Joshua 11:1-15. Confederacy of the Kings of Northern Canaan 1. _And it came to pass_ We now enter upon a different scene in the conquests of Joshua. Just as before Adoni-Zedek, the king of Jerusalem, had summoned the five kings of southern Canaan, so now Jabin, the king of Hazor, summons the chiefs... [ Continue Reading ]
_that were on the north_ Or, that were "northwards in the mountains," i.e. "the mountains of Naphtali" (Joshua 20:7), the mountainous region of Galilee. _the plains south of Cinneroth_ Literally, "in the ARABAH, south of Chinneroth," i.e. the "Ghôr" of the Jordan, the northern portion of the depres... [ Continue Reading ]
_and to the Canaanite_ Not satisfied with summoning to his banner the tribes of the north, Jabin extended his "war-token" to the remnants of the defeated tribes of the south too; (_a_) the Canaanites, or "lowlanders" of the east and west; (_b_) the Amorites, or "highlanders" of the south; (_c_) the... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they went out_ "As the British chiefs were driven to the Land's End before the advance of the Saxon, so at this Land's End of Palestine were gathered for this last struggle, not only the kings of the north in the immediate neighbourhood, but from the desert valley of the Jordan south of the Sea... [ Continue Reading ]
_at the waters of Merom_ i.e. "the Upper Waters;" the uppermost of the three lakes in the Jordan valley, called by the Greeks "Semechonitis," or Samochonitis (Jos. _Ant_. 5:5. 1), and by the Arabs "_Hûleh_." The lake is formed by the expansion of the descending Jordan, about 7 miles long by 5 in bre... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the Lord said_ We may believe that Joshua was already some way on the march when these encouraging words were addressed to him. The distance from his encampment to the waters of Merom was too great for him to reach the latter place between one day and the next. _thou shalt hough their horses_ S... [ Continue Reading ]
_So Joshua came_ With the suddenness and rapidity which characterized all his movements, he did not wait for the northern confederacy to attack him at Gilgal, but marched against them with the intention of coming upon them before their army could be got into order. _against them suddenly_ He _fell_... [ Continue Reading ]
_and chased them_ The rout was complete, and the fugitives seem to have divided into three parts (_a) unto great Zidon_ One party took the road north-west over the mountains above the gorge of the Leontes "to Sidon," or, as it is distinguished here and in Joshua 19:28, "the great Sidon," as being t... [ Continue Reading ]
_he houghed their horses_ "he kuttide the sinewis at the knee," Wyclif. The command, to render the horses useless, was intended to lead Israel not to place its confidence in horses and chariots (Psalms 20:7; Psalms 147:10), and wisely incapacitated them from extending their conquests beyond the bord... [ Continue Reading ]
_turned back_ Far over the western hills Joshua pursued the flying hosts before he "turned back," and took Hazor, and because of its prominence as the chief city of these petty northern kingdoms, burned it with fire.... [ Continue Reading ]
_as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded_ See Deuteronomy 7:2; Deuteronomy 20:16-17.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the cities that stood still in their strength_ Rather, THE CITIES WHICH STOOD EACH ON ITS OWN HILL, or MOUND, "the citees that weren in the hillis, and in the hillockis set," Wyclif. Comp. Jeremiah 30:18, "and the city shall be builded upon her own heap" (" _little hill_" margin). With the exceptio... [ Continue Reading ]
_all the spoil_ This was not devoted as at Jericho, but divided as at Ai. Comp. Joshua 8:2; Joshua 8:27.... [ Continue Reading ]
_As the Lord commanded Moses_ For this command of God to Moses comp. (_a_) Exodus 34:11-16; (_b_) Numbers 33:51-54; (_c_) Deuteronomy 20:16; and for the transference of the command to Joshua comp. (_a_) Numbers 27:18-23; (_b_) Deuteronomy 3:21. _he left nothing undone_ "he passide not beside of all... [ Continue Reading ]
General Retrospect of the Conquest of Palestine 16. _So Joshua took_ The sacred writer pauses to survey and sum up the conquests of the Israelitish leader. _the hills_ The country is contemplated under a sevenfold division, (i) the cities; (ii) the south country; (iii) the land of Goshen (comp. Jo... [ Continue Reading ]
_even from the mount Halak_ Or, as it is rendered in the margin, "_the smooth mountain_," or "_the bald mountain_." We find this name only once again, viz. in Joshua 12:7, and there, as here, it seems to mark the southern limit of Joshua's conquests. Several ranges near the southern border of Canaan... [ Continue Reading ]
_a long time_ "Myche time," Wyclif. Five years at least. Caleb was 40 years old when Moses sent him out of Kadesh-Barnea as a spy, and 80 years old when, on the conquest of the land, he received his portion at the hands of Joshua. Thus 45 years had elapsed since the former date, of which 40, or 38,... [ Continue Reading ]
_save the Hivites_ Gibeon had surrendered peacefully (Joshua 9:3; Joshua 9:7; Joshua 9:15; Joshua 10:1; Joshua 10:6). All the rest were taken in battle.... [ Continue Reading ]
_For it was of the Lord_ "Forsothe the sentence of the Lord it was," Wyclif. Compare Exodus 4:21, "When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: _but I will harden his heart_, that he shall not let the people go;" and Exodus... [ Continue Reading ]
Extermination of the Anakims 21. _at that time_ That is, in the course of the "long time," the seven years spoken of in Joshua 11:18. We have now a supplementary notice of the destruction of the Anakims, and a general conclusion substantially as given in Joshua 11:16. _the Anakims_ In Numbers 13:22... [ Continue Reading ]
_only in Gaza_ See above, Joshua 10:41. _in Gath_ One of the five royal cities of the Philistines (Joshua 13:3; 1 Samuel 6:17), and the native place of the giant Goliath, who, though doubtless of the old stock of the Anakims (1 Samuel 17:4; 2 Samuel 21:18-20), is called a Philistine, shewing that in... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the land rested from war_ But this does not denote a permanent cessation. It rather implies that the Israelites no longer needed to war _unitedly_against the Canaanites. There was yet much land to be possessed, but the time had arrived for the occupation of the country by the different tribes,... [ Continue Reading ]