Text -- Joshua 11:16--12:24 (NET)

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, 11:20 for the Lord determined to make them obstinate so they would attack Israel. He wanted Israel to annihilate them without mercy, as he had instructed Moses. 11:21 At that time Joshua attacked and eliminated the Anakites from the hill country– from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and all the hill country of Judah and Israel. Joshua annihilated them and their cities. 11:22 No Anakites were left in Israelite territory, though some remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. 11:23 Joshua conquered the whole land, just as the Lord had promised Moses, and he assigned Israel their tribal portions. Then the land was free of war. 12:1 Now these are the kings of the land whom the Israelites defeated and drove from their land on the east side of the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern Arabah: 12:2 King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon and ruled from Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley)– including the city in the middle of the valley and half of Gilead– all the way to the Jabbok Valley bordering Ammonite territory. 12:3 His kingdom included the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), including the route to Beth Jeshimoth and the area southward below the slopes of Pisgah. 12:4 The territory of King Og of Bashan, one of the few remaining Rephaites, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei 12:5 and ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and half of Gilead as far as the border of King Sihon of Heshbon. 12:6 Moses the Lord’s servant and the Israelites defeated them and Moses the Lord’s servant assigned their land to Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. 12:7 These are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the Israelites defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley to Mount Halak on up to Seir. Joshua assigned this territory to the Israelite tribes, 12:8 including the hill country, the lowlands, the Arabah, the slopes, the wilderness, and the Negev– the land of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites: 12:9 the king of Jericho (one), the king of Ai– located near Bethel– (one), 12:10 the king of Jerusalem (one), the king of Hebron (one), 12:11 the king of Jarmuth (one), the king of Lachish (one), 12:12 the king of Eglon (one), the king of Gezer (one), 12:13 the king of Debir (one), the king of Geder (one), 12:14 the king of Hormah (one), the king of Arad (one), 12:15 the king of Libnah (one), the king of Adullam (one), 12:16 the king of Makkedah (one), the king of Bethel (one), 12:17 the king of Tappuah (one), the king of Hepher (one), 12:18 the king of Aphek (one), the king of Lasharon (one), 12:19 the king of Madon (one), the king of Hazor (one), 12:20 the king of Shimron Meron (one), the king of Acshaph (one), 12:21 the king of Taanach (one), the king of Megiddo (one), 12:22 the king of Kedesh (one), the king of Jokneam near Carmel (one), 12:23 the king of Dor– near Naphath Dor– (one), the king of Goyim– near Gilgal– (one), 12:24 the king of Tirzah (one), a total of thirty-one kings.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Jos 11:16

¹ tn Heb “Joshua took all this land.”

² tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”

NET Notes: Jos 11:17

¹ tn Heb “and struck them down and killed them.”

NET Notes: Jos 11:18

¹ tn Heb “made war with.”

² tn Heb “for many days.”

NET Notes: Jos 11:19

¹ tn The LXX omits this parenthetical note, which may represent a later scribal addition.

² tn Heb “the whole they took in battle.”

NET Notes: Jos 11:20

¹ tn Heb “for from the Lord it was to harden their heart[s] to meet for the battle with Israel, in order to annihilate them, so that they would receive no mercy, in order annihilate them, as the Lord commanded Moses.”

NET Notes: Jos 11:21

¹ tn Heb “went and cut off the Anakites from the hill country.”

² tn Heb “and from all the hill country of Israel.”

NET Notes: Jos 11:23

¹ tn Heb “took.”

² tn Heb “according to all which the Lord said to Moses.” The translation assumes this refers to the promise of the land (see 1:3). Another possibility is that it refers to the Lord’s instructions, in which case the phrase could be translated, “just as the Lord had instructed Moses” (so NLT; cf. also NIV “had directed Moses”).

³ tn Heb “and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their allotted portions by their tribes.”

NET Notes: Jos 12:1

¹ tn Heb “and took possession of their land.”

² tn Heb “beyond the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun.”

NET Notes: Jos 12:2

¹ tn Or perhaps, “reigned.”

² tc The MT reads here, “and the middle of the valley,” but the reading “the city in the middle of valley” can be reconstructed on the basis of Josh 13:9, 16.

NET Notes: Jos 12:3

¹ tn The words “his kingdom included” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

² sn The Sea of Kinnereth is another name for the Sea of Galilee. See the note on the word “Kinnereth” in 11:2.

³ sn The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea.

NET Notes: Jos 12:4

¹ tn Heb “from the remnant of the Rephaites.”

sn The Rephaites were apparently an extremely tall ethnic group. See Deut 2:10-11, 20; 3:11.

² tn Or perhaps “who reigned.”

NET Notes: Jos 12:6

¹ tn Heb “gave it for a possession.”

NET Notes: Jos 12:7

¹ tn Heb “Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotted portions.”

NET Notes: Jos 12:8

¹ tn Or “the foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”

² tn The words “the land of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

NET Notes: Jos 12:9

¹ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

NET Notes: Jos 12:10

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

NET Notes: Jos 12:16

¹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

NET Notes: Jos 12:19

¹ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.

NET Notes: Jos 12:21

¹ map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.