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The Nations Left in Canaan

These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. These are the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. These people were left to test the Israelites—to see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses.

So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods.

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Some Nations Remain in the Land

These are the nations that Yahweh left, to test Israel by them (that is, to test all those who had not experienced[a] any of the wars of Canaan, in order that the generations of Israel would know war, to teach those who had not experienced it[b] before): the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites,[c] the Sidonians,[d] and the Hivites[e] living on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon up to Lebo-Hamath. They were left for testing Israel, to know whether they would keep the commands of Yahweh that he commanded their ancestors[f] through the hand of Moses. And the Israelites[g] lived in the midst of the Canaanites,[h] the Hittites,[i] the Amorites,[j] the Perizzites,[k] the Hivites,[l] and the Jebusites.[m] And they took their daughters as wives for themselves, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.[n]

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 3:1 Literally “did not know”
  2. Judges 3:2 Literally “who had not known it”
  3. Judges 3:3 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  4. Judges 3:3 Hebrew “Sidonian”
  5. Judges 3:3 Hebrew “Hivite”
  6. Judges 3:4 Or “fathers”
  7. Judges 3:5 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  8. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  9. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Hittite”
  10. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Amorite”
  11. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Perizzite”
  12. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Hivite”
  13. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Jebusite”
  14. Judges 3:6 Or “worshiped their gods”