The Northern Alliance
Study note
Jabin, king of Hazor, was the most powerful king in northern Canaan. Hazor was the largest city in the region. When Jabin heard about Israel's victories in the south, he organized a massive coalition of northern kings. They gathered a huge army described as being as numerous as the sand on the seashore, along with many horses and chariots. Israel had never faced chariots before. This combined army camped at the Waters of Merom, a lake in northern Galilee.
1 King Jabin of Hazor heard about Israel's wins. He sent word to King Jobab of Madon. He also wrote the king of Shimron and the king of Achshaph. And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,
2 He reached out to kings in the northern hills too. He wrote kings in the plains south of the Sea of Galilee. He wrote kings in the low hills and the Dor area to the west. And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,
3 He reached out to the Canaanites in the east and west. He wrote the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hills. He wrote the Hivites below Mount Hermon in the Mizpah area. 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 Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.
4 These kings gathered every soldier they had. The army was as huge as sand on the seashore. They had many horses and chariots too. And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
5 All these kings combined their forces and set up camp together at the Waters of Merom, ready to fight Israel. And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.
Victory at the Waters of Merom
Study note
God told Joshua not to be afraid because he would hand all of them over to Israel by the next day. God also told Joshua to hamstring the horses and burn the chariots. This meant Israel would not rely on military technology but on God alone. Joshua launched a surprise attack, and the Lord gave Israel the victory. The Israelites chased the fleeing armies far to the northwest toward Sidon and far to the northeast, scattering them completely. Joshua obeyed God's command about the horses and chariots.
6 The Lord told Joshua, "Do not worry about them. By this time tomorrow, I will have them all lying dead in front of Israel. Cripple their horses and burn their chariots." 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 hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.
7 Joshua and his whole army launched a surprise attack at the Waters of Merom and fell on them. So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them.
8 The Lord delivered them into Israel's hands. The Israelites chased them as far as Greater Sidon, Misrephoth-maim, and the Mizpah Valley to the east, cutting them down until there were no survivors. And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephoth-maim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining.
9 Joshua did exactly what the Lord told him. He crippled their horses and burned their chariots. And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.
Hazor Destroyed and the Land Conquered
Study note
Joshua turned back and captured Hazor, which had been the most important city in all of northern Canaan. He killed its king and burned the city. He also captured all the other cities of the northern kings. However, the Israelites only burned Hazor itself; the other cities built on mounds were left standing but conquered. The Israelites took the livestock and goods from these cities for themselves. Joshua carried out everything exactly as God had commanded Moses, who had commanded Joshua.
10 Joshua then turned back and captured Hazor. He killed its king with the sword. Hazor had been the most powerful city among all these kingdoms. And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms.
11 The Israelites put everyone in Hazor to the sword, completely destroying the population. Not a single living thing survived. Then Joshua set fire to Hazor itself. And they smote all the 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.
12 Joshua captured every city belonging to these kings. He killed all their kings with the sword and wiped them out completely. He followed the orders that the Lord's servant Moses had given. And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.
13 However, the Israelites did not burn any of the cities built on mounds except Hazor. That was the only one Joshua burned. But as for the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn.
14 The Israelites took all the goods and animals from these cities for themselves, but they killed every person with the sword until they had wiped them all out. No one was left alive. And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.
15 The Lord had given commands to his servant Moses, and Moses had passed them to Joshua. Joshua carried out every one. He did not skip anything the Lord had told Moses. As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.
Summary of Joshua's Conquests
Study note
This section summarizes the entire conquest of Canaan. Joshua took the whole land, from the southern mountains near Edom all the way north to the valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. The wars took a long time, and only Gibeon made peace with Israel. Joshua also defeated the Anakim, the race of giant warriors that had terrified the previous generation of Israelites forty years earlier. The only Anakim left were in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod, cities of the Philistines. After all this, Joshua divided the land among the tribes as an inheritance, and the land finally rested from war.
16 In this way Joshua took control of the whole land. He captured the highlands and the entire southern region. He took the Goshen territory and the western foothills. He conquered the Jordan Valley and the mountains of Israel with their lowlands around them. 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 mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same;
17 He conquered everything from Mount Halak near Edom's border in the south to Baal-gad in the Lebanon valley below Mount Hermon in the north. He captured every king and executed them. Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.
18 Joshua's military campaigns against all these kings lasted a long time. Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
19 No city except the Hivites in Gibeon chose peace with Israel. Every other city was conquered in battle. There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.
20 The Lord himself made these people stubborn enough to fight Israel. They would be fully destroyed without mercy. The Lord had told Moses to do this. For it was of the LORD to 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.
21 During this time Joshua also wiped out the Anakim from the hill country. He removed them from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and all the highlands of Judah and Israel. Joshua destroyed them and their cities completely. And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.
22 No Anakim survived in Israelite territory. A few remained only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.
23 So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had promised Moses. He divided it among the Israelite tribes as their inheritance. And finally, the land was at peace. So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.