שופטים, פרק א׳, פסוק כ״ז

The campaign to conquer the land takes a sudden turn when the tribe of Manasseh fails to fully secure its territory, leaving distinct Canaanite enclaves within major central cities. In sharp contrast to the earlier success of the House of Joseph in capturing Bethel, Manasseh shows a clear negligence in taking over the many areas they were tasked with inheriting [אברבנאל]. The affected region includes a string of major cities such as Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, and Megiddo, along with the smaller dependent settlements that surround each main urban center [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Opinions differ on the exact reason for this failure. One approach suggests a simple lack of military capability, noting that these were massive, heavily fortified cities that the tribe did not have the physical strength to defeat [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, another perspective views this failure as a harsh criticism of the tribe, arguing that Manasseh actively betrayed God's command to drive out all the local inhabitants [רש״י]. This element of blame becomes especially clear when comparing this event to the parallel account in the Book of Joshua. During Joshua's era, the Israelites genuinely lacked the ability to drive out the Canaanites. By this later period, however, Manasseh was fully capable militarily and had already seen that God was with them; they simply chose not to fight [מלבי״ם].

As a direct result of this inaction, the Canaanites expressed a strong desire to stay [מצודת ציון]. They made a deliberate choice to remain in these regions, continuing to live there even though the territory was no longer fundamentally considered a Canaanite land [ביאור שטיינזלץ].