Why do the five kings attack Gabaon, and what happens when its inhabitants ask Josue for help?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Adonisedec calls for the attack because Gabaon has gone over to Josue and Israel; he fears its alliance, size and valiant fighting men. When the besieged inhabitants ask Josue to save them, he goes from Galgal with all his warriors. The Lord assures him of victory, troubles the enemy before Israel, and sends hailstones that kill more than Israel’s swords.

Chapter breakdown

Adonisedec, king of Jerusalem, hears that Josue has taken and destroyed Hai and its king as he did Jericho and its king, and that the Gabaonites have joined Israel as allies. He is exceedingly afraid: Gabaon is a great royal city, greater than Hai, and all its fighting men are very valiant. He sends to Oham, king of Hebron; Pharam, king of Jerimoth; Japhia, king of Lachis; and Dabir, king of Eglon. He asks them to come help take Gabaon because it has gone over to Josue and Israel. The five Amorrhite kings and their armies gather and camp around Gabaon, besieging it. Its inhabitants send to Josue at Galgal, asking him not to withdraw help from his servants but to come quickly, save and assist them: all the mountain-dwelling Amorrhite kings are gathered against them.

Josue goes up from Galgal with all the army of valiant warriors. The Lord tells him not to fear: he has delivered them into Josue’s hands and none can stand against him. Josue marches from Galgal all night and comes upon them suddenly. The Lord troubles them at Israel’s sight; the account attributes the great slaughter at Gabaon, pursuit by the ascent to Bethoron and cutting them off to Azeca and Maceda to him. As they flee Israel down Bethoron’s descent, the Lord casts great stones from heaven upon them as far as Azeca. More are killed by the hailstones than by Israel’s swords.

On the day the Lord delivers the Amorrhite before Israel’s children, Josue speaks to him in their sight. He tells the sun not to move toward Gabaon, nor the moon toward the valley of Ajalon. The sun and moon stand still until the people avenge themselves on their enemies. The account asks whether this is written in the book of the just, and says the sun stands in the midst of heaven, delaying its setting for the space of one day. Challoner’s separate note calls the book Jasher in Hebrew, an ancient book long since lost. The account says no day before or after was so long, with the Lord obeying a man’s voice and fighting for Israel. It then records Josue returning with all Israel to Galgal’s camp.

The five kings have fled and hidden in a cave at Maceda, and their discovery there is reported to Josue. He orders great stones rolled to the cave’s mouth and careful men posted to keep the kings shut in. The others must not stop: they are to pursue the enemy, kill the hindmost as they flee and prevent those the Lord has delivered from taking shelter in their cities. After great slaughter and near-total destruction, those able to escape enter fenced cities. All the army returns to Josue at the camp then in Maceda, in good health and without losing anyone. No one dares move his tongue against Israel’s children.

Josue orders the cave opened and the five kings brought out. The ministers obey, bringing the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jerimoth, Lachis and Eglon. Josue calls all Israel’s men and tells the army’s chiefs to place their feet on the kings’ necks. After they do so with the kings lying beneath them, he tells them not to fear or be dismayed, but to take courage and be strong: the Lord will do this to all the enemies they fight. Josue strikes and kills the kings, then hangs them on five gibbets until evening. At sunset he orders the soldiers to take them down. They throw them into the cave where they hid and place great stones at its mouth, remaining until this day.

That same day Josue takes Maceda, destroys it with the sword and kills its king and all its inhabitants, leaving no remains; he treats its king as Jericho’s king. He passes with all Israel from Maceda to Lebna and fights it. The Lord delivers Lebna and its king to Israel; they destroy the city and all its inhabitants by the sword, leaving no remains, and treat its king as Jericho’s. Josue goes from Lebna to Lachis with all Israel and besieges it. The Lord delivers Lachis; he takes it the following day and puts every soul in it to the sword as at Lebna. Horam, king of Gazer, comes to help Lachis, and Josue kills him and all his people, leaving none alive. Josue passes from Lachis to Eglon, surrounds it and takes it the same day, killing all its souls as he did at Lachis.

Josue goes with all Israel from Eglon to Hebron and fights it. He takes and destroys it by the sword, including its king, the towns of its country and all the souls dwelling there, leaving no remains and doing as at Eglon. Challoner’s separate note says this king is the new king who succeeded the one slain in verse 26. Josue returns from there to Dabir, takes and destroys it, its king and its surrounding towns by the sword, leaving no remains. He treats Dabir and its king as he treated Hebron and Lebna and their kings.

Josue conquers the hill country, south, plain and Asedoth, with their kings. He leaves no remains and kills all that breathes, as the Lord God of Israel commanded. Challoner’s separate note says God ordered these people utterly destroyed in punishment for their many abominations and so they would not draw Israel into the same sins. The stated extent runs from Cadesbarne to Gaza and through all Gosen’s land to Gabaon. Josue takes and lays waste all these kings and their lands at one onset, because the Lord God of Israel fights for him. He returns with all Israel to Galgal’s camp.

The story inside

Adonisedec’s reported knowledge and fear lead him to summon four named rulers against Gabaon. Its inhabitants appeal to Josue, who brings all his warriors after the Lord’s assurance. The account records the night march, sudden arrival, rout and hailstone deaths, then Josue’s public address to the sun and moon, the prolonged day and Galgal return. It next relates the kings’ hiding and guarded confinement while pursuit continues; some enemies escape into fenced cities, while the army returns to Maceda without loss. Josue brings out and kills the kings after encouraging his chiefs, hangs them and orders their bodies returned to the cave at sunset. The city-by-city account retains each capture’s timing, population, king and comparison rather than reducing the campaign to a list. Three actual Challoner notes explain Jasher, Hebron’s successor king and the destruction’s stated reasons. The ending attributes the taking of the kings and lands at one onset to the Lord fighting for Josue.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The attack on Gabaon has a stated reason. Adonisedec has heard of its alliance with Israel and fears the size and fighting strength of that royal city. The appeal for help is followed by Josue’s march with all his warriors and the Lord’s assurance.
2
The two return statements have distinct places in the account. Verse 15 names Galgal; the following cave-and-pursuit passage names the army’s return to Josue at Maceda in good health without loss. Keeping both avoids inventing a new travel sequence or extending that loss statement to the whole campaign.
3
The cities have specific details that matter. Lachis falls the following day, Eglon the same day; Horam comes from Gazer to help Lachis; Hebron’s king is identified by Challoner as the earlier king’s successor. These details distinguish events that a general conquest summary could blur.

Test your recall

Why does Adonisedec call the other kings against Gabaon, and what response follows Gabaon’s appeal to Josue?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 23310–23343
Josue Chapter 10 Five kings war against Gabaon. Josue defeateth them: many are slain with hailstones. At the prayer of Josue the sun and moon stand still the space of one day. The five kings are hanged. Divers cities are taken. 10:1. When Adonisedec, king of Jerusalem, had heard these things, to wit, that Josue had taken Hai, and had destroyed it, (for as he had done to Jericho and the king thereof, so did he to Hai and its king) and that the Gabaonites were gone over to Israel, and were their confederates, 10:2. He was exceedingly afraid. For Gabaon was a great city, and one of the royal cities, and greater than the town of Hai, and all its fighting men were most valiant. 10:3. Therefore Adonisedec, king of Jerusalem, sent to Oham, king of Hebron, and to Pharam, king of Jerimoth, and to Japhia, king of Lachis, and to Dabir, king of Eglon, saying: 10:4. Come up to me, and bring help, that we may take Gabaon, because it hath gone over to Josue, and to the children of Israel. 10:5. So the five kings of the Amorrhites being assembled together, went up: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jerimoth, the king of Lachis, the king of Eglon, they and their armies, and camped about Gabaon, laying siege to it. 10:6. But the inhabitants of the city of Gabaon, which was besieged, sent to Josue, who then abode in the camp at Galgal, and said to him: Withdraw not thy hands from helping thy servants: come up quickly, and save us, and bring us succour: for all the kings of the Amorrhites, who dwell in the mountains, are gathered together against us.
Lines 23345–23362
10:7. And Josue went up from Galgal, and all the army of the warriors with him, most valiant men. 10:8. But the Lord said to Josue: Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thy hands: none of them shall be able to stand against thee. 10:9. So Josue going up from Galgal all the night, came upon them suddenly. 10:10. And the Lord troubled them, at the sight of Israel: and he slew them with a great slaughter, in Gabaon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent to Bethoron, and cut them off all the way to Azeca and Maceda. 10:11. And when they were fleeing from the children of Israel, and were in the descent of Bethoron, the Lord cast down upon them great stones from heaven, as far as Azeca: and many more were killed with the hailstones, than were slain by the swords of the children of Israel,
Lines 23364–23380
10:12. Then Josue spoke to the Lord, in the day that he delivered the Amorrhite in the sight of the children of Israel, and he said before them: Move not, O sun, toward Gabaon, nor thou, O moon, toward the valley of Ajalon. 10:13. And the sun and the moon stood still, till the people revenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of the just? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down the space of one day. The book of the just.... In Hebrew Jasher: an ancient book long since lost. 10:14. There was not before, nor after, so long a day, the Lord obeying the voice of a man, and fighting for Israel. 10:15. And Josue returned, with all Israel, into the camp of Galgal.
Lines 23382–23403
10:16. For the five kings were fled, and had hid themselves in a cave of the city of Maceda. 10:17. And it was told Josue, that the five kings were found hid in a cave of the city of Maceda. 10:18. And he commanded them that were with him, saying: Roll great stones to the mouth of the cave, and set careful men to keep them shut up: 10:19. And stay you not, but pursue after the enemies, and kill all the hindermost of them as they flee, and do not suffer them whom the Lord God hath delivered into your hands, to shelter themselves in their cities. 10:20. So the enemies being slain with a great slaughter, and almost utterly consumed, they that were able to escape from Israel, entered into fenced cities. 10:21. And all the army returned to Josue, in Maceda, where the camp then was, in good health, and without the loss of any one: and no man durst move his tongue against the children of Israel.
Lines 23405–23428
10:22. And Josue gave orders, saying: Open the mouth of the cave, and bring forth to me the five kings that lie hid therein. 10:23. And the ministers did as they were commanded: and they brought out to him the five kings out of the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jerimoth, the king of Lachis, the king of Eglon. 10:24. And when they were brought out to him, he called all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the army that were with him: Go, and set your feet on the necks of these kings. And when they had gone, and put their feet upon the necks of them lying under them, 10:25. He said again to them: Fear not, neither be ye dismayed, take courage, and be strong: for so will the Lord do to all your enemies, against whom you fight. 10:26. And Josue struck, and slew them, and hanged them upon five gibbets; and they hung until the evening. 10:27. And when the sun was down, he commanded the soldiers to take them down from the gibbets. And after they were taken down, they cast them into the cave, where they had lain hid, and put great stones at the mouth thereof, which remain until this day.
Lines 23430–23456
10:28. The same day Josue took Maceda, and destroyed it with the edge of the sword, and killed the king and all the inhabitants thereof: he left not in it the least remains. And he did to the king of Maceda, as he had done to the king of Jericho. 10:29. And he passed from Maceda with all Israel to Lebna, and fought against it: 10:30. And the Lord delivered it with the king thereof into the hands of Israel: and they destroyed the city with the edge of the sword, and all the inhabitants thereof. They left not in it any remains. And they did to the king of Lebna, as they had done to the king of Jericho. 10:31. From Lebna he passed unto Lachis, with all Israel: and investing it with his army, besieged it. 10:32. And the Lord delivered Lachis into the hands of Israel, and he took it the following day, and put it to the sword, and every soul that was in it, as he had done to Lebna. 10:33. At that time Horam, king of Gazer, came up to succour Lachis: and Josue slew him with all his people so as to leave none alive. 10:34. And he passed from Lachis to Eglon, and surrounded it, 10:35. And took it the same day: and put to the sword all the souls that were in it, according to all that he had done to Lachis.
Lines 23458–23474
10:36. He went up also with all Israel from Eglon to Hebron, and fought against it: 10:37. Took it, and destroyed it with the edge of the sword: the king also thereof, and all the towns of that country, and all the souls that dwelt in it: he left not therein any remains: as he had done to Eglon, so did he also to Hebron, putting to the sword all that he found in it. The king.... Viz., the new king, who succeeded him that was slain, ver. 26. 10:38. Returning from thence to Dabir, 10:39. He took it, and destroyed it: the king also thereof, and all the towns round about, he destroyed with the edge of the sword: he left not in it any remains: as he had done to Hebron and Lebna, and to their kings, so did he to Dabir, and to the king thereof.
Lines 23476–23494
10:40. So Josue conquered all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the plain, and of Asedoth, with their kings: he left not any remains therein, but slew all that breathed, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him. Any remains therein, but slew, etc.... God ordered these people to be utterly destroyed, in punishment of their manifold abomination; and that they might not draw the Israelites into the like sins. 10:41. From Cadesbarne even to Gaza. All the land of Gosen even to Gabaon, 10:42. And all their kings, and their lands he took and wasted at one onset: for the Lord the God of Israel fought for him. 10:43. And he returned with all Israel to the place of the camp in Galgal.