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Read Joshua Chapter 11

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1And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,

2And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,

3And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.

4And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.

5And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.

6And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.

7So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them.

8And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining.

9And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

10And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms.

11And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire.

12And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.

13But as for the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn.

14And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.

15As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.

16So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same;

17Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.

18Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

19There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.

20For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

21And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.

22There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.

23So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

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Explanation

Joshua 11

In short

Joshua defeats a large northern alliance of kings who unite against Israel. God promises victory, Joshua attacks by surprise, destroys the enemy forces completely, burns their cities, and takes control of the whole land as God promised.

What the text says

Jabin, king of Hazor, hears of Israel's victories and sends messengers to many other kings in the north and surrounding regions, calling them to join forces (verses 1-3). These kings gather with their armies, which the text describes as vast as sand on the seashore, with many horses and chariots (verse 4). They camp together at the waters of Merom to fight Israel (verse 5).

God tells Joshua not to fear, promising to hand them over dead before Israel by the next day, and commands Joshua to cripple their horses and burn their chariots (verse 6). Joshua attacks them by surprise, and they are defeated and chased far away until none remain (verses 7-8). Joshua carries out God's instructions about the horses and chariots (verse 9).

Joshua then turns back and takes Hazor itself, killing its king, destroying all people inside with the sword, and burning the city (verses 10-11). The text notes Hazor was the leading kingdom (verse 10). Joshua destroys all the cities of these kings and their people, following Moses's command (verses 12, 15). Only Hazor is burned; other conquered cities are not (verse 13). The Israelites take livestock and goods but kill all the people (verse 14).

Joshua conquers all the lands from the north to the south, making war for a long time (verses 16-18). Only the Hivites of Gibeon make peace; all others are taken in battle (verse 19). The text says God hardened the other kings' hearts so they would fight and be destroyed (verse 20).

Joshua then eliminates the Anakim, a large people group, from the mountains across the land, destroying them utterly (verse 21). Only small groups of Anakim remain in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod (verse 22). Joshua takes all the land as God promised Moses, divides it among Israel's tribes, and the land rests from war (verse 23).

Takeaways

  • A large enemy coalition is defeated by Israel through God's promise and Joshua's obedience to attack by surprise.
  • The conquest is complete: kings, cities, and populations are destroyed, with the Anakim eliminated except for small remnants on the coast.
  • The land comes to rest from war once Joshua fulfills all God commanded Moses.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.