Joshua 10:1
Among them — That is, were conversant with them, had submitted to their laws, and mingled interests with them.... [ Continue Reading ]
Among them — That is, were conversant with them, had submitted to their laws, and mingled interests with them.... [ Continue Reading ]
Thy — That is, he and his people, the king being spoken of Joshua 10:1, as a publick person representing all his people. Royal cities — Either really a royal city, or equal to one of the royal cities, though it had no king, but seems to have been governed by elders, Joshua 9:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
Adoni — zedek sent — Either because he was superior to them, or because he was nearest the danger, and most forward in the work.... [ Continue Reading ]
Of the Amorites — This name being here taken largely for any of the Canaanites, as is frequent; for, to speak strictly, the citizens of Hebron here mentioned, Joshua 10:3, were Hittites. It is reasonably supposed, that the Amorites being numerous and victorious beyond Jordan poured forth colonies in... [ Continue Reading ]
Slack not thy hand — Do not neglect or delay to help us. Whom thou art obliged to protect both in duty as thou art our master; and by thy owns interest, we being part of thy possessions; and in ingenuity, because we have given ourselves to thee, and put ourselves under thy protection. In the mountai... [ Continue Reading ]
Joshua ascended — Having no doubt asked advice of God first, which is implied by the answer God gives him, Joshua 10:8. All the mighty men — That is, an army of the most valiant men picked out from the rest; for it is not probable, either that he would take so many hundred thousands with him, which... [ Continue Reading ]
Came suddenly — Though assured by God of the victory, yet he uses all prudent means. All night — It is not said, that he went from Gilgal to Gibeon in a night's space; but only that he travelled all night; unto which you may add part either of the foregoing or of the following day. It is true, God h... [ Continue Reading ]
At Gibeon — Heb. in Gibeon, not in the city, but in the territory belonging to it.... [ Continue Reading ]
Great stones — That is, hailstones of extraordinary greatness, cast down with that certainty, as to hit the Canaanites and not their pursuers the Israelites. Josephus affirms, that thunder and lightning were mixed with the hail, which may seem probable from Habakkuk 3:11. They had robbed the true Go... [ Continue Reading ]
Spoke Joshua — Being moved to beg it out of zeal to destroy God's enemies, and directed to it by the motion of God's spirit, and being filled with holy confidence of the success, he speaks the following words before the people, that that they might be witnesses. In the sight — That is, in the presen... [ Continue Reading ]
Avenged them on their enemies — That is, till they bad utterly destroyed them. Book of Jasher — This book was written and published before Joshua wrote his, and so is fitly alluded here. But this, as well as some other historical books, is lost, not being a canonical book, and therefore not preserve... [ Continue Reading ]
No day like that — Namely, in those parts of the world in which he here speaks, vain therefore is that objection, that the days are longer near the northern and southern poles, where they are constantly longer at certain seasons, and that by the order of nature; whereas the length of this day was pu... [ Continue Reading ]
Joshua returned — Not upon the same day, but after he had dispatched the matter which here follows; as appears by Joshua 10:43, where the very same words are repeated. And they are put here to close the general discourse of the fight which begun Joshua 10:10, and ends here; which being done he parti... [ Continue Reading ]
A cave — A place of the greatest secrecy; but there is no escaping the eye or hand of God. At Makkedah — Heb. in Makkedah, not in the city, for that was not yet taken; but in the territory of it.... [ Continue Reading ]
Enter their cities — Whereby they will recover their strength, and renew the war. God hath delivered them — Your work will be easy, God hath already done the work to your hands.... [ Continue Reading ]
The children of Israel — That is, a party of them by the command of Joshua; for Joshua himself went not with them, but abode in the siege before Makkedah, Joshua 10:21.... [ Continue Reading ]
To the camp — To the body, of the army which were engaged there with Joshua to besiege that place. None moved his tongue — Not only their men of war could not find their hands, but they were so confounded, that they could not move their tongues in way of insult, as doubtless they did when the Israel... [ Continue Reading ]
Put your feet on the necks — This he did not from pride and contempt; but as a punishment of their impious rebellion against their Sovereign Lord; in pursuance of that curse of servitude due to all this people, and as a token to assure his captains, that God would subdue the proudest of them under t... [ Continue Reading ]
Took them down — That neither wild beasts could come to devour them, nor any of their people to give them honourable burial. Thus that which they thought would have been their shelter, was made their prison first, and then their grave. So shall we surely be disappointed, in whatever we flee to from... [ Continue Reading ]
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.... [ Continue Reading ]
All Israel — Namely, who were with him in this expedition.... [ Continue Reading ]
On that day — On which they first attempted it.... [ Continue Reading ]
Unto Hebron — The conquest of Hebron is here generally related, afterwards repeated, and more particularly described, Joshua 15:13.... [ Continue Reading ]
All the cities — Which were subject to its jurisdiction; this being, it seems, a royal city as Gibeon was, Joshua 10:2, and having cities under it as that had.... [ Continue Reading ]
Joshua returned — He is said to return thither, not as if he had been there before, but because having gone as far westward and southward as he thought fit, even as far as Gaza, Joshua 10:41, he now returned towards Gilgal, which lay north — ward and eastward from him, and in his return fell upon De... [ Continue Reading ]
All that breathed — That is, all mankind, they reserved the cattle for their own uses. As God had commanded — This is added for the vindication of the Israelites, whom God would not have to suffer in their reputation for executing his commands; and therefore he acquits them of that cruelty, which th... [ Continue Reading ]
Kadesh — barnea — Which lay in the south of Canaan, Numbers 34:4; Deuteronomy 1:19; Joshua 15:3. Gaza — Which was in the south — west of Canaan. So he here signifies, that Joshua did in this expedition subdue all those parts which lay south and west from Gilgal. Goshen — Not that Goshen in Egypt, bu... [ Continue Reading ]