In  the  first  place  there  are  the  Egyptian  campaigns  in
Syria.  It  is  said  that  on  the  scheme  of  chronology  already
explained  the  Israelites  should  actually  be  in  Palestine,  and


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that  there  is  no  mention  of  an  encounter  in  either  the  Egyptian
or  Hebrew  records.  In  general  it  may  be  answered  that  a
good  deal  depends  upon  a  right  understanding  of  the  period
of  the  judges ;  it  was  a  time  of  disintegration,  and  of  slow  and
difficult  penetration  after  the  brilliant  success  of  Josue.  It
was  one  thing  to  overrun  the  Promised  Land,  another  to
settle  in  it  and  take  permanent  possession  of  it.  The  Book
of  Josue  shows  us  the  land  assigned  to  the  tribes ;  the  Book
of  Judges  their  partial  failure  to  secure  it.
