Joshua 21 Footnotes

21:43-45 With the distribution and settlement of the land of Canaan the Lord’s promise to the patriarchs was fulfilled (Gn 12:7; 15:7,18-21). Although Canaanites continued to reside among the Israelites in some places, the land as a whole was firmly under their control. Several passages assert total triumph over the Canaanites (e.g., Jos 10:40-42; 11:16-23; 12:7-24; 18:1; 23:1), while others note that their removal was incomplete (13:2-6; 15:63; 16:10; 17:12-13,16-18; 23:4-5,7,12-13). These statements are not mutually contradictory; rather, the narrative gives a realistic picture of the conditions of the occupation. The conquest of Canaan did not require that every individual Canaanite be removed or annihilated; displacement of the Canaanites was a process that went on over a period of time (23:4-5). It was still the case that God had faithfully fulfilled his promise to Israel.