יהושע, פרק י״ג, פסוק י״ג

The settlement of the Land of Israel was not a sudden or absolute conquest. Instead, it was a complex process where foreign nations remained within the borders of the tribal lands. The Israelites did not completely expel the local inhabitants, which allowed the people of Geshur and Maacah to continue living right alongside them [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Highlighting this reality serves to point out a clear similarity between the leadership of Joshua and that of his teacher, Moses. In the past, Moses waged war against kings like Sihon and Og but did not drive out every single enemy, specifically leaving the Geshurites and Maacathites untouched. Despite this incomplete conquest, Moses did not hesitate to divide the territory on the eastern side of the Jordan River among the tribes. Joshua acted in the exact same way. Even with large portions of the land still unconquered and enemies remaining within their borders, Joshua followed the path set by Moses. He did not allow the presence of these remaining nations to delay him from distributing the land to the rest of the tribes [אברבנאל].