Joshua 10:16-21 meaning

Joshua 10:16-21 records the retreat of the five Amorite kings who instigated this battle against Gibeon which they have utterly lost.

The previous section records Joshua's prayer, God’s answer, and the Israelite victory over a coalition of five Amorite armies. While fighting against the enemy, the Israelite leader petitioned God to slow down the earth’s rotation, giving him enough time to complete the battle. Once God granted the request, Joshua and the Israelites killed many soldiers of the enemy's army at Gibeon. Then, they returned to the camp at Gilgal (Joshua 10:12-15).

The present section tells the reader that these five kings were not part of those whom the Israelites killed at Gibeon (v. 16). The kings had fled the battle and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah, a Canaanite town in the Shephelah foothills of Judah (Joshua 15:35, 41). The news spread quickly.

The whereabouts of the kings was told to Joshua: The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah (v. 17). This moment seems to have occurred earlier during the battle. Verse 15 summarized the Israelite victory and return to camp, while this section now illuminates further details of what happened during the battle.

Joshua did not stop the battle to execute the kings. Instead, he ordered some of his soldiers to roll large stones against the mouth of the cave to seal it up (v. 18). Then, he urged them to assign men by it to guard them [the kings], preventing them from going out. Thus, a cave that served as a secret hiding place for the kings had become their prison.

Having asked his soldiers to lock the Amorite leaders inside the cave, Joshua commanded them, saying: Do not stay there yourselves because the battle was not over (v. 19). Since some enemies ran away, the Israelite leader urged his warriors to pursue and attack them in the rear. Moreover, knowing that Makkedah was only a few miles from the enemy's towns (especially Lachish, Eglon, and Hebron), Joshua said to his soldiers: Do not allow them to enter their cities, where they could mobilize a defense or find refuge.

Joshua knew the enemy could safely escape to their fortified cities in the west, so he urged his soldiers to cut off their line of retreat. He then explained the rationale behind his order: For the LORD your God has delivered them into your hands. This statement means that Yahweh had already vowed to grant victory to His covenant people. It was a done deal. He would thus weaken the enemy to allow Israel to triumph over them. Therefore, the Israelites could march safely toward their foes and defeat them.

The Israelite army obeyed Joshua's command. The battle continued: It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter until they were destroyed, and the survivors who remained of them had entered the fortified cities (v. 20). Although most of the adversaries died during the attack, a few of them managed to escape to their walled towns. Overall, the Israelites achieved a great victory over the Amorite armies. Then, all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace (v. 21).

The Israelite army settled peacefully at Makkedah after their great victory over the Amorite kings. News of this battle spread and silenced the enemies of Israel for a time. The Canaanites heard of the defeat of five armies against one—Israel—and of the hailstones from heaven which demolished the ranks of the Amorites. The people of the land were so afraid that they even refrained from criticizing Israel: No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel.

The statement that nobody uttered a word is literally "no one sharpened his tongue." It means there was no more opposition against God's people. It reminds the reader of God's words to Moses when He sent the last plague to Egypt that killed all the firstborns of the Egyptians. God said, "There shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. But against any of the sons of Israel, a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast…" (Exodus 11:6-7).

In Joshua, Israel's victory shows that her God was superior to all the pagan gods. Yahweh alone is the true God. For this reason, His people would occupy the land He had promised to their ancestors to give them.