Joshua 10
BSA1 Now Adoni-zedek [the Lord of righteousness] king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua [God’s salvation, the leader of Israel] had captured [taken by force, seized] Ai [the heap of ruins] and devoted [utterly destroyed, consecrated to God] it to destruction—doing to Ai [the city of ruins] and its king as he had done to Jericho [the city of the moon] and its king—and that the people of Gibeon [the hill city, a place of refuge] had made peace [covenant, agreement] with Israel [God’s chosen people] and were living [dwelling, residing] near them [in close proximity, as neighbors]. word study 2 So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly [exceedingly, very] alarmed [feared, stood in awe], because Gibeon [a great city, a royal city] was a great [large, important] city, like one [a single, unique] of the royal [kingly, ruling] cities; it was larger [greater, more extensive] than Ai [a city of ruins], and all [every, the entirety of] its men were mighty [strong, valiant, a strong warrior]. word study 3 Therefore Adoni-zedek [the Lord of righteousness, a Canaanite king] king of Jerusalem [the city of peace] sent word [a message, to summon] to Hoham [whom Jehovah has graciously given] king of Hebron [a place of alliance, a city in Palestine], Piram [a lofty or elevated one] king of Jarmuth [heights, a city in Palestine], Japhia [bright, a son of David] king of Lachish [invincible, a city in Palestine], and Debir [an oracle, a speaker] king of Eglon [circle, a city in Palestine], saying [to communicate, to speak], word study 4 “Come up [ascend to a higher place] and help [assist, aid, or support] me. We will attack [strike, smite, or assault] Gibeon [a Levitical city], because they have made [established, ratified, or confirmed] peace [shalom, a state of safety or tranquility] with Joshua [a leader, the son of Nun] and the Israelites [the descendants of Jacob, the chosen people].” word study 5 So the five [a group of, a quantity of] kings of the Amorites [Canaanite tribe, descendants of Canaan]—the kings of Jerusalem [city of peace, capital of Palestine], Hebron [valley, a place in Palestine], Jarmuth [heights, a city in Palestine], Lachish [a city in Palestine, south of Jerusalem], and Eglon [a king of Moab, a city in Palestine]—joined forces [gathered themselves together, assembled] and advanced [went up, ascended] with all [every, the whole of] their armies [hosts, camps]. They camped [encamped, pitched their tents] before [in front of, opposite] Gibeon [a Levitical city, a place in Palestine] and made war [fought, battled] against it [opposed, resisted]. word study 6 Then the men [people, inhabitants] of Gibeon sent word to Joshua [the leader, God is salvation] in the camp [army, gathering] at Gilgal: “Do not abandon [slacken your hand, withdraw] your servants [those who serve, attend]. Come quickly [with haste, speed] and save us [rescue, deliver]! Help us [assist, aid], because all [every, the whole] the kings [rulers, monarchs] of the Amorites [a Canaanite tribe, descendants of Canaan] from the hill country [mountainous region, highlands] have joined forces [assembled, gathered] against us [toward us, in opposition].” word study 7 So Joshua [the leader, Yahweh is salvation] and his whole army [all the people of war], including [comprising, made up of] all the mighty men [strong warriors] of valor [strength, courage], came [ascended, went up] from [out of] Gilgal [the wheel, rolling, a region in Palestine]. word study 8 The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said to Joshua [the leader who helped the Israelites], “Do not [in no way] be afraid [to fear or revere] of them, for I have delivered [given, put] them into your hand [an open hand; strength, a side or share]. Not one [no single] of them shall stand [in a strong sense, like a victorious warrior] against you [in your presence, before your face].” word study 9 After marching [traversing, traveling] all [the entire, whole] night [a period of darkness, adversity] from [out of, departing] Gilgal [a place of rolling, wheel-like], Joshua [a leader, successor of Moses] caught [came upon, surprised] them [their enemies, the opposition] by surprise [suddenly, without warning, unexpectedly]. word study 10 And the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] threw them into confusion [discomfited them, caused them to panic] before Israel, who defeated them in a great [large, abundant] slaughter [defeat, carnage] at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent [way of the ascent, upward path] to Beth-horon, and struck them down [smiteth them, hit them] as far as Azekah and Makkedah. word study 11 As they fled [in panic, running away] before Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] along the descent [a downward slope, a steep place] from Beth-horon [the house of hollowness, a place of emptiness] to Azekah [a town in the lowlands of Judah, dug over], the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] cast down [threw, hurled] on them large hailstones [great stones] from the sky [heaven, the visible universe], and more of them were killed [died, met their end] by the hailstones [stones of hail, a sign of God’s power] than by the swords [cutting instruments, weapons of war] of the Israelites [the sons of Israel, God’s people]. word study 12 On the day [when the Lord intervened, at that specific time] that the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] gave [handed over, delivered] the Amorites [a Canaanite tribe, descendants of Canaan] over to the Israelites [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people], Joshua [a leader and successor of Moses] spoke [to say, communicate] to the LORD [Yehovah, the sovereign God] in the presence [face, before] of Israel: “O sun [the celestial body], stand still [be silent, cease motion] over Gibeon [a Levitical city, a place of refuge], O moon [the natural satellite], over the Valley [lowland area, a place of battle] of Aijalon [a city in Palestine, meaning field of deer].” word study 13 So the sun [the celestial body] stood still [came to a complete halt, stopped moving] and the moon [the natural satellite, governing the tides] stopped [ceased to move, was stationary] until the nation [Gentiles, non-Hebrew people] took vengeance [punished, avenged themselves] upon its enemies [those who oppose or hate them]. Is this not written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book of Jashar [a historical record, a book of the upright]? “So the sun [the sun God] stopped [stood still, was motionless] in the middle [the midst, the center] of the sky [the heavens, the atmosphere] and delayed [did not hasten, was slow] going down [setting, descending] about a full day [a complete day, twenty-four hours].” word study 14 There has been no day [before or after, in all history] like it [such a unique and extraordinary day] before or since, when the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] listened to [hearkened unto, gave ear to] the voice [sound, utterance] of a man [human, mortal], because the LORD [Yehovah, the divine Warrior] fought [engaged in battle, waged war] for Israel [the chosen people, God’s nation]. word study 15 Then Joshua [the leader, God’s appointed deliverer] returned [to turn back, to go back to a previous place] with all [every single one, the entirety of] Israel [God’s chosen people, the descendants of Jacob] to the camp [a group of people, an army, a company of followers] at [toward, in the direction of] Gilgal [the place of rolling, a region in Palestine]. word study 16 Now the five [a quantity of, numbering] kings [royal rulers, monarchs] had fled [run away, escaped] and hidden [concealed, secretly withdrawn] in the cave [a hole, a rock cavern] at Makkedah [place of shepherds, a city in Palestine]. word study 17 And Joshua [the leader, God’s appointed one] was informed [told, declared openly]: “The [number] five [a quantity of five] kings [royal rulers, monarchs] have been found [discovered, located]; they are hiding [concealed, secreted] in the cave [a dark or hidden place] at Makkedah [place of shepherds, a city in Palestine].” word study 18 So Joshua [the leader] said, “Roll [to move in a rolling motion] large [great, significant] stones [rocks, weights] against [towards, to] the mouth [lip, edge] of the cave [a dark or hidden place], and post [set, appoint] men [individuals] there to guard [keep, watch over] them [the kings, the enemies]. word study 19 But you [stand still], do not stop there [stay not, without waiting]. Pursue [chase down, follow after] your enemies [adversaries, those who oppose you] and attack [smite, cut off] them from behind [the hindmost, from the rear]. Do not let [suffer not, allow not] them reach [enter into, go into] their cities [towns, places of refuge], for the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] your God [Elohim, the one true God] has delivered [given, put] them into your hand [power, control].” word study 20 So Joshua [the leader, Yahweh is salvation] and the Israelites [God’s chosen people, descendants of Jacob] continued to inflict [to strike or hit, bringing destruction] a terrible [very great, exceedingly severe] slaughter [a wound, carnage, or defeat] until they had finished [to complete, consume, or bring to an end] them off, and the remaining [surviving, left behind] survivors [those who remain, escape, or are spared] retreated [to escape, flee, or slip away] to the fortified [strong, walled, or protected] cities [towns, settlements, or places of refuge]. word study 21 The whole [entire, complete] army returned [to turn back, to come back] safely [in peace, without harm] to Joshua [the leader, God is salvation] in the camp [a group of people, an army] at Makkedah [place of shepherds], and no one [not a single person, none] dared [had the courage, was willing] to utter [to speak, to move sharply] a word [tongue, language] against [in opposition to, toward] the Israelites [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people]. word study 22 Then Joshua [the leader] said, “Open [to uncover, to bring to light] the mouth [lip, edge] of the cave [a hidden or dark place] and bring those [these, the specific] five [a quantity of five, a complete set] kings [rulers, monarchs] out [to come out, to emerge] to me [toward me, in my direction].” word study 23 So they brought [in obedience, as commanded] the five [exactly, a complete set of] kings out of the cave [a dark, hidden place, a hole in the ground]—the kings [rulers, monarchs] of Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital], Hebron [a place of alliance, a city of refuge], Jarmuth [a height, a lofty city], Lachish [an invincible or impregnable city], and Eglon [a circular or round city, a place of strength]. word study 24 When they had brought the kings [those royal leaders] to Joshua [the leader of Israel], he summoned [called together, gathered] all the men of Israel [the entire nation, every individual] and said to the army commanders [chiefs of the men of war, leaders in battle] who had accompanied [gone with, walked alongside] him, “Come here [approach, draw near] and put your feet [place your authority, tread] on the necks of these kings [those defeated rulers].” So the commanders [leaders, chiefs] came forward [drew near, approached] and put their feet [exercised their authority, dominated] on their necks. word study 25 “Do not [be terrified, nor be dismayed] be afraid [fear not, have no fear] or discouraged [troubled, faint hearted],” Joshua [God is salvation] said. “Be strong [strengthened, courageous] and courageous [of good courage, take heart], for the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] will do [make, accomplish] this to all [everything, every one of] the enemies [adversaries, those who oppose] you fight [engage in battle, war against].” word study 26 After this, Joshua [the leader] struck down [smiting, to smite] and killed [put to death, slew] the kings, and he hung [hanged, to suspend] their bodies on five [the number five] trees [wooden objects] and left them there [upon the trees] until [as far as, till] evening [sunset]. word study 27 At [the time of, when] sunset [the going down of the sun] Joshua [the leader, God is salvation] ordered [commanded, gave the charge] that they be taken down [removed, lowered] from the trees [the wooden structures, gibbets] and thrown [cast, tossed] into the cave [the hidden place, den] in which [where] they had hidden [concealed themselves, been in secret]. Then [after that, next] large [great, significant] stones [rocks, weights] were placed [set, laid] against [on, upon] the mouth [the entrance, opening] of the cave [the hidden place, hollow], and the stones [the rocks, memorials] are there [remain, stay] to this day [until now, presently]. word study 28 On that day [the very same day] Joshua [God is salvation] captured [seized, took control of] Makkedah [place of shepherds] and put it to the sword [executed judgment, utterly destroyed], along with its king [ruler, monarch]. He devoted [consecrated, set apart] to destruction [utterly destroyed, dedicated to God] everyone [all souls, every person] in the city, leaving [allowing to remain] no survivors [no one remaining, no remnant]. So he did [treated, acted toward] to the king of Makkedah [the ruler of the place of shepherds] as he had done [as he did previously] to the king of Jericho [the ruler of the city of palms]. word study 29 Then Joshua [the leader, Yahweh is salvation] and all [every single one, the entire nation] Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, God’s chosen people] with [together, in accompaniment] him moved on [passed over, transitioned] from Makkedah [the place of shepherds] to Libnah [a Canaanite royal city, later allocated to Judah] and fought [engaged in battle, waged war] against [in opposition to, with the intent to conquer] Libnah [the city, its people and defenses]. word study 30 And the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] also delivered that city and its king [the ruler, monarch] into the hand [power, authority] of Israel, and Joshua put all the people [every soul, all inhabitants] to the sword [with the edge of the sword, by the power of the sword], leaving [causing to remain, sparing] no survivors [no remnant, none remaining]. And he did to the king of Libnah [the ruler of Libnah] as he had done [as he did previously] to the king of Jericho [the ruler of Jericho, a city in Palestine]. word study 31 And Joshua [the leader, Yahweh is salvation] and all [every single one] Israel with [together, in accompaniment] him moved on [passed, transitioned] from Libnah [a city in Palestine, a former Canaanite royal city] to Lachish [a city in Palestine, south of Jerusalem]. They laid siege [encamped, surrounded] to it and fought [battled, warred] against it. word study 32 And the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] delivered Lachish [a city in Palestine, south of Jerusalem] into the hand [an open hand; strength, a side or share] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants], and Joshua captured [seized, took control of] it on the second [another, following] day. He put [struck, smote] all the people [souls, living beings] to the sword [a cutting instrument, including knives], just as he had done [made, accomplished] to Libnah [a city in Palestine, originally a Canaanite royal city]. word study 33 At that time [then, in a past moment] Horam [a Canaanite king] king of Gezer [a city in Palestine] went to help [to aid, to assist] Lachish [a city in Judah], but Joshua [a leader, a deliverer] struck him down [to smite, to defeat] along with his people [his nation, his tribe], leaving [so as to spare] no survivors [no remnant, none remaining]. word study 34 So Joshua [the leader, Yahweh is salvation] moved on [passed over, transitioned] from Lachish [a city in Palestine, south of Jerusalem] to Eglon [a city in the lowlands], and all [every single one] Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] with [accompanied by, together] him. They laid siege [encamped against, surrounded] to it and fought [waged war, battled] against it [in opposition to, with hostility]. word study 35 That day [in the same 24-hour period, at that very time] they captured [seized, took control of] Eglon [a city in Palestine] and put it to the sword [smote it with the edge of the sword, killed its inhabitants], and Joshua devoted [set apart, consecrated] to destruction [utterly destroyed, completely annihilated] everyone [all the souls, every person] in the city, just as he had done [in a similar manner, according to the same pattern] to Lachish [a city in Judah, a previous conquest]. word study 36 Then Joshua [the leader, God is salvation] and all [every single one] Israel with [together, in accompaniment] him went up [ascended, rose] from Eglon [a city, a place of strength] to Hebron [a valley, a place of alliance] and fought [engaged in battle, struggled] against [upon, in opposition to] it. word study 37 They captured [seized, took control of] it and put to the sword [struck with the edge of the sword, utterly destroyed] its king [ruler, monarch], all its villages [cities, towns], and all the people [souls, every person]. Joshua left no survivors [no one remaining, none to spare], just as he had done at Eglon [as he had previously done, in a similar manner]; he devoted [consecrated, set apart] to destruction [utter devastation, complete ruin] Hebron [the city, the stronghold] and everyone in it [all its inhabitants, every soul]. word study 38 Finally Joshua [the leader] and all [every single one] Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] with [together, in companionship] him turned [to return, to face] toward Debir [the city, a place of worship] and fought [to engage in battle, to war] against [upon, in opposition to] it. word study 39 And they captured [took control of, seized] Debir, its king [royal ruler, monarch], and all [every single one, the entirety] its villages [towns, cities]. They put them to the sword [killed them with the edge of the sword, utterly destroyed] and devoted [dedicated, set apart] to destruction [annihilation, complete ruin] everyone [all souls, every person] in the city, leaving [leaving behind, sparing] no survivors [no one remaining, no remnant]. Joshua did to Debir and its king [as he had done previously, in a similar manner] as he had done to Hebron [the city of alliance, the city of friendship] and as he had done to Libnah [the city of whiteness, the city of purity] and its king [the ruler, the monarch]. word study 40 So Joshua [the leader] conquered the whole region [the entire land, all the country]—the hill country [the mountainous area], the Negev [the southern district, the dry southern area], the foothills [the lowland, the Shephelah], and the slopes [the ravines, the springs], together with all their kings [the royal rulers, the monarchs]—leaving no survivors [no one remaining, utterly destroying all]. He devoted to destruction [gave over to the curse, utterly destroyed] everything that breathed [all that had the breath of life, every living thing], just as the LORD [Yehovah], the God [Elohim, the supreme God] of Israel [the people of God, the descendants of Jacob], had commanded [given orders, instructed]. word study 41 Joshua [the leader, Yahweh is salvation] conquered [smote, struck down] the area [region, territory] from Kadesh-barnea [in the southern desert] to Gaza [Azzah, the strong city], and the whole [entire, all] region [land, country] of Goshen [drawing near, approaching] as far as [till, until] Gibeon [a Levitical city, hill or height]. word study 42 And because the LORD [Yehovah], the God of Israel, fought [engaged in battle, waged war] for Israel, Joshua [leader of the Israelites] captured [seized, took control of] all these kings [rulers, monarchs] and their land [territory, domain] in one campaign [at the same time, in a single effort]. word study 43 Then Joshua [the leader, God’s appointed] returned [to turn back, to go back] with all [everything, every person] Israel [God’s chosen people] to the camp [a group of people, an army] at [toward, in the direction of] Gilgal [the place of rolling, a region in Palestine]. word study