New English Translation
Joshua 10:20
20Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out, but some survivors did escape to the fortified cities.
Joshua 10:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced cities.
- New International Version (NIV)So Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely, but a few survivors managed to reach their fortified cities.
- English Standard Version (ESV)When Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking them with a great blow until they were wiped out, and when the remnant that remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then it happened, while Joshua and the children of Israel made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they had finished, that those who escaped entered fortified cities.
Context of Joshua 10:20
18Joshua said, “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and post guards in front of it. 19But don’t you delay! Chase your enemies and catch them! Don’t allow them to retreat to their cities, for the Lord your God is handing them over to you.” Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out, but some survivors did escape to the fortified cities. 21Then the whole army safely returned to Joshua at the camp in Makkedah. No one dared threaten the Israelites. 22Joshua said, “Open the cave’s mouth and bring the five kings out of the cave to me.”
Read all of Joshua 10Joshua 10:20 word by word
וַיְהִי֩ כְּכַלּ֨וֹת יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לְהַכּוֹתָ֛ם מַכָּ֥ה גְדוֹלָֽה־מְאֹ֖ד עַד־תֻּמָּ֑ם וְהַשְּׂרִידִים֙ שָׂרְד֣וּ מֵהֶ֔ם וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אֶל־עָרֵ֥י הַמִּבְצָֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And it came to pass, when Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
- and the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- had made an endכָּלָהkâlâh · to end: finishH3615
- of slayingנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- them with a veryמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
- greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- slaughterמַכָּהmakkâh makkeh · woundH4347
- till they were consumedתָּמַםtâmam · to finishH8552
- that the restשָׂרִידώârîyd · survivorH8300
- remainedשָׂרַדώârad · to escapeH8277
- of them enteredבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- into fencedמִבְצָרmibtsâr mibtsârâh · fortificationH4013
- citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
Cross-references for Joshua 10:20
- Joshua 10:10The Lord routed them before Israel. Israel thoroughly defeated them at Gibeon. They chased them up the road to the pass of Beth Horon and struck them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.
- Joshua 8:24When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had chased them toward the desert (they all fell by the sword), all Israel returned to Ai and put the sword to it.
- 2 Chronicles 13:17Abijah and his army thoroughly defeated them; 500,000 well-trained Israelite men fell dead.
- 2 Samuel 20:6Then David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bicri will cause greater disaster for us than Absalom did! Take your lord’s servants and pursue him. Otherwise he will secure fortified cities for himself and get away from us.”
- Jeremiah 8:14The people say, “Why are we just sitting here? Let us gather together inside the fortified cities. Let us at least die there fighting, since the Lord our God has condemned us to die. He has condemned us to drink the poison waters of judgment because we have sinned against him.
Commentaries on Joshua 10:20
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-27Verses 15-27 None moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel. This shows their perfect safety. The kings were called to an account, as rebels against the Israel of God. Refuges of lies will but secure for God's judgment. God punished the abominable wickedness of these kings, the measure of whose iniquity was now full. And by this public act of justice, done upon these ringleaders of the Canaanites in sin, he would possess his people with the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-43Gibeon and its neighboring cities were on a plateau (high flat place) north of Jerusalem (see study note on 7:2). With Gibeon now as an ally with Israel, Israel controlled the plateau and the central hill country near Gibeon. Historically, controlling the plateau often meant controlling the hill country. The kings of Canaan had to conquer Gibeon, or they would fail.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-2716-27. these five kings ... hid themselves in a cave--Hebrew, "the cave." at Makkedah--The pursuit was continued, without interruption, to Makkedah at the foot of the western mountains, where Joshua seems to have halted with the main body of his troops while a detachment was sent forward to scour the country in pursuit of the remaining stragglers, a few of whom succeeded in reaching the neighboring cities. The last act, probably the next day, was the…Read the comment
Topics related to Joshua 10:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Joshua 10
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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