Commentary - Joshua 10:16-28

Bird's-eye view

Following the miraculous intervention of God at the battle of Gibeon, where the sun stood still, the story now turns to the mop-up operation. But this is no mere military epilogue. This section in Joshua 10 is a graphic and potent illustration of the nature of God's judgment and the kind of total victory He gives to His people. The five Amorite kings, the ringleaders of the opposition, flee from the hailstones of God and the swords of Israel, only to find their refuge in a cave. This cave, a symbol of their pathetic attempt to hide from the Almighty, becomes the theater for a powerful symbolic act. Joshua does not simply execute them; he uses their capture and execution as a living parable for the men of Israel, teaching them about the nature of the war they are in and the absolute certainty of their triumph. The passage culminates in the utter destruction of Makkedah, demonstrating that the judgment on the leadership extends to the entire corrupt society.

This is a story about the thoroughness of God's victory. It is about how God's enemies, no matter how high and mighty, will be brought low. Their last-ditch efforts to save themselves will become the very instruments of their final humiliation. For the believer, this is a picture of the victory Christ has won. The heads of the serpent have been crushed, and we are called to walk in that reality.

Outline

Commentary

vv. 16-19

The five kings, who had marshaled their forces against Gibeon and, by extension, against Yahweh, are now fugitives. They hide themselves in a cave at Makkedah. It is a classic move of the ungodly. When God's power is displayed, those who will not bow the knee will try to run and hide. They call to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us," and hide themselves in the caves of the earth (Rev. 6:16). But there is no cave deep enough to hide from the presence of the Lord. Their location is quickly reported to Joshua. Now, a lesser commander might have been distracted by this high-value prize. The temptation would be to stop the whole army, deal with the celebrity captives, and have a grand celebration. But Joshua's priorities are straight. He gives a crisp, strategic order: "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave." In other words, put them on ice. They are not going anywhere. The main task is to pursue the fleeing armies and destroy them completely. "Do not allow them to enter their cities." A routed army that makes it back to its fortifications can regroup and become a problem later. Joshua understands the principle of total victory. Don't just win the battle; win the war. The reason for this is theological: "for Yahweh your God has given them into your hand." This is not Joshua's military genius alone; it is obedience to the divine grant of victory.

vv. 20-21

The pursuit is successful. The slaughter is described as "very great," and the enemy is "completely destroyed." The only ones who survive are the few who managed to limp back to their fortified cities, cities which will themselves be dealt with in due course. After this decisive action, the army of Israel returns to the camp at Makkedah "in peace." This is the kind of peace that follows a righteous war fought in obedience to God. It is a secure peace. The totality of the victory is captured in the idiom: "No one so much as lifted his tongue against any of the sons of Israel." The fear of God had fallen on the whole land. The enemies were so thoroughly demoralized and terrified that not even a whisper of defiance could be heard. This is a foretaste of that final peace when every enemy of Christ is put under His feet and every mouth is stopped before the righteous judgment of God.

vv. 22-24

With the main army dealt with, it is time to attend to the kings. Joshua commands, "Open the mouth of the cave." Their temporary hiding place is now to become the stage for their final humiliation. They are brought out, and the narrator lists them again for emphasis: the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. These were not petty chieftains; they were the heads of significant city-states. Then comes the central, symbolic act of the entire episode. Joshua summons his commanders, the men who had fought alongside him, and says, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." This was a common, ancient Near Eastern practice signifying absolute conquest and subjugation. It was a visceral, tangible demonstration of who was master and who was slave. This is the fulfillment of the promise God makes to His people: the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet (Rom. 16:20). This is a picture of the authority that believers have in Christ over the spiritual forces of darkness.

v. 25

Joshua does not let the moment pass without driving home the lesson. He turns this act of subjugation into a sermon. "Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous." Why? Because this is not a one-off event. This is a pattern. "For thus Yahweh will do to all your enemies with whom you fight." This is a tangible gospel promise. God is showing them, in the flesh, how He treats those who set themselves against Him and His people. The victory they see with their eyes is a down payment and a guarantee of all the victories to come. Faith is not a leap in the dark; it is a step forward based on the demonstrated faithfulness of God in the past. He did it to these five kings; He will do it to all the others. He did it at the cross and the empty tomb; He will do it through His church until all His enemies are made His footstool.

vv. 26-27

After the symbolic act, the sentence is carried out. Joshua strikes them and puts them to death. He then hangs their bodies on five trees, a public display of their defeat and a sign of the curse they had brought upon themselves. According to the law (Deut. 21:22-23), one who is hanged on a tree is accursed by God. This is the very imagery Paul will later use to explain the substitutionary atonement of Christ, who became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). These kings receive the curse they deserve. But even in judgment, Israel must obey the law. At sunset, Joshua commands that the bodies be taken down. And in a stroke of profound, divine irony, they are thrown back into the very cave where they had sought refuge. The place of their hoped-for safety becomes their tomb. The large stones that had temporarily imprisoned them now permanently seal their grave. This is a potent picture of the final state of the wicked. The things in which they place their trust for security will become the instruments of their eternal ruin.

v. 28

The narrative immediately pivots from the execution of the kings to the conquest of their territory. The victory is not merely personal; it is systemic. On that same day, Joshua captures Makkedah. The city and its king are "devoted to destruction." This is the principle of herem, or holy war. Every person in it was put to the sword. "He left no survivor." This was not ethnic cleansing; it was divine judgment against a culture so saturated with depravity and idolatry that it had to be excised from the land. The text explicitly notes that Joshua was following the pattern set at Jericho. This is a story of consistent, faithful, and unflinching obedience to the commands of God, no matter how harsh they may seem to our modern, sentimental ears.

Application

Modern Christians are often squeamish about passages like this. We have been trained by our therapeutic culture to be embarrassed by a God who judges and a faith that conquers. But this passage is in our Bibles for a reason. It is a graphic depiction of the absolute victory that God gives His people over His enemies. The central lesson is found in Joshua's exhortation: "Do not fear or be dismayed... for thus Yahweh will do to all your enemies."

First, we must recognize that we are in a spiritual war. The enemies are not Amorite kings, but principalities, powers, and the spiritual forces of wickedness (Eph. 6:12). We also fight against the remnants of sin in our own hearts, the world system, and the devil. This passage teaches us that our enemies, however intimidating they may seem, are a defeated foe. Christ, our Joshua, has already won the decisive victory at Calvary.

Second, we are called to participate in that victory. The command to place their feet on the necks of the kings was given to the commanders. We are called to "crush Satan under our feet" (Rom. 16:20). This means actively resisting temptation, putting sin to death, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. We do not fight for victory, but from victory.

Finally, we must not be afraid of the thoroughness of God's judgment. The cave that was a refuge became a tomb. The kings who were symbols of power became symbols of the curse. This is a sober warning to all who would oppose God. But for the believer, it is a profound comfort. The God who dealt so decisively with the enemies of Israel is the same God who has dealt decisively with our ultimate enemies: sin and death. Therefore, we can and we must be strong and very courageous, for the Lord our God is with us wherever we go.