Joshua 11:5

5 All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

Joshua 11:5 in Other Translations

KJV
5 And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.
ESV
5 And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
NLT
5 The kings joined forces and established their camp around the water near Merom to fight against Israel.
MSG
5 All these kings met and set up camp together at the Waters of Merom, ready to fight against Israel.
CSB
5 All these kings joined forces; they came together and camped at the waters of Merom to attack Israel.

Joshua 11:5 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 11:5

And when all those kings were met together
At some certain place, which Jabin had appointed:

they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom:
Josephus F1 says it was at Berotha; perhaps it should be Merotha, a city of upper Galilee, not far from Cedesa, the same he elsewhere calls F2 Meroth, These waters are the same with the lake Samachonitis, on which Hazor was situated; so that it was near Jabin where the rendezvous was. This lake is thought F3 to have its name from the Arabic word "Samacha", which signifies high, as Merom does in Hebrew. It was, as Josephus says


FOOTNOTES:

F4 thirty furlongs broad, and sixty long, and its waters clayish. Jerom says F5, in his time there was here a village called Merrus, twelve miles from the city Sebaste by Dothaim: here the kings and their armies met

to fight against Israel;
so that they were the aggressors, which made the war still more lawful.


F1 Ibid. (Antiq. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 8.)
F2 De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 20. sect. 6.
F3 Reland. Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 1. p. 262.
F4 De Bello Jud. l. 4. c. 1. sect. 1. & l. 3. c. 9. sect. 7.
F5 De loc. Heb. fol. 93. D.

Joshua 11:5 In-Context

3 to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah.
4 They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
5 All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
6 The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.”
7 So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them,

Cross References 2

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