1Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, 2that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. 3Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4Come up to me and help me, that we may strike Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. 5Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it. 6And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us. 7So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. 8And Jehovah said to Joshua, Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you. 9Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. 10And Jehovah routed them before Israel, struck them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the way that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that Jehovah cast down large hailstones from the heavens upon them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the sons of Israel had killed with the sword. 12Then Joshua spoke to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the eyes of Israel: Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. 13And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people took vengeance upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that Jehovah heeded the voice of a man; for Jehovah fought for Israel. 15And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal. 16But these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in a cave at Makkedah. 17And it was reported to Joshua, saying, The five kings have been found hidden in a cave at Makkedah. 18And Joshua said, Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them. 19And do not stay there yourselves, but pursue your enemies, and strike their rear guard. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for Jehovah your God has delivered them into your hand. 20And it happened, while Joshua and the sons of Israel made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they had finished, that those who had escaped entered fortified cities. 21And all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua at Makkedah, in peace. No one moved his tongue against any of the sons of Israel. 22And Joshua said, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me from the cave. 23And they did so, and brought out those five kings to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua summoned all the men of Israel, and said to the commanders of the men of war who had gone with him, Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they drew near and put their feet on their necks. 25And Joshua said to them, Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus Jehovah will do to all your enemies against whom you fight. 26And afterward Joshua struck them and killed them, and hung them on five trees; and they were hanging on the trees until evening. 27And so at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, cast them into the cave where they had been hidden, and laid large stones against the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day. 28On that day Joshua took Makkedah, and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them; all the souls who were in it. He let none remain. He also did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho. 29And Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah; and they fought against Libnah. 30And Jehovah also delivered it and its king into the hand of Israel; he struck it and all the souls who were in it with the edge of the sword. He let none remain in it, but did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho. 31And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish; and they encamped against it and fought against it. 32And Jehovah delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, who took it on the second day, and struck it and all the souls who were in it with the edge of the sword, according to all that he had done to Libnah. 33Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he left him none remaining. 34From Lachish Joshua passed to Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it and fought against it. 35They took it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword; all the souls who were in it he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish. 36And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron; and they fought against it. 37And they took it and struck it with the edge of the sword; its king, all its cities, and all the souls who were in it; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon, but utterly destroyed it and all the souls who were in it. 38And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and they fought against it. 39And he took it and its king and all its cities; they struck them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining; as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, as he had done also to Libnah and its king. 40Thus Joshua conquered all the lands of the mountains, and the south and the lowland and the wilderness slopes, and all their kings; he left no one remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Jehovah the God of Israel had commanded. 41And Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea as far as Gaza, and all the land of Goshen, even as far as Gibeon. 42All these kings and their land Joshua took at one time, because Jehovah the God of Israel, fought for Israel. 43And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 FIVE KINGS WAR AGAINST GIBEON. (
Josh 10:1-
Josh 10:5)
Adoni-zedek--"lord of righteousness"--nearly synonymous with Melchizedek, "king of righteousness." These names were common titles of the Jebusite kings.
Jerusalem--The original name, "Salem" (
Gen 14:18;
Ps 76:2), was superseded by that here given, which signifies "a peaceful possession," or "a vision of peace," in allusion, as some think, to the strikingly symbolic scene (
Gen 22:14) represented on the mount whereon that city was afterwards built.
inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them--that is, the Israelites; had made an alliance with that people, and acknowledging their supremacy, were living on terms of friendly intercourse with them.
2 they feared greatly--The dread inspired by the rapid conquests of the Israelites had been immensely increased by the fact of a state so populous and so strong as Gibeon having found it expedient to submit to the power and the terms of the invaders.
as one of the royal cities--Although itself a republic (
Josh 9:3), it was large and well-fortified, like those places in which the chiefs of the country usually established their residence.
3 Wherefore Adoni-zedek . . . sent, . . . saying, Come up unto me, and help me--A combined attack was meditated on Gibeon, with a view not only to punish its people for their desertion of the native cause, but by its overthrow to interpose a barrier to the farther inroads of the Israelites. This confederacy among the mountaineers of Southern Palestine was formed and headed by the king of Jerusalem, because his territory was most exposed to danger, Gibeon being only six miles distant, and because he evidently possessed some degree of pre-eminence over his royal neighbors.
5 the five kings of the Amorites--The settlement of this powerful and warlike tribe lay within the confines of Moab; but having also acquired extensive possessions on the southwest of the Jordan, their name, as the ruling power, seems to have been given to the region generally (
2Sam 21:2), although Hebron was inhabited by Hittites or Hivites (
Josh 11:19), and Jerusalem by Jebusites (
Josh 15:63).
6 JOSHUA RESCUES IT. (
Josh 10:6-
Josh 10:9)
the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua--Their appeal was urgent and their claim to protection irresistible, on the ground, not only of kindness and sympathy, but of justice. In attacking the Canaanites, Joshua had received from God a general assurance of success (
Josh 1:5). But the intelligence of so formidable a combination among the native princes seems to have depressed his mind with the anxious and dispiriting idea that it was a chastisement for the hasty and inconsiderate alliance entered into with the Gibeonites. It was evidently to be a struggle of life and death, not only to Gibeon, but to the Israelites. And in this view the divine communication that was made to him was seasonable and animating. He seems to have asked the counsel of God and received an answer, before setting out on the expedition.
9 Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly--This is explained in the following clause, where he is described as having accomplished, by a forced march of picked men, in one night, a distance of twenty-six miles, which, according to the slow pace of Eastern armies and caravans, had formerly been a three days' journey (
Josh 9:17).
10 GOD FIGHTS AGAINST THEM WITH HAILSTONES. (
Josh 10:10-
Josh 10:11)
the Lord discomfited them--Hebrew, "terrified," confounded the Amorite allies, probably by a fearful storm of lightning and thunder. So the word is usually employed (
1Sam 7:10;
Ps 18:13;
Ps 144:6).
and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon--This refers to the attack of the Israelites upon the besiegers. It is evident that there had been much hard fighting around the heights of Gibeon, for the day was far spent before the enemy took to flight.
chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon--that is, "the House of Caves," of which there are still traces existing. There were two contiguous villages of that name, upper and nether. Upper Beth-horon was nearest Gibeon--about ten miles distant, and approached by a gradual ascent through a long and precipitous ravine. This was the first stage of the flight. The fugitives had crossed the high ridge of Upper Beth-horon, and were in full flight down the descent to Beth-horon the Nether. The road between the two places is so rocky and rugged that there is a path made by means of steps cut in the rock [ROBINSON]. Down this pass Joshua continued his victorious rout. Here it was that the Lord interposed, assisting His people by means of a storm, which, having been probably gathering all day, burst with such irresistible fury, that "they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword." The Oriental hailstorm is a terrific agent; the hailstones are masses of ice, large as walnuts, and sometimes as two fists; their prodigious size, and the violence with which they fall, make them always very injurious to property, and often fatal to life. The miraculous feature of this tempest, which fell on the Amorite army, was the entire preservation of the Israelites from its destructive ravages.
12 THE SUN AND MOON STAND STILL AT THE WORD OF JOSHUA. (
Josh 10:12-
Josh 10:15)
Then spake Joshua to the Lord . . . and . . . he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still . . . and thou, Moon--The inspired author here breaks off the thread of his history of this miraculous victory to introduce a quotation from an ancient poem, in which the mighty acts of that day were commemorated. The passage, which is parenthetical, contains a poetical description of the victory which was miraculously gained by the help of God, and forms an extract from "the book of Jasher," that is, "the upright"--an anthology, or collection of national songs, in honor of renowned and eminently pious heroes. The language of a poem is not to be literally interpreted; and therefore, when the sun and moon are personified, addressed as intelligent beings, and represented as standing still, the explanation is that the light of the sun and moon was supernaturally prolonged by the same laws of refraction and reflection that ordinarily cause the sun to appear above the horizon, when it is in reality below it [KEIL, BUSH]. Gibeon ("a hill") was now at the back of the Israelites, and the height would soon have intercepted the rays of the setting sun. The valley of Ajalon ("stags") was before them, and so near that it was sometimes called "the valley of Gibeon" (
Isa 28:21). It would seem, from
Josh 10:14, that the command of Joshua was in reality a prayer to God for the performance of this miracle; and that, although the prayers of eminently good men like Moses often prevailed with God, never was there on any other occasion so astonishing a display of divine power made in behalf of His people, as in answer to the prayer of Joshua.
Josh 10:15 is the end of the quotation from Jasher; and it is necessary to notice this, as the fact described in it is recorded in due course, and the same words, by the sacred historian (
Josh 10:43).
16 THE FIVE KINGS HANGED. (
Josh 10:16-
Josh 10:27)
these five kings . . . hid themselves in a cave--Hebrew, "the cave."
at Makkedah--The pursuit was continued, without interruption, to Makkedah at the foot of the western mountains, where Joshua seems to have halted with the main body of his troops while a detachment was sent forward to scour the country in pursuit of the remaining stragglers, a few of whom succeeded in reaching the neighboring cities. The last act, probably the next day, was the disposal of the prisoners, among whom the five kings were consigned to the infamous doom of being slain (
Deut 20:16-
Deut 20:17); and then their corpses were suspended on five trees till the evening.
24 put your feet upon the necks of these kings--not as a barbarous insult, but a symbolical action, expressive of a complete victory (
Deut 33:29;
Ps 110:5;
Mal 4:3).
28 SEVEN MORE KINGS CONQUERED. (
Josh 10:28-
Josh 10:42)
that day Joshua took Makkedah--In this and the following verses is described the rapid succession of victory and extermination which swept the whole of southern Palestine into the hands of Israel. "All these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal."