Incomplete Conquest
Passages in Joshua and Judges reporting land or inhabitants not dispossessed.
The Bible says of incomplete conquest that, when Joshua was old, the LORD said much land still remained to be possessed (Joshua 13:1).
The remaining land included regions of the Philistines and the Geshurites (Joshua 13:2). Geshur and Maacah remained in the midst of Israel because the sons of Israel did not dispossess their inhabitants (Joshua 13:13). Judah could not dispossess the Jebusite inhabitants of Jerusalem, and Ephraim did not dispossess the Canaanite in Gezer (Joshua 15:63; Joshua 16:10). Manasseh also could not dispossess certain cities, while the Canaanite was determined to dwell in the land (Joshua 17:12).
Judges states that Judah could not dispossess valley inhabitants because they had iron chariots (Judges 1:19). Benjamin did not dispossess the Jebusite in Jerusalem (Judges 1:21). The text also reports that Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali did not dispossess specified inhabitants or towns (Judges 1:27; Judges 1:29; Judges 1:30; Judges 1:31; Judges 1:33). In several passages, Canaanites became subject to forced labor rather than being driven out (Joshua 17:13; Judges 1:28).
Key verses
Across Scripture
Joshua · Judges