Deuteronomy 9:3: Quick Victories, Gradual Occupation: Solving the Conquest Contradiction

Episode 312 examines the apparent contradiction between Deuteronomy 9:3, which says Israel would quickly conquer the Canaanites, and Deuteronomy 7:22, which says they would be driven out “little by little.” Lance Smith explains how these passages can both be true: God would give Israel decisive military victories quickly, while the actual occupation and settlement of the land would take place gradually.

Drawing from Deuteronomy, Exodus, Joshua, and several scholarly perspectives, this episode distinguishes between the speed of individual victories and the length of the overall conquest. The result is a clearer picture of a conquest that involved both rapid military success and a prolonged process of taking possession of the land.

So was the conquest quick or gradual? The biblical answer is: both, but in different senses.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: bibledifficultiesandanswers@gmail.com

Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas Howe. The Big Book of Bible Difficulties. Baker Books, 1992. Available at: https://a.co/d/7shn4hI

Cogan, Mordechai. “Israel’s Incomplete Conquest of Canaan.” TheTorah.com, 2022. https://www.thetorah.com/article/israels-incomplete-conquest-of-canaan

“Deuteronomy 7:22 – Little by Little.” Thinking Torah. https://thinkingtorah.com/deuteronomy-7-22-little-by-little/

Guzik, David. “Joshua 10 – The Southern Canaanite Armies Defeated.” Enduring Word. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/joshua-10/