Judges 3:13
And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
The verse belongs to the stories of the twelve judges running from Judges 3:7 to Judges 16:31, part of the composite record of Judges 3 to 17 covering Israel's history between Joshua's death and the raising up of Samuel. The judges were not judges in the modern sense of deciding court cases but defenders and saviors raised up in times of crisis, though some such as Deborah and Samuel also judged differences between brethren. It records Israel's failure to follow God's instructions leading to captivity, when Eglon king of Moab gathered the Ammonites and Amalekites to attack Israel and take possession of the city of palm trees. The city of palm trees is Jericho, a name reflecting the palms associated with the place.
It stands in a record of fearful backsliding met by the great mercy, long-suffering and goodness of God. It follows the pattern of backsliding from God followed by suffering, oppression, captivity and servitude, followed by returning to God followed by forgiveness and deliverance. It displays the perversity and unbelief of Israel.
The enemies left in Canaan were a test for the younger generation, whose growth depended on making the effort to drive them out. Without that experience, essential traits of character would not develop. The verse exposes the awful moral surroundings and demoralizing influences of the tribes Israel permitted to remain in the land of promise.