Question VIII. Did Ephraim and Manasseh succeed into the place of the Levites?

The text asserts this expressly in the following ch. 14, v. 4: “The Levites,” it says, “received nothing of land among their brothers. But into their place succeeded the sons of Joseph, divided into two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim.” But how did they succeed? For [they succeeded] either into their right, or into their very land. Not into [their] right — because these sons of Joseph received the right of the land to be occupied and divided together with all the sons of Jacob, when they were adopted by this [Jacob] (Gen. 48, v. 5): “Two [sons],” he says, “of thine (O Joseph) are mine. Ephraim and Manasses, like Ruben and Simeon, shall be reckoned to me.” But when, with these two — who among Jacob’s sons were the first [in rank] — Ephraim and Manasseh are made equal, much more [are they made equal] with the other tribes. And Levi then retained his own right, until the Lord should say (Num. 18, v. 20) [that] in the partition of the land there ought to be no little part for the Levites, as was said in the foregoing question. Nor did they succeed into [their] land either — because the Levites ought to have had it beforehand; but in truth they never had [it]. It is to be known, therefore, first, [that] in the Hebrew and Greek text this word “succession” is not had; but in that [text] it is thus: “And to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them” — because there were two sons of Joseph, two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. In the Greek thus: “τοῖς Λευίταις οὐκ ἔδωκε κλῆρον ἐν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ἦσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰωσὴφ δύο φυλαί, Μανασσῆ καὶ Ἐφραίμ [tois Leuitais ouk edōke klēron en autois, hoti ēsan hoi huioi Iōsēph dyo phylai, Manassē kai Ephraim]” [“to the Levites he gave no lot among them, because the sons of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim”]. Secondly: yet Manasseh and Ephraim are said to have succeeded to Levi himself — not as to right or portion, but as to the number of the twelve tribes and the twelve portions of land. And this, and nothing else, our Interpreter [Vulgate] willed. For, when the text wished to show [that] the whole land [was] divided into twelve parts, just as the sons of Jacob had been twelve, it now says [the division] is to be made by Joshua into nine and a half parts — because a tribe and a half had already received their parts beyond the Jordan; and of the residual tribes, no part was to be given to the Levitical [tribe]. From which fact, when it seemed at once to be inferred [that] only eight and a half tribes remained, to whom the distribution ought to be made, the text answers [that] there were nine and a half: because, to fill up this number, the two sons of Joseph succeeded — namely so, that one of them maintained the father’s [Joseph’s] place and number, but the other [maintained the place] of Levi himself.