Joshua 11

KJV · Chapter 11/24

1And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,

2And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,

3And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.

4And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.

5And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.

6And the Lord said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.

7So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them.

8And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephoth–maim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining.

9And Joshua did unto them as the Lord bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

10And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms.

11And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire.

12And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.

13But as for the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn.

14And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.

15As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

16So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same;

17Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal–gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.

18Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

19There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.

20For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.

21And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.

22There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.

23So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A coalition of northern kings, led by Jabin of Hazor, is defeated by Israel at the waters of Merom. Joshua completes the main conquest of the land.

Explanation

Hazor was described as 'the head of all those kingdoms' (v.10), the largest and most influential city-state in the northern region, so its fall marked the end of large-scale organized resistance. The order to hamstring the horses and burn the chariots with fire kept Israel from depending on foreign military technology, keeping their trust in God's strength rather than in weaponry. The chapter closes with the phrase 'the land rested from war,' an important pause before the next phase of dividing the land among the tribes.

Fun facts

  • Hazor is one of the largest archaeological ruins in Israel, with evidence of destruction by fire in a layer that many archaeologists date close to the period of the biblical conquest.
  • The Anakim, described as giants driven out by Joshua, are mentioned earlier in Numbers 13:33 as the reason for the spies' fear during the first attempt to enter Canaan, decades before.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Joshua 11:1After the great victories in the south, now it is the north’s turn: king Jabin of Hazor hears what has happened and starts gathering allies to face Israel.
  2. Joshua 11:2Jabin’s summons reaches kings across the whole northern region, from the hill country to the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
  3. Joshua 11:3The alliance brings together practically all the Canaanite peoples of the time, from east to west, including those living in the hill country near Mount Hermon.
  4. Joshua 11:4The assembled army is enormous, compared in number to the sand on the seashore, and it has many horses and chariots — something Israel did not have.
  5. Joshua 11:5All these kings meet and camp together by the waters of Merom, ready to face Israel in one great battle.
  6. Joshua 11:6God reassures Joshua before the battle, promising total victory the next day, and already orders him to hamstring the enemy’s horses and burn their chariots after the victory.
  7. Joshua 11:7Joshua attacks by surprise, arriving quickly at Merom before the enemy is prepared.
  8. Joshua 11:8The victory is complete: Israel chases the defeated army over a great distance, until no one is left.
  9. Joshua 11:9Joshua does exactly what God had commanded: he hamstrings the horses and burns the captured chariots.
  10. Joshua 11:10Joshua then turns back and captures Hazor, the most important city of the alliance, killing its king.
  11. Joshua 11:11Hazor is completely destroyed and burned, just as happened to Jericho.
  12. Joshua 11:12Joshua goes on to capture all the cities of these allied kings, following to the letter the instructions God had given Moses.
  13. Joshua 11:13One important difference: the cities built on their mounds are not burned; only Hazor meets that fate.
  14. Joshua 11:14The livestock and goods of these cities are kept by the people of Israel; only the people themselves are put to death, without exception.
  15. Joshua 11:15The text emphasizes that Joshua followed every instruction God had given down to the letter, leaving nothing out.
  16. Joshua 11:16A general summary: Joshua conquers the whole region, from the hill country to the south, including Goshen and the lowlands.
  17. Joshua 11:17The extent of the conquest runs from the south, near Seir, to the north, near Mount Hermon — practically the whole promised land.
  18. Joshua 11:18This entire war did not happen all at once: Joshua spent a long time fighting these kings, one by one.
  19. Joshua 11:19Only one city made peace without fighting: Gibeon, through the deceptive agreement from the previous chapter. All the others were taken by force.
  20. Joshua 11:20The text says it was the Lord Himself who hardened the hearts of these nations to go to war so that they could be destroyed — a theological explanation that tries to make sense of a conquest already underway, attributing to God control even over the enemies’ resistance.
  21. Joshua 11:21Joshua also drives out the Anakim, a people legendary for their height, from the hill country of Hebron, Debir, and other regions of Judah.
  22. Joshua 11:22Anakim remain only in three Philistine cities: Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod, outside the territory Israel occupied.
  23. Joshua 11:23The chapter closes with Joshua distributing the conquered land among the tribes, and the war finally comes to an end — the land has rest.

Watch the story of this passage

Videos from our channel that tell what happens in Joshua 11.

Chapters

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.