The document details the conquests of the Israelites under Moses and Joshua, specifically focusing on the victories over the kings Sihon and Og east of the Jordan River. It outlines the geographical boundaries of the conquered territories, which extend from the River Arnon in the south to Mount Hermon in the north. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of remembering past victories while highlighting the transition from the conquests to the division of the land among the tribes of Israel.

1. JOSHUA 12 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
List of Defeated Kings
1 These are the kings of the land whom the
Israelites had defeated and whose territory they
took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon
Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern
side of the Arabah:
BAR ES, "All the plain on the east - i. e. the Arabah or depressed tract along the
east bank of Jordan, the modern El-Ghor (see Num_22:1).
Jos_12:2
From the middle of the river - i. e. as appears from Jos_13:9, Jos_13:16, “from
the city that is in the midst of the river;” namely,, Ar Moab (see Deu_2:36).
Jos_12:3
From the plain - Render “over the plain;” for the words describe not one of the
boundaries of Sihon’s kingdom, but part of the territory included in it, i. e. the eastern
portion of the Ghor, between the Sea of Tiberias and the Dead Sea.
CLARKE, "From the river Arnon unto Mount Hermon - Arnon was the
boundary of all the southern coast of the land occupied by the Israelites beyond Jordan;
and the mountains of Hermon were the boundaries on the north. Arnon takes its rise in
the mountains of Gilead, and having run a long way from north to south falls into the
Dead Sea, near the same place into which Jordan discharges itself.
And all the plain on the east - All the land from the plains of Moab to Mount
Hermon.
GILL, "Now these are the kings of the land which the children of Israel
smote,.... In the days of Moses, as Jarchi remarks, and as it clearly appears from what
follows:

2. and possessed, their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the
sun; on the east of the land of Canaan:
from the river Arnon unto the mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east;
Arnon was the border of Moab between them and the Amorites, Num_21:13; and from
hence to Hermon, a mountain adjoining to Lebanon, lay the country of the two kings of
the Amorites after mentioned, Deu_3:8; and the plain on the east were the plains of
Moab, which lay to the east of Jordan.
HE RY 1-6, "Joshua, or whoever else is the historian before he comes to sum up the
new conquests Israel had made, in these verses receives their former conquests in
Moses's time, under whom they became masters of the great and potent kingdoms of
Sihon and Og. Note, Fresh mercies must not drown the remembrance of former mercies,
nor must the glory of the present instruments of good to the church be suffered to
eclipse and diminish the just honour of those who have gone before them, and who were
the blessings and ornaments of their day. Joshua's services and achievements are
confessedly great, but let not those under Moses be overlooked and forgotten, since God
was the same who wrought both, and both put together proclaim him the Alpha and
Omega of Israel's great salvation. Here is, 1. A description of this conquered country, the
measure and bounds of it in general (Jos_12:1): From the river Arnon in the south, to
Mount Hermon in the north. In particular, here is a description of the kingdom of Sihon
(Jos_12:2, Jos_12:3), and that of Og, Jos_12:4, Jos_12:5. Moses had described this
country very particularly (Deu_2:36; Deu_3:4, etc.), and this description here agrees
with his. King Og is said to dwell at Ashtaroth and Edrei (Jos_12:4), probably because
they were both his royal cities; he had palaces in both, and resided sometimes in one and
sometimes in the other; one perhaps was his summer seat and the other his winter seat.
But Israel took both from him, and made one grave to serve him that could not be
content with one palace. 2. The distribution of this country. Moses assigned it to the two
tribes and a half, at their request, and divided it among them (Jos_12:6), of which we
had the story at large, Num. 32. The dividing of it when it was conquered by Moses is
here mentioned as an example to Joshua what he must do now that he had conquered
the country on this side Jordan. Moses, in his time, gave to one part of Israel a very rich
and fruitful country, but it was on the outside of Jordan; but Joshua gave to all Israel the
holy land, the mountain of God's sanctuary, within Jordan: so the law conferred upon
some few of God's spiritual Israel external temporal blessings, which were earnests of
good things to come; but our Lord Jesus, the true Joshua, has provided for all the
children of promise spiritual blessings - the privileges of the sanctuary, and the heavenly
Canaan. The triumphs and grants of the law were glorious, but those of the gospel far
exceed in glory.
JAMISO , "Jos_12:1-6. The two kings whose countries Moses took and disposed of.
Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote,
and possessed their land on the other side Jordan — This chapter contains a
recapitulation of the conquests made in the promised land, with the additional mention
of some places not formerly noted in the sacred history. The river Arnon on the south
and mount Hermon on the north were the respective boundaries of the land acquired by
the Israelites beyond Jordan (see Num_21:21-24; Deu_2:36; Deu_3:3-16 [and see on
Deu_2:24]).

3. K&D 1-6, "List of the kings whom the Israelites smote, and whose land they took, on
the other side of the Jordan, - namely, the land by the brook Arnon (Mojeb; see Num_
21:13) to Hermon (Jebel es Sheikh, Deu_3:8), and the whole of the eastern Arabah (the
valley of the Jordan on the eastern side of the river).
Jos_12:2-3
On Sihon and his kingdom, see Num_21:24; Deu_2:36; Deu_3:16-17. “Aroër on the
Arnon:” the present ruins of Araayr, on the northern bank of the Mojeb (see Num_
32:34). ‫ל‬ ַ‫ח‬ַ ַ‫ה‬ ְ‫ּוך‬‫ת‬ְ‫,ו‬ “and (from) the middle of the valley onwards:” i.e., according to the
parallel passages in Jos_13:9, Jos_13:16, and Deu_2:36, from the town in the Arnon
valley, the city of Moab mentioned in Num_22:36, viz., Ar or Areopolis (see at Num_
21:15) in the neighbourhood of Aroër, which is mentioned as the exclusive terminus a
quo of the land taken by the Israelites along with the inclusive terminus Aroër. “Half-
Gilead,” i.e., the mountainous district on the south side of the Jabbok (see at Deu_3:10),
“to the river Jabbok,” i.e., the upper Jabbok, the present Nahr Ammân (see at Num_
21:24).
Jos_12:3
“And (over) the Arabah, etc., Sihon reigned,” i.e., over the eastern side of the Ghor,
between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea (see at Deu_3:17). “By the way to
Bethjeshimoth, and towards the south below the slopes of Pisgah” (see at Num_21:15
and Num_27:12), i.e., to the north-eastern border of the desert by the Dead Sea (see at
Num_22:1).
Jos_12:4-5
“And the territory of Og,” sc., they took possession of (Jos_12:1). On Og, vid., Deu_
3:11; and on his residences, Ashtaroth (probably to be seen in Tell Ashtereh) and Edrei
(now Draa or Dêra), see at Gen_14:5 and Num_21:33. On his territory, see Deu_3:10,
Deu_3:13-14.
Jos_12:6
These two kings were smitten by Moses, etc.: vid., Num_21:21., and Num_32:33.
CALVI , "1. OW these are the kings, etc This chapter does not need a lengthened
exposition, as it only enumerates the kings of whose territories the Israelites gained
possession. Two of them are beyond the Jordan, Og and Sihon, whose rule was
extensive; in the land of Canaan there are thirty-one. But though each of those now
summarily mentioned was previously given more in detail, there is very good reason
for here placing before our eyes as it were a living picture of the goodness of God,
proving that there had been a complete ratification and performance of the
covenant made with Abraham as given in the words, “Unto thy seed will I give this
land.” (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:15; Genesis 15:18) This living image of the grace of
God is here set before us as if the reality were actually present. (123) Joshua was
eighty years of age when he entered the land. In this aged man how could there be
so much vigor (124) as to fit him for carrying on so many wars and enduring the
fatigues of warfare, had not celestial virtue furnished him with more than mortal
strength? And were not his uninterrupted career of victory, his success under all
circumstances, the ease, free from doubt and uncertainty, with which he stormed
cities, the rapidity of his movements, and his inflexible firmness — were not all these

4. clear evidences of the hand of God, just as if it had appeared from heaven?
The object of defining the countries by their boundaries was to give a better display
of the divine power by setting forth their extent; but this of course was only for
those to whom their site was known. Hence, for any one not acquainted with the
geography to dwell upon the names, would be vain and foolish curiosity. I admit,
indeed, that it is useful to pay attention to the places with which, from their being
often mentioned in Scripture, our knowledge ought to be somewhat more familiar,
as when the boundaries are fixed by the brook Jabok, in the district of Lebanon and
the lake of Gennesaret, here called the Sea of Cineroth, and elsewhere Cinereth. For
a slight attention will help us to understand the narrative. If we cannot go farther,
let us leave those who are better skilled to give a more searching discussion of what
is beyond our reach. (125) But although the dominions of these petty kings were
narrow and not very populous, we shall however see that many towns were annexed
to their principal cities; their number may be ascertained especially from what is
said of the lot of the Levites. On the other hand, if we reflect how one small territory
could receive and maintain old men, women, and children, nay, a great part of the
people with their domestic animals, we cannot fail to admire the inestimable
goodness of God which prevented all things from being thrown into complete and
irremediable confusion. (126)
DUMMELOW, "A Review of the Victories of Moses and Joshua
This chapter concludes the whole section of the book which deals with the conquest
of Canaan. The following chapters narrate the partition of the conquered and some
unconquered land. The original account of these conquests is to be found in
umbers 21:21-35, and of the assignment to the 2½ tribes in umbers 3:2. A fuller
description of the territory is given in chapter umbers 13:1-33;where see notes.
1-6. Moses' conquests E. of Jordan. Kingdoms of Sihon and Og.
3. Sea of Chinneroth] the OT. name for the Sea of Galilee. Salt sea] the Dead Sea.
7-24. Joshua's conquests W. of Jordan—thirty-one kings.
7. The . and S. limits are given as in Joshua 11:17, only in reverse order. On this
side Jordan on the west] RV 'beyond Jordan westward.'
9. One] i.e. one king.
21. Taanach.. Megiddo] see on Judges 5:19.
23. The nations] RV 'Goiim.'
24. Tirzah] (probably=Teiasir) E. of Shechem. It was afterwards the capital of the
orthern Kingdom, from the time of Jeroboam (1 Kings 14:17) till the 6th year of
Omri, who moved the centre of government to Samaria (1 Kings 16:23).

5. BE SO , ". These are the kings of the land — This summary account of Israel’s
conquests comes in here not only as a conclusion of the history of the wars of
Canaan, that we might at one view see what they had gotten; but as a preface to the
history of the dividing of Canaan, that all those territories might be placed together
before the reader’s view, which they were now to make the distribution of. All the
plain on the east — That is, on the east of Jordan, called the plain, Deuteronomy
1:1. From the middle of the river — Ar, which was no part of Sihon’s dominions,
but belonged to the Moabites, (Deuteronomy 2:9-18,) appears to have been situated
in the middle of the river Arnon, (Deuteronomy 2:36; Deuteronomy 3:16,) and
therefore the middle of the river is properly here mentioned as the bound of Sihon’s
dominion on that side. But it is not unusual even among us for a river to be divided
between two lords, and for their territories or jurisdictions to meet in the middle of
the river. Some, however, prefer rendering ‫הנחל‬ ‫,תוְך‬ tock hannachal, between the
river; namely, that he reigned over some territory which was situated between
different streams of that river. Half Gilead — Hebrew, And the half Gilead; that is,
half the country of Gilead, over which Sihon’s dominion, which began at Arnon,
extended, ending at Jabbok, beyond which river was the other half of Gilead, which
belonged to Og.
COKE,"Verse 1
Ver. 1. ow these are the kings, &c.— Having concluded the relation of the wars of
Joshua, the sacred historian, now about to enter into a detail of the division made of
the conquered country among the tribes, lays in some measure before the reader a
map of that country, beginning with those places which the Israelites took under the
conduct of Moses. The country extended from the river Arnon on the south, to
mount Hermon on the north, and included all the plain, i.e. all the plains of Moab,
on the east of Jordan.
ote; On this side Jordan, the people of God have possession of some blessings, as
pardon, peace, comfort, &c.; but their chief inheritance lies beyond the grave, where
the fulness of the promises shall be accomplished in the glory which shall be
revealed.
COFFMA , "Verse 1
With this chapter the first half of the Book of Joshua is completed, and
appropriately enough, this first section is concluded with a broad summary of the
Conquest of Canaan. This conquest required a long war of at least seven years
duration, and the Book of Joshua does not present any thorough history of that war,
but rather confines its report to those events of particular bearing upon Israel's
relation to God, and to His redemptive purpose for mankind. This first half of the
book deals principally with Israel's taking of the land of the Canaanites, and the
second half of it is concerned chiefly with the division of the territory of Canaan
among the individual tribes. "The first part of the book closes with Joshua's
triumph, and the second ends with the record of his death."[1]

6. This chapter begins with a description of the Trans-Jordanian (eastward) conquests
of Sihon and Og by Moses and Israel and the settlement of the two and one half
tribes east of Jordan, as allowed by Moses. The author here evidently had two
purposes in view by his placement of Joshua 12:1-6, as suggested by Woudstra, as
follows: (1) "To draw a parallel between Moses and Joshua, and (2) to stress the
unity of all Israel."[2]
In the second division of this chapter (Joshua 12:7-24); (1) "The kings in Southern
Canaan are listed first (Joshua 12:9-16); and (2) the kings in orthern Canaan are
listed last."[3]
Longacre attributed this chapter, indeed the first half of Joshua, to, "JE, RD, and
P;"[4] and Morton thought this chapter came from "D."[5] Our own opinion is that
it came from JOSHUA! We cannot believe that P, or D, or J, or E, or R, or any of
the rest of those imaginary writers were eye-witnesses or participants in the events
here outlined. More recent scholarship is beginning to see the impossibility of
receiving such allegations regarding the source of Biblical books. Boling, for
example, writes: "It must be admitted, however, that there is no direct evidence to
show that the label `P' (or any other label, J.B.C.) must be placed on this
chapter."[6] The death of all allegations of various sources for Biblical books is in
three simple words: O DIRECT EVIDE CE! Furthermore, we declare
unequivocally that "there are no prior documents that were copied to make up the
holy Bible." If Biblical enemies want to get their "prior sources" accepted by
believers, let them produce the documents! Joshua is simply not a piecemeal kind of
book. As Lilley put it, "The overall effect (of merely reading it) emphasizes the unity
of the book."[7]
" ow these are the kings of the land, whom the children of Israel smote, and
possessed their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising, from the valley of the
Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the Arabah eastward: Sihon king of the
Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the
valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley and half Gilead,
even unto the river Jabbok, the border of the children of Ammon; and the Arabah
unto the sea of Chinneroth, eastward, and unto the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt
Sea, eastward, the way to Bethjeshimoth; and on the south, under the slopes of
Pisgah: and the border of Og king of Bashan, of the remnant of the Rephaim, who
dwelt at Ashteroth and at Edrei, and ruled in mount Hermon, and in Salecah, and
in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and half
Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon. Moses the servant of Jehovah and the
children of Israel smote them: and Moses the servant of Jehovah gave it for a
possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh."
"Chinneroth ..." (Joshua 12:3). This body of water is called Chinneroth, Tiberias,
Gennessereth, and Galilee in the Bible, also with variations of "Sea of ..." or "Lake
..." in each instance. The "Sea of the Arabah" is the Dead Sea. Pisgah was a
dramatic promontory overlooking the Arabah, which is the great rift in the earth in
which the whole Jordan and the Dead Sea are found. "Pisgah lay near the

7. northeastern corner of the Dead Sea."[8] "`Beth-jeshimoth' means `house of
wastes,'"[9] an appropriate name indeed for a strip of land lying northeast of the
Dead Sea and adjacent to it; "It is described by travelers as the most arid portion of
the whole land."[10]
As for the scope of the territories that belonged to Sihon and Og, they may be
described thus: between them, they controlled all of the Trans-Jordan eastward
from the Jordan Valley, with the Jabbok river lying between their territories. Og
controlled the northern area as far as mount Hermon, and Sihon controlled the
southern sector south of the Jabbok. The mention of "half of Gilead," indicates that
the rather indefinite area called "Gilead" was divided about equally between Sihon
and Og. (For further details regarding the conquest of Transjordania eastward, see
notes, above on Deuteronomy, chapters 2,3. Also, see Vol. 3 in this series of
commentaries, under umbers 21.)
"The Rephaim ..." (Joshua 12:4). "These were one of the various tribes of giants,
like the Anakims, Zuzims, Emims, of whom we read in the land of Canaan."[11] It
is of interest here that Og had two palaces, living both at Ashtaroth and Edrei.
Matthew Henry commented that, "Israel took both from him, and made one grave
to serve him that could not be content with one palace!"[12]
TRAPP, "Joshua 12:1 ow these [are] the kings of the land, which the children of
Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of
the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:
Ver. 1. ow these are the kings.] Here we have the epilogue of Israel’s wars under
Moses and Joshua; together with a catalogue of the countries which they conquered,
and the kings whom they slew.
WHEDO , "Verse 1
1. The river Arnon — This stream is now called Wady el-Mojeb. It runs circuitously
for some eighty miles through a romantic rocky valley, and empties into the Dead
Sea near the center of its eastern shore. It became the southern boundary of
Reuben, but was originally the border between Moab and the Amorites. See on
umbers 21:13.
Mount Hermon — See on Joshua 11:3.
The plain on the east — The Jordan valley east of the river.
Verses 1-6
LIST OF THE TRA S-JORDA IC CO QUESTS, Joshua 12:1-6.
This chapter concludes the general history of the conquests, and is a resume of the
triumphs under Moses and Joshua. For the historical facts referred to in the first six
verses see umbers 21:21-35, and Deuteronomy 2:26-37; Deuteronomy 3:1-17.

8. ELLICOTT, "SUMMARY OF THE CO QUERED TERRITORY.
(a) According to kings.
(2) Sihon king of the Amorites . . .—For a description of his territory see
Deuteronomy 2:31-37.
(4) Og king of Bashan.—See Deuteronomy 3:11.
(6) Them did Moses the servant of the Lord . . . smite.—The continuity of the work
of Moses and Joshua should be noticed. The land which God gave to Israel is made
up of two portions: (1) a territory on the east of Jordan conquered by Moses, and
given by him to two and a half tribes, as the “portion of the law-giver;” (2) a
territory on the west of Jordan, of larger extent, conquered by Joshua, and given to
nine and a half tribes. But the conquest of Canaan is one enterprise, begun by
Moses and finished by Joshua. And the land of Israel is one country, though divided
by Jordan into two portions. The analogy between the work of Moses and Joshua in
this literal conquest, and the work of Moses and the true Joshua in respect of the
inheritance of the Church of God, which was partly won before the passage of
Jordan—i.e., before the death of Christ—but much more afterwards, is too plain to
be overlooked.
(7) And these are the kings of the country which Joshua . . . smote.—There are two
kings reckoned to Moses, and thirty-one to Joshua; making a total of thirty-three.
Yet the two slain by Moses are individually represented as far greater than any who
are named in this book. And in the Psalms, in more than one place, we have “Sihon
king of the Amorites, and Og the king of Bashan” expressed by name, and the rest
only summarised, as “all the kingdoms of Canaan” (Psalms 135:11-12; Psalms
136:19-20.).
From Baal-gad . . . unto the mount Halak.—See Joshua 11:17.
(9-24) These verses give a list of the thirty-one kings defeated by Joshua. The order
of the conquest is followed. We have first the kings of Jericho and Ai; (2) the kings
overcome in the southern campaign (Joshua 10) from the king of Jerusalem (Joshua
12:10) to the king of Makkedah (Joshua 12:16). Among these, the kings of Geder,
Hormah, Arad, and Adullam have not been previously mentioned in Joshua, nor is
the capture of Jarmuth mentioned. The names Hormah and Arad both occur in
umbers 21:1; umbers 21:3, where the town of Arad is, after its destruction by
Israel, called Hormah. As the cities of the king of Arad are mentioned in that place,
it is possible that the Hormah and Arad of this chapter may both be of the number.
Or they may be different places. It is also just possible that the capture of those
cities may be mentioned in umbers 21 by anticipation, and that the attack of Arad
on Israel was not fully avenged until the conquest of Canaan by Joshua. (3) We next
read of the kings conquered in the rest of the country, whose cities ranged from
Bethel on the south to Hazor on the north. Of the capture of these cities we have no
details, with the exception of Hazor (Joshua 11:10). And it should be carefully

9. noticed how very few of them are in the centre of the country.
The cities mentioned in Joshua 12:9-16 have all been mentioned before, with the
exception of Geder, Joshua 12:13 (the Geder of Joshua 15:58), which is identified as
Jedûr, in the Hebron mountains.
(16-24) The town of Bethel, on the borders of Benjamin and Ephraim, which passed
from the one tribe to the other (Joshua 18:22 and 1 Kings 12:29), seems to mark the
geographical transition in this list from the territory conquered in the southern
campaign of Joshua, to that which he conquered in his northern campaign.
(17) Tappuah.—There were two cities of this name—viz., one in Judah (Joshua
15:34) and one in Ephraim (Joshua 16:8; Joshua 17:8). The latter is probably
intended here. This town was on the borders of Ephraim and Manasseh, and nearly
all the towns that follow, so far as identified, lie in a northerly direction. This
confirms the opinion already expressed, that a large portion of the centre of
Palestine was comparatively uncleared and unoccupied at the time of the conquest.
Hepher is not identified, unless it could be the same as Gath-hepher or Gittah-
hepher in Zebulun (Joshua 19:13).
(18) Aphek is a name belonging to six different towns, according to Conder, who
does not, however, profess to identify this one. Three of those which he does identify
lie in the northern districts.
Lasharon.—Rather, perhaps, Sharon (the first syllable seems to be the Hebrew
prefix “to the”). Sharon, in every place (except one) where the name occurs in the
Old Testament, has the definite article, and appears as Hassharon; and so in the
critical text of Acts 9:35, Assaron rather than Saron. It is the Sharon, or plain; and
the king of Lasharon seems to mean the king of that district. Madon, Hazor, and
Shimron-meron have been identified as northern towns in Joshua 11
(20) Achshaph is thought to be El-Yasif, in the tribe of Asher.
(21) Taanach is Tânah, in the territory of Issachar, but belonging to Manasseh
(Joshua 17:11). Megiddo, though famous in Old Testament history, is not yet
identified with certainty, though it appears to survive in Mujedd’a, in the plain of
Jezreel, near Beisan (Bethshan).
(22) Kedesh is probably Kedesh- aphtali, and survives in Kedes. There are two
others, according to Conder. 1 Chron. (1 Chronicles 6:72 and 1 Chronicles 6:76)
proves that there are two places of the name; but is he right in supposing that the
Kedesh of Judges 4:11 differs from Kedesh- aphtali in Judges 4:6? Jokneam of
Carmel is identified as Tell Keimûn.
(23) Dor—i.e., Tantûra.

10. Gilgal (there are three places of this name also) is probably Jiljilieh, in the plain of
Sharon.
(24) Tirzah is thought to be Teiasîr, in the territory of Manasseh.
PULPIT, "THE EXTE T OF JOSHUA'S CO QUESTS.
Joshua 12:1
ow these are the kings. The historian now enters upon a complete description of
the whole territory which had, up to this date, fallen into the hands of the Israelites.
First he traces out the border of the trans-Jordanic possessions of Israel, which he
describes as bounded on the south by the river Arnon, on the west of course by the
Jordan, and as extending from Hermon, past the Sea of Chinneroth, to the borders
of the Dead Sea. The eastern border is not clearly defined, but the boundary
extended far further eastward in the north than in the south, since the territory of
Og was much more extensive than that of Sihon. On the west of Jordan the territory
is described as extending "from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon (i.e; Baalbec or
Caesarea Philippi; see note on Joshua 11:17) unto the Mount Halak which goeth up
to Seir, which we have seen to be a range of mountains extending southward from
near the south point of the Dead Sea. The border of the Israelitish possessions is
more accurately defined in the succeeding chapters, but it was, after all, a slip of
territory not more than 180 miles in length by about 100 in breadth. Its influence
upon the history of the world, like that of Athens and Sparta, must not be measured
by its size, but by its moral energy. As the former city has attained undying fame by
its intellectual power, the second by its mihtary capacity, so Palestine has derived
her title to fame from her indestructible national life—indestructible because built
alone, of all the religious systems of the ancient world, upon the foundations of the
unity and Fatherhood of God; indestructible, moreover, because it came by
revelation from God. There is no greater argument for the Divine origin of the
Mosaic law than the unique spectacle of a national life like that of the Jews,
subsisting for nearly two thousand years after their expulsion from their land. From
the river Arnon (see umbers 21:24). The word Arnon Signifies the swift stream
(see Gesenius,'Thesaur.' s.v). It is now called by the Arabs, El-Mujeb. Seetzen
represents the region round its mouth to be naturally most fertile, but as abandoned
now to a few wild plants. Unto Mount Hermon. ow Jebel-es-Sheikh. We have a
vivid description of the scenery of Hermon in Psalms 42:1-11; with the noise of its
foaming torrents, the "deep calling unto deep" from the recesses of its dark ravines,
where the infant Jordan rushed along its rocky bed. The Psalmist pictures to himself
his troubles as overwhelming him like the billows of the numerous streams that
streaked the mountain sides. And yet again Hermon is introduced as the image of
peace and plenty and brotherly love. The refreshing dews which distilled from the
side of the giant mountain were the source of blessing to those who dwelt afar off,
and even the dry and parched sides of Mount Zion were cooled by their delicious
influence. In Psalms 42:6 the Psalmist speaks of Hermon in the plural. Some have
regarded this (e.g; Ritter) as referring to the double peak of the mountain. The
phrase most probably refers to the region, though Hermon has really three peaks

11. (see note on Joshua 11:3). And all the plain on the east. The Arabah (see Joshua
3:16). The depression of the Jordan, which lay eastward, of course, of Palestine.
This is much insisted on in the following verses.
PULPIT, "The extent of the conquest.
A few detached considerations occur to us here.
I. GOD WELL OT BE WORSE THA HIS WORD. The reduction of the whole
land had not yet been effected, but it had been rendered possible if Israel were
disposed to follow up his advantage. The list of cities captured covers nearly the
whole extent of Palestine, and Canaan had been deprived of all capacity of
resistance. So it is with the Christian who has entered into covenant with God. The
mastery over sin has been placed in his power. "Sin shall have no more dominion
over him," unless he pleases. Every part of his nature is under the dominion of
Jesus. Satan and his angels can but cower and submit, unless the Christian prefer
accommodation to warfare, and allow himself to be led into alliance or fellowship
with evil. It is the making marriages with Canaan, entering into amicable relations
with the enemies he has subdued, that betrays Israel to his ruin. God has placed
everything in his power. If he will not destroy his enemies when he can, he has but
himself to blame.
II. ISRAEL'S POSSESSIO IS A VARIOUS O E. The land of Israel had various
characteristics. Mountains and fertile plains, strange deep depressions, declivities,
desert, dry arid ground, all formed part of the land flowing with milk and honey. So
in the Christian life there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. The heights of
rank and intellect, the fertile soil of usefulness and energy, the depths of poverty,
ignorance, and absence of mental power, the various inequalities of fortune, the
trials of sorrow and adversity, the dryness of soul in prayer, the privation of
sympathy and consolation—all these are various elements of the spiritual life,
regions on the map of the spiritual Canaan; but all are subject to the power of Jesus,
and may, if we will, be made useful in His cause. As the most arid or the most rocky
soft in Palestine became, by man's industry, highly productive, so the oil, olive, and
honey, the figs, and pomegranates, and vines of our spiritual Israel, may be raised, if
we will but be fellow-workers with God, out of the most unpromising natural
disposition.
III. JOSHUA'S VICTORIES WERE CAREFULLY KEPT I REMEMBRA CE.
So may the Christian, at the end of a long career under the guidance of God's Spirit,
look back to the former triumphs he has achieved by His aid, provided he does so in
no spirit of Pharisaical boasting, but in gratitude to Him who "has done so great
things for him." Many a victory over enemies without and within, many a
recollection of a hard fought field, will occur to the veteran in Christ's army when,
in the evening of life, he turns his thoughts backward to review the past. And so will
the student of history as he reflects on the manifold difficulties encountered by
God's Church, and the number and power of the confederacies arrayed against her,
enumerate with loving pride the cities she has destroyed, and look forward with

12. confidence to her final triumph.
PARKER, "Joshua 12 , Joshua 13
THESE two chapters contain a good deal of hard reading. They are studded with
unfamiliar and difficult words and names, so that reading them is like reading the
writing upon gravestones in a foreign land. Still, there is much for our instruction
here. For example, we are called to behold how good a thing it is to keep a detailed
record of life. These chapters are in a certain sense diaries or journals. The men of
the ancient time wrote down what they did—that is to say, they kept their story
freshly before their memories: they lost nothing; they wrote their accounts up to
date; and at any given moment they could peruse the record and derive from it the
advantage of stimulus which such an exercise could not fail to supply. The twelfth
chapter deals with the slaughter of many kings. Their names are given, or the names
of their cities. Men were not slain, and forgotten. This was not a heedless fight,
wherein the soldiers on the victorious side struck in the dark and knew not what
men they slew or what progress they made. The whole matter is detailed, put
down—simply, clearly, and definitely. Moses seems to figure but poorly in the
record of slaughter. He killed but two kings; and Joshua killed thirty-one kings. But
who are the kings that Joshua killed, compared with the kings slain by Moses? The
two which Moses slew have famous names; they were great and mighty men. The
thirty-one slain by Joshua did not add up to the two slain by Moses. Thus work is
estimated by quality. We do not reckon by number in the sanctuary, but by quality
and by relation, by just standards, and the weighing is done in scales of gold. The
poor woman who gave all she had gave more than all the rich: for they gave out of
the margin, out of the abundant and all but unreckonable profit, the surplus of their
earnings or savings; but she plucked out her whole heart and cast it into God"s
treasury, the only donation she could give; said the Treasurer, It is more than they
all. This shall be the law of judgment: according to what we have, according to the
quality of our work. The fire shall try every man"s work of what sort it is. He who
has killed many kings, and he who has killed but two, shall be judged, not according
to the number, but according to the difficulty, the dignity, the quality involved in the
tremendous exercise. Do we keep a record of life? How few men write their own
story: in truth, there seems in many cases to be nothing to write. But this is quite a
mistake. It is better to write the little nothing there Isaiah , than to omit the
inscription altogether. A man may be shamed by the very nothingness of his entries
to go out and do something worth putting down on paper and leaving as a record.
We do not know what we do until we detail it. o man knows how much money he
spends unless he puts down every coin. That is the difference between the wise man
and the fool. The fool knows nothing as to what he is doing: he goes out in the dark,
works in the dark, returns in the dark, and he cannot tell what he has made of the
trust which was put into his hands. The wise man is his own Judges , his own scribe
and secretary; and many a page he peruses which his hands wrote long ago with
tears and penitence, with the difficulty of self-conviction. o man knows how much
he gives in charity unless he puts it down. But who dare put that down? Who can
say how little paper would be required for the record in many cases? Yet, on the

13. other hand, who can say how much paper would be required by other men? But
there is a deadly sophism which relates, not only to the giving of money, but to the
giving of service, which expresses itself in this form: I am always giving. If you think
Song of Solomon , you are never giving. Have you put down what you have done,
and added it up? ow add up the other page on which the luxuries are written, the
adornments of the house, the decorations of the person, the indulgences of appetite,
the tribute paid to social ambition. Add up the figures: recite them if you dare! Yet
it is well to write down the story—the story of discipline and battle and sorrow: the
story of spiritual kings that have been slain, of enemies that have been conquered by
love, and of positions that have been seized by prayer.
GUZIK, "Joshua 12 - List of the Conquered Kings
A. Kings defeated by Moses.
1. (1) Introduction: kings conquered by Israel under the leadership of Moses.
These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and whose
land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun,
from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan plain:
a. These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated: The land of
these kings comprised Israels land on the eastern side of the Jordan river, on the
other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun.
b. Why do we have such an exhaustive, and seemingly tedious list? It only seems
tedious to us because we do not live in the land. For those who really had their
inheritance there, these were essential matters that touched every day life,
answering the question: What land belongs to Israel?
2. (2-3) The defeat of Sihon, king of the Amorites and his land that Israel possessed.
One king was Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon and ruled half of
Gilead, from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, from the middle of
that river, even as far as the River Jabbok, which is the border of the Ammonites,
and the eastern Jordan plain from the Sea of Chinneroth as far as the Sea of the
Arabah (the Salt Sea), the road to Beth Jeshimoth, and southward below the slopes
of Pisgah.

14. 3. (4-5) The defeat of Og, kind of Bashan, and his land that Israel possessed.
The other king was Og king of Bashan and his territory, who was of the remnant of
the giants, who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, and reigned over Mount Hermon,
over Salcah, over all Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the
Maachathites, and over half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
4. (6) The eastern lands are deeded to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe
of Manasseh.
These Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel had conquered;
and Moses the servant of the LORD had given it as a possession to the Reubenites,
the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
a. Half the tribe of Manasseh: Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan
River, and half of the tribe lived west of the Jordan River.
B. Kings defeated by Joshua.
1. (7-8) A broad description of the lands and Canaanite nations conquered by Israel
under the leadership of Joshua.
And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel
conquered on this side of the Jordan, on the west, from Baal Gad in the Valley of
Lebanon as far as Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, which Joshua gave to the
tribes of Israel as a possession according to their divisions, in the mountain country,
in the lowlands, in the Jordan plain, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the
South; the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the
Jebusites:
a. Again, this only seems tedious to us because it is not our land. If it were our land,
we would read each line with great interest.
2. (9-24) A specific recounting of the 31 kings conquered by Joshua.
The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; the king of
Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of

15. Lachish, one; the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; the king of Debir, one;
the king of Geder, one; the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; the king of
Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; the king of Makkedah, one; the king of
Bethel, one; the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; the king of Aphek,
one; the king of Lasharon, one; the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; the
king of Shimron Meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; the king of Taanach, one;
the king of Megiddo, one; the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel,
one; the king of Dor in the heights of Dor, one; the king of the people of Gilgal, one;
the king of Tirzah, one; all the kings, thirty-one.
a. These descriptions are also important because they make it clear that these things
happened in real time, and in real space. These are not fairy tales that begin with
once upon a time, this is history that begins with specific places and people and
rulers.
b. As well, it was a way that Israel could forever remember the great things God had
done for them. Sometimes in the course of human experience it is good to sit down
and reflect on what has been conquered by the grace of God. (Redpath)
c. With all these kings conquered - with every one of these principalities and powers
over the land defeated - there is no doubt that the land belongs to Israel, but the
individual tribes still have much to possess for their own.
LA GE, "EXEGETICAL A D CRITICAL
This twelfth chapter forms a separate section, the third of the first part of our book,
and contains a list of all the kings conquered by Moses and Joshua in East and West
Palestine. It falls into two subdivisions: (1) a catalogue of the kings conquered east
of the Jordan ( Joshua 12:1-6); (2) a catalogue of the kings conquered in Palestine
proper ( Joshua 12:7-24).
1. Catalogue of those Conquered East of the Jordan ( Joshua 12:1-6). From the
water-course of Arnon unto Mount Hermon, and all the plain [Arabah or Jordan
valley] on the East. The Arnon (‫נוֹן‬ ְ‫אַר‬ for ‫נוֹן‬ ְ‫ר‬ the rushing), umbers 2:13;
Deuteronomy 3:8; Deuteronomy 3:12; Deuteronomy 3:16; Deuteronomy 4:48; Isaiah
16:2; Jeremiah 48:20, now the Wady Modscheh, formed the southern boundary of
the territory governed by Sihon the king of the Amorites, afterwards the southern
boundary of Reuben, as of all Eastern Palestine, against Moab. It flows, in part,
through a deep rocky bed, into the Dead Sea. Its source, at least that of the main
branch of the Arnon, the Wady el-Safijeh, lies near Kutraneh (Katrane) on the
route of the pilgrims from Mecca to Damascus.
To Mount Hermon. According to the Arab. ‫מוֹן‬ ְ‫ֶר‬‫ח‬ means a prominent mountain

16. ridge, “perhaps prop, nose” (Gesen.). According to Deuteronomy 3:9, it was called
by the Amorites ‫ִיר‬‫נ‬ ְ‫,שׂ‬ by the Sidonians, ‫יוֹן‬ ְ‫ר‬ִ‫שׁ‬ (but comp. 1 Chronicles 5:23), and
according to Deuteronomy 4:48, it was also the same as ‫ֹן‬ ‫יא‬ ִ‫.שׂ‬ Plur. ‫ִים‬‫נ‬ֹ ‫מ‬ ְ‫ר‬ֶ‫.ת‬ Psalm
42:7, because it consists of several mountains. In the Psalm referred to, we have a
vivid description of the mountain landscape on Hermon; but “the land of splendor,
of heaven-towering mountains, and of glorious streams, offers no compensation to
the heart of the Psalmist, for the humbler hills of Zion where his God abides (Hitzig,
Psalm 68:17). At the present time the mountain is called Jebel Esther -Scheikh. Its
height reaches over9,000 feet. The summit is covered with eternal snow (von
Raumer p33; Robinson, iii344, 357),[F 3] carefully to be distinguished from this
Hermon proper, is the “little Hermon,” so called, which is not mentioned in the
Bible. The name originated with Jerome, who misunderstood the plural ‫,תרמנים‬ in
Psalm 42:7. He gave that name to the Jebel ed-Duhy (Robinson u. s171, 172).
All the plain (‫)הערבה‬ on the East. By the Arabah ( Deuteronomy 1:1; Deuteronomy
2:8; 2 Samuel 4:7; 2 Kings 25:4,) where it has the article, as in these passages, is
meant not, in general, a dry steppe, a wilderness, as in Isaiah 33:9; Jeremiah 50:12;
Jeremiah 51:43, but, as Robinson (ii599, 600) has shown, the whole of the great
valley from the sea of Galilee to the Ælanitic Gulf. It is now (see above on Joshua
11:17) called the Ghor, northward from the. “bald mountain,” and el-Arabah only
from that mountain to its southern extremity. This great valley has again different
parts which are designated as ‫בוֹת‬ ָ‫ֲר‬‫ע‬, e.g. in our book, Joshua 5:10 the ‫בּוֹת‬ ְ‫ַר‬‫ע‬ of
Jericho; 2 Kings 25:5, the ‫בּוֹת‬ ְ‫ַר‬‫ע‬ of Moab. Here also we have to do with a portion of
the Arabah, the portion namely “on the east,” that is on the eastern bank of the
Jordan. In general, this valley is a “solitary desert” (Rob. ii265), particularly horrid,
south of the Dead Sea. The only exceptions are the small places in the northern part,
“over which the Jordan and occasional springs spread an extraordinary fertility”
(Rob. ii265, 266).
BI 1-24, "These axe the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote.
The goodness and severity of God
This chapter is a short summary of the work that has been done. In this resume of the
conquest Moses is not forgotten. He is named as well as Joshua. The Holy Ghost delights
to point out how God causes many instruments to work out His designs, and thus takes
all praise from man. Thus the chapter is a miniature, suggesting all the victories that
Israel won, and all the defeats which overwhelmed the Canaanites. Accordingly it is
valuable as a demonstration that both the promises and the threatenings of God will be
fulfilled to the letter. Here as in a glass we see on the one hand the course and the end of
those who follow God, and on the other the course and the end of those who resist. Or,
we have pointed out to us the narrow way that leads to life, and the broad road that leads
to destruction. May we ponder these things and learn the way wherein we should walk.
I. The different roads. That of Israel was the path of obedience. Everything was done by
Divine command. But it was not always easy work for Israel to obey. The commands of
God not only led along a narrow way, but often brought them up to a strait gate. They
had just to go right on, according to the command of God. Obedience was their
watchword. To stop and parley was to be lost. Patient endurance characterised them all
through. When an old general was asked why he picked out the old veterans for a forced

17. march he replied, “Because they have the most staying power.” For hard work of any
kind this is what tells in the long run; and from the first encounter with Sihon and Og to
the last wrestle with the Anakim Israel exhibited this quality both in things physical and
things spiritual. Obedience was the path: patient endurance was the characteristic of
those who walked therein. On the part of the Canaanites their course was marked by
rebellion. They said, “Who is Lord over us?” Thus they hardened themselves against
God’s will, and fought it out to the bitter end, learning no lesson and yielding no
submission. These two paths of obedience and rebellion have not ceased to be trodden.
Neither of them is grass-grown. Thank God there are many who by patient continuance
in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality. If there must be patient
continuance on the part of those who walk the narrow way, there must be constant
contention on the part of those who hurry down the broad road. There must be the
resistance of the Holy Ghost, of the warnings of conscience, of the light of truth. There
must be at times the fear of death and judgment and eternity.
II. The different objects placed before each. That placed before Israel was something
very definite and tangible, viz., the sure promise of Jehovah. To them that promise was
the title-deed of the Holy Land; therefore all through this war they had in their eye a
Divine inheritance, and all the glory and honour which this implied. Can we find any
similar incitement on the part of the Canaanites? Nay. Theirs was a hopeless struggle.
They were without God and therefore without hope. They obeyed unrighteousness, and
were therefore filled with unrest. So is it now. They who walk in the obedience of faith
have a glorious object before their eyes to stimulate and encourage them. They seek for
glory and honour and immortality. And they have good hope through grace of obtaining
it. Yea, they have God’s faithful promise, and therefore glorious assurance of the result.
But where is the hope of the rebellious? It is but a vague, unsatisfying dream. At the very
best they have no certainty of a happy issue. When they pass hence it is “A leap in the
dark.” What a miserable plight is this l Notwithstanding their vast coalitions, their
imposing armies, their formidable weapons, their notable leaders, they go forward with
fear. The Sihon and Og of materialism, the Adoni-zedek of sacerdotalism, the Jabin of
false philosophy, can inspire no true and blessed hope in the hearts of their faltering
followers.
III. The different ends. We see the Israelites marching on from victory to victory;
entering into Canaan, enjoying the smile of God, and reaping the fruit of their labours.
We see the Canaanites swept with the besom of destruction, and all that is left of their
mightiest kings is the chronicle of their tombstones as given here. The ends are different
because the beginnings are different. Of Israel it might be said, “These all fought in
faith.” Of the Canaanites it might be said, “These all died in unbelief.” Paul has laid
plainly before us in the Epistle to the Romans these two ends, as we must know them.
On the one hand he places eternal life, glory, honour, peace. On the other he places
indignation, wrath, tribulation, anguish. One or other of these is the terminus to which
every life is hastening. And he also plainly tells us that without faith it is impossible to
walk in the good way or to attain the glorious end. Remember then God’s solemn record
of the dead. He marks His own as precious jewels, to be worn in His crown in the day of
glory, but He counts His enemies but worthless ashes to be trodden under foot. In the
Divine record of the dead there are no omissions, no oversights, and no lies. He counts
His enemies and He counts His friends. How will He count you? (A. B. Mackay.).

18. 2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in
Heshbon.
He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon
Gorge—from the middle of the gorge—to the
Jabbok River, which is the border of the
Ammonites. This included half of Gilead.
CLARKE, "From Aroer - Aroer was situated on the western side of the river Arnon,
in the middle of the valley through which this river takes its course. The kingdom of
Sihon extended from the river Arnon and the city of Aroer on the south to the river
Jabbok on the north.
And from half Gilead - The mountains of Gilead extended from north to south from
Mount Hermon towards the source of the river Arnon, which was about the midst of the
extent of the kingdom of Sihon: thus Sihon is said to have possessed the half of Gilead,
that is, the half of the mountains and of the country which bore the name of Gilead on
the east of his territories.
River Jabbok - This river has its source in the mountains of Gilead; and, running
from east to west, falls into Jordan. It bounds the territories of Sihon on the north, and
those of the Ammonites on the south.
GILL, "Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon,.... Which he took
from the Moabites, and made his capital city, Num_21:26,
and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river of Arnon; a city of
Moab, which never fell into the hands of Sihon, and therefore he is said to rule from it
but not over it:
and from the middle of the river; that is, the river Arnon, which being the boundary
of the Moabites and Amorites, the king of the Amorites might be said to rule from the
middle of it:
and from half Gilead even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the
children of Ammon; so it is said to be, Deu_3:16; it should be rendered, not "from

19. half Gilead", but "and half Gilead", as it is in the Hebrew text, and so in the Targum; for
half Gilead belonged to the kingdom of Sihon, as the other half did to the kingdom of Og,
as in Jos_12:5; and so Jarchi remarks.
WHEDO , "2. Aroer — See on Joshua 13:16.
The middle of the river — The midst of the valley of the Arnon. This is “a more
exact definition of the previous clause, since the Arnon, which flowed through the
middle of the valley, formed the actual boundary; whereas Aroer stood not upon the
river itself, but on the northern slope of the valley.” — Keil. Compare chap. Joshua
13:16, note.
And from half Gilead — The word from should be omitted both here and in the
next verse. Sihon ruled over the southern half of Gilead, Og over the northern half.
Joshua 12:5. Gilead is the name of the great mountain region of limestone on the
east of the Jordan, stretching from Mount Lebanon nearly to the territory of Moab.
Jabbok is now the Wady Zurka, which intersects the mountain range of Gilead, and
falls into the Jordan about half way between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.
See on umbers 21:24. Ammon was a son of Lot, born of incestuous intercourse.
Genesis 19:30-38. The Ammonites at one time possessed the whole country between
the rivers Arnon and Jabbok, from the Jordan on the west to the wilderness on the
east. They were driven out of it by Sihon, king of the Amorites, and he was in turn
expelled by the Israelites. Yet long subsequent to these events the country was
popularly called the land of the Ammonites, and was even claimed by them. Judges
11:12-22. For this reason the Jabbok is still called the border of the children of
Ammon.
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:2
The river Jabbok. Literally, the pouring or emptying stream. It is remarkable that,
while the LXX. renders here by χείµαρρος, a winter torrent, it steadily renders the
same Hebrew word, when referring to Aruon, by φάραγξ. This latter word indicates
the rocky cleft through which the water flows; the former, the fact that, though
rapid and impetuous in winter, it was usually dried up in summer. Cf. the term
χείµαρρος, applied to the Kedron by St. John (Joshua 18:1); a remarkable instance
of accuracy, by the way, if, as we are confidently told, the author of that Gospel was
an Ephesine Gentile who had never seen Jerusalem and was imperfectly acquainted
with Jewish localities and customs. The Jabbok has been identified with the Wady
Zerka, or blue stream.
LA GE, "Joshua 12:2. Sihon, king of the Amorites, stands first on the list of
Canaanite princes subjugated by Moses and Joshua (see above Joshua 2:10). He
dwelt at Heshbon, Joshua 13:26; Joshua 21:39; umbers 21:26 ff, which name
properly signifies prudence ( Ecclesiastes 12:25, 27; Ecclesiastes 9:10); now Hesban
or Hüsban. The ruins of the old city lie on a hill having a magnificent prospect,
towards the Dead Sea, and over toward Bethlehem;[F 4] toward the south and east

20. with no limit but the horizon. Heshbon belonged originally to the Moabites (
umbers 21:26), then to the Amorites, as is evident from our book, and other places,
and was allotted to the trans-Jordanic tribes (see below on Joshua 13:17; Joshua
21:39 comp. with 1 Chronicles 7:31). In the days of Isaiah and Jeremiah, Heshbon
belonged again to the Moabites ( Isaiah 15:4; Isaiah 16:9; Jeremiah 48:2; Jeremiah
48:45-47). At a later period, according to Josephus (Ant. xiii15, 4), the Jews once
more possessed it. Heshbon appears to have had a very strong position, to which the
expressions Jeremiah 48:45-47 refer. The ruins have a compass, according to von
Raumer’s authority, of more than a mile.
Joshua 12:2. The territory of Sihon is now described in full accordance with
umbers 21:24, as extending from the Arnon to the Jabbok. Here again Aroer is
particularly mentioned, which [lies] upon the bank of the brook Arnon, and in the
middle of the brook, ‫ֵר‬‫ע‬ֹ ‫ַר‬‫ע‬ and ‫ֵר‬‫ע‬‫ֲרוֹ‬‫ע‬, from ‫ערר‬ (to be bare, naked), lies on the north
side of the Arnon, and like Heshbon is indicated by Jeremiah ( Jeremiah 48:19) as a
Moabite city. It was allotted to Reuben, Joshua 13:9; Joshua 13:16. The city lay, as
our passage shows, partly on and partly in the Arnon, i.e. on an island, now Araayr.
Carefully to be distinguished from another city Aroer, Joshua 13:25, and from a
third city Aroer ( 1 Samuel 30:26; 1 Samuel 30:28), in the tribe of Judah (Rob.
ii618), to which David sent presents after the recovery of the booty taken at Ziklag.
Half Gilead.‫ָד‬‫ע‬ְ‫ל‬ִ‫גּ‬ according to Genesis 31:48 = ‫ֵד‬‫ע‬ְ‫ל‬ַ‫גּ‬, hill of testimony, perhaps rather
an appellative for hard, rough region, as Gesenius thinks, which however does not
suit with umbers 32:1; Jeremiah 8:22; Jeremiah 46:11; Jeremiah 50:19; Song of
Solomon 4:1; Song of Solomon 6:4. Properly the word denotes a mountain on the
south bank of the Jabbok ( Genesis 31:21-48; Song of Solomon 4:1), with a city of
the same name, now Jebel Dschelaad, then the immediate vicinity of this mountain (
umbers 32:1; Deuteronomy 2:37), and finally, the whole mountain region between
the Arnon and the Jabbok, now called Belka. It was bounded on the north by
Bashan, on the south by Moab. The designation “land of Gilead” is used inexactly,
Deuteronomy 34:1, where it includes also Bashan, likewise in 2 Kings 10:33; 1 Kings
4:19, and often. In such cases, by Gilead is meant the whole land east of the Jordan,
so far as it was possessed by the Israelites, Joshua 22:9; Joshua 22:13; Joshua 22:15;
Judges 5:17 (von Raumer, p229 ff.). See Introd. p25.
Even unto the brook Jabbok, now Wady Lerka, then ‫ֹק‬ ‫ַבּ‬‫י‬, from ‫ַק‬‫ק‬ָ‫בּ‬, to pour out,
gush forth, = gushing-brook. The word Isaiah, according to Simonis, to whom
Gesenius assents, the Chald. form for ‫ֹק‬ ‫ָב‬‫י‬. In Genesis 32:2 there is a play upon the
word ‫ַק‬‫ב‬‫,אָ‬ to wrestle. The Jabbok is here to be viewed as a twofold boundary, (1) in
its lower course, a boundary toward the north, (2) in its upper course ( ahr
Ammon) as a boundary toward the east against the children of Ammon. A glance at
the map will at once show the actual relations.
[Add Smith’s Bible Dict, art. “Gennesaret, Lake of.”]
And unto the sea of the plain (Arabah), the salt sea on the east, the way to Beth-
jeshimoth. While this eastern part of the Jordan valley is bounded on the north by

21. the lake of Gennesaret, it is in like manner bounded on the south by the Salt Sea, i.e.
the Dead Sea, near which ( umbers 33:48) Beth-jeshimoth lay. To that point the
Israelite camp reached from Shittim. It be longed to Reuben ( Joshua 13:20), later to
Moah again, Ezekiel 25:9.
And in the south under the foot-hills of Pisgah. On ‫פ׳‬ ‫דּוֹת‬ְ‫שׁ‬ַ‫א‬ comp. Joshua 10:40.
Mount Pisgah, “a part of the mountain of Abarim,” lies to one looking from Jericho,
beyond Beth-jeshimoth, in a southeasterly direction, at the northern end of the Dead
Sea. Its highest point is ebo, which is sometimes called “Mount Abarim” (
Deuteronomy 32:49), as though its summit, and again, “the top of Pisgah” (
Deuteronomy 3:27; Deuteronomy 34:1), comp. Knobel on umbers 21:11. The
relation between Abarim, Pisgah, and ebo Isaiah, with Knobel, to be conceived of
as if Abarim were the whole mountain range lying east of the Dead Sea, Pisgah a
part of it, namely, the northeastern, and ebo the highest point of Pisgah. This
seems to me more simple than with von Raumer (p72), to separate Abarim and
Pisgah, and then assume that ebo belonged to Abarim as its (north) western
portion, and to Mount Pisgah as its eastern highest extremity.[F 5] The region
which sloped along the foot of Mount Pisgah formed the southern boundary of the
kingdom of Sihon.
3 He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the
Sea of Galilee[a] to the Sea of the Arabah (that is,
the Dead Sea), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then
southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
CLARKE, "The sea of Chinneroth - Or Gennesareth, the same as the lake or sea
of Tiberias.
The Salt Sea on the east - ‫המלח‬ ‫ים‬ yam hammelach, which is here translated the Salt
Sea, is understood by others to mean the sea of the city Melach. Where can we find any
thing that can be called a salt sea on the east of the lake of Gennesareth? Some think that
the lake Asphaltites, called also the Dead Sea, Sea of the Desert, Sea of Sodom, and Salt
Sea, is here intended.
Beth-jeshimoth - A city near the Dead Sea in the plains of Moab.
Ashdoth-pisgah - Supposed to be a city at the foot of Mount Pisgah.

22. GILL, "And from the plain,.... Or rather, "and the plain", the plains of Moab, which,
before possessed by the Israelites, belonged to the kingdom of Sihon; and the plains of
Jordan, which reached
to the sea of Cinneroth on the east; the same with the lake of Gennesaret, and sea
of Tiberias, mentioned in the New Testament, Mat_14:34,
and unto the sea of the plain; where stood the cities of the plain, Sodom, Gomorrah,
&c.
even the salt sea on the east; the same with the dead sea, into which the plain the
above cities stood on was converted:
the way to Bethjeshimoth; which was a place in the plains of Moab, Num_33:49,
and from the south under Ashdothpisgah; or the springs of Pisgah, which flowed
from the mount of that name, Deu_3:17.
TRAPP, "Joshua 12:3 And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and
unto the sea of the plain, [even] the salt sea on the east, the way to Bethjeshimoth;
and from the south, under Ashdothpisgah:
Ver. 3. And unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea.] Otherwise called the Dead
Sea, or Lake Asphaltites; the water whereof is so thick, saith Josephus, than an ox,
having all his legs bound, will not sink into it; and so pestiferous, that fowls flying
over it fall down dead.
WHEDO , "3. [From the plain — The from here as in the previous verse, is
confusing. The sense and connexion will be better seen in the following literal
rendering of the Hebrew: And (Sihon ruled) the plain, as far as the sea of
Chinneroth, eastward, and as far as the sea of the plain, the Salt Sea, eastward, on
the way toward Beth-jeshimoth, and from the south under the ravines of Pisgah.
The plain is the Jordan valley on the east side from the Dead Sea to the Sea of
Galilee.] The Salt Sea is so called because of the exceeding saltness of its waters —
twenty-six pounds of salt to one hundred of water; and a whole mountain ridge on
its southwest shore is composed of rock salt. It is commonly called the Dead Sea
because no living thing abides in its waters. It is thirteen hundred feet below the
Mediterranean, and has no outlet. The Sea of Chinneroth was afterwards called the
Sea of Galilee, Sea of Tiberias, and Lake of Gennesaret. See notes and cut at
Matthew 4:13. Beth-jeshimoth means house of desolations. It was a Moabite city in
the desert at the northeastern extremity of the Dead Sea. Schwarz mentions a Beth-
jisimuth as still existing in that locality, but the spot needs further examination.
Ashdoth-pisgah — The ravines of Pisgah; the gorges at the foot or on the sides of

23. the mountain through which the torrents flow. Comp. chap. Joshua 10:40, note, and
Deuteronomy 3:17. The hill Pisgah was opposite Jericho, on the mountains of
Abarim, but no traces of the name have been met with in modern times in that
locality. See on Deuteronomy 34:1.
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:3
And from the plain. There is no "from" in the original, which here ceases to
describe the territories of Sihon, but continues the account of the Israelite
dominions, which included the Arabah (not the plain as in our version) up to the sea
of Chinneroth. On the east; i.e; the east of Jordan. So also below. The way to Beth-
jeshimoth (see umbers 33:48, umbers 33:49). There was a desert tract near the
Dead Sea called Jeshimon, or the waste district. It is described by travellers as the
most arid portion of the whole land. In this, Beth-jeshimoth (the house of
desolations) was situated. It was south of the acacia meadows (see note on Joshua
2:1), and it formed part of the territory of Reuben (Joshua 13:20). As it lay upon
Jordan, it must have been near the extreme northernmost point of the Dead Sea. We
are to understand, not that Sihon's territory extended to Beth-jeshimoth, but in that
direction. Possibly some of the western Cauaanitish tribes here extended their
territories across the Jordan. And from the south. The word here is not egeb, but
Teman, i.e; the literal south, which lay on the right ( ‫ין‬ִ‫מ‬ָ‫י‬ ) to one looking eastward.
Ashdoth-pisgah. For Ashdoth see Joshua 10:40. Pisgah was the northernmost point
of the Abarim range, of which the well.known ebo was the chief peak. Thither
Moses went up to view the land which he was not permitted to enter. There Balaam
built his seven altars and essayed in vain to curse the children of Israel. There were
the watchmen (Zophim) stationed to protect the land, in the days before the
Israelitish invasion, from the incursions of the tribes on the other side of Jordan
( umbers 23:14). The position of Pisgah has not been precisely identified, but the
range extended on the eastern side of Jordan to a point nearly opposite Jericho. See
Deuteronomy 34:1.
4 And the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of
the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in
Ashtaroth and Edrei.

24. CLARKE, "Coast of Og king of Bashan - Concerning this person see the notes on
Deu_3:11, and on Num_21:35, etc.
The remnant or the giants - Or, Rephaim. See the notes on Gen_6:4; Gen_14:5,
and Deu_2:7, Deu_2:11.
GILL, "And the coast of Og king of Bashan,.... The country that he reigned over,
who was another king of the Amorites, smitten by Israel in the times of Moses:
which was of the remnant of the giants; See Gill on Deu_3:11,
that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei; of which two places see Deu_1:4; it seems as
if Og had a palace in each of those cities, and sometimes was at one and sometimes at
another, as is usual with kings.
TRAPP, "Joshua 12:4 And the coast of Og king of Bashan, [which was] of the
remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,
Ver. 4. Which was of the remnant of giants.] Slain by the Ammonites. [Deuteronomy
2:20; Deuteronomy 3:11] Raphaims, they called themselves, that is, Physicians or
Preservers; but indeed they were Zamzummims, that is, boisterous and abominable.
omen inane, crimen immane.
WHEDO , "4. The coast of Og — The territory of this king, with its boundaries.
Remnant of the giants — Or, of the Rephaim. A race of giants who once peopled
Eastern Palestine. Genesis 14:5. On Og’s gigantic stature see at Deuteronomy 3:11.
On Ashtaroth and Edrei see note at Joshua 13:31.
[5. Salcah — A city in the eastern border of Bashan, now called Sulkhad. It stands
on a conical hill at the southern extremity of Jebel Hauran. J.L. Porter, writing in
1868, says: “It has long been deserted, and yet, as nearly as I could estimate, five
hundred of its houses are still standing, and from three to four hundred families
might settle in it at any moment without laying a stone, or spending an hour’s
labour on repairs. The circumference of the town and castle together is about three
miles.” The Geshurites were the inhabitants of Geshur, a district on the borders of
Bashan and Syria, probably embracing, as Porter concludes, the northern section of
the wild and rocky region now known as el-Lejah. The Maachathites occupied a
region on the north of Palestine, and apparently extending from near the fountains
of the Jordan under Hermon eastward to the plain of Damascus and the defiles of
the Argob. Both the Geshurites and the Maachathites were warlike peoples, and
were not expelled from their coasts by the warriors of Israel. Joshua 13:13. On the
tribal divisions of this trans-Jordanic territory see notes on Joshua 13:15-33.]

25. LA GE, "Joshua 12:4-6, follow the borders of the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan.
Ashtaroth, and Ashtaroth karnaim (‫ִם‬‫י‬ַ‫נ‬ ְ‫ַר‬‫ק‬), Genesis 14:5, where were giants;
according to Joshua 9:10, the residence of Og; now Tel Ashtareh. The hill (Tel)
rises, according to von Raumer (p243), to a height of from fifty to a hundred feet
above the plain, in which ruins lie scattered. At the foot of the hill are ancient wall-
foundations and copious springs.
Edrei. Here Og was slain, umbers 21:33-35; Deuteronomy 3:1-3. By the Greeks it
was called Adraa; by the Crusaders, Adratum, also Civitas Bernardi de Stampis; by
Abulfeda, Adsraat; now Draa, a desert basalt city without inhabitants, on a height
(von Raumer, p247).
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:4
The giants. Hebrew, Rephaim cf. Genesis 14:5; Genesis 15:20; also Joshua 17:15).
The word, according to Ewald, is equivalent to "stretched out." It was also applied
to the dead. The Rephaim were one of the various tribes of giants, like the Anakims,
Zuzims, and Emims, of whom we read in the land of Canaan. They occupied the
land of Bashan and "half Gilead"—that is, its northern portion (see Deuteronomy
3:13). The term "remnant" would imply that they had suffered some reverses at the
hands of the other tribes, though they still remained in possession of their populous
territory in the north. This view is confirmed by Genesis 14:5. Ashtaroth (see note
on Joshua 9:10). Edrei. Or "the strong city," "the city of the arm," according to
Gesen; 'Thes.,' s.v. This name, together with the immense number of ruined cities
which have been found of late years in a marvellous state of preservation in this
region, shows that Og was a powerful monarch. The ease with which he was
overcome bears witness to the enervating effects of luxury and licentiousness upon a
people of strong physique, vast numbers, and high civilisation.
5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salekah, all of
Bashan to the border of the people of Geshur and
Maakah, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon
king of Heshbon.

26. CLARKE, "The border of the Geshurites - The country of Bashan, in the days of
Moses and Joshua, extended from the river Jabbok on the south to the frontiers of the
Geshurites and Maachathites on the north, to the foot of the mountains of Hermon.
GILL, "And reigned in Mount Hermon,.... That is, over all the people that
inhabited that mount or dwelt under it, Jos_11:17, and adjacent to it, of which mountain;
see Gill on Deu_3:8 and See Gill on Deu_3:9,
and in Salcah: which was a city belonging to the kingdom of Og, Deu_3:10,
and in all Bashan; or Batanea, a country famous for pasturage, Mic_7:14, and for fat
cattle, Eze_39:18, and for oaks, Isa_2:13, frequently mentioned in Scripture:
unto the border of the Geshurites, and the Maachathites; which were two
nations the Israelites never expelled, Jos_13:13; of which see Deu_3:14,
and half Gilead; which belonged to Og, as the other half did to Sihon, before observed,
which was as follows:
the border of Sihon king of Heshbon; here the two kingdoms joined, even in the
midst of Gilead, which was divided between them, but now wholly fell into the hands of
Israel.
TRAPP, "Joshua 12:5 And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all
Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead,
the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
Ver. 5. In mount Hermon.] Which is conceived to be the utmost part of mount
Gilead, joining mount Lebanon and Gilead together.
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:5
The Geshurites. See Joshua 13:2, Joshua 13:11, Joshua 13:13; and Deuteronomy
3:14; also 2 Samuel 13:37, where we find the principality of Geshur still in
possession of its independence. It was in the northeast corner of Bashan, abutting
upon Syria, and is called "Geshur in Syria" (2 Samuel 15:8). It is perhaps an
instance of undesigned coincidence that Maachah, the mother of Absalom and the
daughter of the king of Geshur, was so named, since she probably derived her name
from the adjoining territory of Maachah (see note on Joshua 13:2).
LA GE, "Joshua 12:5. Salcah, conquered by the Israelites, Deuteronomy 3:10. ow
Szalthat, with eight hundred houses and a castle on basalt rocks, on the southern
border of Hauran; uninhabited, like Edrei. Porter saw from the castle of Salcha
fourteen [“upwards of thirty,” Giant Cit. of Bash. p76] villages, in part appearing to
be newly built, but entirely deserted (ii183, ap. von Raumer).

27. Over all Bashan unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites. The
Maachathites dwelt on the southwest slope of Hermon, at the sources of the Jordan.
“Maachati urbs Amorrhœorum super Jordanem (orum super Jordanem (orum super Jordanem (orum super Jordanem (‫נוס‬‫נוס‬‫נוס‬‫נוס‬ᆳᆳᆳᆳ ‫פ‬‫פ‬‫פ‬‫פ‬ᆵᆵᆵᆵ ‫ם‬‫ם‬‫ם‬‫ם‬’’’’‫ּןסה‬‫ּןסה‬‫ּןסה‬‫ּןסה‬ ᧛᧛᧛᧛‫םחם‬‫םחם‬‫םחם‬‫,םחם‬ Euseb.) juxta, Euseb.) juxta, Euseb.) juxta, Euseb.) juxta
montem Hermon.” The Geshurites also are to be sought on Mount Hermon, near themontem Hermon.” The Geshurites also are to be sought on Mount Hermon, near themontem Hermon.” The Geshurites also are to be sought on Mount Hermon, near themontem Hermon.” The Geshurites also are to be sought on Mount Hermon, near the
present Jedur, on the eastern fall of the mountain. See Ton Raumer, ppresent Jedur, on the eastern fall of the mountain. See Ton Raumer, ppresent Jedur, on the eastern fall of the mountain. See Ton Raumer, ppresent Jedur, on the eastern fall of the mountain. See Ton Raumer, p227227227227, and, and, and, and
Menke’s Bibelatlas, plateMenke’s Bibelatlas, plateMenke’s Bibelatlas, plateMenke’s Bibelatlas, plate3333. Here was the north boundary of Bashan. The east border is. Here was the north boundary of Bashan. The east border is. Here was the north boundary of Bashan. The east border is. Here was the north boundary of Bashan. The east border is
denoted (see above) by Salcah, the south by the half Gilead, where) the border (was)denoted (see above) by Salcah, the south by the half Gilead, where) the border (was)denoted (see above) by Salcah, the south by the half Gilead, where) the border (was)denoted (see above) by Salcah, the south by the half Gilead, where) the border (was)
of Sihon king of Heshbon, i.e. by the Jabbok ( Joshuaof Sihon king of Heshbon, i.e. by the Jabbok ( Joshuaof Sihon king of Heshbon, i.e. by the Jabbok ( Joshuaof Sihon king of Heshbon, i.e. by the Jabbok ( Joshua 12:212:212:212:2). Toward the west it). Toward the west it). Toward the west it). Toward the west it
extended to the sea of Tiberias; see von Raumer, pextended to the sea of Tiberias; see von Raumer, pextended to the sea of Tiberias; see von Raumer, pextended to the sea of Tiberias; see von Raumer, p226226226226 ff. Bashan and Batanff. Bashan and Batanff. Bashan and Batanff. Bashan and Batan‫ז‬‫ז‬‫ז‬‫ז‬a are bya are bya are bya are by
no means identical, as von Raumer has shown (ubi sup.). Bashan was famous for itsno means identical, as von Raumer has shown (ubi sup.). Bashan was famous for itsno means identical, as von Raumer has shown (ubi sup.). Bashan was famous for itsno means identical, as von Raumer has shown (ubi sup.). Bashan was famous for its
oak forests ( Isaiahoak forests ( Isaiahoak forests ( Isaiahoak forests ( Isaiah 2:132:132:132:13; Ezekiel; Ezekiel; Ezekiel; Ezekiel 27:627:627:627:6), and fat cattle; hence the bullocks, the rams of), and fat cattle; hence the bullocks, the rams of), and fat cattle; hence the bullocks, the rams of), and fat cattle; hence the bullocks, the rams of
Bashan ( DeuteronomyBashan ( DeuteronomyBashan ( DeuteronomyBashan ( Deuteronomy 32:1432:1432:1432:14; Amos; Amos; Amos; Amos 4:14:14:14:1; Psalm; Psalm; Psalm; Psalm 22:1322:1322:1322:13). The waters descending from). The waters descending from). The waters descending from). The waters descending from
the Hauran fertilize the level land in its northeastern part, which was afterwardsthe Hauran fertilize the level land in its northeastern part, which was afterwardsthe Hauran fertilize the level land in its northeastern part, which was afterwardsthe Hauran fertilize the level land in its northeastern part, which was afterwards
inhabited by the tribe of Manasseh.inhabited by the tribe of Manasseh.inhabited by the tribe of Manasseh.inhabited by the tribe of Manasseh.
6 Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the
Israelites conquered them. And Moses the servant
of the Lord gave their land to the Reubenites, the
Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their
possession.
GILL, "Them did Moses the servant of the Lord, and the children of Israel, smite,.... That
is, the inhabitants of those kingdoms they smote with the edge of the sword, and took possession
of them, the history of which see in Num_21:1,
and Moses the servant of the Lord gave it; the whole dominion of the two kings before
mentioned:
for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh: of
which grant, and the conditions of it, see Num_32:1.

28. BE SO , "Joshua 12:6. Them did Moses and the children of Israel smite — Fresh
mercies must not drown the remembrance of former mercies: nor must the glory of
the present instruments of good to the church, diminish the just honour of those that
went before them. Joshua’s services were confessedly great. But let not those under
Moses be forgotten. Both together proclaim God to be the Alpha and Omega of his
people’s salvation.
LANGE, "JosLANGE, "JosLANGE, "JosLANGE, "Jos 12121212::::6666. Comp. Numbers. Comp. Numbers. Comp. Numbers. Comp. Numbers 32323232....
2222. Catalogue of the Kings vanquished in the Country West of the Jordan ( Joshua. Catalogue of the Kings vanquished in the Country West of the Jordan ( Joshua. Catalogue of the Kings vanquished in the Country West of the Jordan ( Joshua. Catalogue of the Kings vanquished in the Country West of the Jordan ( Joshua 12:712:712:712:7----
24242424). Verses). Verses). Verses). Verses7,87,87,87,8, coinciding with Joshua, coinciding with Joshua, coinciding with Joshua, coinciding with Joshua 11:1611:1611:1611:16; Joshua; Joshua; Joshua; Joshua 10:4010:4010:4010:40----42424242, introduce the narrative., introduce the narrative., introduce the narrative., introduce the narrative.
The Plain (The Plain (The Plain (The Plain (‫)ערבה‬ is the western part of the Ghor ( Genesis 13:10); the wilderness
(‫ָר‬‫בּ‬ְ‫ִד‬‫מ‬) lies in the province of Judah, and Benjamin ( Joshua 15:61; Joshua 18:11;
Matthew 3:3; Matthew 4:1; Matthew 11:7; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4.)
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:6
Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave. Theodoret makes the tribes which received
their inheritance through Moses the types of the believing Jews, and those who
received it through Jesus (Joshua) the types of the believing Gentiles. Reuben, Gad,
and Manasseh were the first born of their respective mothers, and were thus types
of the Jews, who were God's firstborn. As they passed over armed before their
brethren, so we received the good tidings of salvation from the lips of Jews. This is a
characteristic specimen of the allegorical interpretation of the early fathers. But it
will be observed that the children of Bilhah, who might have been selected more
naturally than those of Zilpah, are entirely omitted.
7 Here is a list of the kings of the land that Joshua
and the Israelites conquered on the west side of
the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Valley of
Lebanon to Mount Halak, which rises toward
Seir. Joshua gave their lands as an inheritance to
the tribes of Israel according to their tribal

29. divisions.
BAR ES, "The names of the kings are given in the order of their actual encounter
with Joshua. Those enumerated in Jos_12:10-18 either belonged to the league of the
southern Canaanites (Jos_10:1 ff), the power of which was broken in the battle of Beth-
horon, or were at any rate conquered in the campaign following that battle. Those
mentioned in Jos_12:19-24 were in like manner connected with the northern
confederates (Jos_11:1 ff), who were defeated at the Waters of Merom.
CLARKE, "From Baal-gad - A repetition of what is mentioned Jos_11:17.
GILL, "And these are the kings of the country,.... After particularly named, Jos_
12:9,
which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the
west; that is, on the west of Jordan:
from Baalgad, in the valley of Lebanon, even unto the mount Halak,
that goeth up to Seir; of which see Jos_11:17,
which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession,
according to their divisions; as after related in this book.
HE RY, "We have here a breviate of Joshua's conquests.
I. The limits of the country he conquered. It lay between Jordan on the east and the
Mediterranean Sea on the west, and extended from Baal-gad near Lebanon in the north
to Halak, which lay upon the country of Edom in the south, v. 7. The boundaries are
more largely described, Num_34:2, etc. But what is here said is enough to show that
God had been as good as his word, and had given them possession of all he had
promised them by Moses, if they would but have kept it.
JAMISO , "Jos_12:7-24. The one and thirty kings on the west side of Jordan, which
Joshua smote.
Baal-gad ... even unto ... Halak — (See on Jos_11:17). A list of thirty-one chief
towns is here given; and, as the whole land contained a superficial extent of only fifteen
miles in length by fifty in breadth, it is evident that these capital cities belonged to petty
and insignificant kingdoms. With a few exceptions, they were not the scenes of any
important events recorded in the sacred history, and therefore do not require a
particular notice.

30. K&D 7-8, "List of the thirty-one kings of Canaan whom Joshua smote on the
western side of the Jordan, “from Baal-gad, in the valley of Lebanon, to the bald
mountain that goeth up towards Seir” (see Jos_11:17). This land Joshua gave to the
other tribes of Israel. (On the different parts of the land, see at Jos_9:1; Jos_10:40, and
Jos_11:2.)
COFFMA , "Verse 7
"And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the children of Israel smote
beyond the Jordan westward, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto
mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir (and Joshua gave it unto the tribes of Israel for a
possession according to their divisions; in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and
in the Arabah, and in the slopes, and in the wilderness, and in the South: the Hittite,
the Amorite, and the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite):"
These verses are the beginning of a very long sentence running through Joshua
12:24, in which are recorded the 31 kings and their cities which were destroyed by
Joshua and their land given to Israel. The first thing one encounters in the study of
this is that there are a number of kings, along with their cities, which are not
mentioned in the previous chapters, where is found a more detailed account of the
overthrow of the majority of these. Cook explained this thus:
"Those cities mentioned in Joshua 12:10-18 either belonged to the league of the
Southern Canaanites, the power of which was broken in the battle of Beth-horon, or
were at any rate conquered in the campaign following the battle. Those mentioned
in Joshua 12:19-24 were in like manner connected with the northern confederates
who were defeated at the Waters of Merom."[13]
Significantly, Bethel is among the cities not previously mentioned as having been
conquered by Joshua; but it will be recalled that in our study of the destruction of
Ai, the defense outpost associated with Bethel, and located almost adjacent to it, that
we speculated that it was at that very same time that Bethel and its king were also
destroyed, the whole narrative of Joshua existing in the form of a general summary,
rather than as a detailed account of everything that happened. This chapter
confirms the probability of that being indeed the character of this book, a general
summary, not a detailed account of everything.
COKE, "Ver. 7, 8. And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the
children of Israel smote, on this side Jordan— The author wrote in the country of
Canaan, properly so called; and this region was, with respect to him, on this side
Jordan, to the west of that river. With respect to the limits which he describes of this
conquered land, he specifies them as in ver. 17 of the foregoing chapter. Here
Calmet is of opinion, that instead of translating even unto the mount Halak, &c. we
should render it, even to the mountains of separation, which serve as limits betwixt
the land of Canaan and that of Seir, and rise towards Idumea. othing can better
suit with those mountains which lay to the south of Judaea, than this name
mountains of separation; to be convinced, we need only cast our eyes over any

31. accurate map of the country.
TRAPP, "Joshua 12:7 And these [are] the kings of the country which Joshua and
the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the
valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua
gave unto the tribes of Israel [for] a possession according to their divisions;
Ver. 7. Which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel.] A spacious and fruitful tract of
ground, a country, which if God had fashioned the world like a ring, as he did like a
globe, might have been the gem of it. But what was Canaan in its flourish in
comparison of heaven, and of that city of pearl, the new Jerusalem, whither the
Lord Christ will certainly bring all his people in despite of their enemies! they shall
surely and safely sail, through Christ’s blood, into the bosom of the Father, and
unto those mountains of spices. [Song of Solomon 8:14]
WHEDO , "Verses 7-13
7-13. For Baal-gad and Halak see Joshua 11:17. For the Canaanitish tribes see
Joshua 3:10.
Jericho — See Joshua 2:1.
Ai and Bethel — See Joshua 7:2.
Jerusalem — See Joshua 10:1.
Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon — See Joshua 10:3.
Gezer — See Joshua 10:33.
Debir — See Joshua 10:38. Geder is now unknown.
14. Hormah — The name of this city was originally Zephath, (Judges 1:17,) and a
trace of this latter name Dr. Robinson found in the rocky pass es-Sufah in the
mountain barrier which completes the plateau of Southern Palestine; but the true
identification is with Sebaita, some twenty-five miles south-west of Beer-sheba. See
note on Judges 1:17. The name Hormah commemorates the execution of the ban or
curse of utter destruction which Moses pronounced on all the dependencies of Arad,
( umbers 21:2,) and which Judah and Simeon fulfilled. Judges 1:17. Arad still
exists in Tell Arad, twenty miles south of Hebron. Dr. Robinson describes it as “a
barren-looking eminence rising above the country around.” Its king troubled Israel
in their desert journey, umbers 21:1.
Verses 7-24
LIST OF THE KI GS SUBDUED BY JOSHUA, Joshua 12:7-24.
[This list is acknowledged by the most rationalistic critics to be a very ancient

32. document. Ewald speaks of it as “a record of remarkable interest in many ways. Its
distinctive antiquity would be sufficiently evident from its enumeration of cities
which in those early days were great and powerful, but which afterwards sank into
absolute insignificance, or were never heard of again.” It was not improbably
composed by Joshua himself. A number of the kings here mentioned are not
otherwise known, but so far as the previous history throws light on it this list follows
mainly the order of the conquest. On the apparent exceptions see note on Joshua
12:16.
From the fulness of this list as compared with the previous history we at once see
that it was no object of the compiler of the Book of Joshua to record a complete
history of all the wars and conquests of Joshua. He has given a detailed account of
only the most important, but enough to show, together with this list, that under the
administration of the great captain the whole land was subdued.]
CO STABLE, "Verses 7-24
The slaughter of the western kings12:7-24
The writer identified31kings in the essential order in which Joshua defeated them.
"Many of the same names appear in the Amarna letters, thus confirming the
historicity of our text." [ ote: Davis and Whitcomb, p75.]
"The description was not complete. Shechem is not mentioned, and the hills of
Ephraim are sparsely represented, as is the territory north of Hazor. Completeness
is not the object. The writer seeks to compile a list that will impress the readers with
the greatness of the feat of God in working for Israel and of the greatness of the
leadership of Joshua in following the example of Moses and completing the task first
given to Moses. Still, the writer is aware that much remains to be done." [ ote:
Butler, p139.]
This summary concludes the record of the conquest of the land (chs1-12), Joshua"s
first major responsibility. He was now able to divide the land among the Israelites
(chs13-21), his second great work ( Joshua 1:6).
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:7
And these are the kings of the country. We now proceed to the enumeration of the
kings whom Joshua had overcome on the western side of Jordan. And the first thing
that strikes us is their immense number, as compared to the two potentates who
alone occupied the large tract of country subdued on the other side of Jordan. Such
a divided territory could hardly have maintained itself in the face of the powerful
monarchs Sihon and Og to the eastward of Jordan. We are thus led to the
conclusion that the smaller kings must have been tributary to some more powerful
monarch who was the head of the confederacy. Such Bretwaldas, to borrow a term
from our own history, the kings of Jerusalem and Hazor appear to have been, the
one the head of the northern, the other of the southern tribes of Palestine, while

33. possibly the five Philistine cities may have constituted another league, as they
appear to have successfully defied the power of the Israelites from the first. That
such confederacies existed at a much earlier time, we find from Genesis 14:1-5,
where the king of Elam, or Persia, appears as the head of such an one, though of a
more extensive character. The resistance to his power organised by the kings in the
neighbourhood of the Dead Sea is another case in point. Possibly in later times
Persia and Babylon found their hands full in their conflict with one another, and
with Egypt under Thothmes III; as afterwards under the all-conquering Rameses
II; better known as Sesostris, and they had to leave the tribes of Palestine awhile to
themselves. Or the rulers of the central power at Carchemish (see Introduction) may
have exercised a kind of suzerainty over all. The next point to be observed is that, in
the list of kings that follows, a good many are mentioned beside those enumerated in
Genesis 10:1-32. o doubt, as in the earlier history of this island, there were not only
heads of leagues, and their tributary monarchs, but under kings also, who were
actually subject to the reigning monarchs, and involved in their fall. Compare the
other cities mentioned in connection with Gibeon, Joshua 9:17. Baal-Gad, in the
valley of Lebanon. See for this whole passage note on Joshua 11:16, Joshua 11:17.
PULPIT, "HOMILIES BY R. GLOVER
Joshua 12:7-24
The catalogue of the vanquished.
A melancholy document, meaning little more to us than a column in a directory, but
meaning much to multitudes. Many of these kings would be lamented in elegies as
sweet as David's song over Saul and Jonathan. Some, doubtless, were noble, perhaps
some devout, but implicated in a national fate to the deserving of which they had not
contributed. Linger over these a little and observe—
I. ALL ARMIES WILL FI D THEIR PLACE I O E OF TWO
CATALOGUES—THAT OF VICTORS, OR THAT OF VA QUISHED. We
lament that to place Israel God must displace others. That heroism conquering a
home assumes also heroism fighting in vain to keep one. Life in its deepest action
must always be a struggle, ending in victory or defeat. Every foolish life ends in
failure, and in a consciousness like that of a beaten general, of plans unwisely
formed and forces unhappily employed. Those who follow God's guidance in all the
affairs of life are fighters in a combat in which their success confers blessings on
themselves and on society at large. All who refuse God's guidance in their general
affairs are fighters in a combat in which their success, if achieved, would damage
others still more than their failure would hurt themselves. Those who choose
wrongly thus find life a losing game, a disastrous battle. It would be well if all
realised that not to win a victory with life is to suffer a terrible defeat, is to be left
with loss of power, and with infinite damage. In one or other list we all shall be.
Crowned as victors, humiliated and discredited as failures.
II. MOST OF THOSE I THAT LIST EVER EXPECTED TO BE I IT. Why
should they? They had theories like ours today of the superiority of training in

34. arms, of fortifications, of what they called their civilisation, to any rude force which
nomadic hordes could bring. But they are beaten. Pride goeth before destruction.
Many reliant in their strength of purpose are destroyed by temptations they
despised. Youth dreams of only bright and golden issues to its life. Too often the
only issues are deplorable. Do not assume your life is going to be a grand success.
Victory is desert—not drift, achievement—not accident. Even to retain requires
energy. These men could not transmit to others what had been transmitted to them.
III. THEY WERE OT SAVED BY PROFESSIO OF SA CTITY. Some of the
cities here had already had a long reputation for sanctity. "Jerusalem" had been
Melchizedek's seat; "Bethel," the old name of the locality (though the city was Luz),
means "the house of God." "Kedesh" means "a holy place." These all seem to have
been spots consecrated to the service of the true God. Consecrated peoples have
God's protection; consecrated places go without. "Judgment" does not spare, it
"begins with the house of God." Later inhabitants of Jerusalem may say, "The
temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord axe these." But the sanctity of the site
increases, it does not avert the punishment of those profaning it. There is something
very solemn in this removal of the candlesticks which had served the Pre-
Abrahamic Church. England is today a great Bethel, a sublime Kedesh. May we
have grace to act worthily of, and so retain, our eminence.
IV. THE I DIVIDUAL SHARES THE FATE OF THE COMMU ITY. Some of
these kings and their people, doubtless, were worthy of a better fate. But implicated
in the fortunes of the general community, leaguing with it for its defence, they come
in for its fate. It is strange how the individual has to share the lot of the community.
The accident of our birth may determine our calling, our fortune, even our creed,
and our character. Advantages for which others have wrought, disabilities which
others have transmitted, are inherited by us. "Other men have laboured, and we
have entered into their labours." Sometimes other men have sinned, and we have
entered into their penalty. There is, indeed, an inner realm whose fortunes depend
only on ourselves. But we are members one of another, and must participate the
general fortune. We should therefore cherish more patriotism, more religious
interest in our country's politics and action. The welfare of those yet unborn
depends on the wisdom of the generation today existent. Let us not leave to our
successors a "heritage of woe," such as was left to these kings of Canaan. Look on
them with pity, with modest humility, asking of your soul, "Who maketh thee to
differ?" It may be some Canaanitish bard lamented the dead at the waters of
Merom, as the Scottish bard did those who fell at Flodden, and sang tenderly of" the
flowers of the forest being a' wede away." Let us be thankful that in the past we
have been spared such a doom, and careful in the future to avoid it.—G
8 The lands included the hill country, the western

35. foothills, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the
wilderness and the egev. These were the lands of
the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites,
Hivites and Jebusites. These were the kings:
GILL, "In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the
springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country,.... Which is a
description of the whole land of Canaan; some parts of which were hills and mountains,
others vales and champaign fields; others were dry and barren, and others well watered;
some part of it lay to the north, as towards Lebanon, and others to the south, towards
Seir:
the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites,
and the Jebusites; which were the nations that inhabited the land of Canaan before it
was taken and possessed by the Israelites.
HE RY, " The various kinds of land that were found in this country, which
contributed both to its pleasantness and to its fruitfulness, Jos_12:8. There were
mountains, not craggy, and rocky, and barren, which are frightful to the traveller and
useless to the inhabitants, but fruitful hills, such as put forth precious things (Deu_
33:15), which charmed the spectator's eye and filled the owner's hand. And valleys, not
mossy and boggy, but covered with corn, Psa_65:13. There were plains, and springs to
water them; and even in that rich land there were wildernesses too, or forests, which
were not so thickly inhabited as other parts, yet had towns and houses in them, but
served as foils to set off the more pleasant and fruitful countries.
BE SO , "Joshua 12:8. In the wilderness and in the south country — These are
joined together because the wilderness was southerly, in the hottest and driest part
of the land: but we are not to suppose that the wilderness was a country without
people, but only such as was thinly inhabited, in comparison with other parts of the
land: for we read of houses and towns in the wilderness, 1 Kings 11:34; 1 Kings
9:18.
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:8
The mountains. "Which, as the mountains of Judah (Joshua 15:48), Ephraim
(Joshua 16:1), and aphtali (Joshua 19:32), ran through the midst of the land"
(Knobel). See Joshua 11:16, Joshua 11:21, and note.

36. 9 the king of Jericho one
the king of Ai (near Bethel) one
CLARKE, "The king of Jericho, etc. - On this and the following verses see the
notes on Jos_10:1-3 (note).
GILL, "The king of Jericho, one,.... Who was first taken, and so named first, Jos_
6:21,
the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; who was next taken and though Bethel
was so near Ai, it had a king of its own, after mentioned, see Jos_7:1.
HE RY, "The several nations that had been in possession of this country - Hittites,
Amorites, Canaanites, etc., all of them descended from Canaan, the accursed son of
Ham, Gen_10:15-18. Seven nations they are called (Deu_7:1), and so many are there
reckoned up, but here six only are mentioned, the Girgashites being either lost or left
out, though we find them, Gen_10:16 and Gen_15:21. Either they were incorporated
with some other of these nations, or, as the tradition of the Jews is, upon the approach
of Israel under Joshua they all withdrew and went into Africa, leaving their country to be
possessed by Israel, with whom they saw it was to no purpose to contend, and therefore
they are not named among the nations that Joshua subdued.
IV. A list of the kings that were conquered and subdued by the sword of Israel, some in
the field, others in their own cities, thirty-one in all, and very particularly named and
counted, it should seem, in the order in which they were conquered; for the catalogue
begins with the kings of Jericho and Ai, then takes in the king of Jerusalem and the
princes of the south that were in confederacy with him, and then proceeds to those of the
northern association. Now, 1. This shows what a very fruitful country Canaan then was,
which could support so many kingdoms, and in which so many kings chose to throng
together rather than disperse themselves into other countries, which we may suppose
not yet inhabited, but where, though they might find more room, they could not expect
such plenty and pleasure: this was the land God spied out for Israel; and yet at this day it
is one of the most barren, despicable, and unprofitable countries in the world: such is
the effect of the curse it lies under, since its possessors rejected Christ and his gospel, as
was foretold by Moses, Deu_29:23. 2. It shows what narrow limits men's ambition was
then confined to. These kings contented themselves with the government, each of them,
of one city and the towns and villages that pertained to it; and no one of them, for aught
that appears, aimed to make himself master of the rest, but, when there was occasion, all
united for the common safety. Yet it should seem that what was wanting in the extent of

37. their territories was made up in the absoluteness of their power, their subjects being all
their tenants and vassals, and entirely at their command. 3. It shows how good God was
to Israel, in giving them victory over all these kings, and possession of all these
kingdoms, and what obligations he hereby laid upon them to observe his statutes and to
keep his laws, Psa_105:44, Psa_105:45. Here were thirty-one kingdoms, or seigniories,
to be divided among nine tribes and a half of Israel. Of these there fell to the lot of Judah
the kingdoms of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon, Debir, Arad, Libnan, and Adullam,
eight in all, besides part of the kingdom of Jerusalem and part of Geder. Benjamin had
the kingdoms of Jericho, Ai, Jerusalem, Makkedah, Beth-el, and the nations of Gilgal, six
in all. Simeon had the kingdom of Hormah and part of Geder. Ephraim had the
kingdoms of Gezer and Tirzah. Manasseh (that half-tribe) had the kingdoms of Tappuah
and Hepher, Taanach and Megiddo. Asher had the kingdoms of Aphek and Achshaph.
Zebulun had the kingdoms of Lasharon, Shimron-meron, and Jokneam. Naphtali had
the kingdoms of Madon, Hazor, and Kedesh. And Issachar had that of Dor. These were
some of the great and famous kings that God smote, for his mercy endureth for ever;
and gave their land for a heritage, even a heritage unto Israel his servant, for his
mercy endureth for ever, Psa_136:17, etc.
K&D 9-18, "The different kings are given in the order in which they were defeated:
Jericho (Jos_6:1); Ai (Jos_7:2); Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon (Jos_
10:3); Gezer (Jos_10:33); and Debir (Jos_10:38). Those given in Jos_12:13 and Jos_
12:14 are not mentioned by name in Josh 10. Geder, possibly the same as Gedor upon
the mountains of Judah (Jos_15:58), which has been preserved under the old name of
Jedur (Rob. Pal. ii. p. 186, and Bibl. Res. p. 282). Hormah (i.e., banning) was in the
south of Judah (Jos_15:30), and was allotted to the Simeonites (Jos_19:4). It was called
Zephath by the Canaanites (Jdg_1:17; see at Num_21:3), was on the southern slope of
the mountains of the Amalekites or Amorites, the present ruins of Sepâta, on the
western slope of the table-land of Rakhma, two hours and a half to the south-west of
Khalasa (Elusa: see Ritter, Erdk. xiv. p. 1085). Arad, also in the Negeb, has been
preserved in Tell Arad (see at Num_21:1). Libnah (see at Jos_10:29). Adullam, which is
mentioned in Jos_15:35 among the towns of the plain between Jarmuth and Socoh, was
in the neighbourhood of a large cave in which David took refuge when flying from Saul
(1Sa_22:1; 2Sa_23:13). It was fortified by Rehoboam (2Ch_11:7), and is mentioned in 2
Macc. 12:38 as the city of Odollam. The Onomast. describes it as being ten Roman miles
to the east of Eleutheropolis; but this is a mistake, though it has not yet been discovered.
So far as the situation is concerned, Deir Dubbân would suit very well, a place about two
hours to the north of Beit Jibrin, near to a large number of caves in the white limestone,
which form a kind of labyrinth, as well as some vaulted grottos (see Rob. Pal. ii. p. 353,
and Van de Velde, Reise, pp. 162-3). Makkedah: possibly Summeil (see at Jos_10:10).
Bethel, i.e., Beitin (see Jos_8:17). The situation of the towns which follow in Jos_12:17
and Jos_12:18 cannot be determined with certainty, as the names Tappuach, Aphek, and
Hefer are met with again in different parts of Canaan, and Lassaron does not occur
again. But if we observe, that just as from Jos_12:10 onwards those kings'-towns are first
of all enumerated, the capture of which has already been described in Josh 10, and then
in Jos_12:15 and Jos_12:16 certain other towns are added which had been taken in the
war with the Canaanites of the south, so likewise in Jos_12:19 and Jos_12:20 the
capitals of the allied kings of northern Canaan are given first, and after that the other
towns that were taken in the northern war, but had not been mentioned by name in Josh
11: there can be no doubt whatever that the four towns in Jos_12:17 and Jos_12:18 are to
be classed among the kings'-towns taken in the war with the king of Jerusalem and his

38. allies, and therefore are to be sought for in the south of Canaan and not in the north.
Consequently we cannot agree with Van de Velde and Knobel in identifying Tappuach
with En-Tappuach (Jos_17:7), and looking for it in Atûf, a place to the north-east of
Nablus and near the valley of the Jordan; we connect it rather with Tappuach in the
lowlands of Judah (Jos_15:34), though the place itself has not yet been discovered.
Hefer again is neither to be identified with Gath-hepher in the tribe of Zebulun (Jos_
19:13), nor with Chafaraim in the tribe of Issachar (Jos_19:19), but is most probably the
capital of the land of Hefer (1Ki_4:10), and to be sought for in the neighbourhood of
Socoh in the plain of Judah. Aphek is probably the town of that name not far from
Ebenezer (1Sa_4:1), where the ark was taken by the Philistines, and is most likely to be
sought for in the plain of Judah, though not in the village of Ahbek (Rob. Pal. ii. p. 343);
but it has not yet been traced. Knobel imagines that it was Aphek near to Jezreel (1Sa_
29:1), which was situated, according to the Onom., in the neighbourhood of Endor (1Sa_
29:1; 1Ki_20:25, 1Ki_20:30); but this Aphek is too far north. Lassaron only occurs here,
and hitherto it has been impossible to trace it. Knobel supposes it to be the place called
Saruneh, to the west of the lake of Tiberias, and conjectures that the name has been
contracted from Lassaron by aphaeresis of the liquid. This is quite possible, if only we
could look for Lassaron so far to the north. Bachienne and Rosenmüller imagine it to be
the village of Sharon in the celebrated plain of that name, between Lydda and Arsuf.
COFFMA , "Verse 9
Due to the nature of the remaining material in this chapter, we shall rely upon a
different method of presenting it. Woudstra, and others, have also utilized this
manner of reporting it:[14]
the king of Jericho.....................one
the king of Ai, beside Bethel...........one
the king Jerusalem......................one
the king of Hebron......................one
the king of Jarmuth.....................one
the king of Lachish.....................one
the king of Eglon.......................one
the king of Gezer.......................one
the king of Debir.......................one
the king of Geder.......................one
the king of Hormah......................one

39. the king of Arad........................one
the king of Libnah......................one
the king of Adullam.....................one
the king of Makkedah....................one
the king of Bethel......................one
the king of Tappuah.....................one
the king of Hepher......................one
the king of Aphek.......................one
the king of Lasharon....................one
the king of Madon.......................one
the king of Hazor.......................one
the king of Shimron-meron...............one
the king of Achshaph....................one
the king of Taanach.....................one
the king of Megiddo.....................one
the king of Kedesh......................one
the king of Jokneam in Carmel...........one
the king of Dor in aphath-dor..........one
the king of Goiim in Gilgal.............one
the king of Tirzah......................one
Together - thirty-one kings
A number of scholars refer to the Septuagint (LXX) in connection with this list, but
we can see no reason for this. "The Septuagint says, `twenty-nine kings,' and then
sets down only twenty-eight, omitting the kings of Bethel, Lasharon, and
Madon."[15] It would be impossible to find a more interesting list of names in
ancient Palestine than the one here.

40. "Jericho ..." This was the place of Israel's entry into Canaan. The name of the place
probably signifies some ancient moon god, and its history reaches back some 5,000
years![16] It owes its existence to a marvelous spring that supplies an abundance of
fresh water. Here Jesus Christ himself healed the blind beggar Bartimaeus (Mark
10:46ff). Here Jesus ate with the chief tax-collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). And
the memory of a palace in Jericho was still in Jesus' mind when he spoke the
parable of the pounds (Luke 19:11-27). (See my comment under these references in
the .T. series of commentaries.)
"Ai ..." In Hebrew, the name is always written with the definite article, "The Heap,
or the Ruin. It is identified with the modern `Et Tell' (Arabic: tall heap), two miles
east of Bethel (Tell Beitin)."[17] Here the events regarding Achan occurred.
"Jerusalem ..." Called by Jesus himself, "The City of the Great King," from the
days of the Monarchy, Jerusalem and its history are indeed the history of Israel.
Here the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ occurred.
"Hebron ..." (See my notes on this under Joshua 10:1.)
"Jarmuth ..." (See my notes on this place under Joshua 10:3.)
"Lachish ..." (See my notes on Lachish under Joshua 10:3.)
"Eglon ..." (See my notes regarding Eglon under Joshua 10:3.) It is of interest that a
king of Moab by the name Eglon was assassinated by Ehud (Judges 3:12ff).
"Gezer ..." From the earliest times Gezer was an important city on the road between
Joppa and Jerusalem. The Egyptians recaptured Gezer following the Conquest
(about 1224 B.C.); and the place did not again become a possession of Israel until
the times of Solomon, when Pharaoh gave it to his daughter, one of the wives of
Solomon. Solomon fortified the place and rebuilt it; and it figured extensively in the
Maccabean wars.[18]
"Debir ..." Kiriath-sepher was an ancient name of this place which was a stronghold
of the Anakim, located possibly a few miles from Hebron ( oth). It is unmentioned
in later history.[19]
"Geder ..." This is a southern town of Canaan, the location of which is unknown.
"Hormah ..." This place was the farthest south to which the victorious Israelites
chased the defeated Canaanites following the battle of Beth-horon. The ancient
name of it was Zephath. Judges 1:17 mentions it in the episode of its defeat by
Judah and Simeon.[20]
"Arad ..." The battle that destroyed this place and its king took place in Hormah
(the ancient Zephath, as described in Judges 1:17). Way identified the place as the

41. modern Tell es Seriah, 15 miles southeast of Gaza.[21]
"Libnah ..." This was a fortified city on the Shephelah (the plateau-like area
between the high mountains of central Palestine and the seacoast). Joshua assigned
it to the priests. It withstood a siege by Sennacherib; and it was here that
Sennacherib's army was destroyed on a single night by an angel of the Lord (2
Kings 19:8).[22]
"Adullam ..." "We first hear of this place in Genesis 38, where Hiram the
Adullamite is the friend of Judah. David hid there from king Saul (1 Samuel 22:1ff).
Psalms 52 and Psalms 142 were written here, and it was one of the places occupied
by the returnees from Babylon ( ehemiah 11:30)."[23]
"Makkedah ..." Makkedah means "the cave," and was the place chosen by the five
kings of Hazor's confederacy for a hiding place from Joshua. They were executed
and buried in that same cave. The location of the place is not certainly known, but it
is supposed to be some seven or more miles from the Mediterranean coast in the
vicinity of Aijalon.[24]
"Bethel ..." Bethel is located at the modern Tell Beitin 12 miles north of Jerusalem
on the high ridge road. Abraham built an altar here; Jacob had his vision of the
ladder here, and set up a pillar. He returned to Bethel after the disaster at Shechem;
Jeroboam set up pagan worship at Bethel; and the place figured prominently in the
writing of the Minor Prophets.[25]
"Tappuah ..." This means "Apple-city." It was apparently near Lasharon and
seems to have been an important city.[26]
"Hepher ..." This appears from 1 Kings 4:10 to have been near to Socoh, but
nothing more is known of it."[27]
"Aphek ..." There were several towns of this name ... There is no certainty about
which is meant."[28]
"Lasharon ..." "Sarona, between Mount Tabor and the Sea of Tiberias 6.5 miles
southwest of Tiberias may be the Biblical La-Sharon."[29]
"Madon ..." (See my notes under Joshua 11:5.)
"Hazor ..." (See my notes above, under Joshua 11:5.)
"Shimron-meron ..." This is probably identical with the Shimron in the territory
assigned to Bethlehem (Joshua 19:15), about 3 miles south-southeast of Bethlehem,
but this is disputed."[30]
"Achshaph ..." (See my notes under Joshua 11:5.)

42. "Taanach ..." The Israelites defeated this city and executed its king; the place was
assigned to Manasseh, but they were unable to take possession of it and keep it
(Joshua 12:21; 17:11; and Judges 1:27)."[31] It was located on the southern edge of
the valley of Jezreel and guarded a pass over Mount Carmel. It is right here that we
begin to see the need of Israel for those troops that were in Trans-Jordania
eastward. Half of Manasseh was there, instead of here; and so the choice of those
two and one half tribes was indeed a terrible hindrance to Israel in the subjugation
of Canaan.
"Megiddo ..." This city was associated with Taanach; the name means
"Stronghold." Together these two places, assigned to Manasseh, controlled the
southern flank of the valley of Esdraelon and the most heavily traveled route
through the Carmel range to the plain of Sharon. Manasseh was also unable to hold
on to this.[32]
"Kedesh ..." This place must not be confused with a Kedesh in the north. This one
was located between Taanach and Megiddo, in the neighborhood of Tell Abu
Qudeis.[33]
"Jokneam ..." This place was assigned to Zebulun near the border with Manasseh.
[34]
"Dor in aphath-dor ..." This name has the meaning of "The Dune of Dor," and is
a reference to the famous sea coast town south of Carmel. "It was the capital of
Solomon's fourth administrative district (1 Kings 4:11), and was important enough
to be governed by one of Solomon's sons-in-law."[35]
"Goiim in Gilgal ..." The meaning of these words is "nations in Gilgal," and most of
the commentators cannot understand any meaning at all in the expression. Blair
said, "The expression is unintelligible."[36] There is probably a textual problem
here. The LXX has, "king of Goiim of Galilee," and later translations prefer this.
Woudstra probably has the best solution, proposing that, "This may be the same as
Galilee of the Gentiles (Gentiles and nations have the same meaning)."[37];
Matthew 4:15 has this very expression, "Galilee of the Gentiles." This indeed may
refer to a place which had a king and which is mentioned here. Besides that, the use
of "nations" in the titles of some of those ancient kings was nothing unusual, for
example, "Tidal, king of nations" (Genesis 14:1).
"Tirzah ..." This place was the capital of the kings of Israel for a time during the
events related in 1Kings. Jeroboam's wife went there after her interview with
Ahijah (1 Kings 14:17); Baasha dwelt there (1 Kings 15:21); Elah was slain there by
Zimri (1 Kings 16:9,10); and it remained the capital until Omri built Samaria.[38]
Here concludes the summary of the mighty victories of Joshua. "This list is a song of
praise to the Lord's honor."[39] If Israel was to be protected against the seduction
to the sensuous debaucheries of paganism, it was absolutely necessary that the
inhabitants of Canaan be destroyed.

43. "Joshua was the man destined by God to carry out his program. He is not to be
blamed for the severity with which he acted. ot only did he show exemplary
faithfulness to the Divine command, but he also remained true to his given word in
the case of Rahab and the Gibeonites, and without partiality applied the curse to
Achan, one of Israel's own."[40]
These great victories under Joshua are a pledge that God will always fight upon the
side of, and in the interests of those who truly love him. "And we know that to them
that love God, all things work together for good, even to them that are called
according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
TRAPP, "Joshua 12:9 The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which [is] beside
Bethel, one;
Ver. 9. The king of Jericho, one.] In this one country of Judea - which was not above
two hundred miles long, and sixty miles broad: not near the half of England, as
good authors compute it - what abundance of kings find we, and what a huge
multitude of inhabitants! So here in England of old, were so many cities, so many
kings almost. When Caesar entered this island, Kent had four kings that ruled in it:
viz., Cingentorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus, and Segonax. Hence Jerome calleth this
island Fertilem tyrannorum, full of tyrants.
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:9
The list of the cities subdued. The king of Jericho, one. Here follows a list of the
royal cities of the Canaanites, the remainder being daughter, or dependent cities, or
else, perhaps, like Gibeon, cities whose government was not regal. See Joshua 9:3,
and Introduction.
LA GE, "Joshua 12:9. The kings are enumerated generally in the order in which
they were conquered. First, accordingly, the kings of Jericho, Ai, Jerusalem,
Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon, and Gezer, in regard to which Joshua 6:2 ff;
Joshua 8:29; Joshua 10:1-5; Joshua 10:33 may be compared. Then follows Joshua
12:13, the king of Debir, Joshua 10:39, after him still in the same verse the king of
Geder. ‫ר‬ֶ‫ֶד‬‫גּ‬ is called also ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ֵ‫ְד‬‫ג‬, and belonged to the lowland of Judah. ot hitherto
recognized.
10 the king of Jerusalem one
the king of Hebron one

44. GILL, "The king of Jerusalem, one,.... Whose name was Adonizedek, and was one
of the five kings taken and hanged, Jos_10:1,
the king of Hebron, one; another of the five kings, whose name was Hoham, Jos_
10:3.
11 the king of Jarmuth one
the king of Lachish one
GILL, "The king of Jarmuth, one,.... Whose name was Piram, a third of the five
kings before observed, Jos_10:3,
the king of Lachish, one; another of them, whose name was Japhia, Jos_10:3.
12 the king of Eglon one
the king of Gezer one
GILL, "The king of Eglon, one,.... The last of the five kings, and his name was Debir,
Jos_10:3,
the king of Gezer, one; who came up to help Lachish, and his name was Horam, Jos_
10:33.

45. 13 the king of Debir one
the king of Geder one
BAR ES, "Jos_12:13-20
The identification of several of these places is still uncertain: the same name (e. g.
Aphek, Jos_12:18) being applied to various places in various parts of Palestine. Geder,
or Gedor Jos_15:58, a city in the mountain district in the south of the territory of Judah,
is no doubt the modern “Jedur”.
CLARKE, "The king of Geder - Probably the same with Gedor, Jos_15:58; it was
situated in the tribe of Judah.
GILL, "The king of Debir, one,.... The same with Kirjathsepher, of which place; see
Gill on Jos_10:38,
the king of Geder, one: Jerom (h) seems to confound this with the tower of Eder,
beyond which Jacob pitched his tent, Gen_35:21; and he speaks of a Gaddera in the tribe
of Judah, in his time a village belonging to the country about Aelia or Jerusalem, and of
Gahedur in the tribe of Judah, a large village, ten miles from Diospolis or Lydda, as you
go to Eleutheropolis: it seems to be the same with Gederah, Jos_15:36, or Gedor, Jos_
15:58.
COKE, "Ver. 13. The king of Geder— This is the first and only time that mention is
made of a king of Geder. This city is in all probability the same as Gedera,
Gederothaim, Gederoth or Geder, in the tribe of Judah, mentioned chap. Joshua
15:36; Joshua 15:41; Joshua 15:58 and 2 Chronicles 28:18. We cannot tell the exact
situation of it; but it seems not to have been far distant from Jamnia. Strabo calls it
Godara, and places it within the territory of Joppa and Jamnia. Bochart says, that
all these names carry the idea of cities inclosed with hedges. See Can. lib. 1: cap. 34.
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:13
The king of Geder. Perhaps the same as Gederah in Joshua 15:36. If so, it is the
Gedor of the Onomasticon, ten miles from Beit-Jibrin, or Eleutheropolis, now
Jedireh. Conder, however, with whom Vandevelde seems to agree, places Geder in
the mountain region, and identifies it with Gedor (Joshua 15:58) and the modern

46. Jedur, in the Hebron mountain. So Keil and Delitzsch, Robinson, and others. The
Gedor in 1 Chronicles 4:39 may be the same place. It is described as on the east side
of the "gai," or ravine, but no clearer indication of the place is given. It is, however,
unlikely that the Simeonites would have found the children of tiara undisturbed in
the mountains of Hebron in the reign of Hezekiah (see 1 Chronicles 4:40, 1
Chronicles 4:41). The LXX. reads Gerar, and this is very probably the true reading.
There was a " ahal," or winter torrent, there (Genesis 26:17, Genesis 26:19), and
therefore possibly a "gal." The whole passage in 1 Chronicles should be consulted.
14 the king of Hormah one
the king of Aradone
CLARKE, "The king of Hormah - Supposed to be the place where the Israelites
were defeated by the Canaanites see Num_14:45; and which probably was called
Hormah, ‫הרמה‬ chormah, or destruction, from this circumstance.
GILL, "The king of Hormah, one,.... Which was formerly called Zephath, Jdg_1:17;
see Jos_15:3,
the king of Arad, one; perhaps the same with Arath, which, Jerom (i) says, is the
border of the land of Judah, and is twenty miles distant from Hebron to the south; see
Num_21:1.
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:14
Hormah, Arad. Cities in the egeb, near the border of Edom (see umbers 14:45;
umbers 21:1, umbers 21:3; umbers 33:40). Hor-mah was originally known as
Zephath (see 1:16, 1:17, where the fullest description of the locality is given). It was
in the wilderness of Judaea, in the arid country ( egeb) of Arad. Mr. Palmer
identifies it with Sebaita, in the centre of the egeb, in the Magrah-el-Esbaita, a
mountain valley sloping down into the Wady-el-Abyadh. Other explorers prefer
Sulifat, and Rowlands and G. Williams, Sepata.
LA GE, "Joshua 12:14. Hormah, earlier Zephat ( Judges 1:17). Robinson (ii616,
.) seeks the city near the pass Esther -Sufeh, W. S. W. of the Dead Sea, where the

47. Israelites were defeated by the Canaanites ( umbers 14:44-45; Deuteronomy 1:44),
and subsequently the Canaanites by the Israelites ( umbers 21:1-3; Judges 1:17).
Perhaps it stood, as von Raumer suspects, on the adjacent Mount Madurah, of
which the saying goes, that a city stood upon it at which God became angry so that
He destroyed it. To this it suits that the city of Zephath was later called Hormah
(‫ָה‬‫מ‬ ְ‫ַר‬‫ח‬, i.e. devoted to destruction, cognate with ‫ם‬ ֶ‫ֵר‬‫ח‬).
Arad, named also umbers 21:1-3, and Judges 1:16-17, near the wilderness of
Kadesh, twenty Roman miles south of Hebron. Robinson (ii473) saw from a distance
the hill Arad. He also rightly refers Joshua 10:41 to the subjugation of Arad, whose
Inhabitants had previously ( umbers 21:1-3), like those of Hormah, driven back
the Israelites.
15 the king of Libnah one
the king of Adullam one
CLARKE, "Adullam - A city belonging to the tribe of Judah, Jos_15:35. In a cave at
this place David often secreted himself during his persecution by Saul; 1Sa_22:1.
GILL, "The king of Libnah, one,.... Taken at the same time as the kings of
Makkedah, Debir, and of other places were, Jos_10:29,
the king of Adullam, one; a city in the tribe of Judah, Jos_15:35; Jerom says (k)
there was a village in his time, not a small one, called by this name, ten miles to the east
of Eleutheropolis: near to this place was a cave where David hid himself when he fled
from Saul, 1Sa_22:1; See Gill on Mic_1:15.
COKE, "Ver. 15. The king of Adullam— A city of Judah, chap. Joshua 15:35 well
known for the retreat of David, who, during his disgrace, often concealed himself in
the caves of Adullam, 1 Samuel 22:1. Eusebius says, that it was a very large city in
his time, about ten miles from Eleutheropolis; and St. Jerome, that it was not a
small city. See de. Loc. Heb.
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:15

48. Adullam. In the Shephelah (valley in our version. See Joshua 15:33-35). Canon
Tristram in his 'Bible Lands,' as well as Conder in his 'Handbook,' identify this
with Aid-el-Me, or Mich. In the Quarterly Paper of the Palestine Exploration Fund
for July, 1875, Lieut. Conder details a visit to this place, previously identified by M.
Clermont-Ganneau. These explorers reject the idea approved by Vandevelde and
others, that this Deir Dabban is the ancient Adullam. The place he prefers fulfils all
requirements. It is in the Shephelah. It is near Jarmuth and Socoh. It is an ancient
site with "rock cut tombs, good water supply, and main road, and communications
from different sides, and it is moreover a strong military position. It contains no
remarkable cave, but a number of small ones, now used as habitations by the
peasantry." Keilah, which David saved from the Philistines (1 Samuel 23:1-5), was
within a reasonable distance. The present name, Aid-el-Me or Mieh, the feast of the
hundred, may be a misapprehension of the word Adullam similar to that which
converts the Welsh "yr eifel," in Carnarvonshire, into the English "the rivals," or
which identifies in many English names the English burn (brook) with the French
borne (boundary). One of the greatest objections to the theory is that the Hebrew so
frequently speaks of the place as Cave-Adullam (Ma'arah-Adullam), as though
some special cave existed there. Adullam plays a somewhat important part in
Scripture history. We hear of it as early as Genesis 38:1-30; where Hirah the
Adullamite is spoken of as a friend of the patriarch Judah. It is well known as the
refuge of David and his mighty men (1 Samuel 22:1; 2 Samuel 23:13-17). It was the
place where David composed two of his psalms, the 57th and the 142nd. Rehoboam
fortified it (2 Chronicles 11:7). It seems to be regarded as a refuge in Micah 1:15.
And it is mentioned among the cities re-occupied after the return from the captivity
in ehemiah 11:30.
LA GE, "Joshua 12:15. Libnah, Joshua 10:29-30; Joshua 15:42. Adullam, Joshua
15:35, fortified by Rehoboam (2 Joshua 11:7); famous for its cave, David’s refuge ( 1
Samuel 22:1; 2 Samuel 23:13; 1 Chronicles 12:15). In a.d1138, the inhabitants of
Tekoah took refuge there from the Saracens, Will. Tyr. Joshua 15:6 (von Raumer,
p169).
16 the king of Makkedahone
the king of Bethel one

49. GILL, "The king of Makkedah, one,.... In a cave near to which five kings hid
themselves, and were taken out and hanged, and the city afterwards was taken by
Joshua, Jos_10:16; which fell to the lot of the tribe of Judah, Jos_15:41,
the king of Bethel, one; a city near to Ai, about a mile from it, and yet had a king over
it: it was taken at the same time that Ai was, Jos_7:2; and fell to the lot of Benjamin,
Jos_18:22.
WHEDO , "16. Makkedah — See Joshua 10:10.
Beth-el — See Joshua 7:2. [Whether the kings of Beth-el and Makkedah here
mentioned were slain at the taking of Ai (compare Joshua 8:17, note) and the battle
of Beth-horon (Joshua 10:28) is somewhat doubtful. It is expressly said that Joshua
took Makkedah and destroyed its king in connexion with the great battle of Beth-
horon, and it is also said that the men of Beth-el fought against Israel with the men
of Ai. But the order of this list would seem to indicate that these kings fell after
Joshua had conquered Southern Palestine and was returning northward. It is
possible, however, that Beth-el and Makkedah may have recovered somewhat from
their fall while Joshua was in the far south, and when he returned northward gave
him battle again.
The same may be said of Libnah in the preceding verse compared with Joshua
10:30. But on the whole it seems more probable that this list does not mean to
chronicle the names of the cities in the exact order of their conquest.]
LA GE, "Joshua 12:16. Makkedah, Joshua 10:10; Joshua 10:16-17; Joshua 10:21.
Bethel, earlier Luz (‫,)לוּז‬ sufficiently known; to the right of the road from Jerusalem
to Shechem; the place where Jacob saw in his dream the ladder from earth to
heaven ( Genesis 28:11-19; Genesis 31:13; Hosea 12:5); rendered infamous
subsequently by the worship of the calves ( 1 Kings 12:28; 1 Kings 12:33; 1 Kings
13:1), hence called Beth-aven (different from Beth-aven in Joshua 7:2; Joshua
18:12), by the prophets ( Amos 5:5; Hosea 4:15, and often). The missionary
icolayson discovered Bethel, 1836. According to Robinson (ii127) it is now called
Beitin, three and three-quarter hours from Jerusalem. See more in Robinson ubi
sup, von Raumer, pp178, 179 [Tristram, Stanley].
17 the king of Tappuah one
the king of Hepher one

50. CLARKE, "Tappuah - There were two places of this name: one in the tribe of
Judah, Jos_15:34, and another in the tribe of Ephraim on the borders of Manasseh; but
which of the two is meant here cannot be ascertained. See the note on Jos_15:53.
Hepher - The same, according to Calmet, as Ophrah in the tribe of Benjamin, Jos_
18:23.
GILL, "The king of Tappuah, one,.... Which Jerom calls (l) Thaffu; it signifies an
apple, and perhaps had its name from plenty of that fruit that grew there: a city of this
name fell to the tribe of Judah, Jos_15:34; where also was another place called
Bethtappuah, Jos_15:53; and both different from another Tappuah on the border of
Manasseh, which belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, Jos_17:8; by some thought to be
meant here:
the king of Hepher, one; mention is made of Gittahhepher as on the border of
Zebulun, Jos_19:13; the same with Gathhepher, of which place was the Prophet Jonah,
2Ki_14:25; and of the land of Hepher in 1Ki_4:10; which is said by Jerom to be in the
same tribe, and not far from Diocaesarea or Zippore; and we read of a Chepher or
Hepher in the Jewish writings (m), which, according to the account of it there given,
could not be far from the same place, at least it must be less than twelve miles from it.
COKE, "Ver. 17. The king of Tappuah— It seems that there were two cities of this
name; one in the tribe of Judah, chap. Joshua 15:34, Joshua 16:8, Joshua 17:8 the
other belonging to that of Ephraim, on the borders of Manasseh. It is difficult to say
which of the two is here spoken of; perhaps the last: what would incline to this
opinion is, that the king of Tappuah is named immediately after the king of Beth-el,
a city placed on the confines of Ephraim and Benjamin, and before the king of
Hepher, a city of the tribe of Zebulun, not far from Beth-el. Calmet places Tappuah
in the tribe of Judah.
The king of Hepher— The land of Hepher is spoken of, 1 Kings 4:10. St. Jerome
places it in the tribe of Zebulun, near Sephorim or Diocesarea.
LA GE, "Joshua 12:17. Tappuah, comp. Joshua 15:34; Joshua 15:53; Joshua 17:7.
Hepher, in the plain of Jezreel in Issachar, Joshua 19:19 (Knobel).
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:17
Tappuah. Literally "apple city." It is difficult say whether this was Tappuah in
Judah (Joshua 15:34; cf. Joshua 15:53), or in Manasseh (Joshua 16:8; Joshua 17:7,

51. Joshua 17:8). The mention of Aphekah in Joshua 15:53, and of Aphek here, would
suggest the former, or the mention of Socoh in Joshua 15:34 (see below on Hepher).
But the mention of Lasharon, the fact that there is more than one other Aphek, that
Tappuah on the borders of Ephraim and Manasseh seems to have been an
important city, and that the cities of the south are mentioned first, those of the north
afterwards, and that Tappuah seems to lie about midway, suggest the more
northern city. This is Knobel's opinion. Gesenius inclines to the southern Tappuah.
Conder identifies it with Yassfif, at the head of the Wady Kanah, southeast of
Shechem. Vandevelde with Atuf, four hours northeast by east from Shechem. Keil
prefers the former site. Hepher. This appears, from 1 Kings 4:10, to have been near
to Socoh, but nothing more is known of it. Aphek. Literally, fortress, though some
think it comes from a Syriac root kindred to the Hebrew, signifying to hold fast, to
embrace, and that it has reference to the sensual worship of Ashtaroth and
Thammuz. There were several towns of this name (see notes on Joshua 13:4; Joshua
15:53; Joshua 19:30). Lasharon is probably the same as Sharon, or Hasharon
(Isaiah 33:9). This is the plain between Joppa and Carmel (Vandevelde). Conder
and Kuobel identify with Sarona, or Saroneh, a place near the sea of Tiberias. See,
however, Acts 8:32-38. Madon is mentioned in Joshua 11:1, and has been
conjecturally identified with Madin, near the sea of Galilee. Shimron-meron is also
mentioned in Joshua 11:1. It appears among the cities assigned to Zebulun in
Joshua 19:15. Ewald ('Hist. Israel,' Joshua 2:2 c) remarks on 'the antiquity of this
list, referring as it does to cities which are never heard of again. Achshaph lay
within the borders of Asher (Joshua 19:25). It has been supposed to be the modern
Yasif, near the shores of the Mediterranean (see note on Joshua 11:1). Taanach and
Megiddo are frequently mentioned together (see Joshua 17:11; 1:27; 5:19). The
former became a Levitical city. The latter, being in the great plain of Jezreel, or
Esdraelon, lay in the way of most Eastern conquerors. Hence we find it mentioned
in the Karnak inscription by the name of Magedi in the victorious expedition of
Thothmes III; in which "the whole of the Syrian, Palestinian, and Arabian nations
were overcome and forced to pay tribute.". The great battle on the slopes of Mount
Tabor was carried on as far as Megiddo ( 5:19). ot far from this were the
Midianites pitched, who fell victims to the valour of Gideon ( 7:1-25). Another and a
disastrous battle of Megiddo, against the king of Egypt, weakened Judaea, and
caused it to fall an easy victory to the power of ebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 23:29, 2
Kings 23:30; 2 Chronicles 35:20-24. The valley of Megiddo, or Megiddon, is
mentioned in Zechariah 12:11. Solomon fortified Megiddo (1 Kings 9:15), assigned
it to Baana, the son of Ahilud, with Taanach, as one of the cities required to provide
food for the royal household (1 Kings 4:12) And the Jewish writer of the Apocalypse
makes this great battlefield of his race the scene of the battle of the great day of the
Almighty (Revelation 16:14, Revelation 16:16). For Armageddon is Har Mageddon,
the mountain of Mageddon, or Megiddo. Megiddo and Taanach are also found in
later periods of Egyptian history. The Mohar mentioned above (Joshua 1:4) notices
the former among the places he visited ('Records of the Past,' vol. 2), while the latter
is among the places captured by Shishak, as an inscription testifies. The latest
explorers reject the identification with Lcgio, or Lejjun, and suggest Mejedda, at the
foot of Gilboa, near Beth-shean. See Palestine Exploration Fund, Quarterly Paper,
January, 1877.

52. 18 the king of Aphekone
the king of Lasharonone
CLARKE, "Aphek - There were several cities of this name: one in the tribe of Asher,
Jos_19:30, another in the tribe of Judah, 1Sa_4:1; 1Sa_29:1; and a third in Syria, 1Ki_
20:26, and 2Ki_13:17. Which of the two former is here intended cannot be ascertained.
Lasharon - There is no city of this name known. Some consider the ‫ל‬ lamed in the
word ‫לשרון‬ lashsharon to be the sign of the genitive case, and in this sense it appears to
have been understood by the Vulgate, which translates rex Saron, the king of Sharon.
This was rather a district than a city, and is celebrated in the Scriptures for its fertility;
Isa_33:9; Isa_35:2. Some suppose it was the same with Saron, near Lydda, mentioned
Act_9:35.
GILL, "The king of Aphek, one,.... There was a place called Aphekah in the tribe of
Judah, Jos_15:53; and an Aphek that was on the border of the Amorites, Jos_13:4; and
another in the tribe of Asher, Jos_19:30; but Adrichomius (n) places this Aphek in the
tribe of Issachar, whose king Joshua smote, and takes it to be the same place where the
Philistines in the times of Samuel and David brought their armies against Israel, 1Sa_
4:1; and where the king of Syria fought against Israel, 1Ki_20:26; and says that its ruins
were now shown in the great plain not far from Gilboa to the east of Mount Carmel, and
five miles from Tabor:
the king of Lasharon, one; which, according to the Vulgate Latin version, is the same
with Saron, which, in Act_9:35, in some copies is called Assaron; so Adrichomius (o),
who places it in the tribe of Ephraim, and takes it to be the same Sharon Isaiah speaks
of, Isa_33:9; and of which Jerom says (p), to this day there is a country between Tabor
and the lake of Tiberias called Saronas, and also that from Caesarea of Palestine to the
town of Joppa, all the land that is seen bears that name.
COKE, "Ver. 18. The king of Aphek— In the country conquered by Joshua, there
were at least two cities of this name; one in the tribe of Judah, chap. Joshua 15:53
the other in the tribe of Asher, chap. Joshua 19:30. But we cannot venture to
determine which of the two is here spoken of.

53. The king of Lasharon— There is no city of this name now known. Modern
interpreters, following the Vulgate, consider the letter ‫ל‬ l, in the Hebrew, as a mark
of the genitive, and translate of Sharon, as it stands in the margin of our Bibles. The
place now in question, we should apprehend to be that city of Saron which was near
Lydda, (Acts 9:35.) and whose delightful and fertile plains are so often celebrated in
other parts of Scripture. Isaiah 33:9; Isaiah 35:2. There was also a Sharon to the
east of Jordan, in the tribe of Gad, which some think to be mentioned, Isaiah 65:10.
Eusebius and St. Jerome say, that the whole country from Cesarea to Joppa went by
the name of Joppa, as well as the plains which extended from mount Tabor to the
lake of Gennesareth. Perhaps it is this district, not a city, that is here intended by
the sacred writer. Reland asserts, that the name of Sharon was given only to the
country situated between Joppa and Cesarea, and that there was no city of this
name in the tribe of Gad; but that the people of this tribe sent their flocks to the rich
pastures of Sharon. Indeed, in 1 Chronicles 5:16 it is only said, that the children of
Gad dwelt in all the suburbs of Sharon; but why in the suburbs, and not in the
cities, if the country had belonged to them? It was in the suburbs that the beasts
were lodged; umbers 35:3. Joshua 14:4. And the law allowed the sending them
from one place to another, in the pastures belonging to the suburbs dependant on
cities of a tribe to which they did not belong.
WHEDO , "18. Aphek — This can hardly be the Aphek of the tribe of Asher
(Joshua 19:30) which is mentioned in Joshua 13:4, but it was probably identical
with the Aphek not far from Jezreel, where the Philistines gathered their forces
before the fearful battle of Gilboa. 1 Samuel 29:1. Its site has not been certainly
identified. Lasharon is mentioned here only and is now unknown. Some think the
first syllable is not an integral part of the name, but would read king of Sharon. But
this is unlikely.
LA GE, "Joshua 12:18. Aphek, Joshua 13:4. Lassaron, mentioned only in this
place. The site has not been discovered.
19 the king of Madon one
the king of Hazor one
GILL, "The king of Madon, one,.... Whose name was Jobab, Jos_11:1,

54. the king of Hazor, one; whose name was Jabin, and of him and his city; see Gill on
Jos_11:1.
WHEDO , "19, 20. On the cities mentioned in these verses see Joshua 11:1.
[21. Taanach — In the Scripture Taanach and Megiddo are generally mentioned
together. They were the two most distinguished cities in that rich tract of land which
forms the western portion of the great Plain of Esdraelon. Taanach is still found in
the ruins of Taanuk, which are on an elevated mound near the base of the hills of
Manasseh, the southeastern part of the Carmel range, and about six miles southwest
of the city of Jezreel. Megiddo also is identified with the modern el-Lejjum, four or
five miles northwest of Taanach. Both these places were chiefly famous for their
association with the wars of Israel. Taanach was assigned to the Levites. Joshua
21:25.
LA GE, "Jos 12:19. Madon, Jos 11:1. Hazor, Jos 11:1-10; Jos 19:37.
20 the king of Shimron Meron one
the king of Akshaph one
GILL, "The king of Shimronmeron, one,.... See Jos_11:1, this place fell to the tribe
of Zebulun, Jos_19:15,
the king of Achshaph, one; see Jos_11:1; this city fell to the lot of Asher, Jos_19:25.
LA GE, "Joshua 12:20. Shimron-meron, Joshua 11:1; Joshua 19:37. Achshaph,
Joshua 11:1; Joshua 19:25.
21 the king of Taanach one
the king of Megiddo one

55. BAR ES, "Jos_12:21
Taanach - A Levitical town Jos_21:25 in the territory of Issachar, but assigned to the
Manassites (Jos_17:11; Compare 1Ch_7:29), is identified with “Taanuk”. It was here that
Barak encountered the host of Sisera Jdg_5:19. Megiddo was near it, and is thought to
have been “el Lejjun” (the Roman Legion), (or Mujedd’a (Conder)).
CLARKE, "Taanach - A city in the half tribe of Manasseh, to the west of Jordan, not
far from the frontiers of Zebulun, Jos_17:11. This city was assigned to the Levites, Jos_
21:25.
GILL, "The king of Taanach, one,.... It was in the tribe of Manasseh, Jos_17:11;
Jerom says (q), in his time it was a large village, distant from Legion on the plain of
Esdraelon three miles:
the king of Megiddo, one; which belonged to the same tribe, Jos_17:11; near this
place were some waters where the Canaanites fought with the Israelites, Jdg_5:19; and a
valley where Josiah was slain, 2Ch_35:22.
K&D, "Taanach, which was allotted to the Manassites in the territory of Issachar,
and given up to the Levites (Jos_17:11; Jos_21:25), but was not entirely wrested from
the Canaanites (Jdg_1:27), is the present Tell Taënak, an hour and a quarter to the
south-east of Lejun, a flat hill sown with corn; whilst the old name has been preserved in
the small village of Taânak, at the south-eastern foot of the Tell (see Van de Velde, i. p.
269, and Rob. Pal. iii. p. 156). - Megiddo, which was also allotted to the Manassites in
the territory of Issachar, though without the Canaanites having been entirely expelled
(Jos_17:11; Jdg_1:27), was fortified by Solomon (1Ki_9:15), and is also well known as
the place were Ahaziah died (2Ki_9:27), and where Josiah was beaten and slain by
Pharaoh Necho (2Ki_23:29-30; 2Ch_35:20.). Robinson has shown that it was preserved
in the Legio of a later time, the present Lejun (Pal. iii. pp. 177ff.; see also Bibl. Res. p.
116).
COKE, "Ver. 21. The king of Taanach—The king of Megiddo— Taanach, a city
assigned to the Levites, chap. Joshua 21:25 in the half tribe of Manasseh, to the west
of Jordan, chap. Joshua 17:11 was not far from the frontiers of Zebulun. Eusebius
and St. Jerome place it four miles from Legion; but this latter city, well known in
the book of the Laws of Palestine, written by the first, and translated by the second
of these learned men, being now unknown, cannot help us to fix the precise
distances. Cellarius places Taanach between mount Tabor and the Mediterranean
sea, fifteen miles from azareth westward. Taanach seems to have been not far from
the river Kishon, and the city of Megiddo. Judges 5:19-21. We should add that the
Canaanites were not entirely driven from thence: probably, they seized upon it after

56. the death of Joshua: see Judges 1:27-28. Megiddo, situate near the Kishon, belonged
as well as Taanach, to the half tribe of Manasseh; Judges 5:19. The Canaanites held
it a long time; ch. Joshua 17:11-13. Solomon rebuilt it; 1 Kings 9:15 and in its
neighbourhood Josiah was defeated by the king of Egypt, 2 Chronicles 25:22.
LA GE, "Joshua 12:21. Taanach in Samaria, within the circuit of Issachar, but
belonging to Manasseh ( Joshua 17:11), although not conquered by him ( Judges
1:27). A city of the Levites, Joshua 21:25. Here Barak conquered ( Judges 5:19).
Robinson (ii156, 157), and Schubert (iii164), saw Taanach (now Ta’ann)k) from the
neighborhood of Jennin (Ginn‫ה‬a), von Raumer, p165.
Megiddo, likewise in Samaria, belonging to Manasseh but beyond his border (
Joshua 17:11), and likewise unconquered by that tribe ( Judges 1:27). Here Ahaziah
died in his flight from Jehu ( 2 Kings 9:27), and here Josiah was fatally wounded in
the battle against echo king of Egypt ( 2 Chronicles 35:20; 2 Chronicles 35:25; 2
Chronicles 23:29-30).
22 the king of Kedesh one
the king of Jokneam in Carmel one
BAR ES, "Jos_12:22
Kedesh - i. e. Kedesh Naphtali, a city of refuge, a Levitical city, and the home of Barak
Jdg_9:6.
Jokneam - A Levitical city in the territory of Zebulon Jos_19:11; perhaps the modern
“Kaimon”. “Tell Kaimon” is a conspicuous and important position, commanding the
main pass across the ridge of Carmel from Phoenicia to Egypt. This famous mountain
range (about 15 miles long) no doubt received the name Carmel (the word means “a
fruitful field” as opposed to “wilderness”) as descriptive of its character; and thus the
name became an emblem of beauty and luxuriance (Isa_35:2; Son_7:5, etc.). Its highest
part, about 4 miles from Tell Kaimon, is nearly 1,750 feet above the sea. Its modern
name, “Jebel Mar Elias”, preserves still that association with the great deeds of Elijah,
from which Carmel derives its chief Biblical interest. Mount Carmel was probably, like
Lebanon, from very ancient Canaanite times, regarded as especially sacred; and since the
altar of the Lord repaired by Elijah 1Ki_18:30 was an old one which had been broken
down, Carmel was probably no less esteemed by the Israelites also. In later times the
caves which abound toward the western bluffs of the range have been frequented by
Christian, Jewish, and Mussulman anchorites. The order of Carmelite or barefooted

57. friars took its rise from the convent founded by Louis, which still crowns the western
headland.
CLARKE, "Kedesh - There was a city of this name in the tribe of Naphtali, Jos_
19:37. It was given to the Levites, and was one of the cities of refuge, Jos_20:7.
Jokneam of Carmel - This city is said to have been at the foot of Mount Carmel,
near the river Belus, in the tribe of Zebulun, Jos_19:11. It was given to the Levites, Jos_
21:34.
GILL, "The king of Kedesh, one,.... Which afterwards fell to the tribe of Naphtali,
and was one of the cities of refuge, Jos_19:37; it was situated in upper Galilee on Mount
Naphtali, four miles from the city of Sephet, and as many from Capernaum, and twenty
miles from Tyre (r):
the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one; a city that came to the lot of the tribe of
Zebulun, Jos_19:11; and was given to the Levites, Jos_21:34; it was not far from Mount
Carmel, from whence it is described.
K&D, "Kedesh, a Levitical city and city of refuge upon the mountains of Naphtali
(Jos_19:37; Jos_20:7; Jos_21:32), the home of Barak (Jdg_4:6), was conquered and
depopulated by Tiglath-Pileser (2Ki_15:29), and was also a well-known place after the
captivity (1 Macc. 11:61ff.) It is now an insignificant village, still bearing the ancient
name, to the north-west of the lake of Huleh, or, according to Van de Velde (Reise. ii. p.
355), nothing but a miserable farmstead upon a Tell at the south-west extremity of a
well-cultivated table-land, with a large quantity of antiquities about, viz., hewn stones,
relics of columns, sarcophagi, and two ruins of large buildings, with an open and
extensive prospect on every side (see also Rob. Bibl. Res. pp. 367ff.). Jokneam, near
Carmel, as a Levitical town in the territory of Zebulun (Jos_19:11; Jos_21:34). Van de
Velde and Robinson (Bibl. Res. p. 114) suppose that they have found it in Tell Kaimôn,
on the eastern side of the Wady el Milh, at the north-west end of a chain of hills running
towards the south-east; this Tell being 200 feet high, and occupying a very commanding
situation, so that it governed the main pass on the western side of Esdraelon towards the
southern plain. Kaimôn is the Arabic form of the ancient Καµµωνά, Cimana, which
Eusebius and Jerome describe in the Onom. as being six Roman miles to the north of
Legio, on the road to Ptolemais.
COKE, "Ver. 22. The king of Kedesh— There were two cities of this name; one in
the tribe of Judah; chap. Joshua 15:23 the other in the tribe of aphtali, chap.
Joshua 19:37. The king of the latter is thought to be here meant; 1st, Because it was
at the same time a considerable city, a city of the Levites, and a city of refuge; chap.
Joshua 20:7. 2nd, Because Kadesh is named in this chapter among other places
which were all situated in orth Canaan. Calmet thinks Kedesh might be the
Kadytis of Herodotus.
The king of Jokneam of Carmel— The city of Jokneam was at the foot of Carmel,
near the river Belus, in the tribe of Zebulun, chap. Joshua 19:11. It was given to the
Levites, chap. Joshua 21:34. Bochart derives its name from the beauty of its
situation. Canaan, lib. 1: cap. 28.

58. WHEDO , "22. Kedesh — This city is commonly called Kedesh- aphtali, because
it was in the territory of that tribe. It was both a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7) and a
Levitical city. Joshua 21:32. Hence, as the name indicates, it was the holy place of
aphtali, a sanctuary and asylum for all orthern Palestine. Here the tribes
assembled, at the call of Barak, to war with Jabin’s hosts. Judges 4:10. From its
exposed position on the northern frontier it was among the first to fall into the
hands of the Assyrian invaders. 2 Kings 15:29. Its ruins, still bearing the name
Kedes, lie on the top and slopes of a round hill in a little plain among the mountains
a few miles northwest of Lake Merom.] Jokneam was also a Levitical city in the
tribe of Zebulun, (Joshua 19:11; Joshua 21:34,) and was identified by Robinson
with Tell Kaimon, an eminence close to the northern base of Mount Carmel, and on
the south bank of the Kishon, a mile from the river. On Carmel, see note on Joshua
19:26.
LA GE, "Joshua 12:22. Kedesh on the mountain of aphtali (Jebel el-Safed),
Joshua 19:37, in Galilee. A city of refuge, Joshua 20:7, of the Levites, Joshua 21:32.
Birth-place of Barak ( Judges 4:6), discovered by Smith on a hill, in a well-watered
region ( otes on Bibl. Geog. in Biblioth. Sac, May, 1849, p374, ap. von. Raum.
p132); by Robinson on his second journey, not “visited” indeed, as von Raumer
states, but yet seen from a short distance and described (Later Bibl. Res. p366 ff.).
Jokneam on Carmel. Belonging to Zebulun, Joshua 19:11. A city of the Levites, ch
Joshua 21:34. Perhaps, Tel Kaim‫פ‬n (Robinson, Later Bibl. Res. p115). The place is
called, in 1 Kings 4:12, ‫ָם‬‫ע‬ְ‫מ‬‫ָק‬‫י‬, out of which Kaim‫פ‬n appears to have sprung (comp.
Robinson, ubi sup.). Carmel appears elsewhere in our book only Joshua 19:26, to
mark the south border of the tribe of Asher. Rightly does the mountain bear its
name “orchard” (comp. Isaiah 10:8; Isaiah 16:10 and often), being covered below
with laurels and olive-trees, above with pines and oaks (hence the comparison Song
of Solomon 7:6), and full of the most beautiful flowers. These are the glory of
Carmel which shall be given to the wilderness ( Isaiah 35:2). The view over the sea
as well as of the coast is magnificent. Compare the different descriptions of
travellers, von Raumer, p 43 ff.[F 6] Since1180 there has stood on Carmel,
although only at a height of578 feet, and therefore far below the summit, a cloister
to commemorate Elijah ( 1 Kings 18:17-39; 1 Kings 18:42-45) and bearing his name;
rebuilt in1833. The mountain reaches an altitude of1700 feet.
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:22
Kedesh, i.e; Kedesh- apbtali (see Joshua 19:7). Jokneam of Carmel. This city is
mentioned as one of the cities of purveyance to Solomon's court (1 Kings 4:12), with
Beth-shean, Taanach, and Megiddo. It has been identified by explorers, from
Robinson downwards, with Tell-el-Kaimun, on the southern slopes of Mount
Carmel. It is the Cammona, or Cimana, of the Onomasticon, the "Cyamon over
against Esdraelon" of Judith 7:3. It was a Levitical city (Joshua 21:34), but in the
list in Chronicles 6. we miss it in its proper place, and find it taking the place of
Kibzaim in Ephraim. But, as the margin of our version remarks in the latter chapter

59. (verse 68), the names of the cities in the two lists very frequently do not correspond.
23 the king of Dor (in aphoth Dor) one
the king of Goyim in Gilgal one
BAR ES, "Jos_12:23
The king of the nations - See Gen_14:1 and note. It means king of certain mixed
and probably nomadic tribes, which regarded Gilgal Jos_9:19 as their center and capital.
CLARKE, "The king of Dor - The city of this name fell to the lot of the children of
Manasseh, Jos_17:11. Bochart observes that it was one of the oldest royal cities in
Phoenicia. The Canaanites held it, Jdg_1:27. Antiochus Sydetes besieged it in aftertimes,
but could not make himself master of it. See Bochart, Canaan, lib. i., c. 28, and Dodd.
The king of the nations of Gilgal - This is supposed to mean the higher Galilee,
surnamed Galilee of the Gentiles or, nations, as the Hebrew word ‫גוים‬ goyim means. On
this ground it should be read king of Galilee of the nations. Others suppose it is the same
country with that of which Tidal was king, see Gen_14:1. The place is very uncertain, and
commentators have rendered it more so by their conjectures.
GILL, "The king of Dor, in the coast of Dor, one,.... Of which see Jos_11:2; it fell
to the lot of Manasseh, but never was possessed by them, as were not Taanach and
Megiddo, before mentioned, Jos_17:11 Jdg_1:27,
the king of the nations of Gilgal, one; not the place where Joshua encamped after
he had passed Jordan, for that was then no city; the Septuagint version renders it the
land of Galilee; and Dr. Lightfoot (s) is of opinion that Galilee is meant, and in the
Apocrypha:"Who went forth by the way that leadeth to Galgala, and pitched their tents
before Masaloth, which is in Arbela, and after they had won it, they slew much people.''
(1 Maccabees 9:2)Galgala is spoken of as near to Arbel, a city in Galilee: Jerom (t) takes
this to be the same with Glagulis, which in his time was a village six miles from
Antipatris to the north.
K&D 23-24, "Dor: see Jos_11:2. Gilgal: the seat of the king of the Goyim (a proper
name, as in Gen_14:1), in all probability the same place as the villa nomine Galgulis
mentioned in the Onom. (s. v. Gelgel) as being six Roman miles to the north of
Antipatris, which still exists in the Moslem village of Jiljule (now almost a ruin; see Rob.
Bibl. Res. p. 136), although this village is only two miles E.S.E. of Kefr Sâba, the ancient
Antipatris (see Ritter, Erdk. xvi. pp. 568-9). Thirza, the capital of the kings of Israel

60. down to the time of Omri (1Ki_14:17; 1Ki_15:21, 1Ki_15:33; 1Ki_16:6.), is probably the
present Talluza, an elevated and beautifully situated place, of a considerable size,
surrounded by large olive groves, two hours to the north of Shechem (see Rob. Bibl. Res.
p. 302, and Van de Velde, ii. p. 294).
BE SO , "Joshua 12:23. The king of Gilgal — This Gilgal is not the place where
Joshua encamped when he came over Jordan; for there was no city there, nor any
king of that country, but the king of Jericho. That place had also its name from the
circumcision of the Israelites there, chap. Joshua 5:9.
COKE, "Ver. 23. The king of Dor, in the coast of Dor— The city of this name fell to
the lot of the children of Manasseh; chap. Joshua 17:11. It appears to have
commanded a great territory; and Bochart observes, that it was one of the oldest
royal cities in Phoenicia. The Canaanites held it; Judges 1:27. Antiochus Sydetes
besieged it in after times, but could not make himself master of it. See Boch. Can.
lib. 1: cap. 28.
The king of the nations of Gilgal— The LXX have it, the king of Gei of Galile, or
rather, as Dr. Hammond renders it, of Galilee; for so he thinks it should be read: by
which Galilee, he understands the Galilee of the nations, the same country whose
king was Tidal, Genesis 14:1. See Hamm. on Matt. note e. The Gilgal here
mentioned cannot be the place where Joshua had his camp; there was no city at that
time, and Joshua gave the spot the name of Gilgal for the reason mentioned, chap.
Joshua 5:9. Several learned men understand, by the king of the nations of Gilgal, a
king who ruled over some district of Galilee of the Gentiles or nations; but, as St.
Jerome remarks, this name, Galilee of the nations, was unknown in Joshua's time;
and we should fix its rise in the time of Solomon, when that prince gave Hiram the
twenty cities spoken of 1 Kings 9:11-13. St. Jerome further observes, that there was,
in his time, a city named Gelgel, near the sea, not far from Joppa, and six miles from
Antipatris. Perhaps this is the city we are looking for. Trade bringing people from
all nations into these parts, perhaps the petty king of Gelgel might from thence have
been called the king of the nations settled in the territories of this place. We must
confess however, notwithstanding what Bishop Patrick mentions to the contrary in
his notes on Genesis 14:1., that there seems to be a more plausible opinion
respecting the matter; for, first, it is certain that the name Gojim, which we find
here in the Hebrew, is the same that we read of in Genesis 14:1 where Tidal is called
king of Gojim, or the nations. It is also as certain that the kingdom of this Tidal was
neither near the sea, nor in the neighbourhood of Joppa: thus the conjecture of St.
Jerome, approved by the Bishop of Ely, is not easily supported; on the contrary, the
kingdom of Tidal may very naturally be supposed to be in north Galilee. It is
strongly asserted, that the name of Galilee of the nations commenced in the time of
Solomon; but it is more easy to assert than to prove. The name constantly implies a
country much more extensive than the twenty cities which Solomon gave to Hiram.
We do not see why it might not be anterior to that offer, and as old as Tidal. Though
in the passage of Genesis the LXX render Gojim as a name appellative, they render

61. it here as a proper name, and in all probability it should be so translated. Our
historian, therefore, signifies to us, a king of Gojim of Galilee. See Wells's
Paraphrase. and notes; Calmet and Le Clerc.
WHEDO , "23. Dor — See Joshua 11:2.
[King of the nations of Gilgal — This intimates that Gilgal was a capital whose
sovereign ruled several surrounding tribes. This Gilgal must be distinguished both
from that in the Jordan valley and that in the hills of Ephraim. It was probably the
Galgulis of Eusebius and Jerome, on the Mediterranean plain, about eighteen miles
northeast of Joppa, and near to Antipatris. It is supposed by Robinson and others to
be the same as the modern village of Jiljulieh, two miles southeast of the site of
Antipatris.]
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:23
The nations of Gilgal. Or the nations that belong to Gilgal. This is identified by
Yandevelde and Conder with Jiljulieh in the plain of Jordan, north of Antipatris,
and is therefore, if this identification be correct, a third Gilgal. The word "nations"
most probably signifies a diversity of tribes of various races gathered together under
the headship of the king of Gilgal, much in the same way that the kingdom of
Mercia arose in England from a confused mass of various tribes, gathered together
on the marches, or military frontiers, between Britons, Saxons and English, or in the
same way that the Austrian and Turkish empires have been formed out of a
congeries of various nationalities. So we read of "Tidal king of nations" in Genesis
14:1. But others regard the "nations" (Goim) mentioned there as equivalent to the
Gutinm of the Babylonian tablets—i.e; Semitic tribes imperfectly organised, then
dwelling in Babylonia, and prefer the LXX. reading, ‫́כ‬‫ב‬‫,טבסד‬ in Genesis 14:1, which
Sir Henry Rawlinson considers equivalent to the Accadian Tur Gal, or "great
chief." So Sayce, 'Babl. Lit.,' p. 23; Tomkins, 'Studies on the Time of Abraham.' See
Introduction III.
LA GE, "Joshua 12:23. aphoth-dor, Joshua 11:2; Joshua 17:11. The king of the
nations of Gilgal, as Genesis 14:1, Tidal king of the nations. Similarly, Genesis 10:5,
‫ִם‬‫י‬‫ַגּוֹ‬‫ה‬ ‫ִיל‬‫ל‬ְ‫גּ‬. Gilgal, not on the Jordan, but, according to Robinson iii47, in the plain
along the Mediterranean sea, now Jiljuleh, corresponding to the old Galgala, which
Eusebius and Jerome place six Roman miles north of Antipatris. Probably the
Gilgal of ehemiah 12:29 and 1 Maccabees 9:2 was, as he supposes, the same. With
this falls in the proximity of aphoth-dor.
24 the king of Tirzahone

62. thirty-one kings in all.
BAR ES, "Jos_12:24
Tirzah - This place, the capital of Jeroboam and his successors until the clays of Omri
(1Ki_14:17; 1Ki_15:21, etc.), is identified by some with “Tulluzah”, a town 3 miles
northeast of Nablous, (by others with Teiasir).
CLARKE, "King of Tirzah - This city appears to have been for a long time the
capital of the kingdom of Israel, and the residence of its kings. See 1Ki_14:17; 1Ki_15:21,
1Ki_15:33. Its situation cannot be exactly ascertained; but it is supposed to have been
situated on a mountain about three leagues south of Samaria.
All the kings thirty and one - The Septuagint say εικοσι εννεα, twenty-nine, and yet
set down but twenty-eight, as they confound or omit the kings of Beth-el, Lasharon, and
Madon.
So many kings in so small a territory, shows that their kingdoms must have been very
small indeed. The kings of Beth-el and Ai had but about 12,000 subjects in the whole;
but in ancient times all kings had very small territories. Every village or town had its
chief; and this chief was independent of his neighbors, and exercised regal power in his
own district. In reading all ancient histories, as well as the Bible, this circumstance must
be kept constantly in view; for we ought to consider that in those times both kings and
kingdoms were but a faint resemblance of those now.
Great Britain, in ancient times, was divided into many kingdoms: in the time of the
Saxons it was divided into seven, hence called the Saxon heptarchy. But when Julius
Caesar first entered this island, he found four kings in Kent alone; Cingetorix, Carnilius,
Taximagulus, and Segonax. Hence we need not wonder at the numbers we read of in the
land of Canaan. Ancient Gaul was thus divided; and the great number of sovereign
princes, secular bishops, landgraves, dukes, etc., etc., in Germany, are the modern
remains of those ancient divisions.
GILL, "The king of Tirzah, one,.... To what tribe this place fell is nowhere said:
Adrichomius (u) places it in the tribe of Manasseh; and so does Bunting (w), who says of
it, that it was a fair and beautiful city, situated on a high and pleasant mountain, in the
tribe of Manasseh, twenty four miles from Jerusalem to the north: here Jeroboam had
his royal seat, and so his successors unto Omri, 1Ki_14:17; and Dr Lightfoot (x) seems to
suspect as if Shechem in Mount Ephraim and Tirzah were the same; for, he says, if
Shechem and Tirzah were not one and the same town, it appears that Jeroboam had
removed his court, when his son died, from where it was when he first erected his idols;
compare 1Ki_12:25, with 1Ki_14:17; and so it may argue that there was some space
between: it was, no doubt, a very pleasant and beautiful city, as not only appears from its
name, but from the allusion to it in Son_6:4,
all the kings thirty and one: it may seem strange that, in so small a country as
Canaan was, there should be so many kings in it, since the length of it from Dan to

63. Beersheba was scarce an hundred sixty miles, as Jerom (y) says; who further observes,
that he was ashamed to give the breadth of it, lest it should give occasion to Heathens to
blaspheme; for, adds he, from Joppa to our little village Bethlehem (where they then
were) were forty six miles, to which succeeded only a vast desert: but it may be observed,
that in ancient times, in other countries, there were a great many kings, as here in
Britain, and in France, Spain, and Germany, as Bishop Patrick has observed from several
writers; and Strabo (z) testifies the same of the cities of Phoenicia or Canaan, that they
had each of them separate kings, as Joshua here describes them.
WHEDO , "24. Tirzah is chiefly famous for having become at a later period the
royal residence of the first kings of Israel. See 1 Kings 14:17, note. Robinson
identifies it with the modern Telluzah, a large village a few miles north of Shechem,
in a sightly and commanding position, and surrounded by immense groves of olive
trees.
PULPIT, "Joshua 12:24
Tirzah meets us as the residence of the kings of Israel for a time in the narrative in 1
Kings. Jeroboam's wife went thither after her interview with Ahijah (Joshua 14:1-
15 :17). Baasha dwelt there (Joshua 15:21, Joshua 15:33; Joshua 16:6), Elah was
slain there by Zimri (Joshua 16:9, Joshua 16:10), and it. remained the capital until
Omri built Samaria (Joshua 16:1-10 :23, 24). Thenceforward we hear no more of it
till the time of Menahem (2 Kings 15:14, 2 Kings 15:16), when it disappears from
history. It has been variously identified—by Robinson and Yandevelde (whom
Knobel follows) with Talluza, two hours journey north of Shechem; by Conder with
Teiasu, where there are numerous rock sepulchres. It was a place of great beauty, if
we may judge from So 1 Kings 6:4, "Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah,
comely as Jerusalem."
LA GE, "Joshua 12:24. Tirzah in Samaria, three miles from the city of Samaria, on
the east. Here at a later period the kings of Israel dwelt; Jeroboam I, Baasha, Elah,
and Shimri, and here the last-named burned himself in his palace, 1 Kings 14:17; 1
Kings 15:33; 1 Kings 16:8-18. Robinson (Later Bibl. Res. p 302 ff.) takes Tulluzah
for Tirzah, being beautifully situated like the ancient city ( Song of Solomon 6:4).
The name signifies delight, from ‫ָה‬‫צ‬ ָ‫.ר‬
COKE, "Ver. 24. All the kings thirty and one— The LXX reckon and specify but
twenty-nine, and of them too they disfigure the names. We must not be surprised at
seeing so many kings in so small a country. Each city and its territory had its own.
What was the king of Beth-el? He and the king of Ai together had hardly twelve
thousand subjects. Such were kingdoms in their first state everywhere. Caesar, in
his Commentaries, speaks of four kings in the single county of Kent. How many
then must there have been in all Great Britain? Tacitus says, that the Silures and
Brigantes had each of them their own king. Caesar tells us, that among the Gauls
there were as many kings as princes. Livy says the same thing of Spain; and
Vopiscus introduces the emperor Probus writing to the senate, that he had subdued
Germany, and saw at his feet nine kings of different nations, &c.

64. REFLECTIO S.—The conquered countries of Canaan are here described, and the
cities with their kings, no less than thirty-one: a proof of the vast fertility of the
land, which could maintain such a number of populous cities with their villages. But
as God's blessing made it thus fruitful for his people's sake, their sin has long since
brought down a curse of barrenness upon it, so that there is hardly a town of
importance left; and the land is so desolate, that it scarcely maintains the few
wretched inhabitants which remain.