Joshua 10 · WEB
The Sun Stands Still; Southern Campaign
Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.
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Now when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it—as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king—and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,
2he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
3Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,
4"Come up to me and help me, and let's strike Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel."
5Therefore the five kings of the Amorites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon—gathered themselves together and went up, they and all their armies, and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it.
6The men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, "Don't abandon your servants! Come up to us quickly and save us and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill country have gathered together against us."
7So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.
8Yahweh said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hands. Not a man of them will stand before you."
9Joshua came on them suddenly, for he went up from Gilgal all night.
10Yahweh confused them before Israel, and he killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon. He chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth Horon, and struck them to Azekah and to Makkedah.
11As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth Horon, Yahweh cast down great stones from the sky on them to Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel killed with the sword.
12Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. He said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still on Gibeon! You, moon, stop in the valley of Aijalon!"
13The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn't this written in the book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and didn't hurry to go down about a whole day.
14There was no day like that before it or after it, that Yahweh listened to the voice of a man; for Yahweh fought for Israel.
15Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
16These five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.
17Joshua was told, saying, "The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah."
18Joshua said, "Roll large stones to the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them;
19but don't stay there. Pursue your enemies, and attack their rear. Don't allow them to enter into their cities; for Yahweh your God has delivered them into your hand."
20When Joshua and the children of Israel had finished killing them with a very great slaughter until they were consumed, and the remnant that remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,
21all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. None moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
22Then Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me out of the cave."
23They did so, and brought out those five kings to him out of the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
24When they brought out those kings to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who went with him, "Come near. Put your feet on the necks of these kings." They came near, and put their feet on their necks.
25Joshua said to them, "Don't be afraid, and don't be dismayed. Be strong and courageous, for Yahweh will do this to all your enemies against whom you fight."
26After that, Joshua struck them and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees. They were hanging on the trees until the evening.
27At sunset Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave in which they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, which remain to this day.
28Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king. He utterly destroyed them and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining. He did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
29Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah.
30Yahweh delivered it also and its king into the hand of Israel. He struck it with the edge of the sword and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining in it. He did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
31Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it and fought against it.
32Yahweh delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel. He took it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword with all the souls who were in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
33Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people until he had left no one remaining.
34Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, to Eglon. They encamped against it and fought against it.
35They took it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
36Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron, and fought against it.
37They took it and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king and all its cities and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon, and he utterly destroyed it and all the souls who were in it.
38Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir, and fought against it.
39He took it with its king and all its cities. They struck them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining. As he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and to its king, as he had done also to Libnah and to its king.
40So Joshua struck all the land, the hill country and the South and the lowland and the slopes and all their kings. He left no one remaining, but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, commanded.
41Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea even to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen, even to Gibeon.
42Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
43Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
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Summary
Five Amorite kings form a coalition to punish Gibeon for making peace with Israel. The Gibeonites appeal to Joshua, who marches his army through the night from Gilgal and launches a surprise attack. God fights for Israel with a devastating hailstorm that kills more enemies than the swords do. In the climax of the battle, Joshua calls on the sun and moon to stand still — and they do, giving Israel an entire extra day of light to complete the victory. The five kings are captured, executed, and sealed in a cave. Joshua then conducts a rapid southern campaign, taking six major cities in rapid succession.
Themes
- God as the divine warrior who fights for His people
- Prayer that moves creation — God's sovereignty over the natural order
- The southern coalition defeated swiftly when God acts
- Covenant loyalty in action — Joshua defends Gibeon even though they deceived Israel
Key verses
- Josh 10:12-13 — “Sun, stand still on Gibeon! You, moon, stop in the valley of Aijalon!...The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and didn't hurry to go down about a whole day.”
- Josh 10:14 — “There was no day like that before it or after it, that Yahweh listened to the voice of a man; for Yahweh fought for Israel.”
- Josh 10:42 — “Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.”
- Josh 10:8 — “Yahweh said to Joshua, 'Don't be afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hands.' ”
Context & background
This chapter covers the southern highlands of what is today Israel and the West Bank. The key cities — Jerusalem, Hebron, Lachish, Eglon, Jarmuth — all lay in the Judean hills and Shephelah (lowland). Jerusalem (then Jebusite) would not be fully conquered until David's time (2 Samuel 5). Lachish, in the modern Israeli Shephelah, became one of Judah's most important fortified cities and is extensively excavated today. The "sun standing still" over Gibeon (near Jerusalem) and the moon over the Aijalon Valley (west of Jerusalem, modern Israel) is one of the most celebrated and debated miracles of the Old Testament. The text cites the now-lost "Book of Jashar" as a source, suggesting this event was commemorated in ancient Israelite poetry.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 15:25 — Christ must reign until all enemies are put under His feet, the theological reality Joshua pictured when the kings' necks were placed under his commanders' feet
- 2 Samuel 2:18 — The "Book of Jashar" cited again regarding the lament over Saul and Jonathan
- Deuteronomy 20:4 — "Yahweh your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies"
- Habakkuk 3:11 — "The sun and moon stood still in their habitation" — the prophet recalls this miracle in song
- Isaiah 28:21 — God's "strange work" at Gibeon recalled as a paradigm of divine intervention