Verses 1-6 explain why some of the descendants of Manasseh were given land on the east side of the Jordan (East Manasseh) while the rest were given land on the west side of the Jordan (West Manasseh).

A part of the land west of the Jordan was assigned to is more literally “Then allotment was made to” (Revised Standard Version). That is, the Hebrew text does not define as precisely as Good News Translation the location of the land assigned to the tribe of Manasseh. The meaning may be either what is represented in Good News Translation, or else the reference could be to the entire apportionment of land given the tribe of Manasseh. The alternative interpretation appears more likely, inasmuch as Gilead and Bashan, territories east of the Jordan, are mentioned in this verse. Following this interpretation one may translate “Joshua assigned the largest portion of land to the tribe of Manasseh, which was descended from Joseph’s older son Manasseh.” Or “… Manasseh. These were the descendants of Manasseh, who was Joseph’s older son.”

Manasseh’s oldest son Machir was assigned Gilead and Bashan, east of the Jordan (see 13.29-31). This second sentence of Good News Translation is difficult because it has two appositional modifiers (the father of Gilead and east of the Jordan), and the two subjects (Machir and Gilead and Bashan) are separated by the modifiers from their verbs (was and were assigned). If the sentence is broken into smaller units and restructured, it should become more readable:

• Machir was Manasseh’s oldest son, and he himself had a son named Gilead. Machir was a military hero, and Joshua had earlier assigned to him the territories of Gilead and Bashan, which were east of the Jordan River.

A military hero may be translated “a famous soldier” or “a brave soldier.” It is quite possible also that and a military hero, so Gilead and Bashan … were assigned to him may mean, “He was a great soldier and had conquered the territories of Gilead and Bashan.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .