Joshua 10:39

39 and he smote by (the) sharpness of (the) sword the king thereof, and all the towns about it; and he left not any things of value, or relics, therein (and he left nothing of value, or any remnant, there); as he had done to Hebron, and to Libnah, and to their kings, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof.

Joshua 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.


FOOTNOTES:

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

Joshua 10:39 In-Context

37 and he took (it), and smote it by the sharpness of (the) sword; and the king thereof, and all the cities of that country, and all men that dwelled therein; he left not any things of value, or relics, therein (he left nothing of value, or any remnant, there); as he had done to Eglon so he did also to Hebron, and wasted by (the) sword all things that were therein.
38 From thence Joshua turned (again) into Debir, and took, and wasted it; (From there Joshua returned to Debir, and took it, and destroyed it;)
39 and he smote by (the) sharpness of (the) sword the king thereof, and all the towns about it; and he left not any things of value, or relics, therein (and he left nothing of value, or any remnant, there); as he had done to Hebron, and to Libnah, and to their kings, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof.
40 And so Joshua smote all the land of the hills, and of the south, and of the field, and Ashdod, with their kings; he left not therein any relics, (or anything of value), but he killed all thing(s) that might breath, as the Lord God of Israel commanded to him; (And so Joshua struck down all the people of the hill country, and of the lands of the south, and of the plains, and of the springs, and all their kings; he left nothing of value, or any remnant, there, but he killed everything that lived, as the Lord God of Israel commanded to him;)
41 from Kadeshbarnea unto Gaza, and all the land of Goshen, unto Gibeon,
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.