Joshua 11-12

CHAPTER 11:
         Verses 1-5: During the various battles between Israel and the southern cities of Canaan, news of Israel’s victories reaches the northern cities and their kings. (v.1) According to the notes in my study Bible, Hazor is a heavily fortified city located on the main road between Egypt and Mesopotamia, about 10 miles northwest of the Sea of Galilee (or Chinneroth, as it was known before Israel conquered the promised land) in northern Palestine. As did King Adoni-zedek in the previous chapter, King Jabin of Hazor forms an alliance with his fellow rulers of the nearby cities of Madon, Shimron, and Achshaph, as well as the regions of Chinneroth and Dor. (v.2) Verse 3 makes it clear that he even sends word to the Amorites, Hittites, and the Perizzites, all of whom are currently engaged in battle against the Israelites as described in the previous chapter.
            Verse 4 states that the army which Jabin assembled at Merom (v.5) is as great in number “…as the sand that is upon the sea shore…with horses and chariots very many.” The Moody Bible Commentary quotes the renowned Roman historian Josephus as saying, “…the number of the whole army was three hundred thousand armed footmen, and ten thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand chariots…”. That is a mighty and powerful force indeed! It very likely outnumbers the Israelite forces at least two to one, else God would not have spoken encouraging words to Joshua in verse 6.
 
          Verses 6-15: Once again, God promises the victory to His chosen people. He tells Joshua to not be afraid of the enemy, “…for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel…”. (v.6) The word “hough” is found four times in scripture, the first two being here in Joshua 11. (The other passages are 2 Samuel 8:4 and 1 Chronicles 18:4.) The term refers to the severing of the tendons in the horse’s hind legs, thus permanently crippling it. Horses and chariots were the primary symbols of military might and power in the ANE. Thus, when God tells Joshua that the Israelite army will easily hamstring the enemy’s horses and then burn their chariots, this is indeed a great promise and encouragement!
            Emboldened by the word of the LORD, the Israelite army descends upon the enemy camps at Merom with sudden ferocity and soundly defeats all of the kings’ forces. (v.7-9) Just as he did with the five southern kings, Joshua executes all of the northern kings, and then burns the city of Hazor. (v.10-13) King Jabin of Hazor was the ringleader and orchestrator of the alliance against Israel (v.10), so that’s why Hazor is destroyed. All the other cities, however, are left standing, and all their spoil is plundered by Israel. (v.14) As Moses had commanded by God’s word (v.15), the Israelites “…smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe…”. (v.11) This is confirmed again in verse 14.
 
            Verses 16-20: With the exception of Achan’s sin and the alliance with the Hivites, the Israelites had done all that God had commanded them in regards to conquering the promised land. (v.16-17) Verse 20 confirms that God had hardened the hearts of the Canaanites, just as He did with Pharoah and the Egyptians, in order that His judgment against them for their rebellion and wickedness would be fulfilled. (Genesis 15:16) Like the Egyptians, it was the choice of the Canaanites to reject God first, and because of that God hardened their hearts. Now His judgment against them is complete. (v.20)
 
            Verses 21-22: There is a footnote here regarding the Anakim, the giants that the ten spies were so fearful of. (Numbers 13:32-33) Joshua and Caleb had, of course, been right in their defense of God’s power and ability to deliver even these into Israel’s hand, as proven in this chapter. The author notes that the only giants now left alive are in the Philistine cities of Gath and Ashdod. Gath, as we already know, is the home of the giant named Goliath whom David, the future king of Israel, will slay with a single stone. (1 Samuel 17:4, 49)
 
            Verse 23: All of the land that was promised to the descendants of Abraham is now under the dominion of Israel, “…according to all that the LORD said unto Moses…”. (Exodus 33:2, Numbers 34:2) The next step is for Joshua to divide up the land among the twelve tribes as instructed by Moses. (Numbers 26:53) “And the land rested from war.” God had promised to deliver this land into the hands of His chosen people as the inheritance of Abraham, and He had made good on that promise. Now, as a reward for this generation’s obedience, He gives the Israelites rest from all their enemies. (Deuteronomy 12:9-10, 25:19, Hebrews 4:8)

CHAPTER 12:
        As is common with oral and written records of the ANE, this chapter is a closing summary/recap of Israel’s victorious conquering of the promised land. The Moody Bible Commentary puts it this way: Chapter 12 “…has the feel of a formal, holy convocation, a stately march through the fraternal graveyard of deceased kings sharing alike in a failed attempt to thwart God’s purposes.”
 
         Verses 1-6: These are a summary of the victories led by Moses before the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the promised land. (v.1) Sihon and Og were the kings defeated there, and the dimensions of all their land and kingdoms is stated again in verses 2-5. Their land is what was given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. (v.6) (Numbers 32:29, Deuteronomy 3:12, Joshua 13:8) There is mention again of Og being related to the Anakim. (v.4)
 
          Verses 7-24: The remainder of the chapter is a list of the kings conquered on this side of the Jordan, starting with Jericho. The only people missing from the list in verse 8 are the Gibeonites. The total number of conquered kings and armies is thirty-one (v.24), and they are listed in the order of the battles from south to north. (v.9-24) (Deuteronomy 7:24) It’s necessary to note here that while the kings and their armies were defeated, not all the cities were actually conquered by Israel in this initial campaign. Jerusalem and Gezer, for example, will not be taken for many centuries yet. (2 Samuel 5:6-9, 1 Kings 9:16)
        Verse 14 mentions the kings Hormah and Arad, two victories that were actually achieved first under Moses. (Numbers 21:1-3) A possible explanation of this is that in the time between those initial battles and the campaigns led by Joshua, some of the Canaanites had re-settled in those two cities, thus requiring the Israelites to conquer them a second time. Also, the fact that Beth-el is not listed as being conquered until after the battle at Makkedah indicates that, while its armies had initially assisted the King of Ai, the king of Beth-el and his city was not actually defeated by Israel until later on.