Hill Country of Ephraim

Biblical References

The hill country of Ephraim refers to the central highlands allotted to the tribe named after Ephraim, the son of Joseph. It appears as the setting of events in several books.

• Joshua 17:14-18: The descendants of Joseph complain that their land is too small. Joshua replies that they should clear the forest and take possession of it.
• Joshua 20:7: Shechem, in this hill country, is designated a city of refuge.
• Joshua 24:30, 33: Joshua is buried at Timnath-serah. The high priest Eleazar is buried in a hill that had been given to his son Phinehas.
• Judges: Ehud blows a trumpet here to rally the people (3:27). Deborah judges Israel beneath a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel (4:5). The story of Micah's idol and the account of the Levite's concubine also begin in this hill country (17:1; 19:1).
• 1 Samuel: Elkanah, the father of Samuel, is from this hill country (1:1). Saul passes through it while searching for his father's lost donkeys (9:4).
• 1 Kings 12:25: Jeroboam builds Shechem in this hill country.
• Jeremiah 31:6: A prophecy of restoration foretells a day when "the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God."

Background

The Hebrew word har, rendered "hill country," can refer not only to a single mountain but also to a continuous range of mountains. This area is an upland zone extending from the territory of Benjamin in the south toward the Jezreel Valley in the north. According to Joshua 17, it was heavily forested in the early period of settlement. Major sites such as Shiloh, where the tabernacle stood, and Shechem were located in this region. After the division of the kingdom, it became the heartland of the northern kingdom of Israel.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The hill country of Ephraim is the central stage on which Israel's religious and political life unfolded during the period of the judges and the early monarchy. In the prophetic books from the period of the northern kingdom, "Ephraim" also serves as a name for the northern kingdom as a whole. The Book of Jeremiah portrays the restoration of both north and south through the image of going up from this mountain to Zion.

The name "hill country of Ephraim" does not appear in the New Testament. However, the region of Samaria in New Testament times is generally thought to correspond largely to this area. Scholars differ on the location of "a city called Ephraim" in John 11:54.

Interpretation and Issues

• Extent: Ramah and Bethel, mentioned in Judges 4:5, lie within the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. For this reason, many hold that the name refers to the entire central highlands, an area broader than the tribal boundaries.
• Site identification: Scholars differ on the modern locations of places such as Timnath-serah and Ramathaim-zophim, the hometown of Elkanah.
• A commonly confused place name: "The wood of Ephraim" (2 Samuel 18:6), where Absalom was defeated, has a similar name but is a separate place. It is generally thought to have been located east of the Jordan River.
• A commonly confused verse: The frequently quoted words "give me this mountain" (Joshua 14:12) were spoken by Caleb when he asked for the region of Hebron; they have no connection with the hill country of Ephraim.

In the Korean Church

The instruction in Joshua 17:14-18 to clear the forest is read as an exhortation to overcome, by one's own efforts, the difficulties one faces. The passage is sometimes used as a sermon text on themes of pioneering or meeting challenges.