Joshua 17:18

18 but the hill-country shall be thine, as it is a wood, thou shalt cut it down, and its outgoings shall be thine; for thou shalt dispossess the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots; for they are powerful.

Joshua 17:18 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 17:18

But the mountains shall be thine
Or "for" F19 it shall be thine; thou shalt get the possession of it, though attended with difficulties that seem insuperable:

for,
or "if, though" F20

it [is] a wood;
the habitation of the Perizzites, and giants, and so dangerous to go un to it, and full of trees, and so seems unprofitable and useless:

and thou shalt cut it down;
both the inhabitants of it, and the trees of it, and clear it of both, and make it both safe and commodious to dwell in, which would be a fine enlargement for them:

and the outgoings of it shall be thine;
all it produces when cultivated, and all the parts adjacent to it:

for thou shall drive out the Canaanites;
this Joshua assures them of, to encourage them to attempt it:

though they have iron chariots, [and] though they [be] strong;
be not afraid of their chariots, though terrible, nor of their giants and mighty men, God will be on your side, and you have nothing to fear from them, see ( Joshua 11:4 Joshua 11:6 ) ; whether the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh took this advice of Joshua is not said.


FOOTNOTES:

F19 (yk) "quia", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Gussetius, p. 378.
F20 (yk) "si", Junius & Tremellius, "licet", Ar. vers. Lat.

Joshua 17:18 In-Context

16 And the children of Joseph said, The hill-country will not be enough for us; and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, those that are of Beth-shean and its dependent villages, and those that are in the valley of Jizreel.
17 And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only,
18 but the hill-country shall be thine, as it is a wood, thou shalt cut it down, and its outgoings shall be thine; for thou shalt dispossess the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots; for they are powerful.

Footnotes 2

The Darby Translation is in the public domain.