Joshua 11:2

2 and to the kings who [were] in the north in the hill country, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the Shephelah, and in Naphoth Dor in [the] west,

Joshua 11:2 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 11:2

And to the kings that [were] on the north of the mountains,
&c.] Of Libanus and Antilibanus, with others near them; so Josephus ^F20 says, the kings about Lebanon being Canaanites, fought against them, i.e. the Israelites; for Lebanon lay to the north of the land:

and of the plains south of Cinneroth;
or Gennesaret, of the land and lake of which we read in the New Testament, ( Matthew 14:34 ) ( Mark 6:53 ) ( Luke 5:1 ) ; and seems to have respect chiefly to the famous plain of Jezreel, or Esdraelon, of which (See Gill on Hosea 1:5);

and in the valley;
which may more especially design the valley of Jezreel, as it is called in the above place, and distinguish it from other plains; it was two miles broad, and ten long:

and in the borders of Dor, on the west;
which fell to the lot of the tribe of Manasseh, ( Joshua 17:11 ) ; which Pliny ^F21 calls Dorum, and mentions it along with the promontory of Carmel; so Josephus says ^F23, in Phoenicia, near Mount Carmel, is a city called Dora, four days' journey distant from Judea; that is, that part of the land of Israel particularly so called; some copies read Idumea. According to Jerom {x}, it was nine miles from Caesarea of Palestine, as you go to Tyre; and in his time a desert. It was a haven in the Mediterranean sea, and lies three leagues from the castle of the "pilgrims" near Mount Carmel; and, as a traveller says, is now so decayed, that there is nothing more extant than a large and high tower, which the inhabitants still call Dorteite ^F25.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 18.
F21 Nat. Hist. l. 5. c 19.
F23 Contr. Apion. l. 2. c. 9.
F24 De loc. Heb. fol. 92. I.
F25 Rauwolff's Travels, par. 3. c. 1. p. 211. Ed. Ray.

Joshua 11:2 In-Context

1 And it happened, when Jabin king of Hazor heard [this], he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Acshaph,

2 and to the kings who [were] in the north in the hill country, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the Shephelah, and in Naphoth Dor in [the] west,

3 to the Canaanites in [the] east and [west], the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites {at the foot of} Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

4 They came out, they and all their armies with them, [as] a great army like the sand on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.

5 And all these kings joined forces, and they came and camped together by the waters of Merom to fight with Israel.

Footnotes

• [a] A dry region that runs south of the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan valley
• [b] That is, the Sea of Galilee
• [c] Or "lowlands"; a geographical region on the western edge of the hills of Judea
• [d] Or "the heights of Dor"