Battle of Gibeon, the sun stands still
10
📚Now it came about when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it (he had done to Ai and its king just as he had done to Jericho and its king), and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, 2 📚that they were very afraid, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai and all its men were mighty. 3 📚Therefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent word 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, so that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel”.10:3-4 Here are five of the most important cities of southern Canaan at that time.⚜
5 📚Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped in front of Gibeon and made war against it.
6 📚And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not forsake your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the mountains have gathered against us”.
7 📚So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him and all the brave fighting men.
10:6-7 Joshua had made a pact with the Gibeonites, so he thought it was right to honor it and defend them.⚜
8 📚And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hand. Not a man of them will stand before you”.
9 📚Therefore Joshua came on them suddenly, going up from Gilgal all night.
10:9 Gilgal was about 30 kilometers east of Gibeon and the terrain was hill country.⚜
10 📚And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel and struck them down with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the road that goes up to Beth-Horon and struck them down as far as Azekah, and Makkedah 📖. 11 📚And it happened as they fled from before Israel, and were in the descent to Beth Horon, that the LORD hurled great stones down from heaven on them as far as Azekah; and many died. More died from the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel killed with the sword.
10:11 God sometimes used natural things in a supernatural way. Compare Ex 14:21; 1 Sam 7:10; Josh 24:12.⚜
12 📚Then Joshua spoke to the LORD on the day that the LORD delivered up the Amorites to the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still on Gibeon, and you, moon, in the valley of Aijalon!”
10:12 Joshua was inspired to offer this unique and wonderful prayer. And he prayed it publicly.⚜
13 📚And the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the people had taken vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.
14 📚And there was no day like that before it or after it, a day when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.
10:13-14 The book of Jasher has been lost and we do not know what else it contained. This miracle recorded in it was unparalleled in the history of man. There have been many days when God heard the prayers of His servants and did miraculous things, but none like this day. We do not know what changes occurred in the rotation of the earth or moon, or whether the entire solar system was affected in some way. But the author of these notes is sure that on that exceptional day, from the point of view of the earth, the sun and moon seemed to stand still in the sky for several hours.
If God arises to fight for His people He may use any of what are called the forces of nature He chooses, and it would be no more difficult for Him to make a temporary change in the whole solar system than to cause hailstones to fall from the sky. Compare Ex 14:21; Ps 18:6-15; Acts 16:25-26. “Taken vengeance on” (v 13) – or it could be translated “triumphed over”.⚜
15 📚And Joshua returned to the camp at Gilgal, and all Israel went with him.
10:15 Verse 43. Verses 16-42 give a further description of events that took place before Joshua returned to Gilgal.⚜
16 📚But those five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah. 17 And someone told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in a cave at Makkedah”. 18 📚And Joshua said, “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and place men by it to guard them. 19 📚And do not stay there, but pursue your enemies and attack those in the rear. Don’t let them enter their cities; for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hands”.
20 📚And it came about, when Joshua and the children of Israel had finished striking them down with a very great slaughter until they were destroyed, that those of them who remained entered fenced cities. 21 📚And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace; no one moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
22 📚Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out of the cave to me”. 23 📚And they did so, bringing those five kings out of the cave to him, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 📚And it happened, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said to the captains of the warriors who went with him, “Come near. Put your feet on 📖 the necks of these kings”. And they came near and put their feet on their necks.
25 📚And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or be dismayed. Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do like this to all your enemies that you fight against”. 26 📚And afterwards Joshua struck them down and killed them, and hung them on five trees. And they were hanging on the trees until evening. 27 📚And it happened at the time of sunset that Joshua gave a command, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden and laid large stones at the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.
28 📚And that day Joshua took Makkedah and struck it with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed its king and every soul who was in it. He did not allow anyone to remain. He did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.
29 📚Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, went on to Libnah and fought against Libnah. 30 And the LORD delivered it also and its king into the hands of Israel. And he struck it with the edge of the sword and every soul who was in it. He did not allow anyone to remain in it, but did to its king just as he had done to the king of Jericho.
31 📚And Joshua, and all Israel with him, went on from Libnah to Lachish and camped against it and fought against it. 32 And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hands of Israel. They took it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword and every soul who was in it, just as he had done everything to Libnah. 33 📚Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people down until he left no one to him.
34 📚And from Lachish Joshua, and all Israel with him, went on to Eglon and camped against it and fought against it. 35 📚And they took it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword and that day utterly destroyed every soul who was in it, just as he had done everything to Lachish.
36 📚And Joshua, and all Israel with him, went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it, 37 and took it and with the edge of the sword struck it and its king and all its cities and every soul that was in it. He did not leave anyone remaining, just as he had done everything to Eglon. He utterly destroyed it and every soul who was in it.
38 📚And Joshua, and all Israel with him, returned to Debir and fought against it. 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 every soul who was in it. He did not leave anyone. He did to Debir and to its king just as he had done to Hebron, and just as he had done to Libnah and to its king.
40 📚So Joshua attacked the whole hill country and the land of the south and of the valley and of the springs, and all their kings. He did not leave anyone, but utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as the LORD God of Israel commanded.
10:28-40 In these verses the words “utterly destroyed” and “did not leave anyone” appear again and again. In this Israel was obeying God’s clear command (Deut 7:2, 16; 20:16-18). The time to judge and destroy godless, hardened, unrepentant peoples had come. See Gen 6:7; 15:16; Lev 18:24; Rev 16:1-7.⚜
41 📚And Joshua struck them from Kadesh-Barnea to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen to Gibeon. 42 📚And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at the same time, because 📖 the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.
43 📚And Joshua, and all Israel with him, returned to the camp at Gilgal.