Joshua 11

When Jabin king of Hazor heard of it, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,

and to the kings who were on the north, in the hill country, in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the west,

to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the hill country, and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

They went out, they and all their armies with them, many people, even as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots.

All these kings met together; and they came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel.

The LORD said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid because of them; for tomorrow at this time, I will deliver them up all slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”

So Joshua came suddenly, with all the warriors, against them by the waters of Merom, and attacked them.

The LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, and they struck them, and chased them to great Sidon, and to Misrephoth Maim, and to the valley of Mizpah eastward. They struck them until they left them no one remaining.

Joshua did to them as the LORD told him. He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor used to be the head of all those kingdoms.

They struck all the souls who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was no one left who breathed. He burned Hazor with fire.

Joshua captured all the cities of those kings, with their kings, and he struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.

But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only. Joshua burned that.

The children of Israel took all the plunder of these cities, with the livestock, as plunder for themselves; but every man they struck with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They didn’t leave any who breathed.

As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua. Joshua did so. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.

So Joshua captured all that land, the hill country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, the Arabah, the hill country of Israel, and the lowland of the same,

from Mount Halak, that goes up to Seir, even to Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. He took all their kings, struck them, and put them to death.

Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all in battle.

For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Joshua came at that time, and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.

There were none of the Anakim left in the land of the children of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, did some remain.

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD spoke to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land had rest from war.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter recounts the northern campaign of Joshua, in which a vast coalition of Canaanite kings gathers against Israel at the waters of Merom, only to be decisively defeated by divine command and power; it emphasizes the fulfillment of God’s promises through military obedience, the complete destruction of enemy populations as divinely ordained, and the final consolidation of the land under Israelite control, bringing the major conquests to a close.

Flow.

A powerful northern alliance forms under Jabin of Hazor, gathering numerous kings and armies described as innumerable as sand, with many chariots, and they encamp at Merom.
The LORD assures Joshua of victory, instructs him to hamstring the horses and burn the chariots, and promises the total defeat of the kings.
Joshua attacks suddenly, defeats the coalition, pursues the remnants northward, destroys the armies completely, and follows the LORD’s commands precisely.
Joshua turns back to destroy Hazor and its king, captures all the cities involved, eliminates the Anakim from the hill country, and secures the entire promised land, which then rests from war.

Connections.
Following chapter 10, where the southern campaign concludes with the defeat of the five Amorite kings and the conquest of key southern cities, chapter 11 turns to the northern front, completing the military narrative of conquest that began after crossing the Jordan. It mirrors the earlier campaign in scope and divine direction but demonstrates the climax of Israel’s military effort, showing that no region or powerful city remains unconquered. This comprehensive victory sets the stage for chapter 12, which catalogs all the defeated kings, serving not as a narrative continuation but as a geographical and historical summation of what chapters 6–11 have described.

What it teaches.
The chapter underscores that Israel’s conquest was not by human strategy or strength but by the sovereign power and command of the LORD (WCF 5.7), who delivered enemies into their hands and required strict obedience to His judgments. The destruction of the Cananites, including the Anakim once feared by Israel (), reflects the execution of God’s ordained curse upon those whose iniquity was full (; WCF 7.4). The hardening of their hearts (v. 20) is not arbitrary but fulfills divine purposes in judgment, consistent with God’s justice and the warnings given long before (cf. WLC 160). The fulfillment of every word the LORD commanded Moses (v. 15) highlights the trustworthiness of divine revelation (WCF 1.8, HC LD 9), showing that God’s covenant promises are unfailingly accomplished.

Apply.
The victory belonged entirely to the LORD, who fights for His people according to His settled purposes.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.