Rather than rebuking the people for their fear, Joshua repeated his instructions to clear forest land for settlement. He promised that the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh would eventually drive out the Canaanites. This promise gave them hope. It also helped them grow in faith and overcome their fear.
Much of the hill country was covered with forests, and only a few Canaanites lived there. If Ephraim and Manasseh had settled only on land that was already cleared, they would have had little room to grow. Around this time, people began to use iron tools, including iron axe heads. With these tools, the tribes could cut down the forests and prepare new land for settlement.
Joshua may have set an example by doing this himself. He settled at Timnath-serah, which was in a forested area of the hill country of Ephraim (19:50).