Joshua 10:31
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And Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and fought against it.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
We have in this chapter an account of the conquest of the kings and kingdoms of the southern part of the land of Canaan, as, in the next chapter, of the reduction of the northern parts, which together completed the glorious successes of the wars of Canaan. In this chapter we have an account, I. Of the routing of their forces in the field, in which observe, 1. Their confederacy against the Gibeonites (Jos 10:1-5). 2. The Gibeonites' request to Joshua to assist them (Jos 10:6). 3. Joshua's speeds march under divine encouragement for their relief (Jos 10:7-9). 4. The defeat of the armies of these confederate kings (Jos 10:10, Jos 10:11). 5. The miraculous prolonging of the day by the standing still of the sun in favour of the conquerors (Jos 10:12-14). II. Of the execution of the kings that escaped out of the battle (Jos 10:15-27). III. Of the taking of the particular cities, and the total destruction of all that were found in them. Makkedah (Jos 10:28). Libnah (Jos 10:29, Jos 10:30). Lachish (Jos 10:31, Jos 10:32) and the king of Gezer that attempted its rescue (Jos 10:33). Eglon (Jos 10:34, Jos 10:35). Hebron (Jos 10:36, Jos 10:37). Debir (Jos 10:38, Jos 10:39). And the bringing of all that country into the hands of Israel (Jos 10:40-42). And, lastly, the return of the army to the head-quarters (Jos 10:43).
Open source ↗10:31-33 Lachish, by far the most important of the six cities taken at this time, was defended so well that it took Joshua until the second day to capture it. • Gezer was about twenty-five miles north of Lachish. Lachish and Gezer might have had a mutual aid treaty.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,
When the Rabshakeh heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.
the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;
Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
When the Rabshakeh heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.
Harness your chariot horses, O dweller of Lachish. You were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
So the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They camped before Gibeon and made war against it.