Joshua 10:40

40 So Joshua conquered the whole region-the hill country, the Negev, the Judean foothills,^[a] and the slopes-with all their kings, leaving no survivors. He completely destroyed every living being, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded.

Joshua 10:40 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 10:40

So Joshua smote all the country of the hills and of the
south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings
That part of the land of Canaan which lay southward, and consisted of hills and vales; which abounded with springs, and was a well watered country, and agrees with the description Moses gives of it, though he never saw it, ( Deuteronomy 8:7 ) ;

he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed;
that is, all human creatures; for as for the cattle, they were spared as a prey:

as the Lord God of Israel commanded;
this law is extant, ( Deuteronomy 20:16 ) ; and which is here observed to clear the Israelites from the charge of cruelty and inhumanity; since what they did was not of themselves, nor from a private spirit of revenge, nor a greedy desire after the substance of the inhabitants; but in obedience to the command of God, and who ordered this as a righteous punishment of those people for their gross abominations of idolatry, incest see ( Leviticus 18:1-30 ) .

Joshua 10:40 In-Context

38 Finally, Joshua turned toward Debir and attacked it. And all Israel was with him.

39 He captured it-its king and all its villages. They struck them down with the sword and completely destroyed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. He treated Debir and its king as he had treated Hebron and as he had treated Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua conquered the whole region-the hill country, the Negev, the Judean foothills, and the slopes-with all their kings, leaving no survivors. He completely destroyed every living being, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded.

41 Joshua conquered everyone from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen as far as Gibeon.

42 Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or the Shephelah