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Texts -- Joshua 10:1-34 (NET)

Context
Israel Defeats an Amorite Coalition
10:1 Adoni-Zedek , king of Jerusalem , heard how Joshua captured Ai and annihilated it and its king as he did Jericho and its king . He also heard how the people of Gibeon made peace with Israel and lived among them. 10:2 All Jerusalem was terrified because Gibeon was a large city , like one of the royal cities . It was larger than Ai and all its men were warriors . 10:3 So King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem sent this message to King Hoham of Hebron , King Piram of Jarmuth , King Japhia of Lachish , and King Debir of Eglon : 10:4 “Come to my aid so we can attack Gibeon , for it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites .” 10:5 So the five Amorite kings (the kings of Jerusalem , Hebron , Jarmuth , Lachish , and Eglon ) and all their troops gathered together and advanced . They deployed their troops and fought against Gibeon . 10:6 The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal , “Do not abandon your subjects ! Rescue us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings living in the hill country are attacking us.” 10:7 So Joshua and his whole army , including the bravest warriors , marched up from Gilgal . 10:8 The Lord told Joshua , “Don’t be afraid of them , for I am handing them over to you. Not one of them can resist you.” 10:9 Joshua attacked them by surprise after marching all night from Gilgal . 10:10 The Lord routed them before Israel . Israel thoroughly defeated them at Gibeon . They chased them up the road to the pass of Beth Horon and struck them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah . 10:11 As they fled from Israel on the slope leading down from Beth Horon , the Lord threw down on them large hailstones from the sky , all the way to Azekah . They died – in fact, more died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword . 10:12 The day the Lord delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites , Joshua prayed to the Lord before Israel : “O sun , stand still over Gibeon ! O moon , over the Valley of Aijalon !” 10:13 The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took vengeance on its enemies . The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright One. The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day . 10:14 There has not been a day like it before or since . The Lord obeyed a man , for the Lord fought for Israel ! 10:15 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal . 10:16 The five Amorite kings ran away and hid in the cave at Makkedah . 10:17 Joshua was told , “The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah .” 10:18 Joshua said , “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and post guards in front of it. 10:19 But don’t you delay ! Chase your enemies and catch them! Don’t allow them to retreat to their cities , for the Lord your God is handing them over to you .” 10:20 Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out , but some survivors did escape to the fortified cities . 10:21 Then the whole army safely returned to Joshua at the camp in Makkedah . No one dared threaten the Israelites . 10:22 Joshua said , “Open the cave’s mouth and bring the five kings out of the cave to me.” 10:23 They did as ordered ; they brought the five kings out of the cave to him– the kings of Jerusalem , Hebron , Jarmuth , Lachish , and Eglon . 10:24 When they brought the kings out to Joshua , he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the troops who accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings .” So they came up and put their feet on their necks . 10:25 Then Joshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic ! Be strong and brave , for the Lord will do the same thing to all your enemies you fight . 10:26 Then Joshua executed them and hung them on five trees . They were left hanging on the trees until evening . 10:27 At sunset Joshua ordered his men to take them down from the trees . They threw them into the cave where they had hidden and piled large stones over the mouth of the cave . (They remain to this very day .)
Joshua Launches a Southern Campaign
10:28 That day Joshua captured Makkedah and put the sword to it and its king . He annihilated everyone who lived in it; he left no survivors . He did to its king what he had done to the king of Jericho . 10:29 Joshua and all Israel marched from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against it . 10:30 The Lord handed it and its king over to Israel , and Israel put the sword to all who lived there; they left no survivors . They did to its king what they had done to the king of Jericho . 10:31 Joshua and all Israel marched from Libnah to Lachish . He deployed his troops and fought against it. 10:32 The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel and they captured it on the second day . They put the sword to all who lived there, just as they had done to Libnah . 10:33 Then King Horam of Gezer came up to help Lachish , but Joshua struck down him and his army until no survivors remained . 10:34 Joshua and all Israel marched from Lachish to Eglon . They deployed troops and fought against it.

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Lachish

    [ebd] impregnable, a royal Canaanitish city in the Shephelah, or maritime plain of Palestine (Josh. 10:3, 5; 12:11). It was taken and destroyed by the Israelites (Josh. 10:31-33). It afterwards became, under Rehoboam, one of the s...
    [isbe] LACHISH - la'-kish (lakhish; Septuagint Lachis (Josh 15:39), Maches): 1. Location: A town in the foothills of the Shephelah on the border of the Philistine plain, belonging to Judah, and, from the mention of Eglon in connect...
    [smith] (invincible), a city lying south of Jerusalem, on the borders of Simeon, and belonging to the Amorites, the king of which joined with four others, at the invitation of Adonizedek king of Jerusalem, to chastise the Gibeonites ...
    [nave] LACHISH A city. King of, besieges Gibeon, Josh. 10:5. Captured by Joshua, Josh. 10:31, 32. Allotted to Judah, Josh. 15:39. Fortified by Rehoboam, 2 Chr. 11:9. Assassination of Amaziah at, 2 Kin. 14:19. Besieged by Seach...

  • Hoham

    [ebd] Jehovah impels, the king of Hebron who joined the league against Gibeon. He and his allies were defeated (Josh. 10:3, 5, 16-27).
    [isbe] HOHAM - ho'-ham (hoham, "whom Yahweh impels(?)" Gesenius): An Amorite king of Hebron and one of the five kings of the Amorites who leagued for war on Gibeon because of its treaty of peace with Joshua. The five were defeated ...
    [smith] (whom Jehovah impels), king of Hebron at the time of the conquest of Canaan. (Joshua 10:3) (B.C. 1450.)
    [nave] HOHAM, king of Hebron, Josh. 10:3.

  • Jebusites

    [ebd] the name of the original inhabitants of Jebus, mentioned frequently among the seven nations doomed to destruction (Gen. 10:16; 15:21; Ex. 3:8, 17; 13:5, etc.). At the time of the arrival of the Israelites in Palestine they w...
    [smith] (descendants of Jebus), The, were descended from the third son of Canaan. (Genesis 10:16; 1 Chronicles 1:14) The actual people first appear in the invaluable report of the spies. (Numbers 13:29) When Jabin organized his ri...
    [nave] JEBUSITES One of the tribes of Canaan, Deut. 7:1. Land of, given to Abraham and his descendants, Gen. 15:21; Ex. 3:8, 17; 23:23, 24; Deut. 20:17; Ex. 33:2; 34:10, 11. Conquered by Joshua, Josh. 10-12; 24:11; by David, 2 Sa...

  • Adoni-Zedek

    [isbe] ADONI-ZEDEK - a-do-ni-ze'-dek ('adhonitsedheq, "lord of righteousness"): King of Jerusalem at the time of the conquest of Canaan (Josh 10:1). When he heard of the fall of Ai and the submission of the Gibeonites, he entered i...
    [nave] ADONI-ZEDEK, a King of Jerusalem, Josh. 10:1-27.

  • Makkedah

    [ebd] herdsman's place, one of the royal cities of the Canaanites (Josh. 12:16), near which was a cave where the five kings who had confederated against Israel sought refuge (10:10-29). They were put to death by Joshua, who afterw...
    [isbe] MAKKEDAH - ma-ke'-da (maqqedhah; Makeda): A Canaanite royal city which Joshua captured, utterly destroying the inhabitants, and doing to the king as he had done unto the king of Jericho (Josh 10:28; 12:16). It lay in the She...
    [nave] MAKKEDAH A city in Judah, conquered by Joshua, Josh. 10:28; 12:16. Five kings of the Amorites hide in a cave of, and are slain by Joshua, Josh. 10:5, 16-27.

  • Adoni-zedec

    [ebd] lord of justice or righteousness, was king in Jerusalem at the time when the Israelites invaded Palestine (Josh. 10:1,3). He formed a confederacy with the other Canaanitish kings against the Israelites, but was utterly route...

  • Hittites

    [nave] HITTITES A tribe of Canaanites. Children of Heth, Gen. 10:15; 23:10. Sell a burying-ground to Abraham, Gen. 23. Esau intermarries with, Gen. 26:34; 36:2. Dwelling place of, Gen. 23:17-20; Num. 13:29; Josh. 1:4; Judg. 1:26...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Alliances

    [nave] ALLIANCES. Political With idolaters forbidden, Ex. 23:32, 33; 34:12-15; Deut. 7:2; Judg. 2:2; 2 Chr. 19:2; 20:37; Isa. 30:2; 31:1; Hos. 4:17; 5:13; 12:1; Ezek. 17:15. Ratification of: By oaths, Gen. 21:23; 26:28-31; Josh....

  • Canaan

    [nave] CANAAN 1. Son of Ham, Gen. 9:18, 22, 25-27. Descendants of, Gen. 10:6, 15; 1 Chr. 1:8, 13. 2. Land of (The history of this region is involved in that of the Israelites. The student is therefore referred to Israel, History ...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • EGLON (2)

    [isbe] EGLON (2) - eg'-lon (`eghlon; Odollam): A royal Canaanite city whose king joined the league headed by Adonizedek of Jerusalem against the Gibeonites, which suffered overwhelming defeat at the hands of Joshua (Josh 10). Joshu...

  • Joshua

    [nave] JOSHUA 1. Called also Jehoshua, and Jehoshuah, and Oshea. Son of Nun, Num. 13:8; 1 Chr. 7:27. Intimately associated with Moses, Ex. 24:13; 32:17; 33:11. A religious zealot, Num. 11:28. Sent with others to view the promise...

  • War

    [nave] WAR Divine approval of, 2 Sam. 22:35. Civil, Judg. 12:1-6; 20; 2 Sam. 2:12-31; 3:1; 20; 1 Kin. 14:30; 16:21; Isa. 19:2; forbidden, 2 Chr. 11:4; averted, Josh. 22:11-34. Enemy harangued by general of opposing side, 2 Kin. 1...

  • Hebron

    [nave] HEBRON 1. A city of Asher, Josh. 19:28. 2. A city of Judah, S. of Jerusalem. When built, Num. 13:22. Fortified, 2 Chr. 11:10. Called Kirjath-arba, Gen. 23:2; Arba, Gen. 35:27; Josh. 15:13. Abraham dwells and Sarah dies a...

  • Debir

    [ebd] oracle town; sanctuary. (1.) One of the eleven cities to the west of Hebron, in the highlands of Judah (Josh. 15:49; Judg. 1:11-15). It was originally one of the towns of the Anakim (Josh. 15:15), and was also called Kirjath...
    [smith] king of Eglon; one of the five kings hanged by Joshua. (Joshua 10:3,23) (B.C. 1440.)
    [nave] DEBIR 1. King of Eglon, Josh. 10:3-27. 2. A town in the mountains of Judah. Called also Kirjath-saah, and Kirjathsepher, which signifies a city of books, Josh. 15:15, 16. Anakim expelled from, by Joshua, Josh. 11:21. Take...

  • Amorites

    [ebd] highlanders, or hillmen, the name given to the descendants of one of the sons of Canaan (Gen. 14:7), called Amurra or Amurri in the Assyrian and Egyptian inscriptions. On the early Babylonian monuments all Syria, including P...
    [isbe] AMORITES - am'-o-rits; Amorites ('emori, always in the singular like the Babylonian Amurru from which it is taken; Amorraioi): 1. Varying Use of the Name Explained 2. The Amorite Kingdom 3. Sihon's Conquest 4. Disappearance ...
    [nave] AMORITES Descendants of Canaan, Gen. 10:15, 16; 1 Chr. 1:13, 14. Were giants, Amos 2:9. Struck by Chedorlaomer and rescued by Abraham, Gen. 14. Territory of, Gen. 14:7; Num. 13:29; 21:13; Deut. 1:4, 7, 19; 3:8, 9; Josh. 5...

  • JERUSALEM, 4

    [isbe] JERUSALEM, 4 - IX. History. Pre-Israelite period.--The beginnings of Jerusalem are long before recorded history: at various points in the neighborhood, e.g. at el Bukei`a to the Southwest, and at the northern extremity of th...

  • ADONIZEDEK

    [smith] (lord of justice), the Amorite king of Jerusalem who organized a league with four other Amorite princes against Joshua. The confederate kings having laid siege to Gibeon, Joshua marched to the relief of his new allies and put...

  • Captive

    [ebd] one taken in war. Captives were often treated with great cruelty and indignity (1 Kings 20:32; Josh. 10:24; Judg. 1:7; 2 Sam. 4:12; Judg. 8:7; 2 Sam. 12:31; 1 Chr. 20:3). When a city was taken by assault, all the men were sl...
    [nave] CAPTIVE Prisoner of war, Gen. 14:12; 1 Sam. 30:1, 2. Cruelty to: Putting to death, Num. 31:9-20; Deut. 20:13; 21:10; Josh. 8:29; 10:15-40; 11:11; Judg. 7:25; 8:21; 21:11; 1 Sam. 15:32, 33; 2 Sam. 8:2; 2 Kin. 8:12; Jer. 39:6...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • This account fits chronologically after 21:13. It records two great victories that God gave His people over two of the mighty Amorite kings."The term Amorite has various meanings in the OT: Canaanites generally (e.g., Gen. 15...
  • As I have explained previously, the date of the Exodus was about 1446 B.C. (cf. 1 Kings 6:1).7Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness (Exod. 16:35; Num. 14:33-34). Thus Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered the land abo...
  • I. The conquest of the land chs. 1-12A. Preparations for entering Canaan chs. 1-21. God's charge to Joshua 1:1-92. Joshua's charge to Israel 1:10-183. The spying out of Jericho ch. 2B. Entrance into the land 3:1-5:121. Passag...
  • In one sense verses 1-9 are a preamble to the whole book. They contain the basic principles that were to guide Joshua and Israel so they could obtain all that God had promised their forefathers.1:1 The first word of the book ...
  • As preparation for entering Canaan, Joshua sent spies to reconnoiter the area Israel would enter."Although Joshua had received a promise from the Lord of His almighty help in the conquest of Canaan, he still thought it necess...
  • The residents of the town of Gibeon decided that if they could not defeat the Israelites they would join them. This has been a strategy that enemies of believers have employed for centuries (cf. Num. 25:1-2).9:1-2 Israel is t...
  • Israel's continuing success led her enemies to exert increasing opposition against the people of God. This chapter records the Canaanites' first aggressive action against the Israelites.10:1-5 The Jebusites lived in and aroun...
  • To this point Israel's victories had taken place in central Canaan. God's strategy was to give His people a base of operation in the middle part of the land first. From there they could then advance to the South and then to t...
  • The writer identified 31 kings in the order in which Joshua defeated them."Many of the same names appear in the Amarna letters, thus confirming the historicity of our text."158"The description was not complete. Shechem is not...
  • The writer grouped the towns in Judah according to that tribe's four districts. This part of Canaan contained four distinct regions: the southern Negev, the lowland plain (Shephelah), the mountains (hill country), and the des...
  • After the process of assigning land to the three tribes mentioned above, Israel's attention turned to relocating the tabernacle in a more central location (v. 1). God undoubtedly made the choice of Shiloh (lit. rest; cf. Deut...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The Philistines, as we have already seen in Judges, were Israel's primary enemy to the west at this time. Samson, too, fought the Philistines (Judg. 13-16).52There are about 150 references to the Philistines in 1 and 2 Samuel...
  • Students of David's lament over Saul and Jonathan's deaths have called it the Song of the Bow (cf. v. 22).10Many people in Judah learned and sang it (v. 18). The Book of Jasher (v. 18) is no longer extant (cf. Josh. 10:13)."H...
  • In 1004 B.C. David became king of all Israel and Judah.50This was his third anointing (cf. 1 Sam. 16:13; 2 Sam. 2:4). The people acknowledged David's previous military leadership of all Israel as well as God's choice of him t...
  • "In those days"(v. 1) refers to the year Sennacherib threatened Jerusalem (701 B.C.) since Hezekiah died 15 years later in 686 B.C. His response to his illness was proper. He sought help from Yahweh primarily (v. 2). God had ...
  • Because of the opposition of the Jews' neighbors, Artaxerxes sent a military escort to accompany Nehemiah to Jerusalem (v. 9). It is not certain how many Jews travelled with Nehemiah on this occasion. The writer gave us no nu...
  • 144:3-4 The exalted description of God in verses 1 and 2 led David to reflect in amazement that God would take interest in mere mortals. Man's existence is very brief compared to God who abides forever.144:5-8 The psalmist de...
  • "The section begins (1-6) and ends (23-29) with double illustrations drawn from nature and agriculture. Between lies a meditation in eight broadly equal parts on how Jerusalem's leaders refused the word of invitation and inhe...
  • God now turned the tables on His people and called on them to awake (cf. v. 1). They needed to wake up to the fact that He would comfort them and punish their oppressors (cf. 40:2; Lam. 1-2). The fact that the Babylonian capt...
  • 5:1 Jeremiah called on Yahweh to remember the calamity that had befallen His people and to consider the reproach in which they now lived (cf. 3:34-36). The humbled condition of the Judahites reflected poorly on the Lord becau...
  • 7:8 When Micah's enemies saw him experience some discouraging situation, they rejoiced. He told them not to rejoice, because though he fell God would raise him up. Though he appeared to be groping in the darkness (cf. Lam. 3:...
  • Habakkuk now changed from describing the manifestation of God and the inanimate and animate reactions to it to a description of His acts on the earth.3:8 With rhetorical questions Habakkuk affirmed that Yahweh was not angry w...
  • 14:1 The Lord announced through His prophet that a day was coming, for His benefit primarily, when the nations that had plundered Israel victoriously would divide their spoil among themselves in Jerusalem. This would be the L...
  • Peter proceeded to emphasize that the witness of the apostles, as well as the witness of Scripture, came from God. He did this to help his readers see that their choice boiled down to accepting God's Word or the word of men w...
  • Peter drew application for his readers and focused their attention on how they should live presently in view of the future.3:11 Peter believed that an understanding of the future should motivate the believer to live a holy li...
  • 16:17 This final judgment has the greatest impact of all since the air into which the angel pours his bowl is what humans breathe.535The loud voice is probably once again God's since it comes from the throne in the heavenly t...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Joshua 10:12The last time,' what a sad sound that has! In all minds there is a shrinking from the last time of doing even some common act. The walk down a street that we have passed every day for twenty years, and never cared...
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