Joshua 11:14

40. 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: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded. 40. Percussit itaque Josue omnem terram montanam, et meridianam, et campestrem, descensus acclives, et omnes reges earum: non reliquit superstitem: et omnem animam interfecit, quemadmodum praeceperat Jehova Deus Israel. 41. And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. 41. Percussit itaque Josue a Cades Barne usque ad Asa, et universam terram Gosen usque ad Gibeon. 42. And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel. 42. Cunctos vero reges istos, et terram eorum cepit Josue simul: quia Jehova Deus Israelis pugnabat pro Israele. 43. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal. 43. Inde reversus est Josue et universus Israel cum eo in castra in Gilgal.

11:10-14 The Canaanites filled up the measure of their iniquity, and were, as a judgment, left to the pride, obstinacy, and enmity of their hearts, and to the power of Satan; all restraints being withdrawn, while the dispensations of Providence tended to drive them to despair. They brought on themselves the vengeance they justly merited, of which the Israelites were to be executioners, by the command the Lord gave to Moses.

And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves,.... The gold, silver, household goods, corn, wine, oil, or any mercantile goods, together with cattle of every sort, all were taken by them for a prey, for their own use and benefit, which was allowed them: but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe; for which they had warrant so to do from the Lord, as follows.

Render: "But the cities standing each on its own hill" (compare Jeremiah 30:18 ). The meaning is simply that, with the exception of Hazor, Joshua did not burn the cities, but left them standing, each on its former site. This site is spoken of as a hill, because such was the ordinary site chosen for cities in Canaan (compare Matthew 5:14 ).

After destroying the foe, and returning from the pursuit, Joshua took Hazor, smote its king and all the inhabitants with the edge of the sword, and burned the town, the former leader of all those kingdoms. He did just the same to the other towns, except that he did not burn them, but left them standing upon their hills. על־תּלּם העמחות ( Joshua 11:13 ) neither contains an allusion to any special fortification of the towns, nor implies a contrast to the towns built in the valleys and plains, but simply expresses the thought that these towns were still standing upon their hill, i.e., upon the old site (cf. Jeremiah 30:18 : the participle does not express the preterite, but the present). At the same time, the expression certainly implies that the towns were generally built upon hills. The pointing in תּלּם is not to be altered, as Knobel suggests. The singular "upon their hill" is to be taken as distributive: standing, now as then, each upon its hill. - With Joshua 11:15 , "as Jehovah commanded His servant Moses" (cf. Numbers 33:52 .; Deuteronomy 7:1 ., Deuteronomy 20:16 ), the account of the wars of Joshua is brought to a close, and the way opened for proceeding to the concluding remarks with reference to the conquest of the whole land ( Joshua 11:16-23 ). דּבר הסיר לא, he put not away a word, i.e., left nothing undone.

[Bible] 11:11. And he cut off all the souls that abode there: he left not in it any remains, but utterly destroyed all, and burned the city itself with fire. 11:12. And he took and put to the sword and destroyed all the cities round about, and their kings, as Moses the servant of God had commanded him. 11:13. Except the cities that were on hills and high places, the rest Israel burned: only Asor that was very strong he consumed with fire. 11:14. And the children of Israel divided among themselves all the spoil of these cities and the cattle, killing all the men. 11:15. As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Josue, and he accomplished all: he left not one thing undone of all the commandments which the Lord had commanded Moses. 11:16. So Josue took all the country of the hills, and of the south, and the land of Gosen, and the plains and the west country, and the mountain of Israel, and the plains thereof: 11:17. And part of the mountain that goeth up to Seir as far as Baalgad, by the plain of Libanus under mount Hermon: all their kings he took, smote and slew. 11:18. Josue made war a long time against these kings. A long time... Seven years, as appears from chap. 14.10. 11:19. There was not a city that delivered itself to the children of Israel, except the Hevite, who dwelt in Gabaon: for he took all by fight. 11:20. For it was the sentence of the Lord, that their hearts should be hardened, and they should fight against Israel, and fall, and should not deserve any clemency, and should be destroyed as the Lord had commanded Moses. Hardened... This hardening of their hearts, was their having no thought of yielding or submitting: which was a sentence or judgment of God upon them in punishment of their enormous crimes. 11:21. At that time Josue came and cut off the Enancims from the mountains, from Hebron, and Dabir, and Anab, and from all the mountain of Juda and Israel, and destroyed their cities.

16 . But ] Heb. rak , introducing an opposite case, see Deuteronomy 10:15 . thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth ] Heb. any breath , i.e. human life ( Genesis 2:7 , 1 Kings 17:17 , Isaiah 42:5 ), cp. the deuteronomic Joshua 10:40 ; Joshua 11:11 ; Joshua 11:14 . Only in Genesis 7:22 does the phrase cover animals.