Josué 12

ARC · Chapter 12/24

¹Estes pois são os reis da terra, aos quaes os filhos de Israel feriram e possuiram a sua terra d'além do Jordão ao nascente do sol: desde o ribeiro d'Arnon, até ao monte d'Hermon, e toda a planicie do oriente.

²Sehon, rei dos amorrheos, que habitava em Hesbon e que senhoreava desde Aroer, que está á borda do ribeiro d'Arnon, e desde o meio do ribeiro, e desde a metade de Gilead, e até ao ribeiro de Jabbok, o termo dos filhos de Ammon;

³E desde a campina até ao mar de Cinneroth para o oriente, e até ao mar da campina, o mar salgado para o oriente, pelo caminho de Beth-jesimoth: e desde o sul abaixo d'Asdoth-pisga.

⁴Como tambem o termo de Og, rei de Basan, que era do resto dos gigantes, e que habitava em Astaroth e em Edrei;

⁵E senhoreava no monte Hermon, e em Salcha, e em toda a Basan, até ao termo dos gesureos e dos maacateos, e metade de Gilead, termo de Sehon, rei de Hesbon.

⁶A estes Moysés, servo do Senhor, e os filhos de Israel feriram: e Moysés, servo do Senhor, deu esta terra aos rubenitas, e aos gaditas, e á meia tribu de Manasseh em possessão.

⁷E estes são os reis da terra aos quaes feriu Josué e os filhos de Israel d'áquem do Jordão para o occidente, desde Baal-gad, no valle do Libano, até ao monte calvo, que sobe a Seir: e Josué a deu ás tribus de Israel em possessão, segundo as suas divisões;

⁸O que havia nas montanhas, e nas planicies, e nas campinas, e nas descidas das aguas, e no deserto, e para o sul: o heteo, o amorrheo, e o cananeo, o pherezeo, o heveo, e o jebuseo.

⁹O rei de Jericó, um; o rei d'Ai, que está ao lado de Bethel, outro;

¹⁰O rei de Jerusalem, outro; o rei d'Hebron, outro;

¹¹O rei de Jarmuth, outro; o rei de Lachis, outro;

¹²O rei d'Eglon, outro; o rei de Geser, outro;

¹³O rei de Debir, outro; o rei de Geder, outro;

¹⁴O rei d'Horma, outro; o rei d'Harad, outro;

¹⁵O rei de Libna, outro; o rei d'Adullam, outro;

¹⁶O rei de Makeda, outro; o rei de Bethel, outro;

¹⁷O rei de Tappuah, outro; o rei d'Hepher, outro;

¹⁸O rei d'Aphek, outro; o rei de Lassaron, outro;

¹⁹O rei de Madon, outro; o rei d'Hazor, outro;

²⁰O rei de Simron-meron, outro; o rei d'Achsaph, outro;

²¹O rei de Taanach, outro; o rei de Megiddo, outro;

²²O rei de Kedes, outro; o rei de Jokneam do Carmel, outro;

²³O rei de Dor em Nafath-dor, outro; o rei das nações em Gilgal, outro;

²⁴O rei de Tirza, outro: trinta e um reis por todos.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The chapter lists the kings defeated by Moses east of the Jordan and the kings defeated by Joshua west of it, totaling thirty-one kings conquered.

Explanation

This is an administrative list, the kind of chapter that can seem tedious but served an important function: officially documenting the extent of the conquest for historical record and future distribution of the land. Lists of defeated kings were common in ancient Near Eastern conquest records, functioning as a 'certificate' of victory and proof that God's promise to Abraham about the land was being fulfilled point by point. For today's reader, the value lies in recognizing that God fulfills promises in detailed, verifiable ways, not just in vague terms.

Fun facts

Thirty-one kings defeated in a relatively small region reflects how fragmented Canaan was into independent city-states, each with its own ruler, rather than a unified empire.
Many of these city names - such as Hebron, Jerusalem, and Megiddo - still exist or have been archaeologically identified today, giving the account solid historical grounding.

Verse-by-verse explanation

Josué 12:1This list of defeated kings works like a receipt of war: an official summary of everything already conquered on the east side of the Jordan, even before the crossing took place. It may look like just a dry list, but for those who read the Bible as a record of land ownership, this was documentary proof that the promise had become reality.
Josué 12:2This is Sihon, the Amorite king Moses defeated even before Joshua took over the leadership; his territory lay east of the Jordan.
Josué 12:3The text details the borders of Sihon’s territory, which reached to the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.
Josué 12:4The other king Moses defeated was Og of Bashan, described as one of the last survivors of a line of giants.
Josué 12:5Og’s territory was enormous, covering Mount Hermon and a large part of Bashan, on the other side of the Jordan.
Josué 12:6These lands conquered by Moses, before entering the promised land, were given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh.
Josué 12:7Here the list switches sides: the earlier verses cover the kings defeated east of the Jordan, back in the time of Moses, and from this point on come the kings defeated on the western side, already under Joshua’s command. It is a way of organizing the summary of the conquest into two halves, each tied to a different leader.
Josué 12:8The territory Joshua conquered included hill country, lowlands, wilderness, and several different regions, taken from six distinct Canaanite peoples.
Josué 12:9The list of defeated kings begins with Jericho, the first city conquered, and Ai, right after.
Josué 12:10Next come Jerusalem and Hebron, important southern cities defeated during Joshua’s campaign.
Josué 12:11Jarmuth and Lachish also make the list, cities from the same southern campaign told in chapter 10.
Josué 12:12Eglon and Gezer add two more names to this list of defeated kings.
Josué 12:13Debir and Geder follow, extending the list of cities conquered in the southern region.
Josué 12:14Hormah and Arad are cities given less detail in the account, but they are counted among the defeated kings.
Josué 12:15Libnah and Adullam continue the list, cities already mentioned in the southern campaign.
Josué 12:16Makkedah, where the five kings hid in the cave, and Bethel round out another pair on the list.
Josué 12:17Tappuah and Hepher are cities not detailed elsewhere in the account, but they were part of the conquest.
Josué 12:18Aphek and Lasharon continue the list of defeated kings, with no detailed account of the battle itself.
Josué 12:19Madon and Hazor appear here again, recalling the great northern battle told in chapter 11.
Josué 12:20Shimron-meron and Achshaph close out another pair of northern cities conquered by Joshua.
Josué 12:21Taanach and Megiddo, strategic cities of the valley, also make the final list.
Josué 12:22Kedesh and Jokneam of Carmel continue the roll call of defeated kings.
Josué 12:23Dor and a king identified only as “of the nations” in Gilgal close out almost the whole list, which ends right after with a total of thirty-one kings.
Josué 12:24Closing the list with the total number, thirty-one kings, is the ancient equivalent of a headline summing up the outcome of an entire campaign. This kind of final tally appears in other war records from the ancient Near East, offered as proof of success to be remembered later.

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