48443 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord discomfited them before Israel,.... Disturbed, troubled, and frightened them, at the appearance and presence of the people of Israel; they were thrown into terror and confusion upon their approach, being so sudden and unexpected: and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon; by the Israelites, who came upon them suddenly: and chased...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass, as they fled before Israel, [and] were in the going down to Bethhoron,.... The descent of it on that side towards Azekah, and which was also a very narrow passage, of which Josephus (s) makes mention. The Jews say (t), that the going down of Bethhoron was the place where the army of Sennacherib fell: that the Lord cast down...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then spake Joshua to the Lord,.... In prayer, and entreated as follows, that the sun and moon might stand still, until the victory was complete; though the Jewish writers interpret it of a song; so the Targum, then Joshua praised, or sung praise, as in the Targum on So 1:1; and which is approved of by Jarchi and Kimchi: in the day when the Lord...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,.... The sun that came out of his chamber like a bridegroom, and rejoiced as a strong man to run his course, stopped his course at once; and the moon that walks in her brightness proceeded not on, but both stood still, motionless, and continued in this position: until the people had avenged themselves...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And there was no day like that, before it, or after it,.... Which must be understood as referring not to natural days, or such as are according to the natural course of things, as those in the northern and southern poles, which are much longer, but to miraculous and extraordinary ones: never was there such a day as this, occasioned by the sun...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal. That is, he thought to have returned, had determined upon it, and prepared for it, but was prevented by hearing that the five kings had hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah; which he ordered to be stopped up till the people had finished the pursuit of their enemies, when he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But these five kings fled,.... They were not killed by hailstones, nor slain by the sword of the Israelites, but made their escape, being reserved by the providence of God for a more shameful end: and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah; not in the city of Makkedah, which as yet was not in the hands of Israel, whereas this cave was, as appears by...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it was told Joshua,.... Either by some of his own people, or by some of the inhabitants of the land in his interest, who had observed it: saying, the five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah: this seems to make it appear that they were others, and not Joshua's soldiers, that found them; for had they, no doubt they would have seized them,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Joshua said, roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave,.... To keep the kings in, that they might not make their escape, until he had convenient time to have them brought before him, and be treated by him as they deserved; and no doubt there were plenty of stones about the hill or mountain, in which this cave was, fit for this purpose: and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And stay you not, [but] pursue after your enemies,.... That is, do not stay at this cave, but having placed a sufficient guard there, go in pursuit of the enemy, with as much celerity as possible: and smite the hindmost of them; their rear; or "tail" them (o), as the word is, cut off the tail of them: suffer them not to enter their cities; where...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel,.... Joshua seems to have pitched his camp at Makkedah, while the rest of his army pursued the fleeing Canaanites, and when he and they were at different places: had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed: and not to be seen in any large bodies,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace,.... Sound and well, as not one killed or missing, so not one wounded, as the Vulgate Latin version, "sound and in full number:'' none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel; as to curse them, reproach them, and speak ill of them, for invading them, and using...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then said Joshua, open the mouth of the cave,.... That is, roll away the great stones that were laid at the mouth of it: and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave; to receive their sentence in a public manner, for the encouragement of his troops and the terror of the Canaanites, particularly Makkedah, now besieged by him.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they did so,.... Opened the mouth "of" the cave, by rolling away the stones: and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave; who are next mentioned by name, one by one, according to their dignity, and in the order they were brought unto him: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, [and]...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass, when they brought out these kings unto Joshua,.... And set them before him, and he had passed sentence on them: that he called for all the men of Israel; that is, for the chief men, the principal officers of the army: and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him; the chiliarchs and centurions, the captains...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Joshua said, rest not, nor be dismayed,.... Not meaning at the kings, who perhaps lay bound upon the ground, or however were not in a condition to make any resistance, so that they had nothing to fear from them; but this respects future time, and what other enemies they should meet with; who would be brought into subjection to them as these...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And afterwards Joshua smote them and slew them,.... With the sword; either by his own hands, or by others whom he ordered to slay them: and hanged them on five trees; to their shame and disgrace, and the terror of others: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening; by way of contempt of them, and as a spectacle of terror to others,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass, at the time of the going down of the sun,.... Which was the time fixed by the law of God for taking down bodies that were hanged, Deuteronomy 21:23; [that] Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees; not from, any respect to them, but that they might not defile the land, as dead bodies in a ceremonial sense did,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And that day Joshua took Makkedah,.... Some say it was the day on which the sun stood still; but it seems to mean the day in which the five kings were hanged: and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof; slew the inhabitants of it and their king, after having entered and taken it: he utterly destroyed them and all the souls that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Joshua passed from Makkedah,.... After he had taken it, and destroyed its inhabitants, and its king: and all Israel with him; that is, all the men of war he took with him from the camp at Gilgal, from whence he went to the relief of Gibeon: unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah; a city that fell to the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:42. Jerom (r)...