Chapter 11:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Deuteronomy Judges
Joshua 11
The confederacy of many kings against Israel, ver. 1-5. God's
encouragement to Joshua, and his conquest of them and their
cities, ver. 6-20. The destruction of the Anakims, ver. 21-23.
Verse 1. Hazor - The chief city of those parts, ver. 10. Had heard - This
was a remarkable instance of the wisdom and goodness of Divine
Providence, which so governed the minds of the Canaanites, that
they were not all united under one king, but divided amongst
many petty kings; and next, that these did not all unanimously
join their counsels and forces together to oppose the Israelites at
their first entrance, but quietly suffered the destruction of their
brethren, thereby preparing the way for their own.
Verse 2. On the north - The general designation of all the particular
places following: they were in the northern parts of Canaan, as
those mentioned chap. x, 1-43, were in the southern parts; in the
mountain, either in or near the mountain of Lebanon, called the
mountain by way of eminency; or in the mountainous country.
Cinneroth - Hebrew. in the plain lying southward from Cinneroth,
or the lake of Genesareth. Dor - A place upon the coast of the
midland-sea.
Verse 3. The Canaanite - The Canaanites properly so called, lived part of
them on the east near Jordan, and part on the west near the sea,
and both are here united. The Hivite - That dwelt under mount
Hermon in the north of Canaan, whereby they are differenced
from those Hivites who lived in Gibeon. Mizpeh - That Mizpeh
which was in the northern part of Gilead. But there are other cities
called by that name, which signifying a watching-place, might be
easily applied to several places of good prospect.
Verse 5. Merom - A lake made by the river Jordan in the northern part of
it, which was in the territory of the King of Schimron, near Hazor,
Jabin's royal city, and almost in the middle of these confederate
kings.
Verse 6. Hough their horses - Cut their hamstrings that they may my be
unfit for war. For God forbad them to keep many horses, now
especially, that they might not trust to their horses, nor ascribe the
conquest of the land to their own strength, but wholly to God, by
whose power alone a company of raw and unexperienced footmen
were able to subdue so potent a people, who besides their great
numbers, and giants, and walled cities, had the advantage of many
thousands of horses and chariots.
Verse 7. Suddenly - When they least expected them, intending there to
refresh, and prepare, and order themselves for the offensive war
which they designed.
Verse 8. Great Zidon - A great city in the northwest part of Canaan,
upon the sea. Misrephoth-maim - A place not far from Zidon,
supposed to be so called from the salt or glass which they made
there. Valley of Mizpeh - Under mount Hermon, as appears by
comparing this with ver. 3, and 17. where it seems to be called the
valley of Lebanon. This lay on the east, as Zidon did on the west;
and so it seems they fled several ways, and the Israelites also
divided themselves into two bodies, one pursuing east, and the
other west.
Verse 10. The king - In his royal city, to which he fled out of the battle.
Head of these kingdoms - Not of all Canaan, but of all those who
were confederate with him in this expedition.
Verse 11. Not any left - That is, no human person.
Verse 13. In their strength - Hebrew. with their fence, walls or bulwarks,
that is, which were not ruined with their walls in taking them.
Save Hazor - Because this city began the war, and being the chief
and royal city, might renew the war. If the Canaanites should ever
seize upon it: which in fact they did, and settled there, under a
king of the same name, Judg. iv, 2.
Verse 16. All that land - Of Canaan, whose parts here follow. The hill -
Or, the mountain, that is, the mountainous country, namely, of
Judea. A considerable part of Judea was called the hilly or the
mountainous country, Luke i, 39, 65. The south country - That is,
not only the mountainous part, but all the country of Judea, which
lay in the southern part of Canaan, and often comes under the
name of the south. The vale - The low countries. The plain - The
fields or campaign grounds. The mountain of Israel - The
mountains or mountainous country of Israel.
Verse 17. To Seir - That is, To the country of Seir or Edom; namely, that
part of it which was south from Judea, not that which was
eastward from it, as appears from hence, that here is mention of
the two extreme bounds of the land conquered by Joshua; whereof
the other which follows being in the north, this must needs be in
the south of the land. Baal-Gad - A part of mount Lebanon.
Verse 18. A long time - For divers years together, as is evident by the
following history. And this is here expressed, lest it should be
thought that as all these wars are here recorded in a short
narration, so they were dispatched in a short time. And God would
have the land to be conquered gradually, for many weighty
reasons;
1. Lest the sudden extirpation of those nations should have made a
great part of the land desert, and thereby have increased the
number of wild beasts, Deut. vii, 22.
2. Lest being done suddenly and easily, it should soon be
forgotten and despised, as the nature of man is apt to do in those
cases.
3. That by long exercise the Israelites might grow skilful in the art
of war.
4. For the trial and exercise of their patience and courage, and
trust in God.
5. To oblige them to the greater care to please God, whom they
yet need for their help against their enemies.
Verse 19. All other - Namely, all that were taken by Joshua, were taken
by the sword, and therefore it is no wonder that the war was long,
when the enemy was so obstinate.
Verse 20. To harden their hearts - It was the design of God's providence
not to soften their hearts to a compliance with the Israelites, but to
give them up to their own animosity, pride, confidence and
stubbornness; that so their abominable and incorrigible
wickedness might be punished, and that the Israelites might not be
mixed with them, but be entire among themselves in the
possession of the land.
Verse 21. At that time - In that war, but in divers years. The mountain -
Or, mountains, the singular number for the plural; these barbarous
and monstrous persons either chose to live in the dens or caves,
which were frequent in the mountains of those parts, or else they
were driven thither by the arms and success of the Israelites. From
Debir - From the territories belonging to these cities, as we have
often seen in this history, cities mentioned for the country subject
to them. The mountains of Israel - It doth not follow from hence,
that this book was written by some other person long after
Joshua's death, even after the division of the Israelites into two
kingdoms. of Israel and Judah; but only that this was one of those
clauses which were added by Ezra or some other prophet; though
that be not necessary: for since it was evident to Joshua, from
Gen. xlix, 10, &c. that the tribe of Judah was to be the chief of all
these tribes, and some dawnings of its eminency appeared in that
time, in their having the first lot in the land of Canaan, chap. xv,
1, and the largest inheritance, chap. xix, 9, it is no wonder that it is
mentioned apart, and distinguished from the rest of the tribes of
Israel, though that also be one of them. But how could Joshua
utterly destroy these, when Caleb and Othniel destroyed some of
them after Joshua's death? chap. xiv, 12 Judg. i, 10-12. This might
be, either
1. Because these places being in part destroyed and neglected by
the Israelites, were repossessed by the giants, and by them kept
'till Caleb destroyed them. Or rather
2. Because this work, though done by the particular valour of
Caleb, is ascribed to Joshua as the general of the army, according
to the manner of all historians; and therefore it is here attributed to
Joshua, though afterwards, that Caleb might not lose his deserved
honour, the history is more particularly described, and Caleb
owned as the great instrument of it, chap. xiv, 6-15 and Judg. i,
12-20.
Verse 23. The whole land - That is, the greatest and best part of it, for
some parts are expressly excepted in the following history. All
that the Lord said unto Moses - God had promised to drive out the
nations before them. And now the promise was fulfilled. Our
successes and enjoyments are then doubly comfortable, when we
see them flowing to us from the promise. This is according to
what the Lord hath said: our obedience is acceptable, when it has
an eye to the precept. And if we make a conscience of our duty,
we need not question the performance of the promise.
Chapter 11:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Deuteronomy Judges
This version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1997, by Sulu D. Kelley. All rights reserved. Used by permission. It may not be modified or used commercially without permission of Wesleyan Heritage Publishing and Sulu Kelley. A special thanks to Mr. Kelley and Wesleyan Heritage Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible.
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