Yehoshua 10:39

39 And he took it, and the melech thereof, and all the towns thereof; and they struck them down with the edge of the cherev, and utterly destroyed kol nefesh therein; he left none remaining; as he had done to Chevron, so he did to Devir, and to the melech thereof; as he had done also to Livnah, and to its melech.

Yehoshua 10:39 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 10:39

And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities
thereof
For this also was a royal city, and had others dependent on it; and therefore must lie further from Hebron than before suggested; and indeed Burchard ^F11 says it was five or six miles from it, and another writer ^F12 says ten miles:

and they smote them with the edge of the sword;
the inhabitants of Debir, and the other cities adjacent to it;

and utterly destroyed all the souls that [were] therein, he left none
remaining;
and yet it seems this city recovered again, and was reinhabited, and after the death of Joshua was taken by Othniel, ( Judges 1:11-13 ) ; unless, as before observed, with respect to Hebron, there is there a more particular account of the taking of it at this time:

as he had done to Hebron, so did he to Debir, and to the king thereof,
as he had done also to Libnah and her king;
that is, slew them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Apud Masium in loc.
F12 Fuller's Pisgah Sight of Palestine, B. 2. c. 13. p. 276.

Yehoshua 10:39 In-Context

37 And they took it, and struck it down with the edge of the cherev, and the melech thereof, and all the towns thereof, and kol hanefesh therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and kol hanefesh therein.

38 And Yehoshua returned, and kol Yisroel with him, to Devir; and fought against it;

39 And he took it, and the melech thereof, and all the towns thereof; and they struck them down with the edge of the cherev, and utterly destroyed kol nefesh therein; he left none remaining; as he had done to Chevron, so he did to Devir, and to the melech thereof; as he had done also to Livnah, and to its melech.

40 So Yehoshua subdued kol HaAretz HaHar, and of the Negev, and of the Shefelah, and of the asedot (slopes), and all their melachim; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed kol haneshamah, as Hashem Elohei Yisroel commanded.

41 And Yehoshua struck them down from Kadesh-Barnea even unto Azah (Gaza), and all the country of Goshen, even unto Giv’on.