Joshua 12

Kings Defeated by Israel

1 Now these are the ¹kings of the land whom the sons of Israel defeated, and whose land they possessed beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise *, from the valley of the Arnon as far as Mount Hermon, and all the Arabah to the east:

2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and ruled ²from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, both the middle of the valley and half of Gilead, even as far as the brook Jabbok, the border of the sons of Ammon;

3 and the ³Arabah as far as the Sea of Chinneroth toward the east, and as far as the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, eastward toward ⁴Beth-jeshimoth, and on the south, at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah;

4 and the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of ⁵the remnant of Rephaim, who lived at ⁶Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

5 and ruled over Mount Hermon and ⁷Salecah and all Bashan, as far as ⁸the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and half of Gilead, as far as the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

6 Moses the servant of the LORD and the sons of Israel defeated them; and ⁹Moses the servant of the LORD gave it to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe * of Manasseh as a possession.

7 Now these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the sons of Israel defeated beyond the Jordan toward the west, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even as far as ¹⁰Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir; and Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their divisions,

8 in ¹¹the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, on the slopes, and in the wilderness, and in the Negev; the Hittite, the Amorite and the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite:

9 the ¹²king of Jericho, one; the ¹³king of Ai, which is beside * Bethel, one;

10 the ¹⁴king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;

11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;

12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;

13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;

14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of ¹⁵Arad, one;

15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;

16 the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one;

17 the king of Tappuah, one; the ¹⁶king of Hepher, one;

18 the king of ¹⁷Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;

19 the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;

20 the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;

21 the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

22 the king of ¹⁸Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;

23 the king of Dor in the heights of Dor, one; the king of ¹⁹Goiim in Gilgal, one;

24 the king of Tirzah, one: ²⁰in all, thirty-one * kings.

Joshua 12 Commentary

Chapter 12

The two kings conquered by Moses. (1-6) The kings whom Joshua smote. (7-24)

Verses 1-6 Fresh mercies must not drown the remembrance of former mercies, nor must the glory of the present instruments of good to the church diminish the just honour of those who went before them, since God is the same who wrought by both. Moses gave to one part of Israel a very rich and fruitful country, but it was on the outside of Jordan. Joshua gave to all Israel the holy land, within Jordan. So the law has given to some few of God's spiritual Israel worldly blessings, earnests of good things to come; but our Lord Jesus, the true Joshua, provided for all the children of promise spiritual blessings, and the heavenly Canaan.

Verses 7-24 We have here the limits of the country Joshua conquered. A list is given of the kings subdued by Israel: thirty-one in all. This shows how fruitful Canaan then was, in which so many chose to throng together. This was the land God appointed for Israel; yet in our day it is one of the most barren and unprofitable countries in the world. Such is the effect of the curse it lies under, since its possessors rejected Christ and his gospel, as was foretold by Moses, ( Deuteronomy 29:23 ) . The vengeance of a righteous God, inflicted on all these kings and their subjects, for their wickedness, should make us dread and hate sin. The fruitful land bestowed on his chosen people, should fill our hearts with hope and confidence in his mercy, and with humble gratitude.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 32:33; Deuteronomy 3:8-17
• 2. Deuteronomy 2:36
• 3. Joshua 11:2
• 4. Joshua 13:20
• 5. Deuteronomy 3:11
• 6. Deuteronomy 1:4
• 7. Deuteronomy 3:10; Joshua 13:11; 1 Chronicles 5:11
• 8. Deuteronomy 3:14; 1 Samuel 27:8
• 9. Numbers 32:33; Deuteronomy 3:12
• 10. Joshua 11:17
• 11. Joshua 11:16
• 12. Joshua 6:2
• 13. Joshua 8:29
• 14. Joshua 10:23
• 15. Numbers 21:1
• 16. 1 Kings 4:10
• 17. Joshua 13:4; 2 Kings 13:17
• 18. Joshua 19:37; Joshua 20:7; Joshua 21:32
• 19. Genesis 14:1
• 20. Deuteronomy 7:24

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "smote"
• [b]. I.e. Galilee
• [c]. Lit "the way of"
• [d]. Lit "under"
• [e]. Lit "smote"
• [f]. Lit "smote"
• [g]. I.e. South country
• [h]. Or "Naphath-dor"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 12

This chapter gives a short account of the conquests made by the Israelites, both in the times of Moses and of Joshua, and first of the kingdom of Sihon and Og on the other side Jordan, in the times of Moses, and which he gave to the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and which are particularly described, Jos 12:1-6; and then of the kings and the countries on this side Jordan whom Joshua conquered, Jos 12:7,8; and the names of the thirty one kingdoms are recited, that so it might be exactly known and observed what were afterwards divided among the tribes and possessed by them, Jos 12:9-24.