יהושע, פרק כ״א, פסוק מ״ג

The promise made to the ancestors of the Israelites reaches its full realization as the tribes settle into their new home, marking the completion of a long journey of conquest and inheritance. Yet, a historical question naturally arises from this milestone. Earlier records clearly show that large areas of the land remained unconquered. How, then, can it be stated that God gave the Israelites the entire land?

The commentators agree that this reality does not contradict God's promise or His guidance. The fact that certain parts of the land remained under the control of local nations was not caused by any divine limitation or a lack of power. Rather, it was simply a result of the laziness of the Israelites and Joshua in finishing the task [רלב״ג, אברבנאל].

From God's perspective, His commitment was kept perfectly. Every nation that chose to fight the Israelites was handed over to them, and God provided them with complete rest. The surrounding enemies were entirely subdued, not daring to stand against the Israelites or pose any threat [אברבנאל].

The completion of this process highlights a special wonder of divine kindness. Usually, a prophetic promise for good can still be considered valid even if it is only partially fulfilled due to the sins of the people, a situation that maintains the credibility of the prophet and actually occurred later during the time of Ezra. In this instance, however, God's great mercy ensured that the promise was fulfilled completely, without a single detail missing. Every good thing that was promised, including both the actual conquest of the land and absolute peace from enemies, became a complete reality [חומת אנך, אברבנאל].