The Canaanites at Gezer — But they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day (וַיִּשְׁכְנוּ־הַכְּנַעֲנִים בְקֶרֶב־אֶפְרַיִם עַד־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה), and serve them as bond-slaves (וַיְהִיּוּ לָמִס עָבֶד). The Canaanites of Gezer are not expelled but remain as a subjected people. Rather than being eliminated (as per the ban theology), they become tributary laborers ('mas oved, forced labor). This verse establishes the pattern that will characterize the Judges era: incomplete conquest, coexistence with Canaanite remnants, and tributary relationships. The phrase 'to this day' indicates this arrangement persisted into the composition period. This failure pattern contrasts sharply with Joshua's theological success in chapters 9-11 and foreshadows the moral compromise that will characterize the divided tribal period.

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