Joshua 9:1,2

The League of Kings Against Israel Joshua 9:1-2

And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the Great Sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;
2 That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

1.

What divisions of Canaan are mentioned? Joshua 9:1

Canaan was a land made up of hills which formed the center of the country. The Jordan River formed a valley which ran the entire length of the land. This river was on the east side of the country, and on the west side was the Mediterranean Sea. This land area is described as all the coasts of the great sea. There were mountainous areas, and the main range was the Lebanon Mountains which were on the north of the country. By mentioning all these areas the author is giving us the impression that the league took in kings from all over the country. These were leaders of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. All of them were Canaanite people.

2.

Were these kings usually in league with one another? Joshua 9:2

When the twelve spies came back from looking over the land they said it was a country which eateth up the inhabitants thereof (Numbers 13:32). This may be a reference to the fact that these kings were constantly at war with each other. Certainly they were often attacked from the east and the south as kings from Mesopotamia and the Nile regions vied with each other for control of the land. Probably these kings were not normally united; but when they had a common foe, they forgot their usual differences and entered into a pact against Joshua and the Israelites.