Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 12:9
The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which [is] beside Bethel, one;
9. the king of Jericho ] The kings are enumerated generally in the order in which they were conquered. For the overthrow of the kings of Jericho, Ai, Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon, and Gezer see ( a) Jos 6:2 ff.; ( b) Jos 8:29; ( c) Jos 10:1-5; Jos 10:33.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 9. The king of Jericho, &c.] On this and the following verses see the notes on Jos 10:1-3.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Which is beside Beth-el: this is added to distinguish it from Ai of the Ammonites, of which Jer 49:3.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
The king of Jericho, one,…. Who was first taken, and so named first, Jos 6:21;
the king of Ai, which [is] beside Bethel, one; who was next taken and though Bethel was so near Ai, it had a king of its own, after mentioned, see Jos 7:1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The different kings are given in the order in which they were defeated: Jericho (Jos 6:1); Ai (Jos 7:2); Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon (Jos 10:3); Gezer (Jos 10:33); and Debir (Jos 10:38). Those given in Jos 12:13 and Jos 12:14 are not mentioned by name in Josh 10. Geder, possibly the same as Gedor upon the mountains of Judah (Jos 15:58), which has been preserved under the old name of Jedur ( Rob. Pal. ii. p. 186, and Bibl. Res. p. 282). Hormah (i.e., banning) was in the south of Judah (Jos 15:30), and was allotted to the Simeonites (Jos 19:4). It was called Zephath by the Canaanites (Jdg 1:17; see at Num 21:3), was on the southern slope of the mountains of the Amalekites or Amorites, the present ruins of Septa, on the western slope of the table-land of Rakhma, two hours and a half to the south-west of Khalasa (Elusa: see Ritter, Erdk. xiv. p. 1085). Arad, also in the Negeb, has been preserved in Tell Arad (see at Num 21:1). Libnah (see at Jos 10:29). Adullam, which is mentioned in Jos 15:35 among the towns of the plain between Jarmuth and Socoh, was in the neighbourhood of a large cave in which David took refuge when flying from Saul (1Sa 22:1; 2Sa 23:13). It was fortified by Rehoboam (2Ch 11:7), and is mentioned in 2 Macc. 12:38 as the city of Odollam. The Onomast. describes it as being ten Roman miles to the east of Eleutheropolis; but this is a mistake, though it has not yet been discovered. So far as the situation is concerned, Deir Dubbn would suit very well, a place about two hours to the north of Beit Jibrin, near to a large number of caves in the white limestone, which form a kind of labyrinth, as well as some vaulted grottos (see Rob. Pal. ii. p. 353, and Van de Velde, Reise, pp. 162-3). Makkedah: possibly Summeil (see at Jos 10:10). Bethel, i.e., Beitin (see Jos 8:17). The situation of the towns which follow in Jos 12:17 and Jos 12:18 cannot be determined with certainty, as the names Tappuach, Aphek, and Hefer are met with again in different parts of Canaan, and Lassaron does not occur again. But if we observe, that just as from Jos 12:10 onwards those kings’-towns are first of all enumerated, the capture of which has already been described in Josh 10, and then in Jos 12:15 and Jos 12:16 certain other towns are added which had been taken in the war with the Canaanites of the south, so likewise in Jos 12:19 and Jos 12:20 the capitals of the allied kings of northern Canaan are given first, and after that the other towns that were taken in the northern war, but had not been mentioned by name in Josh 11: there can be no doubt whatever that the four towns in Jos 12:17 and Jos 12:18 are to be classed among the kings’-towns taken in the war with the king of Jerusalem and his allies, and therefore are to be sought for in the south of Canaan and not in the north. Consequently we cannot agree with Van de Velde and Knobel in identifying Tappuach with En-Tappuach (Jos 17:7), and looking for it in Atf, a place to the north-east of Nablus and near the valley of the Jordan; we connect it rather with Tappuach in the lowlands of Judah (Jos 15:34), though the place itself has not yet been discovered. Hefer again is neither to be identified with Gath-hepher in the tribe of Zebulun (Jos 19:13), nor with Chafaraim in the tribe of Issachar (Jos 19:19), but is most probably the capital of the land of Hefer (1Ki 4:10), and to be sought for in the neighbourhood of Socoh in the plain of Judah. Aphek is probably the town of that name not far from Ebenezer (1Sa 4:1), where the ark was taken by the Philistines, and is most likely to be sought for in the plain of Judah, though not in the village of Ahbek ( Rob. Pal. ii. p. 343); but it has not yet been traced. Knobel imagines that it was Aphek near to Jezreel (1Sa 29:1), which was situated, according to the Onom., in the neighbourhood of Endor (1Sa 29:1; 1Ki 20:25, 1Ki 20:30); but this Aphek is too far north. Lassaron only occurs here, and hitherto it has been impossible to trace it. Knobel supposes it to be the place called Saruneh, to the west of the lake of Tiberias, and conjectures that the name has been contracted from Lassaron by aphaeresis of the liquid. This is quite possible, if only we could look for Lassaron so far to the north. Bachienne and Rosenmller imagine it to be the village of Sharon in the celebrated plain of that name, between Lydda and Arsuf.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
A List of the Kings Defeated by Jos. 12:9-24
9 The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Beth-el, one;
10 The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;
11 The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;
12 The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;
13 The king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;
14 The king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;
15 The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;
16 The king of Makkedah, one; the king of Beth-el, one;
17 The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;
18 The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;
19 The king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;
20 The king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;
21 The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;
22 The king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one;
23 The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one;
24 The king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty and one.
8.
Why was the king of Bethel not mentioned? Jos. 12:9
The men of Bethel joined with the men of Ai when they were ambushed by the Israelites. The town of Bethel was close to Ai, and there was apparently no separate battle fought against Bethel itself at this time. Ai was the main city known as a regal city; and when Ai fell, it also brought the downfall of Bethel. The children of Joseph later possessed the city, and the conquest of Bethel by these men of Ephraim is described in some detail in Jdg. 1:22-26.
9.
Who was the king of Jerusalem? Jos. 12:10
Jerusalem was known as Jebus, and her king was Adonizedek. Adonizedek was the leader of the southern league of kings who tried to join themselves together to attack the Gibeonites after they made peace with Israel. The next kings in the list were those who were in this southern coalition. Jerusalem was ruled by a king as early as the days of Abraham; for when he came back from rescuing Lot, he was met by Melchizedec, the king of Salem (Gen. 14:18). It is easy to see how this city once called Jebus and again called Salem eventually became known as Jerusalem.
10.
Who was the king of Hazor? Jos. 12:19
Jabin was the king of Hazor. It was he who led the league in the North as the kings in that area banded themselves together to fight against Israel. The next kings in the list were those who formed this northern coalition. None of these kings was successful in defending his city against the people of Israel. All of them fell, and their cities were destroyed. With the fall of the kings in the northern and southern coalitions, the major part of the resistance of the Canaanites was destroyed,
11.
Who was the king of the nations? Jos. 12:23
Some commentators view the Hebrew word for nations as a proper noun. They thus translate this passage like the others and talk about the king of the Goiim. They thus make the word Goiim a proper name both here and in Gen. 14:1 where Tidal is called the king of the nations, Some identify the location as that of Gitum; and inasmuch as all the other names are proper names of cities, it would seem better to describe this man as the king of Goiim. Otherwise, we are left at a loss to know over what nations he ruled.
12.
How many kings were there in all? Jos. 12:24
There were thirty-one kings who were overthrown by the Israelites as they swept into Canaan and took possession of the land which was promised to them. Most of these kings have been met in the account which precedes this summary and further study of the exact battles in which they were involved would lead to a review of the preceding text. These were kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusitesnations whom God was driving out from before Israel.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Jos 12:9-13 a
‘The king of Jericho, one, the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one, the king of Jerusalem, one, the king of Hebron, one, the king of Yarmuth, one, the king of Lachish, one, the king of Eglon, one, the king of Gezer, one, the king of Debir, one.’
The fate of these nine kings is described earlier in the book. The order follows Jos 10:5, then Jos 10:33; Jos 10:38.
Jos 12:13-15 (12b-15)
‘The king of Geder, one, the king of Hormah, one, the king of Arad, one, the king of Libnah, one, the king of Adullam, one.’
Of these Libnah is mentioned in Jos 10:29. Geder is unknown (Gerar and Goshen have both been suggested). Hormah was an important city in the Negeb (compare Jdg 1:17), and middle bronze fortifications six kilometres (four miles) to the west of Arad have been suggested as its site. Arad has been identified as Tell el Milh (Tel Malhata), twenty two kilometres (fourteen miles) east of Beersheba, also in the Negeb. Adullam is identified as Tell esh-Sheikh Madhkur midway between Jerusalem and Lachish. It should be noted that the death of the kings is not evidence for the defeat of their cities. Hormah and Arad may have formed an alliance in the Negeb (possibly with Geder) and been defeated in open battle there.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jos 12:9 The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which [is] beside Bethel, one;
Ver. 9. The king of Jericho, one. ] In this one country of Judea – which was not above two hundred miles long, and sixty miles broad: not near the half of England, as good authors compute it – what abundance of kings find we, and what a huge multitude of inhabitants! So here in England of old, were so many cities, so many kings almost. When Caesar entered this island, Kent had four kings that ruled in it: viz., Cingentorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus, and Segonax. Hence Jerome calleth this island Fertilem tyrannorum, full of tyrants.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jericho. Compare Jos 6:2,
one. These names (verses: Jos 12:9-24) are written thus in the Hebrew MSS. and printed editions.
Ai. Compare Jos 8:29.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jericho: Jos 6:2-21
Ai: Jos 8:1, Jos 8:17, Jos 8:29-35
Reciprocal: Jos 5:1 – all the kings Jos 7:2 – to Ai