Joshuachapter 10

Joshua Commands the Sun to Stand Still — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

A.Five kings besiege Gibeon; great stones from heavenvv. 1-11

1 Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction—doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king—and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living near them. 2 So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty. 3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 So the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They camped before Gibeon and made war against it. 6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, because all the kings of the Amorites from the hill country have joined forces against us.” 7 So Joshua and his whole army, including all the mighty men of valor, came from Gilgal. 8 The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hand. Not one of them shall stand against you.” 9 After marching all night from Gilgal, Joshua caught them by surprise. 10 And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.

B.Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeonvv. 12-15

12 On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.” 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel. 15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

C.The kings brought out of the cave at Makkedahvv. 16-27

16 Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 And Joshua was informed: “The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.” 18 So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post men there to guard them. 19 But you, do not stop there. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Do not let them reach their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.” 20 So Joshua and the Israelites continued to inflict a terrible slaughter until they had finished them off, and the remaining survivors retreated to the fortified cities. 21 The whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one dared to utter a word against the Israelites. 22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.” 23 So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24 When they had brought the kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks. 25 “Do not be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua said. “Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do this to all the enemies you fight.” 26 After this, Joshua struck down and killed the kings, and he hung their bodies on five trees and left them there until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua ordered that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave in which they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are there to this day.

D.The southern cities fall in one campaignvv. 28-43

28 On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and put it to the sword, along with its king. He devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. So he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho. 29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. 30 And the LORD also delivered that city and its king into the hand of Israel, and Joshua put all the people to the sword, leaving no survivors. And he did to the king of Libnah as he had done to the king of Jericho. 31 And Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and fought against it. 32 And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He put all the people to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. 33 At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors. 34 So Joshua moved on from Lachish to Eglon, and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and fought against it. 35 That day they captured Eglon and put it to the sword, and Joshua devoted to destruction everyone in the city, just as he had done to Lachish. 36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it. 37 They captured it and put to the sword its king, all its villages, and all the people. Joshua left no survivors, just as he had done at Eglon; he devoted to destruction Hebron and everyone in it. 38 Finally Joshua and all Israel with him turned toward Debir and fought against it. 39 And they captured Debir, its king, and all its villages. They put them to the sword and devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. Joshua did to Debir and its king as he had done to Hebron and as he had done to Libnah and its king. 40 So Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes, together with all their kings—leaving no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua conquered the area from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole region of Goshen as far as Gibeon. 42 And because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign. 43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

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Chapter summary

Five Amorite kings besiege Gibeon for defecting, and Joshua marches all night up from Gilgal.

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Five Amorite kings besiege Gibeon for defecting, and Joshua marches all night up from Gilgal. Jehovah discomfits them, casts down great stones from heaven at the descent of Beth-horon (more die by hail than by the sword) and then the day itself is commandeered: 'Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.' The book of Jashar is cited, and the chronicler's wonder is at the answered prayer: there was no day like it, before or after, that Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of a man. The five kings are taken from the cave at Makkedah, and the southern cities fall in a single campaign.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.

Context

History · Joshua — Joshua overview

A. 1–11 Five kings besiege Gibeon; great stones from heaven
B. 12–15 Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon
C. 16–27 The kings brought out of the cave at Makkedah
D. 28–43 The southern cities fall in one campaign

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Joshua 1013 verses
- Joshua 10:1Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction—doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king—and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living near them.
- Joshua 10:3Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,
- Joshua 10:5So the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They camped before Gibeon and made war against it.
- Joshua 10:6Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, because all the kings of the Amorites from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
- Joshua 10:10And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
- Joshua 10:14There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.
- Read Joshua 10: 7 more there →
Joshua 156 verses
- Joshua 15:13According to the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah—Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)
- Joshua 15:15From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher).
- Joshua 15:39Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
- Joshua 15:42Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
- Joshua 15:49Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir),
- Joshua 15:51Goshen, Holon, and Giloh—eleven cities, along with their villages.
- Read Joshua 15 →
Joshua 84 verses
- Joshua 8:1Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.
- Joshua 8:22Meanwhile, those in the ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces on both sides. So Israel struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained.
- Joshua 8:24When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had pursued them into the field and wilderness, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well.
- Joshua 8:29He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.
- Read Joshua 8 →
Joshua 163 verses
- Joshua 16:3Then it descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea.
- Joshua 16:5This was the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The border of their inheritance went from Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper Beth-horon
- Joshua 16:10But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers.
- Read Joshua 16 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Joshua 93 verses
- Joshua 9:6They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land; please make a treaty with us.”
- Joshua 9:15And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.
- Joshua 9:24The Gibeonites answered, “Your servants were told clearly that the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and wipe out all its inhabitants before you. So we greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we have done this.
- Read Joshua 9 →
Psalms 183 verses
- Psalms 18:12From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
- Psalms 18:14He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
- Psalms 18:37I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
- Read Psalms 18 →
Judges 13 verses
- Judges 1:10Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
- Judges 1:11From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher).
- Judges 1:29Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer; so the Canaanites continued to dwell among them in Gezer.
- Read Judges 1 →
Isaiah 82 verses
- Isaiah 8:12“Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.
- Isaiah 8:14And He will be a sanctuary—but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare.
- Read Isaiah 8 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.