The confederacy of many kings against Israel, ver. 1 - 5.
God's encouragement to Joshua, and his conquest of them
and their cities, ver. 6 - 20.
The destruction of the Anakims, ver. 21 - 23.
1: Hazor - The chief city of those parts, ver.(10).
Had heard - This was a remarkable instance of the wisdom and goodness of
Divine Providence, which so governed the minds of the Canaanites, that
they were not all united under one king, but divided amongst many petty
kings; and next, that these did not all unanimously join their counsels and
forces together to oppose the Israelites at their first entrance, but
quietly suffered the destruction of their brethren, thereby preparing the
way for their own.
2: On the north - The general designation of all the particular
places following: they were in the northern parts of Canaan, as those
mentioned (Jos 10:1-43), were in the southern parts;
in the mountain, either in or near the mountain of Lebanon, called
the mountain by way of eminency; or in the mountainous country.
Cinneroth - Heb. in the plain lying southward from Cinneroth,
or the lake of Genesareth. Dor - A place upon the coast of the
midland - sea.
3: The Canaanite - The Canaanites properly so called, lived part
of them on the east near Jordan, and part on the west near the sea, and
both are here united. The Hivite - That dwelt under mount Hermon in
the north of Canaan, whereby they are differenced from those Hivites
who lived in Gibeon. Mizpeh - That Mizpeh which was in the
northern part of Gilead. But there are other cities called by that
name, which signifying a watching - place, might be easily applied to several
places of good prospect.
5: Merom - A lake made by the river Jordan in the northern part
of it, which was in the territory of the King of Schimron, near Hazor,
Jabin's royal city, and almost in the middle of these confederate kings.
6: Hough their horses - Cut their hamstrings that they may my be
unfit for war. For God forbad them to keep many horses, now especially,
that they might not trust to their horses, nor ascribe the conquest of
the land to their own strength, but wholly to God, by whose power alone a
company of raw and unexperienced footmen were able to subdue so potent a
people, who besides their great numbers, and giants, and walled cities, had
the advantage of many thousands of horses and chariots.
7: Suddenly - When they least expected them, intending there to
refresh, and prepare, and order themselves for the offensive war which
they designed.
8: Great Zidon - A great city in the northwest part of Canaan,
upon the sea. Misrephoth - maim - A place not far from Zidon, supposed
to be so called from the salt or glass which they made there. Valley of
Mizpeh - Under mount Hermon, as appears by comparing this with(Jos 11:3,17) where it seems to be called
the valley of Lebanon. This lay on the east, as Zidon did on the
west; and so it seems they fled several ways, and the Israelites also
divided themselves into two bodies, one pursuing east, and the other west.
10: The king - In his royal city, to which he fled out of the battle.
Head of these kingdoms - Not of all Canaan, but of all those who were
confederate with him in this expedition.
13: In their strength - Heb. with their fence, walls or bulwarks,
that is, which were not ruined with their walls in taking them.
Save Hazor - Because this city began the war, and being the chief and
royal city, might renew the war. If the Canaanites should ever seize
upon it: which in fact they did, and settled there, under a king of the
same name, (Jdg 4:2).
16: All that land - Of Canaan, whose parts here follow.
The hill - Or, the mountain, that is, the mountainous country, namely,
of Judea. A considerable part of Judea was called the hilly or
the mountainous country, (Lu 1:39,65).
The south country - That is, not only the mountainous part, but all the
country of Judea, which lay in the southern part of Canaan, and
often comes under the name of the south. The vale - The low countries.
The plain - The fields or campaign grounds. The mountain of Israel - The
mountains or mountainous country of Israel.
17: To Seir - That is, To the country of Seir or Edom;
namely, that part of it which was south from Judea, not that which was
eastward from it, as appears from hence, that here is mention of the two
extreme bounds of the land conquered by Joshua; whereof the other which
follows being in the north, this must needs be in the south of the land.
Baal - Gad - A part of mount Lebanon.
18: A long time - For divers years together, as is evident by the
following history. And this is here expressed, lest it should be thought
that as all these wars are here recorded in a short narration, so they were
dispatched in a short time. And God would have the land to be conquered
gradually, for many weighty reasons;
Lest the sudden extirpation of those nations should have made a great
part of the land desert, and thereby have increased the number of wild
beasts, (De 7:22).
Lest being done suddenly and easily, it should soon be forgotten and
despised, as the nature of man is apt to do in those cases.
That by long exercise the Israelites might grow skilful in the art
of war.
For the trial and exercise of their patience and courage, and trust
in God.
To oblige them to the greater care to please God, whom they yet need for
their help against their enemies.
19: All other - Namely, all that were taken by Joshua, were taken
by the sword, and therefore it is no wonder that the war was long, when the
enemy was so obstinate.
20: To harden their hearts - It was the design of God's providence
not to soften their hearts to a compliance with the Israelites, but to
give them up to their own animosity, pride, confidence and stubbornness;
that so their abominable and incorrigible wickedness might be punished, and
that the Israelites might not be mixed with them, but be entire among
themselves in the possession of the land.
21: At that time - In that war, but in divers years.
The mountain - Or, mountains, the singular number for the plural;
these barbarous and monstrous persons either chose to live in the dens or
caves, which were frequent in the mountains of those parts, or else they
were driven thither by the arms and success of the Israelites.
From Debir - From the territories belonging to these cities, as we have
often seen in this history, cities mentioned for the country subject to
them. The mountains of Israel - It doth not follow from hence, that this
book was written by some other person long after Joshua's death, even
after the division of the Israelites into two kingdoms. of Israel
and Judah; but only that this was one of those clauses which were added
by Ezra or some other prophet; though that be not necessary: for since
it was evident to Joshua, from (Ge 49:10), &c. that the tribe of
Judah was to be the chief of all these tribes, and some dawnings of its
eminency appeared in that time, in their having the first lot in the land of
Canaan, (Jos 15:1), and the largest inheritance, (Jos 19:9),
it is no wonder that it is mentioned apart, and distinguished from the rest
of the tribes of Israel, though that also be one of them. But how could
Joshua utterly destroy these, when Caleb and Othniel destroyed
some of them after Joshua's death? (Jos 14:12,Jdg 1:10-12).
This might be, either
Because these places being in part destroyed and neglected by the
Israelites, were repossessed by the giants, and by them kept 'till
Caleb destroyed them. Or rather
Because this work, though done by the particular valour of
Caleb, is ascribed to Joshua as the general of the army,
according to the manner of all historians; and therefore it is here
attributed to Joshua, though afterwards, that Caleb might not
lose his deserved honour, the history is more particularly described,
and Caleb owned as the great instrument of it, (Jos 14:6-15)
and (Jdg 1:12-20).
23: The whole land - That is, the greatest and best part of it, for
some parts are expressly excepted in the following history. All that
the Lord said unto Moses - God had promised to drive out the nations
before them. And now the promise was fulfilled. Our successes and
enjoyments are then doubly comfortable, when we see them flowing to us from
the promise. This is according to what the Lord hath said: our obedience
is acceptable, when it has an eye to the precept. And if we make a
conscience of our duty, we need not question the performance of the promise.
