Keraia
Joshua 11

Joshua 11:2

Conquest of the Northern Cities · Joshua 11:1–15
Read Joshua 11

Translations

Modern
…to the kings of the north in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Chinnereth, in the foothills, and in Naphoth-dor to the west;
Traditional
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,
Literal
…and to the kings who were from the north in the hill country, and in the plain south of Chinnereth, and in the Shephelah, and in Naphoth-dor on the west,
Latin
…ad reges quoque aquilonis, qui habitabant in montanis et in planitie contra meridiem Ceneroth, in campestribus quoque et in regionibus Dor juxta mare:

Original

Hebrew
English
…to the kings of the north in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Chinnereth, in the foothills, and in Naphoth-dor to the west;

Notes

Joshua 11:1–3

  • Hazor was on the international trade route and was the largest and most important non-coastal city of Canaan (see 11:10).

  • Almost all of northern Canaan joined King Jabin's coalition against Israel. This region stretched from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the desert in the east. This went from the borders of Phoenicia in the north to the hill country and the Jordan Valley in the south.

  • The term Jebusites usually refers to the people of Jerusalem and nearby towns under its control. Men from Jebus might have been soldiers that King Jabin hired.

  • Mizpah means “watchtower” or “lookout.” Several places had this name. This particular one was the large region on the lower slopes of Mount Hermon. This was the highest peak in the land that God promised Israel.

Joshua 11:1–16

The detailed accounts of Joshua’s campaign in southern Canaan show that the Israelites needed God's help to succeed (chapters 6–10). The same was true for the northern campaign (chapter 11). So those details were not needed here.

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

Places

Arabah: A desert region in the Jordan Valley and southward Chinneroth: Region and city near the Sea of Galilee Dor: A Canaanite city, later allotted to Manasseh but not conquered Shephelah: Lowland region between Judean hills and coastal plain

Glossary

Amorites Arabah Chinnereth, Chinneroth Conquest and Allotment of the Land Dor Gennesaret Gilgal Hazor Jabin Joshua (Person) Joshua, Book of Judges, Book of Naphoth-dor Tribe of Dan

Topics

Armies: March in Ranks: Confederated Canaanites: Defeated by the Israelites Chinnereth: A District in the North of Palestine Confederacies of Kings Dor: A Town and District of Palestine Jabin: Names of Two Kings of Hazor