Joshua 11:2

2 all the kings of the northern hill country; the kings in the Jordan Valley south of Galilee ; the kings in the Galilean foothills ; the kings of Naphoth-dor on 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.


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 When King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened, he sent messages to the following kings: King Jobab of Madon; the king of Shimron; the king of Acshaph;
2 all the kings of the northern hill country; the kings in the Jordan Valley south of Galilee ; the kings in the Galilean foothills ; the kings of Naphoth-dor on the west;
3 the kings of Canaan, both east and west; the kings of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites in the towns on the slopes of Mount Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
4 All these kings came out to fight. Their combined armies formed a vast horde. And with all their horses and chariots, they covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore.
5 The kings joined forces and established their camp around the water near Merom to fight against Israel.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Hebrew in the Arabah south of Kinnereth.
  • [b]. Hebrew the Shephelah; also in 11:16 .
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