Yehoshua 11:18

18 Yehoshua made milchamah yamim rabbim with all those melachim.

Yehoshua 11:18 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 11:18

Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
] For, though the account of the conquest of them is put together, and lies in a small compass, yet those victories were not obtained at once, or in a few days, as were those of the five kings, and others, related in the preceding chapter, ( Joshua 10:10-14 ) ; but were the work of some years; Josephus ^F2 says five years, but the common notion of the Jews is, that Joshua was seven years in subduing the land of Canaan ^F3; our Bishop Usher ^F4 thinks it was done in six years; and it may be concluded that it was about six or seven years ere this work was completely finished.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 19.
F3 Seder Olam Rabba, c. 11. p. 31.
F4 Annal. Vet. Test. p. 39, 40.

Yehoshua 11:18 In-Context

16 So Yehoshua took kol HaAretz hazot, the har, and kol haNegev, and kol Eretz HaGoshen, and the Shefelah, and the Aravah, and the har Yisroel, and Shefelah;

17 Even from the Har HeChalak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal-Gad in the valley of the Levanon under Mt Chermon; and all their melachim he took, and struck them down, and slaughtered them.

18 Yehoshua made milchamah yamim rabbim with all those melachim.

19 There was not an ir that made terms of shalom with the Bnei Yisroel, except Chivi the inhabitants of Giv’on; all others they took in milchamah.

20 For it was of Hashem to harden their hearts, that they should come against Yisroel in milchamah, that he might destroy them utterly, that there might be to them no techinnah (mercy plea), but that he might destroy them, just as Hashem commanded Moshe.