Joshua 15:63
But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out, so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The text highlights that the people of Judah couldn't drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem, not for lack of strength, but due to their own sluggishness and neglect of God's command. This inability to conquer a key city, even with God's promises, reveals a persistent theme of spiritual compromise and settling for less than God's intended best.
This verse concludes the extensive list of cities and territories belonging to the tribe of Judah. Despite receiving their inheritance, the tribe of Judah was unable to fully dispossess the original inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Jebusites. This failure meant that Jerusalem, a crucial stronghold, remained partially occupied by its original people, coexisting with the Israelites in the city, and would continue to be a point of contention until David's reign centuries later.
Why did the mighty Israelites, who had conquered so much, leave the Jebusites in Jerusalem?
Joshua 15:63 presents a stark reality: the conquest of the Promised Land wasn't a complete victory in every location. Even after Joshua's military successes, the tribe of Judah could not fully drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem. This wasn't due to a lack of strength on the Israelites' part, but often stemmed from a mix of factors: unbelief, sloth, and a reluctance to fully obey God's command to dispossess all inhabitants. This left a persistent, unresolved situation, with the Jebusites coexisting with the people of Judah in Jerusalem for a long time, even until King David finally expelled them centuries later.
This wasn't a small oversight; it was a significant compromise. It highlights that obedience isn't always a one-time event, but a continuous process. Failure to fully eradicate the 'Jebusites' – the influences that oppose God's will – can lead to ongoing struggles.
Was Jerusalem truly part of Judah's inheritance, or did it belong to someone else?
The allocation of cities and territories in Joshua was complex, and Jerusalem sits at a fascinating intersection. While Joshua 15:63 places the Jebusites within Judah's assigned territory, other passages and historical accounts reveal that Jerusalem was a frontier city, likely shared between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. For instance, Judges 1:21 mentions the Benjamites also failing to drive out the Jebusites. This shared, contested status meant that clear possession and full control were elusive for decades.
This 'divided inheritance' highlights how boundaries can be fluid and how shared spaces can lead to conflict or compromise. It also underscores the importance of knowing our inheritance in Christ, which is not divided but fully ours through His finished work, even if we sometimes struggle to live in its full reality.
Understand the original words
Yebusi · Hebrew Noun
An ancient people residing in Jerusalem prior to its conquest by David. They represented the unconquered remnants of the Canaanite inhabitants who remained within the borders of Israel.
Yerushalayim · Hebrew Noun
The capital city of the tribe of Judah and eventually the kingdom of Israel, central to the religious and political life of God's people. It serves as the primary symbol of God’s dwelling place and the intersection of heaven and earth.
yarash · Hebrew Verb
A verb denoting the act of expelling, casting out, or dispossessing occupants from land. In the context of Israel's conquest, it refers to the theological mandate to clear the land of pagan influences and inhabitants.
Yehudah · Hebrew Noun
This verse highlights a period where the Israelites, despite God's promises and initial successes, failed to fully dispossess the Canaanites in Jerusalem due to a mix of unbelief, sloth, and perhaps strategic complexities, demonstrating that complete victory requires persistent faithfulness.
c. 1400 BC
Israelites Enter Promised Land
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelite tribes crossed the Jordan River and began their conquest of Canaan.
c. 1390 BC
Joshua's Conquest of Jerusalem Area
Joshua defeated the kings of the south, including the king of Jerusalem, and took possession of the city's surrounding lands.
c. 1380 BC— this verse
Land Allotment Begins
After the conquest, the land was systematically divided among the twelve tribes. Jerusalem, though partially captured by Joshua, was not fully cleared of its Jebusite inhabitants.
c. 1380 BC
Judah and Benjamin's Inheritance
Jerusalem was situated on the border between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. While parts of the city and its environs were assigned to these tribes, the Jebusites retained control of the stronghold.
This passage describes the same partial failure of the tribe of Judah to drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem, highlighting a recurring problem of incomplete conquest.
Judges 1:21This verse parallels Joshua 15:63 by stating that the tribe of Benjamin also could not drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem, showing this was a challenge for multiple tribes.
2 Samuel 5:6-7This passage shows the eventual successful conquest of Jerusalem by King David, providing a fulfillment to the incomplete conquest described in Joshua 15:63.
Mark 6:5-6The inability of Jesus to do mighty works in Nazareth because of unbelief serves as a parallel to the Israelites' failure to drive out the Jebusites, suggesting unbelief was a significant factor.
calvinJoshua 15:14-63: "And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak."
- And it came to pass as she came unto him, etc Although we may conjecture that the damsel Acsa was of excellent morals and well brought up, as marriage with her had been held forth as the special reward [149] of victory, yet perverse cupidity on her part is here disclosed. She knew that by the divine law women were specially excluded from hereditary lands, but she neverthe…
bensonJoshua 15:63: "As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day."
Joshua 15:63 . The Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem — Jerusalem was in part taken by Joshua before this; but the upper and stronger part of it, called Zion, was still held by the Jebusites, even till David’s time. And, it is probable, they descended from thence to the lower town, called Jerusalem,…
The text highlights that the people of Judah couldn't drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem, not for lack of strength, but due to their own sluggishness and neglect of God's command. This inability to conquer a key city, even with God's promises, reveals a persistent theme of spiritual compromise and settling for less than God's intended best.
This verse concludes the extensive list of cities and territories belonging to the tribe of Judah. Despite receiving their inheritance, the tribe of Judah was unable to fully dispossess the original inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Jebusites. This failure meant that Jerusalem, a crucial stronghold, remained partially occupied by its original people, coexisting with the Israelites in the city, and would continue to be a point of contention until David's reign centuries later.
This verse concludes the extensive list of cities and territories belonging to the tribe of Judah. Despite receiving their inheritance, the tribe of Judah was unable to fully dispossess the original inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Jebusites. This failure meant that Jerusalem, a crucial stronghold, remained partially occupied by its original people, coexisting with the Israelites in the city, and would continue to be a point of contention until David's reign centuries later.
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The fourth son of Jacob and the tribe from which the kingly line—and eventually the Messiah—would descend. It is the tribe associated with praise, leadership, and the eventual sovereignty over the land of Israel.
c. 1300-1050 BC
Jebusite Presence Continues
During the period of the Judges, the Jebusites continued to occupy Jerusalem, coexisting with the Israelites assigned to the region.
c. 1000 BC
David Captures Jerusalem
King David finally conquered the Jebusite stronghold of Zion and established Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
"But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out, so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day." — The text highlights that the people of Judah couldn't drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem, not for lack of strength, but due to their own sluggishness and neglect of God's command. This inabilit…
