The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 103 – Section 105
SECT. CIII.
ADoni-zedek King of Jeruſalem, with the Kings of Hebron, Jarmath, Lachiſh and Eglon hearing Gibeon was fallen off from them (which was a great City) and that the Inhabitants thereof were among the Children of Iſrael; that is, had incorporated themſelves with them to be one people with them, and to live under the ſame Laws and Government, and that the Iſraelites and Gibeonites had daily free intercourſe one with another, they join'd their Forces together, and came and beſieged Gibeon, reſolving to Chaſtize it for its falling off from them, and thereby to prevent the like Revolt of other Cities. The Gibeonites immediately diſpatch away Meſſengers to Joſhua, imploring him not to ſlack his hand, but to come up ſpeedily with his Forces to ſave and help them; for theſe five Neighbouring Kings (whoſe Cities were ſituate on Hills and Mountains) were come up againſt them. The Lord appears to Joſhua, and bids him not fear them, for He had delivered them into his hand, they ſhould not be able to ſtand before him. Joſhua accordingly made haſt, and marching his Army all night, came upon them ſuddenly, and the Lord diſcomfited them before Iſrael, and they ſlew them with a very great Slaughter near to Gibeon, and chaſed them along the way that goeth to Bethhoron *There were two Cities of this Name. One fell to the lot of the Ephraimities, and the other to the Benjamites. So that it ſeems there were an upper and nether Bethhoron, which were afterwards rebuilt, beautified and fortified by Sherah, a famous woman of the ſtock of Ephraim, 1 Chron. 7.24.and ſmote them unto Azehah and Makkedah. And as they fled ſome towards the upper, and ſome towards the nether Bethhoron, the Lord caſt down great and prodigious Hail-ſtones upon them, which deſtroyed more of them, than the Iſraelites had killed with the Sword. This ſtorm of Hail was miraculous, not only in regard of the exceeding greatneſs of the ſtones, but in that they fell only on the Canaanites, and not on the Iſraelites who purſued after them. Joſhua being now with his Army in the heat of purſuit, and execution of their Enemies, and fearing he ſhould want day-light to finiſh his Work, His ſpirit was excited humbly to beg of God that the Sun and Moon might ſtand ſtill in the Heavens, and give them light, till they had done their work. The Lord was pleaſed by ſome ſpecial inſtinct of his Spirit to aſſure him that his Requeſt was granted; whereupon in the preſence of his Souldiers, and for their future Encouragement, looking up to Heaven, He ſaid, Sun ſtand thou ſtill upon Gibeon, and thou Moon in the Valley of Ajalon.†This was a Plain into which men deſcended from Beth-horon, v. 11. and in reſpect of the ſmall diſtance between it and Gibeon, it is by the Prophet who alludeth to this ſtory call'd the Valley of Gibeon, Iſa. 28.21. And accordingly the Sun and Moon ſtood ſtill, and the whole frame of the Heavens by the ſpace of almoſt an whole day, till they had avenged themſelves on their Enemies. So that both theſe great Lights beginning and ending their ſtanding ſtill together, the Aſtronomical Account was no way confounded by this ſtay, even as in Muſick the Harmony is not in any ſort broken if all the Voices reſt at the ſame time, and then begin again every man in his own part going on until the end of the Leſſon, as Laurentius Codomannus obſerves. This is written in the Book of Jaſher, *Fuit hic liber quaſi Sanctorum Catalogus de Heroum & Sanctorum geſtis-ſcript…s metrico verſu. Bonfrerius.which ſeems to be ſome continued Chronicle of the memorable Acts of Gods Worthies in thoſe times; which Book is ſince loſt, though 'tis mentioned again 2 Sam. 1.18. ſee alſo Numb. 21.14. And there was no day like this either before it or after it wherein God at the prayer of a man made the Sun and Moon to ſtand ſtill, and made the day twice as long as it ſhould have been. Indeed in Hezekiah's time the day was miraculouſly lengthened by the Suns going backward, 2 Kings 20.11. and Iſaiah the Prophet cried unto the Lord, and he brought the ſhadow ten degrees backward by which it had gone down in the Dial of Ahaz; and yet it was not lengthened ſo much by far then, as it was now; to wit, not above two hours and an half; Neither was that done in ſuch a manner as this was, viz. upon Joſhua's prayer to God, firſt deſiring it, and then commanding in his Name that it ſhould be done, ſee Hab. 3.11. Joſhua having the day thus miraculouſly lengthened out for him, and following the Chaſe, thoſe five Kings fled to a Cave in the Country belonging to Makkedah, and there hid themſelves. Joſhua being informed thereof, commanded that the entrance into the Cave ſhould be rammed up with great ſtones, and a Guard ſet upon it, but that the reſt of the Army ſhould purſue after their Enemies, and ſmite the hindmoſt of them, and not ſuffer them to get into their fenced Cities, leſt they ſhould put them to a new trouble. For (ſays he) God fights for us, and hath delivered theſe our Enemies into our hands, therefore let us not by ſloth and negligence loſe this opportunity of deſtroying them which he now affordeth us. Accordingly Joſhua and his Souldiers made that day a great Slaughter of their Enemies, ſo that only a few of them eſcaped, which got into their fenced Cities. [For though he at preſent deſtroyed the Enemy in the Field, yet (it ſeems) he did not take their fenced Cities till ſome time after, though they are related in this Chapter as taken preſently, becauſe the Writer of this Book did reſolve to give (as it were) one ſhort Draught of the War.] Now thoſe whom Joſhua had ſent forth to purſue the Enemy returned to him in peace, (that is, ſound and ſafe,) to Makkedah where his Camp was at preſent. And now the Canaanites were very quiet, and durſt not offer the Iſraelites the leaſt Diſturbance, no not ſo much as a Dog barked againſt them, to allude to that proverbial Speech, Exod. 11.7. Then Joſhua cauſed the five Kings to be brought out of the Cave to him, and He called for his Captains and chief Commanders, and bad them put their feet upon their Necks, not in a proud inſulting manner, but to teach them that they were to ſhew no mercy to this people, and to intimate to them that thus they ſhould tread all their Enemies under their feet. Then Joſhua commanded that theſe five Kings ſhould be ſlain, and hanged *Quia Regum ſtagitia plurimis exemplo nocent, ideo acerbiore ſupplicio merito debebant Expiari. Maſius.on five Trees, where they hung till evening, and then they took them down and caſt them into the Cave where they had been hid, and laid great ſtones in the Caves mouth, which remained when this Hiſtory was written. See Joſh. 8.29. and Pſal. 91.13. and Pſal. 149.8. & 110.1.
Joſhua 10. from 1. to 27.
SECT. CIV.
JOſhua like a prudent General purſueth his Victory, while the Canaanites were under ſo great a terrour and conſternation, upon the defeat of the five Kings and their Armies. And therefore now He reſolves to ſet upon their Cities. And firſt He took Makkedah, (c)A City in the uttermoſt Confines of the Tribe of Judah towards the Weſt, ſee Ch. 15.41.and deſtroyed all the people therein, Men, Women, and Children, reſerving the Cattel to themſelves for a Prey, ſee Ch. 11.14. And he did unto the King thereof as he had done unto the King of Jericho; that is, He hanged †Hoc non indicat Scriptura, ex caeterorum tamen Regum. exemplo colligunt eum ſuſpenſum fuiſſe. Bonfrerius.him. From Makkedah he marched the whole Army that was with him to Libnah, (d)A City ſituate in the Tribe of Judah, Ch. 15.42. and given to the Prieſts, Ch. 21.13.and the Lord delivered that City alſo into his hands, and he put all to the Sword he found therein, and did unto their King as he did unto the King of Makkedah. From Libnah he marched to Lachiſh (e)A ſtrong City in the Confines of Judah reſtor'd, Ch. 15.39. whoſe King was one of thoſe that made War againſt Gibeon.and beſieged it. Horam King of Gezer (a City near to Lachiſh) underſtanding this, comes forth with his Forces to relieve it, but Joſhua utterly routed and defeated him, and then the day after the Lord delivered Lachiſh into his hands, whoſe Inhabitants he utterly deſtroyed, as he had done thoſe of Libnah. Then he marched to Eglon (f)A City in the Tribe of Judah, Ch. 15.39. five Leagues Southward from Jeruſalem.and took it the very day he encamped againſt it, and put all to the Sword he found there. From thence he marched to Hebron, (g)A famous ancient City, ſee Numb. 13.23. in the Tribe of Judah call'd formerly Kirjath-jearim. The King hereof was one of thoſe hanged at Makkedah, but He being dead, either his Heir ſucceeded him, or they choſe another. How this City is afterwards ſaid to be taken by Caleb, ſee Notes on Ch. 15.13, 14.and took it with the new King thereof, (for the old one was lately hanged at Makkedah) and all the Cities it had under its Juriſdiction, and utterly deſtroyed all the Inhabitants thereof. Joſhua then bending his Courſe towards Gilgal, he took Debir, (h)A City in the Confines of Judah, butting upon Simeon, before call'd Kirjah-ſepher, Joſh. 15.15. five or ſix miles Southward of Hebron.and the King thereof, and all the Towns belonging to it, utterly deſtroying all the people therein; and as he had done to the King of Libnah, ſo he did to the King of Debir. All theſe Kings and their Land did Joſhua take in one Expedition, becauſe the Lord fought for Iſrael. He ſubdued alſo all that part of the Country which lay to the South, both thoſe Cities that were built on Hills, and thoſe that were ſeated in the Plains. He ſubdued and vanquiſh'd all from Kadeſh-Barnea, the utmoſt Southern bound, unto Gaza upon the Sea-Coaſt, and all the Country of Goſhen in the mountainous parts of Judah, even to Gibeon, and deſtroyed their Inhabitants to a vaſt number, doing therein according to what the Lord God of Iſrael had commanded him, Deut. 20.16, 17. Then Joſhua returned with his Army to the Camp at Gilgal.
Joſhua, Ch. 10. from 28. to the end.
SECT. CV.
FRom the Autumn of this year (wherein after the failing of Manna, they began to till the Ground, and ſow it,) is to be reckoned the firſt year of their Tillage, and the riſe of the Sabhatical year is hence to be taken, Exod. 23.10, 11. Levit. 25. from 2. to 7.