_FIVE KINGS WAR AGAINST GIBEON; WHO ARE SUBDUED BY JOSHUA, GREAT HAIL STONES FALLING UPON THEM FROM HEAVEN: JOSHUA COMMANDS THE SUN AND THE MOON TO STAND STILL; SUBDUES MANY OTHER CITIES, AND RETURNS TRIUMPHANT TO THE CAMP AT GILGAL._ _Before Christ 1449._... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 1. _NOW—WHEN ADONI-ZEDEC,_ &C.— _Adoni-zedec,_ signifies _lord of righteousness,_ which is nearly the same as _Melchizedec._ As these kings were both kings of Salem, or Jerusalem, some suppose, that the successors of Melchi-zedec affected a name like his to give themselves more dignity, by re... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 3. _ADONI-ZEDEC—SENT UNTO HOHAM,_ &C.— Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, were four cities situated south of Jerusalem, and, together with that city, given to the tribe of Judah, as we shall see hereafter.... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 5. _THEREFORE THE FIVE KINGS,_ &C.— Hebron belonged to the Hittites, Genesis 23:1; Genesis 25:9. Jerusalem to the Jebusites, chap. Judges 15:63 and the Gibeonites made a part of the Hivites, chap. Joshua 9:7. But as the Amorites were the most powerful nation in the land of Canaan, Genesis 15:... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 10. _AND CHASED THEM ALONG THE WAY THAT GOETH UP TO BETH-HORON_— That is, by the way of the mountain on which the town of Beth-horon was raised at the time of writing this book; for that town did not yet exist, nor was it built till the Israelites had taken possession of the land of Canaan. I... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 11. _AND—AS THEY—WERE IN THE GOING DOWN TO BETH-HORON_— First, the kings in league fled towards _Beth-horon,_ which was situate upon a little hill to the north of Gibeon. Their design evidently was to throw themselves into the place, and to occupy the heights of the mountains; but they were y... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 12-14. _THEN SPAKE JOSHUA,_ &C.— We may refer all that is necessary to say on this remarkable passage to the five following heads. I. The _miracle_ itself, and the _manner_ in which it is described. To facilitate the Israelites obtaining a complete victory over the five kings of the Amorites,... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 14. _AND THERE WAS NO DAY LIKE THAT,_ &C.— Some say it was thirty-six hours long: others think, that the sacred author only means, that no other day was ever seen in which the course of the planets was arrested at the prayer of a mortal. Amama has made a full collection of the various opinion... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 15. _AND JOSHUA RETURNED, AND ALL ISRAEL—TO GILGAL_— That is to say, he issued orders for so doing; but from ver. 43 it appears, that he did not, in fact, return till he had forced the five kings to come from the cave where they had taken refuge. It might be rendered, _and Joshua was about to... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 16. _BUT THESE FIVE KINGS FLED_— That is, the kings mentioned above, in ver. 3. _And hid themselves,_ &c. escaped from the sword of the conqueror; they had eluded the pursuit and the hail, by taking a different road from that of their main army: perhaps too they had prepared, for any event, b... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 21. _ALL THE PEOPLE RETURNED—IN PEACE_— The LXX translate it, _safe and sound;_ the Vulgate, _unhurt, and in the same number._ That is to say, the detachments, which pursued after the runaways, returned to Joshua without any loss. The next clause Bochart and others translate, _there was not a... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 22-25. _THEN SAID JOSHUA, OPEN THE MOUTH OF THE CAVE_— In full view of all his troops, now returned to the camp near Makkedah, and before his assaulting that place, Joshua caused the five kings to be brought forth out of the cavern, which had served as their prison all the while the action of... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 26, 27. _AND AFTERWARD JOSHUA SMOTE THEM,_ &C.— He hung these five kings; and at the sun-setting they were taken down from their gibbets by his orders, lest the land which God had chosen to inhabit should be defiled by their dead bodies. Deuteronomy 21:23. Thus the king of Ai had been before... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 28. _AND THAT DAY JOSHUA TOOK MAKKEDAH_— Usher, by _that day,_ understands, the day of hanging the five kings; and he is of opinion, that it was the morning after the victory: but it seems more easy and plain to conceive, that Joshua carried the assault of Makkedah on the very day in which he... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 29-32. _THEN JOSHUA PASSED—UNTO LIBNAH—AND—FROM LIBNAH—UNTO LACHISH,_ &C.— Having refreshed his army, Joshua brought it before Libnah, a town near Makkedah, chap. Judges 15:41 and which, afterwards, being comprized in the tribe of Judah, fell to the lot of the Levites, chap. Joshua 21:13. 1 C... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 33. _THEN HORAM, KING OF GEZER, CAME UP TO HELP LACHISH,_ &C.— While Joshua was besieging _Lachish,_ the king of Gezer came to its assistance. Gezer was in the south part of the country, which fell to the tribe of Ephraim, (ch. Joshua 16:3.) between Beth-horon and the sea, and, as it should s... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 34, 35. _AND FROM LACHISH, JOSHUA PASSED UNTO EGLON,_ &C.— This town, at a small distance from Lachish, fell to the tribe of Judah.... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 36, 37. _AND-37 JOSHUA WENT UP FROM EGLON—UNTO HEBRON_— The king of Hebron was one of the five confederated against Israel. They must, therefore, have quickly appointed him a successor; and it was this successor whom Joshua _put to the sword._ With respect to Hebron itself, we have already mo... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 41. _AND ALL THE COUNTRY OF GOSHEN_— There was a city of _Goshen_ in the tribe of Judah, towards the south, among the mountains, like Hebron; (see ch. Joshua 15:51.) and this city evidently gave its name to the whole district. It was a place full of excellent pastures, well watered, and like... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 42. _AND ALL THESE KINGS AND THEIR LAND DID JOSHUA TAKE AT ONE TIME,_ &C.— Three remarks here offer themselves to our consideration. 1. That Joshua, in making himself master of these countries, did not destroy all the inhabitants, but only such as had not fled. 2. That then kings carried to t... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 43. _AND JOSHUA RETURNED—TO GILGAL_— Either for refreshment, or to divide the fruits of their victories with those who had not fought; or, more particularly, to pay to God their thanksgivings in his sanctuary. Thus gloriously ended (according to Usher's calculation) the fortieth year since th... [ Continue Reading ]