When the Israelites entered Canaan under Joshua, they were successful in conquering the hill country, but had difficulty in conquering the plains. The reason for this was that the local Canaanites were well equipped with chariots (Josh 11:4; 17:16; Judg 1:19; 4:13; 1 Sam 13:5). The use of chariots did not become common in Israel till the time of David, when Israel conquered many of the peoples of the plains and seized their chariots (2 Sam 8:3-4; 15:1). During the reign of Solomon, Israel’s chariot forces were expanded considerably, and from his time on they were an important part of Israel’s army (1 Kings 4:26; 9:22; 10:26; 20:21; 22:35; 2 Kings 8:21; 9:21; 10:2; 13:7). The armies of other nations likewise relied heavily on chariots (1 Kings 22:31; 2 Kings 6:11-14; 18:24; 19:23; see also WAR).