Joshua 10

[alon]

Joshua 10

This is an account of one of the most remarkable battles and the subsequent campaign in history. It is a prophetic shadow of the coming day of the Lord, prophesied in Habakuk 3 using immagry from this battle:

Habakkuk 3:11-13 (KJV) The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear. Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.

The sneak attack on their allies impugned the honor of the Hebrews, and by extension their God. That the pact was based on deception did not relieve the Hebrews of their obligation to help Gibeon. Be careful of the agreements we make, as they can cause no end of grief for us. The alliance with Yisro’el caused the southern city-states to form their own alliance, turning them into a vastly superior force.

Yehoshua had to react quickly to save the Gibeonites, even though he was (apparently) not prepared for such a swift campaign. But through his trust, dependency on and obedience to El Elohe Yisra’el this and subsequent victories were won until ha’aretz was in Hebrew hands.

Philippians 4:13 (ESV) I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

This one battle, so obviously turned around and won by YHVH Elohim- The Lord God Himself opened up the whole southern region of Cana’an to the Hebrew invasion force.


Joshua 10:1 (JPS) Now 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 her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

Note the change from Melchi-zedek, “My King Righteosness” to Adonai-zedek, “My Lord Righteosness.” Even though the second king of Yerushalayim led an evil confederacy, while the first was acknowleged by Avraham as being truly righteous, both names are prophetic of the character of YHVH Tsedekenu- The Lord Our Righteousness. Yerushalayim itself means “the habitation or possession of peace.” This is the first instance where the name Yerushalayim is used in the TNK.

The city itself apparently remained Jebusite until finally conquered by Melech Dovid:

Joshua 15:63 (ESV) But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out, so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.

2 Samuel 5:6-7 (ESV) And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.


Joshua 10:2 (JPS) that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.

The surrender to the invading Hebrews and subsequent covenant with them of Gibeon must have filled the city-states of southern Cana’an with dread. The city-state of Gibeon was not only powerful, it was lay strategically in the heart of ha’aretz, its terrain difficult to traverse and its passes were the doors to all of southern Cana’an.


Joshua 10:3 (JPS) Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying:

Hoham- “Lord of the Multitude.” Piram- “coursing abut, wild and free.” Japhia- “Exalted.” Debir- “Scribe.” Note how the enemy sees himself in these names. He, the wild one would exalt himself, holding the city which Elah Yerushalayim- the God of Jerusalem has set aside for Himself. He would rewrite scripture and thus become lord of the masses; even many of those who call themselves by The Holy Name.


Joshua 10:4-5 (JPS) 'Come up unto me, and help me, and let us smite Gibeon; for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.'  Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.

Their advance must have been swift, as they apparently took both Gibeon and the Hebrews by surprise.


Joshua 10:6 (JPS) And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying: 'Slack not thy hands from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill-country are gathered together against us.'

This was an urgent request for help, which underscores the rapidity of the attack as well as Gibeon’s unpreparedness.

The “hill country” is the central highlands of Yisro’el. However three of the mentioned cities (Jarmuth, Lachshis, and Eglon) are in the Sh’felat Yehuda, the "Judean foothills"; a lowland region in south-central Israel between Mount Hebron and the coastal plain.

Joshua 10:7 (JPS) So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.

Yehoshua’s response was equally as swift, even though his army could not have been completely prepared. This was a major accomplishment, one seldom repeated in history to this day. It would be akin to Gen. Patton’s reversal of direction and rapid winter advance on Bastogne with limited supplies and an exposed line of resupply to relieve the 101st Airborne (who to this day say they did NOT need to be relieved- military hubris, while an essential character trait is still somewhat amusing at times).

Yehoshua and his army had been both hardened and well trained by their desert experience. Fighting units today, especially special forces are trained to live out of their packs, which are always ready to go at a moment’s notice. And support units are well drilled to pack up and follow whenever the command to “mount out” is given. This was total war- a war of annihilation, and a war involving not only those men of military age, but the support of everyone who stayed behind. Someone had to prepare supplies and someone had to transport them to the fighting men. This is especially evident as the campaign was not interrupted, but waged equally swiftly upon the entire southern region of Can’an.


Joshua 10:8-10 (JPS) And the LORD said unto Joshua: 'Fear them not; for I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand against thee.' Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly; for he went up from Gilgal all the night. And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon; and they chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

The Hebrew army fell on the confederated armies in a mighty rush, taking them completely by surprise and thus preventing any large scale organized resistance. This probably occurred in early morning, a favorite time to attack as the enemy is still awakening and not as alert or well oriented.


Joshua 10:11 (JPS) And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died; they were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

Many of the fleeing armies made it to the pass of Upper Beth-Horon, “the House of Caves.” As they fled down the slopes of the pass of Nether Beth-Horon they encountered a fearful hail-storm. These are common in desert regions. I grew up in Texas and New Mexico, and those hailstorms are quite literally deadly. However as this one was a miraculous event it must have been particularly devastating. Tsur Yisro’el- the Rock of Israel (a fitting title for Elohim in this chapter) often uses natural phenomenon to accomplish miracles. Since most (if not all) mythologies have various gods of nature, when aYHVH El Elohim- The Lord God of gods does this, it sends a message. And take note that His stone-throws are accurate!

The term “great stones,” Hebrew ‘eben gadol, to represent large hailstones is echoed in verse 18 when large stones (same Hebrew term) are rolled in front of the cave. Then later in verse 27 the great stones are finally set to cover the mouth of the cave, now a tomb.


Joshua 10:12 (JPS) Then spoke Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel: 'Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.'

This verse exemplifies the direct involvement of Elohim Ozer Li- God My Helper in human affairs. The reason for this miraculous intervention was for the army of Yisro’el to kill the enemy before they escaped into the night.

The army of Yisro’el might have been divided at the lower part of the pass at Beth-Horon. If so, the enemy might rally and turn on them or escape to regroup and later assault them. Now was the time for Yehoshua to exercise the (later) Roman adage “carpei diem!” Yehoshua’s impassioned prayer was recorded in the now lost Book of Jasher- “Book of the Pious or Upright.” This book is also made reference to in 2 Samuel:

2 Samuel 1:18a (ESV) and he said it [the bow] should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.


Joshua 10:13 (JPS) And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

Since pagans tend to deify nature as well as heavenly bodies, this miracle must have made quite an impression. Once again the God of the Hebrews was stronger than all their gods together.


Joshua 10:14 (JPS) And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

There is a lot of speculation about what happened here. It may have been caused by a refraction of sunlight which produces a region of relative cold in an otherwise hot climate. Also the hailstorm would have caused a semidarkness, which may have slowed the Hebrew army so that they did not fall victim to the hailstones. The semidarkness, along with the hailstorm would have effectively neutralized the effectiveness of the Canaanite chariots either to counterattack or to flee.

Joshua 17:18b (ESV) For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”

And, as many (myself included) tend to take such things literally, the sun and the moon probably did stand still and the day, though not in any sense a typical day, was most likely lengthened. Regardless the explanation, typical patterns of nature were transformed, arranged so the timing and effects were devastating to the Cana’anite armies while the army of El Elyon was preserved, spared any harm. The absolute nature of this miracle renders it scientifically incomprehensible.


Joshua 10:15-17 (JPS) And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal. And these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. And it was told Joshua, saying: 'The five kings are found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.'

The five kings apparently took the opportunity to flee the field instead of rallying their men to fight. This was an extremely dishonorable, if not uncommon thing to do. A captain typically went down with his ship because he stayed to supervise the evacuation. He also was responsible for its loos, and like army commanders who fell on their own swords he suffered the fate of his command. Generals and kings should be among the last to leave the field, not the first. They hold the lives of their men in their hands, and to run when their leadership is most needed, leaving their men to fend for themselves is inexcusable. Men today, as spiritual leaders in their family should pay particular attention to this lesson. Because I can guarantee that if you shirk your duty, the enemy will turn on your family with a vengeance.


Joshua 10:18 (JPS) And Joshua said: 'Roll great stones unto the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to keep them;

The cave is first a refuge- a hiding place and a shelter for the kings. Later it would be their tomb, and thus all the primary functions of caves in ancient Yisro’el and indeed most of the ancient world are here represented.


Joshua 10:19-21 (JPS) but stay not ye; pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities; for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your hand.' And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities, that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace; none whetted his tongue against any of the children of Israel.

Yehoshua was not diverted from his primary objective. He ordered the kings held until he was ready to deal with them. There is a saying in the military (an adaptation of a popular saying in American politics), “When you are up to your (backside) in alligators, it is too late to remember your primary objective was to drain the swamp.” Yehoshua “drained the swamp,” then he dealt with the big gators who were left stranded.

[alon]

Joshua 10:22-24 (JPS) Then said Joshua: 'Open the mouth of the cave, and bring forth those five kings unto me out of the cave.' And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon. And it came to pass, when they brought forth those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the chiefs of the men of war that went with him: 'Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings.' And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.

In a common ancient practice, Yehoshua had his captains place their feet on the necks of the five kings. They had proudly led their army, superior in numbers and weaponry into a classic surprise attack, only to themselves be surprised and driven from the field by the Hebrew army. The act was meant to be a symbol of superiority on the one hand, capitulation, submission and absolute defeat on the other:

Psalm 110:1 (ESV) The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Pagans saw it only as an act of their own dominance, however Yehoshua, led by the Ruach of YHVH Gibor Milchamah- The Lord Mighty in Battle, and Melech ha’M’lachim- King of Kings had a different lesson for this act.


Joshua 10:25 (JPS) And Joshua said unto them: 'Fear not, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage; for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.'

“Be strong and of good courage” echoes the exhortation given by YHVH Mephalti- The Lord My Deliverer in Joshua 1:7,9. Its use signals an impending battle. It is YHVH Izuz v’Gibbor- The Lord Strong and Mighty who fights for Yisro’el.

Joshua 10:26-27 (JPS) And afterward Joshua smote them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, unto this very day.

Note the kings were first killed, then either hanged or impaled on “trees;” probably poles. This was not an act of torture, rather a common tactic of the time meant to instill fear in one’s opponents.

Joshua 8:29 (ESV) And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.


Joshua 10:28 (JPS) And Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof; he utterly destroyed them and all the souls that were therein, he left none remaining; and he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done unto the king of Jericho.

All the inhabitants are to be killed so that the land should be purified of its wickedness.

Joshua 10:29-32 (JPS) And Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah. And the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining in it; and he did unto the king thereof as he had done unto the king of Jericho. And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it. And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

Lachesh, a major site in Cana’an holds out two days, but is soon delivered into the hands of the Hebrew army.


Joshua 10:33 (JPS) Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.

Gezer is another major site which must be subdued. Its army, along with its king are defeated in the field. The city itself however remained a Cana’anite stronghold until the time of Shlomo:

Joshua 16:10 (ESV) However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.

1 Kings 9:16 (ESV) (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife;

Now, you would think if they could force the people of Gezer to do forced labor then the Hebrews could have killed them as they were supposed to do. It is pretty when Egypt has to complete a task set for His people by Kadosh Yisro’el- the Holy One of Israel.


Joshua 10:34-36 (JPS) And Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, unto Eglon; and they encamped against it, and fought against it. And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish. And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it.

Hebron, which lies south of Yerushalayim is actually captured by Calev:

Joshua 15:13-15a (ESV) According to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the descendants of Anak. 15 And he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir.


Joshua 10:37 (JPS) And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls that were therein.

“And all the cities thereof” refers to the satellite towns and settlements of the city-state.


Joshua 10:38-39 (JPS) And Joshua turned back, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it. And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining; as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to the king thereof.

This, for whatever reason, is the only other time we see the mention of “all the cities thereof.”

The actual conquest of Debir was accomplished by Othniel:

Joshua 15:15-17 (ESV) And he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir. Now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher. And Caleb said, “Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife.” And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

Judges 1:13 (ESV) And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife.

“As he had done” is used seven times in this passage to indicate the complete success of the campaign as well as the intended complete eradication of the wicked from the land.


Joshua 10:40-43 (JPS) So Joshua smote all the land, the hill-country, and the South, and the Lowland, and the slopes, and all their kings; he left none remaining; but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded. And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

The “country of Goshen” is not the same as Goshen in Egypt. The one referred to here lies in the northern Negev. “All Israel” is indicative of the fact that this successful and probably arduous campaign involved everyone.

Typical of near-eastern tradition, Yehoshua is, as the man in overall command, given credit for all the victories. Thus there is no contradiction in scripture, as some would have us believe.


What started out with the potential to be a humbling defeat for their allies at Gibeon turned into an extremely successful campaign to conquer the whole of southern Cana’an. This foreshadows what Rav Sha’ul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 15:

1 Corinthians 15:24-25 (ESV) Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

This is a picture of Yeshua’s absolute and total conquest over sin and evil in the last days. We can think of the five kings being killed and placed back in their cave, the stones rolled back over the opening as a vivid contrast to Yeshua’s triumphal exit of the tomb and His total victory over sin and death. The war itself was one of complete and utter extermination such as the war we now fight with sin.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESV) For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

It reflects our inner war with sin, giving a similar picture of total warfare. Physically, emotionally and spiritually we fight both highs and lows, in hill and valley and in the passes to our innermost being. And even once we’ve “crossed over Jordan” as we used to say, take note that there are still deserts in the south.

The return to Gilgal before the northern campaign starts is a return to a place of sacrifice, reflection and introspection, and remembrance; a place where the covenant was renewed. There we can lay our sins and even those things we we were commanded but which are normally abhorrent, such as killing another human being, before YHVH Machsi- The Lord My Refuge. There we remember the things our Elohim has done for us, and we are forgiven as well as comforted. It is a place of community and family. And the bonds formed by men in battle are not forgotten once home.

Dan C

Resources: JPS Study TNK, W Wiersbe, FB Meyer, MF Unger, Edersheim, Pastor Ed Cole, J Eldredge, A Fruh, my father, Rav S and others

This was a long chapter with a lot of information in it. I broke it up into two pages, but still it is a lot to get through. Sorry, but I thought the lessons here were important, so I left it long.

[alon]

I have in my notes in an old NKJV Study Bible what appears to be a synopsis of some long forgotten sermon. Or I could have read it somewhere- the author nor the source are listed. Though Christian in origin, there is a lot of truth to what is said, and as we are now in the Yamim Noraim they seemed to be very affective.

The stones placed at Gilgal were an altar, a place where the covenant was renewed. It was a place of sacrifice, where we lay our sins and ourselves before God. A place of remembrance and reflection on those times God parted the waters to provide. A place of disengagement from our battles where we rest and are regenerated. A place of celebration for our victories and our escapes. An altar is most importantly a place of praise and worship. God is enthroned on the praises of His people.

Altars take effort to build- the stones can be heavy. But as we make the effort, and as we offer our praise and thanks, God draws near. When the altar is in your heart, you can take it anywhere.

It will take a lot of effort, and a lot of help from the Ruach. But this Yom Kippur let us determine to repent, to ask the help of Hashem, and to build an altar in our hearts where we can be closer to Elohim.

Dan C