17:16. The hill is not enough for us — The mountain of Gilboa being that which had fallen to them by lot.

Chariots of iron — We cannot possess the plain country, because that is occupied by the Canaanites; and we cannot conquer them, because they have chariots of iron, that is, very strong chariots, and armed with scythes, as is generally supposed.