Joshua 11:16-23

A Summary of Joshua's Campaigns Joshua 11:16-23

16 So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same;

17 Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.
18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.
20 For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.
21 And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.
22 There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.
23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

11.

Where was Mount Halak? Joshua 11:17

The name of the mountain indicates it was a smooth mountain. Doubtless this is a reference to an area called the Ascent Akrabbim and mentioned in Numbers 34:3-4 and Joshua 15:23. The area is somewhat north-northeast of Abdah, an area near Wadi el-Marra. Baal-gad, the point farthest north in the notice of the extent of the conquest, was near Mount Hermon. The mention of these two places gives an idea of how extensive the conquest had been. This point is also called Baal-Hermon (Judges 3:3, 1 Chronicles 5:23). The exact location of the settlement has not been determined.

12.

How long did Joshua wage war? Joshua 11:18

The exact time of the beginning and ending of the conquest is not known. If Moses died about 1407 and Joshua were 80 years old at the time, the entire lifespan of Joshua would reach only to 1377 B.C. We know that Joshua died when he was 110 years of age. Perhaps only about half of his lifetime was spent in his military action, leaving him the latter half of his life for the allotment of the territory to the tribes. Perhaps the conquest took ten or fifteen years, This would indeed be a long war.

13.

Why did the Canaanites not ask for peace? Joshua 11:19

Not a single leader among the Canaanites asked for any mercy except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the rest of the kings went to war against Joshua. It was the opinion of the writer, as he was moved with divine inspiration to write, that the Lord had hardened their hearts (Joshua 11:20). Looking at the situation from the perspective of modern historians, we can agree that it was the Lord's will that these people should be annihilated. They had sinned exceedingly. They were completely reprobate. The freedom of their will was not destroyed, but God had brought them to the place where they had to make a decision for or against Him. They had been given repeated opportunities to make such decisions, and each time they chose to turn their backs on God. This repeated confrontation contributed to the hardening of their hearts. As we see God doing this, we can say God hardened their hearts. In the final analysis, however, they hardened their own hearts.

14.

Who were the Anakim? Joshua 11:21

The Anakim were descendants of Anak, one of the original inhabitants of the land of Canaan. The children of Israel first met them when the spies went into the land (Numbers 13:22; Numbers 13:33). In the latter reference the statement is made that these sons of Anak came of the giants. Elsewhere the giants are called Nephilim (see American Standard Translation here and at Genesis 6:4). In the reference to the giants in Genesis 6:4 it is said that these were mighty men which were of old, men of renown. Whether they were large in stature or great in reputation and ability is a question hard to determine. The fact that the spies said they felt like grasshoppers in their sight and that these men looked upon them in the same way does not give the full answer. The ten spies brought up an evil report. It was quite evidently exaggerated. Nevertheless, these people were to be dealt with, and Joshua went against them without hesitation. They centered their activities in the South near Hebron, Debir, and Anab, points in the mountains of Judah and Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed these people leaving only a few in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. These latter points were in the plain which was later known as the Philistine Plain. They would not be hard to deal with in the open territory of the sea-coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and Joshua evidently felt that it was sufficient to drive them out of the center of the territory.

15.

Why are Judah and Israel mentioned separately? Joshua 11:21

The fact that Judah and Israel are mentioned separately does not indicate the book was written after the kingdom was divided in the days of Rehoboam. Judah always had a unique place among the sons of Jacob. Jacob gave him the barak and bekorah, his blessing and birthright (Genesis 49:8-12). When the children of Israel marched through the wilderness of Sinai on the route to Canaan, Judah marched first. When they began to make their conquest, it was Judah who went up first to battle (Judges 1:1 ff.). Joshua saw that the land was settled before he died, and the entire southern section of the land was given to Judah. His northern border was on a line which stretched west from the north end of the Dead Sea. His southern border went to the extreme limits of the land given to the children of Israel. All of this southern section was given to him. All the rest of the tribes of Israel settled north of Judah and east of the Jordan. In this way Judah was again separated from the rest of the people and it was natural for Joshua to make a reference to the mountains of Judah and the mountains of Israel.

16.

Where were Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod? Joshua 11:22

Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod were leading cities among the Philistines who lived along the plain on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The lords of these towns were especially active during the period of the judges. Samson went down from the hill country of Dan and carried away the posts of the gate of the city of Gaza (Judges 16:1 ff.). Goliath was the famous Philistine from Gath (1 Samuel 17:4). When the Ark was captured by the Philistines, it was taken down to the house of Dagon in Ashdod (1 Samuel 5:1). Gaza was the southernmost of the towns and quite close to the sea. Gath was the point nearest the center of the land, and Ashdod was the northernmost and another city near the sea. All of these points were west of the main part of the Promised Land.

17.

Were all the Canaanite towns conquered? Joshua 11:23

The taking of the whole land does not imply that all the towns and villages to the very last had been conquered, or that all the Canaanites were rooted out from every corner of the land. The conquest was of such character that the power of the Canaanites was broken, their dominion overthrown, and their whole land thoroughly given into the hands of the Israelites. Those who still remained were crushed into powerless fugitives. Moreover, Israel had received the strongest pledge, in the powerful help which it had received from the Lord in the conquests thus far obtained, that the faithful covenant-God would continue His help in the conflicts which still remained. He would secure for Israel a complete victory and the full possession of the Promised Land.