All the inhabitants of the hill country
Not in Judea, but in and about Lebanon, as follows:
from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim;
of which see ( Joshua 11:8 ) ;
[and] all the Sidonians;
the inhabitants of the ancient city of Sidon, and the villages and lands belonging to it: these remained unconquered, and never were possessed by the Israelites:
them will I drive out from before the children of Israel:
which, though it may have a special respect unto the Sidonians, with whom the clause is closely connected, yet may include all the above lands unconquered, out of which, as well as Sidon, the Lord promises to drive the inhabitants, to make way for the children of Israel; that is, on condition of their obedience, for it appears that not only the Sidonians, but many others, even the chief, and most of those mentioned, were never possessed by them:
only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance;
that is, the whole land, as Abarbinel rightly remarks, both what was subdued and what was not; that was the business, and all the business, Joshua had now to do; he was not to be employed in making any further conquests, but leave them to others, and apply himself to the division of the land, by lot, to the tribes that as yet had no portion assigned them:
as I have commanded thee;
now, at this time.