So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God's decision not to expel the nations quickly wasn't about the nations' strength, but about Israel's future. Leaving these groups meant the Israelites would be constantly tested, preventing them from becoming complacent and forgetting the God who brought them there.
So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Joshua and the generation who knew God's great acts died, a new generation arose that did not know the Lord or His works. Because of Israel's unfaithfulness and continued service to idols, God intentionally left some Canaanite nations unsubdued, not to punish Israel directly yet, but to test them and to teach them, as they had not yet fully learned to fight for their inheritance.
Why would God, who has the power to instantly remove every obstacle, choose to leave enemies in the land? It wasn't for their sake, but for Israel's.
The verse states that the LORD "left those nations, not driving them out hastily." This wasn't an oversight or a sign of weakness. Instead, it was a strategic decision.
A Test of Faith
God's intention was to test Israel. By not immediately eradicating all opposition, He created a situation where their faithfulness would be continually challenged. Would they remember God's commands and His power, or would they succumb to the influences of the surrounding nations?
Preventing Complacency
Commentators suggest that a swift, complete victory might have led to spiritual complacency. Israel could have easily forgotten their dependence on God if there were no ongoing reminders of their need for Him. Leaving these nations provided a constant external pressure that, when responded to in faith, would strengthen Israel's relationship with God.
Joshua was a great leader, yet even he didn't receive all the enemies into his hand. What does this reveal about God's ultimate authority and our reliance on Him?
The verse concludes with the poignant phrase, "neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua." This highlights a crucial point about leadership and divine timing.
God's Sovereignty Over Leaders
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While Joshua was a faithful servant and a mighty warrior, he was still a human leader operating within God's plan. God's deliverance was not solely dependent on Joshua's strength or authority. The ultimate power and decision rested with the LORD.
An Unfinished Task
This implies that God's work is not always completed within a single lifetime or through a single leader. Joshua's generation experienced significant victories, but the complete eradication of the Canaanites was a task God intentionally left unfinished. This sets the stage for future generations to engage with these challenges and, in doing so, to continue learning dependence on God.
Understand the original words
yad · Hebrew Noun
A biblical metaphor representing power, authority, agency, or victory in battle. To be given into someone's hand signifies God's sovereign deliverance and the granting of control or victory over an enemy.
This verse marks a pivotal moment after the initial conquest, explaining God's deliberate decision to not fully remove the Canaanites. This was a test for future generations, who, unlike Joshua's generation, would increasingly struggle with their presence and influence.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan under Joshua
After leading the Israelites across the Jordan River, Joshua led them in a series of military campaigns to conquer and divide the land of Canaan.
c. 1406-1386 BC
Joshua's Lifetime and Inheritance Distribution
Joshua oversaw the allotment of land to the twelve tribes of Israel and warned them about the remaining Canaanite peoples.
c. 1386 BC
Death of Joshua and Elders
Joshua and the generation that experienced the Exodus and conquest died, leaving a new generation to inherit the land.
c. 1386 BC - 1076 BC— this verse
Period of the Judges
Following Joshua's death, Israel entered a cycle of disobedience, oppression, and deliverance under various judges, with significant Canaanite presence remaining.
This passage offers a similar divine rationale for not driving out enemies too quickly, stating God would remove them gradually as Israel's population grew and they could defend the land. This echoes the idea that God's timing and methods were not arbitrary but served a larger purpose for Israel's development and faithfulness.
Deuteronomy 7:22This verse directly states that the LORD would drive out the nations before Israel little by little, lest the land become desolate and wild beasts multiply. This provides a complementary explanation to Judges 2:23, highlighting the practical, ecological reasons behind God's gradual approach to conquest.
Joshua 23:13Joshua himself warns the Israelites that if they do not drive out the remaining nations, they will become 'thorns in your eyes and pricks in your sides.' This verse serves as a direct consequence and prophetic warning tied to the incomplete conquest mentioned in Judges 2:23, showing the long-term negative impact of leaving these nations.
Romans 5:3-5While from the New Testament, this passage speaks to how suffering and trials (like those caused by the remaining nations) can produce perseverance, character, and hope. This offers a theological perspective on why God might allow difficult circumstances, suggesting even the 'leftover' nations served a purpose in testing and refining Israel's faith.
clarkeJudges 2:23: "Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua."
Without driving them out hastily - Had God expelled all the ancient inhabitants at once, we plainly see, from the subsequent conduct of the people, that they would soon have abandoned his worship, and in their prosperity forgotten their deliverer. He drove out at first as many as were necessary in order to afford the people, as they were then, a sufficiency…
henryJudges 2:6-23: "And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land."
2:6-23 We have a general idea of the course of things in Israel, during the time of the Judges. The nation made themselves as mean and miserable by forsaking God, as they would have been great and happy if they had continued faithful to him. Their punishment answered to the evil they had done. They served the gods of the nations round about them, even the meane…
God's decision not to expel the nations quickly wasn't about the nations' strength, but about Israel's future. Leaving these groups meant the Israelites would be constantly tested, preventing them from becoming complacent and forgetting the God who brought them there.
After Joshua and the generation who knew God's great acts died, a new generation arose that did not know the Lord or His works. Because of Israel's unfaithfulness and continued service to idols, God intentionally left some Canaanite nations unsubdued, not to punish Israel directly yet, but to test them and to teach them, as they had not yet fully learned to fight for their inheritance.
After Joshua and the generation who knew God's great acts died, a new generation arose that did not know the Lord or His works. Because of Israel's unfaithfulness and continued service to idols, God intentionally left some Canaanite nations unsubdued, not to punish Israel directly yet, but to test them and to teach them, as they had not yet fully learned to fight for their inheritance.
"So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua." — God's decision not to expel the nations quickly wasn't about the nations' strength, but about Israel's future. Leaving these groups meant the Israelites would be constantly tested, preventing them fr…
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Last reviewed October 2026