Joshua11

Joshua 11 details the final major campaign of the conquest, where Jabin king of Hazor assembled a vast northern coalition against Israel. The LORD assured Joshua of victory and instructed him to disable the enemy's chariots and horses. Joshua executed a swift, decisive attack at the waters of Merom, utterly defeating the confederacy and subsequently capturing and burning Hazor, the head of those kingdoms. This chapter concludes with Joshua having taken the whole land, bringing a period of rest from war.

The Northern Coalition Assembles

1
When Jabin king of Hazor heard of it, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph, ​
2
and 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, ​
3
to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the hill country, and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
4
They 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. ​
5
All these kings met together; and they came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel. ​

God Commands the Destruction of War Assets

6
The 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.” ​
7
So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly, and fell on them.
8
The 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.
9
Joshua did to them as the LORD told him. He hamstrung their horses and burnt their chariots with fire.

The Destruction of Hazor

10
Joshua 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. ​
11
They 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 burnt Hazor with fire. ​
12
Joshua 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. ​
13
But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only. Joshua burned that. ​
14
The 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.

Summary of Conquest and Obedience

15
As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua. Joshua did so. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses. ​
16
So 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; ​
17
from 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.
18
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. ​
19
There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all in battle.
20
For 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. ​

The Conquest of the Anakim and Conclusion

21
Joshua 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. ​
22
There 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.
23
So 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. The land had rest from war. ​

Study Notes for Joshua 11

Verse 1

Jabin, king of Hazor, initiates the coalition, recognizing the threat posed by Israel’s recent victories in the south. Hazor was the dominant city-state in the northern region.

Verse 2

This detailed geographical list emphasizes the vast scope of the resistance, encompassing kings from the northern mountains, the Jordan Valley, the coastal plains, and multiple distinct ethnic groups.

Verse 4

The description of the enemy forces as being 'as the sand that is upon the sea shore' highlights the overwhelming nature of the opposition, making the subsequent Israelite victory dependent entirely on divine intervention.

Verse 5

The Waters of Merom (likely the swampy area near modern Lake Hula) served as the rallying point, a location key for maneuvering the large number of enemy chariots and horses.

Verse 6

God’s instruction to 'hough their horses and burn their chariots' served to neutralize the enemy’s primary military advantage and ensured that Israel relied on divine power rather than human military technology.

Verse 10

Hazor is singled out because it was the 'head' (capital or leader) of all those kingdoms. Its destruction signifies the complete political collapse of organized northern Canaanite resistance.

Verse 11

The phrase 'utterly destroying them' (Hebrew: *herem*) signifies the ritual dedication of the city and its inhabitants to God through complete destruction, as commanded by Moses (Deut. 7:2).

Verse 12

The obedience shown to the command of Moses reinforces Joshua’s authority and faithfulness as the leader who executes God's covenant requirements.

Verse 13

Israel selectively burned cities. Hazor was burned as the coalition leader, but most other fortified cities were kept intact for Israelite habitation, demonstrating practical military strategy alongside the divine mandate.

Verse 15

This verse acts as a literary pivot, confirming that Joshua was perfectly obedient to the commands passed down from God through Moses, validating him as Moses’ true successor.

Verse 16

This summary outlines the full scope of the military campaigns, defining the territory that Israel now possessed, bounded by the southern hills and the northern mountains.

Verse 18

The note that 'Joshua made war a long time' counters any impression that the conquest was instantaneous; it was a protracted military campaign, likely lasting several years.

Verse 20

This theological statement explains the persistent Canaanite resistance: God hardened their hearts so they would fight and be subject to the *herem* judgment, rather than seeking peace.

Verse 21

The Anakim, described as giants, represented the most formidable enemy and the reason the previous generation feared entering the land (Num. 13:33). Their defeat symbolizes the full realization of God's power.

Verse 23

The statement that 'the land rested from war' signifies the cessation of organized, large-scale military resistance, allowing the division of the land among the tribes to commence (chapters 13-21).

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