Joshua 10:26
in Joshua 10After this, Joshua struck down and killed the kings, and he hung their bodies on five trees and left them there until evening.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And afterward Joshua smote them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
KJV
And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
⋯
This verse in Joshua 10
Commentary
5 notes on this verseSmote - slew - and hanged them on five trees - Hanging alive seems a barbarous custom: among the Hebrews, criminals were first deprived of life; this was the debt required by justice: then they were hanged up, perhaps generally by the hands, not by the neck; this was done by way of example, to deter others from committing the crimes for which those had suffered: but they were never permitted to hang thus exposed all night, as this could have answered no purpose, either of justice or example, as they could not be seen in the night-season.
This site's exposition
he hung their bodies on five trees
on Joshua 10:26-27
The bodies come down at sunset, keeping Deuteronomy 21:23, as Joshua did at 8:29. The cave becomes their grave, and “the stones are there to this day” places the writer where the spot could still be shown. Paul quotes that verse of Deuteronomy of the cross at Galatians 3:13.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And afterwards Joshua smote them and slew them,.... With the sword; either by his own hands, or by others whom he ordered to slay them: and hanged them on five trees; to their shame and disgrace, and the terror of others: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening; by way of contempt of them, and as a spectacle of terror to others, especially to the inhabitants of Makkedah, and their king they were now besieging.
43 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal. We are here informed how Joshua improved the late glorious victory he had obtained and the advantages he had gained by it, and to do this well is a general's praise. Here is a particular account of the several cities which he immediately made himself master of.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The last act, probably the next day, was the disposal of the prisoners, among whom the five kings were consigned to the infamous doom of being slain (De 20:16, 17); and then their corpses were suspended on five trees till the evening.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּכֵּ֨ם | vaiyakem | and he struck them | H5221 → | 499 times |
| יְהוֹשֻׁ֤עַ | yehoshua' | Joshua | H3091 → | 218 times |
| אַֽחֲרֵי־ | ʾacharei- | after | H310 → | 715 times |
| כֵן֙ | khen | thus | H3651 → | 771 times |
| וַיְמִיתֵ֔ם | vaymitem | and he killed them | H4191 → | 839 times |
| וַיִּתְלֵ֕ם | vaiyitlem | and he hanged them | H8518 → | 27 times |
| עַ֖ל | ʾal | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| חֲמִשָּׁ֣ה | chamishah | five | H2568 → | 343 times |
| עֵצִ֑ים | ʾetzim | trees | H6086 → | 328 times |
| וַיִּֽהְי֛וּ | vaiyihyu | and they were | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| תְּלוּיִ֥ם | teluyim | hanged | H8518 → | 27 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָעֵצִ֖ים | haetzim | the trees | H6086 → | 328 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| הָעָֽרֶב׃ | haarev | the evening | H6153 → | 134 times |
וַיַּכֵּ֨םand he struck them
vaiyakemH5221 →499 times
יְהוֹשֻׁ֤עַJoshua
yehoshua'H3091 →218 times
אַֽחֲרֵי־after
ʾacharei-H310 →715 times
כֵן֙thus
khenH3651 →771 times
וַיְמִיתֵ֔םand he killed them
vaymitemH4191 →839 times
וַיִּתְלֵ֕םand he hanged them
vaiyitlemH8518 →27 times
עַ֖לon
ʾalH5921 →5755 times
חֲמִשָּׁ֣הfive
chamishahH2568 →343 times
עֵצִ֑יםtrees
ʾetzimH6086 →328 times
וַיִּֽהְי֛וּand they were
vaiyihyuH1961 →3559 times
תְּלוּיִ֥םhanged
teluyimH8518 →27 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָעֵצִ֖יםthe trees
haetzimH6086 →328 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
הָעָֽרֶב׃the evening
haarevH6153 →134 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Matthew 27:25All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
it leads to
- Joshua 2:19
If anyone goes out the door of your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if a hand is laid on anyone with…
- Acts 5:28
“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.”
- Acts 7:52
Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—
- 1 Thessalonians 2:15–16
who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men,
- Deuteronomy 19:10
Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.
- Joshua 2:19
Through
2 Samuel 21:6let seven of his male descendants be delivered to us so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” “I will give them to you,”…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 10:24
Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
- 1 Samuel 10:24
Through
Judges 8:21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent…
it leads to
- Psalms 83:11
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
- Judges 8:26
The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks…
- Psalms 83:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Joshua
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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.