Joshua 10:1-15

Five Kings Attack Gibeon

1 Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (just ¹as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king ), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had ²made peace with Israel and were within their land,

2 that he ³feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word ⁴to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,

4 "Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has ⁵made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel."

5 So the five kings of ⁶the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, "Do not abandon * * your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us."

7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and ⁷all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors.

8 The LORD said to Joshua, "⁸Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you."

9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal.

10 ⁹And the LORD confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

11 As they fled from before * Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, ¹⁰the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones * than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

12 Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "O ¹¹sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon."

13 ¹²So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in ¹³the book of Jashar? And ¹⁴the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.

14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for ¹⁵the LORD fought for Israel.

15 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp to Gilgal.

Joshua 10:1-15 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.

Cross References

• 1. Joshua 8:21
• 2. Joshua 9:15
• 3. Exodus 15:14-16
• 4. Joshua 10:23
• 5. Joshua 9:15
• 6. Numbers 13:29
• 7. Joshua 8:1
• 8. Joshua 1:5, 9
• 9. Deuteronomy 7:23
• 10. Psalms 18:12; Isaiah 28:2
• 11. Habakkuk 3:11
• 12. Habakkuk 3:11
• 13. 2 Samuel 1:18
• 14. Isaiah 38:8
• 15. Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:30; Joshua 10:42

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "put under the ban"
• [b]. Lit "among them"
• [c]. Lit "they"
• [d]. Lit "smite"
• [e]. Lit "slacken your hands from"
• [f]. Lit "a man"
• [g]. Lit "he went up"
• [h]. Lit "struck"
• [i]. Lit "with"