However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they put the Canaanites to forced labor; but they failed to drive them out completely.
Parallel translations
- WEB When the children of Israel had grown strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and didn’t utterly drive them out.
- KJV Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, but did not utterly drive them out.
- NKJV And it happened, when the children of Israel grew strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.
- NASB And it came about when the sons of Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.
- NLT Later, however, when the Israelites became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves. But they did not drive them out of the land.
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
When Israel grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor rather than driving them out entirely. They chose convenience over full obedience.
Overview
Israel had the power to enslave the Canaanites but not the resolve to obey God's command to dispossess them. This compromise prioritized economic benefit over covenant faithfulness, leaving a spiritual snare in the land. The pattern warns that partial obedience tolerates what God commanded to be removed, and it highlights humanity's need for the decisive deliverance from sin accomplished in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Josh 16:10But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers.
- Phil 4:13I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- 2 Sam 3:1Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
- Judg 1:28When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.
- Judg 1:35And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor.
- Deut 20:11–18If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates, all the people there will become forced laborers to serve you.
- 2 Pet 3:18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
- 2 Chr 8:7–8As for all the people who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)—
- Judg 1:33Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers.
- Eph 6:10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
- Judg 1:30Zebulun failed to drive out the inhabitants of Kitron and Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced laborers.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 17:13 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.