New International Version
Joshua 10:20
20So Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely, but a few survivors managed to reach their 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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)So Joshua and the Israelite army continued the slaughter and completely crushed the enemy. They totally wiped out the five armies except for a tiny remnant that managed to reach their fortified towns.
Context of Joshua 10:20
18he said, “Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it. 19But don’t stop; pursue your enemies! Attack them from the rear and don’t let them reach their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.” So Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely, but a few survivors managed to reach their fortified cities. 21The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites. 22Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out 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 threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.
- Joshua 8:24When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it.
- 2 Chronicles 13:17Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel’s able men.
- 2 Samuel 20:6David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.”
- Jeremiah 8:14Why are we sitting here? Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there! For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish and given us poisoned water to drink, 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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