Joshua 10

KJV · Chapter 10/24

1Now it came to pass, when Adoni–zedek 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 Adoni–zedek 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.

7So 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 Beth–horon, 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 Beth–horon, 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.

15And 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.

28And 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 Kadesh–barnea 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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Five Amorite kings attack Gibeon because of its treaty with Israel. Joshua defeats them with the help of hailstones sent by God, and the sun stands still to complete the victory.

Explanation

Joshua honors the treaty with Gibeon even though it was made through deception, coming to the aid of his new allies when they are attacked - showing practical, not just religious, integrity. The episode of the sun standing still, also recorded in the 'book of Jasher' (an ancient source now lost), is one of the most debated miracles in the Bible, interpreted by scholars in various ways, but the text presents it plainly as God's direct intervention in the battle. The southern military campaign that follows consolidates Israel's control over much of Canaan, gradually fulfilling the promise made to Abraham centuries before.

Fun facts

  • The 'book of Jasher' mentioned in verse 13 is also cited in 2 Samuel 1:18, but the original text was never preserved - we know of it only from these two references.
  • The gesture of 'putting feet on the necks' of the defeated kings (v.24) was a common symbolic act in the ancient Near East to demonstrate complete victory and the total submission of the enemy.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Joshua 10:1The king of Jerusalem hears about the destruction of Ai and the peace treaty between Gibeon and Israel, and it leaves him alarmed.
  2. Joshua 10:2The fear is great because Gibeon was an important city, even greater than Ai, and it was now on Israel’s side.
  3. Joshua 10:3The king of Jerusalem summons four other kings of the region to form an alliance against Gibeon.
  4. Joshua 10:4The alliance’s plan is clear: attack Gibeon as punishment for having made peace with Israel.
  5. Joshua 10:5Five Amorite kings join their armies and lay siege to Gibeon, beginning the attack.
  6. Joshua 10:6Gibeon, now allied with Israel, sends an urgent plea for help to Joshua, reminding him that the peace treaty obligates Israel to defend them.
  7. Joshua 10:7Joshua responds to the request and marches up with the whole army to rescue the Gibeonites.
  8. Joshua 10:8God assures Joshua that the victory is already certain, that not one of the enemy kings will be able to stand against him.
  9. Joshua 10:9Joshua catches the enemy by surprise, marching all night from Gilgal to get there fast.
  10. Joshua 10:10God throws the enemy armies into confusion, and Israel pursues and defeats them along the way.
  11. Joshua 10:11As they flee, a hailstorm of great stones falls on the enemy, killing even more of them than the sword of Israel did.
  12. Joshua 10:12Joshua asks for the sun to stand still over Gibeon and the moon over the valley of Aijalon, in the middle of a battle that risked ending before the Israelites finished the victory. It is the only case in the Bible where an ordinary person, not God, gives such a command.
  13. Joshua 10:13The account cites the Book of Jasher, a source now lost that is also mentioned in 2 Samuel, as independent evidence for that longest of days. Scholars disagree about the nature of the phenomenon: some read it as an astronomical miracle, others as a poetic device from an ancient war song, and still others as an eclipse or hailstorm that darkened the sky.
  14. Joshua 10:14The text points out that there was never another day like that one, when God answered so directly the request of a man in battle.
  15. Joshua 10:15After the victory, Joshua and the army return to the camp at Gilgal.
  16. Joshua 10:16The five enemy kings flee the battle and hide together in a cave at Makkedah.
  17. Joshua 10:17Someone tells Joshua that the five kings have been found hiding in the cave.
  18. Joshua 10:18Joshua orders the mouth of the cave sealed with large stones and guards posted there, not worrying about the kings for the moment.
  19. Joshua 10:19Joshua’s priority is to waste no time: he orders the pursuit of the rest of the enemy army to continue before they can take refuge in their own cities.
  20. Joshua 10:20After wiping out nearly the entire enemy army, the survivors manage to flee into fortified cities.
  21. Joshua 10:21Israel’s army returns safely to the camp, meeting no resistance at all from the peoples of the region, who are already intimidated.
  22. Joshua 10:22Only then does Joshua order the cave opened and the five kings brought out.
  23. Joshua 10:23The five kings are brought out: the rulers of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.
  24. Joshua 10:24Joshua calls the army commanders and has them put their feet on the necks of the captured kings, a public gesture of the total humiliation of the defeated.
  25. Joshua 10:25Joshua uses the moment to encourage the people, saying that God will do the same to all their future enemies.
  26. Joshua 10:26The five kings captured at the cave of Makkedah are put to death and hung on trees until evening, repeating the same pattern used with the king of Ai: the body exposed for a limited time, then taken down before nightfall.
  27. Joshua 10:27At sunset, the bodies of the kings are taken down and thrown into the same cave where they had hidden, now sealed with stones.
  28. Joshua 10:28That very same day, Joshua conquers Makkedah and completely destroys the city and its king, repeating the pattern used at Jericho.
  29. Joshua 10:29After Makkedah, Joshua moves on with the army to Libnah and attacks the city.
  30. Joshua 10:30God delivers Libnah into Israel’s hands, and the city is destroyed the same way Jericho was.
  31. Joshua 10:31Joshua advances to Lachish, laying siege to the city and attacking it right after.
  32. Joshua 10:32Lachish falls on the day after the siege begins, destroyed just like the previous cities.
  33. Joshua 10:33The king of Gezer tries to help Lachish, but he too is defeated by Joshua, with no survivors.
  34. Joshua 10:34After Lachish, the army moves on to Eglon to attack the city.
  35. Joshua 10:35Eglon falls on the very same day as the attack, following the same pattern of total destruction as the previous cities.
  36. Joshua 10:36After Eglon, Hebron is the next city in the southern campaign — the same sequence of attacks (Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, Debir) that Joshua repeats city after city.
  37. Joshua 10:37Hebron and the surrounding towns are captured and destroyed, with no survivors, repeating the same pattern of the campaign.
  38. Joshua 10:38Debir closes out Joshua’s southern campaign, after Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, and Hebron — the same city that later Caleb sends his son-in-law Othniel to conquer again.
  39. Joshua 10:39Debir is conquered the same way Libnah and Hebron were, leaving no survivors.
  40. Joshua 10:40The summary of the chapter is that Joshua conquers this entire region — the hill country, the south, the lowlands — carrying out exactly what God had commanded.
  41. Joshua 10:41The campaign stretches from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, covering the whole region of Goshen as far as Gibeon.
  42. Joshua 10:42All these conquests happen in a single campaign, because, according to the text, it was the Lord who fought for Israel.
  43. Joshua 10:43After the entire campaign, Joshua and the army return to the camp at Gilgal.

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