Joshua 11:1

And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard [these things],.... The taking of Jericho and Ai, the defeat of the five kings, and the conquest of the southern part of the land of Canaan; he

And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, And it came to pass, when Jabin

JOSHUA CHAPTER 11 The other kings and cities of Canaan gather themselves together to fight against Israel, . God encourages Joshua, promising him victory, . The Canaanites destroyed; their cities taken; Hazor burnt; the Anakims cut off, ; those in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod excepted, ,23. Hazor, the chief city of all those parts, . Had heard those things: this was a remarkable instance of the wisdom and goodness of Divine Providence, which so governed the minds and hearts of the Canaanites, that they were not at all united under one king, but divided amongst many petty kings; and next, that these did not all unanimously join their counsels and forces together to oppose the Israelites at their first entrance, which their own wisdom and interest obliged them to do; but quietly suffered the destruction of their brethren, thereby preparing the way for their own. Shimron, called Shimron-meron, . Achshaph, a place in the tribe of Asher, the furthest part of the land toward the north and west.

Joshua 11:1 And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard [those things], that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,Ver. 1. When Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things.] In policy he should have done this sooner, before the five southern kings had been destroyed. But Jabin was an Epimetheus, a postmaster, wise after the fact; and sped accordingly. God’ s holy hand was in it also, that his people might not be over matched or disheartened. Our temptations are in like sort disposed of by Christ, the great Aγωνοθετης.

XI. JOSHUA’S .(1) Jabin king of Hazor seems to have been in northern Palestine what Adonizedec, king of Jerusalem, was in the south. For the strength of this monarchy see the story in Judges 4, 5. From its formidable character when it recovered strength in the days of the judges, we may gather some notion of what it was at first. Hazor is identified as Jebel Hadîrah, near Kedes, in Upper Galilee. Madon, perhaps Madîn, west of the Sea of Galilee. Shimron is identified as Simûnieh, west of Nazareth.

CHAPTER XI The Kings of Hazor, Madon, Shimron, and Achshaph, with those of the mountains, plains, c., and various chiefs of the Canaanites and Amorites, confederate against Israel, 1-3. They pitch their tents at the waters of Merom, 4, 5. The Lord encourages Joshua, 6. He attacks and discomfits them, 7, 8. Houghs all their horses, and burns all their chariots, 9. Takes and burns several of their cities, 10-13. The Israelites take the spoils, 14, 15. An account of the country taken by Joshua, 16-18. The Gibeonites only make peace with Israel, 19. All the rest resist and are overcome, 20. Joshua cuts off the Anakim, 21, 22. The conquered lands are given to Israel, and the war is concluded, 23, NOTES ON CHAP. XI Verse 1. Jabin king of Hazor] It is probable that Jabin was the common name of all the kings of Hazor. That king, by whom the Israelites were kept in a state of slavery for twenty years, and who was defeated by Deborah and Barak, was called by this name see Judges 4:2-3; Judges 4:23. The name signifies wise or intelligent. The city of Hazor was situated above the Lake Semechon, in Upper Galilee, according to Josephus, Antiq. lib. v., c. 6. It was given to the tribe of Naphtali, Joshua 19:36, who it appears did not possess it long; for though it was burnt by Joshua, Joshua 11:11, it is likely that the Canaanites rebuilt it, and restored the ancient government, as we find a powerful king there about one hundred and thirty years after the death of Joshua, Judges 4:1. It is the same that was taken by Tiglath-pileser, together with Kadesh, to which it is contiguous; see 2Kg 15:29. It is supposed to have given name to the Valley or Plain of Hazor or Nasor, situated between it and Kadesh, where Jonathan and Mattathias defeated the armies of Demetrius, and slew three thousand of their men, 1Mac 11:63-74. It was in ancient times the metropolitan city of all that district, and a number of petty kings or chieftains were subject to its king, see Joshua 11:10; and it is likely that it was those tributary kings who were summoned to attend the king of Hazor on this occasion; for Joshua having conquered the southern part of the promised land, the northern parts seeing themselves exposed made now a common interest, and, joining with Jabin, endeavoured to put a stop to the progress of the Israelites. See Calmet. Jobab king of Madon] This royal city is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture except in Joshua 12:19. The Vatican copy of the Septuagint reads Μαρων, Maron, which, if legitimate, Calmet thinks may mean Maronia or Merath in Phoenicia, to the north of Mount Libanus.

Ch. Joshua 11:1-15. Confederacy of the Kings of Northern Canaan 1. And it came to pass] We now enter upon a different scene in the conquests of Joshua. Just as before Adoni-Zedek, the king of Jerusalem, had summoned the five kings of southern Canaan, so now Jabin, the king of Hazor, summons the chiefs of the north against the Israelitish leader. Jabin] This was an hereditary and official title of the chief of Hazor. It denotes “the wise” or “intelligent” Here we find a king of the same name at a considerably later date (Judges 4:2). Hazor]= “enclosed,” “fortified” was an important, and apparently almost impregnable, stronghold of the Canaanites of the north, situated in the mountains, north of the waters of Merom. We find it afterwards fortified by Solomon (1 Kings 9:15), and its inhabitants were carried away captive by Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings 15:29). The most probable site is Tell Khuraibeh. It lay apparently between Ramah and Kedesh, on the high ground overlooking the Lake of Merom. Jobab king of Madon] The three places here mentioned, Madon, Shimron, and Achshaph, were probably in the neighbourhood of Hazor, but their sites cannot be determined. Schwarz on very slight grounds proposes to identify Madon with Kefr Menda, a village at the western end of the Plain of Buttauf, four or five miles N. of Sepphoris. the king of Shimron] Its full name appears to have been Shimron-Meron. It was afterwards included in the tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 19:15). the king of Achshaph] This place was afterwards included within the territory of Asher (Joshua 12:20; Joshua 19:25). It has been identified with Chaifa, a place which, from its situation, must always have been of great importance.

Jabin - Probably the hereditary and official title of the kings of Hazor (see Judges 4:2).

1. Jabin (signifying he shall know, or he is wise) was probably the royal title of the kings of Hazor. Hazor was a Phenician fortified city in the north of Palestine.