Please
doNOTvisit this site onשַׁבָּת - Shabbat or on
the מוֹעֲדִים- Mo’a’dim- Feasts!
Re Tanakh versions:
Throughout this site I may use any of the
following three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org”
(MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org”
(SEF), three brilliant versions, although JPS-1917 is my preferred version!
Colourcoded
details of our belovedTaNaKh:
1. Torah=
History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim= all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim- Includes, Poetical books -
Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or
Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of
Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history
of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some alterations or
(additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shallNOT ADD TO THE WORDwhich
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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“Joshua Chapter 10:22-43”
Part Two..
With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
This second section of the chapter
transitions from the miraculous, cosmic events on the battlefield to the
systematic consolidation of victory. It begins with the public execution of the
five kings who fled to the cave at Makkedah a moment
of symbolic triumph for Israel’s
leaders. The narrative then broadens into a “blitzkrieg” campaign through the
southern region of Canaan. Joshua moves with
incredible speed and Divine backing, capturing city after city ‘Libnah’, ‘Lachish’, ‘Eglon’, ‘Hebron’,
and ‘Debir’ demonstrating that the initial miracle of
the sun standing still was the catalyst for a total territorial shift.
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Let us read
Joshua Chapter 10:22-43: (JPS-1917 version
of the Tanakh).
22. “Then said Joshua: ‘Open the mouth
of the cave, and bring forth those five kings unto me out of the cave’. 23. And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto
him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the
king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth,
the king of Lachish,
the king of Eglon. 24. And it
came to pass, when they brought forth those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua
called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the chiefs of the men of war
that went with him: ‘Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings’.
And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. 25. And
Joshua said unto them: ‘Fear not, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good
courage; for thus shall יְהוָה - the LORD do to
all your enemies against whom ye fight’. 26. And afterward
Joshua smote them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees; and
they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. 27. And
it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun,
that Joshua commanded and they took them down off the trees, and cast
them into the cave wherein they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on
the mouth of the cave, unto this very day. 28. And
Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and smote it with
the edge of the sword, and the king thereof; he utterly destroyed them and all
the souls that were therein, he left none remaining; and he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done unto the king of Jericho. 29. And Joshua
passed from Makkedah, and all Israel
with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah. 30. And יְהוָה - the LORD
delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the
sword, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining in it; and
he did unto the king thereof as he had done unto the king of Jericho. 31. And
Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel
with him, unto Lachish,
and encamped against it, and fought against it. 32. And
יְהוָה - the LORD
delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel,
and he took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and
all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah. 33. Then Horam
king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people,
until he had left him none remaining. 34. And Joshua
passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, unto Eglon; and they encamped against it, and fought against
it. 35. And they took it on that day, and smote it
with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly
destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish. 36. And
Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it. 37. And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword,
and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were
therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls that
were therein. 38. And Joshua turned back, and all Israel
with him, to Debir; and fought against it. 39. And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities
thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed
all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining; as he had done to
Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof;
as he had done also to Libnah, and to the king
thereof. 40. So Joshua smote all the land, the
hill-country, and the South, and the Lowland, and the slopes, and all their
kings; he left none remaining; but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as יְהוָה - the LORD, the
אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of
Israel, commanded. 41. And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza,
and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. 42. And all these kings and
their land did Joshua take at one time, because יְהוָה - the LORD, the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of
Israel, fought for Israel. 43. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.
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Explanation of Verses 22 to 43:.
Verses 22-27: The Humiliation and Execution of the Kings.
Joshua commands that the five kings be brought out of the cave. In a powerful
symbolic act, he tells his commanders to put their feet on the necks of these
kings. This was not an act of personal pride but a teaching moment to bolster
the courage of his leaders, echoing אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s
earlier promise: “Fear not, nor be dismayed... for thus shall יְהוָה - the LORD do
to all your enemies”. The kings are then executed and hanged until evening,
after which they are buried in the very cave where they had sought refuge.
Verses 28-39: The Southern Campaign.
Joshua leads a rapid series of conquests. Each city follows a similar pattern:
Makkedah & Libnah: Taken swiftly and completely.
Lachish: Despite being a strong fortress, it falls
on the second day.
Gezer: Its king, Horam,
comes to help Lachish
but is also defeated.
Eglon, Hebron,
& Debir: These cities are captured in succession, with their
inhabitants and kings utterly defeated. Even though these
captures seemed instantaneous, they were the result of the momentum gained from
the great miracle at Gibeon.
Verses 40-43: The Summary of Victory.
The text concludes by summarizing the scope of the conquest: from Kadesh-Barnea in the south to Gaza
in the west, and all the country of Goshen up to
Gibeon. The ultimate credit is given to the
Divine: “And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time,
because יְהוָה - the LORD אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of Israel fought for Israel”. The chapter ends with the army returning to their
base camp at Gilgal.
My Closing Message:.
The second half of Joshua
10 teaches us about the importance
of follow-through. It is
easy to be inspired by a “big miracle” like the sun standing still, but the real
work of transformation happens in the “mopping up” the consistent, city-by-city
effort to remove the old habits and “kings” that once dominated the landscape
of our lives. The imagery of the commanders placing their feet on the
necks of the kings serves as a reminder that the things we once feared can,
with Divine help, be brought under our feet. The strength that Joshua showed
was not just physical but rooted in his adherence to the Torah.
May you be blessed with
the strength to not only start your battles with faith but to finish them with
the same “good courage”, knowing that the same Power that halts the sun is the
same Power that is with you in the daily task of building a life of peace and
righteous!
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Please
Note: “hebraicstudies” links are located down the page!
This site was originally created, for those
who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work
on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and
always seek our belovedאֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance,
for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He!
However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of
studies!
Remember whatאֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be
He, said the following via several of our prophets...
“Return unto Me,
and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה- the LORD
of hosts” Mal’a’chi -
Malachi 3:7. (JPS).
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“Hebraic Studies” motto is as follows;
“The More Torah, the More Life”,
For Elohim is the One who gave us our ...“Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom =
Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of
hosts, be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat,
as well as the מוֹעֲדִים- Mo’a’dim -
Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and
regular בְּרָכָה- Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before
food and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם- Shalom
Aleichem - Peace be with you!