Joshua 10 is the tenth
chapter of the
Book of Joshua
The Book of Joshua ( he, סֵפֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ ', Tiberian: ''Sēp̄er Yŏhōšūaʿ'') is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Isra ...
in the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...
or in the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
of the
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the
Joshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
, with additions by the high priests
Eleazar
Eleazar (; ) or Elʽazar was a priest in the Hebrew Bible, the second High Priest, succeeding his father Aaron after he died. He was a nephew of Moses.
Biblical narrative
Eleazar played a number of roles during the course of the Exodus, from c ...
and
Phinehas
According to the Hebrew Bible, Phinehas or Phineas (; , ''Phinees'', ) was a priest during the Israelites’ Exodus journey. The grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar, the High Priests (), he distinguished himself as a youth at Shittim with h ...
,
[Gilad, Elon]
Who Really Wrote the Biblical Books of Kings and the Prophets?
''Haaretz'', June 25, 2015. Summary: The paean to King Josiah and exalted descriptions of the ancient Israelite empires beg the thought that he and his scribes lie behind the Deuteronomistic History. but modern scholars view it as part of the Deuteronomistic History, which spans the
books of Deuteronomy to
2 Kings
The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of Israel also including the books ...
, attributed to nationalistic and devotedly Yahwistic writers during the time of the reformer Judean king
Josiah
Josiah ( or ) or Yoshiyahu; la, Iosias was the 16th king of Judah (–609 BCE) who, according to the Hebrew Bible, instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Josiah is credited by most biblical s ...
in 7th century BCE.
[ This chapter focuses on the conquest of southern part of Canaan by the ]Israelites
The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan.
The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...
under the leadership of Joshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
, a part of a section comprising Joshua 5:13–12:24 about the conquest of Canaan.
Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
. It is divided into 43 verses.
Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
are of the Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...
tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis
The Codex Cairensis (also: ''Codex Prophetarum Cairensis'', ''Cairo Codex of the Prophets'') is a Hebrew manuscript containing the complete text of the Hebrew Bible's Nevi'im (Prophets). It has traditionally been described as "the oldest dated He ...
(895), Aleppo Codex
The Aleppo Codex ( he, כֶּתֶר אֲרָם צוֹבָא, romanized: , lit. 'Crown of Aleppo') is a medieval bound manuscript of the Hebrew Bible. The codex was written in the city of Tiberias in the tenth century CE (circa 920) under the ...
(10th century), and Codex Leningradensis
The Leningrad Codex ( la, Codex Leningradensis [Leningrad Book]; he, כתב יד לנינגרד) is the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible in Hebrew, using the Masoretic Text and Tiberian vocalization. According to its colopho ...
(1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the nor ...
including 4Q47 (4QJosh; 200–100 BCE) with extant verses 2–5, 8–11.[Dead sea scrolls - Joshua]
/ref>
Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek
Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...
known as the Septuagint
The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...
(originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...
(B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII), designated by the siglum A or 02 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 4 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a manu ...
(A; A; 5th century). Fragments of the Septuagint
The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...
Greek text containing this chapter is found in manuscripts such as Washington Manuscript I (5th century CE), and a reduced version of the Septuagint text is found in the illustrated Joshua Roll
The Joshua Roll is a Byzantine illuminated manuscript of highly unusual format, probably of the 10th century Macedonian Renaissance, believed to have been created by artists of the imperial workshops in Constantinople, and is now held in the V ...
.[Facsimiles of Illuminated Manuscripts of the Medieval Period](_blank)
Only contains Joshua chapter II to the end of chapter X
Analysis
The narrative of the Israelites conquering the land of Canaan comprises verses 5:13 to 12:24 of the Book of Joshua and has the following outline:
:A. Jericho (5:13–6:27)
:B. Achan and Ai (7:1–8:29)
:C. Renewal at Mount Ebal (8:30–35)
:D. The Gibeonite Deception (9:1–27)
:E. The Campaign in the South (10:1–43)
::1. Victory over the Southern Alliance (10:1-15)
:::a. The Southern Alliance (10:1-5)
:::b. The Gibeonite Request (10:6-7)
:::c. Divine Reassurance (10:8)
:::d. Victory at Gibeon (10:9-11)
:::e. Affirmation of God's Unique Involvement (10:12-15)
::2. Execution of the Five Kings of the Southern Alliance (10:16-27)
:::a. The Kings Held in the Cave (10:16-21)
:::b. The Kings Brought Out from the Cave (10:22-25)
:::c. The Kings Executed (10:26-27)
::3. Victory over Southern Cities (10:28-39)
:::a. Makkedah (10:28)
:::b. Libnah (10:29-30)
:::c. Lachish (10:31-33)
:::d. Eglon (10:34-35)
:::e. Hebron (10:36-37)
:::f. Debir (10:38-39)
::4. Summary of the Campaign in the South (10:40-43)
:F. The Campaign in the North and Summary List of Kings (11:1–12:24)
::1. Victory over the Northern Alliance (11:1-15)
:::a. The Northern Alliance (11:1-5)
:::b. Divine Reassurance (11:6)
:::c. Victory at Merom (11:7-9)
:::d. Destruction of Hazor (11:10–11)
:::e. Summation of Obedience and Victory (11:12–15)
::2. Summaries of Taking the Land (11:16-12:24)
:::a. Taking the Land (11:16-20)
:::b. Extermination of the Anakim (11:21-22)
:::c. Narrative Pivot: Taking and Allotting (11:23)
:::d. Capture of Land and Kings (12:1-24)
::::i. East of the Jordan (12:1-6)
::::ii. West of the Jordan (12:7-24)
Chapters 10 and 11 closely parallel each other and have similar structure:
Victory over the Southern Alliance (10:1–27)
Gibeon was apparently a relatively powerful city-state, 'like one of the royal cities' (verse 2), although it did not have a king (none is mentioned in Joshua 9
Joshua 9 is the ninth chapter of the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible or in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the Joshua, with additions by the high priests Eleazar and Phineh ...
), so its submission to the Israelites without war shocked the region (verses 1–15) and the neighboring states declared war to Gibeon for the perceived betrayal. Having an alliance with Israel, the Gibeonites can requested help from the Israelites (verse 6). This opportunity enabled Joshua at the same time to fight for control of the whole southern region of Canaan. Jerusalem occupies an important location on the central ridge, between south and north mountains, and its king, Adoni-zedek, established an alliance with four other kings from across the southern highlands (cf 12:10–13; later would become the territory of Judah). The battle report against the southern alliance emphasizes the hand of God in the victory, as the hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...
stones from heaven were more devastating than the action of Israelite forces, and the staying of the sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
and moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
(meaning that 'the day was lengthened') demonstrated that YHWH
The Tetragrammaton (; ), or Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are ''yodh'', '' he'', ''waw'', and '' ...
, not Joshua, had the full control of even the heavenly bodies in the defeat of the southern kings.
In the battle Israel pursued the fleeing enemies into their territory, 'as far as Azekah
Azekah ( he, עֲזֵקָה, ''ʿazēqā'') was an ancient town in the Shfela ("lowlands of Judea") guarding the upper reaches of the Valley of Elah, about 26 km (16 mi) northwest of Hebron.
The current '' tell'' (ruin) by that name, ...
and Makkedah
This is a list of places mentioned in the Bible, which do not have their own Wikipedia articles. See also the list of biblical places for locations which do have their own article.
Ænon, A Abana
Abana, according to 2 Kings 5:12, was one of the ...
' (verse 10), then they cornered the five kings into a cave and held them there until their armies were thoroughly decimated with only a few survivors going back to their cities (verses 16–27). The five kings were executed by hanging (verse 24), similar to the treatment of the king of Ai (Joshua 8:29). Memorial stones were again established to mark the victory accompanied by Joshua's words of encouragement to the army (verse 25) recalling God's words to Joshua at the start of the conquest (Joshua 1:6).
Verse 5
:''Therefore the five kings of the Amorites
The Amorites (; sux, 𒈥𒌅, MAR.TU; Akkadian language, Akkadian: 𒀀𒈬𒊒𒌝 or 𒋾𒀉𒉡𒌝/𒊎 ; he, אֱמוֹרִי, 'Ĕmōrī; grc, Ἀμορραῖοι) were an ancient Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic-speaking people ...
, the king of Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, the king of Hebron
Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after East J ...
, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.''
*"Lachish
Lachish ( he, לכיש; grc, Λαχίς; la, Lachis) was an ancient Canaanite and Israelite city in the Shephelah ("lowlands of Judea") region of Israel, on the South bank of the Lakhish River, mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. Th ...
": was already a major city-state in Joshua's time (made famous by the reliefs of Sennacherib's siege, now in the British Museum). Azekah
Azekah ( he, עֲזֵקָה, ''ʿazēqā'') was an ancient town in the Shfela ("lowlands of Judea") guarding the upper reaches of the Valley of Elah, about 26 km (16 mi) northwest of Hebron.
The current '' tell'' (ruin) by that name, ...
lies on the route from Jerusalem to Lachish.
*"Hebron
Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after East J ...
": south-east of Lachish, was known to the patriarchs as Kiriath-arba.
Victory over Southern Cities (10:28–43)
The next phase in the campaign is the conquest of the cities from which the alliance had come, now defended only by few survivals from the battlefield, but the conquered cities do not correspond exactly to those forming the alliance.
Younger shows that the conquest of southern cities (verses 28-39) has a specific chiasm structure:
A Makkedah (verse 28)
B Libnah (verses 29–30)
C Lachish (verses 31–32)
X Gezer (verse 33)
C' Eglon (verses 34–35)
B' Hebron (verses 36–37)
A' Debir (verses 38–39)
The center of a chiasm (the member with no parallel) is the report of Israel's attack of King Horam of Gezer who had marched his army in defense of Lachish (verse 33), but Israel never conquered Gezer (16:10), so the chiasm emphasizes the event as memorable in relation to the city's ancient importance.
The conquest report of those cities follows a repeating formula (but not in lock-step order):
:1. The city's capture (verses. 28, 32, 35, 37, 39)
:2. The siege and attack (verses 29, 31, 34, 36, 38)
:3. The city, everyone put to the sword (verses 28, 30, 32, 35, 37, 39)
:4. No survivors remain (verses 28, 30, 33, 35, 37, 39)
:5. Israel implements the "ban" (verses. 28, 35, 37, 39)
:6. The king suffers the same fate as the king of city-X (verses 28, 30, 32, 35, 37, 39)
The statement 6 for both Makkedah (city 1) and Libnah (city 2) is compared to that of Jericho, whereas that of the next three is compared only to the one destroyed just before it. The fate of the final city, Debir (verses 38-39) is compared to both Libnah (city 2) and Hebron
(city 5).
Jerusalem, as also stated in the Book of Judges
The Book of Judges (, ') is the seventh book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. In the narrative of the Hebrew Bible, it covers the time between the conquest described in the Book of Joshua and the establishment of a kingdom i ...
, was not subjugated by Joshua (Joshua 15:63), whereas the conquest on Jarmuth is not recorded. Gezer was mentioned but not conquered (it is finally taken at the time of Solomon; 1 Kings 9:16; cf. Joshua 16:10). Libnah and Debir, not parts of the alliance, were taken due to geographical proximities to other conquered cities (to fulfill the ''herem'', or ban; verses 28, 35, 37, 40).
The narrative ends with a summary statement that Joshua controlled the entire southern part of the land. Based on the estimate of logistics involved, the conquests in this chapter could take several weeks (or even months) to complete.
Verse 41
:''And Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon.''[ ESV]
*"Kadesh-barnea" was the starting point of the first attempt of conquest (Deuteronomy 1:2; 2:14).
*" Gaza" is located in the coastal area; no specific report of victories there.
*"Goshen": is probably an area in the southern reaches of the Negeb (not the Goshen of Joseph's Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
; Genesis 45:10).
See also
*Related Bible parts: Deuteronomy 1 01 or '01 may refer to:
* The year 2001, or any year ending with 01
* The month of January
* 1 (number)
Music
* 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001
* ''01'' (Son of Dave album), 2000
* ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011
* ''O1'' (Hiroyuki Sawano ...
, Joshua 6
Joshua 6 is the sixth Chapters and verses of the Bible, chapter of the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible or in the Old Testament of the Christianity, Christian Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to Joshua, with addition ...
, Joshua 8
Joshua 8 is the eighth chapter of the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible or in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the Joshua, with additions by the high priests Eleazar and Phine ...
, Joshua 11
Joshua 11 is the eleventh Chapters and verses of the Bible, chapter of the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible or in the Old Testament of the Christianity, Christian Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the Joshua, with ...
Notes
References
Sources
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External links
* Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
translations:
*
Yehoshua - Joshua - Chapter 10 (Judaica Press)
Hebrew text and English translation ith_Rashi's_commentary.html"_;"title="Rashi.html"_;"title="ith_Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentary">Rashi.html"_;"title="ith_Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentaryat_Chabad.org
*_Christian_
Christians_()_are_people_who_follow_or_adhere_to_Christianity,_a__monotheistic__Abrahamic_religion_based_on_the_life_and_teachings_of_Jesus_Christ._The_words_''Christ''_and_''Christian''_derive_from_the_Koine_Greek_title_''Christós''_(Χρι_...