Text: Judges 1:27-28
OT Text Referred to: Joshua 17:12-13
Subject: Canaanite forced labor instead of expulsion
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Direct Quotation
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: Both Joshua 17:12-13 and Judges 1:27-28 record the same sequence: Manasseh's inability to dispossess the Canaanites followed by the imposition of forced labor (מַס, mas) when Israel grew strong. This near-verbatim parallel demonstrates that Judges 1 quotes from the Joshua account to frame the opening of the judges period. The shift from the Deuteronomic command to destroy (חֵרֶם, cherem) to the pragmatic compromise of forced labor represents a critical departure from God's instruction, substituting economic exploitation for covenant obedience. This compromise becomes a template for Israel's pattern throughout Judges -- partial obedience that sows the seeds of later apostasy.