"Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites." Come up and help meThis phrase is a call to action, a plea for assistance in a time of need. The Hebrew root for "come up" is "עָלָה" (alah), which often implies ascending or rising. In the context of ancient warfare, this could suggest a strategic movement to higher ground or a rallying cry to gather forces. The urgency in this call reflects the desperation and the immediate need for support against a common enemy. Historically, alliances were crucial for survival, and this plea underscores the importance of unity and collective strength in the face of adversity. We will attack Gibeon
The decision to attack Gibeon is significant. Gibeon was a great city, and its people had made a treaty with Israel, which was seen as a betrayal by the surrounding Canaanite kings. The Hebrew word for "attack" is "נָכָה" (nakah), meaning to strike or smite. This indicates a planned, aggressive action against Gibeon, highlighting the seriousness of the threat perceived by the coalition of kings. Theologically, this reflects the spiritual battle between the forces aligned with God's people and those opposed to them. because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites
The phrase "made peace" comes from the Hebrew "שָׁלוֹם" (shalom), which means peace, completeness, or welfare. Gibeon's treaty with Israel was a significant political and spiritual move, aligning themselves with God's chosen people. This peace treaty was seen as a direct challenge to the existing power structures in Canaan. Theologically, this reflects the transformative power of aligning with God's will, as Gibeon chose peace with Israel over conflict. Historically, it demonstrates the shifting alliances and the impact of Israel's presence in the Promised Land. Persons / Places / Events 1. Adoni-ZedekThe king of Jerusalem who initiated the coalition against Gibeon for making peace with Israel. 2. GibeonA significant city that made a treaty with Israel, causing fear among the surrounding Amorite kings. 3. JoshuaThe leader of Israel, who had led the Israelites into the Promised Land and made a treaty with Gibeon. 4. The Amorite CoalitionA group of five Amorite kings who banded together to attack Gibeon for aligning with Israel. 5. The IsraelitesThe people of God, led by Joshua, who were in the process of conquering the Promised Land. Teaching Points The Consequences of AlliancesThe Gibeonites' alliance with Israel brought them immediate danger but also protection. Consider the alliances we form and their spiritual implications. God's Sovereignty in ConflictDespite human plans and coalitions, God's purposes prevail. Trust in God's sovereignty even when facing opposition. The Importance of Keeping OathsIsrael's commitment to Gibeon, despite the deceptive circumstances, underscores the importance of integrity and keeping one's word. Unity in the Body of ChristJust as the Amorite kings united against a common enemy, Christians are called to unite in support of one another against spiritual adversaries. Divine Assistance in Times of TroubleLike Gibeon calling for help, we can call upon God and fellow believers in times of need, trusting in divine intervention. Bible Study Questions 1. What can we learn from the Gibeonites' decision to make peace with Israel, and how does this apply to our decision-making in forming alliances today? 2. How does the response of the Amorite kings to Gibeon's treaty with Israel reflect the world's reaction to those who align with God's people? 3. In what ways does Joshua's leadership in this chapter demonstrate reliance on God's promises, and how can we apply this to our own leadership roles? 4. How does the concept of keeping oaths and promises, as seen in Israel's commitment to Gibeon, challenge us in our personal and professional lives? 5. Reflect on a time when you faced opposition for your faith. How can the account of Gibeon and Israel encourage you to seek God's help and the support of fellow believers? Connections to Other Scriptures Joshua 9Provides context for why Gibeon made a treaty with Israel, highlighting the deception used by the Gibeonites and the subsequent oath made by Israel. Exodus 23:32-33Discusses God's command to Israel not to make covenants with the inhabitants of the land, which relates to the treaty with Gibeon. Psalm 2:1-3Reflects on the futility of nations conspiring against God's anointed, similar to the Amorite kings' actions against Israel. Romans 8:31Emphasizes that if God is for us, who can be against us, paralleling Israel's divine support in their battles. People Adonizedec, Amorites, Debir, Eglon, Gibeon, Hoham, Horam, Israelites, Japhia, Jasher, Joshua, PiramPlaces Ai, Azekah, Beth-horon, Debir, Eglon, Gaza, Gezer, Gibeon, Gilgal, Hebron, Jarmuth, Jericho, Jerusalem, Kadesh-barnea, Lachish, Libnah, Makkedah, Negeb, Valley of AijalonTopics Attack, Gibeon, Israelites, Joshua, Peace, Smite, Sons, StrikeDictionary of Bible Themes Joshua 10:4 5913 negotiation Joshua 10:1-7 7240 Jerusalem, history Library Five Kings in a Cave
TEXT: "And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which 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. And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight."--Joshua 10:24-25. The history of the …
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas IscariotPraying Saints of the Old Testaments
The Holy Spirit will give to the praying saint the brightness of an immortal hope, the music of a deathless song, in His baptism and communion with the heart, He will give sweeter and more enlarged visions of heaven until the taste for other things will pall, and other visions will grow dim and distant. He will put notes of other worlds in human hearts until all earth's music is discord and songless.--Rev. E. M. Bounds Old Testament history is filled with accounts of praying saints. The leaders of …
Edward M. Bounds—Prayer and Praying Men Gibeon. Josh 10:06
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John Newton—Olney Hymns The Northern Coast of Judea. Beth-Horon.
This coast is marked out Joshua 18:12; where, at verse 14, are very many versions to be corrected, which render the sea; such are, the Syriac, the Seventy, the Vulgar, the Italian, ours, &c.: whence ariseth a sense of insuperable difficulty to a chorographical eye: when it should, indeed, be rendered of the west, as the Chaldee, Arabic, R. Solomon, &c. rightly do. We read of a double Beth-horon in the Old Testament, but one only under the second Temple... At that place that great Canaanitish army …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Subterraneous Places. Mines. Caves.
Thus having taken some notice of the superficies of the land, let us a little search into its bowels. You may divide the subterraneous country into three parts: the metal mines, the caves, and the places of burial. This land was eminently noted for metal mines, so that "its stones," in very many places, "were iron, and out of its hills was digged brass," Deuteronomy 8:9. From these gain accrued to the Jews: but to the Christians, not seldom slavery and misery; being frequently condemned hither by …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Subjects of Study. Home Education in Israel; Female Education. Elementary Schools, Schoolmasters, and School Arrangements.
If a faithful picture of society in ancient Greece or Rome were to be presented to view, it is not easy to believe that even they who now most oppose the Bible could wish their aims success. For this, at any rate, may be asserted, without fear of gainsaying, that no other religion than that of the Bible has proved competent to control an advanced, or even an advancing, state of civilisation. Every other bound has been successively passed and submerged by the rising tide; how deep only the student …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
THE ISRAELITES IN THE LAND OF CANAAN: THE JUDGES--THE PHILISTINES AND THE HEBREW KINGDOM--SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON, THE DEFECTION OF THE TEN TRIBES--THE XXIst EGYPTIAN DYNASTY--SHESHONQ OR SHISHAK DAMASCUS. The Hebrews in the desert: their families, clans, and tribes--The Amorites and the Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan--The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction against the Hebrews--The judges, Ehud, Deborah, Jerubbaal or Gideon and the Manassite supremacy; Abimelech, Jephihdh. The Philistines, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6 Meditations of the True Manner of Practising Piety on the Sabbath-Day.
Almighty God will have himself worshipped, not only in a private manner by private persons and families, but also in a more public sort, of all the godly joined together in a visible church; that by this means he may be known not only to be the God and Lord of every Singular person, but also of the creatures of the whole universal world. Question--But why do not we Christians under the New, keep the Sabbath on the same seventh day on which it was kept under the Old Testament? I answer--Because our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Divine Support and Protection
[What shall we say then to these things?] If God be for us, who can be against us? T he passions of joy or grief, of admiration or gratitude, are moderate when we are able to find words which fully describe their emotions. When they rise very high, language is too faint to express them; and the person is either lost in silence, or feels something which, after his most laboured efforts, is too big for utterance. We may often observe the Apostle Paul under this difficulty, when attempting to excite …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Joshua
The book of Joshua is the natural complement of the Pentateuch. Moses is dead, but the people are on the verge of the promised land, and the story of early Israel would be incomplete, did it not record the conquest of that land and her establishment upon it. The divine purpose moves restlessly on, until it is accomplished; so "after the death of Moses, Jehovah spake to Joshua," i. 1. The book falls naturally into three divisions: (a) the conquest of Canaan (i.-xii.), (b) the settlement of the …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Joshua 10:4 NIVJoshua 10:4 NLTJoshua 10:4 ESVJoshua 10:4 NASBJoshua 10:4 KJV
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