Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 10:6
And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.
6. Slack not thy hand ] The climax in the message is very noticeable; (1) slack not thy hand; (2) come up to us quickly; (3) save us; (4) help us. Compare the prayer of the persecuted Christians (Act 4:24-30).
Slack = “slacken,” “relax;” A. S. slcan from the adjective slc. It occurs in an intransitive sense in Deu 23:21, “When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it.” Comp. Latimer, Serm. p. 231, “What a remorse of conscience shall ye have, when ye remember how ye have slacked your duty.”
all the kings of the Amorites ] This is a common designation of the five chiefs. Their march had evidently been very rapid, and the danger was urgent.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The language reflects the urgency of the crisis. Accordingly Joshua made a forced march, accompanied only by his soldiers Jos 10:7, and accomplished in a single night the distance from Gilgal to Gibeon (about 15 miles in a direct line), which on a former occasion had been a three days journey Jos 9:17.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Jos 10:6-11
Come up . . . quickly, and save us, and help us.
Help! help!
The chapter opens with a cry from Jerusalem, the summons of Adoni-zedek–To arms! To arms! Here we have another and a very different cry, a cry from Gibeon; a cry to Joshua for help.
I. The trouble of the Gibeonites. They are in sore straits. What a vivid picture of spiritual truth have we here! He that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. Do you make your peace with God? that instant, and by that act, you are at war with Satan. No sooner is the treaty of salvation signed than the infernal hosts are rallied. The ink is scarcely dry before he begins his attack. Old friends become new enemies. A mans foes are often those of his own household. When we come into such trouble let us not think that a strange thing has befallen us. It is the common fate of Gods children, from the highest to the meanest, and to the end of time. Though the Captain of salvation is the Prince of Peace, He has come not to send peace on the earth but a sword; and so will it be till every enemy is cast out and all flesh shall own Him Lord. These Gibeonites felt this attack all the more dangerous because it was the onset of men with whom in the past they had been on such intimate terms. All their conditions and resources were as well known to these five kings as to themselves. And the remembrance of these things made this attack all the more formidable. But what was all the knowledge which the five kings had of the Gibeonites compared with the knowledge Satan has of us? Therefore, how terrible must be his attack! If we are not ignorant of his devices, he is not ignorant of our weakness.
II. But if this cry suggests the trouble of the Gibeonites, it also points out their resources. If they are in great trouble they are not without resource, and at once they avail themselves of it. They dwelt in a fortified city, but they did not depend on its walls and bulwarks. They had no confidence in themselves. Their own resources were insufficient. All their confidence was placed in Joshua. Would that we always showed like wisdom! Sin and Satan are more than a match for the strongest saint. As they looked to Joshua, so must we look to Jesus. As they depended on that covenant of peace which had been ratified, so must we. As they dispatched runners post haste to Gilgal, so must we send out swift-footed messengers of prayer. Our very existence as saints depends on their success.
III. The earnestness of the Gibeonites. How keen and piercing is their cry! How urgent is their request! The message was no doubt short, they did not waste their words; but it was full of earnestness. It was the message of men thoroughly roused and anxious. Though short it was very full. They sought to stir up Joshuas energy. It is as if they said, We have no hope apart from you. We are all dead men if you fail us. We know you can save us and trust you will. They also manifested faithfulness to Joshua, by the last two words of their message–Help us. Why were these words added? Save is the word of dependence–Help suggests the determination to do what they can. It is as if they said, While we feel that in our own strength we must be worsted, yet we are determined to make a stand against them. On no account will we come to terms. We will never open our gates to the enemy. We will not even hold parley with him. Till you come, and even if you do not come, we will do the best we can. Accordingly this shows that they were faithful to their new leader. Surely their conduct in this emergency may well be imitated. Oh, for like earnestness in crying, Awake, awake, O arm of the Lord! How languid are our prayers! How unconscious are we of danger! It is good for God to open our eyes by trouble, if it leads us to cry like these Gibeonites.
IV. The succour of the Gibeonites. Help was sure. Joshua would have belied his name, would have been unfaithful to his covenant, would have been untrue to his nature, if he had not hastened to their relief. And help came speedily. Joshua lost not a moment. Help also came in time. Joshua was not too late. The Gibeonites did not become a prey; they had cause to rejoice over a great deliverance. Do we in every extremity cry to God? Help must come. God never said to any, Seek ye My face, in vain. Jesus, like Joshua, is never too late. If He tarries there is good reason for it. It is always for our good. He may come when Lazarus is laid in the grave, but He never comes too late. He is never too late in history. The world had a long time run its course before He came. Why? Because that time was set. In the fulness of time God set forth His Son. He has promised to come back again, and depend upon it He will not come back too late. What though 1,800 years have passed away? nothing will divert Him from His purpose; nothing will prevent His appearing. Amen, therefore we say, Amen, even so, in Thy good time, for that is quickly, come, Lord Jesus. And notice, in conclusion, that it may be said of these Gibeonites that they were twice saved, First they were saved from the wrath of God; then they were saved from the wrath of their enemies. So we are saved from the wrath of God and from the wrath of Satan. The Gibeonites were saved by faith, for they trusted in Joshua and in the God of Israel. They were saved by works, for they determined to oppose Adoni-zedek or die. They were saved by hope, for they looked to Joshua for succour and were not disappointed. So we are saved by faith when we fall at the feet of Jesus and put our trust in Him. We are saved by works, when in the strength of God we wrestle against principalities and powers and spiritual wickednesses in high places. We are saved by hope when we look for the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour. The Gibeonites were saved by coming to Joshua in their fear of judgment. They were saved by Joshua coming to them and extricating them out of all their trouble. So we are saved by coming to Jesus. The instant we fall at His feet we receive the salvation of our souls. And we are saved by Jesus coming to us (Heb 9:28). (A. B. Mackay.)
The newly-converted assailed
1. No sooner is the soul brought into the bonds of the covenant with our Joshua or Jesus, but presently the spiritual enemies of the soul muster up all their forces against it, as the five cursed kings did against Gibeon as soon as they had entered into a league with Joshua here (2Ti 3:12; Act 14:22).
2. The soul when thus assaulted must immediately send the messenger of prayer to its Joshua or Jesus.
3. As those new converts the Gibeonites showed their confidence in that God, whose religion they had newly embraced, therefore sent they for Joshua, not at all doubting of salvation by him. So the like confidence should be found in all new converted souls, that their Joshua will relieve them, and turn their spirit of bondage into the spirit of adoption. (C. Ness.)
Ready help
The help required was great: Slack not thy hand from thy servants. It is not little the Christian needs. How often, in seeking Divine aid and security, has the believer to say, Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! &c. Ready help was intreated. Come up to us quickly, and save us. It was well they were not what they once represented themselves to be–the inhabitants of a far remote country; for then help had come too late, had it come with bottles rent and bound up, shoes clouted and worn out, garments old and threadbare. Great is the mercy to be near our mercies, that when life, and all that is dear to us, lies at stake, salvation may be found at hand. (W. Seaton.)
Value of promptitude in action
Let us note not only the nobility of this acknowledgment of the claims of the new allies, but also the promptitude and energy with which their rescue is undertaken. How many good resolves are marred and made of none effect by lack of decision in their execution. We rest in the thought of our noble plans, and meanwhile we hesitate and defer to carry them out in the performance: thus the evils we might have stayed grow beyond control: the opportunity has sped away; the hearts of those who looked for our help are sick with hopes long deferred. Too late! too late! is the disappointed cry with which they greet our tardy steps. (G. W. Butler, M. A.)
Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand.—
Courage!
On the eve of a great engagement a wise leader often rouses the enthusiasm of his followers by a few well-chosen words. We know how the message of Nelson, before the battle of Trafalgar, stimulated every man in his fleet to do his utmost; and not only so, but it has also come ringing down the years that intervene with telling effect on every noble heart in great emergencies. God deals with His servants after the same fashion; therefore, here, before Joshua passes forth to the rescue of the Gibeonites, he gives them words of cheer. Notice when God gave this encouragement. It was when Joshua had resolved to set out to the help of the Gibeonites. There is no evidence that Joshua asked for or even expected such encouragement. He felt bound to do his duty, to keep faith with the Gibeonites, and while in the act of responding to their cry, this encouragement came. The very fact that this cheering word was unsolicited made it doubly sweet. We may have similar experiences. When we walk in the path of duty we may always reckon on the Divine encouragement. If we go to Gods work with good will, however hard it may be, and whoever may oppose, we may always count on the good will and the good word of God, and surely that ought to suffice. How encouraging, how comforting, how strengthening, is the answer of a good conscience towards God! Notice, also, the terms of this encouragement now given. They were very clear. They had no particle of ambiguity. How the healthy soul rejoices in certainty! How freely does God delight to give it! And the fact that the words Joshua now heard were familiar to his ear, phrases repeated again and again, made this assurance doubly sweet. God is dealing with him now as He has graciously done in all the past; and every repetition and new fulfilment of a promise adds to its value. For the old promise has been tried and tested again and again, and proved to be sufficient. It is good when we have such experience as Joshua; when we have not only a true word, but one which in our own experience we have tried and proved to be sufficient for every emergency. Therefore notice next the effect that this encouragement has upon Joshua. It fills him with new energy. The clearest assurance of success does not do away with the use of means, rather is it a sharp spur to make the most of them. Joshua, though thus assured, yea, because thus assured, acts as if everything depended on his energy and the swiftness and strength of his attack. And so in a very important sense it did. But we may not only trace the effect of this promise in the energy with which it filled Joshua and his soldiers, but also in that marvellous prayer which rose to his lips in the great crisis of the fight that ensued. It is this great promise of God which justifies and explains that great prayer of Joshua. Joshua spoke to the Lord on that day, and his words were wonderful. His prayer was very Short, but we are startled by its boldness. The prayer was public, therefore Joshua risked all his reputation on its answer. The prayer was humble. He had no desire to parade his power; he had no need to win the allegiance of Israel. His one thought was the perfect fulfilment of that work which by this promise God had said would be accomplished. God had spoken. His power and glory are pledged to the fulfilment of that word. Can He not perform? God gave Joshua a large promise, and Joshua laid before God a large prayer. Thus both Gods power and Joshuas faith were magnified and made honourable. In like manner may we make use of all Gods promises; and we only prove our unbelief by leaving them a dead letter. Who can over-estimate the value of prayer, who can put a limit to its power? Did we believe in the promises of God as firmly as Joshua, we would be able more closely to imitate his prayers. Men make difficulties here where the simple soul can find none. As a living father can answer the request of his children, so the Lord can hear and answer the prayer of His people. And He answers every prayer addressed to Him; not always in the same way, but always in the best way. Now notice, lastly, the fulfilment of this promise. No doubt the good generalship of Joshua and the valour of his soldiers had much to do with it. They marched with swiftness, they laid on with might and main, they never paused in the pursuit, yet all that they did was obscured by the wonderful interposition of God. Joshua and Israel did what they could, and yet God did all. It is well to remember that nature may become one great arsenal for the defence of those that fear God, for the destruction of all His enemies. It was no superstition, but true godliness, which enabled our forefathers to see the finger of God in those storms which swept the great Armada to its doom. How often does God in His adorable Providence render the very objects in which men trust the means of filling them with shame and confusion of face! How manifestly was God with Israel! How evident is it that The Lord reigneth! Israel needed that assurance, and we need it too. Whatever may come to pass from year to year, from century to century, He and He alone is guiding the world and the Church to that goal which He has foreknown and appointed. This is the sheet-anchor of all our hopes for humanity. (A. B. Mackay.)
They were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
The Lords artillery
We have seen how Gibeon made peace with Joshua. Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, was exceedingly displeased with the men of Gibeon for making peace with the enemy.
1. The Divine cause has enemies.
2. But the enemies of the Divine cause have both earth and heaven against them–the sword of Israel and the hail of God. The living God has two great forces; if you escape one, you fall under the power of the other. All things fight for God. The hailstones are His friends and allies; the stars in their courses beat and throb according to His purpose and express His intent. The bad cause has no friends; it comes to an ignominious end; it is overwhelmed by hailstones. It is so humbling. The bad cause perishes in contempt. The five kings ran away and hid themselves in a cave, and Joshua said, Bring them out! (J. Parker, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
The men of Gibeon sent, or, had sent, when their enemies were drawn towards them, which they could easily learn. Slack not thy hand; do not neglect nor delay to help us. From thy servants, whom thou art obliged to protect both in duty, as thou art our master and ruler; and by thy own interest, we being part of thy possessions; and in ingenuity, because we have given ourselves to thee, and put ourselves under thy protection.
In the mountains; in the mountainous country.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6-8. the men of Gibeon sent untoJoshuaTheir appeal was urgent and their claim to protectionirresistible, on the ground, not only of kindness and sympathy, butof justice. In attacking the Canaanites, Joshua had received from Goda general assurance of success (Jos1:5). But the intelligence of so formidable a combination amongthe native princes seems to have depressed his mind with the anxiousand dispiriting idea that it was a chastisement for the hasty andinconsiderate alliance entered into with the Gibeonites. It wasevidently to be a struggle of life and death, not only to Gibeon, butto the Israelites. And in this view the divine communication that wasmade to him was seasonable and animating. He seems to have asked thecounsel of God and received an answer, before setting out on theexpedition.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal,…. Which some think they did when besieged, and not before, which showed their faith in the power of God, whom they now professed; but it is not likely that they should defer sending for help so long, since it is reasonable to suppose they might have heard of the design of the five kings against them; or that they should be able to send out messengers when surrounded on all sides; it may be better therefore to render the words, “had sent” m, which they did as soon as they heard of the preparations made by the five kings to war with them, and of their rendezvous at Jerusalem, and especially as soon as they had information of their march towards them:
saying, slack not thine hands from thy servants; they entreat that he would not neglect them, be indifferent to them, and delay to assist them, since they were his subjects; and were entitled to his protection:
come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; they did not doubt, if he made haste and helped them, but they should be saved by him:
for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us. Jerusalem lay among mountains, and Hebron was in the hill country in Judea, see Ps 125:2; and the other cities were doubtless in a like situation.
m “sed miserant”, Piscator; so Pool and Patrick.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Gibeonites then sent to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and entreated him to come to his help as speedily as possible. “ Slack not thy hand from thy servants,” i.e., withhold not thy help from us. The definition appended to “the kings of the Amorites” (“ that dwelt in the mountains ”) is to be understood a potiori , and does not warrant us in drawing the conclusion, that all the towns mentioned in Jos 10:3 were in the mountains of Judah. The Amorites who dwelt in the mountains were the strongest of all the Canaanites.
Jos 10:7 In accordance with this petition Joshua advanced from Gilgal ( , not went up) with all the people of war, even ( vav expl.) all the men of valour.
Jos 10:8 The Lord then renewed the assurance of His help in this particular war, in which Joshua was about to fight for the first time with several allied kings of Canaan (cf. Jos 2:24; Jos 6:2; Jos 8:1, Jos 8:18).
Jos 10:9 Joshua came suddenly upon them (the enemy), as he had marched the whole night from Gilgal, i.e., had accomplished the entire distance in a night. Jiljilia is fully fifteen miles from el-Jib.
Jos 10:10 “ Jehovah threw them into confusion,” as He had promised in Exo 23:27, and in all probability, judging from Jos 10:11, by dreadful thunder and lightning (vid., 1Sa 7:10; Psa 18:15; Psa 144:6: it is different in Exo 14:24). “ Israel smote them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Bethhoron,” i.e., Upper Bethhoron ( Beit Ur, el-Foka), which was nearest to Gibeon, only four hours distant on the north-west, on a lofty promontory between two valleys, one on the north, the other on the south, and was separated from Lower Bethhoron, which lies further west, by a long steep pass, from which the ascent to Upper Bethhoron is very steep and rocky, though the rock has been cut away in many places now, and a path made by means of steps (see Rob. Pal. iii. p. 59). This pass between the two places leads downwards from Gibeon towards the western plain, and was called sometimes the ascent, or going up to Bethhoron, and sometimes the descent, or going down from it (Jos 10:11), (1 Macc. 3:16, 24). Israel smote the enemy still further, “ to Azekah and Makkedah:” so far were they pursued and beaten after the battle (cf. Jos 10:16, Jos 10:21). If we compare Jos 10:11, according to which the enemy was smitten, from Bethhoron to Azekah, by a violent fall of hail, it is very evident that the two places were on the west of Bethhoron. And it is in perfect harmony with this that we find both places described as being in the lowland; Azekah in the hill-country between the mountains and the plain (Jos 15:35), Makkedah in the plain itself (Jos 15:41). Azekah, which was fortified by Rehoboam (2Ch 11:9), besieged by Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 34:7), and still inhabited after the captivity (Neh 11:30), was not far from Socoh, according to Jos 15:35; whilst sideways between the two was Ephes-dammim (1Sa 17:1). Van de Velde has discovered the latter in the ruins of Damm, about an hour’s journey east by south from Beit Nettif (Mem. p. 290), and consequently imagines that Azekah is to be found in the village of Ahbek, which stands upon a lofty mountain-top a mile and a half to the north of Damm, and about four of five miles N.N.E. of Shuweikeh, supposing this to be Aphek. The statement in the Onom. ( s. v. ), , agrees with this. Makkedah is described in the Onom. as being eight Roman miles to the east of Eleutheropolis, and hence Knobel supposes it to have been near Terkumieh, or Morak; but he is wrong in his supposition, as in that case it would have been in the hill-country or upon the mountains, whereas it was one of the towns in the plain (Jos 15:41). Van de Velde ‘s conjecture (p. 332) is a much more probable one, viz., that it is to be found in Summeil, a considerable village on an eminence in the plain, with a large public well 110 feet deep and 11 feet in diameter, with strongly built walls of hewn stones, where there is also part of an old wall, which to all appearance must formerly have belonged to a large square castle built of uncemented stones, resembling in some respects the oldest foundation wall of Beit Jibrin ( Rob. Pal. ii. p. 368). It is two hours and a half to the north-west of Beit Jibrin, and there Van de Velde discovered the large cave (see at Jos 10:16), which Robinson has not observed (see his Journey through Syria and Palestine).
Jos 10:11 The large stones which the Lord threw upon the flying foe at the slope of Bethhoron were hail-stones (see Isa 30:30), not stone-hail, or a shower of stones, but a terrible hail-storm, in which hail fell upon the foe in pieces as large as stones (see Wis. 46:6), and slew a greater number of them than the swords of the Israelites. This phenomenon, which resembled the terrible hail in Egypt (Exo 9:24), was manifestly a miraculous occurrence produced by the omnipotent power of God, inasmuch as the hail-stones slew the enemy without injuring the Israelites, who were pursuing them. By this the Israelites were to be made to see that it was not their own power, but the supernatural help of their God, which had given them the victory; whilst the enemy discovered that it was not only the people of Israel, but the God of Israel, that had devoted them to destruction.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
6. And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua, etc The course of the narrative is inverted; for the Gibeonites certainly did not wait till they were besieged, but on seeing an army levied and prepared, and having no doubt that they would have to sustain the first onset, as they had incurred general hatred, they anticipate the attack, and hasten to have recourse to the protection of Joshua. (91) To desert those to whom life had been given, would have been at once unlawful, unjust, and inhumane. Nay, as their surrender had been consequent on the agreement, they were entitled to be defended against violence and injury. With justice, therefore, they implore the Israelites, under whose protection they were; and there is no hesitation on the part of Joshua, who judges it to be his duty to defend those whose submission he had agreed to accept. They had deceived him, it is true, but after the fraud had been detected, and they had confessed it, interposing some palliating circumstances, they had obtained pardon.
Equity and a sense of duty thus did not allow the Israelites to abandon the Gibeonites to their fate. Still, Joshua is entitled to praise for his promptitude in complying with the request, and sending assistance without delay. He is said to have marched during the whole night, and thus could not have proceeded with greater haste had the safety of the whole people been at stake. Had the same sincerity always been evinced by profane nations, they would rather have assisted their allies in due time than avenged their disasters after they had suffered them. The term suddenly ought not, however, to be confined to a single day, as if Joshua had accomplished three days’ journey in a single night, and made his appearance among the Gibeonites next morning. All that is meant to be expressed is his great speed, and his not delaying his departure till next day. (92)
Though the Israelites moved their camp from Ai or that neighborhood, it was the third day before they entered the confines of the Gibeonites. Granting that they then proceeded slowly in order of battle, Joshua was still at some distance when application is made to him to assist the Gibeonites. We have seen that Gilgal was the first station after crossing the Jordan, and therefore more remote than Jericho. If any one deems it absurd, that after receiving the submission of several cities, he should have turned backwards, and left an empty district, the recovery of which from the enemy might again cost new labor, I answer, there was no ground to fear that the enemy would come forward to occupy it, and engage in an expedition attended with great danger and difficulty. It is probable that when a body of troops was selected to attack Jericho, the women, children, and all others unfit for war remained in that quiet corner, where they might have the protection of those of the Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh, who had been left on the opposite bank of the Jordan. For to what end would they have carried with them into their battles children and women heavy with child, or nursing babes at their breasts? How, during the incursions of the enemy, could food be found for such a multitude, or water sufficient to supply all their flocks and herds? I conclude, therefore, that Joshua and his soldiers returned to their tents that they might refresh themselves for a little with their wives and children, and there deposit the spoils with which they had been enriched.
(91) The conjecture that the narrative is here inverted, seems somewhat gratuitous. Lachish, the most remote of the towns, was not more than thirty miles distant, and Jerusalem, as has been mentioned, was only five; and, therefore, in so far as distance merely is concerned, there is nothing to prevent us from holding in accordance with the literal purport of the narrative, that the kings had suddenly advanced against Gibeon, and were actually besieging it when the Gibeonites dispatched their embassy to Joshua.
(92) Here, again, apparently from exaggerating the distance, Calvin thinks it necessary to resort to an ingenious explanation, and give a kind of coloring to the narrative. The distance from Gilgal to Gibeon was more than eighteen miles, and this might certainly be accomplished by a forced march in the course of a single night. Calvin says we are not to suppose that “Joshua accomplished three days’ journey in a single night.” But it is nowhere said that Gibeon was three days’ journey from Gilgal. The words are,
“
The Israelites journeyed and came into the cities on the third day.” (Jos 9:17).
In other words, the Israelites, on this particular occasion, employed three days, or rather, if we adopt the common Hebrew mode of computation, part of a first, the whole of a second, and part of a third day. Such a statement scarcely justifies the inference that the average time of making the journey between the two places was three days. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) The Amorites that dwell in the mountainsi.e., in the mountainous district lying on the south of Jerusalem.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
THE GIBEONITES APPEAL FOR AID, Jos 10:6.
6. Save us As soon as the hostile army of the confederated Amorites pitched their camp before their walls the Gibeonites sent to Joshua for aid. It was of the first importance that Joshua should rescue them and retain their allegiance. Had the Gibeonites been neglected by Joshua they would have been either forced into a league with the Amorites, or defeated by their superior numbers.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, “Slack not your hands from your servants. Come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered together against us.” ’
Seeing the forces ranged against them the Gibeonites took advantage of their treaty-covenant with Israel and sent to Joshua for assistance. By that time Joshua and his forces were back at Gilgal, but no doubt an Israelite contingent had remained in Gibeon so as to keep an eye on Israelite interests. The Gibeonites pleaded for rapid action in view of the size of the forces against them. The strength of Gibeon comes out in that it was able to hold out long enough for help to come.
“The Amorites who dwell in the hill country.” Strictly speaking only two of these cities, Jerusalem and Hebron, were in the hill country, the remainder being in the lower hills, the Shephelah. But this was a general description. ‘Those who were in the hills’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jos 10:6 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.
Ver. 6. Come up to us quickly. ] Haste, haste, haste, cito, citius, citissime. a little delay may be the loss of all. Charles, king of Sicily, was called Cunctator, for his lingering to his loss.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED TEXT): Jos 10:6-11
6Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us. 7So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors. 8The LORD said to Joshua, Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you. 9So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal. 10And the LORD confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
Jos 10:6 Israel’s covenant with Gibeon promised military protection.
Jos 10:6 contains several IMPERATIVES in the message the Gibeonites sent to Joshua.
1. do not abandon your servants (lit. slacken your hands), BDB 951, KB 1276, Hiphil JUSSIVE, cf. Jos 1:5; Deu 4:31; Psa 138:8
2. come up to us quickly, BDB 748, KB 828, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Jos 10:4
3. save us, BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
4. help us, BDB 740, KB 810, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Jos 10:4
Numbers 3, 4 are used synonymously.
Amorites See Special Topic: Pre-Israelite Inhabitants of Palestine .
Jos 10:7
NASBhe and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors
NKJVhe and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor
NRSVhe and all the fighting force with him, all the mighty warriors
TEVJoshua and his whole army, including the best troops
NJBhe, all the fighting men and all the bravest of his army
Are there two groups of fighting men or two designations of one large group? The second phrase is used several times in Joshua (cf. Jos 1:14; Jos 8:3; Jos 10:7 and also Jdg 6:12; Jdg 11:1). From the usage in Jos 8:3 it seems to refer to two groups (regular soldiers and an elite group of special soldiers).
Jos 10:8 Do not fear them The VERB (BDB 431, KB 432) is a Qal IMPERFECT, used in a JUSSIVE sense. It is a recurrent message of God to His people.
1. Abraham – Gen 15:1
2. Hagar – Gen 21:17
3. Isaac – Gen 26:24
4. Israel (by Moses) – Exo 14:13; Exo 20:20; Deu 1:21; Deu 20:3; Deu 31:6
5. Israel (by Joshua) – Jos 8:1; Jos 10:25
for I have given them into your hands This is a recurrent Hebrew idiom of military defeat (cf. Deu 7:24; Jos 6:2; Jos 8:1; Jos 8:18) See Special Topic: Hand .
not one of them shall stand before you This is another Hebrew idiom of military defeat (cf. Deu 7:24; Deu 11:25; Jos 1:5; Jos 23:9)
It is interesting to me to see the relationship between the sovereign word of God recorded in Jos 10:8 and the required human effort recorded in Jos 10:9; Jos 10:11. Although God assured them of the victory, they still had to prepare for the battle and form a strategy to defeat the Canaanites. It is this tension between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will that is found so often in the Bible.
This chapter expresses well the concept of holy war as YHWH’s judgment against the Canaanites (cf. Gen 15:16; Lev 18:24-28).
1. YHWH’s own statements, Jos 10:8
2. the narrator, Jos 10:10-11; Jos 10:14; Jos 10:30; Jos 10:42
3. Joshua’s words, Jos 10:19; Jos 10:25
Jos 10:9 by marching all night This was no small effort to save a Canaanite population. Israel felt bound to Gibeon by covenant oath.
from Gilgal In Hebrew Gilgal means circle (BDB 166). It was the first campsite of the Jews as they crossed the Jordan River. See fuller note at Jos 9:6. Apparently the five kings of these large city states in southern Canaan had attacked Gibeon because they had made peace with the Israelites.
Jos 10:10
NASBthe LORD confounded them
NKJVthe LORD routed them
NRSVthe LORD threw them into a panic
TEVthe LORD made the Amorites panic
NJBYahweh threw them into disorder
This VERB (BDB 243, KB 251) is often used with YHWH as the SUBJECT (cf. Exo 14:24; Exo 23:27; Deu 7:23; Jos 10:10; Jdg 4:15; 1Sa 7:10; 2Ch 15:6) and is part of the technical terminology of holy war (herem).
All of the VERBS in Jos 10:10 are SINGULAR, implying that they refer to YHWH (notice Jos 10:11 and Jos 10:12), but the suffixes are PLURAL, implying Israel. In reality YHWH is the power and Israel the instrument of His power.
1. confounded/confused, BDB 243, KB 251, Qal IMPERFECT
2. slew, BDB 645, KB 697, Hiphil IMPERFECT
3. pursued, BDB 922, KB 1191, Qal IMPERFECT
4. struck, BDB 645, KB 697, Hiphil IMPERFECT
the ascent of Beth-horon. . .Azekah and Makkedah These geographical sites are uncertain. We are not sure whether the first is to the east or to the west of Gibeon. The last two are to the south.
Jos 10:11 that the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them Here is God using natural means with supernatural timing and intensity (exactly like the plagues of Egypt). In reality more of the enemy died from the hailstones (cf. Isa 30:30) than from the Israelites’ sword. This shows the tension between Jos 10:8-9 in a different way.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
hand. So some codices, with two early printed editions; but Hein text has “hands”.
mountains = hill country.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
to the camp: Jos 5:10, Jos 9:6
Slack: 2Ki 4:24
from thy: Jos 9:15, Jos 9:24, Jos 9:25, Isa 33:22
mountains: Jos 21:11, Deu 1:15, Psa 125:2, Luk 1:39
Reciprocal: Jos 4:19 – Gilgal Jos 10:5 – General Jos 10:15 – General Jos 11:2 – on the north 1Sa 25:34 – hasted Psa 123:2 – as the eyes Isa 27:5 – let him Luk 1:65 – all the
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 10:6-7. Slack not thy hand from thy servants Do not neglect or delay to help us, whom thou art obliged to protect both in duty, as thou art our master, and for thy own interest, we being part of thy possessions; and because we have given ourselves to thee, and put ourselves under thy protection. In the mountains In the mountainous country. So Joshua ascended Having no doubt asked counsel of God first, which is implied in the answer God gives him, Jos 10:8. All the mighty men That is, an army of the most valiant men picked out from the rest: for it is not probable either that he would take the whole army with him, consisting of so many hundreds of thousands, who would only have embarrassed and hindered one another, or that he would leave the camp without an army to defend it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Here the writer used the name "Amorites" (Jos 10:6) generally of the Canaanites who were living in the nearby hills, including the Jebusites. The Amorites who lived in the mountains were the strongest of all the Canaanites. [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, p. 104.]
This was the first time Israel had gone into battle against an alliance of city-states. God reassured Joshua that he would be victorious (Jos 10:8). God’s strategy included an early morning surprise attack that caught the Amorites off guard (cf. Exo 23:27). Israel was able to gain the advantage and pursued the fleeing Amorites for several miles. God also sent a hailstorm (cf. Exo 9:24) as the Amorites descended from Upper Beth-horon to Lower Beth-horon along the ridge route that connects these towns (the "descent," Jos 10:11). This storm killed many of the enemy but none of God’s people. By this the Amorites and the Israelites realized that this victory came as a result of the supernatural help of Yahweh and not simply by Israel’s own power. Yahweh as well as Israel had devoted the Amorites to destruction.
"The crossing of the Jordan at high flood and the cyclonic hail storm at Aijalon are of special theological significance, for Baal was the great Canaanite storm god who was supposed to control the rain, the hail, the snow and the floods of Palestine. These episodes proved that Baal was as powerless before Yahweh in Palestine as he had been in the episode of the plagues in Egypt." [Note: J. L. Kelso, Archaeology and Our Old Testament Contemporaries, p. 53.]
Note in Jos 10:9-15 how the writer alternated references to the activities of the Israelites and God. He seems to have wanted to impress the reader with the fact than God and men were laboring together to secure the victory (cf. 1Co 3:9).