16:1ff Although Joseph was one of Jacob’s 12 sons, he did not have a tribe named after him. This was because Joseph, as the oldest son of Jacob’s wife Rachel, received a double portion of the inheritance. Joseph’s double portion was divided between his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, whom Jacob considered as his own (Genesis 48:5). The largest territory and the greatest influence in the northern half of Israel belonged to their tribes.
16:10 Occasionally this short phrase appears: “they drave not out the Canaanites” (see also 15:63; 17:12). This was contrary to God’s explicit desire and command (13:1-6). The failure to remove completely the pagan people and their gods from the land would cause many problems for the nation. The book of Judges records many of these struggles.