Joshua 12:1-6 meaning

Joshua 12:1-6 begins a chapter of remembrance, telling of the many Canaanites whom the Israelites conquered.

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years. Initially, they had lived in Canaan, but immigrated there while Jacob (Israel), grandson of Abraham, was in his old age. Over time, the Egyptians enslaved the people of Israel (Jacob) and oppressed them. But the LORD saw their affliction and redeemed them from bondage.

Then, He chose them as His treasured possession and vowed to prosper them by giving them the land of Canaan, a rich, abundant, and fertile soil located west of the Jordan River. The people of Israel agreed to a covenant/treaty with God, where God would be their Ruler and they would keep His commandments. They were intended to live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:4-6) in contrast to the pagan, sinful, child-sacrificing nations of the world (Leviticus 18).

After leaving Egypt, God led them to Canaan to inherit it as promised. But they were fearful, and rebelled, so God determined that they would wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a consequence of their lack of faith. Their children, the next generation of Israelites, would instead inherit the Promised Land. When everyone of that first generation had died (save for Joshua and Caleb), God commanded they begin the war to inherit the Promised Land. However, before crossing the Jordan River, the Israelites encountered some opposition and overcame it with God's help. Here, the text records these first battles: Now, these are the kings of the land whom the sons of Israel defeated and whose land they possessed beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise (v 1).

The phrase beyond the Jordan toward sunrise (v 1) refers to the land on the east side of the Jordan River (also known as 'Transjordan'). It has a mountainous terrain and fertile valleys. When the Israelites left the Sinai desert and arrived near the Jordan, they subdued the kings there and captured their land. The conquered territory extended from the valley of the Arnon as far as Mount Hermon and all the Arabah to the east (v 1).

The Valley of the Arnon (modern Wadi el-mojib) flows from east to west through a canyon with walls 1,500 feet high into the Dead Sea. During the Israelite campaign in Canaan, its gorge served as a natural boundary between Moab to the south and the Ammonite kingdoms to the north (Numbers 21:13-15). Mount Hermon is above the valley of Lebanon (Joshua 11:17). It is also above the valley of Mizpeh, where Joshua and the Israelites defeated a massive coalition of northern Canaanite armies at the waters of Merom (Joshua 11:1-8). The Arnon Valley and Mount Hermon were both east of the Arabah, which is the Jordan rift valley north of the Dead Sea (Joshua 11:2).

The first enemy defeated by the Israelite troops was Sihon, king of the Amorites (v 2). He lived in Heshbon, a town 50 miles east of Jerusalem. Originally, Heshbon belonged to the Moabites. But Sihon later conquered it and made it the capital of his kingdom.

While living in Heshbon, the Amorite king ruled from Aroer (v 2), a town in Moab on a pass along the summit of the Transjordanian hills. It lies on the edge of the valley of the Arnon (v 2), just one mile from the river Arnon (Deuteronomy 2:36, 3:12). Moreover, Sihon's dominion ranged from both the middle of the valley and half of Gilead, even as far as the brook Jabbok (v 2).

Gilead was a mountainous region lying between the Yarmuk and the Arnon rivers. It was a place of safety for the ancient Israelites. For instance, Jacob fled from Laban to Gilead (Genesis 31:21). Later in the days of Saul, some Israelites hid from the Philistines there (1 Samuel 13:7). The brook Jabbok, one of the four major streams of Transjordan, divides Gilead into two halves (Deuteronomy 3:12, 16). It was where Jacob wrestled with the angel and prevailed (Genesis 32). It was the border of the sons of Ammon (v 2), a people who descended from the incestuous union between Lot and his younger daughter (Genesis 19:36-38).

King Sihon's sovereignty also included the Arabah as far as the Sea of Chinneroth toward the east (v 3). The Arabah is the continuation of the Jordan rift between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Elath (Deuteronomy 4:49). It is approximately 110 miles long. The Sea of Chinneroth is another name for the Sea of Galilee, which lies in the lower section of the Jordan Valley. It was in a range of mountains, about 60 miles north of Jerusalem. It was about 13 miles long and six miles wide.

According to the text, the kingdom of Sihon was so great geographically that it went as far as the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, eastward toward Beth-jeshimoth (v 3). Then, on the south, it covered the foot of the slopes of Pisgah (v 3). The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea, known for its high salinity. Beth-jeshimoth was the place where the Israelites "camped by the Jordan" in the plains of Moab (Numbers 33:49). Pisgah was a mountain in the Abarim range of Northwest Moab, near Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:1). It was the peak from where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death (Deuteronomy 3:27). King Sihon occupied all these territories and was a powerful ruler. However, the Israelites fought against him and won because the LORD was with them.

The second leader defeated by the Israelite army was the King of Bashan (v 4). The region called Bashan was a rich and fertile land located in what is now the Golan Heights, east of the Sea of Galilee. It was noted for its abundant livestock (Deuteronomy 32:14, Ezekiel 39:18). Animals such as cows grazed on the lush grass available in Bashan (Amos 4:1).

In those days, the territory of Bashan had a strong ruler named Og, one of the Rephaim (v 4), an ancient race of giants living in Canaan during the days of Abraham (Genesis 15:20; Deuteronomy 2:11). The Pentateuch identifies King Og as the last of the Rephaim (Deuteronomy 3:11). He lived at Ashtaroth and Edrei (v 4).

The first city (Ashtaroth) was the capital of Bashan, situated on a mound known today as "Tell Ashtarah" in Syria. The second (Edrei) was in the southeastern region of Bashan. Its modern site is Dera, halfway between Damascus and Ammon. Both Ashtaroth and Edrei were the dwelling places of King Og (Deuteronomy 1:4).

As far as King Og's sovereignty, he ruled over Mount Hermon and Salecah (v 5). Mount Hermon marked the northern extremity of the territory of the Promised Land. Salecah was a town on the southwestern edge of Mount Hauran in Syria (Deuteronomy 3:10). Og ruled all Bashan as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites (v 5), two people groups living northeast of the Sea of Galilee (Deuteronomy 3:14). Moreover, Og reigned over the northern half of Gilead as far as the border of Sihon King of Heshbon in the south (v 5).

Although King Sihon and King Og were powerful and had impressive kingdoms, Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the sons of Israel defeated them (v 6). Moses was the first leader of Israel. God chose him to rescue the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. He accepted the call and confronted Pharaoh and the Egyptians, redeeming the people from bondage and leading them out of Egypt (Exodus 8:1), all through mighty miracles performed by God. Since he was the mediator between God and the people, the text describes him as the servant of the LORD.

The Old Testament often uses the term servant (Hebrew, "ʿeḇeḏ") to refer to specific people such as Abraham, Caleb, David, and Zerubbabel, whom God used as His agents to carry out His plans (Genesis 26:24, Numbers 14:24, 2 Samuel 7:5, and Haggai 2:23 respectively). Like these men, Moses was the LORD's servant (Numbers 12:7). He obeyed the LORD as his Master.

The Hebrew term translated as LORD is Yahweh, the self-existent and everlasting God who revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). As God's covenant name, it often emphasizes His relationship with His people. In our passage, it demonstrates Moses's role as Yahweh's emissary. Moses's mission was to lead the Israelites and teach them to live righteously before their Suzerain God. Thus, after subjugating the Canaanite kings, Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh as a possession (v 6).

The book of Genesis traces the ancestors of these two-and-a-half tribes. The Reubenites descended from the first son of Jacob by his wife Leah (Genesis 35:23). The Gadites were descendants of Jacob's son "Gad" by his maidservant, Zilpah (Genesis 35:26). The half-tribe of Manasseh belonged to the first son of Joseph, son of Jacob. It consisted of two clans represented by Jair and Machir (Genesis 41:51). These tribes received the land located east of the Jordan River. However, as part of the Israelite community, their armed men were to leave their wives and children to help the remaining tribes conquer the western side before settling into their land (Numbers 32:28-33). Therefore, they obeyed the divine command and crossed over to the Jordan River with Joshua and the other Israelite tribes to fight against their foes.

Defeating Sihon and Og before crossing the Jordan was very significant. The Israelite victory over them served to encourage the Israelites to trust the LORD, as well as act as a warning to the other Canaanite kings. Moses pointed Joshua to these very battles for courage: "Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings; so the LORD shall do to all the kingdoms through which you are about to pass. Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you" (Deuteronomy 3:21-22).

News of this desert people, these former slaves of Egypt, having cast down the giant kings east of the Jordan, was noteworthy. News that they served a mighty God who split seas in half reached the ears of their enemies. It spread ahead of the Israelites as they prepared to cross the Jordan and deal with the other kings of Canaan.

In Jericho, the prostitute Rahab told the Israelite spies that the men of Jericho's hearts melted when they heard "what you did to the two kings of the Amorites" (Joshua 2:10). The Gibeonites gave the same report (Joshua 9:9-10), motivating them to yield and seek peace with Israel. God gave Israel two victories east of the Jordan before telling them to cross it, growing their faith in Him and broadcasting fear to the pagan kings they would challenge.