Source of this Article.

"The Tribe of Manasseh and the Jordan River: Geography, Society, History, and Biblical Memory" (PhD Dissertation, Bar-Ilan University; Ramat Gan: 2017), by David Moster

https://www.academia.edu/34956320/_The_Tribe_of_Manasseh_and_the_Jordan_River_Geography_Society_History_and_Biblical_Memory_PhD_Dissertation_Bar-Ilan_University_Ramat_Gan_2017_?email_work_card=minimal-title

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Contents:
A. Brit-Am Introduction to Manasseh-3.

Five Ways to Map Manasseh.

1. The Two Halves Separated at a Distance.

2. The Two Halves Meet at One Place.

3. The Two Halves Adjacent to One Another.
4. Manasseh as One Undivided Territory.

5. Manasseh as Both United and at a Distance.

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A. Brit-Am Introduction to Manasseh-3.

This is the last in a series of three articles based on excerpts fromt he quoted article by David Moster. Most Biblical Maps show the two halves of the Tribe of Manasseh divided not only by the Jordan but also by territories of other Tribes. It was not necessarily that way. The following excerpts and illustrative Maps present alternatve scenarios concerning the Territory of the Tribe of Manasseh and its lay-out.

On some points we may not agree with the article but it is still worth knowing that alternate opinions exist.

All text in this article (unless otherwise indicated) is to be considered as direct verbatim quotation from the article by David Moster.

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Five Ways to Map Manasseh
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1. The Two Halves Separated at a Distance.

... The first method is to present Cis- and Transjordanian Manasseh as two distinct and separate entities. An early example of this is the 1897 map of Tom Roberts, which completely separates the two half-tribes from one another:

This approach reflects a number of narratives in the Bible that distinguish between the '9 1/2' tribes of Cisjordan and the '2 1/2' tribes of Transjordan. For these texts, the two half-tribes are more connected with their geographic neighbors than with their kinsmen across the Jordan River. This 'Jordan as a Boundary' viewpoint is best seen in Joshua 22, which posits that the eastern and western half-tribes of Manasseh were so disunited they nearly went to war with each other.

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2. The Two Halves Meet at One Place.

The second approach unites the two half-tribes by making their respective territories 'touch' each other in one place. For example, in 1809 C. B. Glot presented East and West Manasseh as meeting at the fords of the Jordan River, thereby connecting the two half-tribes:

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3. The Two Halves Adjacent to One Another.

The third approach takes the idea of tribal unity further, presenting the two half-tribes side by side in a completely contiguous manner. For example, George E. Wright and Floyd V. Filson presented Manasseh as ... in their 1945 map:
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4. Manasseh as One Undivided Territory.

Some mapmakers such as Anson Rainey and R. Steven Notley take a fourth approach and present Manasseh as living in one unified territory. This can be seen in their 2006 map, which has the name 'Manasseh' written as one word spread across both sides of the Jordan River:
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It should be noted that each of these maps diminishes the importance of Joshua 13:27 (and Deuteronomy 3:17), which grants the tribe of Gad the eastern bank of the Jordan River up to the Sea of Galilee: [Gad was given] the rest of the kingdom of Sihon, the king of Heshbon down to the edge of the Jordan and up to the tip of the Sea of Galilee on the east side of the the Jordan. [For] mapmakers who take the third approach, the unity of the tribe of Manasseh was so significant it trumps the extension of the tribe of Gad.
This third approach [no.3] to mapping Manasseh has two advantages over the first approach (and to some extent the second). The first advantage is that the Jordan River is not treated as a boundary in the north. The second advantage is that the concept of a 'tribe' is taken seriously. As was shown in chapter three ... tribes considered themselves a family unit despite being separated by great distances and natural barriers. The eastern Manassites would have come to the defense of the western Manassites, and vice versa. By uniting the two 'halftribes' on their maps, cartographers who take the third approach are presenting a connected tribe that was not split by the Jordan River. The last map [no.4], that of Rainey and Notley, actually suggests that there was no significant division whatsoever between east and west Manasseh, which brings us to the fourth method of mapping Manasseh, presented here for the first time.
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5. Manasseh as Both United and at a Distance.

The fifth approach [no.5] follows in the footsteps of Rainey and Notley [no. 4] by presenting Manasseh as one unified tribe.
The Samaria Ostraca make it clear that Manasseh was engaged in oil production and viticulture, and Numbers 32 suggests that Manasseh had large flocks of sheep that needed fresh pastures. The Samarian Highlands in Cisjordan and the Ajlun in Transjordan are known for their agricultural prosperity, so these regions would have been Manasseh's agricultural bases. The Bashan, which is comprised of the Golan, Nuqra, Jedur, and perhaps the Lejah are known for their excellent pasturelands, so these regions were probably summer destinations for shepherds. With these caveats in mind, the map of Manasseh takes on a richer, more realistic nature that better reflects the information in the biblical text, the geography of the region, and the social bonds that tied
Near Eastern tribes together.