Judges 2:21 (LSB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Judges 2:19 But it happened when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.

Judges 2:20 So the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has trespassed against My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice,

Judges 2:21 I also will no longer dispossess before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,

Judges 2:22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of Yahweh to walk in it as their fathers did, or not.”

Judges 2:23 So Yahweh allowed those nations to rest, not dispossessing them quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "So the anger of Yahweh burned against..." into verse 22's "in order to test Israel by them...", so "longer" 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 "longer" and "dispossess" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.