28 Their possessions and habitations were Bethel and its towns, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, with its towns; Shechem also and its towns, to Azzah and its towns;
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
And their possessions and habitations,.... That is, of the sons of Ephraim, when come into the land of Canaan:
were Bethel, and the towns thereof; the villages belonging to it, which was formerly called Luz, and was the border of Ephraim, Joshua 16:7.
and eastward Naaran: the same with Naarath, Joshua 16:7.
and westward Gezer, with the towns thereof; of which see Joshua 16:3,
and Shechem also, and the towns thereof; which was a city of refuge in Mount Ephraim, Joshua 20:7
unto Gaza, and the towns thereof; not Gaza, a city of the Philistines, for the tribe of Ephraim did not reach so far; the Targum calls it Aiah; it may be read Adaza, as in the margin of our Bibles.
In 1-Chronicles 7:28 and 1-Chronicles 7:29 the possessions and dwelling-places of the tribe of Ephraim (and as we learn from the superscription, 1-Chronicles 7:29), also those of West Jordan Manasseh, are given, but in a very general way; only the chief places on the four sides being mentioned. Bethel, now Beitin, on the frontier of the tribal domains of Benjamin and Ephraim (Joshua 16:2; Joshua 18:13), and assigned to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:22), is here mentioned as an Ephraimite city on the southern frontier of the Ephraimite territory, as it belonged to the kingdom of the ten tribes; whence we gather that this register was prepared after that kingdom had come into existence. As to its position, see on Joshua 7:2. Her daughters are the smaller villages which belonged to Bethel. Naaran, without doubt the same place which is called in Joshua 16:7 נערתה (with ה loc.), is the eastern frontier city lying to the north-east of Jericho; see on Joshua 16:7. "And westward Gezer," according to Joshua 16:3, lying between Beth-horon and the sea (see on Joshua 10:33), is the frontier city on the south-west; and Shechem and Avvah (עוּה), with their daughters, are places which mark the boundary on the north-west. As to שׁכם, Shechem, the present Nabulus, see on Joshua 17:7. Instead of עוּה, most of the editions of the Bible agree with lxx and Vulg. and Chald. in having עזּה, but not the Philistine Gaza: it is only an error of the transcribers and printers, as all the more accurate MSS and the better printed copies have עוה; see De Rossi, Variae Lectt. ad h. l. The locality עוּה or עיּה is certainly met with nowhere else, but, if we may judge by Joshua 16:6 and Joshua 17:17, is to be sought not far from Shechem in a north-western direction, perhaps on the site of the there mentioned Michmethah, the position of which has, however, not yet been ascertained.
*More commentary available at chapter level.