Even though they were counted as separate tribes, the people of Ephraim and Manasseh were still intimately linked in the minds of the ancient Hebrews. Ephraim had more people than Manasseh, but they had a much smaller territory. Joshua compensated for this by giving Ephraim pockets of territory within Manasseh. They weren't the only tribe to be given bits of land within their neighbor's boundaries. Such arrangements probably served to strengthen the political and cultural ties between the tribes and lessen the chances of civil war.
Joshua 16-17 #israel #biblestudy