And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon ,.... Which, according to Bunting F6 Ut supra. (Travels of the Patriarchs, &c.; p. 96.) , was eight miles from Lachish, and twelve from Jerusalem southward, of which see Joshua 10:5 , and all Israel with him, and they encamped against it, and fought against it ; it not surrendering at once, but attempted to hold out a siege. read more
And they took it on that day ,.... The same day they encamped about it and besieged it; the besieged finding they were not able to keep it: and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day ; made an utter devastation of all its inhabitants: according to all that he had done to Lachish ; the last city he took; this having no king as that had not, its king being one of the five that had been hanged, Joshua 10:26 . read more
And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron ,.... Which lay in the hill country, and therefore they are said to go up to it from Eglon, which lay lower; and, according to Bunting F7 Ibid. (Travels of the Patriarchs, &c.; p. 96.) , it was sixteen miles from it: and they fought against it ; it making some resistance at first, and did not surrender at once, as demanded. read more
And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword , and the king thereof ,.... For though the king of Hebron was one of the kings that were taken in the cave of Makkedah, and hanged; yet before Joshua came up to it, they had set up another king over them: and all the cities thereof ; for Hebron was a metropolitan city, and had other cities dependent on it, and subject to it: and all the souls that were therein ; both in Hebron, and in the cities subject to it: he... read more
And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir ,.... A city, according to Kimchi, which he passed by when he went to Hebron, and did not fight against it; but, when he had taken Hebron, returned and took it; and which Bunting F8 Travels of the Patriarchs, &c.; p. 96. says was but a mile from it, and twenty two miles from Jerusalem, towards the south; it is the same with Kirjathsepher and Kirjathsannah, Joshua 15:15 ; the city of a book or books; and the Rabbins say F9 ... read more
And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof ,.... For this also was a royal city, and had others dependent on it; and therefore must lie further from Hebron than before suggested; and indeed Burchard F11 Apud Masium in loc. says it was five or six miles from it, and another writer F12 Fuller's Pisgah Sight of Palestine, B. 2. c. 13. p. 276. says ten miles: and they smote them with the edge of the sword ; the inhabitants of Debir, and the other cities... read more
So Joshua smote all the country of the hills and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings ,.... That part of the land of Canaan which lay southward, and consisted of hills and vales; which abounded with springs, and was a well watered country, and agrees with the description Moses gives of it, though he never saw it, Deuteronomy 8:7 , he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed ; that is, all human creatures; for as for the cattle, they... read more
Eglon - It is likely that this town was not any great distance from Lachish. See on Joshua 10:3 ; (note). read more
Hebron - and the king thereof - See the note on Joshua 10:3 . From Joshua 10:23 ; we learn that the king of Hebron was one of those five whom Joshua slew and hanged on five trees at Makkedah. How then can it be said that he slew the king of Hebron when he took the city, which was some days after the transactions at Makkedah? Either this slaying of the king of Hebron must refer to what had already been done, or the Hebronites, finding that their king fell in battle, had set up... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 10:28-43
We are here informed how Joshua improved the late glorious victory he had obtained and the advantages he had gained by it, and to do this well is a general's praise. I. Here is a particular account of the several cities which he immediately made himself master of. 1. The cities of three of the kings whom he had conquered in the field he went and took possession of, Lachish (Josh. 10:31, 32), Eglon (Josh. 10:34, 35), and Hebron, Josh. 10:36, 37. The other two, Jerusalem and Jarmuth, were not... read more