CHAPTER 11
. DIVERS KINGS
OVERCOME AT THE WATERS
OF MEROM.
1-9. And it came to pass, when Jabin
king of Hazor had heard those things—The scene of the sacred
narrative is here shifted to the north of Canaan, where a still more
extensive confederacy was formed among the ruling powers to oppose
the further progress of the Israelites. Jabin ("the
Intelligent"), which seems to have been a hereditary title (), took the lead, from Hazor being the capital of the northern
region (Joshua 11:10). It was
situated on the borders of lake Merom. The other cities mentioned
must have been in the vicinity though their exact position is
unknown.
2. the kings that were on the north
of the mountains—the Anti-libanus district.
the plains south of
Chinneroth—the northern part of the Arabah, or valley of the
Jordan.
the valley—the low and
level country, including the plain of Sharon.
borders of Dor on the
west—the highlands of Dor, reaching to the town of Dor on the
Mediterranean coast, below mount Carmel.
3. the Canaanites on the east and on
the west—a particular branch of the Canaanitish population who
occupied the western bank of the Jordan as far northward as the Sea
of Galilee, and also the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea.
under Hermon—now
Jebel-es-sheikh. It was the northern boundary of Canaan on the east
of the Jordan.
land of Mizpeh—now
Coeliglo-Syria.
4, 5. they went out, . . . as the
sand that is upon the sea-shore in multitude—The chiefs of
these several tribes were summoned by Jabin, being all probably
tributary to the kingdom of Hazor. Their combined forces, according
to JOSEPHUS, amounted to
three hundred thousand infantry, ten thousand cavalry, and twenty
thousand war chariots.
with horses and chariots very
many—The war chariots were probably like those of Egypt, made
of wood, but nailed and tipped with iron. These appear for the first
time in the Canaanite war, to aid this last determined struggle
against the invaders; and "it was the use of these which seems
to have fixed the place of rendezvous by the lake Merom (now Huleh),
along whose level shores they could have full play for their force."
A host so formidable in numbers, as well as in military equipments,
was sure to alarm and dispirit the Israelites. Joshua, therefore, was
favored with a renewal of the divine promise of victory (), and thus encouraged, he, in the full confidence of faith,
set out to face the enemy.
6-8. to-morrow, about this time will
I deliver them up all slain before Israel—As it was impossible
to have marched from Gilgal to Merom in one day, we must suppose
Joshua already moving northward and within a day's distance of the
Canaanite camp, when the Lord gave him this assurance of success.
With characteristic energy he made a sudden advance, probably during
the night, and fell upon them like a thunderbolt, when scattered
along the rising grounds (Septuagint), before they had time to
rally on the plain. In the sudden panic "the Lord delivered them
into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them." The
rout was complete; some went westward, over the mountains, above the
gorge of the Leontes, to Sidon and Misrephothmaim ("glass-smelting
houses"), in the neighborhood, and others eastward to the plain
of Mizpeh.
8. they left none remaining—of
those whom they overtook. All those who fell into their hands alive
were slain.
9. Joshua did unto them as the Lord
bade him—(See Joshua 11:6).
Houghing the horses is done by cutting the sinews and arteries of
their hinder legs, so that they not only become hopelessly lame, but
bleed to death. The reasons for this special command were that the
Lord designed to lead the Israelites to trust in Him, not in military
resources (Psalms 20:7); to show
that in the land of promise there was no use of horses; and, finally,
to discourage their travelling as they were to be an agricultural,
not a trading, people.
11. he burnt Hazor with fire—calmly
and deliberately, doubtless, according to divine direction.
13. as for the cities that stood
still in their strength—literally, "on their heaps."
It was a Phoelignician custom to build cities on heights, natural or
artificial [HENGSTENBERG].
16. So Joshua took all that
land—Here follows a general view of the conquest. The division
of the country there into five parts; namely, the hills, the land of
Goshen, that is, a pastoral land near Gibeon (); the valley, the plains and the mountains of Israel, i.
e., Carmel, rests upon a diversity of geographical positions,
which is characteristic of the region.
17. from the mount Halak—Hebrew,
"the smooth mountain."
that goeth up to Seir—an
irregular line of white naked hills, about eighty feet high, and
seven or eight geographical miles in length that cross the whole
Ghor, eight miles south of the Dead Sea, probably "the ascent of
Akrabbim" [ROBINSON].
unto Baal-gad in the valley
of Lebanon—the city or temple of the god of destiny, in
Baalbec.
23. Joshua took the whole land—The
battle of the take of Merom was to the north what the battle of
Beth-horon was to the south; more briefly told and less complete in
its consequences; but still the decisive conflict by which the whole
northern region of Canaan fell into the hands of Israel [STANLEY].
CHAPTER 11
. DIVERS KINGS OVERCOME AT THE WATERS OF MEROM.
1-9. And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things—The scene of the sacred narrative is here shifted to the north of Canaan, where a still more extensive confederacy was formed among the ruling powers to oppose the further progress of the Israelites. Jabin ("the Intelligent"), which seems to have been a hereditary title (), took the lead, from Hazor being the capital of the northern region (Joshua 11:10). It was situated on the borders of lake Merom. The other cities mentioned must have been in the vicinity though their exact position is unknown.
2. the kings that were on the north of the mountains—the Anti-libanus district.
the plains south of Chinneroth—the northern part of the Arabah, or valley of the Jordan.
the valley—the low and level country, including the plain of Sharon.
borders of Dor on the west—the highlands of Dor, reaching to the town of Dor on the Mediterranean coast, below mount Carmel.
3. the Canaanites on the east and on the west—a particular branch of the Canaanitish population who occupied the western bank of the Jordan as far northward as the Sea of Galilee, and also the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea.
under Hermon—now Jebel-es-sheikh. It was the northern boundary of Canaan on the east of the Jordan.
land of Mizpeh—now Coeliglo-Syria.
4, 5. they went out, . . . as the sand that is upon the sea-shore in multitude—The chiefs of these several tribes were summoned by Jabin, being all probably tributary to the kingdom of Hazor. Their combined forces, according to JOSEPHUS, amounted to three hundred thousand infantry, ten thousand cavalry, and twenty thousand war chariots.
with horses and chariots very many—The war chariots were probably like those of Egypt, made of wood, but nailed and tipped with iron. These appear for the first time in the Canaanite war, to aid this last determined struggle against the invaders; and "it was the use of these which seems to have fixed the place of rendezvous by the lake Merom (now Huleh), along whose level shores they could have full play for their force." A host so formidable in numbers, as well as in military equipments, was sure to alarm and dispirit the Israelites. Joshua, therefore, was favored with a renewal of the divine promise of victory (), and thus encouraged, he, in the full confidence of faith, set out to face the enemy.
6-8. to-morrow, about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel—As it was impossible to have marched from Gilgal to Merom in one day, we must suppose Joshua already moving northward and within a day's distance of the Canaanite camp, when the Lord gave him this assurance of success. With characteristic energy he made a sudden advance, probably during the night, and fell upon them like a thunderbolt, when scattered along the rising grounds (Septuagint), before they had time to rally on the plain. In the sudden panic "the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them." The rout was complete; some went westward, over the mountains, above the gorge of the Leontes, to Sidon and Misrephothmaim ("glass-smelting houses"), in the neighborhood, and others eastward to the plain of Mizpeh.
8. they left none remaining—of those whom they overtook. All those who fell into their hands alive were slain.
9. Joshua did unto them as the Lord bade him—(See Joshua 11:6). Houghing the horses is done by cutting the sinews and arteries of their hinder legs, so that they not only become hopelessly lame, but bleed to death. The reasons for this special command were that the Lord designed to lead the Israelites to trust in Him, not in military resources (Psalms 20:7); to show that in the land of promise there was no use of horses; and, finally, to discourage their travelling as they were to be an agricultural, not a trading, people.
11. he burnt Hazor with fire—calmly and deliberately, doubtless, according to divine direction.
13. as for the cities that stood still in their strength—literally, "on their heaps." It was a Phoelignician custom to build cities on heights, natural or artificial [HENGSTENBERG].
16. So Joshua took all that land—Here follows a general view of the conquest. The division of the country there into five parts; namely, the hills, the land of Goshen, that is, a pastoral land near Gibeon (); the valley, the plains and the mountains of Israel, i. e., Carmel, rests upon a diversity of geographical positions, which is characteristic of the region.
17. from the mount Halak—Hebrew, "the smooth mountain."
that goeth up to Seir—an irregular line of white naked hills, about eighty feet high, and seven or eight geographical miles in length that cross the whole Ghor, eight miles south of the Dead Sea, probably "the ascent of Akrabbim" [ROBINSON].
unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon—the city or temple of the god of destiny, in Baalbec.
23. Joshua took the whole land—The battle of the take of Merom was to the north what the battle of Beth-horon was to the south; more briefly told and less complete in its consequences; but still the decisive conflict by which the whole northern region of Canaan fell into the hands of Israel [STANLEY].