Joshua 11 commentary

JOSHUA 11 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
orthern Kings Defeated
1 When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent
word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of
Shimron and Akshaph,
BAR ES, "Jabin - Probably the hereditary and official title of the kings of Hazor
(see Jdg_4:2). The word means literally “he shall understand,” and is equivalent to “the
wise” or “intelligent.”
Hazor - This name, which means “enclosed or “fortified,” belonged also to two other
towns in the south of Judah (compare Jos_15:23, Jos_15:25). The Hazor here in
question, the head of the principalities of Northern Canaan Jos_11:10 overlooked the
lake of Merom, and was afterward assigned to the tribe of Naphtali Jos_19:36. It
doubtless was one of the strongest fortresses in the north, both by nature and art. It is
mentioned in Egyptian inscriptions of an early date. Its situation in the midst of a plain,
though itself on a hill, rendered it especially suitable as a stronghold for people whose
main reliance was on horses and chariots Jos_11:4; Jdg_4:3. Its position on the
northern frontier led to its being fortified by Solomon 1Ki_9:15. Its people were carried
away captive, with those of the other cities of Naphtali, by Tiglath-Pileser 2Ki_15:29. By
the “plain of Nasor,” where (1 Macc. 11:67) Jonathan gained a victory over the Syrians, is
doubtless to be understood “the plain of Asor” (i. e. Hazor). Hazor is conjecturally
identified with the modern Tell Kuraibeh.
Had heard those things - i. e. of the defeat of the southern Canaanites at Beth-
horon and of the conquest of their country.
The sites of Madon, Shimron, and of Achshaph, are unknown.
CLARKE, "Jabin king of Hazor - It is probable that Jabin was the common name
of all the kings of Hazor. That king, by whom the Israelites were kept in a state of slavery
for twenty years, and who was defeated by Deborah and Barak, was called by this name;
see Jdg_4:2, Jdg_4:3, Jdg_4:23. The name signifies wise or intelligent. The city of
Hazor was situated above the Lake Semechon, in Upper Galilee, according to Josephus,
Antiq. lib. v., c. 6. It was given to the tribe of Naphtali, Jos_19:36, who it appears did not
possess it long; for though it was burnt by Joshua, Jos_11:11, it is likely that the
Canaanites rebuilt it, and restored the ancient government, as we find a powerful king

there about one hundred and thirty years after the death of Joshua, Jdg_4:1. It is the
same that was taken by Tiglath-pileser, together with Kadesh, to which it is contiguous;
see 2Ki_15:29. It is supposed to have given name to the Valley or Plain of Hazor or
Nasor, situated between it and Kadesh, where Jonathan and Mattathias defeated the
armies of Demetrius, and slew three thousand of their men, 1 Maccabees 11:63-74. It was
in ancient times the metropolitan city of all that district, and a number of petty kings or
chieftains were subject to its king, see Jos_11:10; and it is likely that it was those
tributary kings who were summoned to attend the king of Hazor on this occasion; for
Joshua having conquered the southern part of the promised land, the northern parts
seeing themselves exposed made now a common interest, and, joining with Jabin,
endeavored to put a stop to the progress of the Israelites. See Calmet
Jobab king of Madon - This royal city is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture
except in Jos_12:19. The Vatican copy of the Septuagint reads Μαρων, Maron, which, if
legitimate, Calmet thinks may mean Maronia or Merath in Phoenicia, to the north of
Mount Libanus. The Hebrew text reads ‫מרון‬ Meron, Jos_12:20, after Shimron, which is
probably the same with ‫מדון‬ Madon, Jos_11:19, the word having casually dropped out of
the preceding place into the latter, and the ‫ר‬ resh and ‫ד‬ daleth being interchanged,
which might have easily happened from the great similarity of the letters. Hence Calmet
conjectures that it may be the same place with ‫מרוז‬ Meroz, Jdg_5:23, the ‫ז‬ zain and final ‫ן‬
nun being interchanged, which they might easily, as they are so very similar.
King of Shimron - This city is supposed to be the same with Symira, in Coelosyria,
joined to Maron or Marath, by Pliny and Pomponius Mela. It cannot be Samaria, as that
had its name long after by Omri king of Israel. See 1Ki_16:24.
King of Achshaph - Calmet supposes this to have been the city of Ecdippe,
mentioned by Pliny, Ptolemy, Josephus, and Eusebius. The latter places it within ten
miles of Ptolemais, on the road to Tyre. It fell to the tribe of Asher. See Jos_19:26.
GILL, "And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard these
things,.... The taking of Jericho and Ai, the defeat of the five kings, and the conquest of
the southern part of the land of Canaan; he was alarmed by them, and sent to all the
northern kings to join with him against Israel; and he the rather took this upon him,
because as Adonizedek king of Jerusalem was the principal king in the southern part of
the land, so was he in the northern part; see Jos_11:10; Hazor fell to the tribe of
Naphtali, Jos_19:36. It was situated, as Josephus (n) says, on the lake Samachonitis, the
same with the waters of Merom, Jos_11:5. According to Adrichomius (o), it was four
miles from the castle Theron to the north, six miles from Caesarea Philippi to the
southwest, and nine miles from the great sea to the east; and was, in the times of Christ,
one of the ten principal cities of the region of Decapolis, in which he preached, Mat_
4:25; and is now called Antiopia; and in the Arabic version here it is called Caesarea,
and, according to Bunting (p), it lay eighty miles from Jerusalem to the north:
that he sent to Jobab king of Madon; of which place we nowhere else read but in
Jos_12:19; though Brocard (q) finds a place near Dan, called Madan by the Turks at this
day:
and to the king of Shimron; not Samaria, as many think, for that was built by Omri,

king of Israel, and had its name from Shemer, the owner of the hill on which it was built
some hundreds of years after this; besides Samaria was in the tribe of Ephraim, this in
the tribe of Zebulun, Jos_19:15; and is called Shimronmeron, Jos_12:20; and in the
Jerusalem Talmud (r) Simoniah, and here in the Septuagint version Symoson:
and to the king of Achshaph: a city which fell to the lot of the tribe of Asher, Jos_
19:25. The Septuagint calls it Aziph, as if it was the same with Achzib, or Ecdippa, now
called Zib: but Achshaph and Achzib are manifestly distinguished, Jos_19:25. Jerom
says (s), in his time it was a little village, and went by the name of Chasalus, eight miles
from Diocaesarea, at the foot of Mount Tabor. The Arabic version adds a fourth king that
Jabin sent to, called "the king of Mausel"; but we read not of any such place in the land
of Canaan.
HE RY 1-3, "We are here entering upon the story of another campaign that Joshua
made, and it was a glorious one, no less illustrious than the former in the success of it,
though in respect of miracles it was inferior to it in glory. The wonders God then
wrought for them were to animate and encourage them to act vigorously themselves.
Thus the war carried on by the preaching of the gospel against Satan's kingdom was at
first forwarded by miracles; but, the war being by them sufficiently proved to be of God,
the managers of it are now left to the ordinary assistance of divine grace in the use of the
sword of the Spirit, and must not expect hail-stones nor the standing still of the sun. In
this story we have,
I. The Canaanites taking the field against Israel. They were the aggressors, God
hardening their hearts to begin the war, that Israel might be justified beyond exception
in destroying them. Joshua and all Israel had returned to the camp at Gilgal, and
perhaps these kings knew no other than that they intended to sit down content with the
conquest they had already made, and yet they prepare war against them. Note, Sinners
bring ruin upon their own heads, so that God will be justified when he speaks, and they
alone shall bear the blame for ever. Judah had now couched as a lion gone up from the
prey; if the northern kings rouse him up, it is at their peril, Gen_49:9. Now, 1. Several
nations joined in this confederacy, some in the mountains and some in the plains, Jos_
11:2. Canaanites from east and west, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, etc. (Jos_11:3), of
different constitutions and divided interests among themselves, and yet they here unite
against Israel as against a common enemy. Thus are the children of this world more
unanimous, and therein wiser, than the children of light. The oneness of the church's
enemies should shame the church's friends out of their discords and divisions, and
engage them to be one. 2. The head of this confederacy was Jabin king of Hazor (Jos_
11:1), as Adoni-zedec was of the former; it is said (Jos_11:10) Hazor had been the head of
all those kingdoms, which could not have revolted without occasioning ill-will; but this
was forgotten and laid aside upon this occasion, by consent of parties, Luk_23:12. When
they had all drawn up their forces together, every kingdom bringing in its quota, they
were a very great army, much greater than the former, as the sand on the sea shore in
multitude, and upon this account much stronger and more formidable, that they had
horses and chariots very many, which we do not find the southern kings had; hereby
they had a great advantage against Israel, for their army consisted only of foot, and they
never brought horses nor chariots into the field. Josephus tells us that the army of the
Canaanites consisted of 300,000 foot, 10,000 horses, and 20,000 chariots. Many there
be that rise up against God's Israel; doubtless their numbers made them very confident
of success, but it proved that so much the greater slaughter was made of them.

JAMISO , "Jos_11:1-9. Divers kings overcome at the waters of Merom.
And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things —
The scene of the sacred narrative is here shifted to the north of Canaan, where a still
more extensive confederacy was formed among the ruling powers to oppose the further
progress of the Israelites. Jabin (“the Intelligent”), which seems to have been a
hereditary title (Jdg_4:2), took the lead, from Hazor being the capital of the northern
region (Jos_11:10). It was situated on the borders of lake Merom. The other cities
mentioned must have been in the vicinity though their exact position is unknown.
K&D, "The War in Northern Canaan. - Jos_11:1-3. On receiving intelligence of what
had occurred in the south, the king of Hazor formed an alliance with the kings of Madon,
Shimron, and Achshaph, and other kings of the north, to make a common attack upon
the Israelites. This league originated with Jabin the king of Hazor, because Hazor was
formerly the head of all the kingdoms of northern Canaan (Jos_11:10). Hazor, which
Joshua conquered and burned to the ground (Jos_11:10, Jos_11:11), was afterwards
restored, and became a capital again (Jdg_4:2; 1Sa_12:9); it was fortified by Solomon
(1Ki_9:15), and taken by Tiglath-Pileser (2Ki_15:29). It belonged to the tribe of Naphtali
(Jos_19:36), but has not yet been discovered. According to Josephus (Ant. v. 5, 1), it was
above the Lake of Samochonitis, the present Bahr el Huleh. Robinson conjectures that it
is to be found in the ruins upon Tell Khuraibeh, opposite to the north-west corner of the
lake of Huleh, the situation of which would suit Hazor quite well, as it is placed between
Ramah and Kedesh in Jos_19:35-36 (see Bibl. Res. p. 364). On the other hand, the
present ruins of Huzzur or Hazireh, where there are the remains of large buildings of a
very remote antiquity (see Rob. Bibl. Res. p. 62), with which Knobel identifies Hazor,
cannot be thought of for a moment, as these ruins, which are about an hour and a
quarter to the south-west of Yathir, are so close to the Ramah of Asher (Jos_19:29) that
Hazor must also have belonged to Asher, and could not possibly have been included in
the territory of Naphtali. There would be more reason for thinking of Tell Hazûr or
Khirbet Hazûr, on the south-west of Szafed (see Rob. Bibl. Res. p. 81); but these ruins
are not very ancient, and only belong to an ordinary village, and not to a town at all.
Madon is only mentioned again in Jos_12:19, and its situation is quite unknown.
Shimron, called Shimron-meron in Jos_12:20, was allotted to the tribe of Zebulun (Jos_
19:15), and is also unknown. For Meron cannot be connected, as Knobel supposes, with
the village and ruins of Marôn, not far from Kedesh, on the south-west (see Rob. Pal. iii.
p. 371), or Shimron with the ruins of Khuraibeh, an hour to the south of Kedesh; as the
territory of Zebulun, to which Shimron belonged, did not reach so far north, and there is
not the slightest ground for assuming that there were two Shimrons, or for making a
distinction between the royal seat mentioned here and the Shimron of Zebulun. There is
also no probability in Knobel's conjecture, that the Shimron last named is the same as
the small village of Semunieh, probably the Simonias of Josephus (Vita, §24), on the
west of Nazareth (see Rob. Pal. iii. p. 201). Achshaph, a border town of Ashwer (Jos_
19:25), is also unknown, and is neither to be sought, as Robinson supposes (Bibl. Res.
pp. 55), in the ruins of Kesâf, which lie even farther north than Abel (Abil), in the tribe of
Naphtali, and therefore much too far to the north to have formed the boundary of Asher;
nor to be identified with Acco (Ptolemais), as Knobel imagines, since Acco has nothing
in common with Achshaph except the letter caph (see also at Jos_19:25).
CALVI , "1.And it came to pass when Jabin, etc In this new league also we have a
bright manifestation of the more than paternal care of God, in warding off dangers
from his people, and also in assisting their weakness by kindness and indulgence.

Had Jabin, with the confederates of whom mention is now made, openly declared
himself the ally of the neighboring kings, a much more formidable war would have
broken out against the Israelites, and greater solicitude and anxiety must have
seized their minds. It would, indeed, have been easy for the Lord, as well to put all
their forces at once to the rout, as to dissipate all fear and dread of them. He was
unwilling, however, to press beyond measure his own people, who were otherwise
feeble, lest the excessive numbers of the enemy should strike them with terror, and
drive them to despair. He therefore kept the many nations, whose interest it was to
have rushed hastily to arms, in a state of lethargy and amazement, until the chosen
people had been animated by signal victories, to carry on the wars which still
remained. They pillage and devastate a large territory, and leave it destitute of
inhabitants and stript of resources. one of the neighboring powers, who were
afterwards to act on the offensive, makes the least movement. The Israelites revisit
their wives and children in safety. When they had gathered courage, and were ready
for a new war, suddenly a very large army appears, composed of different nations,
who had hitherto, by remaining quiet, furnished opportunity for victory. Their
coming thus forward at a later period, was the same as if they had entered into a
truce. Thus God not only fought for his chosen people, but by dividing the enemy,
increased their strength manifold.
How formidable must the onset have been, had not the Israelites been gradually
trained to confidence in battle, and at the same time experienced the manifest
assistance of God? First, their numbers are compared to the sand of the sea, and
then they have horses and chariots. As the Israelites were altogether destitute of
cavalry, it is strange that they were not terrified at this array. Therefore they were
gradually brought forward till they were able to bear it. For, in their former battles,
he had only exercised them by a kind of pleasing preludes. (110) It may be added,
that the Lord had, by several victories, ever and anon borne testimony to his power,
that they might not think more lightly of it than was meet. Had all their enemies
been routed at once, they might, indeed, have magnificently celebrated the praises of
God, but they might also have easily lost the remembrance of them. It was
necessary, therefore, that repeated proofs distinct and apart from each other, should
be held forth to their view, lest they might attribute one victory to a stroke of
fortune.
COKE, "Ver. 1. And—when Jabin king of Hazor had heard, &c.— o sooner was
this king of Hazor informed of the conquests of Joshua, than he took a resolution to
stop, if possible, the progress of his victorious arms, by covering the north part of
the country of Canaan, of which Hazor, afterwards given to the tribe of aphtali,
was the principal city. Jabin, in all probability, was the common name of all the
kings of Hazor. What inclines to this belief is, that the prince, who was subject to the
Israelites for twenty years in the time of the Judges, and who was defeated by
Deborah, went by this name of Jabin.
He sent to Jobab, king of Madon, &c.— This is the only place where mention is
made of a king of Madon, excepting ch. Joshua 12:19. This city is entirely unknown.
It was formerly held by the king of Hazor, see ver. 10. Calmet observes, that if, with

the Roman edition of the LXX, we read Maron, we might find the city of Maronia or
Marath, north of mount Lebanon. The name Maron is preserved ch. Joshua 12:19. I
know not, says he, whether the land of Meroz, mentioned Judges 5:23 might not be
the country of Maron. Shimron is the same as that called Shimron-Meron, ch.
Joshua 12:20. This city afterwards belonged to the tribe of Zebulun, south of that of
aphtali. Calmet takes Shimron to be the Symira of Pliny, which lay in Caelo-Syria.
It cannot be Samaria, for this city was not then in being; and its name was given it
by Omri, king of Israel, 1 Kings 16:24. Achshaph afterwards belonged to the tribe of
Asher, and lay north-west, towards the extremity of that tribe, ch. Joshua 19:25.
Calmet is of opinion, that Achshaph was the Eedippe of Pliny, Ptolemy, Josephus,
and Eusebius.
TRAPP, " And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard [those things],
that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of
Achshaph,
Ver. 1. When Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things.] In policy he should have
done this sooner, before the five southern kings had been destroyed. But Jabin was
an Epimetheus, a postmaster, wise after the fact; and sped accordingly. God’s holy
hand was in it also, that his people might not be over matched or disheartened. Our
temptations are in like sort disposed of by Christ, the great Aγωνοθετης.
ELLICOTT, "JOSHUA’S ORTHER CAMPAIG .
(1) Jabin king of Hazor seems to have been in northern Palestine what Adonizedec,
king of Jerusalem, was in the south. For the strength of this monarchy see the story
in Judges 4, 5. From its formidable character when it recovered strength in the days
of the judges, we may gather some notion of what it was at first.
Hazor is identified as Jebel Hadîrah, near Kedes, in Upper Galilee.
Madon, perhaps Madîn, west of the Sea of Galilee.
Shimron is identified as Simûnieh, west of azareth.
WHEDO , "Joshua 11:23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the
LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according
to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.
Ver. 23. And the land rested.] Peace is the daughter of war; a fair and happy
daughter of an ugly and direful mother, as the Romans said of Pompey the Great,
εχθορον πατρος φιλτατον τεκνον.
THE GREAT BATTLE OF MEROM, Joshua 11:1-15.
[“The battle of Beth-boron is represented as the most important battle of the

Conquest, because, being the first, it struck the decisive blow. But in all such
struggles there is usually one last effort made for the defeated cause. This, in the
subjugation of Canaan, was the battle of Merom. Round Jabin were assembled the
heads of all the tribes who had not yet fallen under Joshua’s sword. As the British
chiefs were driven to the Land’s End before the advance of the Saxon, so at this
Land’s End of Palestine were gathered for the last struggle, not only the kings of the
north, in the immediate neighbourhood, but from the desert valley of the Jordan
south of the Sea of Galilee, from the maritime plain of Philistia, from the heights
above Sharon, and from the still unconquered Jebus, to the Hivite who dwelt in the
valley of Baal-gad under Hermon.” — Stanley.]
BE SO , ". King of Hazor — This was the principal city of the northern part of
Canaan, Joshua 11:10; and fell to the share of the tribe of aphtali in the division of
the land, Joshua 19:36. Jabin was the name of the king of the Canaanites in this part
of the country, in future times, as well as now. Had heard — This was a remarkable
instance of the wisdom and goodness of Divine Providence, which so governed the
minds of the Canaanites, that they were not all united under one king but divided
among many petty kings; and next, that these did not all unanimously join their
counsels and forces together to oppose the Israelites at their first entrance, but
quietly suffered the destruction of their brethren, thereby preparing the way for
their own.
COFFMA , "Verse 1
With a format quite like that in Joshua 10, this chapter recounts the great Israelite
victory over the orthern Coalition led by Jabin king of Hazor. Joshua is far from
giving a detail of all the fighting that took place in the Conquest of Canaan, but,
taking the over-all view, the author of this book bases the conquest upon three, and
only three great campaigns:
(1) the fall of Jericho and the destruction of Ai;
(2) the defeat of the coalition under Adonizedek; and
(3) the defeat of the coalition led by Jabin.
Afterward, all of the opposition encountered by Israel was of a merely local nature.
After the events of this chapter, the whole land of Palestine lay open to Israel, and
there was no power in the entire area that could effectively challenge them. The
great pity, of course, is that Israel desired peace so earnestly that they neglected to
continue the conquest in any thorough manner. Consequently, some of the tribes did
not actually "possess their possessions." Also, there was the settlement of the two
and one half tribes east of Jordan, which drastically cut into the manpower
available for a longer and more thorough conquest.
This third and final major campaign does not appear to have been providentially
aided as in the instance of Jericho and Beth-horon, except in the commandment
which God gave to Joshua to "strike now." The significance of that timeliness of the

attack is evident in this comment by Cook:
"Taken by surprise and hemmed in between the mountains and the lake, the
chariots and horses had no time to be deployed and no room to act effectively; and
then, in all probability, the host of the coalition fell into hopeless confusion."[1]
God's command for Joshua to hock the horses may also be classed as providential
aid. This rendered the horses and chariots useless either for offensive purposes, or
for retreat and flight in case of defeat. Thousands of the coalition troops were
accustomed to "riding in chariots," and not to the infantry-like retreat which made
them extremely vulnerable to Israel's hardened and skillful attackers.
Jabin's great host which was enumerated by Josephus as being composed of, "Three
hundred thousand armed footmen, ten thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand
chariots,"[2] were hopelessly crowded into a restricted area, which, in fact,
amounted to a trap. It appears that Jabin would never have selected this spot for a
battle and that the congregation of his forces there was thought by him to be an
appropriate staging area for the forthcoming battle, which Jabin no doubt thought
would take place at his option and choice of the site for the conflict. Joshua's
lightning-like attack caught them utterly unprepared, and the great host was cut
into pieces without their having an opportunity to make any effective move against
Israel.
A word about Israel's weapons is also in order here. Rea has this description:
"The chief weapon of the Israelites was the short, thrusting sword (10 or 12 inches
to eighteen inches in length) protruding from a hilt fashioned like a lion's mouth
(whence the metaphor, `the mouth of the sword') ... They also used scimitars
(Joshua 8:18), bows and arrows (Joshua 24:12), slings with stone balls (Judges
20:16), thrusting spears or lances ( umbers 25:7,8), and hurling javelins (1 Samuel
18:10,11)."[3]
From the military viewpoint the "short sword" of Israel was the predecessor and
forerunner of the famed "short sword" of the Romans which overcame the vaunted
phalanx of the Macedonians and won for Rome the domination of the world for
centuries. In fact, nothing could ever stand against that weapon (the short sword)
until the invention of firearms.
"And it came to pass when Jabin king of Hazor heard thereof, that he sent to Jobab
king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, and to the
kings that were in the north, in the hill-country, and in the Arabah south of
Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the west, to the
Canaanite on the east and on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the
Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the hill-country, and the Hivite under Hermon in the
land of Mizpah. And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people,
even as the sand that is upon the seashore in multitude, with horses and chariots
very many. And all these kings met together; and they came and encamped together
at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel."

"Jabin king of Hazor ..." The name Jabin, "means the intelligent one!"[4] The city
of Hazor, a metropolis at that time of some 40,000 inhabitants occupied a fortified
site of about 200 acres and was in the times of Joshua, "by far the largest and most
famous city in Palestine."[5] It is of interest that another king bearing this same
dynastic name (Jabin) ruled over a rebuilt Hazor in the times of Deborah and Barak
(Judges 4:2). Of course, critical enemies of the Bible could not resist trying to make
the references various and contradictory accounts of the same event, as did Holmes,
who wrote: "Joshua's victory here seems inconsistent with the account in Judges,
where there is no reference to Jabin, but only to Sisera."[6] Rea emphasized the
irresponsibility of such assertions, declaring that, "It is rash to assert that these
stories are merely varying accounts of the same event."[7] Joshua indeed burned
Hazor, but, as Israel did not settle there, the Canaanites rebuilt it, and much later
they defeated Israel and oppressed the people for twenty years, until Israel again
destroyed it. The destruction of the city analyzed by excavators almost certainly
refers to the destruction mentioned in Judges.
"Jobab king of Madon ..." "Madon was a Canaanite city on a hill overlooking Lake
Tiberias."[8] It has been identified as the "mountain" from which Christ delivered
the Sermon on the Mount as recorded by Matthew.
"Achshaph ..." othing is certainly known of the location of this place except that it
was in the territory assigned to Asher (Joshua 19:25).
The various peoples solicited by Jabin to join the coalition are enumerated in
Joshua 11:3,4, and, from the mention of the several racial groups that made up
ancient Palestine, it seems that Jabin attempted to rally all of the Canaanites of the
whole area for a war against Israel. Dummelow, however, thought that the racial
groups cited here was more of a geographical than a racial identification."[9] This
attempt succeeded in amassing an army of some 330,000 men, with the heaviest
armour then known, namely horses and chariots.
"Hermon in the land of Mizpah ..." (Joshua 11:3). "The word Mizpah has about the
same meaning that Belle View has in English, namely, "`Beautiful View.' There
were several other names by which Hermon was identified, such as Shenir (as the
Amorites called it), and Sirion (the name preferred by the Sidonians).[10] All of
these names were similar to a name that the Indians of orth America used,
Shenan, meaning stars or shining, and from which our word Shenandoah (daughter
of the stars) is derived. These names have been said to mean "glorious one," or
"shining coat of mail," all such names being descriptions of the beautiful snow-
covered Hermon with the sun shining upon it!
"The waters of Merom ..." This location was probably intended to be the staging
area where full preparations for an assault upon Israel would be completed.
Joshua's sudden attack frustrated that plan. "Merom lies between Lake Huleh and
Lake Tiberias some ten miles west of Jordan, where copious springs feed a tributary
to Jordan."[11]

Matthew Henry speaks of the tremendous confidence that must have built up in the
minds of the Coalition and their leaders, due to the tremendous numbers of their
armies,[12] and that may account for the element of their carelessness in the choice
of a staging area in such a restricted location.
Despite the fact that many of the most accurate scholars have denied and refuted the
critical assertion that the events of this chapter are a mere doublet of the various
account of the same event in Judges 4, one still encounters the unsupported
assertion of this error in much of the current literature. Even the Interpreter's Bible
now affirms that, "It is more likely that the narratives of Joshua 11, and Judges 4,
have to do with separate events."[13]
CO STABLE, "Verses 1-3
Hazor (lit. enclosure) was the leading city in northern Canaan with an area of175
acres and a population of30 ,000 to40 ,000 people. [ ote: Davis and Whitcomb, p74.
See also The ew Bible Dictionary, 1962ed, s.v. "Hazor," by T. C. Mitchell.]
Archaeologists calculate the population of walled cities in Canaan as about200
people per acre. Hazor was at one time the head of an alliance of all the northern
cities ( Joshua 11:10). [ ote: See Mary Rattigan, "Hazor and Its Significance," The
Bible Today23:1 (January1985):44-50; Waltke, "Palestinian Artifactual ...," pp42-
46; and Merrill, Kingdom of . . ., p120.] Jabin ( Joshua 11:1) may have been a title
rather than a proper name (cf. Judges 4:2), or it may have been a personal name.
[ ote: Hess, p208.]
PETT, "Chapter 11. The orthern Confederacy - the Invasion of the orth.
This chapter tells how the kings of the northern parts of Canaan now combined
together against Joshua, and how YHWH encouraged him to fight them, delivering
them into his hands, so that all their people were smitten by him. It describes how he
captured their cities, destroyed their inhabitants, and took their spoil. The chapter
concludes with an account of his destroying the Anakim and declares that he had
now ‘conquered’ the whole land, so that there was a a lull from fighting enabling the
Israelites to establish themselves without being resisted.
Verses 1-3
Chapter 11. The orthern Confederacy - the Invasion of the orth.
This chapter tells how the kings of the northern parts of Canaan now combined
together against Joshua, and how YHWH encouraged him to fight them, delivering
them into his hands, so that all their people were smitten by him. It describes how he
captured their cities, destroyed their inhabitants, and took their spoil. The chapter
concludes with an account of his destroying the Anakim and declares that he had
now ‘conquered’ the whole land, so that there was a a lull from fighting enabling the
Israelites to establish themselves without being resisted.
Joshua 11:1-3

‘And it happened that when Jabin king of Hazor heard of it that he sent to Jobab
king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, and to the
kings who were to the north, in the hill country and in the Arabah south of
Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor to the west, to the
Canaanite on the east and on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the
Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the hill country, and the Hivite under Hermon in the
land of Mizpah.’
When the king of Hazor heard of this triumphant army that had swept through
Southern Canaan he decided that it was time for serious action. The name Jabin
was probably a throne name. Another Jabin would face Barak and Deborah later
(Judges 4:2). But Hazor was ‘a royal city’ and its king was called in inscriptions a
‘Great King’ (sarrum), permanent overlord over a number of cities. He thus had
great influence. This would be the most powerful force that Joshua had yet faced.
Hazor (Tell el-Qedah) was an important city state in northern Canaan which had
great authority over its neighbours. It was ‘ head of all those kingdoms’, (Joshua
11:10). Archaeology tells us that it had been there since the third millennium BC
and in the second millennium was extended by the building of a lower city. At this
stage it would have had about forty thousand inhabitants, a large city indeed,
almost as large as Megiddo. The lower city contained a Canaanite temple and a
small shrine. It was referred to regularly throughout the centuries, by Egypt, Mari
and Babylon, as an important political centre, and as mentioned above its ruler was
given the title ‘Great King’ (sarrum), a status above that usually conferred on rulers
of city states.
But the alliance he put together reached farther than that. Jobab, king of Madon
(Joshua 12:19) was important enough for his name to be remembered, although
Madon is unidentified. Possibly he was Jabin’s general in the same way as Sisera
would be after him. Along with the kings of Shimron (Joshua 12:20 has Shimron-
meron, compare Joshua 19:15) and Achshaph he was probably a vassal of Jabin.
Any identification for Shimron is tenuous (Tell es-Semuniyeh has been suggested
but disputed) but Achshaph was near Acco and is mentioned in Egyptian lists and
in Papyrus Anastasi I.
“The kings who were to the north, in the hill country and in the Arabah south of
Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor to the west, to the
Canaanite on the east and on the west.” A wide ranging alliance. orthern cities,
cities in the Galilean hill country, cities in the Jordan rift valley (the Arabah) south
of Lake Chinnereth ( umbers 34:11; Deuteronomy 3:17) or of the city of that name
(Joshua 19:35 - probably Khirbet el-Oreimah), and the heights of Dor which
probably came under the jurisdiction of, and may have included, Dor, the important
seaport on the coast south of Carmel mentioned by Raamses II and later conquered
by the Sea Peoples (the Tjeker). It is noteworthy that the large cities of the plain of
Esdraelon further South, Megiddo and Taanach are not mentioned, as they
assuredly would have been had they been involved.
“The Canaanite on the east and on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and

the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the hill country, and the Hivite under Hermon in
the land of Mizpah.” The list of the nations involved is then given in order to expand
the picture. All six of the nations regularly mentioned are deliberately included.
Canaanites are seen as spread from east to west of northern Canaan, the remainder
are connected with the hill country.
Jebusites were usually mentioned as the inhabitants of Jerusalem but these were
clearly resident elsewhere ( umbers 13:29), unless some came from Jerusalem, one
of the few cities not to be taken by Joshua, in order to support him against Israel
after their own ignominious earlier defeat. But if the writer had seen Jerusalem as
being involved he would surely have mentioned it. Hivites are seen in the centre of
the country (Joshua 9:7) but there were clearly some in the vicinity of Hermon,
compare Judges 3:3. For the land of Mizpah compare Joshua 11:8. For the site of
this Mizpah (there were a number of Mizpahs - the name means ‘watchtower’) Qual
‘at es-Subeibeh, near the Lake of Huleh, has much support.
PI K, "A Challenge Met
Before developing the central theme suggested by the verses which are now to be
before us, let us offer a few comments upon their setting. "And it came to pass,
when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent" a message to many
of his fellow kings, and they, with their armies, met together to fight against Israel
(Josh. 11:1-5). It has been pointed out by another that "Jabin seems to have held in
northern Palestine a similar position of power and influence to what Adonizedek
king of Jerusalem did in the south." If the reader refers back to Joshua 10:1-5, he
will find that that king had done precisely the same thing, except that his assault
was made not directly against Israel, but upon the Gibeonites who had made peace
with them. It is a trite remark to say that "history repeats itself," nevertheless it is
one which casts an unfavorable reflection upon fallen human nature, for it is
tantamount to acknowledging that one generation fails to profit from the faults of
those who preceded them and avoid the fatal pits into which they fell. What proof
that all are "clay of the same lump (Rom. 9:21), and that "As in water face
answereth to face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:19).
"When Jabin . . . had heard these things." Once more we meet with this important
word: compare Joshua 2:10; 5:1; 9:1, 9; 10:1; and note the various reactions of
those who received such tidings. It is true that "faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17), yet it is also a fact that "The hearing
ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them" (Prov. 20:12). True
alike both naturally and spiritually, for morally man is both deaf and blind to the
things of God (Matthew 13:13, 14), and therefore the voice of mercy is disregarded
and the sinner perceives no beauty in Christ that he should desire Him. To his need
and to the remedy he is alike insensible. Until a miracle of grace is wrought within
him, his imagination is darkened and his heart closed against God. That is why
multitudes that hear the Gospel with the outward ear profit not, and those who are
saved under it and receive it into their hearts do so solely because God has made

them to differ from their unbelieving fellows. Jabin "had heard" of the destruction
of Jericho and Ai, but instead of trembling thereat he hardened his heart. Thus do
sinners rush madly to destruction, notwithstanding the repeated warnings they
receive from the deaths of their godless fellows.
That which is recorded in the beginning of Joshua 11 looks back to and is the sequel
of what was briefly noticed by us in Joshua 9:2. That was preliminary, a consulting
together, and probably a determining and promising how strong a force each king
was prepared to contribute unto the common cause. This was the materialization of
their plans and the actual taking of the field by their armies.
Up to that point the Canaanites had acted more or less on the defensive, but upon
hearing of the overthrow and burning of Ai they determined to take the offensive.
First, the various kings mentioned in Joshua 11:1-3, considered that now their own
interests were seriously threatened it was time to unite their forces and make a
massed attack upon Israel. Second, the king of Jerusalem and his satellites agreed to
fall upon the Gibeonites. The latter was the first to be carried into execution, and,
though it met with failure and the utmost disaster, Jabin and his confederates
(which appears to have included all the Canaanites to the utmost western and
northern borders) were undeterred, and instead of casting themselves upon Israel’s
mercy determined to destroy them in battle.
This "league of nations" or uniting together of several kings and making common
cause was no new thing even at that early date, for Genesis 14:1-3, reveals that
centuries before there had been what might well be designated "the western bloc of
nations" assailing "the eastern power and its tributaries." But this movement was to
meet with no more success than had the concerted measures taken by Adonizedek."
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand
that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many" (Josh.
11:4). A real challenge was now made to Israel’s further occupancy of the land, and
a most terrifying sight must it have presented to the natural eye. This vast assembly
was not only far more numerous than any force which Israel had previously
encountered, but it was much more formidable and powerful, being provided with a
great number of horses and chariots, whereas Israel’s army was on foot (Deut.
17:16): note the absence of the mention of horses in Genesis 24:35; 26:14; Job 1:3—
they are seen first in Egypt (Gen. 47:17).
As a protest against the slavish literalism which now exists in certain circles, and as
a demurrer against those who insist that the words of Revelation 7:9, "a great
multitude, which no man could number," mean exactly what they affirm, a few
words require to be said upon our being told that the assembled hosts of the
Canaanites were "even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude." One
had supposed that any person of average intelligence and education would at once
perceive that such language is hyperbolical, and therefore not to be understood
according to the strict letter of it. Such a rhetorical figure is frequently used in
Scripture for the purpose of producing a vivid impression. Thus, in the days of
Moses the Lord declared He had multiplied Israel "as the stars of heaven for

multitude" (Deut. 1:10). When the Midianites assailed Israel it is said, "they came as
grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number"
(Judg. 6:5) and "as the sand by the sea side for multitude" (Josh. 7:12). The
Philistines who gathered themselves together against Saul are described as "the
sand which is on the sea shore in multitude" (1 Sam. 13:5). When God’s judgments
were on Israel He declared, "Their widows are increased to Me above the sand of
the seas" (Jer. 15:8). ineveh is said to have multiplied its merchants "above the
stars of heaven" ( ah. 3:16).
Thus, "as the sand which is upon the sea shore" is a proverbial expression to signify
a great number. Before such massed armies Israel might well be affrighted,
especially since they were at such a disadvantage, entirely on foot. In the light of
Judges 4:3, it is highly probable that the chariots commanded by Jabin were of iron,
and, as was customary of those used by the ancients in warfare, armed with terrible
scythes, to cut down men as they drove along. Doubtless such a host would be fully
assured of an easy victory, but they were to discover, as others both before and since
have done, that "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong"
(Ecclesiastes 9:11). The size and might of this assembly only made its overthrow the
more notorious and demonstrated more evidently that it was the Almighty who
fought for Israel. Since they were the aggressors, Israel were fully justified in
destroying them. In like manner will God in the day of judgment have abundant
cause to cast into hell those who have rebelled against Him and strengthened
themselves against the Almighty (Job 15:25).
We entitled the preceding article "Challenged" and concluded by pointing out that
the last verse of Joshua x shows us Israel at Gilgal—the place of conscious weakness
and of communion with God—and that while there the enemy could not harm them.
In substantiation of that statement, we quoted the opening verses of Psalm 91. "He
that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of
the Almighty" (v. 1). Without attempting to indicate the typical allusions of that
figurative language, or entering into any niceties of exposition, suffice it to say that
spiritually it signifies that they who live in close fellowship with God are in the place
of safety and security. o evil can reach them there, or, as Spurgeon expressed it,
"the outstretched wings of His love and power cover them from all harm." "I will
say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust" (v.
2). That was the inference the Psalmist drew from that fact, the application he made
to himself of that blessed promise. Confiding in the Lord, resting on His word, he
knew that he was fully protected from all the storms of life and the malice of his
foes. o matter how many, how powerful, how relentless his enemies, he was
resolved to trust in Him who was his covenant God, his all in all.
"Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome
pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou
trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the
terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day" (vv. 3-5). In those words we
are permitted to hear the Psalmist’s holy soliloquy, assuring himself that, regardless
of what form the enemy’s attack should take or when it came, he had an unfailing

shield in the Lord, and therefore there was nothing for him to fear. And that is just
as true today, my reader, as it was three thousand years ago. He who unreservedly
places himself in the hands of God is perfectly secure in the midst of all dangers—
infallibly so in connection with his soul, and reasonably so in regard to his body—
and therefore should he enjoy full serenity of mind when his godless fellows are
filled with alarm and terror. But let it be carefully noted that verse 1 is the
foundation on which rests all that follows. It is only as close communion with God
be maintained that the soul will be able to confide in and rely upon Him in seasons
of stress or peril. While we dwell in the secret place of the most High, the most
skillful deceiver cannot beguile nor the most formidable foe harm us.
The greater the dangers menacing God’s people, the greater support may they ask
for and expect from Him. The more entirely their hearts be fixed on Him as their
strength and deliverer, the more certainly shall their spiritual enemies be subdued
by them. See this most strikingly exemplified here in Joshua 11: "And when all
these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of
Merom, to fight against Israel. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Be not afraid
because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain
before Israel" (vv. 5, 6). First, let us observe that Jehovah here made good the word
that He had given through Moses: "When thou goest out to battle against thine
enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid
of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee . . . to fight for you against your enemies,
to save you" (Deut. 20:1, 4). How this reminds us of the declaration, "He is faithful
that promised" (Heb. 10:23)! One of the titles which Deity has taken unto Himself is
"The faithful God" (Deut. 7:9). How safely then may He be relied upon! one ever
yet really trusted Him in vain.
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow
about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel." Very striking indeed is
that statement and most blessed. Does the reader perceive its real force as he weighs
its connection with what immediately precedes? Surely it is apparent: the challenge
made by the Canaanites was not simply against Israel, but against Israel’s God! It is
like what we find in the opening chapters of Job, where something very much more
than a satanic attack upon that patriarch is in view. The evil one dared to assail
Jehovah Himself, for when He asked him, "Hast thou considered My servant Job,
that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that
feareth God, and escheweth evil?" we are told that "Satan answered the Lord, and
said, Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and
about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the
work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land" (Josh. 1:8-10). That
was a maligning of the Divine character, for it was tantamount to saying that Job
worshipped God not for what He was in Himself, but merely for what He had
bestowed upon him.
What we have just pointed out is made yet plainer in Satan’s next words: "But put
forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Thee to Thy
face"—so far from adoring Thee because of Thy personal perfections, Job merely

renders a mercenary service for what he gets from Thee. Base insinuation was that:
Job is Why dutiful servant not because he has any love for Thee or genuine regard
to Thy will, but from selfish principles, and that reflects no credit on Thee. It was an
impugning of the Divine character, a blasphemous challenging of God’s ,own
excellency. As the sequel shows, the Lord accepted the challenge, and by so doing
made fully evident the adversary’s lie, for after he had been allowed to slay his sons
and seize his possessions, the Lord gave Job the same commendation as before: "a
perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil, and still he
holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst Me against him" (Josh. 2:3). Thus
did God glory over the baffled Devil and upbraid him for his failure, for Job was
equally loyal to Him in adversity as in prosperity. Still Satan was not satisfied: "all
that a man hath will he give for his life . . . touch his bone and his flesh, and he will
curse Thee to Thy face" (Josh. 2:4, 5). And again he was proved a liar, for the
patriarch declared, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Josh. 13:15).
Though the circumstances were different, the same principle was really involved
here in Joshua 11:—the Devil’s enmity against and opposition to God. For it was the
Lord who had given Canaan unto Abraham and his seed, and He it was who had
brought them into it. Palestine was Israel’s by right of Divine donation. But now the
occupancy of their inheritance was hotly challenged. All those kings with their
armies were determined to destroy them. The gauntlet was thrown down: let it be
put to the issue was the language of their actions. The Lord promptly accepted the
challenge, and let it be known unto Israel that "he that toucheth you toucheth the
apple of His eye" (Zech. 2:8). Blessed figure of speech was that: telling not only of
the inherent weakness and tenderness of the Lord’s people, but intimating their
nearness and dearness unto Himself. God strongly resents any affront done to them,
and will severely punish those who seek to harm them. Therefore did the Lord
immediately assure Joshua that there was no reason for him to be dismayed by this
imposing force of the enemy: they were but flinging themselves upon "the thick
bosses of His bucklers" (Job 15:26), rushing headlong to their destruction, as would
be made to appear on the morrow. So likewise, in the end, will all the works of the
Devil be destroyed.
A most important truth is exemplified in all that has been pointed out above, yet one
that is little apprehended by God’s people today, namely that Satan’s assault upon
them is really an attack upon their Lord—upon them only because of their
relationship to Him. That is illustrated again in Acts 9: for when He arrested Saul of
Tarsus on the road to Damascus, as he was "breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord," He said, "why persecutest thou Me?"—
it was the Devil who was impelling Saul, as it was Christ and not merely His
disciples against whom he was venting his animosity. And thus it is now. As God
suffered Satan to afflict Job so sorely, not because that patriarch had given occasion
to be severely chastised, but in order that his integrity might the more plainly
appear and the Divine character be vindicated, so He still permits the adversary
both to tempt and buffet His people, that their steadfastness (in varying degrees, but
always from a total apostasy) may redound to His own glory. As we are told in 1
Peter 1:7, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that

perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and
glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ"—not only, and not principally, theirs, but
primarily and pre-eminently God’s.
The practical value of this important truth scarcely requires to be pointed out. Since
it be the Lord Himself rather than His redeemed against whom the venom of the
serpent is ultimately aimed, how secure are the saints in His hand! Secure, because
His own personal honor is involved in their preservation, He has given definite
assurance that
"This is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I
should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39), that
they shall "never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand" (John
10:28), and therefore if the Devil were to bring about the eternal destruction of a
single one of them Christ would be eternally disgraced. But such a calamity is
utterly impossible, for though Satan be mighty, the Son of God is almighty. Upon
that fact, in full persuasion of the everlasting preservation of every soul who has fled
to the Lord Jesus for refuge, may each believer rest with implicit confidence. Here,
then, is yet another important lesson taught the believer in this invaluable book of
Joshua concerning his spiritual warfare, namely that the contest is, ultimately,
between Satan and his Savior, and therefore the issue cannot be in the slightest
doubt: as surely as Joshua and the children of Israel overcame and vanquished all
the Canaanites who came against them, so will Christ and His Church triumph
gloriously over the Devil and his angels.
But further. It is the believer’s privilege to realize, especially when fiercely assaulted
and sorely pressed by the foe, that the outcome of the fight in which he is engaged
rests not with him, but with the Captain of his salvation, and therefore to Him he
may turn at all times for succor and for victory. What the Lord said here unto
Joshua the Christian should regard as being said unto himself: "Be not afraid
because of them." Those who are now arrayed against the Christian and who seek
his destruction shall soon themselves be destroyed. "The God of peace shall bruise
Satan under your feet shortly" (Rom. 16:20), and meanwhile, as the apostle
immediately added, "The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Amen." But just as
that assuring word spoken to Joshua was addressed unto his faith and could be
enjoyed only by the exercise of that grace in the interval before its fulfillment, so
serenity of mind while menaced by his foes can only be the believer’s as he by faith
appropriates that promise unto himself. Then let his triumphant language be,
"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid" (Isa. 12:2). In
proportion as he does so will he be warranted in resting on that declaration, Surely
He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with His feathers." (Ps. 91:3, 4).
In our last we considered the Divine response made to the formidable movement
inaugurated by Jabin and his fellows. the Lord promptly took up the cudgels on
behalf of His menaced people. He assured His servant that he need entertain no fear
whatever about the outcome, promising him, "I will deliver them up all slain before

Israel" (Josh. 11:6). In like manner is the Christian to be assured, and therefore it is
his holy privilege to enter upon and engage in the good fight of faith resting on the
sure pledges of God, confident of a successful issue. "He is faithful that promised"
(Heb. 10:23). The more we meditate upon the veracity of the Promiser, the more will
faith be strengthened. In proportion as we truly realize that we have to do with One
who cannot lie, the greater confidence shall we have in His Word. Instead of being
so much occupied with the difficulties of the way (which will but engender doubts),
we need to look above unto Him who has given us such "exceeding great and
precious promises" (2 Pet. 1:4) to be the stay of our hearts, to cheer and gladden us.
Those promises are to be treasured up in our minds, for they are both the food of
faith to nourish and strengthen it and the fuel of faith to stoke and energize it,
otherwise it will lack that which is necessary for its activity, as a fire will not burn
without wood or coals—thus coldness of heart is due mainly to faith being deprived
of its fuel!
There will be little or no success in our spiritual warfare unless we make much of
the Divine promises, and still more of the Promiser Himself. The foes that have to be
encountered are far too powerful to be overcome by any might of ours, and
therefore must we look to Him whose soldiers we are. If we do so, no matter how
great our weakness or formidable the task assigned, the Lord will not fail us.
"Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was
delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who
had promised" (Heb. 11:11). There were strong impediments in the way of her faith,
and at first She was staggered by them, but as she regarded the immutability and
fidelity of the Promiser her doubts were stilled, faith prevailed, and strength was
given. As Manton well said, "Every Divine promise has annexed to it the challenge,
‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’" As in Sara’s case, so with us, very often there
is a fight with unbelief before faith is established on the promise. But instead of
suffering obstacles to hinder faith, they should be made a help to it—arguing, Here
is a grand opportunity for me to prove the sufficiency of my God. He never promises
more than He is able to perform. His word never exceeds His power: "Faithful is He
that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thess. 5:24).
It should be duly considered that this massing of the Canaanites against Israel
occurred not soon after they entered the land, nor did they encounter anything like
such an opposing force either at Jericho or Ai. o, rather was this trial met with
after they had made considerable progress in taking possession of their heritage.
Thus it was too with the father of all them that believe: each new test of Abraham’s
faith was more severe than the preceding ones. And so it is in the Christian life.
Thus it is the mature and aged warrior to whom this word is most appropriate: "Be
not afraid." Why should Joshua fear? Since God had so wondrously delivered Israel
from the bondage of Egypt, overthrown Pharaoh and his chariots in the Red Sea,
provided for them all through their wilderness journey, miraculously opened the
Jordan for them to enter into Canaan, most certainly He was not going to abandon
them now and allow them to perish at the hands of Jabin and his armies. o indeed,
when God begins a work He never stops when it is but half done, but always
completes and perfects it (Phil. 1:6). So it was with Israel under Joshua; and so it is

with every elect vessel’ "whom He justified, them He also glorified" (Rom. 8:30).
Much takes place between the one and the other, but though death itself occurs (as
has been the case with His people for the last six thousand years), the former
guarantees the latter.
Let then the tried and aged pilgrim take comfort from the Lord’s dealings with
Israel, and give no place whatever to Satan’s lie that God has tired of him. Like the
fiend that he is, the Devil seeks to attack us most fiercely when much oppressed by
circumstances or at our weakest physically. When natural vigor has abated and the
increasing weight of years is felt, he will seek to inject the most God-dishonoring
doubts into the minds of His people. Reject them with abhorrence, and rest on the
Divine assurance, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5). He who
has cared for His child all through the years most certainly will not forsake him or
her in the time of old age. He who has responded to your cries in former days will
not turn a deaf ear now that your voice has grown feeble. "He shall deliver thee in
six troubles [has he not done so?]: yea, in seven [the final one] there shall no evil
touch thee" (Job 5:19). Past deliverances are sure earnests of future ones. "And
even to your old age I am He: and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made,
and I will bear; even I will carry, and wilt deliver you" (Isa. 46:4): those are the "I
wills" of Him who is the Truth. Rest your whole weight on them.
But resting upon the promises does not mean that the saint may shirk any of his
duties, or even relax in the performing of them. Rather do such Divine assurances
involve corresponding obligations. That is clear from the two halves of the verses
quoted in our opening paragraph: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith
without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised)" (Heb. 10:23). That "for" is
very forceful, supplying us with a powerful motive unto steadfastness and diligence.
Since God be faithful to us, we ought to be faithful unto Him. To hold fast the
profession of our faith is a comprehensive expression which includes every aspect of
the Christian life, and the knowledge that God will infallibly make good His word
unto us is to animate unto fidelity in the carrying out of its engagements. The Divine
promises are not only comforting pillows on which to rest our weary heads, but
cordials to strengthen, spurs to move us, encouragements for us to press forward
along the way, arguments for us to make use of in prayer. The Divine promises are
the food of faith, and faith is for producing good works. That is the practical
application which the apostle made of the Divine assurances in 1 Corinthians 15:54-
57: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding
in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the
Lord."
So far from annulling the believer’s responsibility or countenancing any slackness
in the discharge of the same, spiritual privileges involve additional obligations. But
alas, man is such a creature of extremes that even a Christian when he be deeply
impressed with one aspect of the Truth is very apt to become so absorbed with it as
to lose sight of and leave out of his reckoning the counter-balancing aspect of the
Truth. Because God performs everything for us, it does not mean there is nothing
for us to do. If we ascribe the glory unto Him to whom alone it is due we shall freely

own to the Lord, "for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us" (Isa. 26:12);
nevertheless that does not alter the fact He has bidden us "work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12), yet that too is immediately followed
with, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good
pleasure." There the two sides of the Truth are placed in juxtaposition, and notice
well the order in which they are set before us. First the enforcing of our duty, and
then the encouraging motive to inspire us therein. The latter is not added to induce
indolence, but in order to encourage effort. We have no scriptural warrant to expect
that God will show Himself strong in our behalf unless we make conscience of His
precepts and use the means He has appointed. Our bread is Divinely guaranteed
(Isa. 33:16), nevertheless it must be labored for (John 6:27).
The relation of Philippians 2:13, to Philippians 2:12, is a double one, being designed
both to cheer and to humble us. The child of God is very conscious of his weakness,
and knowing that the world, the flesh and the Devil are arrayed against him, and
contemplating the tasks set before him—tasks which are spiritual and far above the
compass of mere nature—he asks, How can I possibly accomplish them? The
answer is, Divine assistance is assured. The believer is not left to himself, but the
omnipotent God operates within as well as for him, and therefore is he to go forth in
the confidence that Divine grace will be sufficient for him. Help is indeed needed by
him, and if he conducts himself aright that help will certainly be given. On the other
hand, he is required to work out his own salvation "with fear and trembling," that
is in a spirit of humility and lowliness. But how is that possible unto those who are
proud and independent? We are all of us Pharisees by nature—boastful and prone
to self-glorying. How then can we be emptied of such a spirit? And again
Philippians 2:13, supplies the answer. From this consideration: since it be God who
works in me all that is praiseworthy; then I have nothing to boast of. I am
constantly to remind myself that it is God who makes me to differ from those of my
fellows whom He leaves to themselves. The strongest inducement possible to
produce a self-abasing spirit is the realization that apart from Christ we can do
nothing (John 15:5).
Above we have said that there will be little or no success in our spiritual warfare
unless we make much of the Divine promises: let us now add that the same is equally
true of the Divine precepts. That also is taught us in Joshua 11:6, for immediately
after assuring His servant, "Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this
time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel," the Lord added, "thou shalt
hough their horses and burn their chariots with fire." God’s promises are not
designed to further slothfulness, but to stimulate to the performance of duty. God
does not work in us to promote idleness, but to "will and to do of His good
pleasure." When the farmer sees God working by softening the ground with gentle
showers, he is encouraged to plough and plant his fields. When the yachtsman
perceives God working by stirring the becalmed air with a breeze, he is encouraged
to hoist his sails. So it is spiritually. Grace is given the regenerate for them to use:
"stir up the gift of God which is in thee" (2 Tim. 1:6). We are to "work out" what
God has wrought in us, yet in complete dependence upon Him. We must beware of
abusing the truth of Divine operations and take to heart the warning of the lazy

servant who hid his talent in the earth.
To be a successful warrior I must be able to say with David (and none obtained
more military victories than he!): "Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for
ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart" (Ps. 119:111). We agree with C. Bridges
that when "testimony" occurs in the singular number it has reference to the Bible as
a whole—the entire revelation of God’s will unto mankind—but when found in the
plural it is chiefly the perceptive parts of Scripture which are in view. This is borne
out by verse 138: "Thy testimonies that Thou hast commanded," and "I have kept
Thy precepts and Thy testimonies" (168). David had chosen God’s statutes or
precepts as his "heritage" to live upon. ot the world did he select for his happiness,
but a heritage of holiness and wisdom, one which would not fail in time and one that
would endure for ever. He made this choice because he realized their value: that
they are like their Author, namely "righteous and very faithful" (138), and because
he loved them exceedingly (167). So too did the apostle bear witness: "I delight in
the law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22) —only then will our obedience be
acceptable unto Him. "I have kept Thy precepts and Thy testimonies," and as
Spurgeon said, "If we keep God’s testimonies they will keep us—right in opinion,
comfortable in spirit, holy in conversation, hopeful in expectation."
The Divine testimonies are as necessary and essential unto the believer in his
spiritual warfare as are the Divine assurances. It is the fight of faith which we are
called to wage, and as God’s promises are its food, so His precepts are its directors.
Faith has three great tasks to perform: to trust implicitly in God, to render
obedience to His revealed will, and steadfastly to resist all that is opposed thereto.
The promises provide encouragement for the first, the precepts light for the second,
and the Lord Himself must be looked unto for strength for the third. So it was in
Joshua 11:6: the Divine promise there was immediately followed by a precept;
Joshua was required to hough the horses of the Canaanites and burn their chariots
with fire. Matthew Henry pointed out that this new campaign upon which Joshua
was now entering "was a glorious one, no less illustrious than the former in the
success of it, though in respect of miracles, it was inferior to it in glory. The wonders
God then wrought for them, were to initiate and encourage them to act vigorously
themselves. Thus the war carried on by the preaching of the Gospel, against Satan’s
kingdom, was at first furthered by miracles; but the warfare by then was
sufficiently proved to be of God, and the managers of it are now left to the ordinary
assistance of Divine grace in the use of the sword of the Spirit, and must not expect
hail-stones, or the standing still of the sun."
The order given to Joshua for the houghing of the horses of the Canaanites and the
burning of their chariots involved, of course, the vanquishing of them in battle.
Accordingly we ate told, So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him,
against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them" (v. 7).
Though it was the Lord Himself who had accepted the challenge of Jabin and his
confederates, and had assured His servant that He would deliver them up all slain
before Israel on the morrow, this did not signify that he and his men were to remain
passive—mere spectators of God’s working. He was indeed about to act mightily for

them, yet at the same time by and through them! This also needs to be made clear
and emphasized in certain quarters today: not only where hyper-Calvinism or a
species of fatalism holds sway, but also where a certain type of the "victorious life"
teaching is misleading souls, for the one is as paralyzing as the other. The Christian
is informed that the reason why he so often yields to external temptations or is
overcome by indwelling sin is because he is making the great mistake of trying to
fight his foes personally; that they will never be conquered until he, "by faith,"
turns them over to Christ and counts upon His vanquishing them for him; that the
battle is not his but the Lord’s; that He triumphed over Satan and all his hosts at
the cross; and that if we yield ourselves completely to Him His victory will be ours
without any effort on our part.
There is just sufficient veneer of the Truth to give this line of teaching a plausible
appearance, vet there is also more than enough repudiation of Scripture to convince
all who are subject to God’s Word of its error. Seemingly it supplies a blessed
solution to the most distressing problem in the Christian life, and at the same time
appears to honor Christ, but in fact it repudiates human responsibility, and falsifies
the teaching of our Lord. Faith is not only to rest upon the Divine promises and rely
upon what Christ has done for His people; it is also required to bring forth good
works, run in the way of His commandments, follow the example He has left us.
When one of the leaders of this modern movement declares, "As I trust Christ in
surrender there need be no fight against sin, but complete freedom from the power
and even the desire of sin," he not only inculcates what is contrary to the recorded
experience of God’s people in all ages, but he takes direct issue with Scripture itself.
The Bible speaks of "striving against sin" (Heb. 12:4), wrestling against
principalities and powers (Eph. 6:12), bids the believer "fight the good fight of
faith" (1 Tim. 6:12), enjoins him to "endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ . . . that he may please Him who has chosen him to be a soldier" (2 Tim. 2:3,
4), and calls upon him to "put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11).
It is obvious that the above references, and others of a similar nature, would be
quite useless, meaningless, if the ideal state of Christian living were a merely passive
thing, and if it be summed up in the catchword of one of its popular advocates, "Let
go, and let God." Most assuredly the believer cannot gain the victory by his own
powers; instead, he is to seek strength from the Lord, and then to use the same
actively and strenuously. To speak of a passive "overcomer" is to employ words
without meaning. To make the believer a mere onlooker of the Lord’s exploits is to
reduce him to something less than a moral agent. "Stand still, and see the salvation
of the Lord" must not be so misunderstood and misapplied as to neutralize the
exhortation "Let us run with patience [i.e. perseverance] the race that is set before
us" (Heb. 12:1). "Running," like "wrestling" and "fighting," is a figure which
expresses the putting forth of vigorous endeavor. True, we are to be "looking unto
Jesus" while thus engaged, yet run we must. True also that the Christian is to
reckon on the blessed fact that his Savior has triumphed over Satan, and yet that
does not alter the fact that he is required to "resist the devil." True, God has
promised to tread Satan under our feet shortly, vet be is not there now, any more

than Christ’s enemies have yet been made His footstool (Heb. 10:13). The ultimate
victory is sure, yet it has to be fought for by each one of us.
Thus it was in Joshua 11. Divine assurance that Jabin and his army would be slain
on the morrow had been given, yet that did not release Israel from performing their
duty. God had made no announcement that He would destroy the Canaanites by fire
from heaven, as He did the cities of the plain (Gen. 19), or that He would cause the
earth to open her mouth and swallow them up as in the case of Korah and his
company ( um. 16). Instead, He had promised to "deliver them up all slain before
Israel"—a word which imported, according to its common usage, being killed in
battle. That His servant so understood it is evident, for we are told that he and all
the men of war with him "fell upon them." Joshua did not seek a defensive position
and dig trenches for the protection of his men, and then sit down and wait for the
Lord to work. o, with full confidence in his Master’s promise, he took the
initiative, acted aggressively, and launched an attack upon the foe—boldly,
suddenly, unexpectedly. God had said "to morrow I will deliver them up," and,
taking Him at His word, Joshua delayed not. Probably that was the very last thing
which the hosts of Jabin were expecting, and they would be thrown into the utmost
confusion from the very outset.
EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMME TARY
THE BATTLE OF MEROM.
Joshua Chs. 11, 12.
THERE is some appearance of confusion in the terms in which the great
confederacy of native princes against Israel is brought in. In the beginning of the
ninth chapter, a combination that embraced the whole country, north and south,
east and west, is described as gathered together to fight with Joshua and with Israel.
othing more is said till after the treaty with the Gibeonites, when five of these
confederate kings residing in the south not far from Gibeon muster their forces to
besiege that city. Of the utter rout and ruin of these five kings and of some of their
neighbours we have just been reading. And now we read that, after these things,
Jabin, King of Hazor, sent to his neighbours, and to all the princes in the northern
part of the country, and organized a combined movement against Israel, for which
the appointed rendezvous was at the waters of Merom, in the extreme north of the
country. The statement at the beginning of the ninth chapter that the confederates
“gathered themselves together," seems to be made proleptically; the actual
gathering together not having taken place till the occasions specified in the tenth
and eleventh chapters respectively. The plan of the confederacy was no doubt
formed soon after the fall of Jericho and Ai, and the arrangements for a vast united
movement began to be made then. But it would necessarily consume a considerable
time to bring so vast a host together. Meanwhile, another event had taken place. The
Gibeonites had refused to join the confederacy and had made peace with Joshua.

Their neighbours were intensely provoked, especially Adonizedec of Jerusalem, and
without waiting for the general movement proceeded at once to chastise their
treachery. As we have said already, they doubtless thought it would be an easy task.
To the surprise of them all, Joshua, with an activity which they could not have
looked for, hastened to the relief of Gibeon, and inflicted a defeat on the
confederates which amounted to absolute ruin.
It has not been generally noticed how remarkably the Gibeonite fraud, and the
honourable action of Joshua in connection with it, tended in the end to the good of
Israel. Had Joshua, after the discovery of the fraud, repudiated his treaty and
attacked and exterminated the Gibeonites, or had he disregarded their appeal to
him for help and suffered them to be crushed by Adonizedec, there would have been
nothing to hinder the southern kings from uniting with the northern, and thus
presenting to Joshua the most formidable opposition that was ever mustered in
defence of a country. The magnificent exploit of Joshua in the plain of Gibeon, down
the pass of Bethhoron, and in the valley of Ajalon entirely frustrated any such
arrangement. The armies of the southern kings were destroyed or demoralized. And
though the united forces in the north, with their vast resources of war, still formed a
most formidable opponent, the case would have been very different if the two had
combined, or if one of them had hung on Joshua's rear while he was engaged in
front with the other. othing could have fallen out more for the advantage of Israel
than the procedure of the Gibeonites, which drew off so large and powerful a
section of the confederates, and exposed them thus separate to the sword of Joshua.
Joshua was not allowed a long rest at Gilgal after his dealings with Adonizedec and
his brethren. o doubt the news of that tremendous disaster would quicken the
energies of the northern kings. The head of the new conspiracy was Jabin, King of
Hazor. Jabin was evidently an official name borne by the chief ruler of Hazor, like
Pharaoh in Egypt, for when, at a subsequent period, the place has recovered
somewhat of its importance, and comes again into view as a Canaanite capital, Jabin
is again the name of its chief ruler ( 4:2).
The situation of Hazor has been disputed by geographers, and Robinson, who is
usually so accurate, differs from other authorities. He assigns it to a ruinous city on
a hill called Tell Khuraibeh, overhanging the Lake Merom, for little other reason
than that it seems to answer the conditions of the various narratives where Hazor is
introduced. On the other hand, the author of "The Land and the Book " assigns it
to a place still called Hazere, a little west of Merom, the remains of which lie in a
large natural basin, and spread far up the hill, toward the south. "Heaps of hewn
stone, old and rotten; open pits, deep wells, and vast cisterns cut in the solid rock -
these are the unequivocal indications of an important city. I inquired of an old
sheikh what saint was honoured there. In a voice loud and bold, as if to make a
doubtful point certain, he replied, " eby Hazur, who fought with Yeshua Ibn un."
The matter is of no great moment; all that it is important to know is that Hazor was
situated near Lake Merom, and was the capital of a powerful kingdom.
The cities of some of the other confederates are named, but it is not easy to identify

them all. The sites of Madon, Shimron, and Achshaph, are unknown, but they were
apparently not far from Hazor. ''The Arabah south of Chinneroth" (Joshua 11:2,
R.V.) denotes the plain of Jordan south of the lake of Galilee; the valley, or
"Mowland " (R.V.), denotes the maritime plain from the Philistines northward;
"the heights of Dor on the west" (R.V.), or Highlands of Dor (''Speaker's
Commentary"), the hills about a city on the sea coast, near the foot of Carmel,
prominent in after history, but now reduced to a village with a few poor houses. The
sacred historian, however, does not attempt to enumerate all the places from which
the confederacy was drawn, and falls back on the old comprehensive formula -
"Canaanites on the east and on the west, Amorites, Hittites, the Jebusites in the hill
country, and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh." "The Canaanites on
the west" embraced the people of Zidon, for Joshua is expressly stated to have
followed a band of the fugitives to that city (Joshua 11:8). The muster must have
been an extraordinary one, as numerous "as the sand that is upon the sea shore in
multitude." Josephus gives the numbers as 300,000 footmen, 10,000 horsemen, and
20,000 chariots; but we can hardly attach much value to his figures. "Horses and
chariots" was an arm unknown to the Israelites, with which hitherto they had never
contended. This vast host came together and pitched at the waters of Merom.
Merom, now called Huleh, is the little lake where, as already stated, the three
streamlets that form the Jordan unite. It varies in size in summer and winter. To the
north, a large plain spreads itself out, sufficient for the encampment of a great
army. It was at or near this plain that Abraham overtook the five kings of
Mesopotamia and defeated them, rescuing Lot, and all that had been taken from
Sodom (Genesis 14:14-15). ow again it is crowded with a mighty host: far as the
eye can reach, the plain is darkened by the countless squadrons of the enemy.
Probably, after mustering here, their intention was to bear down the Jordan valley,
till they came on Joshua at Gilgal, or such other place as he might choose to meet
them. But if this was their intention they were outwitted by the activity and
intrepidity of Joshua, who resolved, in spite of their overwhelming numbers, to take
the aggressive; and, marching, as before, with extraordinary rapidity, to fall on
them by surprise and throw them at once into confusion so that they should be
unable to bring their chariots and horses into the action.
It was a very serious undertaking for Joshua, and before attempting it he stood
much in need of the encouragement of Jehovah - "Be not afraid because of them:
for to-morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou
shalt hough their horses, and burn all their chariots with fire." ot on the number
nor on the bravery of his own people, though they had stood by him most nobly, was
he to place his reliance, but on the power of God. ''Rule thou in the midst of thine
enemies" was his mot dordre, as it was afterwards of that other Joshua, whose
battles were not with confused noise nor with garments rolled in blood, but were
triumphs of truth and love. Where else should the true warrior be found but in the
midst of his enemies? Joshua knew it, and with the promised help of God, did not
flinch from the position, though his opponents were like the sand of the seaside, with
a corresponding multitude of chariots and horses. Jesus, too, knew it, and resting on
the same promise did not shrink from the conflict in His own person; nor did He
hesitate to send His apostles into all the world to preach the gospel to every creature,

and look forward to a victory not less complete than that of Joshua, when the
hordes of the Canaanites were scattered before him.
"To-morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel." When he
got that assurance, Joshua must already have left Gilgal some days before, and was
now within a moderate distance of Merom. There was to be no delay in the
completing of the enterprise. ''To-morrow about this time." Though, as a rule, the
mills of God grind slowly, there are times when their velocity is wonderfully
accelerated. He has sometimes wonderful to-morrows. When Hezekiah was gazing
appalled on the hosts of Sennacherib as they lay coiled round Jerusalem, God had a
"to-morrow about this time" when the terror would be exchanged for a glorious
relief. When the apostles met in the upper chamber, and were wondering how they
were ever to conquer the world for their Master, there was a "to-morrow " at hand,
when the Spirit was to "come down like rain on the mown grass, and like showers
that water the earth." When, at the end of the world, iniquity abounds and faith is
low, and scoffers are asking, "Where is the promise of His coming?" there will come
a ''tomorrow about this time " when the heavens will pass away with a great noise,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and all that is therein
shall be destroyed. Hold on, brave Joshua, for a little longer; hold on too, ye soldiers
of the Lord Jesus, though all the powers of darkness are leagued against you; hold
on, ye suffering saints, whose days of pain and nights of waking are such a
weariness to your flesh; the glorious ''to-morrow " may be at hand which is to end
your troubles and bring you the victory!
"We expect a bright to-morrow, All will be well."
And all was well with Joshua. Arriving suddenly at the waters of Merom, he fell on
the mighty host of the enemy, who, taken by surprise, seem not to have struck one
blow, but to have been seized at once with that panic which so thoroughly
demoralizes Eastern hordes, and to have fled in consternation. In three great
streams the fugitives sought their homes. One portion made for Misrephothmaim in
the south-west, now, it is thought, represented by Musheirifeh on the north border
of the plain of Acre; another struck in a north-easterly direction through the valley
of the upper Jordan, or east of Hermon to the valley of Mizpeh; a third, passing
through the gorge of the Litany, made for great Zidon, in the distant north. Joshua
himself would seem to have pursued this column of fugitives, and, passing over a
rough path of more than forty miles, not to have abandoned them till they took
refuge within the walls of Zidon. If he had attacked and destroyed that stronghold,
it might have changed for the better much of the future history of his country; for
the Jezebels and Athaliahs of after days were among the worst enemies of Israel.
But he did not deem himself called to that duty It seemed more urgent that he
should demolish Hazor, the capital of the confederacy that he had just scattered. So
''he turned back and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword; for
Hazor before time was the head of all those kingdoms." For this reason Hazor was
treated like Jericho, utterly destroyed, as were also the other cities of the
confederate kings. One class of cities was spared, called in our version ''the cities
that stood still in their strength," but better in the Revised- "the cities that stood on

their mounds." The custom referred to is that of building cities on mounds or hills
for the sake of protection. With the exception of Hazor, none of these were
destroyed. The reason probably was, that it would have cost too much time. But it
was in such places that the old inhabitants rallied and entrenched themselves, and
from them they were able in after years to inflict much loss and give great trouble to
Israel. Joshua, however, had not received instructions to destroy them; they were
left to serve a purpose in God's plan of discipline ( 2:3), and while Israel was often
humbled under them their attacks proved occasions of rallying, bringing them back
to God, whose worship they were so ready to neglect.
The conquest of Western Palestine was thus virtually completed. First, by taking
Jericho, Joshua had possessed himself of the Jordan valley, and established a clear
communication with Bashan and Gilead, which the two and a half tribes had
received for their inheritance. By the conquest of Ai and Bethel, he had made a way
to the great plateau of Western Palestine, and by his treaty with the Gibeonites he
had extended his hold a considerable way farther to the south and the west. Then,
by the great victory of Bethhoron, he had crushed the southern chiefs and possessed
himself, for the time at least, of all that quarter. As to the inhabitants of the central
part, we know not (as we have already said) how they were dealt with, but most
probably they were too frightened to resist him. (See p. 202 {eS module note: try
looking at the opening paragraphs of Chapter 17....}).
The northern section had been subdued at Merom, and much crippled through the
pursuit of Joshua after the battle there. The only important parts of the country of
which he did not gain possession were the land of the Philistines, the strip of sea
coast held by Tyre and Zidon, and some small kingdoms on the north-east. It would
seem that in the instructions received by him from Moses, these were not included,
for it is expressly said of him that "he left nothing undone of all that the Lord
commanded Moses." Emphasis is laid on the fact that his conquests were not
confined to one section or denomination of territory, but embraced the whole.
''Joshua took all that land, the hill country, and all the South, and all the land of
Goshen, and the lowland, and the Arabah, and the hill country of Israel, and the
lowland of the same; from Mount Halak (or, the bare mountain) [on the south], that
goeth up to Seir [the land of Edom], even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon
under Mount Hermon [in the north]: and all their kings he took, and smote them,
and put them to death" (R.V.). The "Goshen" here spoken of cannot, of course, be
the Egyptian Goshen, for this city was in the neighbourhood of Gibeon (Joshua
10:41); but its site has not been identified.
We are told that the wars of Joshua occupied a long time. Probably from five to
seven years were consumed by them, for though the pitched battles of Bethhoron
and Merom virtually decided the mastership of the country, there must have been a
large amount of guerilla warfare, and the sieges of the various cities may have
required much time. The list of kings subdued, as given in Chap 12, is a remarkable
document. Granting that though called kings they were mostly but little chieftains,
still they were formidable enough to a pastoral people unused to the pursuits of war;
and it was very striking that not one of them by himself, nor all of them combined,

were equal to Joshua. If Joshua was not divinely aided, the conquest of all these
chieftains and the capture of their cities is the most inexplicable event in history.
Two additional statements are made towards the close of the eleventh chapter. One
is, that with the single exception of Gibeon, no attempt was made by any of the
chiefs or cities to make peace with Joshua. "For it was of the Lord to harden their
hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them
utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the
Lord commanded Moses." It would have been very embarrassing to Joshua if they
had submitted spontaneously, and cast themselves on his generosity, for his orders
were to destroy them. But this difficulty did not arise. one of the cities seem to
have shared the conviction of the Gibeonites that opposition was needless, that
Israel was sure to prevail, and get possession of the country. When men's backs are
up, to use a common phrase, they will do wonders in the way of facing danger and
enduring suffering. Even the resistance of the martyrs cannot be wholly ascribed to
holy faith and loyalty to God; in many cases, no doubt, something was due to that
dogged spirit that won't submit, that won't be beat, that will endure incredible
privation rather than give in. The effect of this resistance by the Canaanites was,
that while Joshua's task was increased in one way, it was simplified in another. Ages
before, God had given the country to the fathers of the Hebrew nation. That people
now came and demanded in God's name possession of the land which He had given
them. Had the nations submitted voluntarily they must have left the country to seek
new settlements elsewhere. By resisting, they compelled Joshua to meet them with
the sword; and having resisted Israel with all their might, nothing remained but
that they should encounter the doom which they had so fiercely provoked.
That some of the Canaanites did leave the country seems very probable, although
little importance is to be attached to the statement of Procopius that after trying
Egypt they settled in Libya, and overspread Africa as far as the Pillars of Hercules.
At a fortress in umidia called Tigisis or Tingis he says that so late as the sixth
century after Christ there were discovered near a great wall two pillars of white
stone bearing, in Phoenician, the inscription, "We are those who fled before the
robber Jeshus, son of ane." Ewald and others by whom this tradition is noticed
are not disposed, owing to its late date, to attach to it any weight.
The other statement relates to the Anakim. Sometime, not precisely defined, while
engaged in his conflicts Joshua ''cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from
Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all
the mountains of Israel," leaving none of them except in Gaza, in Gath, and in
Ashdod (Joshua 11:21). Afterwards it is said (Joshua 15:14) that it was Caleb that
drove from Hebron the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai; but this
cannot be counted a contradiction inasmuch as ''Joshua," being the leader of the
army, must be held to represent and include all who fought in connection with his
enterprise. These Anakim were the men that had so terrified the ten spies. "And
there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in
our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight " ( umbers 13:33). To
men of little faith, giants, whether physical or moral, are always formidable. Kings,

with the resources of an empire at their back; generals at the head of mighty
battalions; intellectual chiefs, with all their talent and brilliancy, their wit, their
irony, their power to make the worse appear the better reason, are more than a
match for the obscure handfuls to whom the battles of the faith are often left. But if
the obscure handfuls are allied with the Lord of hosts, their victory is sure; the
triumphant experience of the forty-sixth psalm awaits them: "God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, and that right early."
We are weary of the din of arms, and come at last to the refreshing statement: ''And
the land rested from war." The annals of peace are always more brief than the
records of war; and when we reach this short but welcome clause we might wish
that it were so expanded as to fill our eyes and our hearts with the blessings which
peace scatters with her kindly hand. For that impression we need only to turn to
another page of our Bible, and read of the campaigns of another Joshua. ''And
Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel
of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease
among the people." The contrast is very glorious. In His Galilee journeys, Jesus
traversed the very region where Joshua had drawn his sword against the
confederate kings. Joshua had pursued them as far as Zidon, leaving marks of
bloodshed along the whole way; Jesus, when "He departed to the coasts of Tyre and
Sidon" went to reward faith, to dispossess devils, and to kindle in a desolate heart
thanksgiving and joy. Everywhere, throughout all Galilee and the regions beyond,
His advent was accompanied with benedictions, and blessings were scattered by
Him in His path.
But let us not indulge in too complete a contrast between the two conquerors.
Joshua's rough plough-share prepared the way for Jesus' words of mercy and deeds
of love. God's message to man is not all in honeyed words. Even Jesus, as He went
through Galilee, proclaimed, ''Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And
it was those only who gave heed to the call to repent that became possessors of the
kingdom.
PULPIT, "THE PROSECUTIO OF THE WAR.—
Joshua 11:1
And it came to pass. The political constitution of Palestine was, humanly speaking,
the cause of its overthrow. The division of the country into a host of petty states, and
the consequent want of cohesion and concert, made its conquest a comparatively
easy task. Had the kings of the north rallied round the standard set up in Central
Palestine by Adoni-zedek, a far more formidable opposition would have been
offered to Joshua at Gibeon. Calvin takes us, however, at once to the fountain head,
and remarks how God fitted the burden to those who had to bear it. In spite of the
great things God had done to them, they might have been driven to despair (and
every one knows how weak their faith was) by the overwhelming numbers of the
enemy. But by reason of the slackness of their opponents they were able to meet and

Joshua 11 commentary

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Joshua 11 commentary