Judges 2 21

Judges 2:21 kjv

I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:

Judges 2:21 nkjv

I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,

Judges 2:21 niv

I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.

Judges 2:21 esv

I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died,

Judges 2:21 nlt

I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died.

Judges 2 verses

Judges 2 21 Meaning

God declares that because of Israel's persistent disobedience, specifically their failure to drive out the inhabitants of the land and their turning to idolatry, He will cease His active role in dispossessing the remaining nations whom Joshua did not completely conquer. This divine withdrawal of assistance serves as a direct consequence and a test for Israel's faithfulness to His covenant.

Judges 2 21 Context

Judges chapter 2 serves as a crucial theological and historical bridge, linking the end of Joshua’s leadership to the cyclical pattern of Israel's experience throughout the book of Judges. Following Joshua's death (v. 6), a new generation emerged "who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel" (v. 10). This generation quickly deviated from God’s commands, abandoning the God of their fathers, serving Baal and the Ashtoreths, and intermarrying with the Canaanites (v. 11-13). The Lord's anger burned against Israel (v. 14), and He began to deliver them into the hands of plunderers and their enemies. Verses 16-19 describe the recurring cycle: God raises judges, but when the judge dies, Israel returns to greater wickedness. Verse 20 pronounces God's strong displeasure at their persistent unfaithfulness to His covenant. Verse 21 directly follows this declaration of anger, presenting God’s consequent action—the withdrawal of His complete assistance in the conquest—as a judgment upon their spiritual decline and unfaithfulness. Historically, the verse reflects the incomplete conquest described in various parts of Joshua (e.g., Joshua 13, 15-19), and reinterprets this ongoing presence of the nations as a divine strategy for testing Israel.

Judges 2 21 Word analysis

• I also: Implies a change in God's modus operandi that directly correlates with Israel's changed behavior. It shows God's reciprocal action. This is the Lord God, the Covenant Keeper, responding to covenant-breaking.
• will no longer: Hebrew: לֹא־אוֹסִ֧יף (lō’-’ō-w-sîp̄). The root יָסַף (yasaf) means "to add," "to continue," "to do again." Thus, "I will not continue to add" or "I will not do again." It signifies a definitive cessation of the previously active divine intervention in driving out the nations.
• drive out: Hebrew: לְהוֹרִ֥ישׁ (lə-hō-w-rîš). From the root יָרַשׁ (yarash), meaning "to dispossess," "to inherit," "to drive out of possession." This term directly relates to the command given to Israel to possess the land by dispossessing its inhabitants (Deut 7:1-2). God, who was aiding this "dispossessing," now stops.
• before them: Hebrew: מִפְּנֵיהֶ֗ם (mip-pə-nê-hem). Literally "from before their face," or "from their presence." This imagery indicates God fighting in front of them, clearing the path, being the divine warrior leading the conquest. The withdrawal signifies the absence of this vanguard support.
• any of the nations: Refers to the various Canaanite peoples who still occupied portions of the promised land. These were idol-worshipping peoples whose continued presence was a spiritual danger to Israel.
• that Joshua left: Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר־הוֹתִ֧יר יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ (’ă-šer-hō-w-ṯîr yə-hō-w-šu-a‘). From the root יָתַר (yathar), "to leave over," "to remain." While Joshua successfully conquered many cities and defeated major kings, certain enclaves or areas were not fully subjugated. This was not solely due to Joshua's military shortcomings but often due to Israel’s failure of faith or obedience in prosecuting the full conquest as commanded (Josh 17:12; Jdg 1:19-21, 27-36).
• when he died: Marks a chronological and spiritual turning point. Joshua represented an era of closer obedience and active divine partnership. His passing signals the full decline of that generation's influence.

Words-group analysis:

• "I also will no longer drive out before them": This phrase emphasizes God's sovereign shift in action, a direct judicial consequence of Israel’s repeated spiritual adultery. It declares that divine power, once active on behalf of Israel to ensure their complete victory and rest in the land, will now be withheld. It conveys a strong sense of divine disappointment and a hardening of God's hand against His unfaithful people for the purpose of chastisement and testing.
• "any of the nations that Joshua left when he died": This highlights that the pre-existing situation of "left" nations (due in part to the previous generation's incomplete obedience, or areas designated for later conquest, or simply resistant pockets) will now be repurposed by God. What might have been a temporary remaining is now established as a permanent test, directly linked to the transition of leadership and the decline into apostasy after Joshua’s death. This phrase removes any ambiguity: God Himself allows them to remain for a specific, painful purpose.

Judges 2 21 Bonus section

The seemingly contradictory statement "that Joshua left" alongside God's declaration that He will no longer drive them out suggests a divine repurposing of Israel’s human failure. God is not abandoning His initial command to possess the land, but rather using the incomplete fulfillment of that command as a pedagogical tool. The fact that the conquest was unfinished was partly due to Israel's lack of faith and courage in fully executing God's commands (e.g., Jdg 1:19, 21, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33). This human failure, tolerated for a season, now becomes the instrument of God's judicial intent. The persistent presence of the Canaanites ensures that Israel is continually confronted with the choice to obey Yahweh alone or assimilate with their pagan neighbors. This verse underscores God's sovereignty over the consequences of sin, turning even human disobedience into a means by which He carries out His greater purposes for His people. It reveals a deep aspect of divine discipline, where God allows the natural (or supernatural) consequences of sin to unfold in order to call His people back to Himself.

Judges 2 21 Commentary

Judges 2:21 is a pivotal statement in the narrative of Judges, articulating a divine policy shift from active assistance in conquest to a withdrawal of aid. God’s declaration to "no longer drive out" the remaining Canaanite nations is a judgment rooted in Israel’s covenant breaking: their idolatry, intermarriage, and failure to complete the task of dispossessing the land’s inhabitants as commanded. This decision by the Lord creates the challenging landscape for the subsequent cycles in Judges, where Israel suffers under oppressive foreign powers, crying out to God, who then raises a judge for deliverance, only for the cycle to repeat upon the judge’s death.

The verse clarifies that these remaining nations, rather than being an oversight in the conquest or a simple military failure, are now part of God’s deliberate plan. They serve two primary purposes: firstly, as a judicial consequence of Israel’s sin, causing them affliction; and secondly, as a test of Israel’s faithfulness to the covenant, revealing whether they would obey the Lord amidst temptation or revert to idol worship. This divine strategy is painful but serves to remind Israel of the consequences of apostasy and the ongoing necessity of repentance and reliance on God. It teaches that covenant blessing is conditional upon obedience and that disobedience invites divine discipline, not continued unearned favor.