R. Yehudah says: Now did the thirty-one kings of the past (conquered by Joshua) all encamp in Eretz Yisrael? But it is as they do with Rome today. Any king or ruler who has not acquired castles and palaces in Rome says "I have done nothing." In the same way, any king or ruler who had not acquired castles and palaces in Eretz Yisrael said "I have done nothing."
"the heritage coveted": (lit., "the heritage of the deer") Just as a deer is quicker of foot than any beast or animal, so, the fruits of Eretz Yisrael are "quicker" to come than those of all the other lands.