‘ And afterwards the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who dwelt in the hill country, and in the south, and in the lowland.'
The invasion under Joshua had defeated the forces that had come against it, had weakened the Canaanites, and had subdued parts of the land, especially in the hill country, and they were able to settle down and be at peace. But they saw the whole land as being given to them by God and it was their aim to subdue the whole, and their remit was to drive out the inhabitants. Thus their aim was to attack the hill country, the lower hill country (the Shephelah - the lowlands) and the lands to the south (the Negeb), followed by the coastal plain.