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Matthew Henry |
J O S H U A
CHAP. XI.
This chapter continues and concludes the history of the conquest of
Canaan; of the reduction of the southern parts we had an account in the
foregoing chapter, after which we may suppose Joshua allowed his forces
some breathing-time; now here we have the story of the war in the
north, and the happy success of that war.
I. The confederacy of the northern crowns against Israel,
II. The encouragement which God gave to Joshua to engage them,
III. His victory over them,
IV. The taking of their cities,
V. The destruction of the Anakim,
VI. The general conclusion of the story of this war,
| Confederacy Against Israel. | B. C. 1450. |
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1 And 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,
2 And 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,
3 And 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.
4 And 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.
5 And when all these kings were met together, they came and
pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.
6 And 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.
7 So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against
them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them.
8 And 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.
9 And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed
their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.
We are here entering upon the story of another campaign that Joshua
made, and it was a glorious one, no less illustrious than the former in
the success of it, though in respect of miracles it was inferior to it
in glory. The wonders God then wrought for them were to animate and
encourage them to act vigorously themselves. Thus the war carried on by
the preaching of the gospel against Satan’s kingdom was at first
forwarded by miracles; but, the war being by them sufficiently proved
to be of God, the managers of it are now left to the ordinary
assistance of divine grace in the use of the sword of the Spirit, and
must not expect hail-stones nor the standing still of the sun. In this
story we have,
I. The Canaanites taking the field against Israel. They were the
aggressors, God hardening their hearts to begin the war, that Israel
might be justified beyond exception in destroying them. Joshua and all
Israel had returned to the camp at Gilgal, and perhaps these kings knew
no other than that they intended to sit down content with the conquest
they had already made, and yet they prepare war against them. Note,
Sinners bring ruin upon their own heads, so that God will be
justified when he speaks, and they alone shall bear the blame for
ever. Judah had now couched as a lion gone up from the prey; if
the northern kings rouse him up, it is at their peril,
Now,
1. Several nations joined in this confederacy, some in the
mountains and some in the plains,
v. 2.
Canaanites from east and west, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, &c.
(v. 3),
of different constitutions and divided interests among themselves, and
yet they here unite against Israel as against a common enemy. Thus are
the children of this world more unanimous, and therein wiser,
than the children of light. The oneness of the church’s enemies
should shame the church’s friends out of their discords and divisions,
and engage them to be one.
2. The head of this confederacy was Jabin king of Hazor
(v. 1),
as Adoni-zedec was of the former; it is said
(v. 10)
Hazor had been the head of all those kingdoms, which could not
have revolted without occasioning ill-will; but this was forgotten and
laid aside upon this occasion, by consent of parties,
When they had all drawn up their forces together, every kingdom
bringing in its quota, they were a very great army, much greater than
the former, as the sand on the sea shore in multitude, and upon
this account much stronger and more formidable, that they had horses
and chariots very many, which we do not find the southern kings had;
hereby they had a great advantage against Israel, for their army
consisted only of foot, and they never brought horses nor chariots into
the field. Josephus tells us that the army of the Canaanites consisted
of 300,000 foot, 10,000 horses, and 20,000 chariots. Many there be
that rise up against God’s Israel; doubtless their numbers made
them very confident of success, but it proved that so much the greater
slaughter was made of them.
II. The encouragement God gave to Joshua to give them the meeting, even
upon the ground of their own choosing
(v. 6):
Be not afraid because of them. Joshua was remarkable for his
courage–it was his master grace, and yet it seems he had need to be
again and again cautioned not to be afraid. Fresh dangers and
difficulties make it necessary to fetch in fresh supports and comforts
from the word of God, which we have always nigh unto us, to be made use
of in every time of need. Those that have God on their side need not be
disturbed at the number and power of their enemies; more are those
that are with us than those that are against us; those have the
hosts of the Lord that have the Lord of hosts engaged for them. For his
encouragement,
1. God assures him of success, and fixes the hour: To-morrow about
this time, when an engagement (it is probable) was expected and
designed on both sides, I will deliver them up slain. Though
they were to be slain by the sword of Israel, yet it is spoken of as
God’s work, that he would deliver them up.
2. He appoints him to hough their horses, hamstring them,
lame them, and burn their chariots, not only that Israel
might not use them hereafter, but that they might not fear them now,
their God designing this contempt to be put upon them. Let Israel look
upon their chariots but as rotten wood designed for the fire, and their
horses of war as disabled things, scarcely good enough for the cart.
This encouragement which God here gave to Joshua no doubt he
communicated to the people, who perhaps were under some apprehensions
of danger from this vast army, notwithstanding the experience they had
had of God’s power engaged for them. And the wisdom and goodness of God
are to be observed,
(1.) In infatuating the counsels of the enemy, that all the kings of
Canaan, who were not dispersed at such a distance from each other but
that they might have got all together in a body, did not at first
confederate against Israel, but were divided in to the southern and
northern combination, and so became the less formidable. And,
(2.) In preparing his people to encounter the greater force, by
breaking the less. They first engage with five kings together, and now
with many more. God proportions our trials to our strength and our
strength to our trials.
III. Joshua’s march against these confederate forces,
v. 7.
He came upon them suddenly, and surprised them in their
quarters. He made this haste,
1. That he might put them into the greater confusion, by giving them an
alarm, when they little thought he was near them.
2. That he might be sure not to come short of the honour God had
fixed, to give him the meeting at the enemies’ camp, to-morrow about
this time. It is fit we should keep time with God.
IV. His success,
v. 8.
He obtained the honour and advantage of a complete victory; he smote
them and chased them, in the several ways they took in their flight;
some fled towards Zidon, which lay to the northwest, others towards
Mizpeh, eastward, but the parties Joshua sent out pursued them each
way. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel; they
would not deliver themselves into the hands of Israel to be made
proselytes and tributaries, and so offered up to God’s grace
(Rom. xv. 16),
and therefore God delivered them into their hands to be made sacrifices
to his justice; for God will be honoured by us or upon us.
V. His obedience to the orders given him, in destroying the horses and
chariots
(v. 9),
which was an instance,
1. Of his subjection to the divine will, as one under authority, that
must do as he is bidden.
2. Of his self-denial, and crossing his own genius and inclination in
compliance with God’s command.
3. Of his confidence in the power of God engaged for Israel, which
enabled them to despise the chariots and horses which others trusted
in,
4. Of his care to keep up in the people the like confidence in God, by
taking that from them which they would be tempted to trust too much to.
This was cutting of a right hand.
| Joshua’s Victories. | B. C. 1450. |
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10 And 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.
11 And 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.
12 And 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.
13 But as for the cities that stood still in their strength,
Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua
burn.
14 And 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.
We have here the same improvement made of this victory as was made of
that in the foregoing chapter.
1. The destruction of Hazor is particularly recorded, because in it,
and by the king thereof, this daring design against Israel was laid,
The king of Hazor, it seems, escaped with his life out of the battle,
and thought himself safe when he had got back into his own city, and
Joshua had gone in pursuit of the scattered troops another way. But it
proved that that which he thought would be for his welfare was his
trap; in it he was taken as in an evil net; there he was slain,
and his city, for his sake, burned. Yet we find that the remains of it
being not well looked after by Israel the Canaanites rebuilt it, and
settled there under another king of the same name,
2. The rest of the cities of that part of the country are spoken of
only in general, that Joshua got them all into his hands, but did not
burn them as he did Hazor, for Israel was to dwell in great and
goodly cities which they builded not
and in these among the rest. And here we find Israel rolling in blood
and treasure.
(1.) In the blood of their enemies; they smote all the souls
(v. 1),
neither left they any to breathe
(v. 14),
that there might be none to infect them with the abominations of
Canaan, and none to disturb them in the possession of it. The children
were cut off, lest they should afterwards lay claim to any part of this
land in the right of their parents.
(2.) In the wealth of their enemies. The spoil, and the cattle, they
took for a prey to themselves,
v. 14.
As they were enriched with the spoil of their oppressors when they came
out of Egypt, wherewith to defray the charges of their apprenticeship
in the wilderness, so they were now enriched with the spoil of their
enemies for a stock wherewith to set up in the land of Canaan. Thus is
the wealth of the sinner laid up for the just.
15 As 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.
16 So 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;
17 Even 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.
18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
19 There 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.
20 For 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.
21 And 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.
22 There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the
children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there
remained.
23 So 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.
We have here the conclusion of this whole matter.
I. A short account is here given of what was done in four things:–
1. The obstinacy of the Canaanites in their opposition to the
Israelites. It was strange that though it appeared so manifestly that
God fought for Israel, and in every engagement the Canaanites had the
worst of it, yet they stood it out to the last; not one city made peace
with Israel, but the Gibeonites only, who understood the things that
belonged to their peace better than their neighbours,
It is intimated that other cities might have made as good terms for
themselves, without ragged clothes and clouted shoes, if they would
have humbled themselves, but they never so much as desired
conditions of peace. We here are told whence this unaccountable
infatuation came: It was of the Lord to harden their hearts,
v. 20.
As Pharaoh’s heart was hardened by his own pride and wilfulness first,
and afterwards by the righteous judgment of God, to his destruction, so
were the hearts of these Canaanites. To punish them for all their other
follies, God left them to this, to make those their enemies whom they
might have made their friends. This was it that ruined them: they
came against Israel in battle, and gave the first blow, and
therefore might have no favour shown them. Those know not what
they do who give the provocation to divine justice, or the authorized
instruments of it. Are we stronger than God? Observe here, That
hardness of heart is the ruin of sinners. Those that are stupid and
secure, and heedless of divine warnings, are already marked for
destruction. What hope is there of those concerning whom God has said,
Go, make their hearts fat?
2. The constancy of the Israelites in prosecuting this war
(v. 18):
Joshua made war a long time; some reckon it five years, others
seven, that were spent in subduing this land: so long God would train
up Israel to war, and give them repeated instances of his power and
goodness in every new victory that he gave them.
3. The conquest of the Anakim at last,
Either this was done as they met with them where they were dispersed,
as some think, or rather it should seem the Anakim had retired to their
fastnesses, and so were hunted out and cut off at last, after all the
rest of Israel’s enemies. The mountains of Judah and Israel were the
habitations of those mountains of men; but not their height, nor the
strength of their caves, nor the difficulty of the passes to them,
could secure, no, not these mighty men, from the sword of Joshua. The
cutting off of the sons of Anak is particularly mentioned because these
had been such a terror to the spies forty years before, and their bulk
and strength had been thought an insuperable difficulty in the way of
the reducing of Canaan,
Even that opposition which seemed invincible was got over. Never let
the sons of Anak be a terror to the Israel of God, for even their day
will come to fall. Giants are dwarfs to Omnipotence; yet this struggle
with the Anakim was reserved for the latter end of the war, when the
Israelites had become more expert in the arts of war, and had had more
experience of the power and goodness of God. Note, God sometimes
reserves the sharpest trials of his people by affliction and temptation
for the latter end of their days. Therefore let not him that girds
on the harness boast as he that puts it off. Death, that tremendous
son of Anak, is the last enemy that is to be encountered; but it is
to be destroyed,
1 Cor. xv. 26.
Thanks be to God, who will give us the victory.
4. The end and issue of this long war. The Canaanites were rooted out,
not perfectly (as we shall find after in the book of Judges), but in a
good measure; they were not able to make any head either,
(1.) So as to keep the Israelites out of possession of the land:
Joshua took all that land,
v. 16, 17.
And we may suppose the people dispersed themselves and their families
into the countries they had conquered, at least those that lay nearest
to the head-quarters at Gilgal, until an orderly distribution should be
made by lot, that every man might know his own. Or,
(2.) So as to keep them in action, or give them any molestation
(v. 23):
The land rested from war. It ended not in a peace with the
Canaanites (that was forbidden), but in a peace from them. There is a
rest, a rest from war, remaining for the people of God, into which they
shall enter when their warfare is accomplished.
II. That which was now done is here compared with that which had been
said to Moses. God’s word and his works, if viewed and considered
together, will mutually illustrate each other. It is here observed in
the close,
1. That all the precepts God had given to Moses relating to the
conquest of Canaan were obeyed on the people’s part, at least while
Joshua lived. See how solemnly this is remarked
(v. 15):
As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, by whose hand the law
was given, so did Moses command Joshua, for Moses was faithful,
as a law-giver, to him that appointed him; he did his part, and then he
died: but were the commands of Moses observed when he was in his grave?
Yes, they were: So did Joshua, who was, in his place, as
faithful as Moses in his. He left nothing undone (Heb. he
removed nothing) of all that the Lord commanded Moses. Those
that leave their duty undone do what they can to remove or make void
the command of God, by which they are bound to do it; but Joshua, by
performing the precept, confirmed it, as the expression is,
Joshua was himself a great commander, and yet nothing was more his
praise than his obedience. Those that rule others at their will must
themselves be ruled by the divine will; then their power is indeed
their honour, and not otherwise. The pious obedience for which Joshua
is here commended respects especially the command to destroy the
Canaanites, and to break down their altars and burn their
images,
Deut. vii. 2-5;
Exod. xxiii. 24; xxxiv. 13.
Joshua, in his zeal for the Lord of hosts, spared neither the idols nor
the idolaters. Saul’s disobedience, or rather his partial obedience, to
the command of God, for the utter destruction of the Amalekites, cost
him his kingdom. It should seem Joshua himself gives this account of
his most careful and punctual observance of his orders in the execution
of his commission, that in all respects he had done as Moses commanded
him; and then it intimates that he had more pleasure and satisfaction
in reflecting upon his obedience to the commands of God in all this
war, and valued himself more upon that, than upon all the gains and
triumphs with which he was enriched and advanced.
2. That all the promises God had given to Moses relating to this
conquest were accomplished on his part,
v. 23.
Joshua took the whole land, conquered it, and took possession of
it, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses. God had
promised to drive out the nations before them
and to bring them down,
Deut. ix. 3.
And now it was done. There failed not one word of the promise. Our
successes and enjoyments are then doubly sweet and comfortable to us
when we see them flowing to us from the promise (this is according
to what the Lord said), as our obedience is then acceptable to God
when it has an eye to the precept. And, if we make conscience of our
duty, we need not question the performance of the promise.
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