The conquest of the Promised Land that began so promisingly with Y'hoshua (Joshua) is never really completed. After the initial conquest of key cities, such as Yericho (Jericho), the L nd is divided among Israel's tribes, with each tribe responsible for conquering their own area. The book of Judges opens by describing how each tribe "did not drive out" (1:21) the inhabitants of the Land as God commanded. In time, these idol-worshipping nations became the downfall of God's people. The period of the judges lasted more than four hundred years, from the death of Y'hoshua to the time of Sh'mu'el (Samuel; see Acts 13:20).
