Joshua 10:3

3 So Adonizedek sent the following message to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon:

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 Adonizedek, the king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured and totally destroyed Ai and had killed its king, just as he had done to Jericho and its king. He also heard that the people of Gibeon had made peace with the Israelites and were living among them.
2 The people of Jerusalem were greatly alarmed at this because Gibeon was as large as any of the cities that had a king; it was larger than Ai, and its men were good fighters.
3 So Adonizedek sent the following message to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon:
4 "Come and help me attack Gibeon, because its people have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites."
5 These five Amorite kings, the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, joined forces, surrounded Gibeon, and attacked it.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.