What is the meaning of Joshua 16:10?

They did not drive out the Canaanites

• God had clearly commanded Israel to “completely destroy” the nations of Canaan (Deuteronomy 7:2; Exodus 23:31-33), and Joshua had reiterated that charge (Joshua 13:6).

• The tribe of Ephraim, however, stopped short. Whether from fear (Joshua 17:16), fatigue, or misplaced mercy, they chose military convenience over full obedience.

• Partial obedience is still disobedience. Later generations felt the weight of this compromise (Judges 2:1-3).

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The Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day

• The phrase “to this day” (also used in Joshua 4:9; 7:26) signals the ongoing reality when the book was written: the Canaanites were still embedded in Ephraim’s territory.

• Living side-by-side produced constant temptation toward idolatry, exactly what God had warned about (Deuteronomy 7:4; Judges 3:5-6).

• This co-existence foreshadows Israel’s later spiritual decline recorded in Judges and 1 Kings.

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But they are forced laborers

• Instead of driving them out, Ephraim enslaved them, mirroring what other tribes did when they “put the Canaanites to forced labor” (Joshua 17:13; Judges 1:28, 30).

• Economic gain replaced covenant loyalty. Cheap labor looked practical, but it bred spiritual compromise.

• Solomon would later adopt the same policy (1 Kings 9:20-21), showing how early choices echo through history.

• God tolerated servitude of foreigners taken in distant wars (Deuteronomy 20:10-15) but had forbidden treaties with the specific peoples of Canaan (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). Ephraim’s arrangement blurred that line.

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summary

Joshua 16:10 records an unfinished task: Ephraim allowed the Canaanites of Gezer to remain, turning them into forced laborers instead of removing them as God required. This snapshot reminds us that partial obedience opens the door to long-term spiritual erosion, even when it seems economically smart or culturally tolerant at the moment.