1.) Caleb´s capture of He´bron, which had been reoccupied by the Am´or-ites (Josh. 14; Judg. 1. 10-15).
2.) The Ju´dah-ites' capture of Be´zek, an unknown place between Je-ru´sa-lem and the Phi-lis´tine plain (Judg. 1. 1-8).
3.) The Dan´ites' capture of La´ish, in the extreme north, which afterward bore the name of Dan (Judg. 18).
But, after all these campaigns, a large part of the land was still unsubdued, and the war of the conquest did not end until the days of Da´vid by whom every foe was finally placed under foot.
III. General Aspects of Is´ra-el at the Close of the Conquest.
1. With regard to the native races. They were not destroyed nor driven away, as had been commanded.[10] They remained as subject people in some places, as the ruling race on the seacoast and in the Jor´dan valley. We see their influence, always injurious, throughout all Is´ra-el's history (Exod. 23. 31-33; Deut. 7. 1-5); and some think that the present inhabitants of the country belong to the original Ca´naan-ite stock.
2. The Is´ra-el-ites did not occupy all the country. They possessed most of the mountain region, but none of the seacoast plain on the Jor´dan valley. They were like the Swiss in modern times, living among the mountains. Even in the New Testament period the lowlands were occupied mainly by Gen´tiles.
3. The landed system was peculiar. Estates were inalienable. They might be leased, but not sold; and on the year of jubilee (every fiftieth year) all land reverted to the family originally owning it. Thus every family had its ancestral home, the poor were protected, and riches were kept within bounds.
4. The government was a republic of families without an executive head, except when a judge was raised up to meet special needs. Each tribe had its own rulers, but there was no central authority after Josh´u-a (Judg. 21. 25). This had its evils, for it led to national weakness; but it had its benefits: 1.) It kept Is´ra-el from becoming a great worldly kingdom like E´gypt and As-syr´i-a, which would have thwarted the divine purpose. 2.) It promoted individuality and personal energy of character. There would have been no "Age of Heroes" if Is´ra-el had been a kingdom like E´gypt.
5. The religious system was simple. There was but one altar at Shi´loh for all the land and for all the tribes, and the people were required to visit it for the three great feasts (Deut. 12. 11, 14; Josh. 18. 1). This was the religious bond which united the people. If it had been maintained they would have needed no other constitution, and even its partial observance kept the people one nation.