Texts in Conversation
Joshua warns in his farewell that the nations Israel failed to drive out will become a future problem. Judges reframes those same surviving nations as a test God left in place to see whether Israel would obey him.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Joshua 23:13
Hebrew Bible
12 But if you ever turn away and make alliances with these nations that remain near you, and intermarry with them and establish friendly relations with them, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. They will trap and ensnare you; they will be a whip that tears your sides and thorns that blind your eyes until you disappear from this good land the Lord your God gave you. 14 “Look, today I am about to die. You know with all your heart and being that not even one of all the faithful promises the Lord your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized—not one promise is unfulfilled!
Judges 3:4
Hebrew Bible
3 These were the nations: the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 4 They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. 5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
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Notes and References
... If Israel does not destroy the nations of Canaan, they will be a trial for Israel. According to Numbers 33:55, the Canaanites who are not exterminated shall be barbs and thorns for Israel, and they shall trouble it (compare Joshua 23:13). In the beginning of Judges, it is stated that YHWH will no longer destroy the nations of Canaan, but that He will leave them, 'in order to test Israel by them' (Judges 2:22; 3:1,4). The goal of this test is to teach Israel to fight, and to know whether Israel will obey the commandments of YHWH (Judges 3:2,4). ...
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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