Josué 10
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Josué 10:1-5
10:1,3 "Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem" This name means "my Lord is just" or "righteous" (BDB 11) and is related etymologically to the title "Melchizedek" (king is/of righteous, BDB 575) who was the priest/king of the city of Salem. This is the first use of the term "Jerusalem" in the Bible. The Septuagint has "Adoni-bezek" (a place name). The city was originally called "Salem" (cf. Gen. 14:18). Later, it is called Jebus (cf. Jdg. 19:10,11; 1 Chr. 11:4). It was given to Benjamin but it is right on the border with Judah. The lower city was captured in Joshua's day but the upper city (fortress) was not captured until David's day (cf. 2 Sam. 5:6ff). We learn from the archaeological discovery of the Amarna tablets, around 1400 b.c., that they called the city "Urusalem." SPECIAL TOPIC: MORIAH, SALEM, JEBUS, JERUSALEM, ZION ▣ "utterly destroyed" This refers to the Hebrew concept of "holy war" called the herem (BDB 355, KB 353, Hiphil IMPERFECT). This meant that a city (i.e., Ai) was dedicated to God; it became so holy that everything that breathed, including men and animals, must be killed. We see this same kind of situation at the battle of Jericho (Joshua 6). SPECIAL TOPIC: CURSE (OT) ▣ "had made peace" This VERB (BDB 1023, KB 1532, Hiphil PERFECT) means "to finish" or "to bring to completion" (e.g., 2 Sam. 10:19; 2 Kgs. 22:44), therefore, it denotes the results of their covenant with Joshua (cf. Jos. 10:4; 9:15). 10:2 "feared" This VERB (BDB 431, KB 432, Qal IMPERFECT with waw) is used several times in Joshua revere ‒ Jos. 4:14, Moses revere ‒ Jos. 4:24; 22:25; 24:14, YHWH fear ‒ Jos. 8:1; 10:8; 11:6, YHWH tells Joshua to not fear fear ‒ Jos. 9:24; 10:2, the Gibeonites and Jerusalemites fear Israel fear ‒ Jos. 10:25, Joshua tells Israel to not fear SPECIAL TOPIC: FEAR (OT) ▣ "Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities" Although it was large and well fortified like one of the royal cities, it was not one because it apparently had no king and was in a league with several other cities (cf. Jos. 9:17). ▣ "all its men were mighty" This is a word play between Gibeon (BDB 149) "great" (BDB 152) "mighty" (gibborim, BDB 150). 10:3 "Hebron. . .Jarmuth. . .Lachish. . .Eglon" These sites are all located in the southern hill country of Judah and Benjamin. The inhabitants were all of Amorite descent. We also learn from the Amarna tablets that all of these cities appear in this ancient document except for the city of Hebron which was also called "Kiriath-arba" (cf. Jos. 20:7). This, again, shows the historicity of this account. 10:4 Notice the verbal commands. "Come up with me," BDB 748, KB 828, Qal IMPERATIVE "Help me," BDB 740, KB 810, Qal IMPERATIVE "Let us attack," BDB 645, KB 679, Hiphil IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense 10:5 "camped by" This refers to a siege.
Josué 10:6-11
10:6 Israel's covenant with Gibeon promised military protection. Verse 6 contains several IMPERATIVES in the message the Gibeonites sent to Joshua. "do not abandon your servants" (lit. "slacken your hands"), BDB 951, KB 1276, Hiphil JUSSIVE, cf. Jos. 1:5; Deut. 4:31; Ps. 138:8 "come up to us quickly," BDB 748, KB 828, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Jos. 10:4 "save us," BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil IMPERATIVE "help us," BDB 740, KB 810, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Jos. 10:4 Numbers 3 and 4 are used synonymously. ▣ "Amorites" See SPECIAL TOPIC: PRE-ISRAELITE INHABITANTS OF PALESTINE. 10:7 "he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors" "he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor" "he and all the fighting force with him, and all the mighty warriors" "Joshua and his whole army, including the best troops" "he, all the fighting men and all the bravest of his army" Are there two groups of fighting men or two designations of one large group? The second phrase is used several times in Joshua (cf. Jos. 1:14; 8:3; 10:7 and also Jdg. 6:12; 11:1). From the usage in Jos. 8:3 it seems to refer to two groups (regular soldiers and an elite group of special soldiers, NET), but LXX, JPSOA, and REB traanslations suggest one group. 10:8 "Do not fear them" The VERB (BDB 431, KB 432) is a Qal IMPERFECT, used in a JUSSIVE sense. It is a recurrent message of God to His people. Abraham ‒ Gen. 15:1 Hagar ‒ Gen. 21:17 Isaac ‒ Gen. 26:24 Israel (by Moses) ‒ Exod. 14:13; 20:20; Deut. 1:21; 20:3; 31:6 Israel (by Joshua) ‒ Jos. 8:1; 10:25 ▣ "for I have given them into your hands" This is a recurrent Hebrew idiom of military defeat (cf. Deut. 7:24; Jos. 6:2; 8:1,18). SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND ▣ "not one of them shall stand before you" This is another Hebrew idiom of military defeat (cf. Deut. 7:24; 11:25; Jos. 1:5; 23:9) ▣ It is interesting to me to see the relationship between the sovereign word of God recorded in Jos. 10:8 and the required human effort recorded in Jos. 10:9 and 11. Although God assured them of the victory, they still had to prepare for the battle and form a strategy to defeat the Canaanites. It is this tension between God's sovereignty and man's free will that is found so often in the Bible. SPECIAL TOPIC: ELECTION/PREDESTINATION AND THE NEED FOR A THEOLOGICAL BALANCE SPECIAL TOPIC: PRE-DESTINATION (CALVINISM) VS. HUMAN FREE WILL (ARMINIANISM) ▣ This chapter expresses well the concept of holy war as YHWH's judgment against the Canaanites (cf. Gen. 15:16; Lev. 18:24-28). YHWH's own statements, Jos. 10:8 the narrator, Jos. 10:10-11,14,30,42 Joshua's words, Jos. 10:19,25 10:9 "by marching all night" This was no small effort to save a Canaanite population. Israel felt bound to Gibeon by Joshua's covenant oath. ▣ "from Gilgal" In Hebrew "Gilgal" means "circle" (BDB 166). It was the first campsite of the Jews as they crossed the Jordan River. See fuller note at Jos. 9:6. Apparently the five kings of these large city states in southern Canaan had attacked Gibeon because they had made peace with the Israelites. 10:10 NASB, LXX "the Lord confounded them" "the Lord routed them" "the Lord threw them into a panic" "the Lord made the Amorites panic" "Yahweh threw them into disorder" This VERB (BDB 243, KB 251) is often used with YHWH as the SUBJECT (cf. Exod. 14:24; 23:27; Deut. 7:23; Jos. 10:10; Jdg. 4:15; 1 Sam. 7:10; 2 Chr. 15:6) and is part of the technical terminology of "holy war" (herem). All of the VERBS in Jos. 10:10 are SINGULAR, implying that they refer to YHWH (notice Jos. 10:11 and Jos. 10:12), but the suffixes are PLURAL, implying Israel. In reality YHWH is the power and Israel the instrument of His power. "confounded/confused," BDB 243, KB 251, Qal IMPERFECT with waw "slew," BDB 645, KB 697, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw "pursued," BDB 922, KB 1191, Qal IMPERFECT with waw "struck," BDB 645, KB 697, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw ▣ "the ascent of Beth-horon. . .Azekah and Makkedah" These geographical sites are uncertain. We are not sure whether the first is to the east or to the west of Gibeon. The last two are to the south. 10:11 "the Lord threw large stones from heaven on them" Here is God using natural means with supernatural timing, location, and intensity (exactly like the plagues of Egypt). In reality more of the enemy died from the hailstones (cf. Isa. 30:30) than from the Israelites' sword. This shows the tension between Jos. 10:8 and 9 in a different way.
Josué 10:12-14
10:12 "O sun, stand still at Gibeon" Verses 12b-13 are a poem (from the book of Jashar) which shows God's control of nature. As He controlled the hailstones, He can slow down or stop the rotation of the earth (cf. Isa. 38:7-8) stop the morning light (this is the meaning of the Hebrew "stand still," literally, "be silent," BDB 198, KB 226, Qal IMPERATIVE in Jos. 10:12 and Qal IMPERFECT with waw in Jos. 10:13, e.g., 1 Sam. 18:9; Jer. 47:6); and thereby keep the sun from shining on the Israelis who were traveling by night to reach Gibeon or allowing them to move up undetected (cf. Jos. 10:10) send a storm that darkened the day (i.e., made it cooler for the tired Israeli troops). It is uncertain whether this is merely a poetic account (cf. Jdg. 5:20) or if it is to be taken literally (cf. Isa. 38:7-8), as the sun actually stood still longer night longer day darkness of a storm), or shined less brightly (i.e., cooler) For those who believe in a supernatural God exactly what happened is not as important as knowing that God is sovereign over time, history, and nature. Theologically this shows YHWH's control over the heavenly bodies (Babylonian deities). These astral gods must now help the Israelites conquer the Canaanites. 10:13 "book of Jashar" Jashar means "upright" (BDB 449). This book was an ancient Israeli collection of war poems. It is also mentioned in 2 Sam. 1:17ff. This book has been lost except for the biblical quotes. 10:14 "There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man" This is a strange phrase. It may be part of the poem from the book of Jashar. YHWH responded to Joshua's prayer request. All of the other military strategies were given by YHWH; this miracle was possibly Joshua's idea. ▣ "for the Lord fought for Israel" This VERB (BDB 535, KB 526, Niphal PARTICIPLE) is used several times for YHWH's acting on Israel's behalf (cf. Jos. 10:42; 23:3,10; Exod. 14:14; Deut. 1:30; 3:22; 20:4). This is where the imagery of YHWH as the diviine warrior comes from.
Josué 10:15
10:15 "all Israel" This refers to the military troops who traveled all night to reach Gibeon, not to all of those who came out of Egypt. This verse seems out of place. Surely Joshua did not return to Gilgal until after the military events described in Jos. 10:16-21. The NASB, 1970 edition, makes it part of the paragraph which includes poetry from the book of Jashar (i.e., part of Jos. 10:12-13), possibly the quote extends through Jos. 10:15. It is also possible that Gilgal refers to another city close to Shechem.
Josué 10:16-21
10:18-19 These verses contain several commands from Joshua. "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave," BDB 164, KB 193, Qal IMPERATIVE "Assign men to guard them," BDB 823, KB 955, Hiphil IMPERATIVE plus BDB 1036, KB 1581, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT "Do not stay there yourselves," BDB 763, KB 840, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense "Pursue your enemies," BDB 922, KB 1191, Qal IMPERATIVE A Translator's Handbook on the Book of Joshua, from United Bible Societies, suggests that #2 may refer to local Gibeonites who showed Joshua the cave (p. 146). 10:19 "attack them in the rear" "attack their rear ranks" NRSV, TEV "attack them from the rear" "cut off their line of retreat" "Lay hold of their rear guard" "overtake them" "press on the heels" "catch them" This refers to the rear guard (cf. Duet. 25:18). Israel was to aggressively attack and continue to attack until all were dead—no mercy, holy war! 10:21 "all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah" Verses 15 and 43 state that the camp was at Gilgal. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, Jos. 10:21 and 43 are omitted. Possibly, the campsite mentioned in Jos. 10:21 was a temporary one and the main camp was still at the original site, Gilgal. ▣ "No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel" "no one moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel" "no one dared to speak against any of the Israelites" "no one dared even to speak against the Israelites" "no one dared to attempt anything against the Israelites" "no one of the sons of Israel grumbled with his tongue" "no one so much as snarled at the Israelites" "not one of the Israelites suffered so much as a scratch" This was a Hebrew idiom of contempt (literally, "to cut" or "to sharpen," BDB 358, KB 356, Qal PERFECT, cf. Exod. 11:7), which refers to other Canaanite tribes. As YHWH did in His victory over Egypt, so now He does a similar thing (silence the Canaanites, i.e. Exod. 11:7). Notice the possible ways to understand the VERB and OBJECT. no Israelites were hurt/wounded in the battle no Israelite spoke negatively of the military action no Canaanite spoke badly of Israel no Canaanite tribe thought of attacking Israel
Josué 10:22-27
10:22 Here are two more commands from Joshua. "open," BDB 834, KB 986, Qal IMPERATIVE "bring out," BDB 422, KB 425, Hiphil IMPERATIVE 10:24 Here again are two more commands from Joshua. "come near," BDB 897, KB 1132, Qal IMPERATIVE "put," BDB 962, KB 1321, Qal IMPERATIVE Notice the repetitive form of Hebrew narrative (two Qal IMPERATIVES; two Qal IMPERFECTS). ▣ "put your feet on the necks of these kings" The term "neck" (BDB 848) was a symbol of strength. This is an idiom of the complete defeat and subservience (cf. Deut. 33:29; 1 Kgs. 5:3; Ps. 110:1) of these Canaanite kings. 10:24 The surviving warriors and leaders were subjected to humiliating treatment in the Ancient Near East. There are several verbal metaphors used which may be derived from actual events. putting your foot on the neck of the defeated foe Gen. 49:8 Jos. 10:24 treading on the enemy 2 Sam. 22:39 Ps. 44:5 Ps. 60:12 Ps. 108:13 Isa. 63:3 (of YHWH) (this may relate to Gen. 3:15) vanquished as footstool 1 Kgs. 5:3 Ps. 18:38 Ps. 47:3 Ps. 110:1 (a-c may relate to metaphor #2) 10:25 "Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous" Again this verse contains several commands from Joshua. YHWH is symbolically speaking through him. "do not fear," BDB 431, KB 432, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense "do not be dismayed," BDB 369, KB 365, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense "be strong," BDB 304, KB 307, Qal IMPERATIVE "be courageous," BDB 54, KB 65, Qal IMPERATIVE This is the exact same message that God gave to Joshua. Faith is crucial (cf. Deut. 20:8; Jdg. 7:3). 10:26-27 "he hung them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening" The five kings were first killed with swords (i.e., struck) and then impaled on a stake. From Deut. 21:22,23 we learn what a humiliating act this was in the eyes of the Jews. To be unburied was worse than being dead. We can see how Joshua used this as a sign to ridicule this united Canaanite opposition to the Israeli advance. SPECIAL TOPIC: HANG 10:27 "to this very day" This is the textual mark of a later editor. SPECIAL TOPIC: LATER EDITORIAL ADDITIONS TO DEUTERONOMY
Josué 10:28
10:28 Makkedah was also under the herem (BDB 355, KB 353, Hiphil PERFECT) as Jericho and Ai (good article in NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 368-369) had been. Libnah would be also (cf. Jos. 10:29-39), as well as Lachish (good article in NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 862-864), Gezer, Eglon, Hebron (good article in NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 698-700), and Debir. ▣ "he utterly destroyed it and every person who was in it. He left no survivor" The holy war (herem, cf. Jos. 8:8) judgment is repeated several times (Hiphil, cf. Jos. 8:22; 10:28,30,33,39,40; 11:8,14; Num. 21:35; Deut. 2:34; 3:3). SPECIAL TOPIC: CURSE (OT)
Josué 10:29-30
10:30 Just as in Jos. 10:10, the VERBS are SINULAR: YHWH gave ‒ BDB 678, KB 733, Qal IMPERFECT with waw he struck it ‒ BDB 645, KB 697, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw he left no survivor ‒ BDB 983, KB 1375, Hiphil PERFECT he did to its king just as he had done to the king of Jericho ‒ BDB 793, KB 889, Qal IMPERFECT with waw and Qal PERFECT This could refer to Joshua as YHWH's instrument of judgment through conquest or theologically, like Jos. 10:10, of the power and victory belonging to YHWH.
Josué 10:36-37
10:36-37 The capture of Hebron is a good example of conflicting data or partial data recorded in the OT. There are several different traditions about its capture. Jos. 10:36-37 ‒ Joshua completely destroyed it, its leadership and its surrounding villages Jos. 14:6-14; Jdg. 1:20 ‒ Caleb captured the city, its hills and its Anakim (giants) inhabitants Judg. 1:10 ‒ Judah captured the city, its hills and the descendants of Anak (the giants) This is one of many examples of the confusion which modern interpreters face in trying to sort out the historical aspects of this period. It is helpful to remember that the OT is a combination of history and theology. It is not modern, western, chronological, cause and effect, recording of events! We may not know the exact details of the military encounters but the covenant theology is consistent! SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS USED FOR TALL/POWERFUL WARRIORS OR PEOPLE GROUPS (giants)
Josué 10:40-43
10:40-43 These verses are a geographical summary of the military campaign up to this point (i.e., southern Canaan). Notice the continued use of the term "utterly destroy all who breathe." Again, this refers to humans and animals because they became dedicated to God (i.e., herem, BDB 355). 10:40 In Jos. 10:40 several topological and geographical areas are mentioned. "the hill country," BDB 249, refers to the highlands of Judah, cf. Jos. 11:3,21; 15:48; 18:12; 20:7; 21:11 (not 11:2) "the Negev," BDB 616, means the semi-arid pasture lands of southern Judah, cf. Jos. 15:19,21-23 "the lowlands," BDB 1050, strip of land west of the Judean hill country, cf. Jos. 15:33 (not 11:2) "the slopes," BDB 78, the hillsides to the east of the Judean hills, sloping toward the Dead Sea, cf. Jos. 12:8 (on eastern side of Jordan, cf. Jos. 12:3; 13:20; Deut. 3:17; 4:49) 10:41 "Gaza" See a good article in NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 652-653. ▣ "Goshen" The land of Goshen mentioned here is not the one in Egypt, but the one in Canaan (cf. Jos. 15:51).