I He is ſaid toreturn thither, not as ifhe had been there before but becauſe having gone as far Weſtward and Southward as he thought fir, even as far as Gazs, v.41. he now rerurned towards Gilzal, which lay Northward and Eaſftward from him, and in his return fell upon Debir, ſee an. Joſh. 15. 15. ;
39 And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the Cities thereof, and they fmote them with the edge of the ſword, and utterly defttoyed all the ſouls that were therein, he left none remaining: as ke had done to He- bron, ſe he did to Debir, and-to the king thereof as he had done alfo to Libnah, and to her king. :
40 T So Joſhua ſmote all the country of the hills and of the ſouth, and of the vale, and of the fprings, and all their kings, he left none remaining,but utter] |
him to
deſtroyed Þ all that breathed mw, as the LORD God of i wy a t
Iſrael * commanded ». | w: i.e. All mankind, by a Synecdoche : for they reſerved the
in their Repura- 'e he acquitsthem of which they might be
tion for executing his Commands; and therefore h
| thoughr guilty of, and aſcribes it to himſelf and his own juſt In-
dignation againſt this moſt wicked people. 41 AndJoſhua ſmote them from Kadeſh-barnea 0, C-
venunto Gaza p, andall the.country of * Goſhen 9, e- ven unto. Gibeon. | | o Which lay in the South;of Canaan, Numb.
fies, that Foſbuadid: in this expedition ſubdue all thoſe parts which
' Jay South and\ Weſt from Gilgal. q Not that Goſben- 12 Egypt,but ano-
ther in Judgh, Joſb.1.1.16. and 15, 5x. 42 And all theſe kings andtheir land did: Joſhua take at onetime, becauſe the LORD God of Ifrael fought
for Krael. 43 And Joſhua returned, and all Iſrael with him,un-
i to the camp to Gilgal, Then Jolbua paſſed down from Makkedah, and |
CHA P: XI, | The other Kings and. Cities. of Canaan-gather themſelves togither to fight a-
gainſt Iſrael, 1-5. God encourages Feſhua, promiſing him Vittory, 6
The Canaanites. deſtroyed, their. Cities taken and burnt : Hazor : the Ena.
kims, 7---20, theſeinGaza, Gath, and Afbdod excepted, 2.1===23,
A ND it came to paſs when Jabin king of Hazor
« had. heardzhoſe things b, that he. ſent to Jobab king of Madon, andito the king ef Shimron c, and to the king of: Achſhaph &,
a The chief City of allthoſe parts, v. x0. b This wasaremarkable inſtance of the Wiſdom and Goodneſs of Divine Providence,which ſo governed the minds and hearts of the Canaanites, that they. were not at all united'under one King,but divided amongſt many petty, Kings ; and next, that theſe did not all unanimouſly, joyn their Counſels and Forces together to oppoſe the 7aelites at their firſt en- trance, which their own Wiſdom and Intereſt obliged them ro.do, but quietly ſuffered the deſtruQtion of their Brethren, thereby pre- paring the way for thezr ewn. c Called Shimronmeron, Joſb. 12. 10. d A place in the Tribe of Fr, the furtheſt part of the land toward the North and Weſt. :
2 And to the kings that ere on che north of the mountams
5 ' a 34+ 4+ Dent. I.I . . - I5. 3. þ Which wasin the South-weſt of Canaan. So he LES
Chap. XI,
+ Heb.
madeit a
curſe.
Y:ALD.
*Deur.20,
Cattel for their own uſes. » This is added for the Vindicati 16, 17, | the Jſraclites, whom God would not have to ſuffer <= 1157 ot
F chap.?!. 16. & 15.
I,
{Heb ſemble
appoin ment.
*Heb
[8 t.
ll
'FHAP. XI.
mountainse, and 6f the plains, ſouth of Tinneroth F, and | in the vale, andin the borders of Dorg, en the welt.
£ Heb. on the North, (which may be the general deſignation of all the particular places following, that they were in the Northern parts of Canaan, as thoſe mentioned Joſ. 10. were in the Southern parts) in the mountain, either in or near the famous mountain of Ze- banon, called the Mountain by way of eminency ; or in the mountain- ous Countrey f Heb. in the plaiu lying Southward from Cinnerech, or the Lake of Geneſareth; ſee Deut. 3.17. Luke 5. 1. g Aplace u- pon the coaſt of the Midland-ſea,
3 And tothe Canaanite on the eaſt,and on the welt þ,
and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebuſfite in the mountains, and to the Hivite un-
der Hermon 3, in the land of Mizpeh &.
þ The Canaanites properly ſo called, lived part of them on the Eaſt near Jordan, ev. part on the Weſt near the Sea, and both are here united. 7 That dwelt undermount Hermon in the North of Ca- nan, whereby they are differenced from thoſe Hivites who lived in Gibeon, of which before... k That Mizpeb which was in the North- ern part of Gilead, of which Gew. 31. 49: Juag. 11. 29.. But there were other Cities called by that name,.. which ſignifying a Watch- ing-place, might beeaſily applicd to ſeveral places of good proſpett. Beiles this, there is one Mizpeh of Judah, Jeſb. 15.-38, another of Benjamin, 5oſb. 18. 26. a third in Moab, 1 Sam. 22.3. :
4 Ard they went out, they, and all their hoſt with them, much people even as the ſand that is upon the ſea- ſhore in multitude, with horſes and chariots very many.
5 And when all theſe kings were met 7 together, they came and pitched together at rhe waters of Me-
rom 1, to fight againſt Iſrae). q
1 A lake made by the River Jordan in the Northern part of it, which was in theTerritory of the King of Schimron or Schimron-Meron, ' and near Hazor, Fabins royal City, and almoſt in the middle of theſe confederate Kings. . ?
6 © And the LORD ſaid unto Joſhua, be not afraid becauſe of them; for to morrow abour this time will I deliver them up all ſlain before Iſrael : thou ſhalt hough
their horſes », and burn their chariots with fire.
m (i. e.) Cut their Hamſtrings that they may be ynfit for War. For God forbad them to have, or keep many Horſes, Det. 17. 16. now eſpecially, that they might not truſt to their Horſes, as men are apt to do, nor diſtruſt God for want of ſo neceſſary an help in Battel ; nor aſcribe the conqueſt of the Land to their own ſtrength, bur wholly to God, by whoſe power alone a company of raw and unexperienced Footmen were able to ſubdue ſo potent a people, which beſides their great Numbers, and Giants, and walled Cities, had the advantage of many thouſands of Horſes and Chariots.
7 So Joſhua came, and all the people of war with
him, againf them by the waters of Merom ſuddenly », and they fell upon them.
» When they leaſt expe&ed them, intending there to refreſh, and prepare, and order themſelves for the offenſive War which they
deſigned. Ard the LORD delivered them into the hand of