Joshua · chapter 11 of 24
Updated on
Joshua 11 tells that Jabin, king of Hazor, gathers the kings of the north with horses and chariots at the waters of Merom. The Lord encourages Joshua, who attacks suddenly, defeats them, hamstrings the horses, burns the chariots and destroys Hazor. The chapter summarizes that Joshua took the whole land just as the Lord had told Moses, and the land had rest from war.
After the southern campaign, Joshua 11 presents the northern campaign, the last great enemy coalition. It closes the narrative part of the conquest: what God promised Moses and commanded Joshua, Joshua carried out. The chapter shows both the military and the theological dimension, because everything is credited to the Lord's work.
Jabin, king of Hazor, hears what happened in the south and sends messages to other kings of the north, of Madon, Shimron, Achshaph and of the hill country and the plain. They unite with an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots, and camp together at the waters of Merom to fight Israel.
The Lord tells Joshua not to fear them, for the next day he will hand them over slain before Israel; Joshua is to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots. Joshua and all his army attack them suddenly at the waters of Merom. The Lord gives them into the hand of Israel, who pursue them as far as Great Sidon, Misrephoth-maim and the Valley of Mizpeh, until none are left. Joshua does to the horses and chariots as the Lord told him.
Then Joshua turns back and takes Hazor, which was formerly the head of all those kingdoms. They kill all its inhabitants and burn it. Of the cities standing on their mounds, Israel burned none except Hazor. Israel takes the plunder and the livestock and destroys the people, just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Moses commanded Joshua, with Joshua leaving nothing undone of all that was commanded.
The chapter summarizes that Joshua took the whole land: the hill country, the Negeb, the lowland and the mountains of Israel. No city made peace with Israel except the Hivites of Gibeon; the Lord had hardened the hearts of the rest so that they would fight and be destroyed. Joshua also cut off the Anakim from the hill country, and only some remained in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod. So Joshua took the whole land according to all that the Lord had told Moses, gave it as an inheritance to Israel by their tribes, and the land had rest from war.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord tells Joshua not to fear, because the next day he will hand over the enemies, and he commands him to hamstring the horses and burn the chariots. Israel is not to trust weapons or horses but the Lord.
Joshua did all that the Lord had commanded Moses, leaving nothing undone. Joshua's detailed obedience is a thread running through the book.
The text says the Lord hardened the hearts of the kings so that they would fight Israel and be destroyed. The passage affirms that God governs even the decisions of enemies, and it must be read together with the judgment on Canaan announced since Abraham.
Joshua took the whole land, gave it to Israel as an inheritance and the land had rest from war. These words close the first half of the book and announce the rest that God had promised.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: He was the king of Hazor and summoned the kings of the north to fight Israel. — Joshua 11:1-3
Answer: At the waters of Merom. — Joshua 11:5
Answer: To hamstring the horses and burn the chariots. — Joshua 11:6
Answer: Only Hazor. — Joshua 11:11-13
Answer: Gibeon, of the Hivites; no other city made peace. — Joshua 11:19
Answer: Joshua took the whole land, gave it as an inheritance to Israel by their tribes, and the land had rest from war. — Joshua 11:23
Joshua 11 reminds us where to place our trust. The enemies had horses and chariots, the military technology of their day, and God asks Israel to disable them. It is not an invitation to despise resources but to avoid making an idol of them. In a small group you can ask where we place our security: in money, contacts, experience or the Lord.
Another lesson is faithfulness in details. Joshua left nothing undone of what God commanded, great or small. In the Christian life, steady obedience, even in what is not seen, is what sustains service over the long run.
Joshua 11 closes the account of the conquest campaigns with the land at rest. Chapter 12 takes stock of the kings defeated east and west of the Jordan, and then the book will turn to the distribution of the land among the tribes.
It means cutting the tendons of the horse's hind legs to make it useless for war without killing it. It was a way to prevent the horses from being used in battle again. God had already warned Israel in the law not to rely on horses.
The text affirms that the Lord also governs the decisions of the peoples who oppose Israel. It is a difficult passage that must be read together with God's patience, who had waited centuries before judgment, and with the case of Gibeon, which did seek peace.