Now these are the nations which Yahweh left, to prove Israel by them, even as many [of Israel] as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
Even though the Israelites had defeated some of the Canaanites in various battles during Joshua’s day, significant groups within the Canaanite tribes remained in the land (Judges 3:3; Judges 3:5). [Note: See Yohanan Aharoni and Michael Avi-Yonah, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, map 68, p. 50, for a map that illustrates the limits of Israelite control.] The Sidonians (Judges 3:3) were the Phoenicians, Sidon being Phoenicia’s chief port until about 1100 B.C. when Tyre began to eclipse it. [Note: The New Bible Dictionary, 1962 ed., s.v. "Sidon," by D. J. Wiseman; Wolf, p. 396.] These enemies (Judges 3:5) represented the whole of Canaan: the Philistines on the southwest, the Sidonians on the northwest, the Hivites on the northeast, and the Canaanites on the southeast. The Israelites then proceeded to marry them and worship with them (Judges 3:6). From "the people served the Lord" (Judges 2:7) they had degenerated to the point that they "served their gods" (Judges 3:6).