The Inheritance of the Tribe of Ephraim

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

The last chapter began descriptions of the lands allotted to each of the tribes of Israel, beginning with the tribe of Judah.  Following is the same map before used to show the division of the twelve tribes:

(Joshua 16:1) And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho to the water of Jericho on the east to the wilderness that goes up from Jericho throughout Mount Bethel.

Now began a description of the lot of land that fell to the children of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh.  Half the tribe of Manasseh had already taken their land on the east side of the Jordan River, so this allotment included the other half of the tribe of Manasseh and Ephraim.  These lots began on the west side of the Jordan River by Jericho to the water of Jericho that lay east of Jericho throughout the wilderness of Mount Bethel, said to be the wilderness of Beth Haven.  I found this wonderfully detailed map at Precept Austin that gives a more comprehensive view of the land:

(2) And goes out from Bethel to Luz and passes along to the borders of Archi to Ataroth, (3) And goes down westward to the coast of Japhleti to the coast of Beth Horon the lower and to Gezer and the goings out of it are at the sea. (4) So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.

The southern boundary of the lot given to the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, went from Jericho and along a line through Bethel, Ataroth, Lower Beth Horon, and Gezer that went toward the Mediterranean Sea, as seen on the map above.

(5) And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was: the border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth Addar to Beth Horon the upper,

The description of the land continued with what would be Ephraim's lot.  Ataroth Addar and Upper Beth Horon are clearly seen on the map above.  I'm not sure why it is called the eastern border, but I got some comfort when I saw that John Wesley himself wrote in his Notes on the Bible:

It is no wonder, if some of these descriptions are dark to us at this distance of time; there having been so many alterations made in places, and so many circumstances, being now altogether undiscoverable. But this is certain, that all the descriptions here mentioned, were then evident to the Israelites, because these were the foundations of all the possessions which then they took, and peaceably possessed in succeeding ages.

(6) And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side, and the border went around eastward to Taanath Shiloh and passed by it on the east to Janohah, (7) And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth and to Naarath and came to Jericho and went out at Jordan.

The boundary went westward to the Mediterranean Sea and then on the north ran along a line through the cities of Michmethah, Taanath Shiloh, and Janoah, and down to Jericho, as seen on the map above.

(8) The border went out from Tappuah westward to the river Kanah, and the goings out of it were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.

Back to the northern border, it went from Tappuah westward to the Kanah River and out to the Mediterranean Sea.  That completed the description of the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim.

(9) And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.

However, the tribe of Ephraim was also given some of the cities that were within the tribe of Manasseh, perhaps because the tribe of Ephraim was much larger than the half tribe of Manasseh and needed more territory than the lot that fell to it.

(10) And they did not drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer, but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and serve under tribute.

The tribe of Ephraim never did drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer, and they continued to live among the Ephraimites to the day of Joshua's writing, but they did serve under them and paid them tribute.

Although this chapter began by describing the land that went to both the sons of Joseph, it mainly dealt with the inheritance of Ephraim, with the inheritance of the half tribe of Manasseh described in the next chapter.

The Inheritance of the Tribe of Judah

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 15:1) This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families, to the border of Edom, the wilderness of Zin southward, the uttermost part of the south coast.

In the last chapter, Caleb had requested and was granted the land of Hebron for his inheritance.  As he was from the tribe of Judah, it was within Judah's inheritance.  Now a description of all the boundaries of the tribe of Judah were given.  It ranged from Edom in the southeast to the wilderness of Zin in the south wherein lay Kadesh Barnea.  This map from the last chapter shows Judah's lot in the southern region of the land of Canaan:

(2) And their south border was from the shore of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looked southward.

Their south border ran from the southern tip of the Salt Sea, also called the Dead Sea.

(3) And it went out to the south side to Maaleh-Akrabbim and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side to Kadesh Barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa.

The border went from the southern tip of the Salt Sea southward to the ascent of Akrabbim, which literally meant Mount of Scorpions, and went along Zin in the south, to Kadesh Barnea, and then up to Hezron and Adar, two cities evidently along the southwestern coast.  And it curved around to Karkaa.  I can't locate all those cities, so the general map above is good for me.  However, it was very important to God that the promised inheritance was well defined.  As discussed before, there will come a time when the people possess their full inheritance.

(4) It passed toward Azmon and went out to the river of Egypt, and the goings out of that coast were at the sea; this shall be your south coast.

The southern border continued toward Azmon out to the river of Egypt which might be the most eastern branch of the Nile, although Biblical scholars disagree on whether the promised land reached that far, so it might mean some other river of Egypt that extended to the promised land.  From there, the southern border ended at the Mediterranean Sea.

(5) And the east border the Salt Sea to the end of Jordan. And the border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan.

The eastern border was the Salt Sea, or the Dead Sea, to the place where the Jordan River flowed into it.  The northern border began from that point.

(6) And the border went up to Beth Hoglah and passed along by the north of Beth Arabah, and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.

Beth Hoglah and Beth Arabah were said to be cities within the tribe of Benjamin, so they must have been on the border between Benjamin and Judah.  No one seems to know where the stone of Bohan was or why it was placed where it was, but it would have certainly been well known at the time.

(7) And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor and so northward looking toward Gilgal, which is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river, and the border passed toward the waters of En Shemesh, and the goings out of it were at En Rogel.

I begin to get lost here, except to look at the map above.  There has to be a third place called Debir as neither one of the other Debirs fits here.  Also there must be another Gilgal.  En Shemesh and En Rogel are along that northern border of Judah.

(8) And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the south side of the Jebusite, the same is Jerusalem, and the border went up to the top of the mountain before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward.

Again I can't locate the exact places, but the border runs along the line of the former Jebusite city, Jebus, renamed Jerusalem, on the border of the tribe of Benjamin.

(9) And the border was drawn from the top of the hill to the fountain of the water of Nephtoah and went out to the cities of Mount Ephron, and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath Jearim. (10) And the border compassed from Baalah westward to Mount Seir and passed along to the side of Mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Beth Shemesh, and passed on to Timnah. (11) And the border went out to the side of Ekron northward, and the border was drawn to Shicron and passed along to Mount Baalah and went out to Jabneel, and the goings out of the border were at the sea.

The northern border of Judah continued to be drawn as described above and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.

(12) And the west border was to the great sea and its coast. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about according to their families.

The western border of the tribe of Judah was the Mediterranean Sea.  That ended the description of the boundaries of Judah's lot all around.

(13) And to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, the city of Arba the father of Anak, which is Hebron.

Joshua gave Caleb his own part among the tribe of Judah, according to what the Lord had promised, and Caleb was given in the last chapter (Joshua 14:13).  He gave him the land of Hebron, formerly called Kirjath Arba for Arba, the father of Anak, a great man among the Anakim (Joshua 14:15).

(14) And Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.

Caleb drove out the sons of Anak, the giants in the land, as he said he would if the Lord was with him (Joshua 14:12).

(15) And he went up from there to the inhabitants of Debir, and the name of Debir before was Kirjath Sepher.

After he conquered Hebron, Caleb went up to that third Debir which was surely close to Hebron, and was before named Kirjath Sepher.

(16) And Caleb said, "He who strikes Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter to wife."

Caleb announced that whoever struck and took Kirjath Sepher would be given his daughter Achsah as wife.  Such was the custom in those days, and to be married into the family of the chief prince of the tribe of Judah would have been a very great honor.

(17) And Othneil the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it, and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

Othneil, who appears to be Caleb's nephew, the son of his brother Kenaz, took Kirjath Sepher and was given Caleb's daughter Achsah as his wife.  Often the term brother was used to denote a kinsman, not necessarily a brother, but first cousins were allowed to be married then.

(18) And it came to pass as she came, that she moved him to ask of her father a field; and she lighted off her donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What do you want?"

As Achsah came to her husband Othneil, she persuaded him to ask for a field from her father.  I suppose she had been riding a donkey to go off with her new husband, but she dismounted, and her father asked her what she wanted.

(19) Who answered, "Give me a blessing, for you have given me a south land; give me also springs of water." And he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

Achsah asked her father Caleb to give her a blessing or a gift.  Apparently he had already given her land.  She called it a south land which may have meant it was dry, so she asked for the extra blessing of springs of water.  Caleb gave her springs in the upper part of her land or perhaps in an additional field adjacent to her land, and he also gave her springs in the lower part.

(20) This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.

The description of the land in the first part of this chapter above and the following list of cities described the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah.

(21) And the uppermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,

I found the following map on the same page previously mentioned, Psalms to God, that shows a little more detail of the cities within the tribe of Judah.  Judging by the location of Kabzeel, I suppose the meaning of the verse is that the "outermost" cities southward, the southern boundary, went from the coast of Edom at the tip of the Dead Sea westward across to Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea, and included the cities of Kabzeel, Eder, and Jagur.  As most of the cities mentioned do not appear on any maps I can find, I'll let the general lines of the boundaries of the tribe depicted in the map below be the best interpretation I have at this point in my study:

(22) And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, (23) And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, (24) Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, (25) And Hazor-Hadattah, and Kerioth-Hezron, which is Hazor, 

I am completely lost as to where all these cities are located and will rely only on the general location in the map above.  There must have been at least four different Hazors as supposedly the Hazor in verse 23 is not the same as Hazor in Joshua 11:1.  Then we have Hazor-Hadattah which means New Hazor, and Kerioth-Hezron which is Hazor.  That should be as clear as mud!  Continuing with a list of the cities in this section of Judah's inheritance:

(26) Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, (27) Hazar Gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth Pelet, (28) And Hazar Shual, and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah, (29) Baalah, and Iim, and Azem, (30) And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah, (31) And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah, (32) And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon; all the cities, twenty-nine, with their villages.

I counted thirty-six cities listed.  However, it is said that some of these cities were given to the tribe of Simeon (Joshua 19:1), which does indeed appear to be in the middle of the tribe of Judah.

(33) And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zorah, and Ashnah, 

The valley within the tribe of Judah appears to begin in the north central part of Judah where Eshtaol and Zorah are seen on the map and continues south (north of the southern boundary) and westward:

(34) And Zanoah, and En Gannim, Tappuah, and Enam, (35) Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, (36) And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim, fourteen cities with their villages.

Fourteen cities were in the valley region.  I counted fifteen, but ancient scholars said that Gederah and Gederothaim were one and the same, and it should have been translated "Gederah (or Gederothaim)."

(37) Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal Gad, (38) And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel, (39) Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon, (40) And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish, (41) And Gederoth, Beth Dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah, sixteen cities with their villages.

These appear to be sixteen other cities in the valley region of Judah.

(42) Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan, (43) And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib, (44) And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah, nine cities with their villages.

This appears to be a list of nine more cities in the valley or plain region.

(45) Ekron with her towns and her villages, (46) From Ekron to the sea, all that is near Ashdod with their villages, (47) Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, to the river of Egypt and the great sea and its border.

Judah's inheritance included Ekron in the northwestern region to Ashdod on the Mediterranean Sea and along that coast down to Gaza with all their suburbs.

(48) And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh, (49) And Dannah, and Kirjath Sannah, which is Debir, (50) And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim, (51) And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh, eleven cities with their villages.

The mountain region included those eleven cities.

(52) Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean, (53) And Janum, and Beth Tappuah, and Aphekah, (54) And Humtah, and Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron, and Zior, nine cities with their villages.

These nine cities were also in the mountainous or hill country of Judea.

(55) Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah, (56) And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah, (57) Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah, ten cities with their villages.

These were ten more cities in the mountainous or hill country.

(58) Halhul, Beth Zur, and Gedor, (59) And Maarath, and Beth Anoth, and Eltekon, six cities with their villages.

These appear to be six more cities in the mountain region of Judah.

(60) Kirjath Baal, which is Kirjath Jearim, and Rabbah, two cities with their villages.

These appear to be two more cities in the mountain region.

(61) In the wilderness, Beth Arabah, Middin, and Secacah, (62) And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and En Gedi, six cities with their villages.

There were six cities in the wilderness region of Judah.

(63) As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.

Although Jerusalem was within the tribe of Benjamin, it was on the border between Benjamin and Judah.  It is mentioned here because surely some of the Jebusites who had not been completely driven out of Jerusalem inhabited the outer regions of Jerusalem into Judah.  At the time of Joshua's writing, they still lived among the Israelites.

Thus ended the description of the allotment for the tribe of Judah, which included Caleb's portion and the blessing he gave his daughter.

Caleb's Inheritance

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 14:1) And these what the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them.

In the last chapter and post, Joshua had detailed the inheritance that was divided among Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the Jordan River.  What is to follow will be the land on the west side of the Jordan that was to be divided among the remaining tribes.  However, it seems there is a long parenthetical section in this chapter, followed by a description of the land in the next chapter.  Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and ten princes, a prince from each tribe as detailed back in Numbers 34:17-29, would be the ones to distribute the land of Canaan as an inheritance to each tribe.

(2) By lot their inheritance, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes and the half tribe. (3) For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and a half tribe on the other side of the Jordan, but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them.

The inheritance of the nine and a half tribes that had not yet been given land was to be divided by casting lots as the Lord had commanded Moses in Numbers 26:55.  Once again it is stated that the Levites received no land inheritance because they were the priests, and God was their inheritance.

(4) For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim; therefore they gave no part to the Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in within their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance.

The children of Joseph were divided into two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, Joseph receiving the double portion of inheritance that was usually granted to the firstborn.  That would have been Reuben, but he forfeited his rights as the firstborn when he defiled his father's bed (Genesis 49:4).  There was no land inheritance given to the Levites, and that explained how there were nine and a half tribes remaining to receive a land inheritance.  As the priests, the Levites received no land inheritance of their own, but they were given cities in the other tribes' portions in which to live and have cattle and keep their substance (Numbers 35:2).

(5) As the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land.

The Israelites did as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they divided the land, but again, not until the next chapter.

(6) Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, said to him, "You know the thing that the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning me and you in Kadesh Barnea. (7) Forty years old I was when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as was in my heart."

The tribe of Judah came to Joshua, and Caleb from that tribe spoke to Joshua.  He reminded him of what the Lord had said to Moses concerning him in Kadesh Barnea.  That was the time that Moses sent Caleb when he was forty years of age as one of the twelve spies to spy out the land of Canaan.  He came back with a good report, which he now says was what was in his heart, and said they should go at once and possess their promised land (Numbers 13:30).

(8) "Nevertheless, my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God."

Caleb gave a good report of the land and wholly followed God who had told the Israelites to go possess their land.  However, his fellow spies came back with a bad report and frightened the people.  They claimed the people were too strong, many of them giants, and the cities were too fortified and strong (Numbers 13:28).

(9) "And Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance, and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.'"

Moses had told the people at that time that because the ten spies (excepting Caleb and Joshua) had come back with bad reports and all the people believed them, they and all the people would not be able to enter the promised land, but would have to wander in the wilderness forty years until they died off.  However, he said that Joshua and Caleb would live to enter the promised land.  He said specifically that Caleb would be given the land that he had trod upon because he had wholly followed the Lord (Deuteronomy 1:36).

(10) "And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive as He said these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke His word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, lo, I am this day eighty-five years old."

Caleb said that the Lord had kept him alive as He had promised (Numbers 14:24, Deuteronomy 1:36).  The Lord had told Moses that all that present generation would die out as they wandered in the wilderness, except for Joshua and Caleb.  Now Caleb was eighty-five years old and still alive as the Lord had promised.

(11) "As yet I am as strong this day as in the day that Moses sent me, as my strength was then, even so my strength now, for war, both to go out and to come in."

Caleb went on to say that he was as strong now as he was in the day that Moses had sent him as a spy.  He was just as strong as he had been back then, for war, or for whatever he had need to do.

(12) "Now therefore give me this mountain of where the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakims were there, and the cities were great and fenced; if so, be the Lord with me, then I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said."

Caleb requested that he be given that mountainous region of Judea.  It seemed very important to Caleb that he have that region because of what the Lord had spoken in that day.  Even though the reports of the other spies had been that there were giants in the region and that the cities were great and walled, he still had great faith in the Lord to drive them out as He had said.

(13) And Joshua blessed him and gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.

Even though the Lord had said the land should be divided by lot (v. 2), Joshua was well satisfied that it was the will of God that Caleb be given the land of Hebron for his inheritance, and he blessed Caleb and gave him that land.

(14) Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.

The land of Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb and the tribe of Judah to the day of Joshua's writing because he had wholly followed his Lord God and still had full faith in Him to that day.  I found this map at iBiblemaps.com that shows the division of the tribes' lands, including Caleb's (Judah):

(15) And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath Arba, a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.

Previously, the name of the main city of the land was Kirjath Arba, which meant City of Arba, who was a great man among the Anakim.  Caleb may have renamed it Hebron for his grandson as he had the same name (1 Chronicles 2:42).  The promised land of Canaan had rest from war.

In this chapter, the division of the inheritance west of the Jordan River had begun.  Caleb first made his request and was granted it.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote a beautiful epilogue to this chapter that deserves serious contemplation:

The Jewish economy furnishes, not only a history of God’s revelations to man, but also a history of his providence, and an ample, most luminous, and glorious comment on that providence. Is it possible that any man can seriously and considerately sit down to the reading even of this book, without rising up a wiser and a better man? This is the true history which everywhere exhibits God as the first mover and prime agent, and men only as subordinate actors. What a miracle of God’s power, wisdom, grace, justice, and providence are the people of Israel in every period of their history, and in every land of their dispersions! If their fall occasioned the salvation of the Gentile world, what shall their restoration produce! Their future inheritance is not left to what men would call the fortuitous decision of a lot; like Caleb’s possession it is confirmed by the oath of the Lord; and when the end shall be, this people shall stand in their lot at the end of the days, and shall again be great to the ends of the earth.

The Inheritance East of the Jordan River

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 13:1) Now Joshua was old, stricken in years, and the Lord said to him, "You are old, stricken in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed."

Joshua and the Israelite army had conquered thirty-one kings and territories in the past seven years.  But Joshua was getting old, commentators think about a hundred years old.  It's amazing to think that a man in his nineties could have done what he had done in the past seven years!  But there was still much land to be conquered all around on the outskirts of the conquered area.  This map I found on Pinterest said to have come from jesuswalk.com clearly shows the conquered lands in relation to the whole:

I find it interesting to note that although Joshua had defeated their kings as noted in the last chapter, some of their territories remained outside of Israelite occupation (Gezer, Aphek, Dor, Megiddo, etc.).  It seems reasonable to assume that Joshua may have continued to try to conquer the rest of the lands, but God stopped him because of his advanced age.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, had an interesting perspective.  As nothing God does is by accident, he suggested that God may have wanted some of the original inhabitants to remain in order to keep the oftentimes unfaithful Israel in check.  

(2) "This is the land that yet remains, all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,"

The Lord then detailed the lands that were still unconquered, undoubtedly so that Joshua and the Israelites would know what they had a right to claim.  There was the territory of the Philistines in the southwest of Canaan along the Mediterranean Sea, to Geshuri, which appears to be Geshur in the north.  This map borrowed from Big Springs Community Church shows the unconquered lands more clearly than the one above:

(3) "From Sihor before Egypt to the borders of Ekron northward, counted to the Canaanite, five lords of the Philistines, the Gazites, the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites, also the Avites;"

God described in more detail the as of yet unconquered territories of the promised land.  Describing the land of the Philistines, He said it ranged from Sihor before Egypt in the south to Ekron in the north which can be seen in the first map, across from Jerusalem.  The land of Philistia was counted as belonging to the posterity of Canaan, but the Philistines had gotten possession of it.  Because it was counted as Canaanite land, it was part of the promised land.  There were five lords in Philistia rather than kings, and it contained the cities of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, and their inhabitants, and to whatever cities the Gittites and Avites belonged.

(4) "From the south, all the land of the Canaanites and Mearah beside the Sidonians, to Aphek to the borders of the Amorites;"

As near as I can tell by these maps, God is describing all the land of the Canaanites that was not part of the Philistines, from the south upward to Aphek (note there are two Apheks, one in Upper Galilee) to Sidon.

(5) "And the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baal Gad under Mount Hermon to the entering into Hamath;"

Gebal was north of Sidon on the Mediterranean coast.  The land of the Gebalites was said to be that east of Tyre, Sidon, and Gebal, the land east of the Lebanon mountains in the north, from Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath, seen clearly in this map borrowed from The Biblical Zionist:

(6) "All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, all the Sidonians, them I will drive out from before the children of Israel; only divide it by lot to the Israelites for an inheritance as I have commanded you."

The Lord continued to describe the land that was yet unconquered that also included all the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim which was south of Tyre, all the land of the Sidonians.  All that very much land yet to be possessed (v. 1) included all the lands described from verse 2 to the Sidonians in verse 6.  All those the Lord would drive out from before the children of Israel.  Even though they were not yet driven out, the Lord wanted Joshua to divide all the promised land by lot to the Israelites for their inheritance.  Most of the early commentators I study suggest that these people were not ever entirely driven out or their land completely possessed by the Israelites, that the promise was always part of a covenant that must be upheld by the Israelites, and they did not do their part.  However, I refer back to Exodus 23:30-31, when the Lord said:

"Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the river; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you."

God specifically said that it would be little by little, and indeed all the land was subdued under the reign of David.  Some say that still the people were not specifically driven out, only subdued.  However, throughout ancient and modern history, Israel's borders have changed, and indeed the future Millennial Israel will include all of the promised land.

(7) "Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half tribe of Manasseh," (8) With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance which Moses gave them beyond Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the Lord gave them,

The Lord told Joshua to divide the land on their present side of the Jordan River for an inheritance to the nine and a half tribes that had not yet received their inheritance.  Reuben, Gad, and the other half tribe of Manasseh had already received their lots on the east side of the Jordan River, given them by Moses.

(9) From Aroer which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain of Medeba to Dibon, (10) And all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the children of Ammon;

Further describing the lands given to Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, it was from Aroer in the middle of the Arnon River that separated the land of the Amorites from Moab, and all the plain and cities of Sihon king of the Amorites to the Jabbok River which was the border of the Ammonites.

(11) And Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salcah, (12) All the kingdom of Og in Bashan who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants; for these did Moses smite and cast them out.

They had also received all the kingdom of Og, which included Gilead, the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salcah.  All that land of Og that had been taken by Moses had been given to Israel, but they had not taken possession of much of it.

(13) Nevertheless, the children of Israel did not expel the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites, but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.

Indeed, Joshua went on to write that the Israelites had not driven out the Geshurites and Maachathites, and they still dwelt with them at the time of his writing.

(14) Only to the tribe of Levi He gave no inheritance; the sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as He said to them.

The tribe of Levi received no land inheritance on either side of the Jordan River.  As they were God's priests, He was to be their inheritance; they were to live off the sacrifices to their Lord God (Deuteronomy 18:1).

(15) And Moses gave to the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their families. (16) And their coast was from Aroer which is on the bank of the river Arnon, the city in the midst of the river, and all the plain by Medeba;

Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben the land from Aroer in the southeast and all the plain of Medeba.

(17) Heshbon, and all her cities in the plain, Dibon, and Bamoth Baal, and Beth Baal Meon, (18) And Jahazah, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, (19) And Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth Shahar in the mount of the valley, (20) And Beth Peor, and Ashdoth Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth, (21) And all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, dukes of Sihon dwelling in the country.

Reuben's inheritance included all these cities in the former kingdom of Sihon.  It had been taken by Moses when he defeated the king of Sihon and all his princes.  I can't begin to try to locate all these cities, but I found this map at Psalms to God Podcast that shows a general view of all the tribes and their allotments:

(22) Balaam also, the son of Beor, the soothsayer, the children of Israel killed with the sword, among those who were killed by them. 

The Israelites had also killed Balaam, the soothsayer, at the same time as the princes (Numbers 31:8).

(23) And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan and its border. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and the villages.

The northwestern border of the land possessed by the descendants of Reuben was the Jordan River.  All the land, cities, and villages between the Jordan and Aroer in the southeast made up the inheritance of the children of Reuben.

(24) And Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad according to their families. (25) And their coast was Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer before Rabbah; (26) And from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir; (27) And in the valley Beth Haram, and Beth Nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, with the Jordan as border to the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth on the other side of the Jordan eastward. (28) This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities and their villages.

Moses gave as an inheritance to the children of Gad the land from Jazer in the south to Rabbah in the west, with the Jordan River as the western border.  The northern border was quite unique, and I will let the map show the general area that was allotted to Gad.  Once again trying to locate all those cities is quite a dizzying task.  The Aroer before Rabbah would have to be a different Aroer from the one at the middle of the Arnon River.  Also Debir would have to be a different Debir.  All the cities of Gilead would only pertain to those cities within the area of Gad, as half of Gilead was given to the half tribe of Manasseh.  The same would have to be said for all the kingdom of Sihon that was given to Reuben (v. 21), as it states here that there was the rest of the kingdom of Sihon that was given to Gad.  Half the land of the children of Ammon refers to that part that Sihon king of the Amorites took from the Ammonites.

(29) And Moses gave to the half tribe of Manasseh, and this was of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by their families. (30) And their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities; (31) And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, to the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, to the one half of the children of Machir by their families.

To the half tribe of Manasseh, the land from Mahanaim, which must have been the southern border as Gad also had that border (v. 26), including all the land of Bashan that included sixty cities, half of Gilead, and the royal cities of Og, Ashtaroth and Edrei.  The land is said to have been given to half the children of Machir, who was Manasseh's son.

(32) These are what Moses had distributed for inheritance in the plains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho eastward.

The lands described above from verse 9 to this verse were all the lands that had been distributed by Moses to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, on the eastern side of the Jordan River, east of Jericho.

(33) But to the tribe of Levi Moses did not give inheritance; the Lord God of Israel was their inheritance, as He said to them.

Once again, Joshua points out that the tribe of Levi did not receive any land as their inheritance, because as priests, the Lord God was their inheritance.

As Joshua was now old, God had him rest from his battles, even though there was still much land to be conquered.  However, for now, He wanted Joshua to portion out the lots of inheritance, and it was to include all the land that had been promised, even those not yet conquered.  This chapter began with the allotments that had already been given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. 

Kings Defeated by Israel

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 12:1) Now these are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel smote and possessed their land on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:

In the last chapter and post, Joshua and his army had concluded their conquest of their promised land on the west side of the Jordan River.  Now began a summary and list of the kings whom Israel defeated in order that the Israelites could possess their land.  The list started with the kings Israel defeated on the east side of the Jordan River from the Arnon River in the south to Mount Hermon in the north and all the plains between the two.  

(2) Sihon king of the Amorites who dwelt in Heshbon and ruled from Aroer which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the middle of the river and from half Gilead even to the River Jabbok, the border of the children of Ammon, (3) And from the plain to the Sea of Chinneroth on the east and to the sea of the plain, the Salt Sea on the east, the way to Beth Jeshimoth, and from the south under Ashdoth Pisgah.

The first king the Israelites defeated in order to take possession of their land was Sihon king of the Amorites.  He dwelt in Heshbon and ruled half of Gilead from Aroer in the middle of the Arnon River, which was the boundary between the Amorites and the Moabites, to the Jabbok River which bordered the Ammonites, from the plain of Moab to the Sea of Chinneroth on the east and to the Salt Sea on the east, the way to Beth Jeshimoth, a place in the plains of Moab, and from the south under Ashdoth Pisgah, which meant literally the ravines of Pisgah, named for the springs of Pisgah which flowed from Mount Pisgah.  It is very difficult for me to grasp the exact locations of these territories, but I found a map on Pinterest said to be a map of the lands taken and kings defeated by Moses and Joshua from this chapter in Joshua.  The map was originally found at thesentone.files.wordpress.com:

(4) And the coast of Og king of Bashan of the remnant of the giants who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, (5) And reigned in Mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

The Israelites also defeated Og king of Bashan who was of the remnant of giants, said to be the only one left in Deuteronomy 3:11.  Og dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei and reigned over Mount Hermon and Salcah, and over all of Bashan, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

(6) Them did Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel smite, and Moses the servant of the Lord gave it as a possession to the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

Sihon and Og were the two kings who had been destroyed under the direction of Moses.  Moses gave those lands to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh (Deuteronomy 3:11-17).

(7) And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side of the Jordan on the west, from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon even to the mount Halak that goes up to Seir, which Joshua gave to the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions, (8) In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

Following in verse 9 begins a list of the kings defeated by Joshua and the Israelite army on the western side of the Jordan River, from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon in the north to Halak in Edom in the south, which Joshua would later divide among the tribes of Israel for their possession.  All the land contained in this area, all the mountains, valleys, plains, springs, the wilderness, and the south country, inhabited by the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, Israel had conquered.

(9) The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;

The list of kings defeated by Joshua begins with Jericho, one king, and next was the king of Ai, one king, which brings the tally to two kings.

(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;

The list continues with the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, who were the five kings who had allied against Israel and were taken and hanged.  Next was Gezer who came to help Lachish.  That brings the number to eight kings.

(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; 

Israel also defeated the kings of Debir, Geder, Hormah, Arad, Libnah, and Adullam, some of which were not mentioned among the major battles of chapters 10 and 11.  That brings the number of kings defeated to fourteen.

(16) The king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; (17) The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; (18) The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; 

The kings of Makkedah, Bethel, Tappuah, Hepher, Aphek, and Lasharon, bring the total to twenty kings defeated.

(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;

The kings of Madon, Hazor, Shimron Meron, Achshaph, Taanach, and Megiddo, bring the total to twenty-six.

(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;

The kings of Kedesh, Jokneam, Dor, and Gilgal were defeated by the Israelites.  Many Bible commentators say that the Gilgal where the king was defeated is not the same place as the Gilgal where Joshua lodged at first on the western side of the Jordan River (Joshua 4:19).  However, the way it is written in the verse, "nations of Gilgal," suggests there were several smaller cities or perhaps even nomadic tribes under one rule, so the king of the nations of Gilgal would not necessarily have been in the Gilgal where Joshua lodged, but could have still been over it, the way I see it.  The number of kings defeated by Joshua comes to thirty.

(24) The king of Tirzah, one; all the kings, thirty-one.

Finally, the king of Tirzah was defeated, bringing the total number of kings defeated by Joshua to thirty-one.  Thus completes the list of all the kings defeated by Israel in order to take possession of their promised land.  There were two kings defeated on the east side of the Jordan River under the direction of Moses, and thirty-one kings defeated by Joshua on the west side of the Jordan.

Conclusion of Joshua's Conquest of Canaan

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 11:1) And it came to pass when Jabin king of Hazor had heard, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, 

In the last chapter and post, Joshua had continued his conquest and had destroyed the Canaanite cities of the south.  Jabin, the king of Hazor in the north, heard about Joshua's conquest of the south and was undoubtedly alarmed.  He sent word to kings who were in the north as well, although their exact locations are not known.

(2) And to the kings on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor in the west, (3) To the Canaanites in the east and on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

Jabin sent word to other kings in the north as far south as the plains south of Chinneroth which Biblical commentators think are the plains of Jezreel, and to the west to the borders of Dor on the Mediterranean Sea.  He also sent word to kings in the northern mountainous region to Mount Hermon which was north of Dan.  The map used in the last post to show the southern conquest also identifies some of these places in the north:

(4) And they went out, they and all their armies with them, much people, even as the sand upon the seashore 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.

These kings went out from their cities with their huge armies, people so numerous as to be compared with the number of sand particles on the seashore, and with many horses and chariots.  The kings all met together and camped at a place called Merom, although that exact location is not known.  Their intention was to fight against Israel.

(6) And the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver them up all slain before Israel; you shall hock their horses and burn their chariots with fire."

Even though these armies were apparently much larger than any Joshua had encountered in Canaan thus far, the Lord told him not to fear, for He would deliver them into Israel's hand slain.  He said that Israel was to hamstring their horses rendering them useless and burn their chariots.  The Lord did not want them to fear their many horses and chariots, but it appears neither did He want the Israelites to keep the horses and chariots as they were not to put their trust in such things; it was only in their God who fought for them they should put their trust.

(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.

Joshua and his army came upon the encamped kings and their armies at Merom suddenly and took them by surprise.

(8) And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel who killed them and chased them to great Sidon and to Misrephoth-Maim and to the Valley of Mizpah eastward, and they struck them until they left none remaining.

The Lord indeed delivered the great armies into the hand of Israel.  The Israelite army killed them and chased the rest into the valley eastward until there were none remaining.

(9) And Joshua did to them as the Lord bade him; he hocked their horses and burnt their chariots with fire.

Joshua did as the Lord commanded and hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

(10) And Joshua at that time turned back and took Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor before was the head of all those kingdoms.

Having destroyed all the armies that had gathered against Israel, Joshua then went to Hazor and took the city and killed its king, for it was the royal city that had been the head of the northern regions that had come out against Israel.

(11) And they killed all the souls in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there were not any left to breathe, and he burnt Hazor with fire.

Joshua and the Israelite army killed all the people in Hazor leaving not one alive, and they burnt the city with fire.

(12) And all the cities of those kings and all the kings of them, Joshua took and struck them with the edge of the sword, he utterly destroyed them as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.

All those cities, Hazor, Madon, Shimron, and Achshaph, and all their kings, Joshua utterly destroyed and killed, as the Lord had commanded through Moses in Deuteronomy 7:2, "...you shall strike them and utterly destroy them," speaking of what they were to do with the inhabitants of the land when the Lord brought them into their promised land.

(13) But the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only which Joshua burned.

Although Joshua and the Israelite army had killed all the inhabitants and destroyed the cities of Madon, Shimron, and Achshaph, they did not burn them to the ground as they had done to Hazor.  Those cities still stood in their "strength," the original word being "tel" which meant literally "mound or heap."  Those cities probably stood on hills and were stronger because of their physical positions.  Joshua reserved them for use by the Israelites.

(14) And all the spoil of these cities and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a plunder to themselves, but every man they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, they left none to breathe.

The gold, silver, and any goods that survived destruction of the cities, along with the cattle, the Israelites took as their spoil, but they killed every one of the inhabitants of the cities.

(15) As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

As the Lord had commanded Moses regarding what the people were to do when they came into their promised land, Moses had in turn commanded his servant and successor Joshua, and Joshua did all that he had been commanded to do.

(16) So Joshua took all that land, the hills, all the south country, all the land of Goshen, the valley, the plain, the mountain of Israel, and its valley, (17) From Mount Halak that goes up to Seir, even to Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon; and all their kings he took and struck them and killed them.

So Joshua had taken that whole land of Canaan including the hill country of Judea, all the south country, all the land of Goshen with its valley and plain, as described in Joshua 10:40-41, the mountain of Israel which may be Jerusalem, and its valley, from Mount Halak on the border of Edom in the south, to Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon in the north.  He struck and killed all their kings.

(18) Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

Although the conquests of this chapter are lumped together and appear to have taken place in rapid order, it took five to seven years for Joshua to completely subdue the rest of the land of Canaan.

(19) There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the others they took in battle.

None of the cities of Canaan made peace with the Israelites except for the Gibeonites who had obtained peace, although through trickery.  The Israelites took all the other cities 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, that they might have no favor, but that He might destroy them as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Lord Himself had hardened the hearts of all the Canaanite inhabitants against trying to make peace with the Israelites.  It had been His will to completely destroy them because of their abominable wickedness (Deuteronomy 9:4-5).  God's will was that the Israelites make no covenant with them or show them any mercy (Deuteronomy 7:2).  However, Israel had made a peace agreement with the Gibeonites, even though the Gibeonites had used trickery to get it.  The Lord did not want any other cities pulling similar stunts, so He hardened their hearts so that all would want to go against Israel in battle where the Lord would have Israel completely destroy them.

(21) And at that time Joshua came 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 utterly destroyed them with their cities.

Joshua and his army had destroyed all the cities, and they also at that time cut off the Anakims from the mountains.  The Anakims were a wild, barbarous, and gigantic people who inhabited the mountains in the country around Hebron, Debir, Anab, the hill country of Judah, and all the mountains of Israel.  Joshua had also destroyed the Anakims in the mountains and in the cities which they may have inhabited before, or perhaps had taken possession of after Joshua had destroyed those cities.

(22) None of the Anakims were left in the land of the children of Israel, only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.

There were no Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel.  They were either destroyed or had fled to the southern coast of Canaan in what would become the land of the Philistines, in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

(23) So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

Thus Joshua had taken the land of Canaan as described in the past few chapters.  However, there were a few areas that were not yet subdued (Joshua 13:1-6).  Joshua had destroyed and driven out all the inhabitants of the land as had been declared by the Lord to Moses (Deuteronomy 7:2, 11:23).  It was the Lord who had given the land as an inheritance to Israel, but later Joshua would be instrumental in dividing it among the tribes.  I found this wonderfully detailed map of Joshua's conquest, as well as the sites of many historical events before and after the conquest at BibleAtlas.org:

The Joshua conquest could be seen as a symbol of the spiritual conquest that Christians must make.  When we put our faith in Jesus, He goes before us in spiritual battle and subdues all things to Himself, enemies from the outside and the strongholds of sin and lusts of the flesh from within us.  We then may rest from warring against those things when through His grace, we have conquered the flesh, the world, and the devil.  "...in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)

Joshua's Conquest of Southern Canaan

In the last chapter and post, Israel had made a peace agreement with the Gibeonites who were of the Hivites, even though the Gibeonites had deceived Israel by pretending they had come from a far country beyond Canaan.  Still an agreement was reached for peace with the Gibeonites, but they would serve Israel as woodcutters and water carriers.  Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 10:1) Now it came to pass, when Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, had heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, (2) That they feared greatly because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai and all its men were mighty.

In the last chapter, all the kings of Canaan planned to form an alliance to go against the Israelites.  Gibeon, part of the Hivites, had broken away and made a peace agreement with Israel.  Jerusalem at that time was a Jebusite city.  When its king, Adoni-Zedek, heard about how Israel had destroyed Ai and how Gibeon had made peace with Israel, he and his people greatly feared because Gibeon was a great royal city, greater than Ai, with mighty men, and it was now allied with Israel.

(3) Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, and to Piram king of Jarmuth, and to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, (4) "Come up to me and help me, that we might strike Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel."

The king of Jerusalem sent word to four other kings of Canaanite cities and asked them to come help him strike Gibeon because it had made peace with Israel.  That probably seemed a betrayal to him and was the reason he sought only to strike Gibeon and not Israel at that time.  Additionally, he probably considered Gibeon an easier target, especially with five armies attacking it.

(5) Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon and made war against it.

These five kings were called Amorites even though Jerusalem was a Jebusite city, and Hebron was a Hittite city.  The Canaanites as a whole were often called Amorites.  The Amorites were the most powerful people in the land and had dispersed throughout Canaan, and so Amorites became synonymous with Canaanites.  The five kings with their armies went and encamped before Gibeon and made war against it.

(6) And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, "Do not slacken your hand 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 mountains are gathered together against us."

The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua and asked that he not delay in helping to save the Gibeonites from the Amorites who dwelt in the mountains who had gathered together to make war against them.

(7) So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.

Indeed, Joshua and all his mighty men of war went up to Gibeon.

(8) And the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; there shall not a man of them stand before you."

The Lord told Joshua not to fear them, that He had delivered them into his hand, and that not one man would be able to stand before him.  What an incredible promise!  Five kings with five armies and not one man would be able to stand before Joshua!  

(9) Joshua therefore came to them suddenly and went up from Gilgal at night.

Joshua and his men came upon the kings and their armies suddenly in the night.

(10) And the Lord confounded them before Israel, and killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goes up to Beth Horon and struck them to Azekah and to Makkedah.

The Lord confused the kings and their armies when they were taken by surprise in the night, and a great number of them were slaughtered at Gibeon.  Israel chased the rest of them out of the city and into other cities in the area.

(11) And it came to pass as they fled from before Israel and were going down to Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them to Azekah, and they died. More died with hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.

And as the kings and their armies were fleeing into Azekah, the Lord sent great hailstones from heaven that killed them.  More people died from the hailstones than Israel's army killed.  Thus the Lord Himself killed the majority of them.

(12) Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still upon Gibeon, and moon, in the valley of Ajalon."

This was during the battle that Joshua prayed that the sun and moon might stand still over Gibeon until they were able to fully defeat the kings and their armies.  I believe the sense is that he prayed the sun not set and leave them in darkness before they had completely defeated their enemies.

(13) And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and did not hasten to go down about a whole day.

The sun and moon indeed stood still about a whole day until the people had defeated their enemies.  It is believed that the last part of verse 12 and the beginning of verse 13 may have been poetical prophecy from the lost book of Jasher:

Sun, stand still upon Gibeon,

And Moon, in the Valley of Ajalon.

And the sun stood still,

And the moon stayed

Until the people had avenged themselves

Upon their enemies.

Actually, it seems to me more likely that the first two lines were prayed by Joshua, and then perhaps the next four were prophesied in the book of Jasher.  Regardless, the sun and moon did in fact stand still in the sky for about a whole day.

(14) And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened to the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

I believe this verse proves that the first two lines above were in fact the prayer of Joshua.  Joshua wrote that never before or after, as far as he knew, had the Lord heeded the voice of man to do such a miraculous thing in the sky.  Joshua recognized that it was because the Lord fought for Israel.

(15) And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp to Gilgal.

After they had completely defeated the kings and their armies, Joshua and all the people of Israel who had gone up with him, returned to their camp at Gilgal.

(16) But these five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.

However, we find that the kings of the armies Israel had defeated, had fled on to Makkedah and hid themselves in a cave.

(17) And it was told Joshua, saying, "The five kings have been found hidden in a cave at Makkedah." (18) And Joshua said, "Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave and set men by it to keep them."

Joshua learned that the kings had hidden in a cave at Makkedah.  He then ordered that large stones be rolled to the mouth of the cave to keep the kings from escaping and that men be set by it to guard them.

(19) "And do not stay but pursue after your enemies and strike the hindmost of them; do not allow them to enter into their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand."

It seems that there must have been a band of soldiers who followed their kings to the cave.  Joshua ordered that the kings be closed in and a guard set, but that the rest of the Israelite soldiers were to pursue the kings' soldiers and strike them from behind and prevent them from entering into their cities.  Joshua encouraged his soldiers by telling them that the Lord had indeed delivered those soldiers into their hands just as He had the others they had conquered.

(20) And it came to pass when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter till they were consumed, that the rest who remained of them entered into fenced cities.

Joshua and the Israelites killed all the soldiers they had pursued who were along the way, but some of them had been able to escape into the fenced cities.

(21) And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace; none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.

The Israelites returned to a camp they had pitched at Makkedah in peace, insinuating that none perished.  No one dared to speak ill of the Israelites for invading them; such was the fear of them.

(22) Then Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring out those five kings to me out of the cave."

Then Joshua ordered that the five kings be brought to him from out of the cave where they had sought to hide.

(23) And they did so and brought forth those five kings to him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

They did as Joshua ordered and brought the five kings to him.

(24) And it came to pass when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." And they came near and put their feet upon the necks of them.

When they brought the kings to Joshua, he called for his men and told the captains of his army to put their feet on the necks of the kings, symbolizing their complete subjection to Israel.  The captains did as they were ordered and put their feet on the necks of the kings.

(25) And Joshua said to them, "Fear not, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom you fight."

Joshua encouraged his soldiers to be strong and of good courage and not to fear, for their Lord would bring all their enemies under subjection as the kings under their feet.

(26) And afterward Joshua struck them and killed them and hanged them on five trees, and they were hanging on the trees until the evening.

Joshua then killed the kings and hanged them on five trees where they remained until the evening.

(27) And it came to pass at the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees and cast them into the cave where they had been hidden and laid great stones in the cave's mouth until this very day.

When evening came and the sun was going down, Joshua ordered and his men obeyed, and they took the kings down from the trees and cast them into the cave where they had been hiding.  They laid large stones at the mouth of the cave, and that is where they still lay at the time of Joshua's writing.

(28) And that day Joshua took Makkedah and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king he utterly destroyed, them and all the souls therein; he let none remain, and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did to the king of Jericho.

That day Joshua also took Makkedah, killing the king who had not been among the five kings, and all the people in his city, letting none remain.  He did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho and killed him with the sword.

(29) Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah.

After they had destroyed Makkedah, Joshua and the Israelite army with him moved to the nearby city of Libnah and fought against it.

(30) And the Lord delivered it also and its king into the hand of Israel, and he struck it with the edge of the sword and all the souls that were in it; he let none remain in it but did to its king as he did to the king of Jericho.

The Lord also delivered Libnah and its king into the hand of Israel.  Joshua and the Israelites killed all the inhabitants of the city, along with its king.

(31) And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish and encamped against it and fought against it.

Joshua and the Israelite army then moved from Libnah to Lachish.  Their king was one of the five kings who had come together to invade Gibeon.  The Israelite army encamped across from Lachish and fought against it.

(32) And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel who took it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

The Lord also delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, but it took two days, which may be the reason the Israelites camped there.  They struck the city and killed all the people in it just as they had done in Libnah.

(33) Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua killed him and his people until he had left him none remaining.

Horam, the king of a neighboring city Gezer, came with his men to help the city of Lachish, but Joshua and the Israelite army also killed him and his people.

(34) And from Lachish Joshua passed to Eglon, and all Israel with him, and they encamped against it and fought against it.

Joshua and his army moved on to Eglon and camped across from it and fought against it.  Eglon's king was one of the five kings from above.

(35) And they took it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls in it he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

Joshua and the Israelites took Eglon that same day, striking it with the sword and killing all the people in the city just as they had done to Lachish.

(36) And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron and they fought against it.

Then Joshua and the Israelites moved from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it.  Hebron's king was one of the five kings Joshua hanged.

(37) And they took it and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king and all its cities and all the souls in it; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon, but destroyed it utterly and all the souls in it.

Israel then took Hebron.  It seems they had set another king over them, but he, all his people, and all the suburbs of Hebron, were destroyed by Joshua and the Israelite army.  They left no one but did to Hebron as they had done to Eglon.

(38) And Joshua returned and all Israel with him to Debir and fought against it.

Joshua and all the Israelite army turned back and went back to Debir which they had apparently passed over on the march to Hebron.  They then fought against it.  This Debir appears to be the name of a place and not the same as the king of Eglon whom Joshua had already killed.

(39) And he took it and its king and all its cities, and they struck them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed all the souls in it; he left none remaining; as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and to its king, as he had done also to Libnah and to her king.

Joshua and the Israelites took Debir and killed the king and all its inhabitants in all its suburbs.  They left no one; as they had done to Hebron and Libnah they did to Debir and its king.

(40) So Joshua struck all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the valley, and of the springs, and all their kings; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed as the Lord God of Israel commanded.

Joshua and his army struck all the country in that area which was the part of Canaan which lay southward, consisting of hills and valleys and springs.  They destroyed all their kings and all who breathed, which seems to suggest animals, too.  They could not have done what they did except that God willed it.  He had commanded that they utterly destroy the inhabitants of the land He was giving to His people (Deuteronomy 20:16-17).  Because of their many abominations (Leviticus 18) God had so judged the Canaanites.

(41) And Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea even to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even to Gibeon.

Joshua and his army had struck them from Kadesh Barnea which lay in the south of Canaan to Gaza which lay in the southwest.  The Goshen mentioned here is not the same as Goshen in Egypt, and its location has not been identified.  However, as the southern and southwestern boundaries are identified, as well as Gibeon in the north, the area of Joshua's conquest is pretty well identified.  I borrowed this map from Biblical Foundations for Freedom by Rev. Paul J. Bucknell:

Here is a map of all of Canaan that shows Joshua's conquest in relation to the whole.  I found this on Pinterest, and it was stated as coming from biblestudy.org, although I did not find this exact map there.

(42) And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.

Joshua and Israel's army were able to take all these kings and their lands so quickly only because God willed it and fought for Israel.

(43) And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp to Gilgal.

Joshua and the Israelite army then returned to their camp at Gilgal victorious.  Again it must be stressed that this amazing victory was only possible because God fought for Israel.  "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)