Conquest of Northern Cities
1 When King Jabin of Hazor heard this news, he sent a message to: King Jobab of Madon, the kings of Shimron and Achshaph, 2 and the kings of the north in the hill country, the Arabah south of Chinnereth, q the Judean foothills, and the Slopes of Dor to the west, 3 the Canaanites in the east and west, the Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah. r 4 They went out with all their armies—a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore s—along with a vast number of horses and chariots. 5 All these kings joined forces; they came and camped together at the Waters of Merom to attack Israel. t
6 The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for at this time tomorrow I will cause all of them to be killed before Israel. u You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.” v 7 So Joshua and all his troops surprised them at the Waters of Merom and attacked them. 8 The LORD handed them over to Israel, and they struck them down, pursuing them as far as greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and to the east as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. w They struck them down, leaving no survivors. x 9 Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.
10 At that time Joshua turned back, captured Hazor, and struck down its king with the sword, because Hazor had formerly been the leader of all these kingdoms. 11 They struck down everyone in it with the sword, completely destroying y them; he left no one alive. Then he burned Hazor.
12 Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and struck them down with the sword. He completely destroyed them, as Moses the LORD’S servant z had commanded. 13 However, Israel did not burn any of the cities that stood on their mounds except Hazor, which Joshua burned. 14 The Israelites plundered all the spoils and cattle of these cities for themselves. But they struck down every person with the sword until they had annihilated them, leaving no one alive. 15 Just as the LORD had commanded his servant Moses, Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.
Summary of Conquests
16 So Joshua took all this land—the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, a the foothills, the Arabah, and the hill country of Israel with its foothills— 17 from Mount Halak, b which ascends to Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death. c 18 Joshua waged war with all these kings for a long time. 19 No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites who inhabited Gibeon; d all of them were taken in battle. 20 For it was the LORD’S intention to harden their hearts, e so that they would engage Israel in battle, be completely destroyed without mercy, and be annihilated, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
21 At that time Joshua proceeded to exterminate the Anakim f from the hill country—Hebron, Debir, Anab—all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them with their cities. 22 No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites, except for some remaining in Gaza, Gath, g and Ashdod.
23 So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the LORD had told Moses. Joshua then gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. After this, the land had rest from war. h
11:1–4. Joshua 11:1 turns to the third major campaign, in the northern region (11:1–23). Just as Israel’s victories over Jericho and Ai spur the southern kings into action, their victories over the southern kings now prompt the northern kings to join forces against them (11:1–15). This northern coalition, led by Jabin, king of Hazor (11:1–3), is much broader and significantly larger than the coalition of southern kings, perhaps reflecting the degree of alarm the Israelites have now stirred up among the Canaanites. The exact number of kings and cities involved is unclear, but they seem to come from the region north of the Valley of Jezreel and south of Mount Hermon, around the Sea of Chinnereth (Sea of Galilee). Note that the region of Mizpah in 11:3 refers neither to the city associated with Jephthah in Gilead (cf. Jdg 10:17; 11:11) nor to the city in Benjamin that is part of Samuel’s circuit (1 Sm 7:16) but to the Valley of Mizpeh, just south of Mount Hermon, mentioned also in 11:8. That these kings are much more powerful than their southern counterparts can be seen in that they possess a large number of horses and chariots, the latter representing the most advanced military technology of the time. Their number is also compared to the sand on the seashore, subtly highlighting the comparative disadvantage of the Israelite contingent (11:4). [Hivites]
11:5–6. As this vast enemy coalition gathers at the Waters of Merom, ready to fight the Israelites (11:5), the Lord not only encourages Joshua with a promise of victory but also provides the military strategy that will enable the Israelites to neutralize the enemy’s technological advantage. As chariots must be drawn by horses, the Lord tells Joshua to hamstring the horses and then to burn the chariots when the horses falter (11:6).
11:7–11. Armed with the divine plan, Joshua surprises his enemies by boldly taking the offensive against them at their base camp (11:7). As Joshua follows the Lord’s instructions, the Lord hands the enemy over to the Israelites. They strike the enemy down and pursue them until they are completely destroyed (11:8–9). Then the Israelites return to Hazor, whose king led this northern coalition. Applying the principle of herem (see 6:15–19 and the commentary on those verses), Joshua has the king executed and the people totally destroyed. The city is also burned (11:10–11).
11:12–15. From there, the Israelites attack and take the remaining royal cities that are part of the coalition, again applying the principle of herem, in accordance with Moses’s command (11:12; cf. Dt 7:1–2; 20:16–17). Only they do not burn these cities, as they did Hazor (11:13). The goods and livestock the Israelites plunder for themselves (11:14). In all this, they follow exactly what the Lord has prescribed through Moses (11:15).
11:16–17. At this point, the author jumps ahead and summarizes Israel’s accomplishments under the leadership of Joshua (11:16–23). By annihilating various kings and their people, the Israelites have effectively taken control of the whole land from south (Mount Halak, southwest of the Dead Sea) to north (Baal-gad, below Mount Hermon, north of the Sea of Chinnereth) (11:17), including the wilderness in the southwest (the Negev), the Jordan Valley (the Arabah), the hill countries of Judah and Ephraim, and the western foothills between the hill countries and the coastal plains (11:16). This does not mean that the Israelites have taken every single city within the area mentioned (cf. Jdg 1:19–36). But to the extent that they have already taken the most important cities in each of the regions, the entire land is as good as in their hands. Thus, the assertion that Joshua has conquered the whole land (11:16; cf. 11:23) should not be taken too literally but is simply a forward-looking statement in anticipation of an imminent reality. Notice, however, that in 11:16–17 the coastal plains are not included as part of the conquered territory. Instead, much of this area, especially the southern plains occupied by the Philistines, is included in 13:2–5 as land yet to be taken.
11:18–20. Furthermore, although earlier accounts of victories over the southern and northern coalitions in 10:1–11:15 seem to give the impression that the land has been conquered quickly, the author is careful to note in 11:18 that the campaign against the indigenous population was a continuous effort that took time. But through it all, except for those living in the Gibeonite cities, none have sought peace with the Israelites (11:19). This is due to the Lord’s hardening their hearts so that they would seek war with Israel and be annihilated (11:20). To put this in perspective, however, one must remember that in Gn 15:16, when the Lord foretells the return of Abraham’s descendants to the promised land after their Egyptian enslavement, he implies that the delay in allowing Abraham’s descendants to take possession of the land is because the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. Thus, the hardening of the hearts of the indigenous population should be viewed as the Lord’s judgment on a people whose sin has reached a stage that demands judgment.
11:21–23. Note also the singling out of the destruction of the Anakim for special mention (11:21–22). This is probably because it was the Anakim who initially so intimidated the Israelites that they were unwilling to enter into the land (cf. Nm 13:31–33). Incidentally, in that episode Joshua was one of only two spies who had confidence in Israel’s ability to defeat them with the Lord’s help (Nm 14:6–9). The mention of the destruction of these very people and their cities, with the exception of a small pocket of survivors in the coastal plains, thus vindicates Joshua’s faith in the Lord and provides a fitting conclusion to a summary highlighting Israel’s success under Joshua’s leadership (11:23).