Chapter 11
The Canaan Conquest Goes North
11:1 When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, 2 and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west, 3 to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
Jabin the king of Hazor heard about Joshua and Israel conquering the southern region of Canaan and like Adoni-zedek the king of Jerusalem, he thought that forming a coalition would be the best defense. He sent word out to the kings of Madon, Shimron, Achshaph, and to the kings of the northern hill country, the Arabah, the lowland, in Naphoth-dor (approximately three mile south of Mount Carmel on the Mediterranean coast) on the west, to the Canaanites in the east and west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites (under Hermon in the land of Mizpah). An extensive list of potential coalition members that began with the detail of specific kings and ended with a generalization of different people groups.
Hazor is considered the largest of the cities in Canaan with an estimated size of over two hundred acres (compared to Jericho being around ten acres). Since the name Jabin is listed as being king in the book of Judges (see Judges 4:2) that some believe that the event recorded in Judges 4:1-24 and the event recorded here in Joshua is the same event. Others point out the possibility that Jabin may be either a dynastic name or the title of their king (like the Pharaoh being the title for the king of Egypt).
Is it Mispah (Hebrew mṣ·pā(h)’, see verse three) or Mispeh (Hebrew miṣ·pě(h)’, see verse eight)? The spelling may be different but the word is the same, they refer to a watchtower, and it is the name for several locations, so the spelling differences may have been a way to differentiate some locations from others. However, here in Joshua 11:3 “the land of Mispah” and Joshua 11:8 “the Valley of Mispeh” appear to be in the same region near the foothills of Mount Hermon in Hivite territory.
11:4 And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. 5 And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
The kings alerted by Jabin each responded and sent their armies to gather at the waters of Merom. The text describes the men as a great horde (Hebrew rāḇ ‘ǎm, numerous people), an abundance so big (which also included many horses and chariots) that the number would be like counting sand on the seashore (compare to Genesis 22:17; 32:12; Judges 7:12; 1 Samuel 13:5). There is some debate as to the location of Merom, some place it northwest of the Sea of Galilee (this lake has several Biblical names including Gennesaret, Sea of Tiberias, and Chinnereth or Chinneroth, see verse two above) in a mountain range while others place it approximately ten miles directly north of the Sea of Galilee on the shore of the Jordan (better access for chariots).
11:6 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” 7 So Joshua and all his warriors came suddenly against them by the waters of Merom and fell upon them.
God told Joshua to not be afraid that by this time the next day, He will give over all of them slain. He also instructed that afterwards they are to hamstring their horses to prevent further military use and to burn their chariots. God does not want them to use either one in their battles, they are to depend on Him for victory (see Psalm 20:7).
We are not told if Joshua and his men were in the area and saw the vast number of men or was he still in Gilgal approximately 75 miles south. Likely they were closer than farther, but regardless of location they were able to surprise the coalition’s vast army.
11:8 And the LORD gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. And they struck them until he left none remaining. 9 And Joshua did to them just as the LORD said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
God did as He promised and gave this massive army into the hand of Israel. And they chased those that tried to flee to the west as far as Sidon (approximately 75 miles) and Misrephoth-maim (approximately 60 miles) both on the coast of the Mediterranean as well as those who fled to the east as far as the Valley of Mizpeh (exact location is unknown, see comment above).
11:10 And Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. 11 And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction; there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire.
Joshua and his men turned south to attack Hazor the largest of the cities (see comment above). They were victorious and killed everyone including the king, and like Ai, they burned the city. We are also told that Hazor was the “head of all those kingdoms,” this city served as some form of a ‘capital’ of the northern kingdoms. Today Hazor is one of the largest archaeological tells,[1] located in the Upper Galilee, north of the Sea of Galilee, in the northern Korazim Plateau.
11:12 And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua captured, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.
All of the citizens of the city-states and their kings in this northern region were killed and the cities destroyed just as Moses had commanded (see Deuteronomy 20:16-17). Even though we are only given the names of three kingdoms (Madon, Shimron, Achshaph, see verse one) the actual number of these smaller “subordinate to Hazor” kingdoms remains unknown.
11:13 But none of the cities that stood on mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor alone; that Joshua burned. 14 And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every person they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed. 15 Just as the LORD had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.
These verses offer us a summary of the northern campaign, beginning with an odd statement that none of the cities that were built on mounds (Hebrew til·lā’, meaning a heap, ruins, small or large man-made hills, the Hebrew root is tēl similar to Arabic tell, see footnote) were burned, just Hazor, we are not told how many of the other cities were built on mounds. The people of Israel took their plunder but none of the citizens survived. We are told again that everything was done just as Moses had commanded (see Joshua 4:10, see also commentary for Joshua 4:10). In the northern campaign Joshua did all that God had commanded Moses.
11:16 So Joshua took all that land, the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland 17 from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. And he captured all their kings and struck them and put them to death. 18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. 20 For it was the LORD’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the LORD commanded Moses.
Beginning with verse sixteen through to the end of the chapter we are given a summary of Joshua’s conquest of the Promised Land. But it starts with a statement that can be confusing, “So Joshua took all that land,” while he did gain control of the whole region, he did not conquer every city (which will be further amplified later in Joshua 13:1-7).
The area conquered is broadly described as being the hill country (the southern part of the central highlands that run through the center from north to south), all of the Negeb (the desert in the south), all of Goshen (a region between the hill country and the Negeb), the lowland (also known as Shephelah, the area between the hill country of Judah and the coastal plain), the Arabah (the Jordan Valley), the hill country of Israel and its lowland from Mount Halak (a mountain in the Negeb, believed to be Jebel Halaq) which rises toward Seir (the mountain range between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba) north to Baal-gad (a Canaanite city) in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. Joshua captured and killed all of the kings. We are told that this campaign to conquer the land took “a long time,” but every city was destroyed, with the exception of Gibeon. We are also told that this campaign took them all in battle (they engaged the enemy who fought with swords and no one escaped) as God hardened their hearts with the desire to fight with no appeals for mercy so that there would be no survivors just as God commanded Moses.
11:21 And Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities. 22 There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain. 23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.
Regarding the people that made ten of the spies sent by Moses into the Promised Land so frightened that they convinced all the other Israelites to rebel which then condemned them to spend the rest of their lives in the wilderness, we read that those giants, the Anakim, that were in the land of Israel were all killed. But the we are told that there were still some alive in Gaza, Gath, and in Ashdod. The text calls the land that was conquered as being all of the land of the people of Israel. But the borders for the Promised Land included the wilderness of Zin to the south and to the Mediterranean to the west, which would include Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod (see Numbers 34:4-6, see also Genesis 15:18; Exodus 23:31; Numbers 34:1-15; Deuteronomy 1:6-8; 11:24; Joshua 1:4). Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum offers this explanation:
To claim that the Jews possessed all of the Promised Land under Joshua is not biblically, historically or archaeologically true. Joshua 11:23 must be understood in light of Joshua 13:1–7. In other words, Joshua is saying that at that point in history, God gave to Israel all of the Promised Land with the following exceptions. The exceptions cover such a vast amount of territory that it is obvious Israel did not possess and settle in all of the Promised Land.[2]
Verse 23 may be best described as a transitional verse, as the conquest draws to a close the allocation of the land to the tribes becomes the next challenge. We are also introduced in this verse to the concept of land inheritance. But for now the land had rest from war.
Prior to the beginning of the land allocation (chapter thirteen) chapter twelve will review all of the kingdoms and land conquered by the Israelites under the leadership of both Moses and Joshua.
Considerations
Harden Hearts
God amplified an attitude that already existed in their hearts. The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘harden’ is the Hebrew word ḥǎz·zēq’, which means “to become strong.” God ‘strengthened’ their dark and corrupt hearts so that they would choose to fight (to keep them from surrendering with unrepentant hearts), allowing the Israelites to achieve victory and to purge the spiritual pollution from the land.
The Anakim
In Genesis chapter six we are introduced to a very strange group of people that the Bible calls the Nephilim. They were known by several tribal names including the Anakim, the Emim, the Rephaim, the Zamzummim, and the Zuzim. They were very large and tall people, these are the mighty giants that scared the ten spies into thinking there was no way to defeat them. With God, Joshua was able to clear them out of the hill country, Hebron, Debir, Anab, and the hill country of Judah, and the hill country of Israel (the reference to Judah would be from a later date, see Joshua 15:1-63) with no problem. Perhaps the most famous Anakim was Goliath who was from Gath, one of the three cities not conquered. He was slain by David long before becoming king. (Click here to read about the Nephilim).
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[1] In archaeology, a tell (an Arabic word referring to a tall mound or small hill) is an artificial topographical mound typically consisting of accumulated and stratified debris of a succession of consecutive settlements at the same site.
[2] Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (1994). Israelology: the missing link in systematic theology (Rev. ed., p. 212). Ariel Ministries.