Joshua 11:9
New International Version
Joshua did to them as the LORD had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.

New Living Translation
Then Joshua crippled the horses and burned all the chariots, as the LORD had instructed.

English Standard Version
And Joshua did to them just as the LORD said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

Berean Standard Bible
Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.

King James Bible
And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

New King James Version
So Joshua did to them as the LORD had told him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

New American Standard Bible
And Joshua did to them just as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

NASB 1995
Joshua did to them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

NASB 1977
And Joshua did to them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses, and burned their chariots with fire.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Joshua did to them as Yahweh had said to him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

Amplified Bible
Joshua did to them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung (disabled) their horses and set fire to their chariots.

Christian Standard Bible
Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.

American Standard Version
And Joshua did unto them as Jehovah bade him: he hocked their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

English Revised Version
And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Joshua disabled their horses and burned their chariots, as the LORD had told him.

Good News Translation
Joshua did to them what the LORD had commanded: he crippled their horses and burned their chariots.

International Standard Version
Joshua dealt with them just as the LORD had told him: he hamstrung their horses and incinerated their chariots.

Majority Standard Bible
Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.

NET Bible
Joshua did to them as the LORD had commanded him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.

New Heart English Bible
Joshua did to them as the LORD told him. He hamstrung their horses and burnt their chariots with fire.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Joshua did to them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

World English Bible
Joshua did to them as Yahweh told him. He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and Joshua does to them as YHWH commanded to him; he has hamstrung their horses, and burned their chariots with fire.

Young's Literal Translation
and Joshua doth to them as Jehovah said to him; their horses he hath houghed, and their chariots burnt with fire.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Joshua will do to them as Jehovah said to him: he hamstrung their horses, and burnt their chariots in fire.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he did as the Lord had commanded him, he hamstringed their horses and burned their chariots.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he did just as the Lord had instructed him. He hamstrung their horses, and he burned their chariots with fire.

New American Bible
Joshua did to them as the LORD had commanded: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.

New Revised Standard Version
And Joshua did to them as the LORD commanded him; he hamstrung their horses, and burned their chariots with fire.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Joshua did to them as the LORD had told him: he utterly destroyed their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Yeshua did to them as LORD JEHOVAH told him; their horses he destroyed and their twoman chariots he burned in fire
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him; he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Joshua did to them, as the Lord commanded him: he houghed their horses, and burned their chariots with fire.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Conquest of the Northern Cities
8and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them down and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors. 9Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots. 10At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword, because Hazor was formerly the head of all these kingdoms.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 7:2
and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.

Deuteronomy 20:16-17
However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. / For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you,

Joshua 10:40
So Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes, together with all their kings—leaving no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded.

1 Samuel 15:3
Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

1 Samuel 15:9
Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to devote them to destruction, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.

2 Samuel 8:4
David captured from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand charioteers, and twenty thousand foot soldiers, and he hamstrung all the horses except a hundred he kept for the chariots.

2 Kings 23:20
On the altars he slaughtered all the priests of the high places, and he burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Psalm 46:9
He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.

Isaiah 2:4
Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war.

Jeremiah 47:6-7
‘Alas, O sword of the LORD, how long until you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still!’ / How can it rest when the LORD has commanded it? He has appointed it against Ashkelon and the shore of its coastland.”

Ezekiel 39:9-10
Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out, kindle fires, and burn up the weapons—the bucklers and shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. / They will not gather wood from the countryside or cut it from the forests, for they will use the weapons for fuel. They will loot those who looted them and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord GOD.

Matthew 5:17
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

Matthew 10:34
Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Luke 19:27
And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’”

John 18:36
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”


Treasury of Scripture

And Joshua did to them as the LORD bade him: he hamstrung their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

he houghed

Joshua 11:6
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.

Ezekiel 39:9,10
And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: …

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Bade Burned Burnt Chariots Cut Directed Hamstrung Hocked Horses Houghed Joshua Leg-Muscles War-Carriages
Joshua 11
1. Diverse kings overcome at the waters of Merom
10. Hazor is taken and burnt
16. All the country taken by Joshua
21. The Anakims cut off
23. The land rests from war














Joshua did to them
The name "Joshua" is derived from the Hebrew "Yehoshua," meaning "Yahweh is salvation." Joshua, as the leader of Israel, is a type of Christ, leading God's people into the Promised Land. His actions are not of his own volition but are in obedience to divine command. This phrase emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's directives, a recurring theme throughout the Scriptures. Joshua's leadership is marked by his faithfulness to God's instructions, setting an example for believers to follow God's will in their lives.

as the LORD had commanded him
The phrase underscores the divine authority behind Joshua's actions. The Hebrew word for "commanded" is "tsavah," which implies a direct order or charge. This highlights the theocratic nature of Israel's leadership, where God is the ultimate authority. The LORD's commands are not arbitrary but are rooted in His covenant promises and His desire for Israel to be a holy nation. This obedience to divine command is a call for believers to trust in God's wisdom and sovereignty, even when His instructions may seem difficult or counterintuitive.

he hamstrung their horses
The act of hamstringing horses, which involves cutting the tendons of the hind legs, rendered the horses useless for battle. In the ancient Near Eastern context, horses and chariots were symbols of military power and might. By disabling the horses, Joshua was ensuring that Israel would not rely on military strength but on the LORD. This act is a powerful reminder of the biblical principle found in Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." It calls believers to place their trust in God rather than in worldly power or resources.

and burned their chariots
Chariots were the tanks of the ancient world, providing a significant advantage in warfare. By burning the chariots, Joshua was eliminating the enemy's military advantage and demonstrating reliance on God's power rather than human ingenuity. This action symbolizes the destruction of worldly dependencies and the commitment to a life of faith. For the Christian, it is a call to destroy any idols or sources of false security, trusting wholly in God's provision and protection.

(9) He houghed their horses.--In what particular way this was done we are not informed; we cannot, therefore, be certain whether it was done so as to destroy the lives of the horses, or merely to make them useless for purposes of warfare.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Joshua
יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַ (yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3091: Joshua -- 'the LORD is salvation', Moses' successor, also the name of a number of Israelites

treated
וַיַּ֤עַשׂ (way·ya·‘aś)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

them as
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

the LORD
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

had told him;
אָֽמַר־ (’ā·mar-)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

he hamstrung
עִקֵּ֔ר (‘iq·qêr)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6131: To pluck up, to hamstring, to exterminate

their horses
סוּסֵיהֶ֣ם (sū·sê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5483: A swallow, swift (type of bird)

and burned up
שָׂרַ֥ף (śā·rap̄)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8313: To be, on fire

their chariots.
מַרְכְּבֹתֵיהֶ֖ם (mar·kə·ḇō·ṯê·hem)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4818: A chariot


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OT History: Joshua 11:9 Joshua did to them as Yahweh told (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 11:8
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