Joshua 11NKJV
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Joshua11

New King James Version

1And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard these things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,

2and to the kings who were from the north, in the mountains, in the plain south of Chinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the west,

3to the Canaanites in the east and in the west, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains, and the Hivite below Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

4So they went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots.

5And when all these kings had met together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

6But the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”

7So Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and they attacked them.

8And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased them to Greater Sidon, to the Brook Misrephoth, and to the Valley of Mizpah eastward; they attacked them until they left none of them remaining.

9So Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

10Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor was formerly the head of all those kingdoms.

11And they struck all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was none left breathing. Then he burned Hazor with fire.

12So all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took and struck with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.

13But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only, which Joshua burned.

14And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the children of Israel took as booty for themselves; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they left none breathing.

15As the Lord had commanded Moses His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

16Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain—the mountains of Israel and its lowlands,

17from Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings, and struck them down and killed them.

18Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

19There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the others they took in battle.

20For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

21And at that time Joshua came and cut off the Anakim from the mountains: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.

22None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.

23So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Joshua 11.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Divers kings overcome at the waters of Merom. (1–9). Hazor is taken and burned. (10–14). All that country subdued, The Anakims cut off. (15–23).

vv1-9

The wonders God wrought for the Israelites were to encourage them to act vigorously themselves. Thus the war against Satan's kingdom, carried on by preaching the gospel, was at first forwarded by miracles; but being fully proved to be of God, we are now left to the Divine grace in the usual course, in the use of the sword of the Spirit. God encouraged Joshua. Fresh dangers and difficulties make it necessary to seek fresh supports from the word of God, which we have nigh unto us for use in every time of need. God proportions our trials to our strength, and our strength to our trials. Joshua's obedience in destroying the horses and chariots, shows his self-denial in compliance with God's command. The possession of things on which the carnal heart is prone to depend, is hurtful to the life of faith, and the walk with God; therefore it is better to be without worldly advantages, than to have the soul endangered by them. (Jos 11:10-14)

vv10-14

The Canaanites filled up the measure of their iniquity, and were, as a judgment, left to the pride, obstinacy, and enmity of their hearts, and to the power of Satan; all restraints being withdrawn, while the dispensations of Providence tended to drive them to despair. They brought on themselves the vengeance they justly merited, of which the Israelites were to be executioners, by the command the Lord gave to Moses.

vv15-23

Never let the sons of Anak be a terror to the Israel of God, for their day to fall will come. The land rested from war. It ended not in a peace with the Canaanites, that was forbidden, but in a peace from them. There is a rest, a rest from war, remaining for the people of God, into which they shall enter, when their warfare is accomplished. That which was now done, is compared with what had been said to Moses. God's word and his works, if viewed together, will be found mutually to set each other forth. If we make conscience of our duty, we need not question the performance of the promise. But the believer must never put off his armour, or expect lasting peace, till he closes his eyes in death; nay, as his strength and usefulness increase, he may expect more heavy trials; yet the Lord will not permit any enemies to assault the believer till he has prepared him for the battle. Christ Jesus ever lives to plead for his people, and their faith shall not fail, however Satan may be permitted to assault them. And however tedious, sharp, and difficult the believer's warfare, his patience in tribulation may be encouraged by the joyfulness of hope; for he will, ere long, rest from sin and from sorrow in the Canaan above.

Cross References

Joshua 11
v12Deuteronomy 7:2thematic

Moses' command to utterly destroy the Canaanites and make no covenant with them is here executed.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB

v6Psalms 20:7thematic

Contrast between trusting in chariots/horses versus relying on the name of the Lord.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

God's law forbade Israel's kings from multiplying horses; hence Joshua houghed the captured horses.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v1Judges 4:2thematic

Jabin is noted as a hereditary title or dynasty ruling from Hazor in Judges.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v19Joshua 9:3-27thematic

Identifies Gibeon as the only Hivite city that successfully made peace with Israel.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v20Deuteronomy 2:30thematic

Parallels God hardening the hearts of enemies to deliver them to destruction, as with Sihon.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v21Numbers 13:22thematic

The Anakims, who previously terrified the faithless spies, are finally cut off by Joshua.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v4Genesis 22:17allusion

The idiom 'as the sand upon the sea shore' recalls the immense size of the confederacy.

Supported by John Calvin

v92 Samuel 8:4thematic

David similarly houghed chariot horses, following Joshua's precedent of not trusting in horses.

Supported by Matthew Poole

The explicit commandment to save alive nothing that breatheth in the cities of these nations.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin

v16Joshua 10:41thematic

Connects the southern campaign's 'land of Goshen' with the northern conquests.

Supported by JFB

v21Joshua 14:12-14thematic

Caleb's inheritance in Hebron, where he drove out the three sons of Anak.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v2Luke 5:1thematic

Identifies the Old Testament 'Cinneroth' as the Lake of Gennesaret/Sea of Galilee.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v20Exodus 4:21thematic

The paradigm of God hardening hearts, established during Pharaoh's resistance in Egypt.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v23Hebrews 4:9typology

The land resting from war foreshadows the eternal rest remaining for God's people.

Supported by Matthew Henry