"And Joshua had become old, and Yahveh said to him, you have grown old, but there is
much more land which needs to be conquered." Joshua 13:1-5; 18:1-3, 23:1-16
Even though Joshua conquered the land of Israel, his conquest was far from complete. The tribes of Judah
and Joseph were successful in their conquest, but the remaining tribes who were to settle in Canaan (Joshua 18:1-6) did
not capture their respective portions. The primary area not conquered at that time centered around the Jezreel Valley, the
major trade route between Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was not until
the time of Deborah that the area was finally conquered, through the joint effort of the surrounding tribes, thus geographically
uniting the twelve tribes.
Later, during the time of the Judges, Israel lost control
of this area, until King David brought it back under Israel’s control, thus creating a stable monarchy
and secure borders.
