Joshua 12

Kings Defeated by Moses

1 Now these are the kings of the land whom the people of Israel defeated and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from ¹the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, with all ²the Arabah eastward:

2 ³Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and ⁴from the middle of the valley as far as the ⁵river Jabbok, the boundary of the Ammonites, that is, half of Gilead,

3 and ⁶the Arabah ⁷to the Sea of Chinneroth eastward, and in the direction of Beth-jeshimoth, to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, southward to the foot of ⁸the slopes of Pisgah;

4 and ⁹Og^[a] king of Bashan, one of the remnant of ¹⁰the Rephaim, ¹¹who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei

5 and ruled over ¹²Mount Hermon and ¹³Salecah and all Bashan ¹⁴to the boundary of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and over half of Gilead to the boundary of Sihon king of Heshbon.

6 ¹⁵Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the people of Israel defeated them. And Moses the servant of the LORD ¹⁶ gave their land for a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Kings Defeated by Joshua

7 And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to ¹⁷Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession ¹⁸according to their allotments,

8 ¹⁹in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb, the land of ²⁰the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites):

9 ²¹the king of Jericho, one; ²²the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;

10 ²³the king of Jerusalem, one; ²⁴the king of Hebron, one;

11 ²⁵the king of Jarmuth, one; ²⁶the king of Lachish, one;

12 ²⁷the king of Eglon, one; ²⁸the king of Gezer, one;

13 ²⁹the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;

14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;

15 ³⁰the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;

16 ³¹the king of Makkedah, one; ³²the king of Bethel, one;

17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;

18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;

19 ³³the king of Madon, one; ³⁴the king of Hazor, one;

20 ³⁵the king of Shimron-meron, one; ³⁶the king of Achshaph, one;

21 ³⁷the king of Taanach, one; ³⁸the king of Megiddo, one;

22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;

23 ³⁹the king of Dor in ⁴⁰Naphath-dor, one; the king of Goiim in Galilee,^[b] one;

24 the king of Tirzah, one: in all, thirty-one kings.

Joshua 12 Commentary

Chapter 12

The two kings conquered by Moses. (1-6) The kings whom Joshua smote. (7-24)

Verses 1-6 Fresh mercies must not drown the remembrance of former mercies, nor must the glory of the present instruments of good to the church diminish the just honour of those who went before them, since God is the same who wrought by both. Moses gave to one part of Israel a very rich and fruitful country, but it was on the outside of Jordan. Joshua gave to all Israel the holy land, within Jordan. So the law has given to some few of God's spiritual Israel worldly blessings, earnests of good things to come; but our Lord Jesus, the true Joshua, provided for all the children of promise spiritual blessings, and the heavenly Canaan.

Verses 7-24 We have here the limits of the country Joshua conquered. A list is given of the kings subdued by Israel: thirty-one in all. This shows how fruitful Canaan then was, in which so many chose to throng together. This was the land God appointed for Israel; yet in our day it is one of the most barren and unprofitable countries in the world. Such is the effect of the curse it lies under, since its possessors rejected Christ and his gospel, as was foretold by Moses, ( Deuteronomy 29:23 ) . The vengeance of a righteous God, inflicted on all these kings and their subjects, for their wickedness, should make us dread and hate sin. The fruitful land bestowed on his chosen people, should fill our hearts with hope and confidence in his mercy, and with humble gratitude.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 21:13, 24; Deuteronomy 3:8, 9
• 2. See Deuteronomy 1:1
• 3. Deuteronomy 2:32, 33; Deuteronomy 3:6, 16; See Numbers 21:21-26
• 4. Deuteronomy 2:36
• 5. Genesis 32:22
• 6. [See ver. 1 above]
• 7. Joshua 11:2
• 8. Joshua 13:20; Deuteronomy 3:17; Deuteronomy 4:49
• 9. Deuteronomy 3:3, 10; See Numbers 21:33-35
• 10. Joshua 13:12; Joshua 15:8; Joshua 18:16
• 11. Joshua 9:10; Deuteronomy 1:4
• 12. Deuteronomy 3:8, 9
• 13. Joshua 13:11; Deuteronomy 3:10
• 14. Deuteronomy 3:14
• 15. See Num. 21:23, 24, 33-35
• 16. Joshua 13:8; Numbers 32:29, 33; Deuteronomy 3:11, 12
• 17. Joshua 11:17
• 18. Joshua 11:23; Joshua 18:10
• 19. Joshua 10:40; Joshua 11:16
• 20. Joshua 9:1
• 21. [Joshua 6:2]
• 22. Joshua 8:29
• 23. Joshua 10:23
• 24. Joshua 10:23
• 25. [See ver. 10 above]
• 26. [See ver. 10 above]
• 27. [See ver. 10 above]
• 28. Joshua 10:33
• 29. Joshua 10:38, 39
• 30. Joshua 10:29
• 31. Joshua 10:28
• 32. Joshua 8:17; Judges 1:22
• 33. Joshua 11:1
• 34. Joshua 11:1, 10
• 35. [See ver. 19 above]
• 36. [See ver. 19 above]
• 37. Joshua 17:11
• 38. Joshua 17:11
• 39. [See ver. 21 above]
• 40. Joshua 11:2

Footnotes

• [a]. Septuagint; Hebrew the boundary of Og
• [b]. Septuagint; Hebrew Gilgal

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 12

This chapter gives a short account of the conquests made by the Israelites, both in the times of Moses and of Joshua, and first of the kingdom of Sihon and Og on the other side Jordan, in the times of Moses, and which he gave to the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and which are particularly described, Jos 12:1-6; and then of the kings and the countries on this side Jordan whom Joshua conquered, Jos 12:7,8; and the names of the thirty one kingdoms are recited, that so it might be exactly known and observed what were afterwards divided among the tribes and possessed by them, Jos 12:9-24.