It's easy to read this and think it's just about military victory, but notice the focus on God giving them into their hand. This highlights that God's powerful work was the source of their ability to conquer, not their own strength, allowing them to "do with them as they would" which points to complete sovereignty and the awesome responsibility that came with it.
So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse is part of a long prayer of confession and remembrance by the Levites during a public assembly. It recalls God's faithfulness from the Exodus through the conquest of the Promised Land, highlighting His powerful acts and the people's subsequent failures. Immediately after this acknowledgment of God enabling their victory, the prayer continues to detail how the Israelites later failed to fully obey God's commands regarding the inhabitants of the land.
How did Israel actually get the land God promised them? It wasn't just a passive gift, but involved a dynamic partnership.
The verse highlights that God subdued the Canaanites, but it was Israel's 'children' – the generation that followed Moses – who 'went in and possessed the land.' This shows a pattern in Scripture: God's promises are fulfilled through human action and obedience. He clears the way, but we must step forward. This generation, unlike their parents who were held back by fear and disobedience in the wilderness, were ready to enter and take hold of what God had given.
A New Generation's Task
Who exactly were the people Israel was meant to dispossess? The term 'Canaanites' in this verse carries a significant weight.
While 'Canaanites' sometimes refers to a specific ethnic group, here, and in similar contexts within Nehemiah 9, it's used as a broader term. It encompasses all the nations inhabiting the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. This included the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites, and others.
A Unified Front of Opposition
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Understand the original words
kānaʿ · Hebrew Verb
The act of bringing into subjection or humbling an enemy; biblically, it signifies God's sovereign intervention to grant His people victory over obstacles.
kənaʿănî · Hebrew Noun
A specific ethnic group occupying the Promised Land, representing the enemies of God's people whom the Lord defeats to establish His kingdom.
This verse recalls the powerful and decisive moment when God granted Israel victory over the Canaanites, establishing them in the land He had promised. It highlights God's faithfulness in fulfilling His word and the complete authority He gave the Israelites over their new home, setting the stage for their national life.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
Israel Enters Canaan Under Joshua
Following Moses' death, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River, initiating their conquest of the Promised Land.
c. 1406-1380 BC
Conquest of Canaan
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites wage war against the Canaanite kings and peoples, gradually taking possession of the land.
c. 1380 BC onwards
Settlement and Division of the Land
After the initial conquest, the land is systematically surveyed and divided among the twelve tribes of Israel.
c. 1380-1050 BC
Period of the Judges
Following Joshua's death, Israel enters a period where various judges lead them, marked by cycles of disobedience, oppression, and deliverance.
This passage describes the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua and God's promise to empower the Israelites to conquer the land, mirroring the fulfillment of that promise mentioned in Nehemiah 9:24.
Deuteronomy 7:1-2God explicitly instructs the Israelites about their future conquest of the Canaanites, detailing how they were to subdue them and not show them mercy, which directly relates to the actions described in Nehemiah 9:24.
Psalm 44:3This psalm speaks of God's power in driving out nations and giving the land to His people, reflecting the historical account of God subduing the Canaanites for Israel, as recalled in Nehemiah 9:24.
1 Samuel 15:3Saul is commanded by God to go and strike the Amalekites and utterly destroy them and all that they have, which echoes the severe judgment God ordained upon the Canaanites in Nehemiah 9:24.
pooleNehemiah 9:24: "So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would."
No text from Poole on this verse.
cambridgeNehemiah 9:24: "So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would."
24, 25 . Possession and Prosperity 24 . people ] R.V. peoples. i.e. the heathen nations (cf. Nehemiah 9:8 ). with their kings ] Compare the list of ‘the kings of the land whom Joshua and the children of Israel smote beyond Jordan west…
It's easy to read this and think it's just about military victory, but notice the focus on God giving them into their hand. This highlights that God's powerful work was the source of their ability to conquer, not their own strength, allowing them to "do with them as they would" which points to complete sovereignty and the awesome responsibility that came with it.
This verse is part of a long prayer of confession and remembrance by the Levites during a public assembly. It recalls God's faithfulness from the Exodus through the conquest of the Promised Land, highlighting His powerful acts and the people's subsequent failures. Immediately after this acknowledgment of God enabling their victory, the prayer continues to detail how the Israelites later failed to fully obey God's commands regarding the inhabitants of the land.
This verse is part of a long prayer of confession and remembrance by the Levites during a public assembly. It recalls God's faithfulness from the Exodus through the conquest of the Promised Land, highlighting His powerful acts and the people's subsequent failures. Immediately after this acknowledgment of God enabling their victory, the prayer continues to detail how the Israelites later failed to fully obey God's commands regarding the inhabitants of the land.
"So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they w…" — It's easy to read this and think it's just about military victory, but notice the focus on God giving them into their hand. This highlights that God's powerful work was the source of their ability…
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Last reviewed October 2026
