Joshua 10
Summary for Josh 10:1-43: 10:1-43 a Gibeon and its neighboring cities occupied a plateau north of Jerusalem (see study note on 7:2). With Gibeon now allied to Israel, control of the plateau and of the central hill country in the vicinity of Gibeon belonged to Israel. Throughout history, whoever has controlled the plateau has, in general, also controlled the hill country. The Canaanite kings had to conquer Gibeon or their cause was lost. 10:1 b Adoni-zedek means “master of righteousness” or “my master is righteous.” An earlier king of Jerusalem named Melchizedek (“king of righteousness” or “my king is righteous”) had been “a priest of God Most High” and a friend of Abraham (Gen 14:18-20 c). However, Adoni-zedek was not a friend to Joshua or a believer in the Lord.10:2 d Gibeon was apparently not one of the royal cities. Gibeon might have been subservient to Canaan-controlled Jerusalem before making the covenant with Joshua, or it might have been an independent town controlled by a few leading families.
10:5 e When the Old Testament makes a distinction between Amorites and Canaanites (see study note on 3:10), the Amorite kings controlled the hill country, while the Canaanites occupied the valleys and the coastal plain.
10:7 f Joshua had sworn to rescue Gibeon, so now he set out to do it.
10:8 g God once again urged Joshua not to be afraid, assuring him of victory over Israel’s enemies (see also 1:9 h; 8:1 i).
10:9 j Joshua’s army walked all night to travel the fifteen miles up the rugged passes and steep slopes and across the plateau. By attacking the Amorite armies from the east at sunrise, Joshua’s army came out of the sun, blinding the Amorites as they faced eastward to fight.
• Israel’s covenant required the nation to respond to Gibeon’s plea for help, but Joshua responded more promptly than any treaty required. Defeating the Canaanite force with a swift strike gave Israel a tremendous advantage.
Summary for Josh 10:10-13: 10:10-13 k Three miracles—supernatural panic, a terrible hailstorm, and a lengthened day—demonstrated that the destruction of the Canaanites was entirely God’s doing. 10:10 l It was about forty miles from Gibeon, down the Beth-horon road, then south through the western foothills to Azekah and Makkedah.
10:12 m Joshua prayed to have the day lengthened so the Israelites could finish the task without allowing the Amorite forces time to organize a new defense against Israel.
• The sun and moon, two of Canaan’s most powerful gods, proved powerless against the Lord.
• Aijalon was a city near the western end of the Beth-horon road.
10:13 n God caused the sun to stay in the middle of the sky. Not all miracles can be understood, whether in purpose, in scope, or in mechanism.
• The Book of Jashar served as one of the ancient sources for Israel’s historians. While well known in ancient Israel, it did not survive as a separate document.
10:16 o The five kings had led the southern coalition against God’s people.
• Although the location of Makkedah is uncertain, it was in the same district as Lachish (15:39-41 p) in the southern part of the western foothills, about twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem. Limestone caves are numerous in that region.
Summary for Josh 10:18-19: 10:18-19 q By blocking the opening of the cave, Joshua reduced the number of guards needed to keep the kings from escaping. This also eliminated danger to the guards and freed more men to pursue the fleeing people.
10:21 r The armies returned safely, indicating that Israel suffered few or no casualties in this battle, a sign of God’s presence in the battle.
• no one dared: The Canaanites in the south now had firsthand experience that Israel’s powerful God was fighting them.
10:24 s Victorious commanders in the ancient Near East would commonly put their feet on defeated kings’ necks to symbolize their subjugation.
10:25 t Joshua encouraged his men at Makkedah, using the same words God had used to encourage him before Israel crossed the Jordan and again before the battle of Ai (1:9 u; 8:1 v).
Summary for Josh 10:26-27: 10:26-27 w Joshua’s execution of the five kings followed the pattern established with the king of Ai (see note on 8:29 x).
Summary for Josh 10:28-39: 10:28-39 y Joshua led the Israelites throughout southern Canaan, where they captured but did not burn a number of important cities. God had promised that Israel would dwell in cities they had not built (Deut 6:10 z). 10:28 aa He destroyed them all: See study note on 2:9-10.
Summary for Josh 10:29-30: 10:29-30 ab Libnah was probably about six miles north of Lachish. Because the location of Makkedah is uncertain, how far it was from Libnah is also unknown.
Summary for Josh 10:31-33: 10:31-33 ac Lachish, by far the most important of the six cities taken at this time, was defended so well that it took Joshua until the second day to capture it.
• Gezer was about twenty-five miles north of Lachish. Lachish and Gezer might have had a mutual aid treaty.
Summary for Josh 10:38-39: 10:38-39 ad Because settlement in the hill country was sparse, the surrounding villages—walled towns that could not maintain their independence—depended on the kingdoms of the dominant cities for protection.
10:40 ae Joshua’s southern campaign cleared the way for the southern tribes to occupy this whole region when the settlement process began.
• the western foothills: See study note on Deut 1:7.
10:41 af This Goshen was not the region in Egypt’s Nile delta (Gen 47:27 ag) but a town in the hill country (Josh 15:51 ah) south of Jerusalem. From Goshen up to Gibeon describes the eastern reach of Joshua’s southern campaign.
10:43 ai Joshua and his army were free to return to their camp at Gilgal in the Jordan Valley and turn their thoughts to the northern region of Canaan.
Joshua 11
Summary for Josh 11:1-16: 11:1-16 aj Through the more detailed accounts of Joshua’s campaign in southern Canaan (chs 6-10 ak), the narrator established firmly that the Israelites needed God’s help to succeed. Because what had been true in the southern campaign would also be true in the northern campaign (ch 11 al), those details were unnecessary here.Summary for Josh 11:1-3: 11:1-3 am Hazor lay along the international trade route and was by far the largest and most important inland city of Canaan (see 11:10 an).
• Virtually all of northern Canaan joined the coalition of King Jabin against Israel. This region stretched from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the desert in the east and from the borders of Phoenicia in the north to the hill country and the Jordan Valley in the south.
• The term Jebusites typically refers to the people of Jerusalem and surrounding towns under its control. Perhaps men from Jebus were mercenaries to Jabin.
• Mizpah means “watchtower” or “lookout.” Several places had this name; this one was the extensive region of the lower slopes of Mount Hermon, the highest peak of the Promised Land.
11:4 ao In the ancient Near East at this time, horses only pulled chariots; cavalry and mounted bowmen did not appear until centuries later.
• Israel probably faced chariots for the first time in this battle against the northern coalition, where the land was flatter than in southern Canaan. As the heavy weapons of the battlefield, chariots easily overpowered foot soldiers. Scythes were often attached to the axles, and charioteers drove at opposing infantry to mow them down.
11:5 ap The location of Merom is unclear. The most likely site was in Upper Galilee a few miles west of Hazor.
11:6 aq God again urged Joshua not to be afraid, promising Israel the victory, even against horses and chariots.
• cripple their horses and burn their chariots: God wanted Israel to rely on him rather than weaponry and equipment (cp. Deut 17:16 ar; Isa 31:1 as).
11:7 at Joshua ... traveled: Jabin might have planned to move from Merom out of Upper Galilee to meet Israel on a more advantageous battlefield when all his forces were assembled. However, Joshua attacked suddenly, before Jabin could choose the battleground.
11:8 au The Canaanites scattered widely, fleeing north and west into the territory of Greater Sidon on the Mediterranean coast and eastward into the valley of Mizpah.
11:11 av completely destroyed: Archaeological excavation confirms that the city of Hazor was destroyed by fire during this period.
11:13 aw the towns built on mounds: In the ancient Near East it was common practice to rebuild cities on the same sites after they had been destroyed. All the elements that made a city site advantageous remained after a city’s destruction. Many cities were rebuilt numerous times, slowly rising in height as more debris accumulated after each destruction.
• Joshua burned only Hazor in the north, just as he had destroyed Jericho (6:24 ax) and Ai (8:28 ay) in the center of the land.
11:15 az God commanded Joshua to exercise faithfulness to Moses’ torah, or “Book of Instruction” (1:7-10 ba). At the conclusion of the two major campaigns to occupy Canaan, the narrator reported that Joshua had obeyed all the commands faithfully.
11:18 bb Although the initial victories in both the southern and the northern campaigns were quick and decisive, it took a long time to take fortified cities. After Israel crossed the Jordan River, the total campaign for Canaan lasted perhaps five years (see 14:10 bc).
Summary for Josh 11:19-20: 11:19-20 bd The judgment on Canaan was God’s, not Israel’s. God had extended mercy to the Canaanites for several generations. However, God determined that “the sins of the Amorites” now “warrant their destruction” (Gen 15:16 be), and he hardened their hearts. God used Israel as the instrument and agent of his judgment, just as in later centuries God used other nations to execute judgment upon Israel and Judah for their sins.
Summary for Josh 11:21-22: 11:21-22 bf the descendants of Anak: See Num 13:28 bg, 33 bh.
11:23 bi The major theme of the second half of Joshua is dividing the land.
• rest: See study note on 1:13.
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