Joshua 10

Within the account of the conquest of Canaan in the Book of Joshua, this chapter covers the conquest of the southern region. The peace treaty that the inhabitants of Gibeon made with Israel in Joshua 9 sets the events of this chapter in motion.

Outline

• Verses 1–5: Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, hears of Gibeon's peace treaty and joins with the kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon to attack Gibeon.
• Verses 6–11: Answering Gibeon's plea for help, Joshua marches up from Gilgal all night and takes the enemy by surprise. Great hailstones fall on the fleeing enemy, and more die from the hail than by the sword.
• Verses 12–15: Joshua calls on the sun and moon to stand still, and the sun remains in place for about a whole day. The text notes that this event is recorded in the book of Jasher.
• Verses 16–27: The five kings, who have hidden in the cave at Makkedah, are brought out; the captains of the army put their feet on the kings' necks, and the kings are then executed. Their bodies are hanged on trees, taken down at sunset, and cast into the cave, which is sealed with great stones.
• Verses 28–39: Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir are taken in turn and utterly destroyed. Horam king of Gezer, who comes to help Lachish, is also defeated at this time.
• Verses 40–43: Israel strikes the hill country, the south, the lowland, and the slopes, conquering the land from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and returns to the camp at Gilgal.

Key Verses

• Joshua 10:12: "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon" — the defining scene of the chapter.
• Joshua 10:14: "for the LORD fought for Israel" — a summary of the chapter's theme that the conquest is the work of God.
• Joshua 10:25: "Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage" — an echo of the encouragement given in chapter 1.

People and Places

• Joshua: The leader of Israel.
• Adoni-zedek: King of Jerusalem, who leads the coalition of the five kings.
• Gibeon: A great city that made peace with Israel.
• Gilgal: The site of Israel's camp.
• Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, and Debir: Southern cities conquered in this chapter.
• Hebron: One of the conquered cities.
• Kadesh-barnea: Mentioned as the southern limit of the conquest.

Points for Reflection

• The sun and moon standing still: Interpretations differ. Some regard it as a miracle in which the movement of the heavenly bodies actually stopped. Others regard it as poetic language quoting a song from the book of Jasher, and still others as a phenomenon in which daylight lasted unusually long. A story has circulated in churches that NASA confirmed a "missing day" through calculations, but this story has been shown to have no verifiable basis.
• Utter destruction: The term refers to "destroying completely as a devotion to God." Some read it as God's judgment on the sin of the Canaanites. Others regard it as the hyperbolic language characteristic of ancient war accounts, pointing to the fact that Hebron and Debir are conquered again in chapter 15.
• Connection to the New Testament: The taking down of the executed kings' bodies at sunset corresponds to the regulation in Deuteronomy 21. That regulation is quoted in Galatians 3:10–14, which explains that Christ bore the curse as one who "hangeth on a tree."

In the Korean Church

The scene of "Sun, stand thou still" is frequently cited in sermons on answered prayer and bold faith.