Joshua 10:6-11 meaning

In Joshua 10:6-11, messengers from Gibeon ask the Israelites for military aid.

In the previous section, an Amorite king named Adoni-zedek heard about Israel's victories over Jericho and Ai. Moreover, he learned that the inhabitants of Gibeon were against the Canaanites since they had established a peace treaty with Israel. The news greatly alarmed him. Adoni-zedek organized a league with four other Amorite kings to attack Gibeon for what they considered an act of treachery. The kings joined forces with him, marching toward Gibeon to wage war against it (Joshua 10:1-5).

In the present section, the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, near Jericho (v. 6). Gilgal was a strategic site for the Israelites during their conquest of the Promised Land. It was the place where they set up a memorial to testify to God's love and assistance in bringing them across the Jordan River (Joshua 4:20). It was there that Joshua circumcised the new generation of Israelites, a sacred rite that removed the reproach of Egypt from them (Joshua 5:8-9). Thus, Gilgal was a strategic location for Joshua and Israel both spiritually and militarily.

While Israel's leader Joshua was still in the camp at Gilgal, the Gibeonites sent messengers to explain their dire situation to their new allies. Although the Gibeonites were mighty men, this confrontation was more significant than they could handle (Joshua 10:2). The armies of five kings against their city was too much to fend off. The messengers called on Joshua, saying: "Do not abandon your servants!"

The statement Do not abandon your servants is literally "Do not slacken your hands from your servants" in the Hebrew language. The "hands" symbolizes Israel's military power. The term servants indicates that the Gibeonites were Israel's vassals. Thus, the statement reminded Joshua of the peace treaty he had established with the Gibeonites, in which they accepted to perform menial work for God's sanctuary to be able to live among Israel and remain unharmed (Joshua 9:22-27). Based on this agreement, the people of Gibeon cried to Joshua for help, asking him to join hands with them to fight against the enemy. They expressed their urgency through three imperatives: come up to us quickly, save us, and help us! Otherwise, Gibeon would be destroyed. This was an existential threat.

The Amorite kings perceived Gibeon as a threat due to its alliance with Israel. The Gibeonites naturally responded to this incursion by soliciting Joshua's help. The Gibeonites gave him the reason for their request: For all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us. Without Israel's help, survival was impossible for the Gibeonites because they would have to fight against five combined Amorite armies.

Upon hearing the Gibeonites' plea, Joshua acted promptly: He went up from Gilgal into the hill country in the central portion of Canaan (v. 7). He took all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors. The entire Israelite army left the camp to help Gibeon, a sign of their commitment and faithfulness to their vow. All the mighty men of Israel were ready to confront the Amorite armies on behalf of Gibeon, their vassals.

The LORD, the eternal God who established a covenant/treaty with Israel, was pleased with Joshua's loyalty and integrity. God assured Joshua that He would grant Israel victory over their foes. He declared, Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands (v. 8). The present perfect here speaks of future action (I have given), implying that the Israelite victory was a done deal. It also tells the reader that the God of Israel was the great warrior who fought on their behalf.

The divine warrior and almighty God who promised to fight for Israel used Gibeon’s crisis to show His power before the unbelieving Canaanites and His own people. He emphasized the enemy’s defeat by saying to Joshua, Not one of them shall stand before you. Israel would destroy all the adversaries, so there would be no need to fear them.

Having received divine encouragement and a guarantee regarding the fate of the Amorites, Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal (v. 9). His trip covered about 20 miles up steep terrain. He and the Israelite army traveled through the night under much stress to rescue their vassal, Gibeon, from the enemy. A twenty-mile-uphill march in one night is an impressive feat. They made it safely to their destination and, in spite of the grueling journey, were ready to fight.

When the Amorite armies initiated the battle, the LORD confounded them before Israel (v. 10). In the Hebrew text, the remaining verbs of this verse are all in the third person singular, suggesting that the LORD is the subject (He slew the enemy and pursued them). The narrator purposefully utilized Yahweh as the subject to show that He [God] was the primary warrior and the great victor. He acted on behalf of His covenant people to allow them to defeat the adversary. Therefore, the Israelites could not get the credit for their victory. All glory belongs to Him, in this battle and the prior battles against Jericho and Ai (Joshua 6:16, 8:1).

In what way the LORD confounded these Amorites is not disclosed. There are many battles in the Old Testament where God confounds or confuses enemy forces ((Exodus 14:24-25; 23:27, Deuteronomy 7:23, Judges 7:22, 1 Samuel 14:20, 2 Chronicles 20:22-23).

Some detail of how God supernaturally intimidates His enemies is given in 1 Samuel 7:10, "…the LORD thundered with a great thunder [voice] on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were routed before Israel.”

Once the LORD confused the enemy so they would not know what to do, the Israelites slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and some died immediately on the battlefield. But to those still alive, the Israelites pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

Beth-horon was a town in the territory allotted to Ephraim, on the border of Benjamin's territory (Joshua 16:5). It was a dual settlement 10 and 12 miles southwest of Jerusalem. When the Israelites struck the Amorites, they pursued them to upper Beth-horon until Azekah and Makkedah, two Canaanite towns in the Shephelah of Judah (Joshua 15:35, 41). As the Amorites fled from before Israel, while at the descent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah (v. 11). The all-powerful God allowed His covenant people to chase the fugitives at the lower Beth-horon so He could cast large stones from heaven on them. Consequently, they died. There was no way to escape God’s judgment.

The LORD's intervention unsurprisingly produced greater results than those of man: There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword. The term hailstone refers to frozen drops of rain or snow (Haggai 2:17). God wielded His weapons in judgment, sending hailstones upon the Amorites and killing them for persecuting His covenant people and attacking their vassal.

God has created all things and has authority over all of nature (Psalm 104:1-35). In Egypt, God sent plagues of animals and natural disasters (Exodus 7-12). He can stop the rain or send it (1 Kings 17:1, 18:41-45). In one remarkable story, He appoints a fish to swallow a man, Jonah, to rebuke him (Jonah 1:17). Jesus showed this same authority over nature by commanding the winds and waves to obey Him (Mark 4:35-41).

Victory belongs to God. He defeated the Amorite armies to show that He alone is God, and there is none besides Him (Isaiah 45:5).

A storm of hail coming from above and slaying entire armies of men would unmistakably be understood by all who heard of this battle that God had judged the armies of the Amorites. In Job 38:22-23, God tells Job He has storehouses of hail kept for times of battle and war. God had used hail before against Egypt (Exodus 9:23-26). He will use it again at the end of history as His wrath is poured out on earth (Revelation 16:21).