Joshua 10:3

3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent [word] to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,

Joshua 10:3 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 10:3

Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of
Hebron
Which, according to Jerom F4 was twenty two miles from Jerusalem; it was an ancient city built seven years before Zoan in Egypt; (See Gill on Genesis 13:18) and (See Gill on Numbers 13:22):

and unto Piram king of Jarmuth;
a city which fell to the lot of Judah, as did Hebron, ( Joshua 15:35 Joshua 15:54 ) ; according to Jerom F5, it was four miles distant from Eleutheropolis; according to Procopius F6 fourteen, about the village Eshtaol, near to which Samson was buried, ( Judges 16:31 ) ; but Jerom F7 speaks of a city called Jermus, in the tribe of Judah, which seems to be the same with this; and which he says in his day was a village, that went by the name of Jermucha, ten miles from Eleutheropolis, as you go to Aelia or Jerusalem; and as Eleutheropolis lay twenty miles from Jerusalem, this place must be ten miles from it, lying between them both:

and unto Japhia king of Lachish;
which the above writer says F8 was a city in the tribe of Judah, and in his time a village, seven miles from Eleutheropolis, as you go to Daroma, or the south; and, according to Bunting F9, it lay between Eleutheropolis and Hebron, and was twenty miles from Jerusalem towards the southwest:

and unto Debir king of Eglon;
which the Septuagint version calls Odollam or Adullam; and Jerom, following this version, makes Eglon the same with Adullam, when it is certain they were different places, and had distinct kings over them, ( Joshua 12:12 Joshua 12:15 ) ; and which he says F11 in his time was a very large village, twelve miles from Eleutheropolis to the east; and, according to Bunting F12 it was twelve miles from Jerusalem southward. To these four kings the king of Jerusalem sent:

saying;
as follows.


FOOTNOTES:

F4 De loc. Heb. fol. 87. E.
F5 lb. fol. 92. H.
F6 Apud Reland. Palestin. Illustrat. l. 2. p. 505.
F7 Ut supra, (De loc. Heb. fol. 92.) I.
F8 Ib. M.
F9 Travels, p. 99.
F11 De loc. Heb. fol. 91. A.
F12 Travels, p. 92.

Joshua 10:3 In-Context

1 Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and completely destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were [living] among them.
2 So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed because Gibeon was a large city like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors.
3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent [word] to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,
4 "Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites."
5 So the five Amorite kings-the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon-joined forces, advanced with all their armies, besieged Gibeon, and fought against it.
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