Joshua 10:4

SECTION III. Whosoever taketh an oath ought duly to consider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but what he is fully persuaded is the truth: neither may any man bind himself by oath to anything but what is good and just, and what he believeth so to be, and what he is able and resolved to perform. Yet it is a sin to refuse an oath touching any thing that is good and just, being imposed by lawful authority. 7. Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Jeremiah 4:2; Hosea 10:4 8. Genesis 24:2-9; Nehemiah 5:12-13; Ecclesiastes 5:2, 5 SECTION IV. An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of the words, without equivocation, or mental reservation. It cannot oblige to sin; but in anything not sinful, being taken, it binds to performance, although to a man's own hurt. Nor is it to be violated, although made to heretics, or infidels. 9. Jeremiah 4:2; Psalms 24:4 10. 1 Samuel 25:22, 32-34; Psalms 15:4 11. Ezekiel 17:16-19; Joshua 9:18-19; 2 Samuel 21:1 The subjects treated of in these sections are — 1. The nature of a lawful oath. 2. The only name in which it is lawful to swear. 3. The propriety and duty of taking oaths upon proper occasions. 4. The sense in which an oath is to be interpreted. And, 5. The extent and grounds of its binding obligation.

[Reformed Biblical] Having, no doubt, asked advice of God first, which is implied by the answer God gives to him, #Joshua 10:8 . ## And all the mighty men, or, even , or that is , as this particle is oft used, as hath been noted before. So it seems put here by way of explication and restriction; having said ## all the people of war, he now adds, even all the mighty men , &c., i.e. an army of the most valiant men picked out from the rest; for it is not probable, either that he would take so many hundred thousands with him, which would have hindered one another, or that he would leave the camp without an army to defend it. Ver. 8. No text from Poole on this verse. Ver. 9. Though assured by God of the victory, yet he useth all prudent means, and surpriseth them. It is not said that he went from Gilgal to Gibeon in a night’s space, but only that he travelled all night; unto which you may add part either of the foregoing or of the following day. ## Ver. 10. Slew them, or, he slew them ; either God or Israel; for God’s work is described #Joshua 10:11 . ## At Gibeon, Heb. in Gibeon ; not in the city, but in the territory belonging to it; as Joshua is said to be in Jericho, #Joshua 5:13 . ## Ver. 11. Great stones, i.e. hailstones of extraordinary greatness and hardness, cast down with that certainty as to hit the Canaanites, and not their pursuers the Israelites, and with that force as to kill them. Josephus affirms that thunder and lightning were mixed with the hail, which may seem probable from #Habakkuk 3:11 . ## Ver. 12.

[Reformed Biblical] It is here further remarkable, that God so disposed of these lots, that they came forth in decent and due order; Judah’s first, to whom the sovereignty was promised; and then Joseph’s, who succeeded Reuben in the other privilege of the birth-right, the double portion, #1 Chronicles 5:1,2 . ## The water of Jericho; of which see #2 Kings 2:19-22 . The wilderness that goeth up from Jericho; the wilderness of Beth- aven , as appears by comparing #Joshua 18:12 , which speaks of the very same border which was on the south of Ephraim, and on the north of Benjamin. ## Ver. 2. From Beth-el to Luz, or, from Bethel-luzah , as the LXX. here join the words; for Beth-el was anciently called Luz , #Genesis 28:19 48:3 ; though some think this was another Luz , spoken of #Jud ## 1:26 . Others make Beth-el and Luz two neighbouring towns, which afterwards being more built and inhabited, became one, as oft hath happened. ## Ver. 3. Of the two Beth-horons, see #Joshua 10:10,11 . ## Ver. 4. Manasseh, i.e. half Manasseh, by a synecdoche. Their inheritance, i.e. their several portions which here follow. Some think that they had but one lot between them; and therefore they are now said ## to take their inheritance, to wit, by dividing it between them according to the direction of Joshua and Eleazar, &c.; for that phrase being used of them, and not to my remembrance of any other tribes, may seem to have some peculiar signification, which doth not agree to the other tribes.

[Bible] And to the Reubenite, and to the Gadite, and to the half of the tribe of Manasseh, hath Joshua spoken, saying, `Remember the word which Moses, servant of Jehovah, commanded you, saying, Jehovah your God is giving rest to you, and He hath given to you this land; your wives, your infants, and your substance, abide in the land which Moses hath given to you beyond the Jordan, and ye — ye pass over by fifties, before your brethren, all the mighty ones of valour, and have helped them, till that Jehovah giveth rest to your brethren as to yourselves, and they have possessed, even they, the land which Jehovah your God is giving to them; then ye have turned back to the land of your possession, and have possessed it, which Moses, servant of Jehovah, hath given to you beyond the Jordan, [at] the sun-rising.` And they answer Joshua, saying, `All that thou hast commanded us we do; and unto every [place] whither thou dost send us, we go; according to all that we hearkened unto Moses [in], so we hearken unto thee; surely Jehovah thy God is with thee as He hath been with Moses. Any man who doth provoke thy mouth, and doth not hear thy words, in all that thou dost command him, is put to death; only, be strong and courageous.` Chapter 2 And Joshua son of Nun sendeth from Shittim, two men, spies, silently, saying, `Go, see the land — and Jericho;` and they go and come into the house of a woman, a harlot, and her name [is] Rahab, and they lie down there. And it is told to the king of Jericho, saying, `Lo, men have come in hither to-night, from the sons of Israel, to search the land. And the king of Jericho sendeth unto Rahab, saying, `Bring out the men who are coming in unto thee, who have come into thy house, for to search the whole of the land they have come in. And the woman taketh the two men, and hideth them, and saith thus: `The men came in unto me, and I have not known whence they [are];

[Bible] And it cometh to pass in Joshua`s being by Jericho, that he lifteth up his eyes, and looketh, and lo, one standing over-against him, and his drawn sword in his hand, and Joshua goeth unto him, and saith to him, `Art thou for us or for our adversaries?` And He saith, `No, for I [am] Prince of Jehovah`s host; now I have come;` and Joshua falleth on his face to the earth, and doth obeisance, and saith to Him, `What is my Lord speaking unto His servant?` And the Prince of Jehovah`s host saith unto Joshua, `Cast off thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place on which thou art standing is holy;` and Joshua doth so; Chapter 6 (And Jericho shutteth itself up, and is shut up, because of the presence of the sons of Israel — none going out, and none coming in;) And Jehovah saith unto Joshua, `See, I have given into thy hand Jericho and its king — mighty ones of valour, and ye have compassed the city — all the men of battle — going round the city once; thus thou dost six days; and seven priests do bear seven trumpets of the jubilee before the ark, and on the seventh day ye compass the city seven times, and the priests blow with the trumpets, and it hath been, in the prolongation of the horn of the jubilee, in your hearing the voice of the trumpet, all the people shout — a great shout, and the wall of the city hath fallen under it, and the people have gone up, each over-against him.` And Joshua son of Nun calleth unto the priests, and saith unto them, `Bear ye the ark of the covenant, and seven priests do bear seven trumpets of the jubilee before the ark of Jehovah;` and He said unto the people, `Pass over, and compass the city, and he who is armed doth pass over before the ark of Jehovah.` And it cometh to pass, when Joshua speaketh unto the people, that the seven priests bearing seven trumpets of the jubilee before Jehovah have passed over and blown with the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah is going after them;

Joshua 10:15 is the end of the quotation from Jasher; and it is necessary to notice this, as the fact described in it is recorded in due course, and the same words, by the sacred historian (Joshua 10:43). Joshua 10:16-27. T HE F IVE K INGS H ANGED. 16-27. these five kings … hid themselves in a cave — Hebrew, "the cave." at Makkedah —The pursuit was continued, without interruption, to Makkedah at the foot of the western mountains, where Joshua seems to have halted with the main body of his troops while a detachment was sent forward to scour the country in pursuit of the remaining stragglers, a few of whom succeeded in reaching the neighboring cities. The last act, probably the next day, was the disposal of the prisoners, among whom the five kings were consigned to the infamous doom of being slain (Deuteronomy 20:16, 17); and then their corpses were suspended on five trees till the evening. 24. put your feet upon the necks of these kings —not as a barbarous insult, but a symbolical action, expressive of a complete victory (Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalms 110:5; Malachi 4:3). Joshua 10:28-42. S EVEN M ORE K INGS C ONQUERED. 28-42. that day Joshua took Makkedah —In this and the following verses is described the rapid succession of victory and extermination which swept the whole of southern Palestine into the hands of Israel. "All these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.

overflowing of the water passed by —namely, of the Red Sea; and again, of the Jordan. God marked His favor to His people in all the elements, causing every obstacle, whether mountains or waters, which impeded their progress, to "pass away" [C ALVIN ]. M AURER , not so well, translates, "torrents (rains) of water rush down." lifted … hands on high —namely, its billows lifted on high by the tempest. Personification. As men signify by voice or gesture of hand that they will do what they are commanded, so these parts of nature testified their obedience to God's will (Exodus 14:22; Joshua 3:16; Psalms 77:17, 18; 114:4). 11. sun … moon stood still —at Joshua's command (Joshua 10:12, 13). M AURER wrongly translates, "stand" ( withdrawn, or hidden from view, by the clouds which covered the sky during the thunders). light of thine arrows —hail mixed with lightnings (Joshua 10:10, 11). they went —The sun and moon "went," not as always heretofore, but according to the light and direction of Jehovah's arrows, namely, His lightnings hurled in defense of His people; astonished at these they stood still [C ALVIN ]. M AURER translates, "At the light of Thine arrows (which) went" or flew. 12. march —implying Jehovah's majestic and irresistible progress before His people (Jude 5:4; Psalms 68:7). Israel would not have dared to attack the nations, unless Jehovah had gone before. thresh —(Micah 4:13). 13.

C. Prophecy concerning the acts of free agents would have been impossible. For unless all the collateral links of causation are under God's control, it may be that He will be unable to control a single result. But a multitude of the acts of the proudest, most arrogant and rebellious men were exactly and confidently predicted, of your Nebuchadnezzars, Pharaohs, Cyrus, and so on. To this last agree the Scriptures (Ephesians 1:10, 11; Romans 11:33; Hebrews 4:13; Romans 9:15, 18; Acts 15:18; 17:26; Job 14:5; Isaiah 46:10). Men's volitions, especially including the evil (Ephesians 2:10; Acts 2:23; 4:27, 28; Psalms 76:10; Proverbs 16:4, 33; Daniel 4:34, 35; Genesis 14:5; Isaiah 10:5, 15; Joshua 11:20; Proverbs 20:24; Isaiah 14:7; Amos 3:6; Psalms 107:17; 1 Samuel 2:25; 2 Samuel 16:10; 1 Kings 12:15, 24; 2 Kings 25:2, 3, 20). Add all those texts where the universality of God's providential control is asserted: for Providence is but the execution of the decree. The Decree Efficient. Fourth. Nearly akin to this is the remark that the decree is efficient. By this I mean that God's purpose is in every case absolutely sure to be effectuated. Nearly all the arguments adduced under the last head apply here: God's sovereignty, God's wisdom, His independence, and the dependence of all other things on Him, the "immutability of

But a multitude of the acts of the proudest, most arrogant and rebellious men were exactly and confidently predicted, of your Nebuchadnezzars, Pharaohs, Cyrus, and so on. To this last agree the Scriptures (Ephesians 1:10, 11; Romans 11:33; Hebrews 4:13; Romans 9:15, 18; Acts 15:18; 17:26; Job 14:5; Isaiah 46:10). Men's volitions, especially including the evil (Ephesians 2:10; Acts 2:23; 4:27, 28; Psalms 76:10; Proverbs 16:4, 33; Daniel 4:34, 35; Genesis 14:5; Isaiah 10:5, 15; Joshua 11:20; Proverbs 20:24; Isaiah 14:7; Amos 3:6; Psalms 107:17; 1 Samuel 2:25; 2 Samuel 16:10; 1 Kings 12:15, 24; 2 Kings 25:2, 3, 20). Add all those texts where the universality of God's providential control is asserted: for Providence is but the execution of the decree. The Decree Efficient. Fourth. Nearly akin to this is the remark that the decree is efficient. By this I mean that God's purpose is in every case absolutely sure to be effectuated. Nearly all the arguments adduced under the last head apply here: God's sovereignty, God's wisdom, His independence, and the dependence of all other things on Him, the "immutability of His counsel," and of His knowledge and other attributes, the certainty of His predictions, all demand that "His counsel shall stand, and He shall do all His pleasure" (Matthew 26:54; Luke 22:22; Acts 4:28; Proverbs 16:33; Matthew 10:29, 30). Here we see that things most minute, most contingent in our view of them, and most voluntary, are yet efficaciously produced by God. Over Free Agents Also

So Joshua became full of courage upon these promises of God, and went out suddenly against the enemies; and after five days' march he came upon them, and joined battle with them, and there was a terrible fight, and such a number were slain as could not be believed by those that heard it. He also went on in the pursuit a great way, and destroyed the entire army of the enemies, few only excepted, and all the kings fell in the battle; insomuch, that when there wanted men to be killed, Joshua slew their horses, and burnt their chariots and passed all over their country without opposition, no one daring to meet him in battle; but he still went on, taking their cities by siege, and again killing whatever he took.