Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yet the children of Manasseh couldn’t drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
- KJV Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
- BSB But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these cities, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land.
- NASB But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in this land.
- NLT But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these towns because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, so the Canaanites continued to dwell in the land. Their inheritance was compromised by incomplete conquest.
Overview
Despite being granted these key cities, Manasseh failed to dispossess the Canaanites, mirroring the failure recorded of Ephraim. This left pockets of pagan influence that would later draw Israel into idolatry, especially around the fertile Jezreel valley. The repeated note of failure exposes Israel's weakness and need, pointing to the greater Joshua, Jesus, who alone secures a complete victory over every enemy of His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Exod 23:29–33I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field multiply against you.
- Judg 1:27–28Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its towns, nor Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
- Josh 15:63As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah couldn’t drive them out; but the Jebusites live with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.
- Rom 6:12–14Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
- Josh 16:10They didn’t drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell in the territory of Ephraim to this day, and have become servants to do forced labor.
- Num 33:52–56then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their stone idols, destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.
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Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 17:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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