Bible Commentaries

And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard [those things], that he ^a sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,

(a) The more God's power appears, the more the wicked rage against it.

And to the kings that [were] on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of ^b Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,

(b) Which the evangelists call the lake of Gennesaret, or Tiberias.

[And to] the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and [to] the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and [to] the Hivite under ^c Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.

(c) Which was mount Sion, as in (Deuteronomy 4:48).

And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt ^d hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.

(d) That neither they should serve to the use of war, nor the Israelites should put their trust in them.

And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto ^e Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining.

(e) Which signifies hot waters, or according to some, brine pits.

And they smote all the ^f souls that [were] therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying [them]: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire.

(f) Both men, women and children.

But [as for] the cities that stood still in their ^g strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; [that] did Joshua burn.

(g) Which were strong by situation and not hurt by war.

And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every ^h man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.

(h) All mankind.

So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the ⁱ mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same;

(i) That is, Samaria.

[Even] from the mount ^k Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.

(k) So called, because it was bare and without trees.

For it was of the LORD to ^l harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, [and] that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

(l) That is, to give them over to themselves: and therefore they could not but rebel against God and seek their own destruction.

There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, ^m in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.

(m) Out of which came Goliath, (1 Samuel 17:4).