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Texts -- Joshua 11:1-19 (NET)

Context
Israel Defeats a Northern Coalition
11:1 When King Jabin of Hazor heard the news, he organized a coalition , including King Jobab of Madon , the king of Shimron , the king of Acshaph , 11:2 and the northern kings who ruled in the hill country , the Arabah south of Kinnereth , the lowlands , and the heights of Dor to the west . 11:3 Canaanites came from the east and west ; Amorites , Hittites , Perizzites , and Jebusites from the hill country ; and Hivites from below Hermon in the area of Mizpah . 11:4 These kings came out with their armies ; they were as numerous as the sand on the seashore and had a large number of horses and chariots . 11:5 All these kings gathered and joined forces at the Waters of Merom to fight Israel . 11:6 The Lord told Joshua , “Don’t be afraid of them, for about this time tomorrow I will cause all of them to lie dead before Israel . You must hamstring their horses and burn their chariots .” 11:7 Joshua and his whole army caught them by surprise at the Waters of Merom and attacked them. 11:8 The Lord handed them over to Israel and they struck them down and chased them all the way to Greater Sidon , Misrephoth Maim , and the Mizpah Valley to the east . They struck them down until no survivors remained . 11:9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had commanded him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots . 11:10 At that time Joshua turned , captured Hazor , and struck down its king with the sword , for Hazor was at that time the leader of all these kingdoms . 11:11 They annihilated everyone who lived there with the sword – no one who breathed remained – and burned Hazor . 11:12 Joshua captured all these royal cities and all their kings and annihilated them with the sword , as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded . 11:13 But Israel did not burn any of the cities located on mounds , except for Hazor ; it was the only one Joshua burned . 11:14 The Israelites plundered all the goods of these cities and the cattle , but they totally destroyed all the people and allowed no one who breathed to live . 11:15 Moses the Lord’s servant passed on the Lord’s commands to Joshua , and Joshua did as he was told . He did not ignore any of the commands the Lord had given Moses .
A Summary of Israel’s Victories
11:16 Joshua conquered the whole land , including the hill country , all the Negev , all the land of Goshen , the lowlands , the Arabah , the hill country of Israel and its lowlands , 11:17 from Mount Halak on up to Seir , as far as Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley below Mount Hermon . He captured all their kings and executed them. 11:18 Joshua campaigned against these kings for quite some time . 11:19 No city made peace with the Israelites (except the Hivites living in Gibeon ); they had to conquer all of them,

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Jabin

    [ebd] discerner; the wise. (1.) A king of Hazor, at the time of the entrance of Israel into Canaan (Josh. 11:1-14), whose overthrow and that of the northern chief with whom he had entered into a confederacy against Joshua was the ...
    [isbe] JABIN - ja'-bin (yabhin, "one who is intelligent," "discerning." The word may have been a hereditary royal title among the northern Canaanites. Compare the familiar usage of par`oh melekh mitsrayim): (1) "The king of Hazor,"...
    [smith] (whom God observes). King of Hazor, who organized a confederacy of the northern princes against the Israelites. (Joshua 11:1-3) Joshua surprised the allied forces by the waters of Merom, ver. 7, and utterly routed them. (B.C...
    [nave] JABIN, names of two kings of Hazor, Josh. 11:1-14; Judg. 4:2, 7, 17, 23, 24; Psa. 83:9.

  • Joshua

    [ebd] Jehovah is his help, or Jehovah the Saviour. The son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, the successor of Moses as the leader of Israel. He is called Jehoshua in Num. 13:16 (A.V.), and Jesus in Acts 7:45 and Heb. 4:8 (R.V., Jos...
    [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...

  • Jebusites

    [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...

  • Hittites

    [ebd] Palestine and Syria appear to have been originally inhabited by three different tribes. (1.) The Semites, living on the east of the isthmus of Suez. They were nomadic and pastoral tribes. (2.) The Phoenicians, who were merch...
    [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...

  • 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 ...

  • 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....

  • Salmon

    [ebd] shady; or Zalmon (q.v.), a hill covered with dark forests, south of Shechem, from which Abimelech and his men gathered wood to burn that city (Judg. 9:48). In Ps. 68:14 the change from war to peace is likened to snow on the ...

  • GALILEE

    [isbe] GALILEE - gal'-i-le (ha-galil, hagelilah, literally, "the circuit" or "district"; he Galilaia): 1. Galilee of the Nations: Kedesh, the city of refuge, is described as lying in Galilee, in Mt. Naphtali (Josh 20:7; compare 21:...

  • Hazor

    [ebd] enclosed; fortified. (1.) A stronghold of the Canaanites in the mountains north of Lake Merom (Josh. 11:1-5). Jabin the king with his allied tribes here encountered Joshua in a great battle. Joshua gained a signal victory, w...
    [isbe] HAZOR - ha'-zor (chatsor; Nasor; Codex Sinaiticus, Asor, 1 Macc 11:67): (1) The royal city of Jabin (Josh 11:1), which, before the Israelite conquest, seems to have been the seat of a wide authority (Josh 11:11). It was take...
    [smith] (castle). A fortified city, which on the occupation of the country was allotted to Naphtali. (Joshua 19:36) Its position was apparently between Ramah and Kedesh, ibid. (Joshua 12:19) on the high ground overlooking the Lake o...
    [nave] HAZOR 1. A fortified city of Naphtali, Josh. 11:1, 10, 11, 13; 12:19; 19:36; Judg. 4:2, 17; 1 Sam. 12:9; 2 Kin. 15:29; Neh. 11:33. 2. A city in the S. of Judah, Josh. 15:23; 1 Kin. 9:15. 3. A place N. of Jerusalem, Neh. 11...

  • Canaanites

    [nave] CANAANITES Eleven nations, descended from Canaan, Gen. 10:15-19; Deut. 7:1; 1 Chr. 1:13-16. Territory of, Gen. 10:19; 12:6; 15:18; Ex. 23:31; Num. 13:29; 34:1-12; Josh. 1:4; 5:1; given to the Israelites, Gen. 12:6, 7; 15:18...

  • PALESTINE, 2

    [isbe] PALESTINE, 2 - III. Palestine in the Historic Books of the Old Testament. 1. Book of Joshua: Joshua is the great geographical book of the Old Testament; and the large majority of the 600 names of places, rivers and mountains...

  • CRITICISM

    [isbe] CRITICISM - (The Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis) I. PRELIMINARY 1. Thesis 2. Historical Perspective 3. Inspiration and Criticism II. THE LEGISLATION 1. Groups 2. Covenant Code 3. The Sanctuary 4. Kinds of Sacrifice 5. Sacrifice ...

  • 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...

  • Merom

    [ebd] height, a lake in Northern Palestine through which the Jordan flows. It was the scene of the third and last great victory gained by Joshua over the Canaanites (Josh. 11:5-7). It is not again mentioned in Scripture. Its moder...
    [smith] (high place), The waters of, a lake formed by the river Jordan, about ten miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It is a place memorable in the history of the conquest of Palestine. Here Joshua completely routed the confederacy o...
    [nave] MEROM The district near the springs of Jordan. Joshua conquered the confederacy of kings under Jabin, king of Hazor, near, Josh. 11:5-7.

  • Hivites

    [ebd] one of the original tribes scattered over Palestine, from Hermon to Gibeon in the south. The name is interpreted as "midlanders" or "villagers" (Gen. 10:17; 1 Chr. 1:15). They were probably a branch of the Hittites. At the t...
    [smith] (villagers), The, descendants --the six in order-- of Canaan the son of Ham. (Genesis 10:17; 1 Chronicles 1:15) We first encounter the actual people of the Hivites at the time of Jacob?s return to Canaan. (Genesis 34:2) We...
    [nave] HIVITES A tribe of Canaanites, Gen. 10:17; 1 Chr. 1:15. Shechemites and Gibeonites were families of, Gen. 34:2; Josh. 9:7; 11:19. Esau intermarries with, Gen. 26:34; 36:2. Dwelling place of, Josh. 11:3; Judg. 3:3; 2 Sam. ...

  • Mizpah

    [ebd] or Miz'peh, watch-tower; the look-out. (1.) A place in Gilead, so named by Laban, who overtook Jacob at this spot (Gen. 31:49) on his return to Palestine from Padan-aram. Here Jacob and Laban set up their memorial cairn of s...
    [smith] and Miz?peh (a watch-tower), the name of several places in Palestine. The earliest of all, in order of the narrative, is the heap of stones piled up by Jacob and Laban, (Genesis 31:48) on Mount Gilead, ver. (Genesis 31:25) t...
    [nave] MIZPAH 1. A city allotted to Benjamin, Josh. 18:26. The Israelites assemble at, Judg. 20:1-3; and decree the penalty to be visited upon the Benjamites for their maltreatment of the Levite's concubine, Judg. 20:10. Assemble...

  • VALE, VALLEY

    [isbe] VALE, VALLEY - val, val'-i: (1) gay'; either absolute: "from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab" (Nu 21:20); or with a proper name: "valley of Hinnom," also "valley of the son of Hinnom" (Josh 15:8); "valley o...
    [smith] It is hardly necessary to state that these words signify a hollow sweep of ground between two more or less parallel ridges of high land. The structure of the greater part of the holy land does not lend itself to the formation...

  • Armies

    [nave] ARMIES Who of the Israelites were subject to service in, Num. 1:2, 3; 26:2; 2 Chr. 25:5; who were exempt from service in, Num. 1:47-50; 2:33; Deut. 20:5-9; Judg. 7:3. Enumeration of Israel's military forces, Num. 1:2, 3; 26...

  • HERMON

    [ebd] a peak, the eastern prolongation of the Anti-Lebanon range, reaching to the height of about 9,200 feet above the Mediterranean. It marks the north boundary of Palestine (Deut. 3:8, 4:48; Josh. 11:3, 17; 13:11; 12:1), and is ...
    [isbe] HERMON - hur'-mon (chermon; Codex Vaticanus, Haermon): 1. Description: The name of the majestic mountain in which the Anti-Lebanon range terminates to the South (Dt 3:8, etc.). It reaches a height of 9,200 ft. above the sea,...
    [smith] (a peak, summit), a mountain on the northeastern border of Palestine, (3:8; Joshua 12:1) over against Lebanon, (Joshua 11:17) adjoining the plateau of Bashan. (1 Chronicles 5:23) It stands at the southern end, and is the c...
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Arts

Questions

  • The Canaanites were descendants of Ham (Gen. 10:6) and comprised seven distinct nations (Deu. 7:1). Though great and mighty (Num. 73:28) they were idolatrous, superstitious, profane and wicked (Deu. 29:17, Deu. 18:9-11, Lev. ...
  • These people were descendants of Sidoa, a son of Canaan, and were formerly a part of the Phoenician nation (Matt. 15:21,22; Mark 7:24,26). They dwelt on the sea-coast in the cities of Zidon and Zarephath (Josh. 11:8; I Kin. 1...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • "Chapters 23 and 24 are two of the brightest chapters in the book of Numbers. Scores of wonderful things are said about Israel, mainly prophetical. The dark sins of the past were forgotten; only happy deliverance from Egypt w...
  • 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...
  • 5:13-15 "Despite Joshua's long military experience he had never led an attack on a fortified city that was prepared for a long siege. In fact, of all the walled cities in Palestine, Jericho was probably the most invincible. T...
  • The leaders of the northern Canaanite cities also decided to unite to withstand the threat of Israelite expansion.11:1-3 Hazor was the leading city in northern Canaan with an area of 175 acres and a population of 30,000 to 40...
  • 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...
  • 4:1-3 As long as Ehud lived he kept Israel faithful to God (v. 1). However after he died, God's people again turned from the Lord. In discipline God allowed the Canaanites in the North to gain strength and dominate the Israel...
  • 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...
  • Solomon was powerful enough to conscript laborers to build the Millo and a wall around Jerusalem. The Millo (lit. filling) evidently refers to the terraces on the east side of Mt. Zion (cf. 2 Sam. 5:9). Solomon enlarged these...
  • The Lord proceeded to explain that even though He would destroy the ungodly, He would also spare the truly godly among His people (cf. Gen. 18:23-25).65:8 Yahweh promised not to destroy the whole nation (cluster of grapes) bu...
  • This is the first in a series of three parables designed to impress on the overly optimistic exiles that there was no possibility that Jerusalem would escape destruction (cf. chs. 16-17).15:1-2 The Lord asked Ezekiel how the ...
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