Conquest of northern Canaan
11
📚And it happened when Jabin king of Hazor heard these things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon and to the king of Shimron and to the king of Achshaph 11:1 This chapter brings us to the final section of Joshua’s campaign. It records how the northern regions of the promised land were conquered. Hazor was the largest and best fortified of all the cities in Canaan. It was located about 15 kilometers north of the Sea of Galilee. Today there remains only ruins (v 11).⚜
2 📚and to the kings who were in the northern mountains and in the plains south of Kinneroth and in the valley and in the regions of Dor on the west 3 📚and to the Canaanite in the east and in the west and to the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Jebusite in the mountains and to the Hivite below Hermon in the land of Mizpeh. 4 📚And they went out, they and all their armies with them, a people as many as the sand on the seashore in number, with a great many horses and chariots. 5 📚And all these kings assembled and came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
11:2-5 Jabin collected a mighty army from his own people and from his numerous allies from all over the northern area of Canaan. Their horses and chariots should have given them military advantage. But God fought for Israel. Merom was (probably) about thirteen kilometers northwest of the Sea of Galilee. “Kinnereth” is another name for Galilee.⚜
6 📚And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for about this time tomorrow I will deliver them up before Israel, all killed. You shall hamstring 📖 their horses and burn their chariots with fire”.
7 📚So Joshua, and all the warriors with him, suddenly came against them at the waters of Merom and attacked them. 8 📚And the LORD delivered them into Israel’s hands, who struck them and chased them to great Sidon, and to Misrephoth Maim and to the valley of Mizpeh on the east, and struck them down until they had no survivor left.
11:8 The Lord once again gained the victory for them.⚜
9 📚And Joshua did to them just as the LORD had ordered him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
10 📚And at that time Joshua turned back and took Hazor and struck its king with the sword; for previously Hazor was the head of all those kingdoms. 11 📚And with the edge of the sword they struck down every soul in it, utterly destroying them. There was no one left breathing. And he burned Hazor with fire.
12 📚And Joshua captured all the cities of those kings and all their kings, and struck them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed them, just as Moses the LORD’s servant commanded. 13 📚But as for the cities standing on their mounds, Israel did not burn any of them, except Hazor. Joshua did burn that. 14 📚And the children of Israel took all the plunder of these cities, and the livestock, as prey for themselves; but they struck down every man with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, not leaving anyone breathing. 15 📚Moses commanded Joshua just as the LORD commanded his servant Moses, and Joshua did accordingly. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.
11:15 It was this obedience that was so important in conquering the land of promise (Josh 1:7-8).⚜
Summary of Joshua’s campaigns
16 📚So Joshua took all that land, the hills and all the south country and all the land of Goshen and the valley and the plain and the hill country of Israel and its lowland, 17 📚from Mount Halak that rises toward Seir to Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. And he captured all their kings, struck them down and killed them. 18 📚For a long time 📖 Joshua waged war with all those kings. 19 📚There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites who lived in Gibeon; all the others they captured in battle. 20 📚For it was the LORD’s purpose to harden 📖 their hearts, so that they would come against Israel in battle, that Joshua might utterly destroy them 📖; that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.
21 📚And at that time Joshua went and cut off the Anakim 📖 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. 22 📚None of the Anakim was left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod. 23 📚So Joshua took the whole land, in accordance with all that the LORD said to Moses. And Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.
11:23 Verse 15; Deut 12:10; Num 34:2. For believers now there are times of rest before the final rest (Heb 4:9, 11). And a greater than Joshua leads us there. The Lord Jesus has fought and won our inheritance for us and enables us to enter into it and gives to each his portion.⚜