Josué 12

BLIVRE · Chapter 12/24

¹Estes são os reis da terra que os filhos de Israel feriram, e cuja terra possuíram da outra parte do Jordão ao oriente, desde o ribeiro de Arnom até o monte Hermom, e toda a planície oriental:

²Seom rei dos amorreus, que habitava em Hesbom, e senhoreava desde Aroer, que está à beira do ribeiro de Arnom, e desde em meio do ribeiro, e a metade de Gileade, até o ribeiro Jaboque, o termo dos filhos de Amom;

³E desde a campina até o mar de Quinerete, ao oriente; e até o mar da planície, o mar Salgado, ao oriente, pelo caminho de Bete-Jesimote; e desde o sul debaixo das encostas do Pisga.

⁴E os termos de Ogue rei de Basã, que havia restado dos refains, o qual habitava em Astarote e em Edrei,

⁵E senhoreava no monte de Hermom, e em Salcá, e em todo Basã até os termos de Gessuri e dos maacatitas, e a metade de Gileade, termo de Seom rei de Hesbom.

⁶A estes feriram Moisés servo do SENHOR e os filhos de Israel; e Moisés servo do SENHOR deu aquela terra em possessão aos rubenitas, gaditas, e à meia tribo de Manassés.

⁷E estes são os reis da terra que feriu Josué com os filhos de Israel, desta parte do Jordão ao ocidente, desde Baal-Gade na planície do Líbano até o monte de Halaque que sobe a Seir; a qual terra deu Josué em possessão às tribos de Israel,

⁸Em montes e em vales, em planícies e em encostas, ao deserto e ao sul; os heteus, e os amorreus, e os cananeus, e os ferezeus, e os heveus, e os jebuseus.

⁹O rei de Jericó, um: o rei de Ai, que está ao lado de Betel, outro:

¹⁰O rei de Jerusalém, outro: o rei de Hebrom, outro:

¹¹O rei de Jarmute, outro: o rei de Laquis, outro:

¹²O rei de Eglom, outro: o rei de Gezer, outro:

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

¹⁴O rei de Hormá, outro: o rei de Arade, outro:

¹⁵O rei de Libna, outro: o rei de Adulão, outro:

¹⁶O rei de Maquedá, outro: o rei de Betel, outro:

¹⁷O rei de Tapua, outro: o rei de Héfer, outro:

¹⁸O rei de Afeque, outro: o rei de Lasarom, outro:

¹⁹O rei de Madom, outro: o rei de Hazor, outro:

²⁰O rei de Sinrom-Merom, outro: o rei de Acsafe, outro:

²¹O rei de Taanaque, outro: o rei de Megido, outro:

²²O rei de Quedes, outro: o rei de Jocneão do Carmelo, outro:

²³O rei de Dor, da província de Dor, outro; o rei de nações em Gilgal, outro:

²⁴O rei de Tirsa, outro: trinta e um reis ao todo.

📖 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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