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
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
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
Went up. The accuracy of the geographical details must here be noticed. Joshua "passes" from one city to another in the plain. He "goes up" to Hebron, which is situated among the hills. See note on verse 3; cf. also Joshua 11:21 ; Joshua 14:12 . Hebron . Commentators of the school of Maurer and De Wette regard the taking of Hebron and Debir as irreconcilable with Joshua 11:21 , Joshua 14:12 , Joshua 15:13-17 . But this is by no means certain. The operations of Joshua were sudden,... read more
And Joshua returned. Rather, Joshua turned. Debir was not on the way back from Hebron to Eglon, but in a different direction. His march was now southward instead of eastward. Debir . A city of importance, since only Hebron and it are mentioned in the history of the campaign as having cities dependent on them. It is also called Kirjath-Sepher ( Joshua 15:15 ; 1:11 ), and Kirjath-Sannah ( Joshua 15:49 ). The first name signifies "the city of the hook," from whence it has been... read more
The king thereof - No doubt the successor of the king slain at Makkedah Joshua 10:23.All the cities thereof - i. e. the smaller towns dependent upon Hebron. The expression marks Hebron as the metropolis of other subject towns. read more
Joshua returned - The words mark a change in the direction of the march. Joshua from Hebron turned to the southwest, and attacked Debir or Kirjath-sepher and its dependencies Joshua 15:15. 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