Judges 2:21 (DBY)

Passage

I also will not henceforth dispossess from before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died;

Nearby Context

Judges 2:19 And it came to pass when the judge died, that they turned back and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them: they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

Judges 2:20 And the anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel; and he said, Because this nation hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and hath not hearkened unto my voice,

Judges 2:21 I also will not henceforth dispossess from before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died;

Judges 2:22 that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of Jehovah to walk therein, as their fathers did keep [it], or not.

Judges 2:23 Therefore Jehovah left those nations, without dispossessing them hastily, neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "henceforth", "dispossess", "before", "nations", "joshua", "left", and "died". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "henceforth" and "dispossess", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And the anger of Jehovah was hot..." into verse 22's "that through them I may prove Israel...", so "henceforth" and "dispossess" belong inside that flow. In Judges context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "henceforth" and "dispossess" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.