Josh. 11:1–12:24 The northern campaign takes shape as an effort to defend the Israelites against the coalition of northern kings gathered around Jabin of Hazor.
Josh. 11:1 Jabin, king of Hazor is not the Jabin mentioned in Judg. 4:2. Hazor was probably the largest city in Syria-Palestine in its day. It was located about 10 miles (16 km) north of the Sea of Galilee and covered an area of over 200 acres.
Josh. 11:4 The great horde gathered by the northern city-kings had chariots of light construction, with four-spoked wheels, drawn by two horses (contrast the “chariots of iron” of 17:16–18).
Josh. 11:5 Merom may be another name for Madon (v. 1). It was probably 5 miles (8 km) west of the Sea of Galilee.
Josh. 11:6 In keeping with the prohibition against placing confidence in military strength (see Deut. 17:16), Joshua is told to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots. Hamstringing would have involved cutting the horses’ equivalent of the Achilles tendon, which would make the animal unfit for military use (see also 2 Sam. 8:4).
Josh. 11:10–15 Joshua burned Hazor with fire (v. 11). He struck the other coalition cities as well, devoting them to destruction (v. 12; see note on 6:17–18). None of these other cities was burned except Hazor alone (11:13). Only three sites (Jericho in 6:24, Ai in 8:28, and Hazor) are explicitly said to have been burned.
Josh. 11:16–20 Joshua’s conquest of Canaan took a long time, perhaps seven years. it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts. On human responsibility vs. divine sovereignty, compare the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 4:21–14:31 and notes on Exodus 4:21–14:31).
Josh. 11:21–22 Joshua cut off the Anakim. This was the race of giants amid whom the terrified Israelite spies had felt like “grasshoppers” (Num. 13:33). Joshua has now largely destroyed this threat (see Josh. 14:6–15).
Josh. 11:23 This verse begins the transition from the conquest phase (Joshua took the whole land) to the occupation phase (Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel; see chs. 13–19). rest from war. There will be more fighting when the Israelites try to occupy the conquered territories, but the land is in their control (see 18:1).
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