Joshua 10

Joshua 10:2

2. — as one of the royal cities.] Was as a royal city, that is, was not properly a royal city, having no king, but was, notwithstanding, equal to those cities which had kings. Bp. Patrick.

Joshua 10:5

5. — five kings of the Amorites.] Called “of the Amo- + Heb. cities of the kingdom. God fighteth against the five kings with hailstones. Before CHRIST 1451. suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.

Joshua 10:10

10. — that goeth up to Beth-horon.] To the place afterwards called by this name; the place itself was not built till the Israelites were settled in Canaan. See 1 Chron. vii. 24.

Joshua 10:11

11. — the Lord cast down great stones] Great “hailstones,” as is explained in the succeeding part of the verse. In working miracles, God usually employs natural causes and productions. He does not create any thing new for the purpose, but makes use of what was already created in a new and extraordinary manner; and therefore, though the shower of hail, and probably the wind too, which made it fall with such impetuosity, were both of them natural; yet, in sending them at this very instant of time, and directing them to fall upon the enemy only, there was manifestly the hand of God, and something supernatural. Stackhouse. Joshua fought, but God discomfited the Amorites: the praise is to the Workman, not to the instrument. Bp. Hall.

Joshua 10:12

12. Then spake Joshua to the Lord] He preferred an earnest petition to God to grant what he was now about to desire for the completion of his victory. Dr. Wells. — Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; &c.] As Joshua is said to have “gone up from Gilgal all night,” ver. 9, it is probable that the events now related took place in the morning. The sun appeared to rise over Gibeon, which lay to the east of the Israelites, and the moon to be about setting over Ajalon, which lay to the west of them, towards the Mediterranean sea. In this situation, Joshua, moved by a divine impulse, uttered this invocation in the sight of Israel; and, in consequence, the sun “hasted not to go down about a whole day,” that is, in that climate, near the vernal equinox, about thirteen hours; and thus about twenty-six hours of daylight were afforded them for the destruction of their enemies, during which they took the city of Makkedah, and slew the five kings who hid themselves in a cave near it, ver. 21, &c. Dr. Hales. This signal miracle seems to have been particularly directed against the prevailing worship of “the host of heaven;” and nothing surely could be more strikingly calculated to correct this idolatry, than to behold “the sun and the moon stand still” at the command of the general of the armies of the God of Israel, “the Lord of heaven and earth.” Bp. Tomline. The sun and the moon were the ordinary gods of the heathen world; and who amongst them could not but think that their standing still but one hour would be the ruin of nature? But now all the heathen could well see that there is a higher than their highest; that their gods are but the servants to the God whom they themselves should adore, and whose will all nature obeys. Bp. Hall. A miraculous perversion of the course of nature, such as this, instead of being properly brought forward as an objection, is a great argument of the almighty power of God: for, to cause the sun “not to haste to go down,” that is, to stop the diurnal course of the globe for some hours, and then again to give it the same motion, required the same infinite power, which gave this vast globe its motion at the first. Dr. Derham. It can never be affirmed, that the miracle here recorded of the sun standing still is impossible or incredible, since it is certain and self-evident that the great Author of nature, who gave being and motion to the sun and stars, may stop that motion when and as long as He pleases, especially when their rest will contribute to His glory, (as was the case in the present instance,) as much as their continued motion does. We talk of greater and lesser miracles, when, in reality, to the almighty power of God all things are equally easy. The motion and other properties of all created beings were at first impressed by Him; and, with the same facility, He can retard or suspend their operations, for they have no power of resisting the first movement of His will. Since therefore every thing, that is contrary to the ordinary course of nature, requires the interposition of an Almighty power, and whatever is not impossible in itself, is equally possible with God; with Him there can be no difference between stopping the waters of Jordan, and drying up the Red sea; between drawing water from the stony rock, and arresting the sun in the firmament of heaven; for “whatsoever He pleaseth, that He doeth, in heaven and in earth, in the sea and all deep places.” Stackhouse. It should well be observed, how remarkably pertinent this miracle was to the circumstances of the persons concerned in it. The sun, moon, and lights of heaven, were the deities at that time worshipped by the inhabitants of Canaan; but the Israelites were the servants of the true God, by whose command, and under whose protection, they were to war against these nations, and against their gods; and what greater demonstration could be given of the power of their God to support them, and of the inability of the false deities of the Canaanites to assist their worshippers, than to see that the God of Israel could cause these to contribute to, instead of preventing, the ruin that was coming on those who served them? We cannot imagine that Joshua should, without a special intimation from heaven, have addressed to God the prayer concerning the sun and moon, which he is recorded to have made in the sight of all Israel, ver. 12; for of how great extravagance would he have been proved guilty, if no effect had followed from his prayer? Or how could he be so wild as to think of an accomplishment of so strange an expectation, as this would have been, had the wish for it been only the private thought of his own heart? Unquestionably, the same Lord, who spake unto him before the battle, who The sun and moon stand still. The five kings are mured in a cave. Before CHRIST 1431. Or, the upright.

Joshua 10:15

15. And Joshua returned,—unto the camp to Gilgal.] Joshua did not return to Gilgal till the completion of the whole expedition, ver. 43: the meaning probably is, that he was about to return, when he heard of the five kings and of several others of the enemy remaining. Bp. Patrick.

Joshua 10:16

16. — hid themselves in a cave] Caves, dug in the rocks, are very common in those countries: they are places of retreat, and forts, whither the people retire at the time of war and invasion. Roland.

Joshua 10:21

21. And all the people returned—in peace:] Returned without meeting any enemy to attack them. Dr. Wells. “None moved his tongue against any of them;” an expression of the completeness of their victory, and of the great tranquillity in which they were. Bp. Patrick.

Joshua returneth to Gilgal. Divers kings overcome.

try of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.

16, 17.

Joshua 10:40

40.—the country of the hills, and of the south.] The country of the hills even of the south; that is, the hill country lying in the south part of Canaan. “The country of the vale and of the springs,” that is, the vale country adjoining, abounding more with springs. Dr. Wells.

—utterly destroyed all that breathed.] This must be restrained to mankind, for they kept the cattle for a prey unto themselves. It is here expressly added, that they did this “as the Lord God of Israel commanded;” this being a complete justification of the Israelites from all imputation of cruelty or severity; in fact, they only executed a Divine sentence against the Canaanites for their abominable wickedness, with which they themselves were in danger of being infected. Bp. Patrick. God Himself being, all this time, the Supreme Director and Author of Joshua’s success, by whose special command he executed these severities against idolatrous nations, now by an incurable degree of wickedness become ripe for exemplary destruction. Pyle.

If it be maintained, that it is contrary to God’s moral justice to doom to destruction the crying or smiling infants of the Canaanites; why do we not maintain it to be equally contrary to His moral justice, that He should suffer crying or smiling infants to be swallowed up by an earthquake, drowned by an inundation, consumed by a fire, starved by famine, or destroyed by a pestilence? Perhaps it may be replied, that the evils which the Canaanites suffered from the express command of God were different from those which are brought on mankind by the operation of the laws of nature. Different in what? Not in the magnitude of the evil, not in the subjects of sufferance, not in the Author of it: for my philosophy at least instructs me to believe that God not only primarily formed, but that He hath through all ages executed, the laws of nature; and that He will through all eternity administer them for the general happiness of His creatures, whether we

Joshua 10:41

41.—country of Goshen.] The Goshen here mentioned was in the tribe of Judah: it was probably so called from its excellent pasture, as was also the other Goshen in Egypt.

Joshua 10:43

43. And Joshua returned.] From the account of all Joshua’s victories, and of his speedy conquest of the land of Canaan, we learn that, while our success on every occasion depends on the Divine assistance, it is our duty always to join our own care and endeavours to our trust and confidence in God. We are hereby convinced too of the truth of all the promises which God had made to the children of Israel by Moses, that their enemies should not stand before them, and that He would give them their country and cities to dwell in. We are hence supplied with a proof that God is ever faithful to His promises, that He is almighty in fulfilling them, and that His blessing every where accompanies those that trust in Him and obey His commands. Ostervald.

Chap. XI. ver. 1.—Jabin king of Hazor] Hazor, and the other cities here mentioned, were in the northern parts of Canaan.