Joshua 10:2

Joshua 10:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
• New International Version (NIV)He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters.
• English Standard Version (ESV)he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors.
• New Living Translation (NLT)He and his people became very afraid when they heard all this because Gibeon was a large town—as large as the royal cities and larger than Ai. And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors.

Context of Joshua 10:2

1Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it—as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king—and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. 3Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4“Come up to me and help me, that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”

Joshua 10:2 word by word

וַיִּֽירְא֣וּ מְאֹ֔ד כִּ֣י עִ֤יר גְּדוֹלָה֙ גִּבְע֔וֹן כְּאַחַ֖ת עָרֵ֣י הַמַּמְלָכָ֑ה וְכִ֨י הִ֤יא גְדוֹלָה֙ מִן־הָעַ֔י וְכָל־אֲנָשֶׁ֖יהָ גִּבֹּרִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• That they fearedיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
• greatlyמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
• because Gibeonגִּבְעוֹןgib‛ôn · GibeonH1391
• a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• as oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• of the royalמַמְלָכָהmamlâkâh · kingdomH4467
• than Aiעַי‛ay ‛ayâ' ‛ayâth · AiH5857
• and all the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• mightyגִּבּוֹרgibbôr gibbôr · mighty manH1368

Cross-references for Joshua 10:2

• Joshua 2:9and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.
• Exodus 15:14“The people will hear and be afraid; Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
• Deuteronomy 11:25No man shall be able to stand against you; the Lord your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you.
• Deuteronomy 28:10Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.
• Psalms 48:4For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together.
• Proverbs 1:26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes,
• Proverbs 10:24The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted.
• Hebrews 10:27but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
• Revelation 6:15And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
• Joshua 10:40So Joshua conquered all the land: the mountain country and the South and the lowland and the wilderness slopes, and all their kings; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded.
• 1 Samuel 27:5Then David said to Achish, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
• 2 Samuel 12:26Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the royal city.

Commentaries on Joshua 10:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2As one of the royal cities - Not a regal city, but great, well inhabited and well fortified, as those cities which served for the royal residence generally were. It does not appear that the Gibeonites had any king - they seem to have been a small but powerful republic, all the men thereof were mighty, merely governed by their elders: for in their address to Joshua, Joshua 9:11, they mention no king, but simply state that they were sent by their elders and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Gibeon was apparently not a royal city. It may have been under the control of Canaan. They controlled Jerusalem before Gibeon made a covenant with Joshua. Or Gibeon could have been an independent town led by a few leading families.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. they feared greatly--The dread inspired by the rapid conquests of the Israelites had been immensely increased by the fact of a state so populous and so strong as Gibeon having found it expedient to submit to the power and the terms of the invaders. as one of the royal cities--Although itself a republic (Jos 9:3), it was large and well-fortified, like those places in which the chiefs of the country usually established their residence.Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 10:2

• Adoni-Zedek
• Armies
• Cities
• Confederacies
• Jerusalem
• War

In the dictionaries

• Ai
• Gibeon
• Adonizedec
• Eglon (2)
• Exodus, the Book of
• Hoham
• Jerusalem
• Joshua, Book of
• Lachish
• Palestine

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