And at that time came Joshua
After he had made a conquest of the land, or at the time he made it, as before related:
and cut off the Anakims from the mountains;
whither, upon the conquest of the land, they had betaken themselves, and lived in dens and caves: these were giants, so called from Anak the father of them; though these are not to be restrained to his posterity, but include all other giants in the land; and the Targum renders the word by "mighty men"; and as some of them dwelt in mountains, others in cities, as follows:
from Hebron;
where the children of Anak dwelt when the spies were sent into the land between forty and fifty years before this; and though the inhabitants of Hebron had been before destroyed by Joshua, these Anakims, who very likely then made their escape, returned and took possession of it after Joshua's departure, and while he was engaged in making other conquests; as we find that after this others of the same race again possessed it, and were in the possession of it after the death of Joshua, when they were slain by the tribe of Judah, ( Judges 1:10 ) ; from Debir: where others of them also had got after the conquest of it; unless we suppose, as I see no great reason to object to it, that these were cut off both at Hebron and Debir, at the time of the taking of them, of which see ( Joshua 10:36-39 ) ;
from Anab;
a city which fell to the lot of the tribe of Judah, ( Joshua 15:50 ) . Jerom F7 says, in his time it was a village, near Diospolis or Lydda, about four miles from it to the east, and called Bethoannaba; but he says, that most affirm it to be eight miles from it, and called Bethannaba: Masius conjectures, that it is the same with the city of Nob; for, he says, that travellers in those parts affirm, that the city Nob is called Bethanoba and Bethanopolis:
and from all the mountains of Judah;
the hill country of Judea, and the mountains round about Jerusalem:
and from all the mountains of Israel;
as those about Samaria, and elsewhere:
Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities;
which they had formerly inhabited, or had got into the possession of.