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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Joshua 10:7-14

Here, I. Joshua resolves to assist the Gibeonites, and God encourages him in this resolve. 1. He ascended from Gilgal (Josh. 10:7), that is, he designed, determined, and prepared for, this expedition to relieve Gibeon, for it is probable it was before he stirred a step that God spoke to him to encourage him. It was generous and just in Joshua to help his new allies, though perhaps the king of Jerusalem, when he attacked them, little thought that Joshua would be so ready to help them, but... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Joshua 10:11

And it came to pass, as they fled before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron ,.... The descent of it on that side towards Azekah, and which was also a very narrow passage, of which Josephus F19 De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 19. sect. 7, 8. makes mention. The Jews say F20 Gloss. in T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 54. 2. , that the going down of Bethhoron was the place where the army of Sennacherib fell: that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Joshua 10:11

The Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them - Some have contended that stones, in the common acceptation of the word, are intended here; and that the term hail-stones is only used to point out the celerity of their fall, and their quantity. That stones have fallen from the clouds, if not from a greater height, is a most incontestable fact. That these have fallen in different parts of the world is also true; the East Indies, America, France, Germany, England,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 10:1-43

The great victory and its results. Many of the considerations which this passage suggests have been already anticipated. Thus the celerity of Joshua's march (verse 9) suggests the same set of ideas as Joshua 4:10 . The destruction of the cities teaches the same lessons as the destruction of Jericho; while the miraculous interposition in the battle of Beth-horon is hardly to be distinguished, as a source of spiritual instruction, from the destruction of Jericho. Again, the confederacy... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 10:8-11

The battle of Beth-horon and its lessons. It may seem as if there was too much carnage about this account for Scripture purposes. Yet it is well to dwell on it. Dean Stanley treats this battle as the Marathon of the religious history of the world. It was the crisis in which the hosts who were, unconsciously to some extent, fighting for truth, righteousness, progress, and liberty, met with those fighting, to some extent unconsciously, for a depraved religion, licentious morals, for... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 10:8-11

The victory over the five kings. The battle against the five kings is the most remarkable episode in the conquest of the Canaanites. Israel might well have had cause to tremble in presence of such allied enemies. But Divine aid gives it a signal victory. That aid comes under two forms: 1 . It consists, first, in a miraculous intervention of the Divine power, which sends down a fierce storm of hailstones upon the Canaanitish armies, and so lengthens out the day as to make the conflict... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Joshua 10:11

Great stones from heaven. Calmet has taken great trouble to collect evidence for showers of actual stones from heaven upon the enemies of Israel. But the next sentence of the verse states that they were hailstones, אַבְנֵי בָרָד . And even if there were not sufficient evidence of the fall of hailstones large enough to do great destruction to man and beast, we might fall back upon the theory that this was a miraculous hailstorm, since the whole history teems with miraculous... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Joshua 10:11

Compare Ecclesiasticus 46:6. Frightful storms occasionally sweep over the hills of Judaea; but this was evidently a miraculous occurrence, like the hail which smote Egypt Exodus 9:24 and the tempest which fell on the Philistines at Ebenezer 1 Samuel 7:10. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Joshua 10:11

Joshua 10:11. The Lord cast down great stones That is, hail-stones of an extraordinary greatness, cast down with that certainty as to hit the Canaanites, and not their pursuers the Israelites. Josephus affirms that thunder and lightning were mixed with the hail, which may seem probable from Habakkuk 3:11. They had robbed the true God of his honour, by worshipping the host of heaven, and now the host of heaven fights against them, and triumphs in their ruin. Beth-horon lay north of Gibeon,... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Joshua 10:1-43

Victory in southern Canaan (10:1-43)The five kings who between them controlled much of southern Canaan saw Joshua’s control of Gibeon as a threat to their security. They decided to conquer Gibeon and so stop any further move south by Israel (10:1-5).Joshua faced his biggest battle thus far. He knew that it would be a life-or-death struggle, but God encouraged him with the assurance of victory (6-8). God then helped make victory possible by causing some unusual changes in the weather that were... read more

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