This lesson will begin our study of the final part in the book of Yehoshua. While a superficial reading of the first half of the book may leave the impression that Israel under the leadership of Yehoshua succeeded in conquering the entire Canaanite population in short order, a more careful study indicates that this was not the case. While Yehoshua was singularly successful at the first task, God informs him that the second aspect, settlement of the land, would not be completed during his lifetime. God therefore bids Yehoshua, while he yet lives, to formally assign the territory of Canaan to the tribes by lot, to be actually distributed much later when the people of Israel finally achieve hegemony.

Settling the land