Joshua 16:1 – 17:18 provides details about the allotment given to the tribes of Joseph. It can be divided into two parts:
The boundary allotment for Ephraim (Joshua 16:1–10)
The boundary allotment for Manasseh (Joshua 17:1–18)
The tribe of Joseph follows Judah. According to the normal inheritance rules, Joseph would be near the end since he was the eleventh son of Jacob (Genesis 35:23–26). However, he received the rights of the firstborn son (1 Chronicles 5:1–3) thus inheriting a double portion (Deuteronomy 21:17). He was given this right on account of Reuben’s adultery with Bilhah (Genesis 35:22) and possibly also his actions in Egypt. Jacob’s specific blessing for Joseph promised fertility and prosperity for their tribe (see Genesis 49:22–26), and indeed they came to be the most influential tribe in the north.1
1 La part échue par le sort aux fils de Joseph s'étendait depuis le Jourdain près de Jéricho, vers les eaux de Jéricho, à l'orient. La limite suivait le désert qui s'élève de Jéricho à Béthel par la montagne.