Joshua 11

1. Jabin. The royal name of the chief of Hazor (see Judges iv. 2), which was a powerful city. Its site is not certainly known.

2 on the north of the mountains, etc. A more literal translation shows accurately the extent of this formidable confederacy: “on the north in the mountain (i.e., Lebanon and Hermon), and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth (i.e., the higher part of the Jordan valley), and in the plain (i.e., of Esdraelon and towards the Mediterranean), and in the heights of Dor (or perhaps Naphoth-dor), on the west.”

Chinneroth. Chinneroth is considered by some scholars to be Gennesaret, but Sir G. A. Smith thinks this improbable. It was evidently at the southern part of the Sea of Galilee.

Dor on the west. Or, by the sea. Dor, probably now Tantura, lay on the seashore, a few miles south of Mount Carmel, whose outlying roots may be “the heights (R.V. for ‘borders’) of Dor.”

5 the waters of Merom. This is generally supposed to be the upper lake of the Jordan, now called Bahr-el-Huleh.

8. Misrephoth-maim. “Burnings of waters.” Referring, perhaps, to the famous Phœnician glass manufacture, or to salt-works by the seashore, or to a hot spring.

9 houghed their horses. Or, ‘hamstrung,’ disabling them for war.

11 he burnt Hazor with fire. Hazor was, however, rebuilt, and it became the capital of another

Jabin. It is evident that in the north as well as the south the Canaanites, though subdued for the time, were not yet completely crushed. In various places they rose again to power, as the Hebrews relaxed their efforts to exterminate them. Cp. xxiii. 5-13; Judges i. 2.

13 that stood still in their strength. Heb., “standing on their hills” (or “mounds”).

16. Joshua took all that land. The land was now generally in the power of the Israelites, though several fortresses were not yet reduced, and others were, probably, afterwards rebuilt and fortified by the Canaanites.

18 made war a long time. As Caleb said (xiv. 7-10) that he was forty years old when he entered the land before, and was eighty-five at the time of the division of the country, and as thirty-eight years were spent in wandering, it follows that this war must have occupied nearly seven years.

20 it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. That is, they were left to the hardness of their hearts, so as to disregard all the wonders of Divine Providence in behalf of the Israelites; and, by this obstinacy, they incurred the punishment of their crimes, which, by submission, they might have escaped.

21 from the mountains. This expression is probably meant to include all the mountainous country of Palestine, the principal parts of which are immediately specified as (the district of) Hebron, Debir, and Anab, and all the mountains of Judah and Israel, the “mountains of Judah” forming the southern, and the “mountains of Israel” the northern part of the great range running through Palestine.

23 took the whole land. i.e., he gained such complete possession of the territory as to be able to portion out the “whole land” to the Israelites, in such a way, however, as perfectly corresponded with God’s promise to Moses that the entire expulsion of the Canaanites should not take place “in one year, lest the land should become desolate,” etc. See Exod. xxiii. 28-30; Deut. vii. 22.