Joshua 16:10 Meaning and Explanation
“And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites of Gezer, who remained among them as forced laborers to that day.
What Does Joshua 16:10 Mean?
The chapter closes on a sober note. Ephraim did not expel the Canaanites of Gezer as commanded; instead those inhabitants stayed on among them, reduced to forced labor under tribute, a compromise that lingered for generations.
Here is an inheritance received yet not fully claimed, a victory left incomplete. What is tolerated rather than overcome has a way of remaining, shaping a people long after. The same caution speaks to every heart: God gives the ground, but the unfinished work of obedience is ours to take up. Half-won battles leave footholds that should have been cleared, and grace calls us to press on to the whole.
Joshua 16:10 in the Original Language
mas (מַס), 'tribute' -- forced labor or a labor levy imposed on a subject population, a sign here of incomplete obedience rather than full possession.
Frequently Asked Questions About Joshua 16:10
What does Joshua 16:10 mean?
Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites of Gezer, who remained among them as forced laborers to that day.