J
O S H U A
CHAP. XII.
This
chapter is a summary of
Israel's conquests. I. Their
conquests under Moses, on the other side
Jordan
(for we now suppose ourselves
in
Canaan) eastward, which we had
the history of, Num. xxi. 24, &c. And here the abridgment of that history,
ver. 1-6. II. Their conquests under Joshua, on this side Jordan, westward. 1.
The country they reduced, ver. 7, 8. 2. The kings they subdued, thirty-one in
all, ver. 9-24. And this comes in here, not only as a conclusion of the
history of the wars of Canaan (that we might at one view see what they had
got), but as a preface to the history of the dividing of Canaan, that all that
might be put together which they were not to make a distribution of.
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Summary
of Israel's Conquests.
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B.
C. 1450.
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1 Now these are
the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their
land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river
Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east: 2 Sihon
king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which
is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river,
and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border
of the children of Ammon; 3 And from the plain to the sea of
Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt
sea on the east, the way to Beth-jeshimoth; and from the south, under
Ashdoth-pisgah: 4 And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was
of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,
5 And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the
border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of
Sihon king of Heshbon. 6 Them did Moses the servant of the LORD
and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the LORD
gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the
half tribe of Manasseh.
Joshua, or whoever else is the historian before he comes to sum up the new
conquests Israel had made, in these verses receives their former conquests in
Moses's time, under whom they became masters of the great and potent kingdoms
of Sihon and Og. Note, Fresh mercies must not drown the remembrance of former
mercies, nor must the glory of the present instruments of good to the church
be suffered to eclipse and diminish the just honour of those who have gone
before them, and who were the blessings and ornaments of their day. Joshua's
services and achievements are confessedly great, but let not those under Moses
be overlooked and forgotten, since God was the same who wrought both, and both
put together proclaim him the Alpha and Omega of Israel's great salvation.
Here is, 1. A description of this conquered country, the measure and bounds of
it in general (v. 1): From the river Arnon in the south, to Mount
Hermon in the north. In particular, here is a description of the kingdom
of Sihon (v. 2, 3), and that of Og, v. 4, 5. Moses had described
this country very particularly (Deut. ii. 36; iii. 4, &c.), and this
description here agrees with his. King Og is said to dwell at Ashtaroth and
Edrei (v. 4), probably because they were both his royal cities; he had
palaces in both, and resided sometimes in one and sometimes in the other; one
perhaps was his summer seat and the other his winter seat. But Israel took
both from him, and made one grave to serve him that could not be content with
one palace. 2. The distribution of this country. Moses assigned it to the two
tribes and a half, at their request, and divided it among them (v. 6),
of which we had the story at large, Num. xxxii. The dividing of it when it was
conquered by Moses is here mentioned as an example to Joshua what he must do
now that he had conquered the country on this side Jordan. Moses, in his time,
gave to one part of Israel a very rich and fruitful country, but it was on the
outside of Jordan; but Joshua gave to all Israel the holy land, the mountain
of God's sanctuary, within Jordan: so the law conferred upon some few of God's
spiritual Israel external temporal blessings, which were earnests of good
things to come; but our Lord Jesus, the true Joshua, has provided for all the
children of promise spiritual blessings--the privileges of the sanctuary, and
the heavenly Canaan. The triumphs and grants of the law were glorious, but
those of the gospel far exceed in glory.
7 And these are
the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this
side Jordan on the west, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the
mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of
Israel for a possession according to their divisions; 8 In
the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and
in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and
the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: 9
The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Beth-el,
one; 10 The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;
11 The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; 12 The king
of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; 13 The king of Debir, one;
the king of Geder, one; 14 The king of Hormah, one; the king of
Arad, one; 15 The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam,
one; 16 The king of Makkedah, one; the king of Beth-el, one;
17 The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; 18 The king
of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; 19 The king of Madon,
one; the king of Hazor, one; 20 The king of Shimron-meron, one;
the king of Achshaph, one; 21 The king of Taanach, one; the king
of Megiddo, one; 22 The king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam
of Carmel, one; 23 The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the
king of the nations of Gilgal, one; 24 The king of Tirzah, one:
all the kings thirty and one.
We have here a breviate of Joshua's conquests.
I. The limits of the country he conquered. It lay between Jordan on the east
and the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and extended from Baal-gad near Lebanon
in the north to Halak, which lay upon the country of Edom in the south, v.
7. The boundaries are more largely described, Num. xxxiv. 2, &c. But what
is here said is enough to show that God had been as good as his word, and had
given them possession of all he had promised them by Moses, if they would but
have kept it.
II. The various kinds of land that were found in this country, which
contributed both to its pleasantness and to its fruitfulness, v. 8. There were
mountains, not craggy, and rocky, and barren, which are frightful to the
traveller and useless to the inhabitants, but fruitful hills, such as put
forth precious things (Deut. xxxiii. 15), which charmed the spectator's
eye and filled the owner's hand. And valleys, not mossy and boggy, but covered
with corn, Ps. lxv. 13. There were plains, and springs to water them; and
even in that rich land there were wildernesses too, or forests, which were not
so thickly inhabited as other parts, yet had towns and houses in them, but
served as foils to set off the more pleasant and fruitful countries.
III. The several nations that had been in possession of this
country--Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, &c., all of them descended from
Canaan, the accursed son of Ham, Gen. x. 15-18. Seven nations they are called
(Deut. vii. 1), and so many are there reckoned up, but here six only are
mentioned, the Girgashites being either lost or left out, though we find them,
Gen. x. 16 and xv. 21. Either they were incorporated with some other of these
nations, or, as the tradition of the Jews is, upon the approach of Israel
under Joshua they all withdrew and went into Africa, leaving their country to
be possessed by Israel, with whom they saw it was to no purpose to contend,
and therefore they are not named among the nations that Joshua subdued.
IV. A list of the kings that were conquered and subdued by the sword of
Israel, some in the field, others in their own cities, thirty-one in all, and
very particularly named and counted, it should seem, in the order in which
they were conquered; for the catalogue begins with the kings of Jericho and
Ai, then takes in the king of Jerusalem and the princes of the south that were
in confederacy with him, and then proceeds to those of the northern
association. Now, 1. This shows what a very fruitful country Canaan then was,
which could support so many kingdoms, and in which so many kings chose to
throng together rather than disperse themselves into other countries, which we
may suppose not yet inhabited, but where, though they might find more room,
they could not expect such plenty and pleasure: this was the land God spied
out for Israel; and yet at this day it is one of the most barren, despicable,
and unprofitable countries in the world: such is the effect of the curse it
lies under, since its possessors rejected Christ and his gospel, as was
foretold by Moses, Deut. xxix. 23. 2. It shows what narrow limits men's
ambition was then confined to. These kings contented themselves with the
government, each of them, of one city and the towns and villages that
pertained to it; and no one of them, for aught that appears, aimed to make
himself master of the rest, but, when there was occasion, all united for the
common safety. Yet it should seem that what was wanting in the extent of their
territories was made up in the absoluteness of their power, their subjects
being all their tenants and vassals, and entirely at their command. 3. It
shows how good God was to Israel, in giving them victory over all these kings,
and possession of all these kingdoms, and what obligations he hereby laid upon
them to observe his statutes and to keep his laws, Ps. cv. 44, 45. Here
were thirty-one kingdoms, or seigniories, to be divided among nine tribes and
a half of Israel. Of these there fell to the lot of Judah the kingdoms of
Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon, Debir, Arad, Libnah, and Adullam, eight in
all, besides part of the kingdom of Jerusalem and part of Geder. Benjamin had
the kingdoms of Jericho, Ai, Jerusalem, Makkedah, Beth-el, and the nations of
Gilgal, six in all. Simeon had the kingdom of Hormah and part of Geder.
Ephraim had the kingdoms of Gezer and Tirzah. Manasseh (that half-tribe) had
the kingdoms of Tappuah and Hepher, Taanach and Megiddo. Asher had the
kingdoms of Aphek and Achshaph. Zebulun had the kingdoms of Lasharon,
Shimron-meron, and Jokneam. Naphtali had the kingdoms of Madon, Hazor, and
Kedesh. And Issachar had that of Dor. These were some of the great and famous
kings that God smote, for his mercy endureth for ever; and gave their land
for a heritage, even a heritage unto Israel his servant, for his mercy
endureth for ever, Ps. cxxxvi. 17, &c.
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