Chapter 44: The Northern Coalition and Hazor

Study notes

Jabin king of Hazor sends for many kings, and their armies camp by the waters of Merom, but Joshua attacks them suddenly and Israel strikes them down. Joshua captures and burns Hazor, takes the whole land, and gives it to the tribes as an inheritance, and the land has rest from war.

From Joshua 11:1–5 (KoS), Joshua 11:6–9 (KoS), Joshua 11:10–15 (KoS), Joshua 11:21–23 (KoS).

These notes and questions are original study helps written for this site, not scripture. The verses shown with each question are quoted from the Kingdoms of Scripture Bible.

Notice and discuss

Read each passage, then think about the question on your own or talk it over with others. No answers are collected.

1. What does Joshua do to Hazor that Israel does not do to the other cities, and whose commands does he keep?

   Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor, and he struck its king with the sword, for Hazor had formerly been the head of all these kingdoms. They struck every person who was in it by the mouth of the sword, devoting them. Nothing that breathed was left, and Hazor he burned with fire. All the cities of these kings, and all their kings, Joshua captured, and he struck them by the mouth of the sword. He devoted them, as Moses, the servant of Yahweh, had commanded. Only all the cities that stood on their mounds Israel did not burn, except Hazor alone. Joshua burned that. All the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the sons of Israel plundered for themselves. Only every human being they struck by the mouth of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They did not leave anything that breathed. As Yahweh commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He did not turn aside from anything of all that Yahweh had commanded Moses.

   Joshua 11:10–15 (KoS)

   Note · Translation A tel is the mound a city stands on, the heap of what was built there before.

2. Which people were the only ones to make peace with Israel, and how were all the other cities taken?

   Joshua took all this land, the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the Shephelah, the Arabah, the hill country of Israel and its Shephelah, from Mount Halak, which goes up toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon, under Mount Hermon. All their kings he captured, struck, and put to death. For many days Joshua made war with all these kings. There was not a city that made peace with the sons of Israel except the Hivite inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all the rest in battle. For it was from Yahweh, to harden their heart to meet Israel in battle, so that he might devote them, and so that they would have no plea for favor, so that he might destroy them, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

   Joshua 11:16–20 (KoS)

3. Where did some of the Anakim still remain, and what did Joshua do with the land after taking it?

   Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them with their cities. No Anakim were left in the land of the sons of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain. Joshua took the whole land, according to all that Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions, by their tribes. And the land had rest from war.

   Joshua 11:21–23 (KoS)