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Joshua 12

KJV · Chapter 12/24

1Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:

2Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

3And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Beth–jeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdoth–pisgah:

4And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

5And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

6Them did Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the Lord gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

7And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baal–gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;

8In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

9The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Beth–el, one;

10The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;

11The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;

12The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;

13The king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;

14The king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;

15The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;

16The king of Makkedah, one; the king of Beth–el, one;

17The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;

18The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;

19The king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;

20The king of Shimron–meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;

21The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

22The king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one;

23The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one;

24The king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty and one.

📖 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

  1. Joshua 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.
  2. Joshua 12:2This is Sihon, the Amorite king Moses defeated even before Joshua took over the leadership; his territory lay east of the Jordan.
  3. Joshua 12:3The text details the borders of Sihon’s territory, which reached to the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.
  4. Joshua 12:4The other king Moses defeated was Og of Bashan, described as one of the last survivors of a line of giants.
  5. Joshua 12:5Og’s territory was enormous, covering Mount Hermon and a large part of Bashan, on the other side of the Jordan.
  6. Joshua 12:6These lands conquered by Moses, before entering the promised land, were given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh.
  7. Joshua 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.
  8. Joshua 12:8The territory Joshua conquered included hill country, lowlands, wilderness, and several different regions, taken from six distinct Canaanite peoples.
  9. Joshua 12:9The list of defeated kings begins with Jericho, the first city conquered, and Ai, right after.
  10. Joshua 12:10Next come Jerusalem and Hebron, important southern cities defeated during Joshua’s campaign.
  11. Joshua 12:11Jarmuth and Lachish also make the list, cities from the same southern campaign told in chapter 10.
  12. Joshua 12:12Eglon and Gezer add two more names to this list of defeated kings.
  13. Joshua 12:13Debir and Geder follow, extending the list of cities conquered in the southern region.
  14. Joshua 12:14Hormah and Arad are cities given less detail in the account, but they are counted among the defeated kings.
  15. Joshua 12:15Libnah and Adullam continue the list, cities already mentioned in the southern campaign.
  16. Joshua 12:16Makkedah, where the five kings hid in the cave, and Bethel round out another pair on the list.
  17. Joshua 12:17Tappuah and Hepher are cities not detailed elsewhere in the account, but they were part of the conquest.
  18. Joshua 12:18Aphek and Lasharon continue the list of defeated kings, with no detailed account of the battle itself.
  19. Joshua 12:19Madon and Hazor appear here again, recalling the great northern battle told in chapter 11.
  20. Joshua 12:20Shimron-meron and Achshaph close out another pair of northern cities conquered by Joshua.
  21. Joshua 12:21Taanach and Megiddo, strategic cities of the valley, also make the final list.
  22. Joshua 12:22Kedesh and Jokneam of Carmel continue the roll call of defeated kings.
  23. Joshua 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.
  24. Joshua 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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