The Conquest of Canaan Proceeds
(Joshua 13:1–7)
After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?” Jdg 20:18Num 27:21Jdg 20:281Sa 23:9-10Exo 28:301Sa 22:9-10Jdg 1:27Jdg 3:1-6
“Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.” Rev 5:5Heb 7:14Gen 49:8-10Num 2:3Num 7:12Psa 78:68-70Rev 19:11-16
Then the men of Judah said to their brothers the Simeonites, “Come up with us to our allotted territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. And we likewise will go with you to your territory.” So the Simeonites went with them. 2Sa 10:11Jdg 1:17Jos 19:1Gen 29:33
When Judah attacked, the LORD delivered the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. 1Sa 11:8Jos 11:6-81Ki 22:151Ki 22:61Sa 14:101Sa 14:61Sa 17:46-47Deu 7:2 And there they found Adoni-bezek and fought against him, striking down the Canaanites and Perizzites.
As Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. Rev 13:101Sa 15:33Jas 2:13Lev 24:19-21Luk 6:37-38Exo 21:23-25Mat 7:1-2Rom 2:15
The Capture of Jerusalem and Hebron
(Joshua 15:13–19)
Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. Jos 15:63Jdg 1:21 Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the foothills. 1 Jos 10:36Jos 11:21Jos 15:13-20
Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. Jos 14:15Num 13:22Ecc 9:11Jdg 1:20Jer 9:23Jos 15:13-19Num 13:33Psa 33:16-17
From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher). Jos 15:15Jos 10:38-39 And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.” Jos 15:16-171Sa 17:251Sa 18:23 So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. Jdg 3:9
One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him 2to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” Jos 15:18-19
“Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” Heb 6:71Pe 3:91Sa 25:181Sa 25:272Co 9:5Gen 33:11
So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms 3to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people. Num 10:29-32Jdg 4:111Sa 15:6Deu 34:3Num 21:1Jdg 3:13Jdg 4:171Ch 2:15
Then the men of Judah went with their brothers the Simeonites, attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and devoted the city to destruction. 4 So it was called Hormah. 5 Num 21:32Ch 14:10Jdg 1:3Jos 19:4Num 14:45 And Judah also captured 6Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron—each with its territory. Jos 11:22Jdg 3:31Sa 6:17Exo 23:31Jdg 16:1-2Jdg 16:21Jos 13:3Jos 15:45-47 The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron. Isa 41:10Psa 60:12Jdg 1:2Isa 41:14-15Mat 1:23Mat 14:30-31Mat 17:19-20Php 4:13
Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak. Jdg 1:10Deu 1:36Jos 15:13-14Num 14:24Jos 14:9-14Jos 21:11-12Num 13:22
The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites. Jos 15:632Sa 5:6-9Jdg 1:8Jdg 19:10-12Jos 18:11-28
The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them. Jdg 1:191Ch 7:292Ki 18:7Gen 49:24Jos 14:4Jos 16:1-4Num 1:10Num 1:32 They sent spies to Bethel (formerly known as Luz), Gen 28:19Gen 48:3Gen 35:6Jdg 18:2Jos 2:1Jos 7:2 and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you kindly.” 1Sa 30:15Jos 2:12-14
So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family. Jos 6:22-25 And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz, which is its name to this day. 2Ki 7:62Ch 1:17
The Failure to Complete the Conquest
At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. Jer 48:10Jos 17:11-13Psa 106:34-351Sa 15:9Deu 7:2Exo 23:32Jdg 1:1Jdg 5:19 When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.
Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer; so the Canaanites continued to dwell among them in Gezer. 1Ki 9:16Jos 16:10
Zebulun failed to drive out the inhabitants of Kitron and Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced laborers. Jos 19:15
Asher failed to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob. Jos 19:24-30 So the Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out. Psa 106:34-35
Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers. Jos 19:32-38Psa 18:24Jdg 1:30Jdg 1:35
The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to come down into the plain. Jos 19:47Jdg 18:1 And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor. Jos 10:12Jos 19:42Jdg 12:121Ki 4:9 And the border of the Amorites extended from the Ascent of Akrabbim 7to Sela and beyond. Num 34:4Jos 15:2-3