However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy to read this verse as just another conquest detail, but notice the subtle shift: the Ephraimites didn't drive them out, but they did make them pay tribute. This wasn't just an oversight; it was a compromise, a shortcut that allowed the Canaanites to remain, sowing seeds of future trouble and disobedience.
However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The chapter is detailing the land inheritance assigned to the tribe of Joseph, specifically Ephraim and western Manasseh. After describing the boundaries and cities allocated to Ephraim, this verse highlights a significant failure: they didn't completely expel the Canaanites from the city of Gezer. Instead, the Canaanites continued to live among them, albeit as subjects paying tribute, a compromise that would have long-term consequences.
Joshua's generation was called to conquer and cleanse the land. But what happens when they only do half the job?
The people of Ephraim were given their inheritance, but they failed to fully drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. This wasn't total disobedience, but a partial one. They didn't completely reject God's command, but they also didn't fully obey it.
This partial obedience had consequences. The Canaanites remained, becoming a source of ongoing struggle and a reminder of their failure. It's easy to think that if we're mostly doing the right thing, it's good enough. But God calls for wholehearted commitment. Compromise, even in small ways, can leave the door open for sin and its destructive influence in our lives.
The Ephraimites made the Canaanites pay tribute. It sounds like a win, but was it really?
Instead of fully removing the Canaanites, the Ephraimites chose to make them pay tribute. This offered immediate benefits – labor and resources. It seemed like a practical solution, a way to gain something from the situation.
However, this 'tribute' was a compromise that went against God's clear instructions. He had told Israel to utterly destroy these nations, not to make deals with them. By accepting tribute, the Ephraimites not only failed to obey but also allowed these foreign influences to remain intertwined with their society. This often leads to spiritual contamination, as seen later in Israel's history. The immediate gain blinded them to the long-term spiritual cost.
Understand the original words
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Kena'ani · Hebrew Noun
A term denoting the native inhabitants of the land of Canaan who occupied the territory before and during the Israelite conquest. Biblically, they are often characterized as objects of God's judgment due to their idolatry and wickedness.
yarash · Hebrew Verb
Refers to the act of removing inhabitants from the land. In the context of the conquest, it is a covenant responsibility mandated by God to ensure the spiritual purity of Israel by removing influences that would lead them into idolatry.
mas · Hebrew Noun
Compulsory labor or servitude imposed upon a subject people. In the biblical context, it often represents the failure to fully possess one's inheritance, leading to a compromised state of coexistence with those who should have been removed.
This verse highlights a critical failure in the initial conquest: the Israelites settling for tribute rather than complete obedience to God's command to remove the Canaanites, a compromise that would have long-term negative consequences.
c. 1406 BC
Joshua leads conquest of Canaan
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites wage a series of wars to conquer the land of Canaan, displacing or defeating its inhabitants.
c. 1405 BC— this verse
Land divided by lot
The Promised Land is systematically divided among the twelve Israelite tribes by lot, with the tribe of Ephraim receiving its allotted territory.
c. 1405 BC
Ephraim fails to expel Canaanites from Gezer
The tribe of Ephraim does not completely drive out the Canaanites living in the city of Gezer, allowing them to remain as a subjugated population paying tribute.
c. 1390 BC - 1040 BC
Period of the Judges
Following Joshua's death, Israel experiences cycles of disobedience, oppression by surrounding nations, and deliverance by judges, often marked by incomplete conquest.
c. 970 BC
Pharaoh takes Gezer
The Egyptian Pharaoh conquers the city of Gezer and gives it as a wedding gift to his daughter upon her marriage to King Solomon.
This passage echoes Joshua 16:10 by showing the continued presence of Canaanites within the territory of Ephraim, illustrating a persistent failure to fully obey God's command.
Deuteronomy 7:1-2This foundational command from God to utterly destroy the Canaanite nations provides the crucial context for why Ephraim's failure to drive them out, even for tribute, was a serious sin.
1 Kings 9:15-16This passage describes the eventual capture of Gezer by Pharaoh and its gifting to Solomon, indicating that the Canaanites mentioned in Joshua 16:10 were not driven out until much later, fulfilling the long-term consequence of Ephraim's disobedience.
Hosea 12:7-8This prophetic passage directly critiques the Ephraimites for their deceptive practices and love of gain, which aligns with the commentary suggesting they tolerated the Canaanites for the sake of tribute, revealing a deep-seated character flaw.
calvinJoshua 16:1-10: "And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel,"
Neque expulerunt Chananaeum habitantem in Gazer. Itaque habitavit Chananaeus in medio Ephraim usque ad diem hanc, et fuit tributo serviens.
And the lot of the children of Joseph fell, etc The sacred writer first states what the lot was which fell to the two children of Joseph, and then describes…
gillJoshua 16:10: "And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute."
And they drove not out the Canaanites which dwelt in Gezer,.... Which was the border of their tribe length ways, and was near the sea, Joshua 16:3 ; in this they did not obey the command of God, and either they did not drive them out, because they could not, God not delivering them up into their hands, because of their sins; or through…
It's easy to read this verse as just another conquest detail, but notice the subtle shift: the Ephraimites didn't drive them out, but they did make them pay tribute. This wasn't just an oversight; it was a compromise, a shortcut that allowed the Canaanites to remain, sowing seeds of future trouble and disobedience.
The chapter is detailing the land inheritance assigned to the tribe of Joseph, specifically Ephraim and western Manasseh. After describing the boundaries and cities allocated to Ephraim, this verse highlights a significant failure: they didn't completely expel the Canaanites from the city of Gezer. Instead, the Canaanites continued to live among them, albeit as subjects paying tribute, a compromise that would have long-term consequences.
The chapter is detailing the land inheritance assigned to the tribe of Joseph, specifically Ephraim and western Manasseh. After describing the boundaries and cities allocated to Ephraim, this verse highlights a significant failure: they didn't completely expel the Canaanites from the city of Gezer. Instead, the Canaanites continued to live among them, albeit as subjects paying tribute, a compromise that would have long-term consequences.
"However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor." — It's easy to read this verse as just another conquest detail, but notice the subtle shift: the Ephraimites didn't drive them out, but they did make them pay tribute. This wasn't just an oversight…
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Last reviewed October 2026