Joshua 10:2

_THAT THEY FEARED GREATLY, BECAUSE GIBEON WAS A GREAT CITY, AS ONE OF THE ROYAL CITIES, AND BECAUSE IT WAS GREATER THAN AI, AND ALL THE MEN THEREOF WERE MIGHTY._ They feared greatly. The dread inspired by the rapid conquests of the Israelites had been immensely increased by the fact of a state so populous and so strong as Gibeon having found it expedient to submit to the power and the terms of the invaders. AS ONE OF THE ROYAL CITIES. Although itself a republic (Joshua 9:3), it was large and well fortified, like those places in which the chiefs of the country usually established their residence....

1-6 When sinners leave the service of Satan and the friendship of the world, that they make peace with God and join Israel, they must not marvel if the world hate them, if their former friends become foes. By such methods Satan discourages many who are convinced of their danger, and almost persuaded to be Christians, but fear the cross. These things should quicken us to apply to God for protection, help, and deliverance....

Verse Joshua 10:2. _AS ONE OF THE ROYAL CITIES_] Not a _regal_ city, but great, well inhabited and well fortified, as those cities which served for the royal residence generally were. It does not appear that the Gibeonites had any king-they seem to have been a small but powerful _republic, all the men_ thereof were _mighty_, merely governed by their _elders_: for in their address to Joshua, Joshua 9:11, they mention no _king_, but simply state that they were sent by their _elders and_ _the inhabitants of their country_; nor do we any where read of their _king_; and therefore we may naturally suppose that they had none....

EXPOSITION THE BATTLE OF BETH-HORON, AND THE SUBJUGATION OF SOUTHERN PALESTINE.— JOSHUA 10:1 ADONI-ZEDEC (cf. Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18). The _name_ given to the king of Jerusalem was good enough, and no doubt was a survival of earlier and purer times. In the days of Melchizedek the name corresponded to the character. JERUSALEM. Hebrew, _Jerushalaim, _with the usual dual termination. It has been generally supposed to be the same with Salem, or rather Shalem, the city of which Melehizedek was king, and this is supported by the fact t

THAT THEY FEARED GREATLY,.... The king of Jerusalem and his people, lest they should fall into the hands of the Israelites, and be used as Jericho and Ai, and the kings and inhabitants of them were, and that they would be the next that should fall a sacrifice to them; for Gibeon was fifty furlongs from Jerusalem, as Josephus says a; and in another place he says b but forty, which were but five miles; and if fifty, but little more than six miles; according to Bunting c, it was but four miles: and what added to their terror was, BECAUSE GIBEON [WAS] A GREAT CITY; being a metropolitan city, and having others subject to it; therefore the surrender of that to the Israelites might intimidate other cities, and lead them by example to do the like, and so of bad consequence: AS ONE OF THE ROYAL CITIES; the Vulgate Latin version omits the note of similitude, and reads, "and one of the royal citi...

10. THE VICTORIOUS CONQUEST CHAPTER 10 _ 1. Adoni-zedec and his confederacy (Joshua 10:1)_ 2. The war (Joshua 10:7) 3. The miracle (Joshua 10:12) 4. The victory won (Joshua 10:16) 5. The five kings slain (Joshua 10:22) 6. Further conquests (Joshua 10:28) The name Jerusalem is mentioned here for the first time in the Bible. (Salem in...

DEFEAT AND DEATH OF THE FIVE KINGS. Here we have the account of the famous battle of Bethhoron. Five kings band themselves together against Gibeon; the Gibeonites send for help to Joshua, who comes upon the enemy suddenly and completely routs them. It is hardly necessary to say that the adjuration to the sun to stand still is purely poetical, and is to be compared with the words of Deborah's song, The stars in their courses fought against Sisera. The compiler of this book, however, took it as an actual prayer that was really granted, as is seen from the words, So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven. Mr. Stanley Cook would omit the third line and make the fourth line part of the appeal, which would then run, Sun, stand thou still at Gibeon, and thou, moon, on the valley of Aijalon, till Yahweh (not the people) hath avenged himself on his enemies. He also gives the interesting infor...

MEN. Hebrew, plural of _ish_ or _'enosh_. App-14....

_as one of the royal cities_ See above, Joshua 9:3. When Sennacherib invaded Judah, he attacked and took "the fenced cities," but Lachish appears to have foiled him, and he was constrained to raise the siege (2 Kings 19:8; 2 Chronicles 32:9)....

_The Southern Coalition Joshua 10:1-14_ Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; 2 That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. 3 Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel, 5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Ja