But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.
But the mountain region will be yours. Even though it's covered with forest, you can cut down the trees and clear it. All the land that extends from it will belong to you. You will be able to drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and are strong.
Joshua is encouraging the tribes that they can claim the forested mountain land by working to clear it and trusting God to help them defeat their strong enemies.
📚 Historical Context
This was Joshua's response to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh who complained they didn't have enough land. The Canaanites in the valleys had advanced military technology (iron chariots) that made them formidable opponents. Joshua was encouraging these tribes to expand into the hill country, which required both physical work (clearing forests) and faith to overcome militarily superior enemies.
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