Chapter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Judges 2:23
ESV So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
NIV The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.
NASB So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not hand them over to Joshua.
CSB The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.
NLT That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all.
KJV Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.
NKJV Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

What does Judges 2:23 mean?

This verse offers a partial explanation for why Joshua did not complete a conquest of the entire Promised Land (Joshua 1:4) prior to his death. Even though Joshua was faithful to the Lord, and the Lord's hand was with Joshua, the people of Israel were not so loyal. Thanks to Israel's complacency and disobedience (Deuteronomy 20:16–18), God allowed some of Israel's enemies to survive. These foes rose against Israel later, as God's chosen people rebelled against their Lord.

In this way, the Lord will use these enemies to test His people—in truth, to prove beyond all doubt—whether they would begin to obey Him again when they were under duress.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app:
BibleRef.com is part of Got Questions Ministries

For answers to your Bible questions, please visit