ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Joshua 10

Josh. 10:1–43 Because the events of ch. 10 are brought on by Canaanite aggression, Israel’s defeat of the south can be viewed as defensive.

Josh. 10:1 The name Adoni-zedek sounds like “lord of righteousness.”

Josh. 10:2–4 Gibeon was a great city. A royal city would have had its own “king” and would likely have controlled a larger district.

Josh. 10:5 Amorites. See 2:10 and note.

Josh. 10:8 I have given them into your hands. The Lord assures Joshua that he will be with him in defending the Gibeonites against the Jerusalem coalition. The past tense “have given” is significant. God has decided on the outcome, but Israel must still do some hard fighting (see 1:3 and note; compare 2:9; 24; 6:2; 16; 8:1; 10:19).

Josh. 10:9 marched up all night from Gilgal. While the precise location of Gilgal is not known, according to 4:19 it was “on the east border of Jericho.” From the vicinity of Jericho in the Jordan Valley to Gibeon in the hill country would have been an uphill journey of 15 miles (24 km).

Josh. 10:10 The battle spread west and then southwestward, covering more than 30 miles (48 km). This gave Israel a foothold in central Canaan, controlling the major east-west corridor from the Jordan through the central hills to the coast. It also opened the way for Joshua’s southern campaign (vv. 29–43).

Josh. 10:11 Large stones from heaven refers to the hailstones with which the Lord destroyed the fleeing Amorite troops.

Josh. 10:12–14 Sun, stand still suggests a cosmic miracle, in which the earth ceased rotating for a time. While scholars have proposed many other explanations for this amazing event, each one has difficulties. Each also fails to do justice to the claim that there has been no day like it before or since. The author’s emphasis is on the extraordinary answer that God gave to Joshua’s prayer: the Lord heeded the voice of a man. The Book of Jashar is also mentioned in 2 Sam. 1:18. It may have contained poetic accounts or songs of the deeds of heroes, but there are no surviving copies.

Josh. 10:15 The notice that Joshua returned . . . to the camp at Gilgal anticipates the conclusion of the entire southern campaign (see v. 43).

Josh. 10:24 In the ancient Near East, victors would often put their feet on the necks of defeated enemies, symbolizing supremacy.

Josh. 10:26 hanged them on five trees. A sign of curse (Deut. 21:22–23; compare the treatment of the king of Ai in Josh. 8:28–29).

Josh. 10:27 The large stones set against the mouth of the cave containing the bodies of the slain Amorite kings serve as a fifth monument in the land (see note on 4:20). This monument recalls God’s gracious action in defending Israel’s covenant with a Canaanite city (even though they acted recklessly in making it). to this very day. See note on 4:9.

Josh. 10:28–39 Joshua next conquers the important towns in the southern part of the land, establishing Israel’s hold on it.

Josh. 10:40–42 This summary of the conquest credits Joshua with acting obediently by taking no prisoners. It is very clear that the ultimate cause of Israel’s success is that the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.

Josh. 10:43 Joshua’s return to the camp at Gilgal (anticipated already in v. 15) marks the successful conclusion of the central and southern campaigns.