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Joshua 10

Joshua 10:31

Conquest of the Southern Cities · Joshua 10:29–43
Read Joshua 10

Translations

Modern
And Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and fought against it.
Traditional
And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:
Literal
And Joshua passed over, and all Israel with him, from Libnah to Lachish, and they encamped against it and fought against it.
Latin
De Lebna transivit in Lachis cum omni Israël: et exercitu per gyrum disposito, oppugnabat eam.

Original

Hebrew
English
And Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and fought against it.

Notes

Joshua 10:31–33

  • Lachish was the most important of the six cities captured at this time. It was defended so well that Joshua needed two days to capture it.

  • Gezer was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Lachish. Lachish and Gezer might have had a mutual treaty to aid each other.

Joshua 10:28–39

Joshua led the Israelites through southern Canaan. They captured several important cities but did not burn them. God had promised that Israel would live in cities they had not built (Deuteronomy 6:10).

Joshua 10:1–43

Gibeon and its neighboring cities were on a plateau (high flat place) north of Jerusalem (see study note on 7:2). With Gibeon now as an ally with Israel, Israel controlled the plateau and the central hill country near Gibeon. Historically, controlling the plateau often meant controlling the hill country. The kings of Canaan had to conquer Gibeon, or they would fail.

Joshua 7:1–12:24

This second major section of the book records Joshua's southern and northern campaigns against two coalitions of kings from Canaan. Joshua's victories allowed Israel to settle the hill country from Galilee in the north to the Negev in the south.

Theme notes and profiles

Joshua

Events

People

Israel: Patriarch, son of Isaac, father of twelve tribes Joshua: Moses' assistant who led Israel into Canaan

Places

Lachish: A fortified city in Judah Libnah: A Canaanite city conquered by Joshua; a Levitical city

Glossary

Conquest and Allotment of the Land Gibeon, Gibeonites Gilgal Joshua (Person) Joshua, Book of Judges, Book of Lachish Libnah Sword Tribe of Dan

Topics

Captive: Cruelty to Putting to Death Hebron: Hoham, King of, Confederated with Other Kings of the Canaanites Against Joshua Joshua: Also Called Jehoshua, and Jehoshuah, and Oshea: Defeats Seven Other Kings Lachish: Captured by Joshua Libnah: A City of the Tribe of Judah, Captured by Joshua Massacre of the Cities of the Seven Kings Sieges: Lachish War of Extermination