Joshua 10:24

24 And when they brought these kings to Joshua, Joshua called all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of {the fighting men} who had gone with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came near and put their feet on their necks.

Joshua 10:24 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 10:24

And it came to pass, when they brought out these kings unto
Joshua
And set them before him, and he had passed sentence on them:

that he called for all the men of Israel;
that is, for the chief men, the principal officers of the army:

and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him;
the chiliarchs and centurions, the captains of thousands and hundreds, of the several regiments in the army who went out to battle with him, and under him:

come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings;
not in a contemptuous and insulting manner, not through vanity and haughtiness, but for the mortification of the kings; and as a token of their extreme subjection, and as a proper punishment for their crimes of idolatry, tyranny, and cruelty; and by way of terror to others of the kings of Canaan that should fight against them, and as a pledge and confirmation of the subjection of the rest, as well as to fulfil the promises and predictions of God, ( Deuteronomy 33:29 ) ; and which was done not of himself, but by the order, and according to the will of God:

and they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them;
as Joshua ordered them, and in obedience to him their general.

Joshua 10:24 In-Context

22 And Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave, and bring to me those five kings from the cave."

23 And they did so, and brought him these five kings from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

24 And when they brought these kings to Joshua, Joshua called all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of {the fighting men} who had gone with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came near and put their feet on their necks.

25 And Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid or dismayed! Be strong and bold, for thus Yahweh will do to all your enemies whom you [are] about to fight.

26 And after this Joshua struck them down and killed them, and he hanged them on five trees. And they were hanging on the trees until the evening.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "the men of war"