Joshua 10:16-43

The Kings of the Amorites Are Killed

16 But these five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.

17 And it was told to Joshua, saying, "The five kings were found hidden in the cave at Makkedah."

18 And Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men in front of it to guard them.

19 But do not stay [there]; pursue after your enemies and attack them from the rear. Do not allow them to go into their cities, for Yahweh your God has given them into your hand."

20 When Joshua and the {Israelites} had finished striking them [with] a very great blow, until they perished, {those of them who survived} went into the fortified cities,

21 and all the people returned to the camp safely to Joshua [at] Makkedah. {No one spoke} against the {Israelites}.

22 And Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave, and bring to me those five kings from the cave."

23 And they did so, and brought him these five kings from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

24 And when they brought these kings to Joshua, Joshua called all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of {the fighting men} who had gone with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came near and put their feet on their necks.

25 And Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid or dismayed! Be strong and bold, for thus Yahweh will do to all your enemies whom you [are] about to fight.

26 And after this Joshua struck them down and killed them, and he hanged them on five trees. And they were hanging on the trees until the evening.

27 And it happened {at the time of sunset}, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they put large stones against the mouth of the cave, [which are there] to this very day.

28 Joshua captured Makkedah on that day, and he struck it and its king with {the edge of the sword}; he utterly destroyed it and everyone that was in it. He did not leave behind a survivor. So he did to the king of Makkedah just as he did to the king of Jericho.

Joshua’s Conquest of the South

29 And Joshua passed on, and all of Israel with him, from Makkedah [to] Libnah, and he fought against Libnah.

30 And Yahweh also gave it into the hand of Israel, and its king and all the people in it he struck with {the edge of the sword}. He left in it no survivor. He did to its king just as he did to the king of Jericho.

31 And Joshua passed on, and all of Israel with him, from Libnah to Lachish, and {he laid siege to it} and fought against it.

32 And Yahweh gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he captured it on the second day. He struck it with {the edge of the sword}, and everyone in it, just as he did to Libnah.

33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua struck him and his people until he left no survivor behind.

34 And Joshua passed on, and all of Israel with him, from Lachish to Eglon, and {they laid siege to it} and fought against it.

35 And they captured it on that day, and he struck it with {the edge of the sword}, and all the people that [were] in it on that day he utterly destroyed as he had done to Lachish.

36 And Joshua went up, and all Israel with him, from Eglon to Hebron, and they fought against it

37 and captured it, and they struck it with {the edge of the sword}, its king and all its cities, and all the people that [were] in it; he left behind no survivor, as he had done to Eglon, and he utterly destroyed it and all the people that [were] in it.

38 Then Joshua returned to Debir, and all of Israel with him, and they fought against it,

39 and he captured it and its king and all its cities, and they struck them with {the the edge of the sword}, and they utterly destroyed all the people that [were] in it; he left behind no survivor, just as he had done to Hebron. Thus he did to Debir and its king what he had done to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua struck all the land--the hill country, the Negev, the Shephelah, and the slopes--and all their kings; he left behind no survivor, and {all that breathed} he utterly destroyed as Yahweh the God of Israel commanded.

41 Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen up to Gibeon;

42 all of these kings and their land Joshua captured at one time, because Yahweh the God of Israel fought for Israel.

43 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua 10:16-43 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 10

This chapter treats of the combination of five kings against the Gibeonites, Jos 10:1-5; and of the application of the Gibeonites to Joshua, for assistance, in virtue of the league between them, which was granted, Jos 10:6-9; of the slaughter of the army by the kings of Israel, and chiefly by hailstones from heaven, Jos 10:10,11; and of the standing still of the sun, and of the moon, while vengeance was taken on them, Jos 10:12-14; and of the five kings being hid in a cave, and of the usage of them when taken, Jos 10:15-27; and of the taking of Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir, Jos 10:28-39; which finished the conquest of the southern part of the land, Jos 10:40-43.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [b]. Literally "the survivors [who] survived"
• [c]. Or "in peace"
• [d]. Literally "No one moved his tongue"
• [e]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [f]. Literally "the men of war"
• [g]. Literally "at the time of the going of the sun"
• [h]. Literally "[the] mouth of [the] sword"
• [i]. Literally "[the] mouth of [the] sword"
• [j]. Literally "he camped opposite it"
• [k]. Literally "[the] mouth of [the] sword"
• [l]. Literally "they camped opposite it"
• [m]. Literally "[the] mouth of [the] sword"
• [n]. Literally "[the] mouth of [the] sword"
• [o]. Literally "[the] mouth of [the] sword"
• [p]. An arid region south of the Judaean hills
• [q]. Or "lowlands"; a geographical region on the western edge of the hills of Judea
• [r]. The slopes of the hills of the western Jordan to the Dead Sea region
• [s]. Literally "all of the breath"