Joshua 16:10
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)
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What's easy to miss here is the choice made by Ephraim. While other tribes were unable to dislodge Canaanites, Ephraim could have, but chose the easier path of accepting tribute instead of complete obedience. This compromise, exchanging total victory for ongoing, uncomfortable proximity and a source of future trouble, highlights a dangerous pattern of settling for less than God's best.
The chapter details the tribal inheritance assigned to Joseph's descendants, specifically Ephraim. While the tribe of Ephraim received their land allotment, this verse highlights a significant failure: they didn't completely drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. Instead, these Canaanites remained within Ephraim's territory, living amongst them and paying tribute, a compromise that would later prove problematic.
God's commands are clear, but obedience isn't always easy. What happens when a generation fails to finish the job God gave them?
Joshua 16:10 reveals a critical failure of the tribe of Ephraim. They were assigned a territory, but they didn't completely drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer.
A Command Ignored
God's instructions were stark: the Canaanites were to be utterly destroyed (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). This wasn't about ethnic cleansing for its own sake, but about protecting Israel from the pervasive idolatry and immoral practices of the Canaanites, which would inevitably corrupt God's people.
The Temptation of Ease
Instead of full obedience, Ephraim chose a compromise. They didn't expel the Canaanites; instead, they subjected them to forced labor and tribute. This might have seemed like a practical solution, a way to gain an economic advantage and avoid the difficult task of complete conquest. However, this decision had long-term consequences.
Seeds of Future Trouble
Leaving the Canaanites in their midst allowed their influence to persist. This 'incomplete conquest' became a recurring problem, a 'thorn in their side' that would plague Israel for generations, leading to spiritual compromise and eventually, captivity. This passage warns us that partial obedience is still disobedience, and shortcuts often lead to deeper problems.
What seems like a practical advantage today can become a spiritual liability tomorrow. How did Ephraim's 'deal' with the Canaanites backfire?
The tribe of Ephraim didn't just fail to conquer Gezer; they actively chose a different path. They didn't drive out the Canaanites, but 'made them to do forced labor.' This wasn't a minor oversight; it was a significant compromise that invited spiritual danger.
The 'Easy' Option
Making the Canaanites tributaries might have seemed like a smart move. It provided labor and resources without the risk and effort of a full military campaign. It was a way to 'win' without truly winning, to gain something tangible in the present at the expense of long-term spiritual health.
Understand the original words
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 of the Ephraimites to fully obey God's command to dispossess the Canaanites, choosing instead to exact tribute, which allowed a pagan presence to persist within their borders.
c. 1406 BC
Israelites Conquer Canaan
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites wage war against the Canaanite city-states, following God's command to take possession of the Promised Land.
c. 1406-1375 BC— this verse
Land Divided Among Tribes
After the conquest, Joshua oversees the division of the land by lot among the twelve tribes of Israel, with Ephraim receiving its allocated territory.
Throughout the Period of the Judges
Incomplete Expulsion of Canaanites
Many tribes, including Ephraim, fail to drive out all the native inhabitants as commanded, allowing them to remain within Israelite territories, often under tribute.
c. 970 BC
Pharaoh Takes Gezer
Pharaoh of Egypt conquers the city of Gezer, which had remained inhabited by Canaanites within Ephraim's territory, and gives it as a dowry to his daughter upon her marriage to King Solomon.
This passage mirrors Joshua 16:10 by detailing how the tribe of Ephraim, instead of driving out the Canaanites, allowed them to remain among them, highlighting a recurring pattern of incomplete obedience.
Judges 3:1-7This section explains the broader consequence of not driving out the nations, showing how their presence served as a test for Israel and led to intermarriage and idolatry, directly related to the failure described in Joshua 16:10.
Deuteronomy 7:1-5This foundational command from Moses explicitly instructs Israel to utterly destroy the Canaanites and make no covenants with them, providing the divine mandate that the Ephraimites failed to uphold in Joshua 16:10.
1 Kings 9:15-16This passage offers historical fulfillment, explaining that the Canaanites in Gezer were only driven out much later when Pharaoh took the city and gave it to Solomon, underscoring the long-term consequences of the initial disobedience.
Romans 6:12-13This New Testament passage offers a spiritual parallel, urging believers not to let sin reign in their mortal bodies. Just as Israel failed to 'drive out' the Canaanites, we are warned not to allow sinful 'old habits' to continue living among us, but to offer ourselves to God.
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…
What's easy to miss here is the choice made by Ephraim. While other tribes were unable to dislodge Canaanites, Ephraim could have, but chose the easier path of accepting tribute instead of complete obedience. This compromise, exchanging total victory for ongoing, uncomfortable proximity and a source of future trouble, highlights a dangerous pattern of settling for less than God's best.
The chapter details the tribal inheritance assigned to Joseph's descendants, specifically Ephraim. While the tribe of Ephraim received their land allotment, this verse highlights a significant failure: they didn't completely drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. Instead, these Canaanites remained within Ephraim's territory, living amongst them and paying tribute, a compromise that would later prove problematic.
The chapter details the tribal inheritance assigned to Joseph's descendants, specifically Ephraim. While the tribe of Ephraim received their land allotment, this verse highlights a significant failure: they didn't completely drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. Instead, these Canaanites remained within Ephraim's territory, living amongst them and paying tribute, a compromise that would later prove problematic.
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Corrupting Influence
However, God knew the Canaanites' ways were deeply corrupting. Allowing them to remain 'in the midst of Ephraim' meant their idolatry, their immorality, and their worldview would inevitably rub off on the Israelites. This compromise paved the way for future generations of Ephraimites to fall away from God, as seen in the book of Hosea.
A Lesson in Purity
This teaches us that genuine faith requires not just victory, but purity. We cannot coexist with sin and expect it not to influence us. True security and blessing come from obedience that prioritizes God's standards over immediate, seemingly practical advantages.
"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." — What's easy to miss here is the choice made by Ephraim. While other tribes were unable to dislodge Canaanites, Ephraim could have, but chose the easier path of accepting tribute instead of comple…
