Joshua 17:10-13 Meaning: When Strength Isn't Enough
10Southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea was his border. They reached to Asher on the north, and to Issachar on the east.
11Manasseh had three heights in Issachar, in Asher Beth Shean and its towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns.
12Yet the children of Manasseh couldn’t drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
13When the children of Israel had grown strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and didn’t utterly drive them out.
10Southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.
11And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Beth–shean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.
12Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
13Yet 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.
10southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea was his border; and they reached to Asher on the north, and to Issachar on the east.
11And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Beth-shean and its towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, even the three heights.
12Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
13And it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxed strong, that they put the Canaanites to taskwork, and did not utterly drive them out.
10Southward is to Ephraim and northward to Manasseh, and the sea is his border, and in Asher they meet on the north, and in Issachar on the east.
11And Manasseh hath in Issachar and in Asher, Beth-Shean and its towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of En-Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, three counties.
12And the sons of Manasseh have not been able to occupy these cities, and the Canaanite is desirous to dwell in this land,
13and it cometh to pass when the sons of Israel have been strong, that they put the Canaanite to tribute, and have not utterly dispossessed him.
10Southward it was Ephraim's, and northward it was Manasseh's, and the sea was his border. And they touched upon Asher on the north, and upon Issachar on the east.
11And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher, Beth-shean and its dependent villages, and Ibleam and its dependent villages, and the inhabitants of Dor and its dependent villages, and the inhabitants of En-Dor and its dependent villages, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its dependent villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its dependent villages, the three hilly regions.
12But the children of Manasseh could not dispossess [the inhabitants of] those cities; and the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
13And it came to pass when the children of Israel were become strong, that they made the Canaanites tributary; but they did not utterly dispossess them.
Meaning in one sentence
Joshua 17:10-13 shows Manasseh receiving choice cities yet failing to drive out the Canaanites. Discover what their half-obedience cost them.
Context
After the initial conquest, Joshua divides the land among the tribes. The children of Joseph, Ephraim and the half tribe of Manasseh, receive a large, fertile territory stretching from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. But the boundaries are messy. Ephraim gets cities inside Manasseh, and Manasseh gets cities inside Issachar and Asher (Beth Shean, Ibleam, Dor, Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo). These were not empty towns. They were Canaanite strongholds, some with iron chariots. The passage records what happened next: Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants. Later, when Israel grew stronger, they forced the Canaanites into labor rather than removing them completely. What looked like a generous inheritance became a test of faithfulness.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words carry the weight of this passage. The verb translated 'could not' (yākōl H3201) means to prevail or overcome. Manasseh had the strength, they simply did not use it. It was a failure of will, not of power. The Canaanites, by contrast, were determined (yā’al H2974) to dwell in the land. This verb appears only in the Hiphil stem and carries the sense of resolving or being pleased to do something. They wanted to stay. And Manasseh let them.
The word for 'forced labor' (mas H4522) is the same term used for Pharaoh’s taskmasters in Egypt. By putting the Canaanites to tribute, the Israelites repeated the very oppression they had escaped. But the real issue is the verb yāraš (H3423) that appears twice: 'to take possession' and 'to dispossess.' God had commanded them to dispossess the nations completely. Manasseh did not. They kept the people, kept the idols, and kept the trouble.
How Christians Read This Verse
Commentators across traditions agree that Manasseh’s failure was spiritual, not military. Wesley and Clarke say they lacked grace and courage. Calvin writes that the lot assigning these cities was 'an indubitable pledge of victory,' so their failure came from not fully trusting God’s promise. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown sees indolence, a love of ease, and a mistaken humanity overriding God’s command. The Cambridge Bible notes the parallel with Judges 1:27, 28, where the same failure is recounted. All point to the same truth: the problem was not that the Canaanites were too strong, but that Israel’s faith was too weak.
A common misunderstanding
Some read these verses as a simple geographic detail: Manasseh received towns in other tribes, that was just how the land was divided. In fact, the placement of these cities is the story’s tragic hinge. The land was given by God, but the people refused to take full possession. The geography is not neutral. It sets up the moral failure that follows. Every one of those six named cities, Beth Shean, Ibleam, Dor, Endor, Taanach, Megiddo, would later cause Israel grief, as Judges and the prophets record.
Living This Out
You have received promises from God. A calling. A relationship to restore. A habit to break. You have grown stronger in faith over time. But there is something you have stopped fighting. You have made peace with it. You call it a compromise, but it is really a surrender. You tell yourself you will manage it, keep it under control, put it to work for you. That is exactly what Manasseh did. And that thing you allowed to stay will become a source of grief. This week, name one area where you have stopped short. Ask God for the courage, not more strength, but more willingness, to finish the work He gave you.
Main takeaway: God calls us to complete obedience, not comfortable compromise, even when we have grown strong.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Manasseh got a beautiful land with big cities. But they did not move out the people who lived there. They thought it was okay to let them stay. It was not okay. God said to clean house, but they only cleaned a little.
For ages 9, 12
Manasseh received some of the best cities in the Promised Land: Beth Shean, Megiddo, Dor. But they never fully took control. At first they said they could not drive out the Canaanites. Later, when they were stronger, they made the Canaanites work for them instead of removing them. It seemed like a good deal, free labor, less fighting. But those Canaanites kept their idols and their ways, and eventually they turned Israel away from God. Partial obedience is still disobedience. When God asks you to do something hard, He gives you strength to finish it, not just to start it.
Questions People Ask
Why did Manasseh receive cities in the territories of Issachar and Asher?
The tribes of Joseph were large and needed more room. So Joshua gave Manasseh specific cities that lay within the borders of Issachar and Asher, perhaps as a way to balance out the inheritance. These were not arbitrary; they were strategic towns on major trade routes and fertile plains.
What does 'could not drive out' mean in verse 12?
The Hebrew word for 'could not' (yākōl) often implies a lack of ability, but in context the problem was not military weakness. Later in verse 13 we see that when Israel grew stronger, they still did not drive them out. So 'could not' means they were unwilling or lacked the faith and determination to do what God commanded.
What is 'forced labor' (tribute) in verse 13?
‘Mas’ is the same word used for the slave labor gangs in Egypt (Exodus 1:11). Instead of destroying the Canaanites as God instructed, Israel made them work as servants. This seemed practical but it was disobedience. Those Canaanites kept their religious practices and eventually led Israel into idolatry.
How does this passage connect to Judges 1:27, 28?
Judges 1:27, 28 repeats the same failure: Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of these same cities, and when Israel grew strong they put them to forced labor but did not dispossess them. This shows that the compromise recorded in Joshua continued into the next generation. It became a pattern that plagued Israel for centuries.
What is the main spiritual lesson from Joshua 17:10, 13?
The lesson is that partial obedience is not obedience. God promised Manasseh victory over those cities, but they settled for a co-existence that corrupted them. When we leave sin in place, thinking we can manage it or put it to good use, we are setting ourselves up for long term harm. God calls us to complete obedience.
For pastors & researchers
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