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Joshua 11:7

in Joshua 11

So by the waters of Merom, Joshua and his whole army came upon them suddenly and attacked them,

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly, and fell upon them.

KJV

So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them.

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This verse in Joshua 11

Commentary

7 notes on this verse
Suddenly - As before, at Gibeon Jos 10:9, so now Joshua anticipates his enemies. Taken by surprise, and hemmed in between the mountains and the lake, the chariots and horses would have no time to deploy and no room to act effectively; and thus, in all probability, the unwieldy host of the Canaanites fell at once into hopeless confusion.

This site's exposition

Be not afraid because of

on Joshua 11:6-7

Deuteronomy 20:1 told Israel what to do when it saw horses and chariots and a people more than itself, and the words there are be not afraid of them. Verse 4 has just described that exact sight and verse 6 gives that exact answer. To hough is to cut the hamstring, which puts a horse beyond use without killing it, and the word falls four times in the King James Bible, twice in this chapter and twice of David at 2 Samuel 8:4 and 1 Chronicles 18:4. The order is to destroy the captured equipment rather than field it, which runs with Deuteronomy 17:16 on a king not multiplying horses and with Psalm 20:7.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them,.... Being encouraged by the Lord, they set out with Joshua at the head of them, to fight the kings and their forces.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

That he might put them into the greater confusion, by giving them an alarm, when they little thought he was near them. That he might be sure not to come short of the honour God had fixed, to give him the meeting at the enemies' camp, to-morrow about this time. It is fit we should keep time with God.

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Jabin ("the Intelligent"), which seems to have been a hereditary title (Jud 4:2), took the lead, from Hazor being the capital of the northern region (Jos 11:10). It was situated on the borders of lake Merom. The other cities mentioned must have been in the vicinity though their exact position is unknown.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

With characteristic energy he made a sudden advance, probably during the night, and fell upon them like a thunderbolt, when scattered along the rising grounds (Septuagint), before they had time to rally on the plain.

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

By the waters of Merom suddenly - Joshua, being apprised of this grand confederation, lost no time, but marched to meet them; and before they could have supposed him at hand, fell suddenly upon them, and put them to the rout.

The words behind it

13 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיָּבֹ֣אand he came

    vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times

  • יְהוֹשֻׁ֡עַJoshua

    yehoshua'H3091 →218 times

  • וְכָל־and all

    vekholH3605 →5413 times

  • עַם֩[the] people of

    ʾamH5971 →1873 times

  • הַמִּלְחָמָ֨ה<the> war

    hamilchamahH4421 →320 times

  • עִמּ֧וֹwith him

    imoH5973 →1050 times

  • עֲלֵיהֶ֛םon them

    ʾaleihemH5921 →5755 times

  • עַל־at

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • מֵ֥י[the] waters of

    meiH4325 →581 times

  • מֵר֖וֹםMerom

    meromH4792 →

  • פִּתְאֹ֑םsuddenly

    pitomH6597 →

  • וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּand they fell

    vaiyipeluH5307 →435 times

  • בָּהֶֽם׃on <the> them

    bahem

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

2 in all, six open

The walk

5 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Joshua 10:9

    After marching all night from Gilgal, Joshua caught them by surprise.

    it leads to

    • Ecclesiastes 9:10

      Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

    • Proverbs 22:29

      Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

    • 2 Timothy 2:3

      Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

    • Proverbs 24:11–12

      Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.

    • 1 Samuel 11:9–11

      So they said to the messengers who had come, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’” And when the messengers relayed this to the…

Where this verse is studied

About Joshua

The Walls of Jericho Fall Down, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Walls of Jericho Fall Down, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Joshua: the study guide →Read Joshua 11 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Joshua 11 →