Josh. 10 Five of the kings of Canaan, afraid of Joshua, are angry with the Gibeonites, and wage war against them; they send to Joshua for succours, Josh. 10:1–5. He rescues them, Josh. 10:6–10. God casts down hail-stones upon the enemy, Josh. 10:11.

i.e. Were conversant with them, had yielded themselves to their disposal, submitted themselves to their laws, had mingled interests with them.

They feared, i.e. he and his people, the king being spoken of Josh. 10:1, as a public person representing all his people. Or, he and the following kings, Josh. 10:3. But this fear is mentioned, Josh. 10:2, as the cause why he sent to those kings. As one of the royal cities; either, 1.

He sent, either because he was superior to them in power or dignity, or because he was nearest the danger, and most forward in the work.

Amorites; this name being here taken largely or generally for any of the Canaanites, as is frequent; for, to speak strictly, the citizens of Hebron, here mentioned, Josh. 10:3, were Hittites; thus the Gibeonites, who were Hivites, Josh. 10:19, are called Amorites, 2 Sam. 21:2.

The men of Gibeon sent, or, had sent, when their enemies were drawn towards them, which they could easily learn. Slack not thy hand; do not neglect nor delay to help us.

Having, no doubt, asked advice of God first, which is implied by the answer God gives to him, Josh. 10:8. And all the mighty men, or, even, or that is, as this particle is oft used, as hath been noted before.

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.

Slew them, or, he slew them; either God or Israel; for God’s work is described Josh. 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, Josh. 5:13.

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.

Joshua spake to the Lord, to wit, in way of petition for this miracle; being moved to beg it out of zeal to destroy God’s enemies, and directed to it by the motion of God’s Spirit; and receiving a gracious answer, and being filled with holy confidence of the success, he speaks the following words…

Stood still, Heb. was silent, i.e. still, as this phrase is commonly used, as 1 Sam. 14:9, Ps. 4:4, Jonah 1:12; the cessation of the tongue’s motion being put synecdochically for the cessation of any other motion or action. Until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies, i.e.

There was no day like that, to wit, in those parts of the world in which he here speaks, and about which the comparison is here made: vain therefore is that objection, that the days are longer near the northern and southern poles, where they are constantly longer at certain seasons, and that by the…

Not immediately, or upon the same day, but after he had despatched the matter which here follows; as appears by Josh. 10:43, where the very same words are repeated, to show that that was the meaning of them. And they are put here to close the general discourse of the fight, which begun Josh.

The five kings named above, Josh. 10:3. In a cave, as a place of most secrecy or security; but there is no escaping the eye or hand of God, who here brought them into a net of their own making. At Makkedah, Heb.

Stay ye not; lose not your opportunity by your sloth or negligence. The hindmost of them; their rereward, all whom you can overtake. To enter into their cities, whereby they will recover their strength, and renew the war.

i.e. Joshua by the children of Israel; or the children of Israel, i.e. a party of them, by the command, direction, and encouragement of Joshua; for Joshua himself went not with them, but abode in the siege before Makkedah, Josh. 10:21.

To the camp; to the body of the army which were encamped there with Joshua to besiege that place. None moved his tongue; not so much as a dog, as it is expressed, Ex. 11:7.

Put your feet upon the necks of these kings: this he did not from pride and contempt of their dignity in itself; but, partly, as a punishment of their impious rebellion against their sovereign Lord; partly, in pursuance of that curse of servility due to all this people, Gen.

He hanged them, after they were dead, as a brand of infamy, and for the terror and instruction of others.

Laid great stones in the cave’s mouth; that neither wild beasts could come at them to devour them, nor any of their people to give them honourable burial.

That day, on which the sun stood still, or on which the five kings were hanged. Nor is it strange that so much work was done, and places so far distant taken, in one day, when the day was so long, and the Canaanites struck with such a terror.

All Israel, to wit, who were with him in this expedition. Libnah, a city of Judah, Josh. 15:42

All the souls, i.e. the human souls; for all the cattle they had for a prey.

On the second day; either the day after his first laying of the siege, or after the taking of Makkedah and Libnah.

Gezer; either that in Ephraim, of which Josh. 16:3, Judg. 1:29; but that seems too remote from the other places; or rather, that in Judah, which was near Lachish, 1 Chron. 14:16, whose king therefore was more capable, and more obliged to help them for his own sake.

Eglon, a city of Judah, Josh. 15:39.

On that day on which they first attempted it.

Which though they took and killed all its inhabitants, yet they did not keep it; and therefore when Joshua and his army had forsaken it, and were returned to Gilgal, it seems the giants and other Canaanites being burnt out, or driven away from their former seats, planted and fortified themselves…

The king thereof; either him mentioned before, Josh. 10:23 whose death is here repeated in this account of the general destruction of all the inhabitants of that place, or his heir or successor.

He is said to return thither, not as if he had been there before, but because having gone as far westward and southward as he thought fit, even as far as Gaza, Josh. 10:41, he now returned towards Gilgal, which lay northward and eastward from him, and in his return fell upon Debir: See Poole “Josh.

All that breathed, i.e. all mankind, by a synecdoche; for they reserved the cattle for their own uses. As the Lord God of Israel commanded: this is added for the vindication of the Israelites, whom God would not have to suffer in their reputation for executing his commands; and therefore he acquits…

Kadesh-barnea lay in the south of Canaan, Num. 34:4, Deut. 1:19, Josh. 15:3. Gaza was in the south-west of Canaan. So he here signifies that Joshua did in this expedition subdue all those parts which lay south and west from Gilgal. Goshen; not that Goshen in Egypt, but another in Judah, Josh.