Joshua 11

Chapter context

What is happening in Joshua 11?

inheritancerestcovenant fidelityholy war

Joshua 11 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Jericho, Ai, and the central campaigns. Joshua tells of the crossing into Canaan, the fall of Jericho, complex campaigns in the land, tribal allotments, and a final renewal of covenant loyalty. Read this chapter with the wider themes of inheritance, rest, and covenant fidelity in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, ² And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west, ³ And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh. ⁴ And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many. ⁵ And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel. ⁶ And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire. ⁷ So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them. ⁸ And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining. ⁹ And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire. ¹⁰ And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms. ¹¹ And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire. ¹² And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. ¹³ But as for the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn. ¹⁴ And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe. ¹⁵ As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses. ¹⁶ So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same; ¹⁷ Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them. ¹⁸ Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. ¹⁹ There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. ²⁰ For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses. ²¹ And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities. ²² There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained. ²³ So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

Study helps

Glossary

Achshaph Place v. 1: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Regev.
Hazor Place v. 1, 10-11, 13: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Hazor.
Jabin Person v. 1: Discerner; the wise. (1. ) A king of Hazor, at the time of the entrance of Israel into Canaan.
Madon Place v. 1: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell el Khirbeh.
Shimron Place v. 1: Watch-post, an ancient city of the Canaanites; with its villages, allotted to Zebulun ( Josh. 19:15 ); now probably Semunieh, on the northern edge of the plain of Esdraelon, 5 miles west of Nazareth. Modern identification: Tel Shimron.
Arabah Place v. 2, 16: A name given to Abi-albon, or, as elsewhere called, Abiel, one of David’s warriors ( 2 Sam. 23:31 ; 1 Chr. 11:32 ), probably as being an inhabitant of Arabah ( Josh. 15:61 ), a town in the wilderness of Judah.
Chinnereth Place v. 2: Biblical body of water. Modern identification: Tel Kinrot.
Naphoth-dor Place v. 2: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Dor.
Shephelah Place v. 2, 16: Biblical region. Modern identification: Shephelah.
Canaan Place v. 3: Biblical region. Modern identification: Canaan.
Mizpah Place v. 3: Or Miz’peh, watch-tower; the look-out. (1. ) A place in Gilead, so named by Laban, who overtook Jacob at this spot ( Gen. 31:49 ) on his return to Palestine from Padan-aram. Modern identification: Mount Hermon.
Mount Hermon Place v. 3, 17: Biblical mountain. Modern identification: Mount Hermon.
Waters of Merom Place v. 5, 7: Biblical body of water. Modern identification: En Meron.
Joshua Tribe v. 6-7, 9-10, 12-13, 15-16, 18, 21, 23: Jehovah is his help, or Jehovah the Saviour. The son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, the successor of Moses as the leader of Israel. He is called Jehoshua in Num. 13:16 (A. V. ), and Jesus in Acts 7:45 and Heb. 4:8 .
Misrephoth-maim Place v. 8: Burning of waters, supposed to be salt-pans, or lime-kilns, or glass-factories, a place to which Joshua pursued a party of Canaanites after the defeat of Jabin ( Josh. 11:8 ). Modern identification: Litani River.
Sidon Place v. 8: A fishery, a town on the Mediterranean coast, about 25 miles north of Tyre. It received its name from the “first-born” of Canaan, the grandson of Noah ( Gen. 10:15 , 19). Modern identification: Sandikli archaeological site in Sidon.
Valley of Mizpeh Place v. 8: Biblical valley. Modern identification: Mount Hermon.
Goshen Place v. 16: (1. ) A district in Egypt where Jacob and his family settled, and in which they remained till the Exodus ( Gen. 45:10 ; 46:28 , 29, 31, etc. ). Modern identification: Dahriya.
Negeb Place v. 16: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Beer Sheva.
Baal-gad Place v. 17: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell Haush.
Mount Halak Place v. 17: Smooth; bald, a hill at the southern extremity of Canaan ( Josh. 11:17 ). It is referred to as if it were a landmark in that direction, being prominent and conspicuous from a distance. Modern identification: Jebel Halaq.
Mount Seir Place v. 17: Biblical mountain range. Modern identification: Jebel esh Shera.
Valley of Lebanon Place v. 17: Biblical valley. Modern identification: Beqaa Valley.
City People v. 19: The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).
Gibeon Place v. 19: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: El Jib.
Anab Place v. 21: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet Anab es Seghireh.
Debir Place v. 21: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet Rabud.
Hebron Place v. 21: A community; alliance. (1. ) A city in the south end of the valley of Eshcol, about midway between Jerusalem and Beersheba, from which it is distant about 20 miles in a straight line. Modern identification: Tel Rumeida.
Ashdod Place v. 22: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Ashdod.
Gath Place v. 22: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell es Safi.
Gaza Place v. 22: Called also Azzah, which is its Hebrew name. Modern identification: Tell Harube.