Text -- Joshua 10:1-11 (NET)

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.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Jos 10:1

¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

³ tn Heb “as he had done to Jericho and to its king, so he did to Ai and to its king.”

⁴ tn Heb “and how.”

NET Notes: Jos 10:2

¹ tn This statement is subordinated to v. 1 in the Hebrew text, which reads literally, “When Adoni-Zedek…they feared greatly.” The subject of the plural verb at the beginning of v. 2 is probably the residents of Jerusalem.

NET Notes: Jos 10:4

¹ tn Heb “Come up to me and help me.”

NET Notes: Jos 10:5

¹ tn Heb “and they camped against Gibeon and fought against it.”

NET Notes: Jos 10:6

¹ tn Heb “do not let your hand drop from us.”

² tn Heb “your servants!”

³ tn Heb “have gathered against us.”

NET Notes: Jos 10:7

¹ tn Heb “And Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the brave warriors.”

NET Notes: Jos 10:8

¹ tn Heb “I have given them into your hand.” The verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action.

² tn Heb “and not a man [or “one”] of them will stand before you.”

NET Notes: Jos 10:9

¹ tn Heb “Joshua came upon them suddenly, all the night he went up from Gilgal.”

NET Notes: Jos 10:10

¹ tn Or “caused to panic.”

² tn Heb “he.” The referent is probably Israel (mentioned at the end of the previous sentence in the verse; cf. NIV, NRSV), but it is also possible that the Lord should be understood as the referent (cf. NASB “and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon”), or even Joshua (cf. NEB “and Joshua defeated them utterly in Gibeon”).

³ tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”

⁴ tn Or “ascent.”

NET Notes: Jos 10:11

¹ tn Heb “on the descent of.”

² tn Or “heaven” (also in v. 13). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.