Joshua 10

King James Version

Full text for Joshua Chapter 10

1¶ Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

2That they feared greatly, because Gibeon [was] a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it [was] greater than Ai, and all the men thereof [were] mighty.

3Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,

4Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.

5Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

6And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.

7¶ So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.

8And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.

9Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, [and] went up from Gilgal all night.

10And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

11And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, [and] were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: [they were] more which died with hailstones than [they] whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

12Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

13And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

14And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.

15¶ And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

16But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.

17And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.

18And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them:

19And stay ye not, [but] pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your hand.

20And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest [which] remained of them entered into fenced cities.

21And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.

22Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.

23And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, [and] the king of Eglon.

24And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.

25And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.

26And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.

27And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, [that] Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, [which remain] until this very day.

28¶ And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that [were] therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.

29Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah:

30And the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that [were] therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.

31And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:

32And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that [were] therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

33Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.

34And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it:

35And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that [were] therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

36And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it:

37And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that [were] therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that [were] therein.

38And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it:

39And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that [were] therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.

40So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.

41And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.

42And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.

43And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

King Adonizedek of Jerusalem forms an alliance with four other Amorite kings to attack Gibeon, who had made peace with Israel. Joshua responds to Gibeon's plea, and the LORD intervenes with a great slaughter, including hailstones and causing the sun and moon to stand still for a full day. Joshua then captures and executes the five kings, proceeding to conquer and utterly destroy Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir, as the LORD fought for Israel.

Medium Summary

Upon learning of Israel's victories and Gibeon's peace treaty, Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, united with four other Amorite kings to attack Gibeon. The Gibeonites appealed to Joshua for aid, who swiftly marched from Gilgal with his army. The LORD assured Joshua of victory, and during the battle, He supernaturally intervened, casting great hailstones upon the fleeing Amorites, killing more than Israel's swords. Furthermore, Joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still, prolonging the day for Israel to complete their vengeance. After the decisive victory, the five allied kings were captured from a cave in Makkedah, publicly humiliated by Joshua's captains, and then executed. Following this, Joshua systematically conquered and utterly destroyed Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir, fulfilling the LORD's command to leave none alive. This extensive campaign was completed swiftly, demonstrating that the LORD God of Israel fought directly for His people.

Long Summary

The chapter commences with Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, hearing of Israel's destruction of Ai and Jericho, and Gibeon's peace treaty with Joshua. Fearing Israel's growing power, Adonizedek forged an alliance with the kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, and together they marched to besiege Gibeon. The Gibeonites, in distress, sent an urgent message to Joshua at Gilgal, pleading for immediate assistance. Joshua, along with all his mighty men of valour, ascended from Gilgal, marching all night to surprise the Amorite coalition. The LORD encouraged Joshua, assuring him of victory and promising that no enemy would stand before him. During the ensuing battle, the LORD supernaturally intervened, discomfiting the Amorites and slaying many. As the enemy fled down the ascent of Bethhoron, the LORD cast great hailstones from heaven, killing more of the Amorites than the Israelites slew with the sword. In a remarkable display of divine power, Joshua commanded the sun to stand still over Gibeon and the moon over the valley of Ajalon, and they obeyed, prolonging the day for approximately a whole day, allowing Israel to fully avenge themselves upon their enemies. This unprecedented event underscored that the LORD fought for Israel. After the battle, the five kings fled and hid in a cave at Makkedah, but were discovered and brought before Joshua. Joshua had his captains place their feet upon the kings' necks, signifying complete subjugation and encouraging his men. He then executed the kings by hanging them on trees until sunset, after which their bodies were cast into the cave. Subsequently, Joshua embarked on a campaign to conquer the surrounding cities, utterly destroying Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish (including defeating Horam king of Gezer who came to aid Lachish), Eglon, Hebron, and Debir. In each conquest, every soul within the cities was put to the sword, and their kings were destroyed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded. This swift and comprehensive victory across the hills, south, vale, and springs demonstrated the LORD's direct intervention and fighting on behalf of Israel.

Core Concepts

  • Amorite CoalitionFive Amorite kings, led by Adonizedek of Jerusalem, formed an alliance to attack Gibeon, fearing Israel's recent conquests and Gibeon's peace treaty with Joshua.
  • Divine Intervention in BattleThe LORD directly aided Israel in battle by discomfiting the Amorites and casting great hailstones from heaven, causing more deaths than the Israelite swords.
  • The Sun and Moon Stand StillJoshua commanded the sun and moon to remain stationary, an unprecedented miracle granted by the LORD, allowing Israel sufficient time to complete their victory over the Amorites.
  • Execution of KingsThe five captured Amorite kings were publicly humiliated by Joshua's captains and then executed by hanging, serving as a demonstration of Israel's complete victory and the LORD's judgment.
  • Utter Destruction (Cherem)Joshua systematically conquered and utterly destroyed the cities of Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir, putting all inhabitants and kings to the sword as commanded by the LORD.
  • The LORD Fought for IsraelA central theme emphasizing that Israel's military successes were due to the direct and active intervention of the LORD God, who fought on their behalf against their enemies.