Michmethath

Michmethath ("the hiding place") was a boundary point on the line dividing the inheritance of Ephraim from the inheritance of the half-tribe of Manasseh, "east of Shechem" (Joshua 16:6, 17:7). The territorial border described in Joshua 17:7 begins at Asher, runs to Michmethath which is east of Shechem, then turns southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah. The site is generally identified with Khirbet el-Makhneh el-Fauqa about three miles southeast of Shechem in the central Samarian highlands. The location preserves the strategic significance of the boundary — running through the natural pass that connected the central highlands with the descent to the Jordan Valley. The half-tribe of Manasseh held the territory north of this line; Ephraim held the territory south.