Joshua 11

Conquest of Northern Canaan

¹When Jabin king of Hazor heard of it, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,

²and to the kings who were on the north, in the hill country, in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the west,

³to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the hill country, and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

⁴They went out, they and all their armies with them, many people, even as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots.

⁵All these kings met together; and they came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel.

⁶The LORD said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid because of them; for tomorrow at this time, I will deliver them up all slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”

⁷So Joshua came suddenly, with all the warriors, against them by the waters of Merom, and attacked them.

⁸The LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, and they struck them, and chased them to great Sidon, and to Misrephoth Maim, and to the valley of Mizpah eastward. They struck them until they left them no one remaining.

⁹Joshua did to them as the LORD told him. He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

¹⁰Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor used to be the head of all those kingdoms.

¹¹They struck all the souls who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was no one left who breathed. He burned Hazor with fire.

¹²Joshua captured all the cities of those kings, with their kings, and he struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.

¹³But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only. Joshua burned that.

¹⁴The children of Israel took all the plunder of these cities, with the livestock, as plunder for themselves; but every man they struck with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They didn’t leave any who breathed.

¹⁵As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua. Joshua did so. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.

Summary of the Conquest

¹⁶So Joshua captured all that land, the hill country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, the Arabah, the hill country of Israel, and the lowland of the same,

¹⁷from Mount Halak, that goes up to Seir, even to Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. He took all their kings, struck them, and put them to death.

¹⁸Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

¹⁹There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all in battle.

²⁰For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

²¹Joshua came at that time, and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.

²²There were none of the Anakim left in the land of the children of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, did some remain.

²³So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD spoke to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land had rest from war.

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Joshua faces his greatest military challenge as King Jabin of Hazor unites the northern Canaanite kingdoms in a massive coalition with countless troops, horses, and chariots. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Joshua obeys God's command to attack, resulting in complete victory and the destruction of Hazor, the region's most powerful city. This chapter concludes with a summary of Joshua's entire conquest campaign, emphasizing his faithful obedience to Moses' commands and God's promises.

Context

This chapter completes the conquest narrative that began in chapter 6, transitioning from active warfare to the land distribution that will follow in subsequent chapters.

Key Themes

Outline

1-5
Northern Coalition Forms King Jabin rallies multiple kingdoms to create a vast army against Israel at the waters of Merom.
6-9
Divine Victory at Merom God promises victory and Joshua obediently attacks, defeating the coalition and destroying their military assets.
10-15
Destruction of Hazor Joshua captures and burns Hazor while taking other cities, following Moses' commands completely.
16-23
Conquest Summary A comprehensive overview of Joshua's campaigns covering all the land from south to north over many years.

Conquest of Northern Canaan

11:1–11:15

narrative narration triumphant

Joshua defeats the northern Canaanite coalition led by Jabin of Hazor at the waters of Merom, following God's command to hamstring horses and burn chariots. This victory completes the conquest of northern Canaan as Moses had commanded.

person_contrast

Joshua's command to hamstring horses and burn chariots directly mirrors Moses' earlier instructions in Deuteronomy 17:16, creating a rare biblical example of anti-militarization theology overriding strategic advantage.

Summary of the Conquest

11:16–11:23

narrative narration triumphant

Joshua completes the conquest of the Promised Land, defeating all kings and peoples except the Hivites of Gibeon, fulfilling God's commands to Moses. The land is distributed as inheritance to the tribes of Israel and finally has rest from war.

person_contrast

Joshua's comprehensive territorial description spans from Mount Halak to Mount Hermon, creating the most geographically detailed conquest summary in the entire book, emphasizing totality over individual battles.