Verse
1
Joshua 10:1. Adoni-zedek, king
of Jerusalem — Who seems to have
been the most powerful prince in
Canaan, and carried in his name,
which signifies The Lord of
righteousness, an honourable
title, such as had been
anciently given to the kings of
this place, who had been famous
for doing justice. So
Melchizedek undoubtedly was, of
whom we have such honourable
mention, Genesis 14:18. King of
Jerusalem — It is thought by
many, that this city retained
the name of Salem, which they
suppose it had in Abraham’s
time, till the Israelites came
into the land of Canaan, and
took possession of it, when they
called it Jerusalem, from ירשׁ,
Jarash, and שׁלום, Shalum, to
possess peace: or from Jerus,
the same as Jebus, with the
change of one letter only, and
Shalem, the place having
belonged to the Jebusites. How
the inhabitants of Gibeon — were
among them — Among the
Israelites, that is, were
conversant with them, had
submitted to their laws, and
mingled interests with them.
Verse 2-3
Joshua 10:2-3. They feared
greatly — Namely, Adoni-zedek
and his people, he being spoken
of (Joshua 10:1) as a public
person, representing all his
people. Gibeon was — as one of
the royal cities — Either really
a royal city, and having a king,
or equal to one of the royal
cities, though it had not a
king.
It seems indeed to have been
governed by elders, Joshua 9:11.
Adoni- zedek sent — Either
because he was superior to them,
or because he was nearest the
danger, and most forward in the
work.
Verse 5
Joshua 10:5. The five kings of
the Amorites — This name is here
taken generally for any of the
Canaanites. But, strictly
speaking, the citizens of Hebron
were Hittites, those of
Jerusalem, Jebusites, and the
Gibeonites made a part of the
Hivites. It is reasonably
supposed that the Amorites,
being numerous and victorious
beyond Jordan, had poured forth
colonies into the land of
Canaan, subdued divers places,
and so communicated their name
to all the rest.
Verse 6-7
Joshua 10:6-7. Slack not thy
hand from thy servants — Do not
neglect or delay to help us,
whom thou art obliged to protect
both in duty, as thou art our
master, and for thy own
interest, we being part of thy
possessions; and because we have
given ourselves to thee, and put
ourselves under thy protection.
In the mountains — In the
mountainous country. So Joshua
ascended — Having no doubt asked
counsel of God first, which is
implied in the answer God gives
him, Joshua 10:8. All the mighty
men — That is, an army of the
most valiant men picked out from
the rest: for it is not probable
either that he would take the
whole army with him, consisting
of so many hundreds of
thousands, who would only have
embarrassed and hindered one
another, or that he would leave
the camp without an army to
defend it.
Verse 9
Joshua 10:9. Joshua came unto
them suddenly — Though assured
by God of the victory, yet he
uses all prudent means. And went
up from Gilgal — all night — It
is not said that he went from
Gilgal to Gibeon in a night’s
space, but only that he
travelled all night; unto which
you may add part either of the
foregoing or of the following
day. It is true, God had
promised that he would, without
fail, deliver the enemies into
his hand. But God’s promises are
intended, not to slacken, but to
quicken our endeavours. He that
believeth, doth not make haste
to anticipate providence; but
doth make haste to attend it,
with a diligent, not a
distrustful speed.
Verse 10
Joshua 10:10. At Gibeon — That
is, near Gibeon; for it is plain
they were not in the city; and
so ought we to take the particle
at, in many other places of
Scripture, as signifying no more
than nigh unto. Along the way
that goeth up to Beth-horon —
That is, to the place which was
afterward called by that name;
for there was no such place at
the time of this battle, it
being built after they were
settled in Canaan, as we read 1
Chronicles 7:24. And it probably
was so called from the
miraculous destruction which
overtook the enemies of Israel
here; for Beth-horon signifies
the place of anger or fury. It
stood upon a hill, as appears by
the expression here used, of
going up to Beth-horon.
Verse 11
Joshua 10:11. The Lord cast down
great stones — That is,
hail-stones of an extraordinary
greatness, cast down with that
certainty as to hit the
Canaanites, and not their
pursuers the Israelites.
Josephus affirms that thunder
and lightning were mixed with
the hail, which may seem
probable from Habakkuk 3:11.
They had robbed the true God of
his honour, by worshipping the
host of heaven, and now the host
of heaven fights against them,
and triumphs in their ruin.
Beth-horon lay north of Gibeon,
Azekah and Makkedah south, so
that they fled each way. But
which way soever they fled, the
hailstones pursued them. There
is no fleeing out of the hands
of God!
Verse 12
Joshua 10:12. Then spake Joshua
— Being moved so to do out of
zeal to destroy God’s enemies,
and directed by the motion of
God’s Spirit, and being filled
with a holy confidence, that
what he said would be
accomplished. And he spake it in
the sight — That is, in the
presence and audience; of all
Israel — That they might be
witnesses of the fact. Sun,
stand thou still — Joshua does
not speak according to the terms
of modern astronomy, which it
would have been highly improper
for him to have done, as he
would not have been understood
by the people that heard him,
but according to the appearance
of things. The sun appeared to
the Israelites over Gibeon, the
moon was over the valley of
Ajalon, which we may suppose to
be situated in a different
direction; and there, in the
name of God, he commanded them
to continue to appear, which
they did for a whole day — That
is, either for the space of
twelve hours, or for the time of
one whole diurnal revolution.
“Nothing,” we may observe in the
words of Dr. Dodd, “is more
common in Scripture than to
express things, not according to
the strict rules of philosophy,
but according to their
appearance, and the vulgar
apprehension concerning them.
For instance, Moses calls the
sun and moon two great lights;
but however this appellation may
agree with the sun, it cannot in
the same sense signify the moon,
which is now well known to be
but a small body, and the least
of all the planets, and to have
no light at all but what it
borrows by a reflection of the
rays of the sun; appearing to us
larger than the other planets,
merely because it is placed
nearer to us. From this
appearance it is that the Holy
Scriptures give it the title of
a great light. In like manner,
because the sun seems to us to
move, and the earth to be at
rest, the Scriptures represent
the latter as placed on pillars,
bases, and foundations, compare
the former to a bridegroom
issuing from his chamber, and
rejoicing as a giant, to run his
course, and speak of his arising
and going down, and hastening to
the place from whence he arose,
&c., when it is certain, that if
the sun were made to revolve
round the earth, the general
laws of nature would thereby be
violated, the harmony and
proportion of the heavenly
bodies destroyed, and the
economy of the universe thrown
into confusion and disorder. The
general design of God, when he
inspired the sacred writers,
having been to form mankind to
holiness and virtue, not to make
them philosophers, it no way
derogates from the respect due
to the Holy Spirit, or from the
consideration which the writings
of those holy men merit, whose
pens he directed, to suppose
that, in order to accommodate
themselves to the capacity, the
notions, and language of the
vulgar, they have purposely
spoken of the phenomena of
nature in terms most conformable
to the testimony of the senses.”
Add to this, those who are best
informed in, and most assured
of, the system of modern
astronomy, and therefore well
know that the succession of day
and night is not caused by any
motion of the sun and moon, but
by the rotation of the earth
upon its own axis; yet
continually speak of the rising
and setting, ascending and
declining of the sun and moon,
according as they appear to our
senses to do. Indeed, if they
spoke otherwise they would not
be understood by people in
general.
Verse 13
Joshua 10:13. And the sun stood
still — God heard Joshua’s
request, and gave him the thing
he asked for, a prolongation of
the day to near twice the length
of any other day. This is the
fact here attested, and this we
are bound to believe on the
divine testimony. But as to the
manner in which this wonderful
miracle was accomplished, God
has not informed us; and to make
inquiries concerning it would be
a mere waste of time, being
beyond our discovery and
comprehension. Until the people
had avenged themselves upon
their enemies — That is, till
they had utterly destroyed them.
Is not this written in the book
of Jasher? — This book was
written and made public before
Joshua wrote his history, and is
therefore properly alluded to
here. It was probably a
collection of records, or of
poems, concerning the principal
events of these wars, and no
doubt gave a further account of
this miracle. But this and some
other books of these ages have
long been lost, not being
canonical, and therefore not
preserved by the Jews with the
same care wherewith they guarded
their inspired writings. If it
seem strange to any one that so
wonderful an event as is here
recorded should not be mentioned
by any heathen writers, it may
be answered, 1st, That many
learned men have shown that
there is a great appearance of
its being alluded to in many of
the fables of the heathen poets,
and mythologists of Greece and
Rome, and in the histories of
the Chinese. But whether or not,
it must be observed, 2d, That it
is confessed by the generality
of writers, heathen and others,
that there is no certain history
or monument in heathen authors
of any thing done before the
Trojan war, which happened a
thousand years after Joshua’s
time, and that all the ages
preceding that war are termed,
by the most learned heathen, the
uncertain, unknown, or obscure
time.
Verse 14
Joshua 10:14. There was no day
like that — Namely in those
parts of the world in which he
here speaks. Vain, therefore, is
that objection, that the days
are longer near the northern and
southern poles, where they are
constantly longer at certain
seasons, and that by the order
of nature; whereas the length of
this day was surely contingent,
and granted by God in answer to
Joshua’s prayer. The Lord
hearkened to a man — Namely, in
such a manner as to alter the
course of nature, that a man
might have more time to pursue
and destroy his enemies. The
Lord fought — This is added as
the reason why God was so ready
to answer Joshua’s petition,
because he was resolved to fight
for Israel, and that in a more
than ordinary manner. We may
observe here how remarkably
pertinent both the miracle of
the hailstones, and this of the
sun’s being arrested in his
course, were to the
circumstances of the persons
concerned in them. All nations
had at this time their several
tutelar deities, to whose
protection they committed
themselves and their country,
and to whose power they imputed
their successes in war. Now, the
three principal deities whom the
inhabitants of Canaan adored,
were the sun, moon, and heavens,
or air. To convince them,
therefore, that the gods in whom
they trusted were subject to the
God of Israel, and to punish
them, at the same time, for the
false worship they paid them,
“the Lord showered down great
hailstones from the heavens, or
air, which slew vast numbers of
their powerful army; and then
stopped the two great luminaries
in their course,” which gave the
Israelites time and opportunity
to complete their victory over
the remainder. It may be
thought, perhaps, that the whole
motive which induced Joshua to
put up his prayer for the
prolongation of the day, was
only his zeal and eagerness for
gaining an entire conquest over
his enemies; but we cannot
imagine that Joshua should,
without a special intimation
from heaven, have addressed unto
God the prayer concerning the
sun and moon, which he is
recorded to have done in the
sight of Israel; for of what an
extravagance would he have
appeared guilty, if an effect
had not been given to what he
asked for? Or how could he be so
wild as to think of an
accomplishment of so strange an
expectation as this would have
been, had it been only a thought
of his own heart to wish for it?
But unquestionably the same Lord
who spake unto him before the
battle, who bade him not fear
the armies of the Canaanites,
who assured him that they should
not be able to stand before him,
directed him to ask for this
wonderful miracle, and in
granting what he asked for, gave
a full testimony, both to the
Israelites and their enemies,
that the gods of the heathen
were but idols, and that it is
the Lord that made (and that
ruleth in) the heavens.
Verse 15
Joshua 10:15. And Joshua
returned — Not immediately, but
after he had performed what is
related in the following part of
this chapter, as appears by
Joshua 10:43, where the very
same words are repeated.
Verse 16
Joshua 10:16. These five kings —
hid themselves in a cave — A
place of the greatest secrecy;
but there is no escaping the eye
or hand of God, who here brought
them into a net of their own
making. At — Hebrew, in,
Makkedah — Not in the city, for
that was not yet taken; but in
the territory of it.
Verse 19
Joshua 10:19. Suffer them not to
enter their cities — Whereby
they would have recovered their
strength, and renewed the war.
God hath delivered them — Your
work will be easy; God hath
already done the work to your
hands.
Verse 20-21
Joshua 10:20-21. Joshua and the
children of Israel — Rather, the
children of Israel, by the
command of Joshua; for Joshua
himself went not with them, but
abode at the siege before
Makkedah. And all the people
returned to the camp — To the
body of the army, who were
encamped there with Joshua, to
besiege that place. In peace —
That is, in safety; all that
detachment sent to pursue the
enemies came back safe to the
camp; not a man of them was
lost, or so much as wounded.
None moved his tongue — Not only
their men of war could not find
their hands, but they were so
confounded that they could not
move their tongues to reproach
any of the children of Israel,
as doubtless they did when the
Israelites were first repulsed
and smitten at Ai: but now they
were silenced as well as
conquered.
Verse 24
Joshua 10:24. Put your feet on
the necks, &c. — This he
commanded, not in insolence and
pride, but in token that these
kings and their countries were
brought into an absolute
subjection to the Israelites,
that God had fulfilled his
promise in part, (Deuteronomy
33:29,) and to assure his
captains that he would
completely fulfil it, and subdue
the proudest of their enemies
under their feet.
Verses 27-29
Joshua 10:27-29. They took them
down — That neither wild beasts
might come to devour them, nor
any of their people to give them
honourable burial. Thus, that
which they thought would have
been their shelter was made
their prison first, and then
their grave. So shall we surely
be disappointed, in whatever we
flee to from God. And that day —
On which the sun stood still.
Nor is it strange that so much
work was done, and places so far
distant were taken in one day,
when the day was so long, and
the Canaanites struck with such
a terror. He let none remain —
From the severity wherewith this
and the following cities were
treated, and the command given,
(Deuteronomy 20:10,) it has been
inferred, with much probability,
that offers of peace had been
made them by Joshua before he
fought against them, and that
they had rejected these offers.
All Israel with him unto Libnah
— Namely, all who were with him
in this expedition.
Verses 35-37
Joshua 10:35-37. They took it on
that day — On which they first
attempted it. Unto Hebron — The
conquest of Hebron, here
generally related, is afterward
repeated, and more particularly
described, chap. Joshua
15:13-14. And the king thereof —
Their former king was one of the
five whom Joshua had lately
killed and hanged, but it seems
they had now set up a new
sovereign, their city being of
great note, since it had other
cities depending on it, and
subject to its jurisdiction, as
appears from the next words.
Verse 38
Joshua 10:38. Joshua returned —
to Debir — Joshua had not been
there before, but having
advanced as far south and west
as he thought expedient, even as
far as Gaza, which was in the
western coast, (Joshua 10:41,)
he now returned toward the camp
at Gilgal, which was north-east
from him, and in his march
thither took Debir, which
afterward was a city of Judah,
(Joshua 15:49,) and one of the
cities of the priests, Joshua
21:15.
Verse 40
Joshua 10:40. All that breathed
— That is, all mankind; they
reserved the cattle for their
own uses. As God had commanded —
This is added for the
vindication of the Israelites,
whom God would not have to
suffer in their reputation for
executing his commands; and
therefore, he acquits them of
that cruelty which they might be
thought guilty of, and ascribes
it to his own just indignation.
And hereby was typified the
final destruction of all the
impenitent enemies of the Lord
Jesus, who, having slighted the
riches of his grace, must for
ever feel the weight of his
wrath.
Verse 41
Joshua 10:41. From Kadesh-barnea
— Which lay in the south of
Canaan, (Numbers 34:4;
Deuteronomy 1:19,) and belonged
to the tribe of Judah, Joshua
15:3. Gaza was a city of the
Philistines, in the south-west
part. So he here signifies that
Joshua did, in this expedition,
subdue all those parts which lay
south and west from Gilgal. All
the country of Goshen — There
was a city in the tribe of Judah
of this name, which, like
Hebron, was situated in the
mountains, in the southern part
of the country, (Joshua 15:51,)
from which city the adjacent
region was called the country of
Goshen. This tract was enriched
with excellent pasture lands and
plenteous streams, like that
country in Egypt of the same
denomination, and thence was
called Goshen, as Pellicanus
conjectures; because the Hebrew
word geshem signifies copious
showers, which impart fertility
to the earth. Even unto Gibeon —
Which was in the more northerly
part of the country. And
therefore, as the former account
specified the conquests of
Joshua from the south to the
west, so here his conquests from
the south to the north are
related. |