Makkedah

Biblical Text

Makkedah appears chiefly in Joshua 10. Five Amorite kings, those of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, formed an alliance and attacked Gibeon. Israel, led by Joshua, came and defeated them, pursuing the fleeing enemy along the ascent of Beth-horon as far as Azekah and Makkedah (Joshua 10:10).

The five kings hid in a cave at Makkedah (Joshua 10:16). Joshua had large stones rolled against the mouth of the cave and posted men to guard it, then ordered the rest of the army to continue the pursuit (10:18–19). The people of Israel returned "to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah" (10:21). Joshua then had the kings brought out and ordered the army commanders to put their feet on the kings' necks. He then put the kings to death and hanged them on trees until evening; at sunset they were taken down and thrown into the cave, and its mouth was sealed with large stones. The text records that the stones "remain until this very day" (10:22–27).

Joshua captured Makkedah that same day. He utterly destroyed its inhabitants and did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho (10:28). Utter destruction (Hebrew ḥerem) refers to devoting people and property wholly to God by destroying them completely. Israel then moved on from Makkedah to Libnah (10:29). The "king of Makkedah" is included in the list of conquered kings (12:16). Makkedah also appears among the towns of the lowland allotted to the tribe of Judah (15:41).

Background

Makkedah lay in the low hill country of western Judah. This region is called the Shephelah in Hebrew and is rendered "the plain" in the New Korean Revised Version (the KJV has "the valley"). Makkedah appears to have been one of the points along the routes leading from this region into southern Canaan. Its Hebrew name is Maqqedah, the meaning of which is uncertain. Scholars have proposed several archaeological sites as its location, but no consensus has yet been reached.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The events at Makkedah are portrayed as the starting point of the conquest of southern Canaan, including Jerusalem and Hebron. Here Joshua declares, "Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage" (10:25), words that connect with a theme repeated throughout the book of Joshua.

The removal of the executed kings' bodies from the trees at sunset accords with the law in Deuteronomy 21:22–23, which forbids leaving the body of one hanged on a tree there overnight. Paul cites this same law to explain that Christ bore in our place the curse of one who "hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:10–14). The name Makkedah itself, however, does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

• The ethics of utter destruction: Views differ on how to read the record of the destruction of the town's entire population. Some regard it as a special judgment of God on the sin of the Canaanites. Others see it as the hyperbolic language common in ancient Near Eastern war accounts. An allegorical reading that takes it as a figure of spiritual warfare has also existed since the time of the early Church Fathers.
• Historicity: The extent to which the conquest traditions reflect actual history remains a matter of ongoing debate in archaeology and theology.
• Order of the text: Joshua 10:15 states that Joshua returned to Gilgal, yet the Makkedah narrative follows immediately afterward. For this reason some scholars have noted that the sequence is awkward. The Septuagint is reported to lack 10:15 and 10:43.
• The scene of treading on necks: The commanders' placing their feet on the kings' necks (10:24) is sometimes interpreted in preaching as a symbol of victory, of putting one's enemies under one's feet. This is a later application rather than a meaning the text itself states.