Joshua 12

List of Defeated Kings

1 These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah:
2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge—from the middle of the gorge—to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. This included half of Gilead.
3 He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Galilee[a] to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
4 And the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salekah, all of Bashan to the border of the people of Geshur and Maakah, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
6 Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the Israelites conquered them. And Moses the servant of the LORD gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their possession.
7 Here is a list of the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir. Joshua gave their lands as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their tribal divisions.
8 The lands included the hill country, the western foothills, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the wilderness and the Negev. These were the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. These were the kings:
9 the king of Jericho: one; the king of Ai(near Bethel): one;
10 the king of Jerusalem: one; the king of Hebron: one;
11 the king of Jarmuth: one; the king of Lachish: one;
12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;
13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;
14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;
15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;
16 the king of Makkedah, one; the 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 the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;
20 the king of Shimron Meron, one; the king of Akshaph, one;
21 the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;
22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;
23 the king of Dor (in Naphoth Dor), one; the king of Goyim in Gilgal, one;
24 the king of Tirzah, one; thirty-one kings in all.

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 54

  • 1. Psalms 136:21
  • 2. S Numbers 32:19
  • 3. S Numbers 21:13
  • 4. S Deuteronomy 3:8
  • 5. S Joshua 11:2
  • 6. ver 5; S Numbers 21:21,25; Joshua 13:10; Judges 11:19
  • 7. S Numbers 32:34; S Joshua 13:16
  • 8. S Genesis 32:22
  • 9. S Genesis 19:38
  • 10. S Genesis 31:21; S Numbers 32:26; Deuteronomy 2:36; S Deuteronomy 3:15; Joshua 13:11,25; Joshua 17:1; Joshua 20:8; Joshua 21:38; Judges 5:17; Judges 7:3; Judges 10:8
  • 11. Joshua 11:2
  • 12. S Genesis 14:3
  • 13. S Numbers 33:49; Joshua 13:20
  • 14. S Numbers 21:20
  • 15. S Numbers 21:21,33; Joshua 13:30; Deuteronomy 3:11
  • 16. S Genesis 14:5
  • 17. S Deuteronomy 1:4
  • 18. S Deuteronomy 3:10
  • 19. Numbers 32:33; Joshua 17:1; Joshua 20:8; Joshua 21:27; Joshua 22:7
  • 20. Joshua 13:2,13; 1 Samuel 27:8
  • 21. S Deuteronomy 3:14
  • 22. ver 2
  • 23. S Deuteronomy 3:8
  • 24. Numbers 32:29,33; Joshua 13:8
  • 25. S Joshua 11:17
  • 26. S Deuteronomy 1:7; Joshua 11:16
  • 27. S Joshua 3:10; S Joshua 11:17; Ezra 9:1
  • 28. S Numbers 33:48; Joshua 6:2
  • 29. S Genesis 12:8; S Joshua 8:1; Joshua 8:29
  • 30. S Joshua 7:2; Joshua 8:9; Joshua 18:13; Judges 1:23; Judges 4:5; Judges 20:18; Judges 21:2; Nehemiah 11:31
  • 31. S Joshua 10:1; Joshua 10:23
  • 32. S Joshua 10:3
  • 33. S Joshua 10:3
  • 34. S Joshua 10:33
  • 35. S Joshua 10:3
  • 36. S Numbers 14:45
  • 37. S Numbers 21:1
  • 38. S Numbers 33:20
  • 39. S Genesis 38:1; Joshua 15:35; Micah 1:15
  • 40. S Joshua 10:10
  • 41. S Joshua 7:2
  • 42. Joshua 15:34; Joshua 16:8; Joshua 17:8
  • 43. S Joshua 11:22; 1 Kings 4:10
  • 44. Joshua 13:4; Joshua 19:30; Judges 1:31; 1 Samuel 4:1; 1 Samuel 29:1
  • 45. S Joshua 11:1
  • 46. S Joshua 11:1
  • 47. Joshua 17:11; Joshua 21:25
  • 48. Judges 1:27; Judges 5:19; 1 Kings 4:12
  • 49. Joshua 15:23; Joshua 19:37; Joshua 20:7; Joshua 21:32; Judges 4:6,9
  • 50. Joshua 19:11; Joshua 21:34
  • 51. Joshua 15:55; Joshua 19:26; 1 Samuel 15:12; 2 Samuel 23:35
  • 52. S Joshua 11:2
  • 53. 1 Kings 14:17; 1 Kings 15:33; 1 Kings 16:8,23; Song of Songs 6:4
  • 54. Psalms 135:11; Psalms 136:18; Deuteronomy 7:24

Footnotes 1

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.

Joshua 12 Commentaries

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