Joshua 11

Jos 11:1-9.

DIVERS

KINGS

OVERCOME AT THE

WATERS OF

MEROM.

1-9. And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those

things--The scene of the sacred narrative is here shifted to the north

of Canaan, where a still more extensive confederacy was formed among

the ruling powers to oppose the further progress of the Israelites.

Jabin ("the Intelligent"), which seems to have been a hereditary title

(Jud 4:2),

took the lead, from Hazor being the capital of the northern region

(Jos 11:10).

It was situated on the borders of lake Merom. The other cities

mentioned must have been in the vicinity though their exact position is

unknown.

2. the kings that were on the north of the mountains--the Anti-libanus

district.

the plains south of Chinneroth--the northern part of the Arabah, or

valley of the Jordan.

the valley--the low and level country, including the plain of Sharon.

borders of Dor on the west--the highlands of Dor, reaching to the town

of Dor on the Mediterranean coast, below mount Carmel.

3. the Canaanites on the east and on the west--a particular branch of

the Canaanitish population who occupied the western bank of the Jordan

as far northward as the Sea of Galilee, and also the coasts of the

Mediterranean Sea.

under Hermon--now Jebel-es-sheikh. It was the northern boundary of

Canaan on the east of the Jordan.

land of Mizpeh--now Cœlo-Syria.

4, 5. they went out, . . . as the sand that is upon the sea-shore in

multitude--The chiefs of these several tribes were summoned by Jabin,

being all probably tributary to the kingdom of Hazor. Their combined

forces, according to JOSEPHUS,

amounted to three hundred thousand

infantry, ten thousand cavalry, and twenty thousand war chariots.

with horses and chariots very many--The war chariots were probably like

those of Egypt, made of wood, but nailed and tipped with iron. These

appear for the first time in the Canaanite war, to aid this last

determined struggle against the invaders; and "it was the use of these

which seems to have fixed the place of rendezvous by the lake Merom

(now Huleh), along whose level shores they could have full play for

their force." A host so formidable in numbers, as well as in military

equipments, was sure to alarm and dispirit the Israelites. Joshua,

therefore, was favored with a renewal of the divine promise of victory

(Jos 11:6),

and thus encouraged, he, in the full confidence of faith, set out to

face the enemy.

6-8. to-morrow, about this time will I deliver them up all slain

before Israel--As it was impossible to have marched from Gilgal to

Merom in one day, we must suppose Joshua already moving northward and

within a day's distance of the Canaanite camp, when the Lord gave him

this assurance of success. With characteristic energy he made a sudden

advance, probably during the night, and fell upon them like a

thunderbolt, when scattered along the rising grounds (Septuagint),

before they had time to rally on the plain. In the sudden panic "the

Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased

them." The rout was complete; some went westward, over the mountains,

above the gorge of the Leontes, to Sidon and Misrephothmaim

("glass-smelting houses"), in the neighborhood, and others eastward to

the plain of Mizpeh.

8. they left none remaining--of those whom they overtook. All those

who fell into their hands alive were slain.

9. Joshua did unto them as the Lord bade him--(See

Jos 11:6).

Houghing the horses is done by cutting the sinews and arteries of their

hinder legs, so that they not only become hopelessly lame, but bleed to

death. The reasons for this special command were that the Lord designed

to lead the Israelites to trust in Him, not in military resources

(Ps 20:7);

to show that in the land of promise there was no use of horses; and,

finally, to discourage their travelling as they were to be an

agricultural, not a trading, people.

11. he burnt Hazor with fire--calmly and deliberately, doubtless,

according to divine direction.

13. as for the cities that stood still in their strength--literally,

"on their heaps." It was a Phœnician custom to build cities on

heights, natural or artificial [HENGSTENBERG].

16. So Joshua took all that land--Here follows a general view of the

conquest. The division of the country there into five parts; namely,

the hills, the land of Goshen, that is, a pastoral land near Gibeon

(Jos 10:41);

the valley, the plains and the mountains of Israel, i. e.,

Carmel, rests upon a diversity of geographical positions, which is

characteristic of the region.

17. from the mount Halak--Hebrew, "the smooth mountain."

that goeth up to Seir--an irregular line of white naked hills, about

eighty feet high, and seven or eight geographical miles in length that

cross the whole Ghor, eight miles south of the Dead Sea, probably "the

ascent of Akrabbim" [ROBINSON].

unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon--the city or temple of the

god of destiny, in Baalbec.

23. Joshua took the whole land--The battle of the take of Merom was to

the north what the battle of Beth-horon was to the south; more briefly

told and less complete in its consequences; but still the decisive

conflict by which the whole northern region of Canaan fell into the

hands of Israel [STANLEY].