Bible Commentary

Joshua 12:7-24

Matthew Henry on Joshua 12:7-24

Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · Matthew Henry · CC0 1.0 Universal

We have here the limits of the country Joshua conquered. A list is given of the kings subdued by Israel: thirty-one in all. This shows how fruitful Canaan then was, in which so many chose to throng together.

This was the land God appointed for Israel; yet in our day it is one of the most barren and unprofitable countries in the world. Such is the effect of the curse it lies under, since its possessors rejected Christ and his gospel, as was foretold by Moses, De 29:23.

The vengeance of a righteous God, inflicted on all these kings and their subjects, for their wickedness, should make us dread and hate sin. The fruitful land bestowed on his chosen people, should fill our hearts with hope and confidence in his mercy, and with humble gratitude.

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commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 12:1-24The extent of the conquest. A few detached considerations occur to us here. I. GOD WELL NOT BE WORSE THAN HIS WORD. The reduction of the whole land had not yet been effected, but it had been rendered possible if Israel…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 12:1-24EXPOSITION THE EXTENT OF JOSHUA'S CONQUESTS.Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryMatthew Henry on Joshua 12:7-24We have here a breviate of Joshua's conquests. I. The limits of the country he conquered. It lay between Jordan on the east and the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and extended from Baal-gad near Lebanon in the north to…Matthew HenrycommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 12:7-24The catalogue of the vanquished. A melancholy document, meaning little more to us than a column in a directory, but meaning much to multitudes. Many of these kings would be lamented in elegies as sweet as David's song o…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 12:7And these are the kings of the country. We now proceed to the enumeration of the kings whom Joshua had overcome on the western side of Jordan. And the first thing that strikes us is their immense number, as compared to…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 12:8The mountains. "Which, as the mountains of Judah (Joshua 15:48), Ephraim (Joshua 16:1), and Naphtali (Joshua 19:32), ran through the midst of the land" (Knobel). See Joshua 11:16, Joshua 11:21, and note.Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 12:9The list of the cities subdued. The king of Jericho, one. Here follows a list of the royal cities of the Canaanites, the remainder being daughter, or dependent cities, or else, perhaps, like Gibeon, cities whose governm…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 12:13The king of Geder. Perhaps the same as Gederah in Joshua 15:36. If so, it is the Gedor of the Onomasticon, ten miles from Beit-Jibrin, or Eleutheropolis, now Jedireh. Conder, however, with whom Vandevelde seems to agree…Joseph S. Exell and contributors