Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king. He utterly destroyed it and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining. He did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah. Yahweh delivered it also, with its king, into the hand of Israel. He struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining in it. He did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it. Yahweh delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel. He took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with all the souls who were in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah. Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he had left him no one remaining.
Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, to Eglon; and they encamped against it and fought against it. They took it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron; and they fought against it. They took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king and all its cities, and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls who were in it.
Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir, and fought against it. He took it, with its king and all its cities. They struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining. As he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to its king; as he had done also to Libnah, and to its king. So Joshua struck all the land, the hill country, the South, the lowland, the slopes, and all their kings. He left no one remaining, but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, commanded.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv29, 40 29. Then Joshua. passed, etc We have now a…
29. Then Joshua. passed, etc We have now a description of the taking of the cities, out of which the army of the enemy had been raised; and herein God displayed his power no less wonderfully than in the open field, especially when the rapidity is considered. For although those who had fled hither in trepidation might have produced some degree of panic, still, when the fear was allayed, they might be useful for defense. The garrison had been increased by their numbers. When, therefore, in a short period of time, Joshua takes all the cities, and gains possession of the smaller towns, the presence of God was conspicuously manifested in a success no less incredible than unexpected. For had they, when attacked, only shut their gates, as Joshua had not brought either ladders by which he might scale the walls, or engines by which he might throw them down, each siege might have been attended with considerable fatigue and delay. Therefore, when he takes one the following day, and another the very day after attacking it, these continued, easy, and rapid victories, are evidently beyond human agency.
Not without cause, then, in the end of the chapter, is the goodness of God expressly celebrated, as it had been made manifest that he was fighting for Israel, when Joshua at once took and vanquished so many kings, with their territories. Indeed, he could never, even in a course of inspection, have passed so quickly from city to city, had not a passage been divinely opened by the removal of obstacles. The miracle was increased when the king of Geser, who had come to the help of others, doubtless with full confidence in the result, was suddenly put to rout, almost without an effort, and did not even delay the advance of the Israelites. Those who were slain in the cities represent, as in a mirror, those whose punishment the Almighty holds suspended, while he actually takes vengeance on others. For though they plume themselves on the reprieve thus afforded them, their condition is worse than if they were immediately dragged to death. It looks as if it would have been a dire calamity to fall in the field of battle; and making their escape, they seek safety within their walls. But what awaited them there was much more dreadful. Their wives and their children are butchered in their sight, and their own death is more ignominious than if they had perished sword in hand. Hence there is no reason to envy the reprobate the short time which the Lord sometimes grants them, because when they have begun to promise themselves safety, sudden destruction will come upon them. (1 Thessalonians 5:3.) Meanwhile, let us learn not to abuse the patience of God when he defers to execute his judgment, and, instead of indulging in self-complacency when we seem to have been delivered from any danger, or when means of escape from it present themselves, let us reflect on the words of Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 24:2) that while the basket of early figs had at least some savor, the other was so sour that they could not be eaten.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv28, 30, 40 Or, every person, Josh. 6:21.
Or, every person, Josh. 6:21.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv28–40 Jos 10:28 And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and…
Jos 10:28 And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that [were] therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.
Ver. 28. And the king thereof he utterly destroyed.] Because his sins had done much harm: (1.) By imitation, for Magnates magnetes; ( 2.) By imputation, for plectunter Achivi.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40 That day, on which the sun stood still, or…
That day, on which the sun stood still, or on which the five kings were hanged. Nor is it strange that so much work was done, and places so far distant taken, in one day, when the day was so long, and the Canaanites struck with such a terror. The king of Jericho was hanged, or otherwise killed, as appears from Jos 6:2.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v28 We are here informed how Joshua improved the late…
We are here informed how Joshua improved the late glorious victory he had obtained and the advantages he had gained by it, and to do this well is a general's praise.
I. Here is a particular account of the several cities which he immediately made himself master of. 1. The cities of three of the kings whom he had conquered in the field he went and took possession of, Lachish (Jos 10:31, Jos 10:32), Eglon (Jos 10:34, Jos 10:35), and Hebron, Jos 10:36, Jos 10:37. The other two, Jerusalem and Jarmuth, were not taken at this time; perhaps his forces were either so much fatigued with what they had done or so well content with what they had got that they had no mind to attack those places, and so they let slip the fairest opportunity they could ever expect of reducing them with ease, which afterwards was not done without difficulty, Jdg 1:8; Sa2 5:6. 2. Three other cities, and royal cities too, he took: Makkedah, into the neighbourhood of which the five kings had fled, which brought Joshua and his forces thither in pursuit of them, and so hastened its ruin (Jos 10:28), Libnah (Jos 10:29, Jos 10:30), and Debir, Jos 10:38, Jos 10:39. 3. One king that brought in his forces for the relief of Lachish, that had lost its king, proved to meddle to his own hurt; it was Horam king of Gezer, who, either in friendship to his neighbours or for his own security, offered to stop the progress of Joshua's arms, and was cut off with all his forces, Jos 10:33. Thus wicked men are often snared in their counsels, and, by opposing God in the way of his judgments, bring them the sooner on their own heads.
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II. A general account of the country which was hereby reduced and brought into Israel's hands (Jos 10:40-42), that part of the land of Canaan of which they first got possession, which lay south of Jerusalem, and afterwards fell, for the most part, to the lot of the tribe of Judah. Observe in this narrative,
1. The great speed Joshua made in taking these cities, which, some think, is intimated in the manner of relating it, which is quick and concise. He flew like lightning from place to place; and though they all stood it out to the last extremity, and none of these cities opened their gates to him, yet in a little time he got them all into his hands, summoned them, and seized them, the same day (Jos 10:28), or in two days, Jos 10:32. Now that they were struck with fear, by the defeat of their armies and the death of their kings, Joshua prudently followed his blow. See what a great deal of work may be done in a little time, if we will but be busy and improve our opportunities.
2. The great severity Joshua used towards those he conquered. He gave no quarter to man, woman, nor child, put to the sword all the souls (Jos 10:28, Jos 10:30, Jos 10:32, Jos 10:35, etc.), utterly destroyed all that breathed (Jos 10:40), and left none remaining. Nothing could justify this military execution but that herein they did as the Lord God of Israel commanded (Jos 10:40), which was sufficient not only to bear them out, and save them for the imputation of cruelty, but to sanctify what they did, and make it an acceptable piece of service to his justice. God would hereby, (1.) Manifest his hatred of the idolatries and other abominations which the Canaanites had been guilty of, and leave us to judge how great the provocation was which they had given him by the greatness of the destruction which was brought upon them when the measure of their iniquity was full. (2.) He would hereby magnify his love to his people Israel, in giving so many men for them, and people for their life, Isa 43:4. When the heathen are to be cast out to make room for this vine (Psa 80:8) divine justice appears more prodigal than ever of human blood, that the Israelites might find themselves for ever obliged to spend their lives to the glory of that God who had sacrificed so many of the lives of his creatures to their interest. (3.) Hereby was typified the final and eternal destruction of all the impenitent implacable enemies of the Lord Jesus, who, having slighted the riches of his grace, must for ever feel the weight of his wrath, and shall have judgment without mercy. Nations that forget God shall be turned into hell, and no reproach at all to God's infinite goodness.
3. The great success of this expedition. The spoil of these cities was now divided among the men of war that plundered them; and the cities themselves, with the land about them, were shortly to be divided among the tribes, for the Lord fought for Israel, Jos 10:42. They could not have gotten the victory if God had not undertaken the battle; then we conquer when God fights for us; and, if he be for us, who can be against us?
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv28–40 And Joshua passed from Makkedah,.... After he had taken…
And Joshua passed from Makkedah,.... After he had taken it, and destroyed its inhabitants, and its king:
and all Israel with him; that is, all the men of war he took with him from the camp at Gilgal, from whence he went to the relief of Gibeon:
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unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah; a city that fell to the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:42. Jerom (r) says, in his time it was a village, in the region of Eleutheropolis, and was called Libnah; according to Bunting (s) it was but two miles from Makkedah.
(r) De loc. Heb. fol. 92. M. (s) Travels of the Patriarchs, &c. p. 96.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv28, 29, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40 And that day - On which the sun stood…
And that day - On which the sun stood still. Nor is it strange that so much work was done, and places so far distant taken in one day, when the day was so long, and the Canaanites struck with such a terror.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 39, 40 Verse 28. That day Joshua took Makkedah] It is…
Verse 28. That day Joshua took Makkedah] It is very possible that Makkedah was taken on the evening of the same day in which the miraculous solstice took place; but as to the other cities mentioned in this chapter, they certainly were subdued some days after, as it is not possible that an army, exhausted as this must have been with a whole night's march, and two days' hard fighting, could have proceeded farther than Makkedah that night; the other cities were successively taken in the following days.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv35, 38, 40 Jos 10:35-37. They took it on that day —…
Jos 10:35-37. They took it on that day — On which they first attempted it. Unto Hebron — The conquest of Hebron, here generally related, is afterward repeated, and more particularly described, chap. Jos 15:13-14. And the king thereof — Their former king was one of the five whom Joshua had lately killed and hanged, but it seems they had now set up a new sovereign, their city being of great note, since it had other cities depending on it, and subject to its jurisdiction, as appears from the next words.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv29, 33, 37, 38, 40 Libnah - The word means “white” or “distinct,” and…
Libnah - The word means “white” or “distinct,” and undoubtedly points to some natural feature of the spot, perhaps the “Garde Blanche” of the Crusaders, a castle which stood on or near the white cliffs which bound the plain of Philistia to the east opposite to Ascalon. It was in the southern part of the hill-country of Judah Jos 15:42, and was one of the cities afterward assigned to the priests Jos 21:13.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv28, 30, 32, 33, 37, 38, 40 Remains of inhabitants. (Calmet) --- The king was gibbeted…
Remains of inhabitants. (Calmet) --- The king was gibbeted and stoned. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v28 4. The Conquest of Southern Palestine
4. The Conquest of Southern Palestine
Jos_10:28-43
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28And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed [devoted], them and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain [left none remaining, as in Jos_10:33; Jos_10:37; Jos_10:39, Jos_11:8, etc.]: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did [had done] unto the king of Jericho.
29Then [And] Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah: 30and the Lord [Jehovah] delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let [left] none remain [remaining] in it; but [and, comp. Jos_10:28] did unto the king thereof as he did [had done] unto the king of Jericho.
31And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it: 32And the Lord [Jehovah] delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which [who] took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
33Then [At that time] Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had [omit: had] left him none, remaining.
34And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him: and they encamped against it, and fought against it. 35And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed [devoted] that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
36And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it: 37And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities, thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon, but [and] destroyed it utterly [devoted it], and all the souls that were therein.
38And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it: 39And he took it and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed [devoted] all the souls that were therein: he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof, [and] as he had done also [omit: also] to Libnah, and to her king.
40So [And] Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs,13 and all their kings: he left none remaining, but [and] utterly destroyed [devoted] all that breathed, as the Lord [Jehovah] God of Israel commanded. 41And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. 42And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time; because the Lord [Jehovah] God of Israel fought for Israel. 43And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
After the brilliant victory at Gibeon, Joshua, without special difficulty, conquered the whole of southern Palestine west of the Jordan. Particularly named are the cities Makkedah (Jos_10:28), Libnah (Jos_10:29), Lachish (Jos_10:31), Eglon (Jos_10:34), Hebron (Jos_10:36), and Debir (Jos_10:38-39). With Jos_10:40 the special enumeration of conquered cities ceases. We are then summarily informed that Joshua smote the whole land, the mountains, the south-land, the lowlands, and the foot-hills, from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole land of Goshen unto Gibeon (Jos_10:40-41). This success attended him because God fought for Israel Jos_10:42). After completing the campaign Joshua returned to the camp at Gilgal on the Jordan (Jos_10:43). At this point, perhaps, we may most conveniently remark that when Hitzig (ubi sup. p. 103) holds all Joshua’s professed activity, after Gibeon, to be mere romance and no history, we, for reasons developed in the Introd. § 3, must decidedly differ with him.
Jos_10:28. Capture of Makkedah (Jos_10:10; Jos_10:16; Jos_10:21; Jos_15:41). Instead of אוֹתָם, according to many Codd. and various editions, as well as the analogy of Jos_10:37, אוֹתָהּ should be read.
He smote them with the edge of the sword, as previously Ai (Jos_8:24), as afterwards the other cities. This phrase occurs in the present section four times (Jos_10:28; Jos_10:30; Jos_10:32; Jos_10:35).
He left none remaining, likewise used four times (Jos_10:28; Jos_10:30; Jos_10:33; Jos_10:40). A complete destruction was effected, for Joshua devoted all that had breath (Jos_10:40).
Jos_10:29-32. Joshua turned from Makkedah, (which is possibly to be sought for in the region of the present Terkumia (Tricomias)), westward toward Libnah, and then from there southeastwardly toward Lachish, both which places are found, though with the mark of interrogation, on Kiepert’s map, but not on that of Van de Velde. [On Menke’s Map (III.) Lachish is placed slightly N. of W. from Libna.—Tr.]
Jos_10:33. According to the previous agreement (Jos_9:2) the king of Gezer, later Γαζαρα (2Ma_10:32, Joseph. Ant. viii. 6, 1,) and Γάδαρα (Joseph. Ant. v. 1, 22; xii. 7, 4) and Γαδαρίς (Strabo, 16, p. 759), now goes up to help Lachish. The city has not yet been discovered. Kiepert suspects that it lay northwest of Beth-horon, and so likewise Knobel on Jos_16:3; Van de Velde has no statement. This king too is destroyed.
Jos_10:34. Joshua now marches westward [eastward?] from Lachish to Eglon (’́Αγλα), now Adjlan, on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza; invests, takes, and destroys Eglon with all its inhabitants, like Lachish, Libnah, and Makkedah.
Jos_10:36-39. Eglon [Lachish?] was the westernmost point of which the bold leader of Israel obtained possession. In a tolerably direct line he marched next upon Hebron, the seat of the patriarchs, familiar in the history of Abraham, and which still lies in a charming region. This, city also he captures like the rest. The fate of Hebron is the same as that of the other Canaanite cities.
Jos_10:38. וישׁב Joshua now turned, as Exo_5:22; Num_18:9. He turns towards Debir (Jos_15:15; Jos_15:49). This Debir, earlier called Kirjath-sepher (Jos_15:15; Jdg_1:11) or Kirjath-sanno (Jos_15:49), is either, as Rosen supposes (Zeitschrift der D. M. G. xi. p. 50 ff.), followed by von Raumer (p. 184), the same as Idwirban, or Dewirban, three fourths of an hour west of Hebron, or, according to the view of Knobel (p. 435), Thaharijeh, or Dhoherijeh, as Kiepert and Van de Velde write it, an important place, inhabited down even to the present time, the first on the mountain of Judah as one goes toward Hebron from the south, and distant from the latter about five hours,—or, according to Van de Velde (Mem. p. 307), with whom Keil agrees = Dilbeh, on the top of a hill north of the Wady Dilbeh, about two hours south-west of Hebron. It is in favor of one of the two last conjectures that all the cities mentioned Jos_15:48-49, among which Debir also stands, lie entirely in the south, while Idwirban or Dewirban is west of Hebron and quite too far north for that group of cities to which it belongs. If we follow Rosen’s opinion as Bunsen has done, ויָּשָׁב must be translated “returned,” as it is by Bunsen. On the position of Thaharijeh, particularly, cf. Rob. i. 311, 12 (edh Dhoherijeh), Ritter, Erdkunde, xvi. [Gage’s Trans, iii. 193, 288, 289, 202, and Jos_15:15.] To this we shall recur in connection with the conquests which are referred to Caleb, Jos_14:6 ff; Jos_15:14 ff. According to Jdg_1:10 ff. the city of Hebron and even Debir was captured not until a later period.
Jos_10:40-43. No further statement of special conquests is made; there follows rather a comprehensive survey of Joshua’s successes at that time. Joshua smote the whole land. This is then more definitely specialized: (1) הָחָר, the mountain, i.e. the mountain of Judah, which extends southward from Jerusalem. It consists of calcareous limestone, and forms the watershed between the Mediterranean and Dead Seas, rising to the height of three thousand feet; in general an uneven and rocky district, especially in the southern portion, yet not without fruitful and inviting spots. (2.) הַנֶּגֶב, the land of the south, prop., from נגב, which in the Syr., Chald., and Sam. signifies to be dry, the dry, parched land, where the mountain brooks fail in the summer, so that in Psa_126:4, God is invoked to let them return again (vide Hitzig on this passage). It is the steppe which forms the southern portion of Judæa, a land “intermediate between wilderness and cultivated land,” precisely as the steppes of southern Russia, or the heath-land of North Germany. Because this steppe, this parched and sun-burnt land, lay in the south of Palestine (cf. Jos_15:2-4; Jos_15:21), נֶגֶב comes to mean generally, south, and נֶגְבָּה southward, Num_35:5; Exo_40:24; Jos_17:9-10. (3.) The low-landsהַשְּׁפֵלָה (Jos_11:16; Jos_15:33) from שָׁפל to be low, the strip of land in southern Palestine accurately indicated on Kiepert’s map as stretching along the sea from Joppa to Gaza (Jer_32:44; Jer_33:13). Much more populous, fertile, and beautiful than the Negeb. (4.) The declivities הָאֲשֵׁדוֹת, out of which the LXX. and Vulg. make a proper name: ’Ασηδώθ, Asedoth. Luther translates, “on the brooks,” [Eng. vers. “the springs”], in accordance with Num_21:15, where he renders אֶשֵׁד־הַנְּחָלִים “source of the brooks.” The explanation is this: אֶשֵׁד like אֲשֵׁדָה is to be derived from אָשַׁד, according to the Syriac, to pour, to rush down, = (1.) outpouring; (2.) place upon which something pours out, e.g.אַשְׁדּוֹת הַפִּסגָּה (Deu_3:17; Deu_4:49), the place whither the brooks of Mount Pisgah issue, the declivities of Pisgah.14 In our passage the declivities or “foot-hills” are those of the mountain of Judah, which slopes off gradually to the low-land:—the land of Goshen (Jos_10:41). This is to be carefully distinguished from Goshen in the land of Egypt (Gen_45:10; Gen_46:28 and often). Again Jos_11:16; Jos_15:51, a city of the same name is mentioned, perhaps the chief city of this region. Knobel derives the name from the Arabic, making it = pectus, lorica. Calmet maintains that the land of Goshen here mentioned is the same as the Egyptian. This needs no refutation.
Jos_10:41. From Kadesh-barnea unto Gaza,i.e. from the wilderness in which Kadesh-barnea lay (Num_13:3; Num_13:26; Num_20:1; Num_27:14, and often) to Gaza in the Shephelah, which is only about one hour from the Mediterranean Sea,—and the whole land of Goshen unto Gibeon, i.e. all the country between Gaza and Gibeon which lay on a line directly northeast from Gaza. Thus Joshua had become master of all southern Palestine between the Jordan valley and the Mediterranean Sea in one direction, and between the heights of Gibeon and the wilderness in the other. Jericho, Ai, Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, Debir, had one after the other fallen and been destroyed, and whole districts, like Goshen, had submitted themselves. With the ruins of broken cities, and the bodies of their inhabitants, the land was covered on the mountains, as well as on the slopes, in the lowland, in the desert, on the border of the wilderness as well as on the banks of the Jordan. A divine judgment had fallen on the Canaanites. Jehovah, God of Israel, had Himself fought for his chosen people (Jos_10:42; Jos_10:14). And Joshua marches back, to find rest after such mighty exploits, in the camp at Gilgal (Jos_10:43).
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
Of the extermination of the Canaanites, as well as of the idea of the devotement (חֶרֶם), we have already treated, and do not, therefore, here enter again on the subject. Cf. the Exegetical and Critical on Jos_2:11; Jos_6:17; also the Doctrinal and Ethical on Jos_6:15-27 [Introd. § 5, p. 21].
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
The section before us being no more than several of the following (chaps. 12, 13, 15, etc.), suited for texts of sermons, while for Bible-classes the exegetical notes will furnish the necessary explanations, we remark here once for all, that on this description of passages in our Book, the Homiletical and Practical comments will be omitted.
Footnotes:
[13][Jos_10:40.—The geographical definiteness of this statement might be indicated thus: And Joshua smote all the land: the mountain, and the south-country (the Negeb), and the low-land (the Shephelah), and the foot-hills, etc. See Exegetical note.—Tr.]
[14][We have proposed in the amended translation of this verse to render אֲשֵׁדוֹת, by “foot-hills” which, although not suggested by the etymology of the Hebrew word, seems to convey nearly the intended signification.—Tr.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v28 SEVEN MORE KINGS CONQUERED. (Jos 10:28-42)
SEVEN MORE KINGS CONQUERED. (Jos 10:28-42)
that day Joshua took Makkedah--In this and the following verses is described the rapid succession of victory and extermination which swept the whole of southern Palestine into the hands of Israel. "All these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal."
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Next: Joshua Chapter 11
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 38, 40 CONQUEST OF SOUTHERN PALESTINE, Jos_10:28-43.
CONQUEST OF SOUTHERN PALESTINE, Jos_10:28-43.
28. That day — Joshua and a part of the host took Makkedah while the rest were pursuing the flying foe.
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Destroyed… all the souls — All the human beings. For considerations justifying this indiscriminate extermination of the Canaanites, see note, Jos_6:21.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 40 28–39. The Conquest of Southern Palestine
28–39. The Conquest of Southern Palestine
28. And that day] The victory of Beth-horon did not stand alone. It involved other consequences in its train. It inaugurated a campaign, which may have lasted some weeks or even months, during which the whole of southern Canaan was swept into the hands of Israel.
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took Makkedah] The cities distinctly specified as now subdued are Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, Debir.
and smote it with the edge of the sword] As before at Ai (Jos_8:24). Four times does this expression occur in the present section.
he let none remain] This expression also occurs four times in the section.
as he did] See chap. Jos_6:21.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 38, 40 (28) Joshua took Makkedah.—Perhaps better. had taken—i.e., before the…
(28) Joshua took Makkedah.—Perhaps better. had taken—i.e., before the execution of the five kings.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv28, 29, 31, 33, 36, 38, 40 And that day, i.e., the day of the battle…
And that day, i.e., the day of the battle of Beth-horon. Not only did Joshua smite his enemies "unto Makkedah," but the incarceration of the kings in a cave at Makkedah showed that in the headlong flight of the enemy, Makkedah, which though not mentioned by name among the cities of the confederation, was no doubt, to a certain extent, implicated in it. It is worthy of remark that while Libnah, Debir, and Makkedah are mentioned among the cities destroyed in this campaign, though they are not named among the cities of the league, Jarmuth, on the contrary, though it is one of the cities named, does not appear to have been taken with the rest. With the edge of the sword. Literally, "to the mouth of the sword," from its devouring character. All the souls. All the human beings. The ban under which everything in Jericho was laid did not apply to the other cities, though (see note on Jos_8:26) all the inhabitants, without distinction, were to be exterminated.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v28 All these kings and their laud did Joshua take…
Jos_10:28-43
All these kings and their laud did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord . . . fought for Israel.
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Divine sovereignty
I. God has an indisputable right to dispense his favours to what persons and in what proportions he pleases. As the sole proprietor, it is His to dispose of.
1. Worldly goods. One is accordingly born to affluence, while another is cradled in poverty. Before they existed they could, of course, have no claims or demerits; and therefore the difference in their tot must be owing to His sovereign disposal of events.
2. Bodily constitution and health. As variety marks all other of Gods works, so here it happens that one is naturally robust, another sickly, a third deformed, &c. Who is it that maketh the strong, the beautiful, &c., to differ? The answer may be found in 2Sa_22:30; 2Sa_22:35.
3. Mental qualifications. The inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding. Much, it is true, depends on personal application. But much depends on natural capacity; given to one five talents, to another two, and to another one; and much on the opportunities, instructors, &c., which God either gives or withholds.
4. Spiritual privileges. Mankind soon began to have greater or smaller advantages in this respect, as they descended from families more or less holy; and the case is the same to the present day. Instance the Israelites and heathens formerly; Christians and pagans now.
II. God has an equal right to resume or to transfer his favours.
1. We have seen that whatever we possess is of free favour at first, from the original proprietor of all. Such the acknowledgment of the psalmist, Of Thine own have I given Thee.
2. No person becomes a proprietor of his possessions merely because he has long enjoyed them. Every blessing is a loan resumable at pleasure; and instead of gaining a right by holding it, the holder is becoming more and more indebted. The property is still Gods (Psa_24:1; Psa_24:10; Psa_12:1-8.
3. On this ground He took His own land of promise from the Canaanites and transferred it to Israel. And He still puts down one and raises up another as it pleases Him.
III. God may justly punish every voluntary transgression of his righteous and equitable laws. Here we remark--
1. That His intelligent and moral creatures are what they are is owing to His sovereign pleasure. Thus Elihu (Job_35:10-11).
2. Since they are such, and capable of moral government, their nature requires a law, as a test of their obedience and for the exercise of their capabilities; and it is His prerogative, who is not only the sovereign Lord, but infinitely wise, to say what is right, to enact such law.
3. In order to make the law efficient it was necessary it should be guarded and enforced by penal sanctions. Whence it follows--
4. That truth requires, while sovereignty authorises, the just punishment of disobedience to His righteous and equitable commands.
IV. In executing his righteous purposes God may employ what agency or instrumentality he pleases. He doubtless can and may work immediately on any and every part of His creation. Yet He seldom does so. Oftentimes He employs angels, as in the case of Sennacherib or Herod. And oftentimes storm, pestilence, earthquake, &c. Deists do not object to these. Yet they cavil at Gods employing the sword of Israel; a difference merely in the circumstance of instrumentality. Let the subject teach us--
1. Reverence. Forasmuch as there is none like unto Thee, O Lord, &c. (Jer_10:6-7). The opposite disposition is reproved (Rom_9:20), and threatened (Isa_45:9-10).
2. Dependence. We enjoy no more or longer than He blesses us, and live no longer than He sustains (Psa_90:3; Psa_09:14; Psa_104:27-29).
3. Humility. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, &c. (Jer_9:23-24; 1Co_4:7).
4. Gratitude. Who maketh thee to differ? (Sketches of Sermons.)
Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal--
The old camp and the new foe
It must have been a great rest and refreshment for the weary warriors to come to such a camp from time to time. It would be to them a Sabbath amid their arduous labours. From this place they would after each visit go more boldly out to deal harder blows against the uncircumcised Canaanites. And it is the same with us in the war which we wage against the inner and the outer foe. We have our headquarters too, a visit to which should stimulate us even more than a visit to Gilgal did the Israelites. What is our Gilgal? The Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. That remains always our centre. We should come back to it at all times; not only when driven there by defeat, in order to have shelter, but also after every victory, in order to give thanks. Thus shall we maintain faith and a good conscience. Then issuing from such headquarters, so safe, so restful, so hallowed, so purifying, we shall be filled with a holy enthusiasm and unconquerable strength, and march like Israel from victory to victory. When Joshua had come back to the old headquarters word was brought to him of the gathering of a new foe. This was the most numerous army that had as yet been gathered against him. And it was the most powerful, as well as the most numerous army which Joshua had encountered. For the first time in this campaign we hear of war-horses being used, and the war-chariots of iron which were such a terror to the ancient infantry. This army is also better led than any other that had taken the field. Jabin was the commander-in-chief. One of his successors is called king of Canaan (Jdg_4:2-24), and therefore he would in all likelihood have been the head of the great confederacy. The word Jabin is not a name, but a title borne by the kings of Hazor, and signifies The Wise, just as Adoni-zedek means Lord of Righteousness. Therefore, as we have seen the religious head of the Canaanites marshalling the southern army, so here we see the wise head of the Canaanites marshalling the northern army. The southern might be called the coalition of the priest; the northern the coalition of the sage. How graphically is the spiritual experience of the Christian depicted by these conflicts! No sooner is one set of foes subdued than another arises. There is no rest here. There is also a similarity in the kind of opposition which we have to encounter. As the advance of Israel was opposed now by Adoni-zedek and now by Jabin, so the advance of truth is opposed now by apostate Christianity and now by pompous philosophy. As it is with the Church collectively so is it with the individual. He may lay his account sooner or later to face these two, often in the same order. First comes superstition, with its high-sounding titles, its endless genealogies, its imperious claims, its elaborate ritual, its sensuous will-worship, its irrational bondage. It is resisted, it is overcome. Then comes rationalism, and it cries, Well done. You have routed these infernal hosts. Now come with us. Finish the work you have so well begun. Cast from you the remaining rags of superstition. Follow the light of Reason. Shake off the remaining fetters and be free. Then the sage who argues thus will, like Jabin, muster whole hosts of imposing arguments. How quickly they come at his bidding: from north, south, east, and west, like the sand that is on the seashore for multitude. And when he reviews them, how imposing is their array I It is a critical time for the soul when he stands gazing on that imposing array, if he is not assured that the Lord is on his side; if he hears not, as did Joshua, the words, Be not afraid because of them, to-morrow will I deliver them up all slain before Israel. But for faith in the Divine presence and this sure word the soul is in a sad case, and with quaking heart and tottering knees will quit the high places of the field. Alas! alas! how many in our day are dazed by the hosts of unsanctified science! The Christian soldier is not worthy of his name who is not ready with unfeigned faith in the truth of God to proclaim it boldly, whether men hear or forbear, to oppose all the glittering phalanxes of false philosophy with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. As we look at this new army mustered to oppose Joshua, we cannot but renew our wonder at the infatuation of the Canaanites. What a solemn thought it is that the greatest miracles will not in themselves lead the heart of man to subjection! Yet, after all, why should we wonder at these Canaanites, when we have greater cause for wonder in the unbelief of many around us? What were all the miracles of which these Canaanites were cognisant compared with those with which we have been familiar since our childhood? (A. B. Mackay.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v29 Jos_10:29. Libnah] Another of the cities belonging to the…
CRITICAL NOTES.—
Jos_10:29. Libnah] Another of the cities belonging to the Shephelah, or low country of Judah. It was besieged by Sennacherib (2Ki_19:8), and it was probably in this neighbourhood that the 185,000 Assyrians were slain, in one night, by the angel of the Lord. Dean Stanley and Van de Velde differ as to the site of Libnah—the former placing it at Tell es-Safieh, five miles N.W. of Eleutheropolis, and the latter, with more confidence, at Arâk el-Meushȋyeh, four miles W. of Eleutheropolis.
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Jos_10:32. On the second day] On the second day of the siege. Thus, even in the days of Joshua, Lachish gave indications of the strength, as a fortified town, which was manifested in its subsequent history.
Jos_10:33. Gezer] This city is not said to have been destroyed. Judging by 1Ki_9:16, some have concluded that it “was not subdued till Solomon’s days.” This is obviously a mistake, for with “none remaining” of the inhabitants, what could there have been left to subdue? The city, as was the case in other instances, was no doubt speedily re-occupied by the fugitive Canaanites, and thus re-inhabited it was spared, and made to “serve under tribute” (cf. chap. Jos_16:10; Jos_21:21; Jdg_1:28-29). Twice in the history of David’s time it is called Gazer. “Perhaps the strongest claims for identity with Gezer are put forward by a village called Yasûr, four or five miles east of Joppa, on the road to Ramleh and Lydd” [Smith’s Bib. Dict.]
Jos_10:38. Debir] The same as Kirjath-sepher, “the city of the Oracle,” or the “Book.” Sometimes called Kirjath-sannah, from its palm trees. It was near Hebron. There were two other places called Debir.
Jos_10:37-39. And all the cities thereof] Shewing that both Hebron and Debir had smaller cities under their respective governments.
Jos_10:40. “The hills] i.e., the mountain country; the south] i.e., the Negeb, or land on the southern slopes toward the desert; the vale] i.e., the Shephelah or Philistine plain; the springs] i.e., the ravines on the borders between the mountain country and the Shephelah” [Crosby]. He left none remaining] Many, however, fled into Philistia and elsewhere, and returned as soon as they were able to do so.
Jos_10:41. From Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza] The southernmost line of the land of Canaan, from about twenty miles below the Dead Sea to Gaza, on the Mediterranean coast. The site of Kadesh-barnea is unknown. Goshen even unto Gibeon] Goshen is also unknown. It was possibly so named by the Israelites in memory of their dwelling-place in Egypt, and apparently must have been somewhere south of Hebron. It is again named in chapters Jos_11:16; Jos_15:51. The two lines of description, one on the extreme south, and the other through the midst of this part of the land, are evidently meant to describe Joshua’s complete conquest of all southern Canaan.
OUTLINES AND COMMENTS ON THE PARAGRAPH.—Jos_10:29-43
Jos_10:30. Of Makkedah and Libnah, and of the remaining cities whose destruction is recorded in this chapter, it is particularly said that Joshua smote “all the souls that were therein.” Joshua did this under the special and emphatic commandment of the Lord. In the overthrow of Jericho, in the hail storm and the miraculous extension of the day at Beth-horon, God made this war manifestly His own. These solemn records seem to have a special claim to notice, and a peculiar value at the present time. In days when so many are disposed to make the wrath of the Lord unreal, we shall do well to remember that this wrath has a history. In is not merely a doctrine of that which is to come; it is also recorded as that which has been. When the arguments which go to depreciate the anger of Jehovah have been urged to the utmost, these terrible histories will still remain. If they serve to warn any who are too prone to believe in unlimited mercy, and thus to bring them to Him through whom alone mercy is proclaimed, they will prove, a undoubtedly they will, that they also are a part of the good tidings of the God of love.
Some men are typical both in sin and punishment. They are ensamples unto them who believe not. Thus, for the second time, we read of these acts of Joshua, “as he did unto the king of Jericho.” Great grace causes some men to be known as pillars of the Church; great infamy in the rejection of grace makes the names of others to become by-words in the way of wickedness.
Jos_10:33. It is not enough to help men; we must help them in the way of righteousness. Compassion and sympathy may be misplaced, and may but lead to ruin. Sin has its patriots and its volunteers, as well as righteousness. How hard is the yoke of Satan, under which even generous service, like this rendered by Horam, leads to death! how easy is the yoke of Christ, where even a cup of cold water, given in the name and spirit of a disciple, shall in no wise lose its reward!
Jos_10:36-37. PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.
I. The fame of the past has no guarantee against degradation in the present. A great history of godly names, even in these early days, already stood connected with Hebron. The city itself was famed for its antiquity (Num_13:22); better still, the names of holy men of old were associated with its history. Nearly four hundred and seventy years before, Abraham came and dwelt here, and fifty years after his settlement he purchased of Ephron the Hittite the field of Machpelah. Here Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah, were all buried. Not far from Hebron was Mamre, beneath the famous terebinth of which Abraham had entertained the angels unawares. Near to this very Hebron Abraham had poured forth his holy prayer for Sodom, and long before that he had built in the outskirts of the city an altar to the Lord (Genesis 18, Gen_13:18). Formerly the place was redolent of God; now it was the seat of an abominable idolatry. This degeneration which stands associated with a city, is no less true of individual men. No man can afford to rely on his past. That which has been offers but small assurance of that which will be.
II. The degradation of the present is no sufficient reason for despairing of an honourable future.
1. Hebron again became great. It was given as an inheritance to one of the godliest of the Israelites (chap. Jos_15:13), and was made one of the six cities of refuge (chap. Jos_20:7). Later in the history it became the capital from which David ruled over Judah for seven years and a half (2Sa_2:11). Under the guidance of men like Caleb and David, Hebron would have often resounded with the voice of prayer and praise, instead of echoing to the orgies of the old idolatry.
2. Hebron became great and honourable only through the intervention of God. It is because God is merciful, and loves to interpose His saving arm, that there is hope even for “the dark places of the earth which are full of the habitations of cruelty.” It is because of this Divine mercy that no degraded man need despair of himself, and no good man of the most degraded community.
III. The honourable history of the past should stimulate us in attempting to redeem the present. Right before these Israelites, as they pressed upon Hebron in the battle, was the cave of Machpelah, wherein lay the bodies of the fathers and mothers of all the host of Israel. Dean Stanley says, “The cave of Machpelah is concealed, beyond all reasonable doubt, by the mosque at Hebron.… And marvellous, too, to think that within the massive enclosure of that mosque lies possibly, not merely the last dust of Abraham and Isaac, but the very body—the mummy—the embalmed bones of Jacob, brought in solemn state from Egypt to this (as it then was) lonely and beautiful spot.” [Sinai and Palestine, pp. 149, 102.] At the time of this assault on the city, no mosque covered the cave; but there, close by these Israelites in their strife, was the cave, and in the cave all that was left of the bodies of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How the very thought of that, doubtless made known to them all, must have nerved their arms for the fight! In his “Lays of Ancient Rome,” Macaulay has made Horatius ask with thrilling patriotism,
“And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds
For the ashes of his fathers
And the temples of his gods?”
Similarly must these warriors of Israel have been moved against their foes, as they pressed upon them at Hebron. Every man in the army of Joshua might feel that the grave of the fathers of all the host was almost beneath his feet; and as to the religious inspiration, the place all around was sacred by the prayers of Abraham, the altar of Mamre had stood hard by, and the very God whom Abraham had worshipped there now bade these children of Abraham to “be of good courage, and fear not.” While the history of the past is insufficient, in itself, to keep us, yet should the memories and traditions of what has been greatly honourable make us thirst to see old glory re-established. To a true heart, “Ichabod” should be nothing less than a trumpet call to earnest prayer and holy strife.
IV. The victory of to-day gives no certain promise of peace to-morrow. Caleb had this city of Hebron to take a second time (chap. Jos_15:14; Jdg_1:10). No sooner had Joshua withdrawn than the fugitive Canaanites seem to have re-established themselves in the city. This was the case in other towns taken by the Israelites. Our present victories, however apparently complete, are never more than partial. “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” All our earthly victories must go with watchfulness. He who would have us to triumph finally, says, “Hold fast that which thou hast; let no man take thy crown.”
Jos_10:40-43. THE RAPID PROWESS OF THE OBEDIENT. The secret of Joshua’s invincible prowess and rapid victories lay in the fact that he was doing the will of God, and that God was with him. So, if we fight the good fight of faith in full accord with the will of our heavenly Father, we may look for victory no less certainly, and, perhaps, no less rapidly. God Himself says, “I change not.” We have the same Heart on our side that Joshua had—a heart loving us, and hating our sins; we have, no less, the same Arm of power to contend for us. Why should we not go forth to victory with equal confidence? “Just so far as a Christian is led by the Spirit,” said F. W. Robertson, “he is a conqueror. A Christian in full possession of his privileges is a man whose very step ought to have in it all the elasticity of triumph, and whose very look ought to have in it all the brightness of victory.” It is because we so often go to our conflicts with doubting hearts and trembling steps, that our victories are so slowly won; it is because we so often go unled of God, that we have so repeatedly to mourn defeat. God is as potent in the spiritual realm as in the physical; it is only because we fail to get thoroughly into accord with His will and His aims that we fall short of Joshua’s rapid and continuous victories. The more marvellous are our victories for God, the more readily shall we give glory to God (Jos_10:40). Those who do but little are tempted to call their triumphs their own; the man of many victories cannot but confess that in all cases the battle has been the Lord’s.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v28 The Conquest of Southern Canaan
The Conquest of Southern Canaan
v. 28. And that day, while the five kings were suspended from trees, Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them and all the souls that were therein, in the same manner of extermination employed in the case of Jericho and Ai; he let none remain; and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho, Jos 6:21.
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v. 29. Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, a few miles to the south, and fought against Libnah;
v. 30. and the Lord delivered it also and the king thereof into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain in it, but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.
v. 31. And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, following up every advantage immediately, and encamped against it, and fought against it.
v. 32. And the Lord delivered Lachish, which was almost in the center of the country of the Philistines, southwest of Libnah, into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
v. 33. Then Horam, king of Gezer, in Northern Philistia, came up, from the lowlands, to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people until he had left him none remaining.
v. 34. And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, a few miles to the east, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it;
v. 35. and they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
v. 36. And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron, in the mountains, some thirty miles east; and they fought against it;
v. 37. and they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, the successor to him who had been executed at Makkedah, and all the cities thereof, the tributary suburbs, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according’ to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly and all the souls that were therein.
v. 38. And Joshua returned, turned back, toward the southwest, and all Israel with him, to Debir, some ten miles from Hebron, and fought against it.
v. 39. And he took it and the king thereof and all the cities thereof, those under its jurisdiction; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining; as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah and to her king. This territory, the extreme southern part of Canaan, was afterward again occupied by the Anakim and the Amorites, which made a second conquest of Hebron and the vicinity necessary.
v. 40. So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, the mountainous section of Central and Southern Canaan, and of the south, the plain forming the southern portion of Judea, and of the vale, the lowlands of the southwest, and of the springs, the foothills section, or piedmont region, from Joppa to Gaza, and all their kings; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded, Deu 20:16-17.
v. 41. And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, all the land between the Jordan valley and the Mediterranean in one direction, and all the country of Goshen, a section of the southern mountains, even unto Gibeon, from the heights of Gibeon to the wilderness.
v. 42. And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, in one campaign, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
v. 43. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp, to Gilgal, where he still had his headquarters, and where his soldiers could rest after their strenuous exploits. God is great and wonderful and past understanding in His judgments, but also at all times holy and righteous.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv28, 29, 31, 33, 34, 36, 38, 40 This is the name of a city. See how…
Makkedah
This is the name of a city. See how you translated it in Joshua 10:10. (See: How to Translate Names)
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He completely destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivor in it
The second sentence summarizes the first sentence to emphasize that Joshua left no person or animal alive. (See: Parallelism)
translationWords
Joshua
sword
king
creature
Jericho
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv28, 29, 31, 38, 40 10:28-39 Joshua led the Israelites throughout southern Canaan, where…
10:28-39 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).
10:28 He destroyed them all: See study note on 2:9-10.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.