Joshua 10:39

39 And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: as he had done to Hebron, and as he had done to Libnah, and to the king thereof, 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.

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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 they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein: he let none remain, according to all that he had done to Eglon; and he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls that were therein.

38 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it.

39 And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: as he had done to Hebron, and as he had done to Libnah, and to the king thereof, so he did to Debir and to the king thereof.

40 And Joshua smote the whole country, the mountain, and the south, and the lowland, and the hill-slopes, and all their kings: he let none remain, but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Jehovah the God of Israel had commanded.

41 And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even to Gazah, and all the country of Goshen, even to Gibeon;