King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
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.
Complete Jewish Bible:
All the spoil of these cities and the livestock the people of Isra'el took as booty for themselves; but every human being they put to death with the sword, until they had destroyed them - they left no one breathing.
Berean Standard Bible:
The Israelites took for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but they put all the people to the sword until they had completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone who breathed.
American Standard Version:
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 that breathed.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And all the spoil{H7998} of these cities{H5892}, and the cattle{H929}, the children{H1121} of Israel{H3478} took for a prey{H962} unto themselves; but every man{H120} they smote{H5221} with the edge{H6310} of the sword{H2719}, until they had destroyed{H8045} them, neither left{H7604} they any to breathe{H5397}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Numbers 31:9
- And the children of Israel took [all] the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.
Joshua 11:11
- 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.
Deuteronomy 6:10
- And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
Deuteronomy 6:11
- And houses full of all good [things], which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
Joshua 10:40
- So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.
Deuteronomy 20:14
- But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, [even] all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
Joshua 8:27
- Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Joshua 11:14
Joshua 11:14 is a verse set within the broader context of the Israelite conquest of Canaan, as recounted in the Book of Joshua. This verse specifically describes the aftermath of a series of battles where the Israelites, led by Joshua, defeated a coalition of Canaanite kings. The theme of the verse is the complete destruction of the cities and their inhabitants as part of the divine command to take possession of the Promised Land.
In accordance with the rules of holy war (herem) as understood in the ancient Near East, the Israelites are depicted as taking the spoils of war, including livestock, as plunder for themselves. However, they are also described as killing every human with the sword, leaving none alive. This action reflects the belief that the Canaanite population was to be utterly destroyed to prevent any form of idolatry or sin from influencing the Israelites, as commanded by God in the book of Deuteronomy.
The historical context of this verse is complex. It reflects the ancient practice of total war, which was not unique to Israel but was a common feature of warfare in the region. The account is part of a larger narrative that seeks to explain the origins of Israel's presence in Canaan and to justify their claim to the land by depicting the conquest as divinely sanctioned. The verse also raises moral and theological questions that have been the subject of much debate and interpretation throughout history, particularly concerning the ethics of war and the nature of God's commands in the context of the time.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H7998
There are 64 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שָׁלָל
Transliteration: shâlâl
Pronunciation: shaw-lawl'
Description: from שָׁלַל; booty; prey, spoil. - Strong's Number: H5892
There are 937 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עִיר
Transliteration: ʻîyr
Pronunciation: eer
Description: or (in the plural) עָר; or עָיַר; (Judges 10:4), from עוּר; a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post); Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town. - Strong's Number: H929
There are 172 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בְּהֵמָה
Transliteration: bᵉhêmâh
Pronunciation: be-hay-maw'
Description: from an unused root (probably meaning to be mute); properly, a dumb beast; especially any large quadruped or animal (often collective); beast, cattle. - Strong's Number: H1121
There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בֵּן
Transliteration: bên
Pronunciation: bane
Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth. - Strong's Number: H3478
There are 2229 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Transliteration: Yisrâʼêl
Pronunciation: yis-raw-ale'
Description: from שָׂרָה and אֵל; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity; Israel. - Strong's Number: H962
There are 39 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בָּזַז
Transliteration: bâzaz
Pronunciation: baw-zaz'
Description: a primitive root; to plunder; catch, gather, (take) for a prey, rob(-ber), spoil, take (away, spoil), [idiom] utterly. - Strong's Number: H120
There are 581 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָדָם
Transliteration: ʼâdâm
Pronunciation: aw-dawm'
Description: from אָדַם; ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.); [idiom] another, [phrase] hypocrite, [phrase] common sort, [idiom] low, man (mean, of low degree), person. - Strong's Number: H5221
There are 460 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נָכָה
Transliteration: nâkâh
Pronunciation: naw-kaw'
Description: a primitive root; to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively); beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound. - Strong's Number: H6310
There are 460 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: פֶּה
Transliteration: peh
Pronunciation: peh
Description: from פָּאָה; the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech); specifically edge, portion or side; adverbially (with preposition) according to; accord(-ing as, -ing to), after, appointment, assent, collar, command(-ment), [idiom] eat, edge, end, entry, [phrase] file, hole, [idiom] in, mind, mouth, part, portion, [idiom] (should) say(-ing), sentence, skirt, sound, speech, [idiom] spoken, talk, tenor, [idiom] to, [phrase] two-edged, wish, word. - Strong's Number: H2719
There are 372 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֶרֶב
Transliteration: chereb
Pronunciation: kheh'-reb
Description: from חָרַב; drought; also a cutting instrument (from its destructive effect), as a knife, sword, or other sharp implement; axe, dagger, knife, mattock, sword, tool. - Strong's Number: H8045
There are 86 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שָׁמַד
Transliteration: shâmad
Pronunciation: shaw-mad'
Description: a primitive root; to desolate; destory(-uction), bring to nought, overthrow, perish, pluck down, [idiom] utterly. - Strong's Number: H7604
There are 123 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שָׁאַר
Transliteration: shâʼar
Pronunciation: shaw-ar'
Description: a primitive root; properly, to swell up, i.e. be (causatively, make) redundant; leave, (be) left, let, remain, remnant, reserve, the rest. - Strong's Number: H5397
There are 24 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נְשָׁמָה
Transliteration: nᵉshâmâh
Pronunciation: nesh-aw-maw'
Description: from נָשַׁם; a puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) an animal; blast, (that) breath(-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit.