Michmethah

Michmethah — rendered "Michmethath" in the UPDV — is a border-point on the line that divides Ephraim from Manasseh. It is named twice in Joshua, once in the description of Ephraim's territory and once in the description of Manasseh's, and is located near Shechem.

On the border of Ephraim

The first mention places the site at the western edge of Ephraim's northern border, before the line bends back east toward Taanath-shiloh: "and the border went out westward at Michmethath on the north; and the border turned about eastward to Taanath-shiloh, and passed along it on the east of Janoah" (Jos 16:6).

On the border of Manasseh

The second mention traces the same boundary from the other side and adds a positional landmark: "And the border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, which is before Shechem; and the border went along to the right hand, to Jashib-en-tappuah" (Jos 17:7). The phrase "before Shechem" anchors the otherwise unknown name to a known city.