CHAPTER X Adoni-zedec, _king of Jerusalem, hearing of the capture of_ Ai, _and that the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel, calls to_ _his assistance four other kings to fight against Gibeon_, 1-4. _They join forces, and encamp against Gibeon_, 5. _The Gibeonites send to Joshua for succour_,... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:2. _AS ONE OF THE ROYAL CITIES_] Not a _regal_ city, but great, well inhabited and well fortified, as those cities which served for the royal residence generally were. It does not appear that the Gibeonites had any king-they seem to have been a small but powerful _republic, all the m... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:3. _HOHAM KING OF HEBRON_] This city was situated in the mountains, southward of Jerusalem, from which it was about thirty miles distant. It fell to the tribe of Judah. _PIRAM KING OF JARMUTH_] There were two cities of this name; one belonged to the tribe of _Issachar_, see Joshua 2... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:5. _THE FIVE KINGS OF THE AMORITES_] This is a general name for the inhabitants of Canaan, otherwise called _Canaanites_; and it is very likely that they had this appellation because the Amorites were the most powerful tribe or nation in that country. The inhabitants of Jerusalem we... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:9. _JOSHUA - CAME UNTO THEM SUDDENLY_] This he did by a forced march during the night, for he _went up from Gilgal all night_; from _Gilgal_ to Gibeon was about eighteen or twenty miles; and, having fallen so unexpectedly on these confederate kings, they were immediately thrown into... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:10. _SLEW THEM WITH A GREAT SLAUGHTER AT GIBEON_] Multitudes of them fell in the _onset_; after which they fled, and the Israelites pursued them by the way of Beth-horon. There were two cities of this name, the _upper_ and _lower_, both in the tribe of Ephraim, and built by _Sherah_,... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:11. _THE LORD CAST DOWN GREAT STONES FROM HEAVEN UPON THEM_] Some have contended that stones, in the common acceptation of the word, are intended here; and that the term _hail-stones_ is only used to point out the _celerity_ of their fall, and their _quantity_. That stones have fall... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:12. _THEN SPAKE JOSHUA TO THE LORD_] Though Joshua saw that the enemies of his people were put to flight, yet he well knew that all which escaped would rally again, and that he should be obliged to meet them once more in the field of battle if permitted now to escape; finding that th... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:14. _AND THERE WAS NO DAY LIKE THAT_] There was no period of time in which the sun was kept so long above the horizon as on that occasion. Some learned men have supposed that the _Fable of_ _Phaeton_ was founded on this historic fact. The fable may be seen with all the elegance of po... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:15. _AND JOSHUA RETURNED - UNTO THE CAMP TO GILGAL._] That the Israelitish army did not return to the camp at Gilgal till _after_ the hanging of the five kings and the destruction of their cities, is sufficiently evident from the subsequent parts of this chapter. When all this busin... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:16. _HID THEMSELVES IN A CAVE_] It is very likely that this cave was a fortified place among some rocks; for there were many such places in different parts of Palestine.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:21. _NONE MOVED HIS TONGUE_] The whole transaction of this important day had been carried on so evidently under the direction of God that there was not the least murmuring, nor cause for it, among them, for their enemies were all discomfited. There is an expression similar to this, E... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:24. _PUT YOUR FEET UPON THE NECKS OF THESE KINGS._] This act was done _symbolically_, as a token, not only of the present complete victory, but of their approaching triumph over all their adversaries, which is the interpretation given of it by Joshua in the succeeding verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 26. _SMOTE - SLEW - AND HANGED THEM ON FIVE TREES_] Hanging _alive_ seems a barbarous custom: among the Hebrews, criminals were first deprived of life; this was the debt required by _justice_: then they were hanged up, perhaps generally by the _hands_, not by the _neck_; this was done by way... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 28. _THAT DAY JOSHUA TOOK MAKKEDAH_] It is very possible that Makkedah was taken on the evening of the same day in which the miraculous _solstice_ took place; but as to the other cities mentioned in this chapter, they certainly were subdued some days after, as it is not possible that an army,... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 29. _FOUGHT AGAINST LIBNAH_] This city was near Makkedah, see Joshua 15:42, and fell to the tribe of Judah, Joshua 10:20; Joshua 10:42, and was given to the priests, Joshua 21:13. Sennacherib besieged it, after he had been obliged to raise the siege of Lachish. See 2 Kings 19:8; Isaiah 37:8.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 32. _LACHISH_] It appears that this was anciently a very strong place; notwithstanding the people were panic-struck, and the Israelites flushed with success, yet Joshua could not reduce it till the second day, and the king of Assyria afterwards was obliged to _raise the siege_. See above, and... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 33. _HORAM KING OF GEZER_] It is likely that _Horam_ was in a state of alliance with the king of _Lachish_, and therefore came to his assistance as soon as it appeared that he was likely to be attacked. Joshua probably sent a detachment against him, before he was able to form a junction with t... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 34. _EGLON_] It is likely that this town was not any great distance from Lachish. Joshua 10:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:36-6. _HEBRON - AND THE KING THEREOF_] See the note on Joshua 10:3. From Joshua 10:23 we learn that the king of Hebron was one of those _five_ whom Joshua slew and hanged on five trees at Makkedah. How then can it be said that he _slew the king of Hebron_ when he took the city, whic... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:37. Joshua 10:36.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:39. _DESTROYED ALL THE SOULS_] ויחרימו את כל נפש _vaiyacharimu eth col nephesh_, they brought every person under an _anathema_; they either slew them or reduced them to a state of slavery. Is it reasonable to say those were slain who were _found_ _in arms_, of the others they made _s... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:40. _ALL THE COUNTRY OF THE HILLS_] Deuteronomy 1:7, Deuteronomy 1:7. _DESTROYED ALL THAT BREATHED_] Every person found in arms who continued to resist; these were all destroyed, - those who submitted were spared: but many no doubt made their escape, and afterwards reoccupied certai... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:41. _AND ALL THE COUNTRY OF GOSHEN_] Calmet contends that this was the very same country in which the Hebrews dwelt before their departure from Egypt; and according to this hypothesis he has constructed his _map_, causing it to extend from the Nile, which was called the river of Egyp... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Joshua 10:42. _DID JOSHUA TAKE AT ONE TIME_] That is, he defeated all those kings, and took all their cities, in ONE _campaign_; this appears to be the rational construction of the Hebrew. But these conquests were so rapid and stupendous, that they cannot be attributed either to the generalshi... [ Continue Reading ]