| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Joshua Chapter
Twelve
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 12
This
chapter gives a short account of the conquests made by the Israelites, both in
the times of Moses and of Joshua, and first of the kingdom of Sihon and Og on
the other side Jordan, in the times of Moses, and which he gave to the two
tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and which are
particularly described, Joshua 12:1; and
then of the kings and the countries on this side Jordan whom Joshua conquered, Joshua 12:7; and
the names of the thirty one kingdoms are recited, that so it might be exactly known
and observed what were afterwards divided among the tribes and possessed by
them, Joshua 12:9.
Joshua 12:1 These
are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and
whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of
the sun, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan
plain:
YLT
1And these [are] kings of
the land whom the sons of Israel have smitten, and possess their land, beyond
the Jordan, at the sun-rising, from the brook Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all
the plain eastward.
Now these are the kings of the land which the children of
Israel smote,.... In the days of Moses, as Jarchi remarks, and as it clearly
appears from what follows:
and possessed, their land on the other side Jordan toward the
rising of the sun; on the east of the land of Canaan:
from the river Arnon unto the mount Hermon, and all the plain on
the east; Arnon was the border of Moab between them and the Amorites, Numbers 21:13; and
from hence to Hermon, a mountain adjoining to Lebanon, lay the country of the
two kings of the Amorites after mentioned, Deuteronomy 3:8;
and the plain on the east were the plains of Moab, which lay to the east of
Jordan.
Joshua 12:2 2 One king was
Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon and ruled half of
Gilead, from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, from the middle of
that river, even as far as the River Jabbok, which is the border of the
Ammonites,
YLT
2Sihon, king of the Amorite,
who is dwelling in Heshbon, ruling from Aroer which [is] on the border of the
brook Arnon, and the middle of the brook, and half of Gilead, and unto Jabok
the brook, the border of the Bene-Ammon;
Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon,.... Which he
took from the Moabites, and made his capital city, Numbers 21:26,
and ruled from Aroer, which is
upon the bank of the river of Arnon; a city of Moab, which
never fell into the hands of Sihon, and therefore he is said to rule from it
but not over it:
and from the middle of the river; that is, the river
Arnon, which being the boundary of the Moabites and Amorites, the king of the
Amorites might be said to rule from the middle of it:
and from half Gilead even unto the river Jabbok, which is
the border of the children of Ammon; so it is said to be, Deuteronomy 3:16;
it should be rendered, not "from half Gilead", but "and half
Gilead", as it is in the Hebrew text, and so in the Targum; for half
Gilead belonged to the kingdom of Sihon, as the other half did to the kingdom
of Og, as in Joshua 12:5; and so
Jarchi remarks.
Joshua 12:3 3 and the eastern Jordan
plain from the Sea of Chinneroth as far as the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt
Sea), the road to Beth Jeshimoth, and southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
YLT
3And the plain unto the sea
of Chinneroth eastward, and unto the sea of the plain (the salt sea) eastward,
the way to Beth-Jeshimoth, and from the south under the springs of Pisgah.
And from the plain,.... Or rather, "and the plain",
the plains of Moab, which, before possessed by the Israelites, belonged to the
kingdom of Sihon; and the plains of Jordan, which reached
to the sea of Cinneroth on the east; the same with the lake
of Gennesaret, and sea of Tiberias, mentioned in the New Testament, Matthew 14:34,
and unto the sea of the plain; where stood the cities
of the plain, Sodom, Gomorrah, &c.
even the salt sea on
the east; the same with the dead sea, into which the plain the above
cities stood on was converted:
the way to Bethjeshimoth; which was a place in the
plains of Moab, Numbers 33:49,
and from the south under Ashdothpisgah; or the
springs of Pisgah, which flowed from the mount of that name, Deuteronomy 3:17.
Joshua 12:4 4 The other king was
Og king of Bashan and his territory, who was of the remnant of the
giants, who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,
YLT
4And the border of Og king
of Bashan (of the remnant of the Rephaim), who is dwelling in Ashtaroth and in Edrei,
And the coast of Og king of Bashan,.... The country that he
reigned over, who was another king of the Amorites, smitten by Israel in the
times of Moses:
which was of the remnant
of the giants; See Gill on Deuteronomy 3:11,
that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei; of which two
places see Deuteronomy 1:4; it
seems as if Og had a palace in each of those cities, and sometimes was at one
and sometimes at another, as is usual with kings.
Joshua 12:5 5 and reigned over Mount
Hermon, over Salcah, over all Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites
and the Maachathites, and over half of Gilead to the border of Sihon
king of Heshbon.
YLT
5and ruling in mount Hermon,
and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurite, and the
Maachathite, and the half of Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
And reigned in Mount Hermon,.... That is, over all
the people that inhabited that mount or dwelt under it, Joshua 11:17, and
adjacent to it, of which mountain; see Gill on Deuteronomy 3:8 and
See Gill on Deuteronomy 3:9,
and in Salcah: which was a city belonging to the kingdom
of Og, Deuteronomy 3:10,
and in all Bashan; or Batanea, a country famous for pasturage,
Micah 7:14, and for
fat cattle, Ezekiel 39:18, and
for oaks, Isaiah 2:13,
frequently mentioned in Scripture:
unto the border of the Geshurites, and the Maachathites; which were
two nations the Israelites never expelled, Joshua 13:13; of
which see Deuteronomy 3:14,
and half Gilead; which belonged to Og, as the other half did
to Sihon, before observed, which was as follows:
the border of Sihon king of Heshbon; here the two kingdoms
joined, even in the midst of Gilead, which was divided between them, but now
wholly fell into the hands of Israel.
Joshua 12:6 6 These Moses the servant of
the Lord
and the children of Israel had conquered; and Moses the servant of the Lord had given it as
a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
YLT
6Moses, servant of Jehovah,
and the sons of Israel have smitten them, and Moses, servant of Jehovah, giveth
it -- a possession to the Reubenite, and to the Gadite, and to the half of the
tribe of Manasseh.
Them did Moses the servant of the Lord, and the children of
Israel, smite,.... That is, the inhabitants of those kingdoms they smote with
the edge of the sword, and took possession of them, the history of which see in
Numbers 21:1,
and Moses the servant of the Lord gave it; the whole
dominion of the two kings before mentioned:
for a possession unto the
Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh: of which
grant, and the conditions of it, see Numbers 32:1.
Joshua 12:7 7 And these are the
kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel conquered on this
side of the Jordan, on the west, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon as far
as Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, which Joshua gave to the tribes of
Israel as a possession according to their divisions,
YLT
7And these [are] kings of
the land whom Joshua and the sons of Israel have smitten beyond the Jordan
westward, from Baal-Gad, in the valley of Lebanon, and unto the mount of Halak,
which is going up to Seir; and Joshua giveth it to the tribes of Israel -- a
possession according to their divisions;
And these are the kings of the country,.... After
particularly named, Joshua 12:9,
which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan
on the west; that is, on the west of Jordan:
from Baalgad, in the valley of Lebanon, even unto the mount Halak,
that goeth up to Seir; of which see Joshua 11:17,
which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a
possession,
according to their divisions; as after related in this
book.
Joshua 12:8 8 in the mountain country,
in the lowlands, in the Jordan plain, in the slopes, in the wilderness,
and in the South—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites,
the Hivites, and the Jebusites:
YLT
8in the hill-country, and in
the low country, and in the plain, and in the springs, and in the wilderness,
and in the south; the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Canaanite, the Perizzite,
the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in
the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country,.... Which is
a description of the whole land of Canaan; some parts of which were hills and
mountains, others vales and champaign fields; others were dry and barren, and
others well watered; some part of it lay to the north, as towards Lebanon, and
others to the south, towards Seir:
the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites,
the Hivites, and the Jebusites; which were the nations that inhabited the
land of Canaan before it was taken and possessed by the Israelites.
Joshua 12:9 9 the king of Jericho, one;
the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;
YLT
9The king of Jericho, one;
The king of Ai, which [is] beside Bethel, one;
The king of Jericho, one,.... Who was first taken,
and so named first, Joshua 6:21,
the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; who was next
taken and though Bethel was so near Ai, it had a king of its own, after
mentioned, see Joshua 7:1.
Joshua 12:10 10 the king of Jerusalem,
one; the king of Hebron, one;
YLT
10The king of Jerusalem, one;
The king of Hebron, one;
The king of Jerusalem, one,.... Whose name was
Adonizedek, and was one of the five kings taken and hanged, Joshua 10:1,
the king of Hebron, one; another of the five
kings, whose name was Hoham, Joshua 10:3.
Joshua 12:11 11 the king of Jarmuth, one;
the king of Lachish, one;
YLT
11The king of Jarmuth, one;
The king of Lachish, one;
The king of Jarmuth, one,.... Whose name was
Piram, a third of the five kings before observed, Joshua 10:3,
the king of Lachish, one; another of them, whose
name was Japhia, Joshua 10:3.
Joshua 12:12 12 the king of Eglon, one;
the king of Gezer, one;
YLT
12The king of Eglon, one; The
king of Gezer, one;
The king of Eglon, one,.... The last of the five
kings, and his name was Debir, Joshua 10:3,
the king of Gezer, one; who came up to help
Lachish, and his name was Horam, Joshua 10:33.
Joshua 12:13 13 the king of Debir, one;
the king of Geder, one;
YLT
13The king of Debir, one; The
king of Geder, one;
The king of Debir, one,.... The same with
Kirjathsepher, of which place; see Gill on Joshua 10:38,
the king of Geder, one: JeromF8De
loc. Heb. fol. 92. A. B. seems to confound this with the tower of Eder, beyond
which Jacob pitched his tent, Genesis 35:21; and
he speaks of a Gaddera in the tribe of Judah, in his time a village belonging
to the country about Aelia or Jerusalem, and of Gahedur in the tribe of Judah,
a large village, ten miles from Diospolis or Lydda, as you go to
Eleutheropolis: it seems to be the same with Gederah, Joshua 15:36, or
Gedor, Joshua 15:58.
Joshua 12:14 14 the king of Hormah, one;
the king of Arad, one;
YLT
14The king of Hormah, one;
The king of Arad, one;
The king of Hormah, one,.... Which was formerly
called Zephath, Judges 1:17; see Joshua 15:3,
the king of Arad, one; perhaps the same with
Arath, which, JeromF9De Loc. Heb. fol. 92. L. says, is the border of
the land of Judah, and is twenty miles distant from Hebron to the south; see Numbers 21:1.
Joshua 12:15 15 the king of Libnah, one;
the king of Adullam, one;
YLT
15The king of Libnah, one;
The king of Adullam, one;
The king of Libnah, one,.... Taken at the same
time as the kings of Makkedah, Debir, and of other places were, Joshua 10:29,
the king of Adullam, one; a city in the tribe of
Judah, Joshua 15:35; Jerom
saysF11De loc. Heb. fol. 88. F. there was a village in his time, not
a small one, called by this name, ten miles to the east of Eleutheropolis: near
to this place was a cave where David hid himself when he fled from Saul, 1 Samuel 22:1; See
Gill on Micah 1:15.
Joshua 12:16 16 the king of Makkedah, one;
the king of Bethel, one;
YLT
16The king of Mekkedah, one;
The king of Beth-El, one;
The king of Makkedah, one,.... In a cave near to
which five kings hid themselves, and were taken out and hanged, and the city
afterwards was taken by Joshua, Joshua 10:16; which
fell to the lot of the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:41,
the king of Bethel, one; a city near to Ai, about
a mile from it, and yet had a king over it: it was taken at the same time that
Ai was, Joshua 7:2; and
fell to the lot of Benjamin, Joshua 18:22.
Joshua 12:17 17 the king of Tappuah, one;
the king of Hepher, one;
YLT
17The king of Tappuah, one;
The king of Hepher, one;
The king of Tappuah, one,.... Which Jerom callsF12De
loc. Heb. fol. 95. C. Thaffu; it signifies an apple, and perhaps had its name
from plenty of that fruit that grew there: a city of this name fell to the
tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:34; where
also was another place called Bethtappuah, Joshua 15:53; and
both different from another Tappuah on the border of Manasseh, which belonged
to the tribe of Ephraim, Joshua 17:8; by
some thought to be meant here:
the king of Hepher, one; mention is made of
Gittahhepher as on the border of Zebulun, Joshua 19:13; the
same with Gathhepher, of which place was the Prophet Jonah, 2 Kings 14:25; and
of the land of Hepher in 1 Kings 4:10; which
is said by Jerom to be in the same tribe, and not far from Diocaesarea or
Zippore; and we read of a Chepher or Hepher in the Jewish writingsF13T.
Hieros. Sheviith, fol. 37. 3. Vajikra Rabba, sect. 20. fol. 161. 4. , which,
according to the account of it there given, could not be far from the same
place, at least it must be less than twelve miles from it.
Joshua 12:18 18 the king of Aphek, one;
the king of Lasharon, one;
YLT
18The king of Aphek, one; The
king of Lasharon, one;
The king of Aphek, one,.... There was a place
called Aphekah in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:53; and
an Aphek that was on the border of the Amorites, Joshua 13:4; and
another in the tribe of Asher, Joshua 19:30; but
AdrichomiusF14Theatrum Terrae Sanct. p. 35. places this Aphek in the
tribe of Issachar, whose king Joshua smote, and takes it to be the same place
where the Philistines in the times of Samuel and David brought their armies
against Israel, 1 Samuel 4:1; and
where the king of Syria fought against Israel, 1 Kings 20:26; and
says that its ruins were now shown in the great plain not far from Gilboa to
the east of Mount Carmel, and five miles from Tabor:
the king of Lasharon, one; which, according to the
Vulgate Latin version, is the same with Saron, which, in Acts 9:35, in some
copies is called Assaron; so AdrichomiusF15Ib. p. 30. , who places
it in the tribe of Ephraim, and takes it to be the same Sharon Isaiah speaks
of, Isaiah 33:9; and of
which Jerom saysF16De loc. Heb. fol. 94. M. , to this day there is a
country between Tabor and the lake of Tiberias called Saronas, and also that
from Caesarea of Palestine to the town of Joppa, all the land that is seen
bears that name.
Joshua 12:19 19 the king of Madon, one;
the king of Hazor, one;
YLT
19The king of Madon, one; The
king of Hazor, one;
The king of Madon, one,.... Whose name was
Jobab, Joshua 11:1,
the king of Hazor, one; whose name was Jabin,
and of him and his city; see Gill on Joshua 11:1.
Joshua 12:20 20 the king of Shimron Meron,
one; the king of Achshaph, one;
YLT
20The king of Shimron-Meron,
one; The king of Achshaph, one;
The king of Shimronmeron, one,.... See Joshua 11:1, this
place fell to the tribe of Zebulun, Joshua 19:15,
the king of Achshaph, one; see Joshua 11:1; this
city fell to the lot of Asher, Joshua 19:25.
Joshua 12:21 21 the king of Taanach, one;
the king of Megiddo, one;
YLT
21The king of Taanach, one;
The king of Megiddo, one;
The king of Taanach, one,.... It was in the tribe
of Manasseh, Joshua 17:11; Jerom
saysF17De Loc. Heb. fol. 95. D. , in his time it was a large
village, distant from Legion on the plain of Esdraelon three miles:
the king of Megiddo, one; which belonged to the
same tribe, Joshua 17:11; near
this place were some waters where the Canaanites fought with the Israelites, Judges 5:19; and a
valley where Josiah was slain, 2 Chronicles 35:22.
Joshua 12:22 22 the king of Kedesh, one;
the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;
YLT
22The king of Kedesh, one;
The king of Jokneam of Carmel, one;
The king of Kedesh, one,.... Which afterwards
fell to the tribe of Naphtali, and was one of the cities of refuge, Joshua 19:37; it
was situated in upper Galilee on Mount Naphtali, four miles from the city of
Sephet, and as many from Capernaum, and twenty miles from TyreF18Adrichom.
Theatrum, p. 104. :
the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one; a city that came to the
lot of the tribe of Zebulun, Joshua 19:11; and
was given to the Levites, Joshua 21:34; it
was not far from Mount Carmel, from whence it is described.
Joshua 12:23 23 the king of Dor in the
heights of Dor, one; the king of the people of Gilgal, one;
YLT
23The king of Dor, at the
elevation of Dor, one; The king of the Goyim of Gilgal, one;
The king of Dor, in the coast of Dor, one,.... Of which
see Joshua 11:2; it
fell to the lot of Manasseh, but never was possessed by them, as were not
Taanach and Megiddo, before mentioned, Joshua 17:11 Judges 1:27,
the king of the nations of Gilgal, one; not the place
where Joshua encamped after he had passed Jordan, for that was then no city;
the Septuagint version renders it the land of Galilee; and Dr. LightfootF19Chorograph.
Cent. c. 88. is of opinion that Galilee is meant, and in the
Apocrypha:"Who went forth by the way that leadeth to Galgala, and pitched
their tents before Masaloth, which is in Arbela, and after they had won it,
they slew much people.' (1 Maccabees 9:2)Galgala is
spoken of as near to Arbel, a city in Galilee: JeromF20De loc. Heb.
fol. 92. B. takes this to be the same with Glagulis, which in his time was a
village six miles from Antipatris to the north.
Joshua 12:24 24 the king of Tirzah, one—all
the kings, thirty-one.
YLT
24The king of Tirzah, one;
all the kings [are] thirty and one.
The king of Tirzah, one,.... To what tribe this
place fell is nowhere said: AdrichomiusF21Theatrum Terrae Sanct. p.
74. places it in the tribe of Manasseh; and so does BuntingF23Travels,
&c. p. 160. , who says of it, that it was a fair and beautiful city,
situated on a high and pleasant mountain, in the tribe of Manasseh, twenty four
miles from Jerusalem to the north: here Jeroboam had his royal seat, and so his
successors unto Omri, 1 Kings 14:17; and
Dr LightfootF24Works, vol. 1. p. 78. seems to suspect as if Shechem
in Mount Ephraim and Tirzah were the same; for, he says, if Shechem and Tirzah
were not one and the same town, it appears that Jeroboam had removed his court,
when his son died, from where it was when he first erected his idols; compare 1 Kings 12:25, with
1 Kings 14:17; and
so it may argue that there was some space between: it was, no doubt, a very
pleasant and beautiful city, as not only appears from its name, but from the
allusion to it in Song of Solomon 6:4,
all the kings thirty and one: it may seem strange
that, in so small a country as Canaan was, there should be so many kings in it,
since the length of it from Dan to Beersheba was scarce an hundred sixty miles,
as JeromF25Epist. Dardano, tom. 3. p. 22. I. K. says; who further
observes, that he was ashamed to give the breadth of it, lest it should give
occasion to Heathens to blaspheme; for, adds he, from Joppa to our little
village Bethlehem (where they then were) were forty six miles, to which
succeeded only a vast desert: but it may be observed, that in ancient times, in
other countries, there were a great many kings, as here in Britain, and in
France, Spain, and Germany, as Bishop Patrick has observed from several
writers; and StraboF26Geograph. l. 16. p. 519. testifies the same of
the cities of Phoenicia or Canaan, that they had each of them separate kings,
as Joshua here describes them.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》