CHAPTER 9

1. Now what came about as all the kings who were beyond the Yarden on the mountain-range, in the foothills, and on the whole coast of the Great Sea toward the front of the Levanon [range]—the Chittite, the Emorite, the Kanaanite, the Prizzite, the Chiwite, and the Y’vusite—heard

Heard what? What immediately precedes (8:35) is the reading of the Torah, so (if they had their spies among the Israelites) they heard that Israel was serious, because they were reading the instructions again. And more specifically, they heard, “Our Land is being given to these people by their deity, so that means they are coming after us too! And they will have no mercy!” (Gen. 15:17ff; Ex. 23:23ff; 23:31ff; 34:11-12; Deut. 7:1ff) And just building an altar there to YHWH was already staking a claim to the Land. When we really hear and respond to the Torah, there is no doubt that there will be war, and our enemies will know it too. We cannot hear Moshe and expect to just live in peace. Y’shua also said, “I came not to bring peace but a sword.” If no one is worried about you and preparing for battle against you, you are not really living YHWH’s commands. Those who cannot stand these words as they are really meant to be understood will always look for others to join them and come against us, but this makes identifying our enemies very easy. Remember, the tares as well as the wheat will be gathered—to be burned, in their case. Many think they are serving YHWH, but are actually only serving their own hearts. Foothills: Heb., sh’felah, that is, where the land “falls”.  

2. [was that] they collected themselves together with one mouth to fight with Y’hoshua and with Israel.

With one mouth: figuratively, “with one accord”. But “one mouth” means they are all telling the same story. This is still how they fight—they start to talk. It was Y’hoshua they were fighting; it is the leader they hate—his “arrogance” and insistence that things be done his way because he is hearing from YHWH. If they can get rid of him, they think, the rest of the people might “listen to reason” and they could live with them. Take away the shepherd, and they can have their way with the sheep. But the “problem” is, YHWH is on his side. This is a foreshadowing of “all the kings of the earth” (the same word as “land” in Hebrew) gathering against the latter Yeshua. (Rev. 19:19)  Each of these peoples had a personal interest in winning, but they were putting aside their differences and all focusing on “the problem at hand”. If they had only been fighting Israel, and not YHWH as well, this might have been enough in itself to defeat them. As at Bavel, they sought to use their unity to overcome YHWH’s will, and again we see a worldwide unification shaping up which is built on sand instead of the rock of Torah, and it may accept “Jesus” as its figurehead (because a figment of their imagination who never really existed as they depict him can hardly have any power to stand in the way of their plans), but will oppose what the true Y’shua is doing, but He will “iron out” both their falsely-based unity and our differences that come from each one wanting everyone else to bow down to his own ways. He will do this with His “rod of iron”. But much of our disunity is unnecessary. Note that they were fighting Y’hoshua in particular, probably assuming that if the shepherd was struck, the sheep would scatter. But anyone who attacks Y’shua is attacking all who follow Him. Making war on the god-man “Jesus” actually upholds the true Y’shua’s agenda, so do not be afraid to do so, thinking that in the process you might actually be attacking Y’shua. You are not, if your battling is based on Scriptural truth.

3. When the inhabitants of Giv’on heard what Y’hoshua had done to Y’rikho and to Ay, 

Giv’on: only a few miles north of Yerushalayim, and not far south of Ay, they would be located only some twenty miles from where Israel was encamped. (v. 6) Y’hoshua did not do these feats alone, but the work accomplished by his people is credited to him. What we do also reflects on the Y’hoshua we serve (Y’shua). His enemies will hardly fear him if we present him as always gentle and compassionate, and never fierce as the Scripture presents him. He was always in balance, but we have weighted him only to one side. We must properly represent him by doing what he did. The job of the Body is to go in the same direction as the Head, or everyone will see him wrongly. Because pedophile priests have raped choir boys, “Jesus” has done this too. Because crusaders murdered thousands of Jews, “Jesus” did too; no wonder they avoid him! But thanks to YHWH, these evil representatives did not have His real name, so they were not representing the true Y’shua; but we do, so we have no margin for such errors. The result of our actions is meant to be that people know who YHWH is and acknowledge His authority. (Mat. 5:14-16) Note that we are to give light to those “in the house”. The focus is not outside, but many lit-up houses cannot help but be a lit-up city that attracts those who need protection when the enemy is on the prowl. It did just that to Giv’on here:

4. they too acted with shrewdness and, acting as if they were envoys , took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, wine skins that were worn through, cracked open, and tightened up,

There was one exception to the unity seen in verses 1-2. One group of Chiwites had a different approach. Rather than stupidly thinking they could defeat YHWH, they came up with what is really a very smart plan. Shrewdness: with a more pejorative connotation of “cunning”, “wiliness”, or “craftiness”. Beware the Giv’onite and his story! Indeed, in going straight to the camp of those who had come to kill them, they ended up in a better position than those who directly opposed Israel. Indeed, in the days to come, the only hope anyone has is to surrender to Israel. Y’shua told a parable in which he essentially said, “If only Israel were this smart.” (Luke 16:8) It was probably from this that he also drew his idiom about sending his followers out like sheep in the midst of wolves. Tightened up: that is, warped to the point of shrinking.

5. worn-out and patched shoes on their feet, and worn-out clothing on themselves, and all the bread of their provisions was dried-up and moldy, 

Moldy: or crumbling; the root word means “spotted”.  

6. and came to Y’hoshua in the camp at Gilgal, and told him and a man of Israel, “We have come from a distant land, so now cut a covenant with us!”

Apparently they returned to Gilgal after going to Mt. Eval because the terrain was much easier to camp on and the water supply was readily nearby. This became their “headquarters” throughout the campaign of conquest. (10:15) Though they were already in the Land of everyone’s inheritance, there were all still encamped together. The Giv’onites knew that Israel had spared some people and were not required to kill everyone outside the Land, so they claimed to be from outside it.  

7. But the man of Israel said to the Chiwites, “It could be that you live right near us; how could we cut a covenant with you?”

The Chiwites: the ethnicity of the people of Giv’on.

8. So they told Y’hoshua, “We are your servants.” And Y’hoshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”  

They appealed to Y’hoshua personally for mercy.

9. So they told him, “Your servants have come from a land very far away because of the reputation of YHWH your Elohim, because we have heard the report [about] Him and all that He did in Egypt,

They are pretending to be something they are not and pretending it is for the sake of YHWH—the magic phrase that can throw us off our guard because they know the right words to say.

10. “and all that He did to the two kings of the Emorites who [were] across the Yarden—Sichon, king of Heshbon, and Og, the king of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth.

11. “So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land spoke to us, saying, “Take in your hand provisions for the journey and go to meet them, and tell them, ‘We are your servants, so now cut a covenant with us.’

12. “This is our bread; we took it from our houses warm as our provision on the day we left to come to you, and now look [at it]; it is dry and has become moldy.

13. “And these wineskins that we filled up were new and, look, they have cracked open, and these clothes and sandals of ours have worn out from the great length of the journey.” 

They never answered his question about where they were from, except in the vague sense of “So far away that our food became stale and our clothes wore out to get here.” Does it matter where they came from as long as they want to go where we are going? Yes, it does matter, because they were in the Land, and YHWH had given specific instructions about that. 

14. So the men took of their provisions, and did not ask from the mouth of YHWH.

This is the crux of the matter—and any matter. They put something into their mouths without consulting Him, without looking to see if He had the same thing in His mouth. And at this point, Y’hoshua was YHWH’s mouthpiece. They did not want to offend these people who offered them bread, as disgusting as it appeared. They probably felt sorry for these people because they had something in common. They, too, had been traveling for a long time, yet they had been blessed with manna and clothing that did not wear out. They felt like for once they did not have to be the “bad guys”, after just having to kill men, women, children, and animals at the last places. Israel is doing the same thing with the Arabs who seem to have much in common—except the worship of YHWH. Y’shua said to beware of men, to not believe all that they appear to be on the surface before we weigh their fruit. They trusted what these people were “feeding” them. They allowed them to feed them lies. They partook of their fellowship (bread) and joy (wine). But YHWH was not eating this food. No one even seemed to notice that their story did not line up. They still had bread, but they had been traveling so long that their clothes and shoes wore out? How long does that take? Yet they had “heard about” events that had occurred only a few days before. How long does it take for a wineskin to wear out, and why would they be making more wine along the way to put into the skins? Why have they thrown their initial suspicion to the wind? What can we learn from the fact that they did not persist in asking the right questions?

15. And Y’hoshua made peace for them and cut a covenant for them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

They all fell for it. But once the leaders had eaten the bread, the covenant was already made. They did not leave Y’hoshua much choice, since he had no loyal servant like he had been to Moshe to stand with him, and he would have had to go against all the rulers of Israel—though he really should have, if he wanted to complete the mission he had been given.

16. But it turned out that at the end of three days after they had cut a covenant with them, they heard that they were close to them and that they were living right in their midst,

They should have really told them from the start that they had to be circumcised, for then they would be part of a different covenant and they could legitimately be spared. But they did not say they wanted to be part of Israel. They wanted to stay close to where YHWH was, but on their own terms. Or they could have been permitted to make an offering to YHWH then be escorted out of the Land, but instead they went back to their home within the Land yet without becoming part of Israel-- which was the only basis by which they as Kanaanites could have been allowed to survive.

17. when the descendants of Israel had traveled and arrived at their cities on the third day. Now their cities [were] Giv’on, the K’firah, Be’eroth, and Qiryat Y’arim.

Giv’on means “the big hill”. K’firah means “lioness”, but is related to the word for “village”, possibly in contrast to Giv’on. Be’eroth means “wells”. Qiryath Y’arim means “town of forests” When they arrived at the next cities they planned to attack, either they recognized something about the inhabitants that looked familiar, or the men of Giv’on were starting to get nervous when they saw Israel preparing to kill those with whom they had made an oath, and someone let the secret slip.  

18. But the descendants of Israel did not strike them down, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by YHWH the Elohim of Israel. So the whole congregation complained about the leaders.

For the first time in 40 years, the people had a real reason to grumble! The leaders were so eager to take in anyone who came in the name of YHWH, without realizing that this was merely flattery.

19. So all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn an oath to them by YHWH the Elohim of Israel, so now we cannot strike them.

We could not kill them now, because this would have been taking YHWH’s name in vain in the sense that the command in Exodus 20:7 really meant it. (It is not about not saying “God damn” or a prohibition of using His Name altogether.) Swearing in YHWH’s name obligates us to follow through, even if it is to our own hurt. (Num. 30:2; Lev. 5:4) They were truly unable to touch them now.

20. “We must do this to them: that is, to let them live, so that [twig-splitting] wrath will not come upon us on account of the oath that we have sworn to them.”

The imagery seems to be of YHWH charging through a forest toward them like an elephant. They cannot break their oath, because they had tied YHWH’s name to it. Y’shua goes further and says that those who always have YHWH’s Name on us should never break an oath, but that our word should be able to in itself be able to be taken as a promise. (Mat. 5:37) We see from Yaaqov that oaths of separation can be made with those outside of Israel (Gen. 31:44-53), but the Torah does not encourage any other kind of oath toward outsiders. This put Him in a bad light, for He would not show the same mercy on the other peoples around Giv’on. He appears double-minded. Anything Israel does reflects on Him for better or worse. Psalm 15 says those who swear to their own hurt and do not change are the type of people who can ascend to YHWH’s holy mountain. These people would indeed end up being a thorn in their sides, but they did take advantage of the fact that they had said they would serve them. Since they had been deceptive, they would become slaves:

21. But the leaders told them, “They will survive, but they will become the ones who cut down trees and draw water for the whole congregation”, as the leaders had promised them.

They would be allowed to live, but it would not be nice for them. They would essentially be slaves. After all, they had said they were his servants. They meant it as a meaningless, ritual part of the covenant-making process, but he held them to their words. Moshe identified “the ones who cut down trees and draw water” with sojourners among the camp of Israel—people who cannot inherit land but who do have some rights. (Deut. 29:11)  

22. So Y’hoshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, “Why have you misled us, saying, ‘We are very far away from you’, yet you are living [right] in our [very] midst?

23. “So now you are put under a curse: Not one of you will fail to be the ones who cut down trees and draw water for the household of my Elohim.”

Fail to: be cut off from (that is, set free from).

24. And they answered Y’hoshua and said, “Since it was conspicuously announced to your servants what YHWH your Elohim had commanded Moshe His servant—to give you the whole Land and to exterminate all the inhabitants of the Land from before your faces, we greatly feared for our lives because of your presence, so we did this thing.

This was the obvious reason they had lied. Note that even the Chiwwites know that it is Moshe that gives the Land to Israel. (Heeding the Torah is what will get us back home—not a U.N. declaration or a powerful-enough army.) But who had told them so clearly what YHWH had told Moshe? Did they have spies in Israel’s camp, or were there people in Israel who talked too much, giving the Torah to those to whom it did not belong, thinking they were making allies when they were actually giving enemies ammunition against them? Were they spouting off when drunk—“I love you, man; too bad I have to kill you, but that’s what Y’hoshua says we have to do”? Someone has been talking, and “loose lips sink ships”. They certainly sank this one. These people fooled them into accepting them as they were, because, although the servants of Israelites also have to keep the Torah, they did not bind these people to the covenant of Israel, but cut a different covenant, thereby letting them remain somewhat as equals.

25. “So now, here we are in your hands; do as it is pleasing and proper in your eyes to do to us.”

I.e., “You’ve caught us; do whatever you think is right.” Of course, this was a smart thing to say, because it would make the Israelites want to be more merciful still.

26. And he did so to them and rescued them from the hand of the descendants of Israel, so they did not kill them.

27. Thus Y’hoshua made them the ones who cut down trees and draw water for the congregation and for the altar of YHWH to this day in whatever place He might choose.

It is better to be a slave in Israel than a king elsewhere. (Psalm 84:10) These slaves ended up being honored along with the priests and Levites, because they are the Nethinim or “donated ones” mentioned in 1 Chron. 9:2 and many times throughout Ezra and Nehemyah. I.e., they came back with Yehudah from the Babylonian captivity! So apparently they were either well-guarded or actually turned out to be loyal to the position to which they had been assigned. All the wood burned on YHWH’s altar was prepared by the Chiwwites. But from this point forward, in some measure, Israel would always be out of the will of YHWH, for there would be people left alive who were not supposed to be. They were told to “be very careful not to make a covenant with the people of the Land”, but they were moved by their ruse of a plight. These people had come so far because they had heard of us; how they must love YHWH! They could be kept busy and therefore not cause much trouble, but still there would always be a snare right in our midst. The other party had been completely deceptive; why could they not be killed? Because YHWH’s people keep their word, not matter what the other party does. What a lesson! Do not put yourself in such a bad place by acting on something you are not sure of or trusting someone you are not certain you can trust. We prefer to give the benefit of the doubt, but this time mercy failed because it was not the season for mercy. The entire conquest of the Land now had this stain on it because these people were still alive. The result was that because of the compromising position the leaders had put them in, the people also softened up and slackened in their resolve to complete the job of ridding the Land of pagan peoples. All through the book of Judges we see how they left some Kanaanites to occupy some of their tribal lands, and by the time David came along, he was still trying to get the job done. After all, they had Chiwwites working in the very tabernacle, so how big of a deal could it be to put off the completion of the job until another generation? But by then, the people were weaker still, because they had played with Chiwwite children “at school”! The job of ridding the Land of those inhabitants has never been finished—to our own day—because they bought their sob story and did not investigate well enough. If they had just pushed—but they did not want to have to be mean to EVERYbody. So the foreign influence still remains. These people probably became part of the genetic mix of Israel, with ill effects. So what does one do if he finds he has been fooled into a promise he should not keep and cannot get out of an oath he has made? Do not think we can do it with words to YHWH at Yom Kippur; the Kol Nidrey liturgy is contrary to Torah; we must deal with what we have said we would do. The only possible remedy is to go to the other party—to whom one has made the oath—and humbly ask to be released from it. It would not have worked for the Giv’onites, for this would have spelled their death, and they would not agree to that! But sometimes people will release you—and respect you all the more for being decent enough to admit you cannot find a way to follow through, rather than making excuses and disappearing, leaving them hanging. The best solution, of course, is to avoid putting oneself in that position. To do so, you must indeed be very careful! It is okay to be suspicious! Pay attention to whose bread you have been eating and whose wine you have been sharing. Do not be afraid to ask the right questions. You’ll be glad you did. 


CHAPTER 10

1. What took place when Adoni-tzedeq, king of Yerushalaim, heard that Y’hoshua had taken Ay and had dedicated it to destruction (as he had done to Y’rikho and her king, he had done to Ay and her king), and that the inhabitants of Giv’on had made peace with Israel, and were right in their midst,

Made peace: Note that the way they made peace with Israel was to become its unconditional servants.  

2. [was that] they were very afraid, because Giv’on was a large city, as one of the dominant cities, and because she was bigger than Ay and all her men were champions.

Dominant: or royal. This may indicate city-states, which had other unwalled villages dependent on them, from which people came to the walled city for safety when danger was approaching. Champions: They were a major military power.

3. So Adoni-tzedeq, king of Yerushalaim, sent to Hoham, the king of Hevron, to Pir’am, the king of Yarmuth, to Yafey’a, the king of Lakhish, and to D’vir, the king of Eglon, saying,

All of these cities are in what would be the territory of the tribe of Y’hudah, south of the areas that had already been taken. Lakhish (“invincible”) and Yarmuth (“the heights”) were in the heart of the Sh’felah, and Eglon (“like a great calf”) is closer to the coast, yet still some 12 miles inland. D’vir was just southwest of Hevron (“close friend”), which remains today. Hoham is thought to mean “whom YHWH impels”. Pir’am means “one who acts wildly”, but the name comes from a root meaning “to bear fruit”. Yafey’a means “shining”. D’vir means “inner sanctuary”; it is the same word used for the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. All of these combinations are pictures of the “inhabitants of the land” that Israel is coming back to displace as their rightful owner. What could be wrong with the one whom YHWH impels and close friendship? Yet we must cut ties with it until it is expressed in the context of Israel, for outside this the friendship is misplaced and we “cast our pearls before swine”. The one who acts wildly on the heights is a picture of charismatic worship, where one becomes so lost in how high he can soar that he forgets whom he is worshipping. The church also sees itself as invincible because it is led by the shining one. But when it is involved in battles YHWH did not assign it to, it ends up opposing His intentions and must be opposed by the One who can vanquish any man. The worst sin in the incident of the golden calf was that they called it “YHWH”. When Moshe delayed in coming back, they built their own “YHWH”. After all, they came out to the wilderness to worship YHWH, and it appeared as if Moshe had not provided what they needed in order to do so. And Eglon has exactly the same meaning as Italy—“calf-like”. So here we see something from Italy that calls its king the “Holy of Holies”. What could this be but the one in the Vatican who demands to be called “your holiness”? While Y’shua has tarried, we again built our own system and called it His. We have long since ousted the obvious evils; now it is the counterfeit righteousness that needs conquering.  

4. “Come up to me and help me, so we can attack Giv’on, because it has made peace with Y’hoshua and with the descendants of Israel!”

Why did they attack the Giv’onites? Because they had a treaty with Israel. But instead of directly attacking Israel, which they knew was futile, they attacked those who were once their own allies who now sided with Israel as its servants, whom they perceived as the weak spot. By weakening Israel’s supporters, as the Assyrians usually did, they may hope to indirectly make Israel vulnerable. People still use this method of turning friends into enemies in order to gain an advantage over them. If the “conqueror” speaks smoothly enough to talk you into something, you may think you thought up the idea yourself, and not even realize you were under siege. They may be envious of the Giv’onites having found a way to survive a campaign they know they are going to lose, and therefore say, “If we are going to die, then so are you!” They may also have seen the Giv’onites as traitors, or they may think that if Israel fell for their ruse, Israel is not as strong as they had thought. In any case, we know that fear was the underlying motivator. But did those from Yerushalaim even need to be afraid of Y’hoshua? The last king of Yerushalaim of which we had heard was Melkhitzedeq, who appears to have been Adoni-tzedeq’s ancestor. By tradition, Melkhitzedeq was none other than Noakh’s son Shem, which would explain why these inhabitants of Kanaan still had Hebrew names. In any case, he was Avraham’s ally and teacher after he, too, had battled five kings. That he is the instigator of war against Israel’s allies shows that even the best families can go sour. Though his name means “my master is righteous”, this does not guarantee that he is righteous as well. He is on the wrong side of the equation this time. His ancestors worshipped YHWH, so why does he fear Israel? Should he not have been able to find common ground with YHWH’s people, for there was a covenant in place there that predated and therefore had precedence over the instruction to destroy all the inhabitants of Kanaan. He probably did not need to fear, but he apparently did not want to uphold his ancestor’s covenant, by which Israel would continue to benefit.

5. So the five kings of the Emorites—the king of Yerushalaim, the king of Hevron, the king of Yarmuth, the king of Lakhish, and the king of Eglon—assembled themselves and all their camps and went up against Giv’on and fought against it.

If the Giv’onites were in the midst of Israel—at the camp in Gilgal—why did they attack the city of Giv’on? Because some were with Israel in the camp, and others were not. They may have had a system like King Shlomo later had, in which the laborers would come in shifts for several months out of the year, and return to Giv’on for the rest of the year, so that their economy and family life would not be totally ruined. Some of them were indeed probably the “Nethinim” (“donated ones”, or Temple slaves) who may also have served in “courses” as the priests did from David’s time onward.

6. Then the men of Giv’on sent to Y’hoshua at the encampment of Gilgal, saying, “Do not let your hand abandon your servants! Come up to us quickly and rescue us and help us, because all the kings of the Emorites who live in the mountainous [region] have been gathered [and are coming] in our direction!”

7. So Y’hoshua—he and all the people of war with him—went up from Gilgal, in addition to all the heroes of the army.

8. And YHWH told Y’hoshua, “Don’t be afraid of them, because I have delivered them into your hands, and not a man of them will stand in your presence.”

9. So Y’hoshua came toward them suddenly, having climbed all night from Gilgal,

10. and YHWH confused them before Israel and struck a great blow [against] them at Giv’on, and chased them by way of the Ascent of Beyth-Horon and beat them back as far as Azeqah and Maqqedah.

Ascent: though actually they were descending as he chased them back down the way they had come up. This is still the best route through these dizzyingly-high mountains today. Beyth-Horon means “place of the great hollow”, possibly referring to the pass itself. The Maccabees also won a great battle against the Greeks here—in their case through the element of surprise, like Y’hoshua, but also through a better familiarity with the territory than Israel had at this point.

11. And what occurred as they fled from the face of Israel, while they were on the Descent of Beyth-Horon, [was that] YHWH hurled huge stones on them out of the sky all the way to Azeqah, and they died. There were more who were killed by the “hailstones” than the descendants of Israel killed with the sword.

Hailstones: Large stones have been found in this area that do not at all match the rock of the surrounding terrain, and this is therefore thought to have been a meteorite shower or some corollary of the mechanics described below in the note on verse 13. David’s battle with Golyath was also very close to Azeqah, and his remembrance of what YHWH had done here once before may be what gave him the courage to act against such odds, and the fact that it was stones that helped win the battle here may have given him the idea to sling stones at Golyath while still out of range of the giant’s spear. This—or simply large stones picked up by a great wind or magnetic force-- will seem all the more likely in light of the next major event in the battle:

12. Then Y’hoshua spoke to YHWH on the day when YHWH yielded over the Emorites before the descendants of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Giv’on and moon in the Valley of Ayalon!”

Stand still: or, delay. That he could see both sun and moon tells us this was around the time of the full moon or a little later. The sun was to his east, and the moon to his west. He was succeeding, but if he ran out of daylight and had to stop the battle before it was completely won, the Emorites might have had time to escape or regroup, so he asked that the day be extended or that the sun remain in the enemies’ eyes.  

13. And the sun was still, and the moon delayed until the nation took vengeance on their enemies; isn’t it recorded in the Book of the Upright, “…and the sun held its position at the halfway-point of the skies, and did not insist on going [down] for about a whole day”?  

The timing was perfect, for according to Donald Patten (in Catastrophism and the Old Testament), Mars used to have an orbit that crossed earth’s, and its year was exactly twice the length of earth’s. Every 54 years, the two planets came very close to colliding, explaining many of the immense catastrophes described in Scripture. On this day, he calculates that Mars (known to the Kanaanites as Ba’al) came within 27,000 miles of earth (just over 1/7 the distance to the moon!) and caused the polar axis to shift, letting the sun appear to “stand still” for another reason. With Mars over the northern hemisphere, there would be a wobble in the earth’s rotation much like that seen on a spinning top, allowing hours to be added to the day on that part of the earth’s surface as it essentially stayed in the same place while the rest spun erratically due to the strong gravitational pull of this large heavenly body that was now so close.  Patten also sees it as having produced a crustal skid eastward, which would have kept moving for a few hours in the direction opposite the sun’s progression, making the day longer in that particular locale. Events such as these are why Mars was connected so directly with war in many legends that may not be so far-fetched after all, only more picturesque ways of describing what science can now decipher. Soothsayers would have prognosticated this to be an especially auspicious day to go to battle, in hopes that the cataclysm would aid their side in the battle. After all, they were the ones on familiar territory! Josephus says YHWH aided with “thunderbolts”—a description of the discharges of electricity (up to hundreds of thousands of amperes) that would accompany the proximity of the two planets as they exchanged charges, killing the iron-clad soldiers with shock waves if not by frying them alive within their armor, which would attract the electricity directly to them. Two cycles (108 years) later, at the battle of Baraq, the prophetess D’vorah described such an event as “the stars by their pathways fighting against Sisera”. (Judges 5:20) Another such “flyby” some 703 years (13 cycles) later, at the time of Sennakheriv’s attack on Yerushalayim under Hizqiyahu (precipitating the backtracking of his sundial), was the final one, since the repelling poles threw both planets into new orbits and required nations the world over to come up with ways of adjusting the calendar from 360 to 365.24 days, and they all compensated differently. Book of the Upright: several versions of a Book of Yasher exist, but an added detail given by one extant version about this incident are that the day was declining toward evening when Y'hoshua said this, and that the sun stood still for "36 times" or "moments", though how long these units of time were is not known. (88:63, 64)

14. And there has never been a day like that one before or after, for YHWH to heed the voice of a man, because YHWH fought for Israel!

This was not an everyday occurrence. Only once did YHWH “freeze” time like this. There are ways to explain the natural dynamics of the sun appearing to stand still, but the moon as well? It is a second witness that this is a true miracle. Y’hoshua seems to have initiated this without YHWH telling him to do the right thing, and he did not even want to leave any of the job for the next day. He did not need to pray about it; he had made a promise, so he knew he had to go. After he took charge and decided to keep his word, even though he could have looked at this as YHWH bailing him out for his bad decision earlier (letting someone else kill the people he promised not to kill)—only then did YHWH get involved and reassure him that he was doing the right thing, and provide him with al this backup. Y’hoshua proved honorable, and YHWH showed how proud He was of this man who did not hesitate, did not need anyone else to motivate him, and even woke up his whole army to leave at night—responding as soon as he could. This is dangerous terrain, especially in the dark, but this way he arrived before sunup and was able to truly surprise the enemy. YHWH now entered into the battle, and got so excited at this man’s faithfulness to his promise that He even violated the natural order. This is the only time we see Him acting almost like a child—“Look! I’ve got weapons too! I’m going to kill more than you, Y’hoshua!” When one joins an army, he does not get to choose who his commanding officer is, and YHWH had already put Y’hoshua in charge of the army, so the General is only a “private” this time. Y’hoshua was already on the move, and YHWH “caught up” later. He was proud to be in the army of one who served the servants. This was unheard of! And more impressive still is who Y’hoshua did this for. Y’hoshua was not going to rescue a king, to gain treasure, to achieve military advantage, or to impress anyone with his battlefield skills. He was going to provide help for those whose first words to him were, “We are your servants.” Why would he travel all night and face a large, unified army for slaves who lied to him? Because that is what a shepherd does. If that does not define Israel, nothing does. If they had been rebelling, it would have been a different story; he could have said it served them right. But the people of YHWH are to be people of our word. So YHWH Himself served the servant who serves the servants. YHWH later says He considers it no small thing to go bring back the lost tribes who left the covenant and have not been heard from for centuries (Yeshayahu 49:6), and it may even be this act of an Efrayimite (Y’hoshua) that gave our tribes the merit to be regathered. The path to greatness is not military prowess, but the fact that we fight just because we should—because the servants are under attack.

15. Then Y’hoshua, and all Israel with him, returned to the camp at Gilgal.  

16. But those five kings escaped and hid themselves in a cave at Maqqedah,

Compare Yeshayahu 2:19, Luqa 23:30, and Rev. 6:16. Maqqedah means “place of those who mark the flocks”, i.e., brand them. Those not marked by YHWH for protection because they mourn over the misuse of His sanctuary and keep His feasts (Y’hezq’el 9) will be prey to the Counterfeit Messiah who claims to be their shepherd and wants to mark them as his own. (Rev. 13:16-17) But Y’shua had much to say about such a one. (Yochanan 10:10)

17. and it was reported to Y’hoshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Maqqedah!”

18. So Y’hoshua said, “Roll big stones to the mouth of the cave, and appointed men to keep guard over them.

19. “But you, don’t stand still! Chase down your enemies, and strike at their rear. Don’t give them [occasion] to get into their cities, because YHWH your Elohim has handed them over to you!”


20. Now when Y’hoshua and the descendants of Israel had about finished defeating them with a very great strike until they were finished off, the survivors who escaped from them went into their fortified cities,

21. and all the people returned to Y’hoshua at the camp at Maqqedah in peace. No one sharpened his tongue against the descendants of Israel.

I.e., no one had anything to say about it. It was said the not even a dog sharpened its tongues against the previous generation as they (and some of these people themselves) had left Egypt (Ex. 11:7), to let everyone know that YHWH made a distinction between Israel and Egypt. But why would the kings run right to the place Israel was besieging (v. 28)? Because YHWH confused them. (v. 10)

22. Then Y’hoshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring me out these five kings from the cave.”

23. And they did so, that is, they brought out these five kings to him from the cave—the king of Yerushalaim, the king of Hevron, the king of Yarmuth, the king of Lakhish, and the king of Eglon..

This is a picture of Y’shua making war on the doctrines of men. These men had attacked those who allied themselves with Israel as servants. Y’shua says He and the set-apart messengers will judge the nations on how they treated the least of His brothers (Mat. 25:31ff)—not on how they treated disaster victims or the homeless at large, or how many dictators they overthrew; their lot will be determined by what they did for or against those who do the will of YHWH in particular (Mat. 12:50). The least are those who will be the servants of all. (Mark 9:35)

24. And what took place when they brought these kings to Y’hoshua [was that] Y’hoshua called out to every man of Israel, and told the commanders of the men of war who had gone with him, and said, “Come close and set your feet on the backs of these kings’ necks!” So they came close and put their feet on their necks.

This was symbolic of their having been humiliated and conquered. It is hard to wag one’s tongue against Israel when someone’s feet are on your neck. Feet are one Hebraic way of describing the three pilgrimage festivals (Ex. 23:14), so they are one of the weapons by which we can overcome YHWH’s enemies if we do not let them become tainted by men’s doctrines.

25. Then Y’hoshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid or terrified! Be strong and [solidly] courageous, because YHWH will do like this to all your enemies whom you are battling.”

This promise is contingent upon our not bowing down to any of them in fear.

26. And after this, Y’hoshua struck them and put them to death and hung them on five trees, and they were hanging on the trees until the evening.

This is a warning to others that this is what becomes of those who oppose those who have come to YHWH for refuge. But they were obedient to Deut. 21:22-23. Leaving them there any longer would have brought a curse on the Land.

27. And what took place toward the time the sun went down [was that] Y’hoshua gave the order and they took them down from the trees, and threw them into the cave in which they had hidden, and they set large stones over the mouth of the cave up to this very day.

The same idea was used to try to keep Yeshua in the grave. They may have gotten the large stones from among those that fell from the sky onto their enemies.

28. And Y’hoshua captured Maqqedah that day, and he struck it and its king by the mouth of the sword, and he devoted them to destruction, along with every soul that was in it. He did not leave a survivor; thus he did to the king of Maqqedah just what he had done to the king of Y’rikho.

What they did to the king of Y’rikho (the same as was done to the king of Ay, v.1) is described in 8:29.

29. Then Y’hoshua went on, and all Israel with him, from Maqqedah to Livnah, and he fought with Livnah,

Livnah means “place of whiteness”, picturing the people who feel a need to present themselves as righteous. Neither of these cities had attacked Israel, but they were on the agenda to be eventually destroyed, so they might as well do so while they are in the neighborhood. They defeated the enemy that was in front of them and stood in the way of conquering Lakhish before they moved on.  

30. and YHWH also delivered it into the hand of Israel along with its king, and he struck her with the mouth of the sword, along with every soul in her; he did not leave a survivor in her, and he did to her king just what he had done to the king of Y’rikho.

31. Then Y’hoshua went on, and all Israel with him, from Livnah to Lakhish, and they encamped to lay siege against, and were engaged in battle therein.

32. and YHWH delivered Lakhish into the hand of Israel, and she captured it on the second day, and struck her and every soul that was in her with the mouth of the sword—just like all he had done to Livnah.

On the second day: even this early, Lakhish was one of the best-fortified cities in the Land, so it took longer than it did with other cities. Still, it took Sennakheriv of Assyria much longer than this to defeat the city.  

33. At that time, Horam, the king of Gezer, came up to help Lakhish, and Y’hoshua attacked him and his people until he was without a survivor left to him.

34. Then Y’hoshua went on, and all Israel with him, from Lakhish to Eglon, and they encamped to lay siege against, and they were engaged in battle against it

Though the king of Eglon had already been killed, the rest of his citizens had to die. While they have stopped paying homage to the pope, Protestants still keep his doctrines alive by partaking in the mass of Christ, the day of the sun, etc., and these too must be done away with.

35. and captured it on that day, and attacked her and every soul that was in her with the mouth of the sword; on that day he devoted it to destruction, just like all he had done to Lakhish.

36. Then Y’hoshua went on, and all Israel with him, from Eglon to Hevron, and they were engaged in battle against it

37. and captured it, and struck it down with the mouth of the sword, along with its king and all its towns, and every soul who was in her; he did not leave a survivor--just like all he had done to Eglon—but devoted her and every soul that was in her to destruction.

Wasn’t the king already killed? His son would become king as soon as he died. Towns: apparently suburbs or those dependent on it in some other way.

38. Then Y’hoshua and all Israel with him came back to D’vir and fought against her

They backtracked only a few miles from the city that had been more important to defeat. This city may have been named after the king of Yarmuth, suggesting some political connection or miniature nation-state, though it may refer to a sanctuary of a different sort. They are listed separately in 12:11-12.

39. and captured her and her king and all her towns, and attacked them with the mouth of the sword, and devoted every soul who was in her to destruction; he did not leave a survivor. He did to D’vir and to her king just as he had done to Hevron and as he had done to Livnah and its king.

40. Thus Y’hoshua conquered all the territory: the mountain-range, the Negev, the foothills, and the lower slopes with all their kings; he did not leave a survivor, but devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as YHWH, the Elohim of Israel, had commanded.

41. Then Y’hoshua attacked from Qadesh-Barnea as far as ‘Azzah and the whole territory of Goshen and right up to Giv’on.

Qadesh-Barnea: Aramaic, Rekam-Gea, described in m. Gittin 1:1-2 as the eastern border of Israel.

42. And Y’hoshua captured all these kings and their territory in one stroke, because YHWH the Elohim of Israel was waging war for Israel.

Y’hoshua was on a rampage, as his decision to get up in the middle of the night and serve the servants apparently provided tremendous energy to sweep this Land clean with victory after victory. But though Yerushalaim’s army attacked them, it is conspicuously absent from the list of places conquered. The Yevusites continued to live in Yerushalaim until David’s day. Y’hoshua apparently respected the covenant that was already in place for that city since the time of Melkhitzedeq, which long predated Moshe’s order to destroy all the people of the Land. Even David did not destroy it, but only conquered and enslaved its population.

43. Then Y’hoshua and all of Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.


CHAPTER 11

1. Now what took place when Yavin, the king of Hatzor, heard [was that] he sent to Yovav, the king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Akhshaf,

Hatzor is the largest tel yet discovered in Israel, and has been partially excavated. It is north of the Kinnereth (Sea of Galilee) and just southwest of Lake Huleh. It was the capital of a thirteen-city alliance. Its name means “enclosed castle”, but the root word means “trumpet-shaped”. Yovav means “desert-howler”. Madon: the site is uncertain, but its name means “strife” or “great size/stature”. Shimron means “the height for watching”; chapter 12 identifies this as being in the region of Mer’on. Akhshaf is on the northern side of Mt. Karmel, about five miles east of the harbor of modern Haifa. Its name means “I will be bewitched”!  

2. and to the kings who were northward from the mountain-region and in the Aravah south of Kinneroth and on the Sh’felah and on the uplift of Dor from the sea,

Mountain-region: probably the central massif, whose northern border is formed by Mt. Karmel and Mt. Gilboa. The Galil is very hilly, but most of it does not qualify as truly mountainous. The Aravah: the Great Rift Valley. Sh’felah: the foothills west of the mountain-region. Kinneroth: another name for the Kinnereth, or Sea of Galilee.

3. the Kanaanite from the east and from the west, as well as the Emorite, the Khittite, the Prizzite, and the Y’vusite in the mountain-region, and the Chiwite below Khermon in the territory of Mitzpah.

This gives us an overview of just where in the Land the various Kanaanite peoples lived.

4. They and all their armies with them went out—a great company like the sand that is on the seashore for abundance—with horses and very many chariots!

Like the sand on the seashore: While it is literally impossible that the people could be that numerous, this sounds very much like a promise YHWH made to Avraham in Genesis 22 and which Yaaqov repeated back to YHWH in his prayer in Gen. 32, with the slight addition of saying that this number cannot be counted. And figuratively this is what was meant by the phrase. This is a lot of enemies, but the promise was that if we did what we were supposed to do, we would have just as many of us living in that same Land. We cannot expect to receive the promise unless we live like Avraham did, because the “mortgage” was not fully paid for by the time he died, so his descendants could not claim the Land without continuing to “make payments”. Those who were then living in the Land were among the nations that YHWH said would be blessed through Avraham because he had obeyed to the point of offering his own son just because YHWH asked him to. That is a true friend, and YHWH got so excited that he said Avraham would end up blessing all the nations. But how can they be blessed if they end up dead? That is all that can occur if they stand in Israel’s way. The Land has been promised to someone else, and if they are trying to usurp Israel’s place, defeat is inevitable. If they had really seen the big picture, they would have left the Land and settled elsewhere; then they could have been on the receiving end of that blessing. But no, they are foolish enough to try to fight it, just as many nations still do today:  

5. And all these kings assembled at a designated time, and came and camped together at the Waters of Merom to fight with Israel.

All these kings: everyone that had any obligation to Yavin, though they might normally have been enemies of one another. They all join together to fight Israel—as will always be the case. Waters of Merom: between Hatzor and the Kinnereth lake. Yavin has invited them all to a battle in his own front yard! When we are enough of a threat to make our enemies upset, this is proof that we are effective. They have heard that Israel is coming to take their land, but they think it means Israel is going to try to take their land. But “there is no try”. Some things never change; the nations still gang up on Israel today. But if they really understood what was going on, they would have realized this was hopeless and left the Land, because this was a very rare time in Israel’s history. We were keeping the Torah and were unified, taking care of one another, and in the proper order, under the leader YHWH chose. At such times we cannot be beaten. The only thing that might have worked against us was if they had read the story of what Balaq and Bilaam did in sending the Moavite women to lure us into idolatry, but they did not think of this, and anything else was useless.

6. But YHWH told Y’hoshua, “Don’t be afraid because of their presence, because tomorrow at about this time I Myself am yielding them all over, pierced, before Israel. You must hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.

YHWH does not even require Israel to go from city to city defeating them all; He brings them all to one place so we can take them out all at once! If they are coming to harm you, that is the worst time to be afraid; it is time to be our strongest. They are assembling against us so they will be available for us to destroy. Things look most horrible when YHWH is about to put them under our feet. Israel is also assembled, and what can man do to us if YHWH is with us? But He is with us through our helpers. (Psalm 118:6-9) The only allies He leaves us are the rest of Israel. If anyone will fight, it has to be us. We have no hired army; we have to look to our brothers to be YHWH’s agents.  

7. So Y’hoshua, and all the people of war with him, came against them by the Waters of Merom, and pounced upon them suddenly.

Suddenly: literally, “in a wink of the eye”. He obeys, no questions asked. He does not hesitate or procrastinate or say he needs more information, for if he did, he would get nothing done. He had enough details to get started, and that is all we need too. Often we cannot know how to get the job done until we jump in and start. He did not even pray for protection, because he had already been promised that, so he went right to work, and before he knew it, he was finished. He refused to wait for them to attack. This would give fear time to get a foothold, and if it does, we have already lost. He sees them coming and goes after them, taking the battle to them so they are the ones on the defensive. Pounced: literally, fell.

8. And YHWH yielded them into Israel’s hand, and they attacked them and chased them as far as greater Tsidon and as far as the burnings of water and as far as the cleft of the lookout-tower on the east, and they destroyed them until they did not have a survivor left.

9. And Y’hoshua did as YHWH had told him—he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

If he had defeated all the people, he would not count as having finished the job if he had not done this part too. Horse and chariot both represent power. A man in a chariot has some protection and has a heavy platform that he can roll right over an enemy and kill him—much like a tank driver today. A horse in itself can strike fear in one whom it could trample; a man on a horse is much more deadly than a footsoldier. So why make the horses useless, and why burn the chariots instead of taking them for our own use? Why keep using inferior weapons? Because YHWH does not want us to multiply horses to the point that we would trust in them. (Deut. 17:16) As the old adage from Shakespeare’s MacBeth goes, “Power corrupts.” This is a result of internalizing the giddy feeling that comes from using something more powerful than ourselves. We begin to see ourselves as more powerful than we really are, because we think the power is our own just because we control it. And if there were not enough horses to go around, allies would be tempted to rivalry over who was most deserving of them. And as soon as someone is given power, he tends to look for ways to keep increasing it. We would become obsessed with grooming the horses or maintaining the chariots, and think we no longer had time to make it to YHWH’s appointments. Blessings though they may be, when we start to serve our resources, and soon we are saying, “Look at me! I could just run over you if I chose to!” And this applies to any kind of resource. We call electricity “power”, and we take it for granted because all we have to do is flip a switch, but we forget about all that is behind it—including men who die young from breathing the dust when they mine the coal that is burned to produce the electricity, or those who worked so hard building the dams that generate the power we use so easily. When we are so disconnected from the source, we tend to think our advantage exists because we deserve it, when in fact it came from YHWH for a time and for a particular purpose. Like foolish children who say, “I didn’t ask to be born”, we neither honor the source of our positive characteristics nor try to improve upon our negative ones. It was not just so we would trust in Him that YHWH did not want us to have so much power, for what is the “how” of trusting Him? If a stream we have depended upon dries up, we miss the spring; it is not YHWH who is gone. The more immediate source of our strength must be honored. If we do not give back to those whom YHWH used to provide for us, or the beautiful characteristics they have fed into us will become ugly and a stench. We are only unbeatable if we are in proper order and acting in season (fighting today’s battles as they present themselves rather than gloating over yesterday’s victories). When YHWH brings the enemy right to us, it is easy to see whom to fight. The way we practically express our trust in Him is by depending on what the Torah says when read by the leader He has put in charge, and by depending on one another because we have become dependable. And that is the only way we can really love YHWH, A man on foot is more concerned about who “has his back” than a man on a chariot. If we have the vantage point of being mounted on a horse, we think we can see well enough and do not need anyone else to tell us what to do. A warrior on foot depends on the sound of the trumpet and must follow orders if he is to survive. Those who have power forget how much they really depend on others, and therefore they stop caring about how dependable those around them are, and in turn they do not want anyone to expect them to be dependable either. Those who have their feet on the ground have to remain in balance; it is easy for those who depend on the horse’s balance to think they themselves do not need to remain balanced and committed to one another. YHWH may give us horses and chariots as a test to see what we do with it. He may want us to go ahead and “hamstring” them so we can see just how quickly they are crippled when their weakness is exposed. What we thought was such a big, strong thing is really a very pitiful creature when a mere two tendons are simply cut! And look at how easily a chariot can burn. Who is really stronger when it is gone? So YHWH tells us to do it the “hard way”—but it turns out to be the easier way, because when we do not act as mere individuals but as a people who are more grounded (knowing exactly who is ahead of us, behind us, and beside us) than those who have a false sense of power, He invests Himself in our victory as He did here.  

10. Then Y’hoshua returned at that time and captured Hatzor and he struck down its king with the sword, because beforehand Hatzor had been the head of all these dominions.

He went straight for the jugular: defeat the capital, and the others have no organization or unity.

11. And they struck down every soul that was in her; with the mouth of the sword he devoted them to destruction. He did not leave alive anything that was breathing, and he burned Hatzor with fire.

12. Then Y’hoshua captured all the cities of these kings along with all their kings, and he struck them down with the mouth of the sword, and he devoted them to destruction, just as Moshe the servant of YHWH had ordered,

13. only Israel did not burn any of the cities that were standing on their mounds with the exception of Hatzor; it alone did Y’hoshua burn.

Their mounds: Heb., tels, i.e., they were built atop more ancient cities, not just natural hills. They would have only breached enough of the wall to enter the city and left the rest intact for their own use, as these positions would be strategic. YHWH had promised that they would dwell in houses they did not build. (24:13) They only burned what was totally abominable--the stronghold of the pagan spirits that had ruled these parts of the Land.

14. And the descendants of Israel took as spoils for themselves all the plunder of these cities as well as the animals; they only struck every human being with the mouth of the sword until they had annihilated them; they did not leave a remnant of any that breathed.

15. Just as YHWH had ordered Moshe His servant, Moshe likewise ordered Y’hoshua, and Y’hoshua carried out the same; he left not a [single] word of anything YHWH had ordered Moshe undone.

Y’hoshua did not even pray about this, because his teacher had already told him how to do this. Do not stop to pray; we can pray while we are working--that we will finish quickly and not be delayed, but not about whether we should do it. This is a picture of the order of authority in which we obey YHWH by means of the Torah. This, not negotiations with the United Nations or ecumenical dealings with the chief rabbi, is what will get the rest of Israel back into the Land.


16. Thus Y’hoshua took all that territory—the mountainous [region], the whole Negev, the whole territory of Goshen, the foothills, the Aravah, the mountains of Israel and their foothills,

17. from the mountain of Khalaq that goes up to Seir all the way to Baal-Gad in the Levanon Gap below Mount Khermon. And he captured all their kings, and had them beaten and killed.

Khalaq means “smooth”. Seir is Esau’s territory southeastward from the Dead Sea. Baal-Gad means “Master Fortune”, could simply be rendered “Lord God”—two of the names of pagan elohim that we are told not to have on our lips. Baals were often represented by bulls, and fortune is indeed tied in with the “bull” market, so this bull must be sacrificed.  

18. And Y’hoshua had made war with all of these kings for many days.

It was not a quick and easy task; it required perseverance.

19. There was not a city that made peace with the descendants of Israel except the Chiwites who inhabited Giv’on. They took everything [else] in battle,

20. because it was from with YHWH to make their hearts set on approaching the battle with Israel, in order that they might be devoted to destruction and have no recourse to consideration because the intent was that he exterminate them, as YHWH had ordered Moshe.

The guilt of the Emorites was now full. (Compare Gen. 15:16) Making peace with them would only bring compromise with everything that they served. Israel has always become enslaved to those with whom they allied for the sake of security. YHWH did not even let them seek peace with Israel, but used their natural pride against them. They had heard, like Giv’on, that Israel was coming to kill them, but they did the wrong thing about it. Rather than going somewhere else to keep doing their own thing, they decided to become something that was in Israel’s way, because YHWH hardened their hearts. He did not grant them repentance because they had done nothing to deserve it. (Compare Mat. 3:7-8.) 

21. Also at that time Y’hoshua came and cut off the Anaqim from the Mountain, from Hevron, from D’vir, from Anav, from the mountains of Yehudah, and from all the mountains of Israel; along with their cities, Y’hoshua dedicated them to destruction.

The Anaqim were long-necked giants which were the main reason the previous generation had hesitated to try to take the Land. (Deut. 1:28) Now Y’hoshua, who had confidence in YHWH that they could indeed be conquered, fulfilled that hope by carrying it out at last. He worked his way up to it after attacking smaller challenges first, so his men would see the pattern of success first and not fear them. The Mountain: possibly specifying Yerushalayim.

22. There were no Anaqim left in the Land of the descendants of Israel; only in ‘Azzah, Gath, and Ashdod did [any] remain.

‘Azzah: the infamous Gaza of today, where there are still spirits that battle against Israel. Apparently this area was not counted part of the Land of Israel, so why should we try to get it back? We only have to remove any power its terrorists have to attack us. Gath was indeed the city that produced another famous giant, Golyath, and his four brothers.

23. Thus Y’hoshua took the entire Land in accordance with all that YHWH had said to Moshe, and Y’hoshua entrusted it to Israel as inherited property according to their tribal allotments; then the Land had rest from war.

The next chapters recount the campaign again in more detail, but here we have the summary to show that Y’hoshua got his job done. Had rest: became tranquil and undisturbed. Note that the time to rest did not come until all the enemies were defeated. Yet the book of Judges—and even chapter 13 of this book—make it clear that not all of the cities of Kanaan were taken. Israel would later fall under the rule of some of the foreigners they had left alive. So why did Y’hoshua stop before the work was finished? Because, like Moshe, he had done his part, so he stopped; he had accomplished his part. He was not told to die when his part was done, as Moshe was, so it was time to rest and enjoy the fruit of his labors. He had established control of the Land as a whole, so the tribes could now do the rest of the work, because he had shown them how to enter the work and get it done, who to trust and what not to trust in. Like Moshe, Y’hoshua could only take us so far. But this did not mean everyone’s work was done. There were still cities to be conquered, no matter how faithful Y’hoshua had been. Now it was our turn. The work of the Torah is never all done, for it will never pass away. Moshe and Y’hoshua told them which land belonged to each tribe, and therefore, whose responsibility it was to drive out which remaining inhabitants. He did not do it all at once, so the wild animals would not become overabundant. They needed to settle into the cities that were left empty so the remaining Kanaanites would not come back in to fill the vacuum. The camp was disbanded. There were fields already planted, and we could eat of them and get some much-needed rest. The corporate part of the battle was over, for now. But each tribe was responsible to fight whatever was left in their land. It was exciting for these nomadic children of slaves to finally have a place of their own. But with the pressure off, the next wave of leaders became too comfortable, not wanting to risk what they already had in order to make it better still, and they did not do their job. They saw themselves as independent and the work as optional, because they thought it was now only about their own tribe or family. They let Y’hoshua down. Our leaders can only take us so far, but then we have to stand up and take on more of their burden. Be glad you have someone to teach you, but there comes a time to do what you have been taught. His part was done; the “graduates” now needed to become useful members of the new society. Faith, too, can only take you so far; you must then do the rest; carry out the work.


CHAPTER 12

1. Now these are the kings of the Land whom the descendants of Israel beat and whose territory they took possession of, across the Yarden River on the sunrise [side], from the Arnon Canyon as far as Mount Hermon and all [along] the Aravah eastward:

Arnon comes from a root word meaning to give a ringing cry or high-pitched shout, possibly due to its deep canyon, which would echo with such sounds. The term for canyon (or simply, river-bed, is the root word for “inheritance”, related through the idea of flowing downward.  

2. Sikhon, king of the Emorites, who lived in Heshbon, ruled from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon and within its canyon and half of Gil’ad and as far as Yabboq, the river, the border of the [territory of the] descendants of Ammon,

3. and from the Aravah as far as the sea of Kinneroth on the sunrise [side] and as far as the sea of the Aravah (the Salt Sea) eastward in the direction of Beyt-Yeshimoth [the place of the ruins] and southward beneath the lower slopes of Pisgah,

Pisgah simply means “summit”, but is also an alternate name for the highest ridge east of the Great Rift, which includes Mt. N'vo, where Moshe died.

4. and [the area within the] border of Og, the king of Bashan, [one] of the remaining R’fa’im, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei 

Bashan is called the Golan Heights today. R’fa’im: a race of giants. 

5. and reigned at Mount Hermon, in Salkhah, and in all of Bashan as far as the border of the G’shurites and the Maakhathites, and the half of Gil’ad [which was the] territory of Sikhon, king of Kheshbon.

Hermon means “the most set-apart” or “loftiest”, and Mount Hermon is the only snowcapped peak in Israel. Aravah means “mixture”, as in the transition between one region and another. It is the Hebrew name for the Great Rift Valley.

6. Moshe the servant of YHWH and the sons of Israel had defeated them, and Moshe the servant of YHWH gave it to the Re’uvenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Menashe as inherited property.

Notice that Y’hoshua does not begin by listing his own victories or even the victories within the Land of Israel, but with what Moshe did. In fact, Y’hoshua was even the one who actually did the fighting, but he gives Moshe the credit, because Moshe was in charge at that time. He sees Moshe as his example. This is the territory conquered by Moshe, who symbolizes the Torah. What he accomplished outside the Land shows us that we have battles to fight before we enter the Promise—whether that means the physical Land, YHWH’s presence, or wherever it applies. We cannot say, “We’ll fight that one when we get there”, because that is not the pattern. The fight Moshe established has to begin here and now. There were giants to kill off before they could enter the Land. (v. 4) Imagine what kind of confidence it gave Y’hoshua to see them defeated. There are some really big, strong, established things that must be overcome now. One of them is selfishness, because living in the Land is about “us”, not about “me”. Just like a wolfpack, if one person is not doing his job, we all pay, but if we all fulfill our responsibilities, we all benefit. Most people in the Land of Israel, like everywhere else, are interested only in their own agendas, with some notable exceptions, but this is like allowing an unfriendly giant to go on living right among us. That is a frightening thought. Rebellion (in ourselves first), religious doctrines, and lack of order and discipline are other giants that must be defeated before we can go Home. If we try to skip this step and think we can wait until we get to the Promised Land to deal with these things, we will end up with our backs exposed to our enemies. That is getting ahead of ourselves, and a cart before the donkey is not a useful thing, but a roadblock.

7. And these are the kings of the Land whom Y’hoshua and the sons of Israel struck down on the westward side of the Yarden, from Baal-Gad in the Levanon Gap and as far as the mountain of Khalaq which goes up to Seir, which Y’hoshua gave to the descendants of Israel as inherited property according to their tribal allotments

Y’hoshua took up the same work as Moshe had done, and followed his example. He not only continued his work, but expanded upon it. He begins not with himself, but with the one he learned from. This is trhe proper order: we honor our teachers or parents by recognizing where the valuable things we have came from, and by continuing to improve upon it. There were a grand total of two kingdoms conquered under Moshe (for he was too busy fighting off rebels in his own camp), but this gave Y’hoshua the authority to do the same, and he took the land of 31 kings. Every teacher hopes that whatever he gives his students will be refined, grow, and be perfected by his students, as long as they give credit where credit is due. Baal-Gad means “lord/owner of fortune” which crowds in upon and attacks like a troop. This is the origin of the term “Lord God”. Not only does this title warn us not to associate this name with YHWH, but also shows us that Y’shua came to conquer that, as well as what it represents—the things other than YHWH’s kingdom that we trust in for security, for they make us vulnerable when they are no longer present. They are not reliable and they are not our friends, but will not only leave us wanting just when we need what they deceitfully promised us, but will also gang up on us to defeat us. We may have already found a chink in their armor, but they have not yet been brought down. If we keep our minds on what the Kingdom needs today rather than our theoretical needs for tomorrow,Y’shua can win this battle. Khalaq means to divide and scatter, but also means to share a portion and is the root word for the word “allotments” in this verse. Israel is scattered and divided due to man-made doctrines and our lack or order and proper authority structures. Where do we get the idea that everyone has a right to his own opinion? Look where that got Adam and Chavvah, and the consequences it has had for us. But with the pure, unadulterated Torah as Y’shua taught it, we can be bound back together and return to the proper allotments given to us as tribes, not as individuals. When all of Israel wants YHWH’s opinion instead, we will make progress. “Which goes up to Seir” can also be translated as “the ascension of the goat”. Goats, though clean animals, are separated from the sheep because though they belong to a flock, they each go off on their own and seek what they individually want. The welling up of self within us is a major enemy Y’shua came to defeat. We cannot say we are followers of Y’shua and not recognize each of these as enemies. Ask yourself at each crossroads, “Is this about myself or about all of Israel?” As we consider the territory that still needs to be conquered, we can take courage as we consider what YHWH has already done. A willing heart is important, but actually completing the conquest is what He really wants. Y’shua was willing to obey YHWH in the most difficult way (Luqa 22:41ff), but what would have been accomplished if He had not actually gone through with it? If even He could not do it without a fight, how can we expect to never suffer? The works are what makes our faith complete and proves we are righteous. (Yaaqov 2:14-26) Saying, “I intended to”, but never actually clothing ourselves with the white robes of works only leaves us naked and sets us up for further judgment.

8. in the mountainous [region] and the foothills, in the Aravah, on the lower slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negev (the Chittites, Emorites, Kanaanites, Prizzites, Chiwites, and Y’vusites):

9.The king of Y’rikho,one.
  The king of Ay, which is beside Beyth-El,one.

10. The king of Yerushalaim,one.
  The king of Hevron,one.

11. The king of Yarmuth, one.
The king of Lakhish, one.

12. The king of Eglon,one.
The king of Gezer, one.

13.The king of D’vir, one.
The king of Geder, one.

14.The king of Kharmah, one.
The king of Arad, one.

15.The king of Livnah, one.
The king of Adullam, one.

16. The king of Maqqedah, one.
The king of Beyth-El, one.

17. The king of Tappuakh, one.
The king of Khefer, one.

18. The king of Afeq, one.
The king for the Sharon, one.

19. The king of Madon, one.
The king of Hatzor, one.

20. The king of Shimron-Mer’on, one.
The king of Akhshaf, one.

21. The king of Ta’anakh, one.
The king of M’giddo, one.

22. The king of Qedesh, one.
The king of Yoqne’am, belonging to Karmel,one.

23. The king of Dor, for the waves of Dor,one.
The king of the nations for Gilgal, one.

Waves: Dor is on the seashore.

24. The king of Tirtzah,one.

It is appropriate to look back, not to see what we are losing when we leave it behind, as did Lot’s wife, but to recognize what ground we have already gained. These were areas in which they had done well. The next chapter will recount areas in which they did not. When we diverge from what the Torah—or our teacher—establishes, we start losing battles. But when they built on the foundation of Moshe, they had indeed come a long way. Looking back to see how far we have come encourages us. We most often think about what is ahead, and usually it is best to focus on where we are right now, but there are times to look back, because they remind us to give thanks for how far we have come—not only thanking YHWH, but our immediate human leaders as well. (In verse, Y’hoshua is given the credit, rather than YHWH as such.) Being reminded of what YHWH has done gives us additional incentive to trust Him for what remains to be conquered. He has done more than we thought possible, and His choices have been better than ours could have been. But recollecting past victories and where we have made progress also opens the door for us to appreciate those who have given so much to bring us to where we are now. Notice that Y’hoshua counted each single king. Every battle counts; none is skipped or overlooked, because every time we overcome, it shows us that we can keep going. It tells us whether we have been involved in something worth investing in, or if we should forget this and go on to something else. Even if we fail, it matters, because it at least shows us what not to do the next time. Most importantly, we should revisit battles to found out what we can learn from them. It is hard to sort this out when we are in the middle of the experience—when the blood is still running down our faces. But when we get past the battle, we can see what was profitable in it, even if it seemed extremely painful, difficult, or annoying at the time. So what if we beat Afeq? What was different about that battle? And how can we apply that to help us in the battles ahead, or even just in other areas of our lives? Otherwise it is profitless. But if we seek the profit in it, we will indeed receive profit from it. Pesakh is all about recounting to our children where they came from, but now Moshe and Y’hoshua have brought them far beyond what YHWH did when He brought us out of Egypt because we could do nothing for ourselves. We have been through many failures, but there have also been times when we have made Him proud. While it may be painful at times to revisit some things in our past, if we “suck it up”, we can recount this to our children as well, and light their way. As we see in verse 6, what we have conquered is ours to distribute, control, and take responsibility for. We can take possession of what we overcome. It is not only permissible, but right, proper, and in order to look back and say, “We did it!”—if indeed we did. (If we did not, we only fool ourselves, and there is no profit in that.) We may have lost some people along the way, but this weeded the garden and blew away the chaff, and we did make it through. “Those who stuck with YHWH are alive today.”  

All the kings [came to] 31.

This is still short of 32, which is the numeric value of lev, which means “heart”, showing that though we have made progress, we are still short of fully capturing what YHWH intends for us.


CHAPTER 13

1. As Y’hoshua was old, coming into the days, YHWH said to him, “You have become elderly and have entered into the days, yet very much of the Land remains to be taken possession of.

If the Ancient of Days calls you old, you must really be old! But why did Y’hoshua need to be told this? Some days we feel older than others, and he has been a go-getter, and very successful at all he undertook. There is not much in Scripture about Y’hoshua that is negative, except when he belittles himself beside his teacher, Moshe—and that may be why he made very few mistakes: he understood who he was and to whom he owed it all. He has just counted all of his victories (ch. 12). How often does a general have 31 victories about which he lives to tell about, with his whole army still intact (with only one temporary exception)? He was single-minded, focusing on what was directly in front of him, and David later plugged into that same very successful mindset. (So when heaven directed that another baby be named after Y’hoshua, we could be sure this was going to be someone who would be all about getting his job done, no matter what.) But now YHWH wants him to make a further accounting. There are other things to count beside our successes. There comes a time to look at what has not yet been finished, and consider the best way(s) to get it done. Y’hoshua has always jumped into the hardest things first, even rising up early to get the job done. There was much energy in his approach, which is why we still read his name after thousands of years; such is not true of the lazy. But now there is more to be done than he is capable of. The sad fact is that no one can keep going forever. He is entering “into the days” (compare Qoheleth/Eccles. 12:1-7). I.e., these are different times, so he must respond differently. He now needs to start putting things in place to ensure that the job still gets done, even though he will not be there to do it. So how will he accomplish this?

2. “This is the area that remains: all the districts of the Filistines and all the Geshurites,

3. “from the dark [area] that is on the face of Egypt and as far as the territory of Eqron in the north; it is considered to belong to the Kanaanites—five tyrannical rulers of the Filistines: [those] of ‘Azzah, and Ashdod, Eshq’lon, Gath, and Eqron, as well as the Avim.

4. “From the south, all the land of the Kanaanites, as well as Me’arah, which belongs to the Tzidonians, as far as Afeq, all the way to the border of the Emorites,

5. “and the territory of the Givlites and the whole of Levanon, from the sunrise—from Ba’al-Gad beneath Mount Hermon as far as the Entrance of Hamath--

6. “all the inhabitants of the mountain-range from Levanon as far as the Burning of Waters—all the Tzidonians; I Myself will cause them to be dispossessed before the descendants of Israel; just cause it to fall to Israel as inherited property, as I ordered you.

Cause it to fall: to be distributed by lot.

7. “So now, apportion out this land as inherited property for the nine tribes, as well as half the tribe of Menashe.

8. “With them the Re’uvenites and Gadites received their inheritance that Moshe gave them across the Yarden eastward according to that which Moshe the servant of YHWH assigned to them--

Re’uven wanted their inheritance before the rest of Israel received any, just as their ancestor had wanted what was his father’s while he was still alive. It is not surprising that Qorakh, who wanted Moshe’s position, also came from the tribe of Re’uven.

9. “from Aroer on the bank of the Arnon Canyon, and the city that is within the canyon, and the whole plateau of Meydva as far as Dibon,

10. “and all the cities of Sihon, king of the Emorites, who reigned in Heshbon as far as the border of the descendants of Ammon,

11. “as well as Gil’ad, the Geshurite and Maakhathite territory, and all of Mount Khermon, all of Bashan as far as Salkhah,

Salkhah: modern Sulkhad, 56 miles (90 km.) east of the Yarden River and the southern end of the Hauran mountain range.

12. “the whole dominion of Og in Bashan—(the one who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei as the last of the R’fa’im who remained when Moshe defeated and dispossessed them,

Now we are beginning to see the plan; YHWH tells Y’hoshua just how to ensure that the job can be finished: He tells him to go ahead and divide out their inheritance (v. 6). I.e., tell them, “This is your Land now, so take care of it.” He makes it their responsibility, and attached their name to it—which almost always ensures that they will take more pride in how it turns out. We do a better job with what we are personally invested in. Like any parent, teacher, or trainer, Y’hoshua has done all he can do for them. He has told them what to do, shown them how with his example, written down the instructions, and involved them in the process so they know what to do; now comes the test of what they have really learned. Until they actually take responsibility, they will never have achieved their purpose of actually possessing the Land. You may be part of a family, but it is not your family or your community until you are contributing actively and doing your part to keep it going. Nothing might change except our perspective, but it is not truly ours until we take responsibility for it. It might be easier to let your parents—or the government—be responsible, but then you never understand what a great gift it is when someone blesses us with a new responsibility. It may make our lives harder, but then we are also readier for the next challenge, because we have seen that we can actually get the job done. It makes us better people and gives us a greater purpose. It also assures us that someone trusts us to be able to get the job done. The best way to thank someone who has thus invested in you is to take the responsibility and run with it. Even Moshe got too old to continue leading, though he still had perfect vision and was strong, and Y’hoshuaa learned from him to be honest about his limitations and wisely recognize that all flesh is like grass, and when the wind blows over it, it is gone. If he does not make someone else responsible to carry on his work, it will not get done. The rest is up to them. People rise to the occasion best when leaders remind them that they are only part of the community, and not the only one who is expected to do the work. But he breaks the responsibility up into portions each can manage. This type of inheritance is not one in which we wait for someone else to die, then it just falls into our laps with no effort on our part. It has to be taken from our enemies, then defended, because they will want it back—as we see in the Land of Israel today. We cannot expect peace, unity, or community to appear magically; faith will not simply well up within us. This inheritance must be seized from other principalities and powers. Though YHWH says He will give us the Land, He also tells us to go and take it, so there is not an inch we receive that we did not seize. The Kingdom will come when—and not until—we stand up and fight for it. We do not take it too quickly, lest other types of threats grow faster than we can deal with them. (Deut. 7:22) But we must deliberately establish our presence in each place YHWH makes it available to us, in the proper season. He will turn it over to us as we go to war for it. Once we feel safe from immediate threat and we are well-enough fed, we tend to settle down and forget to exercise so we can be ready when it is time to gain more ground.  

13. “though the descendants of Israel did not dispossess the Geshurite and Maakhathite, so Geshur [“joiner, bridge-builder”] and Maakhath [“she has pressured”] dwell within Israel to this day).

There is always something for the next generation to finish, but what a sad statement this is in this context! Though Y’hoshua made them responsible, they did not do all that YHWH told us to do. Therefore there are enemies still present among us. Until this day: And there is still a way in which these same enemies still remain even today. Who or what are they? Their names tell us. They are the bridge-builders (those who join us to something other than Israel) and those who pressure us. When we who are coming back into Israel fail to burn our bridges, we leave the door open for our old lives to pull us back under their influence again and keep us from being what we are called to be. But what if YHWH might want to use that bridge again someday? He can rebuild the bridges—or give us a boat—when someone on the other side is ready to commit to the same standards, but until they do, it is a drain on us to leave the gates open to them. Too often the reason we hesitate to burn bridges is concern for our own security: we might need those people one day! But if we leave the door open, we will usually eventually use it, because things will become more difficult. The way of the Hebrew is to keep moving forward anyway, not backward. Maakhath also means to squeeze or emasculate. Our natural families, our old ideas of what is right or wrong, Christian or Victorian moralities, or our old commitments will indeed sap all our strength if we let them. It is no coincidence that the Geshurites and Maakhathites are mentioned together. It is usually those to whom we want to retain recourse that are the very ones who will press us to stop advancing in the direction to which YHWH is calling us. The Land can only be a Kingdom when the King has dominion over the entire territory. We need to remedy this lack before the harvest when the wheat and tares will be judged between. His intention is that only Israel dwells in the Land. If we simply occupy rather than driving out the enemy, we will continue to need to fight them off time after time. We cannot expect purity, and cannot complain when we do not have it, if we do not do what He tells us to do. This is part of what removing the leaven at Passover symbolizes. As we partake in YHWH’s appointed times, we can take more territory if we do not just go through the motions, but let them change us. This is not a fantasy land that will take itself; nothing will come naturally. It will not appear out of thin air. But neither are our weapons fleshly ones (2 Cor. 10:4) Our animal nature can accomplish nothing toward this conquest, which is one reason for animal offerings in the Temple; we are to identify them with that side of our nature, which is to be killed off within us. Instead, we bring the Kingdom closer by doing what He tells us to in the Torah for each season. The festivals are our weapons. Our base camp is the Sabbath, where we train regularly, with special exercises at each new moon. There we learn how to shoot straight and what we should shoot at, so that we are ready when it is time for battle. We must move in season, but move we must. Don’t expect rest in the Land if we do not enter into the rest He has already given us on the Sabbath. It is the door; we cannot go forth to YHWH’s battles unless we have camped with Israel on the Sabbath. We can ask Him to shore up our best efforts, but He will not do the part He has told us to do. We may have to force ourselves at first, but hunger for the Kingdom can replace our natural appetites as His patterns become second nature to us through much practice. We all start out with self-interest as at least part of our motives. But as a child moves from bathing only because his mother says so or because he likes to feel clean to bathing because it will have a negative effect on others if he does not, we too need to move on to keeping the Sabbath and keeping the Torah because the whole community of Israel needs us to. And this requires us to remove the connections to what is not the Kingdom. 

14. “Only to the tribe of Levi did he not give inherited property; the offerings made by fire [to] YHWH the Elohim of Israel are its inheritance, as he told him.”

This is an inheritance of a different kind. They were given an inheritance which included hard work. They were the poorest of all in Israel, dependent on the obedience of the rest of the tribes for their sustenance. Yet for this they were held in higher esteem than any other tribe. Levi means “attached”, and indeed they were attached to YHWH’s sanctuary in a special way. They were privileged to eat at YHWH’s table; no one else could do this!


15. Now Moshe had assigned to the tribe of the descendants of Re’uven for their clans,

16. and territory came to be theirs from Aroer [destitute ruins], which is on the bank of the Arnon Canyon, as well as the city which is within the canyon, and the whole plateau above Meydva [“gliding gently over”]--

17. Heshbon and all her cities which are on the plateau: Dibon [“wasting away”], the cultic platforms of Ba’al, and the Place of Ba’al-M’on [“Master of a Lair/refuge”],

18. as well as Yah’tzah [“downtrodden”], Qedemoth [“ancient confrontations”], and M’faath [“shining splendor”],

19. and Qiryathayim [“pair of towns”] and Sivmah [“place of fragrance”] and Tzereth-haShakhar [“splendor of the dawn”] where the deep places loom up,

20. and Beyth-p’or [“place of the cleft”] , the slopes of Pisgah, and Beyth-y’shimoth [“house of desolations”],

Pe’or was also a Moavite name for Ba’al.

21. both all the cities of the plateau and the whole dominion of Sikhon, king of the Emorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moshe defeated along with the rulers of Midyan [“strife”], Ewi [“my longing”], Reqem [“variegation of colors”], Tzur [“rock”], Khur [“cave” or “white linen”], and Reba [“a fourth”], rulers installed by Sikhon, inhabitants of the land.

Best of all, Y’hoshua is laying out the particular places each is responsible for: I.e., if you are a Reuvenite, Heshbon is now your problem. Someone else might help in a pinch, but do not make this a habit. Don’t expect someone else to do your work for you.

22. The descendants of Israel also killed Bilaam the son of Be’or, the one who practiced divination, with the sword among those they mortally wounded.

They may not have even known who he was when they killed him, because he had prophesied about them from an overlook somewhat removed from them. (Num. 22-24) Though he technically obeyed YHWH and would not curse Israel directly, Bilaam (of the royal family of Edom) told the king of Moav how to weaken Israel (Rev. 2:14), and thus ended up siding with Moav, who had hired him, and thus had to perish along with those with whom he threw in his lot. Though this generation did not directly suffer from his influence, they could not say it had nothing to do with them. Sometimes we need to settle old scores, as David told Shlomo to do when he himself had bound himself by promises not to kill certain individuals; he did not promise that his son would not kill them! Purim is all about what occurs when we leave unfinished business: Mordekhai had to deal with someone his tribe had allowed to survive when YHWH had said to annihilate him.

23. Now the border of the descendants of Re’uven was the Yarden River, and this territory was the inheritance of the descendants of Re’uven for their families—the cities and their enclosed villages.

24. And Moshe appointed to the tribe of Gad—to the descendants of Gad—for their clans,

25. and what came to be their territory was Ya’zer [“helped”] and all the cities of Gil’ad and half of the territory of the descendants of Ammon as far as the ruin that faces Rabbah,

Rabbah: the capital city of the Ammonites, whose name is preserved in its modern name, Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

26. and from Heshbon as far as Ramath-Mitzpeh [“the height of the watchtower”] and Betonim [“pistachio nuts” or “bellies”] and from Makhanayim [“pair of camps”] as far as the boundary of D’vir [“sanctuary”].

27. And in the valley, Beyth-Haram [“the lofty place”], Beyth-Nimrah [“at the house of the leopard”], Sukkoth [“temporary dwellings”], Tz’fon [“hidden treasure”]—the rest of the dominion of Sikhon, king of Heshbon, the Yarden [being] its border as far as the Sea of Kinnereth across the Yarden on the east.

28. This is the inheritance of the descendants of Gad for their families—the cities and their enclosed villages.


29. What Moshe appointed to half of the tribe of Menashe came to belong to half of the tribe of Menashe, for their clans,

30. and their territory [within its borders went] from Makhanayim, all of Bashan, the whole dominion of Og, the king of Bashan, and all the tent-villages of Ya’ir [“he enlightens”] which are in Bashan—sixty cities.


31. And half of Gil’ad, as well as Ashtaroth and Edrei, cities of the dominion of Og in Bashan, belonged to the descendants of Makhir, the son of Menashe—to half of the sons of Makhir for their families.

Menashe got something they did not ask for, in addition to one of the largest territories in the Land of Israel proper. This would not seem fair, but the reason so much was deeded to them is found in chapter 17. (See also Numbers 32:39, 40; Deut. 3:15.) Half of Gil’ad: possibly the part north of the Yarmuq River canyon, which forms a natural boundary. Gil’ad extends up the eastern shore of the Kinnereth (Sea of Galilee) along the base of the plateau which rises east of the Great Rift Valley to constitute Bashan (known today as the Golan Heights). Makhir thus almost constitutes a “hidden tribe”. Gil’ad was the name of one of Makhir’s sons. (Num. 26:29)

32. These are the ones whom Moshe allowed to have an inheritance on the steppes of Moav on the other side of the Yarden to the east of Y’rikho.

Again, there are some important things that must be dispossessed before we can go into the Land. To go there out of season and out of order—to try to take our own inheritance before the rest of Israel receives theirs—is the ultimate selfishness.  

33. But to the tribe of Levi, Moshe did not give inherited property; YHWH the Elohim of Israel is their inheritance, as he told them.

Verse 14 said their inheritance was YHWH’s offering; now he says it is YHWH Himself! So there is a sense in which we are meant to see Him in the offerings, as He equates the two somehow. Though our covenant with YHWH is largely linked to inheriting land, there are some who do not; for them YHWH is enough, and we must respect that. They have no need for large possessions, because whatever belongs to Him also belongs to them (nearly all that is brought to YHWH is theirs to eat), and they also need not fight the same battles the rest of the tribes do—so this lowering is also an elevation. There may be modern parallels, but remember that the Levites are an actual tribe, and if you are not a Levite, this does not apply to you. Some will be taken to be Levites from other tribes, but then they are Levites and no longer part of their former tribe. Much damage has been done by Christianity misinterpreting the “order of Melkhitzedeq”; YHWH told Aharon the priesthood would belong to his descendants forever, and no one gets to change that. Read Y’hezq’el (Ezekiel); the Levitical priesthood shows up again. We have different responsibilities, but we will not have any inheritance if we do not take possession of it. There is always more to overcome or to be restored, and when we stop taking responsibility for any part of it, we should no longer expect to retain possession of it either. What is worth having is worth fighting for. So go take it!


CHAPTER 14

1. Now these are what the sons of Israel received as property in the Land of Kanaan, which El’azar the priest, Y’hoshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the descendants of Israel caused to flow [down to them]:

Now we are dealing with the land proper--on the west side of the Yarden River. Moshe had given generalized instructions about the allotment of the Land, and elsewhere we are told that Y’hoshua distributed it, but El’azar is the first in the list here. Y’hoshua might just be honoring him as the man with the most authority in the nation, and El’azar may have presided because he could be objective since he had no personal stake in how it is distributed, as he and his family will receive none of it. (v. 4) But another reason will become clear below. The elders were record-keepers and would ensure that the instructions were implemented properly. These were the ones with wisdom based on experience who were given some of the spirit that was in Moshe—the spirit of a shepherd that he had developed over 40 years of caring for Yithro’s flocks. They were emplaced around the Tabernacle, where YHWH’s presence dwelt, as a first line of defense to keep people from approaching YHWH in a profane way and to intercede for the people in the face of His wrath. (Num. 11:24) The elders were not chosen in democratic fashion based on popularity or even age. They were chosen from among those who had proven themselves natural leaders of each of the tribes and clans and were recognized as such. Those who did well as rulers of 10 could qualify as rulers of 50, and so on. Our flesh resists being ruled, but rebelling against the order YHWH sets in place is reintroducing chaos, which always seeks to overcome order. (Yochanan 1:5) Moshe represents the Torah, reminding us that it is those who are most learned in and faithful to the Torah who are truly qualified to be elders. The high priest best understands the rules concerning the proper order of approach to YHWH, for if we are not seeking to draw near, Israel has no reason to be a people or to have a Land or heritage. Fathers of the tribes represent proper order in the household, the most basic building block of Israel. 

2. Their inheritance was by lot, as YHWH had commanded by the hand of Moshe for the nine tribes and half a tribe,

The history behind this is in Numbers 26:51ff. After the census, the land was divided between the larger and smaller tribes according to the number of the names of the men in each tribe who signed up to join the army. The larger tribes would get more “tickets” in the lottery. They were said to be counted by peh paqad—the “mouth of visiting”, in which Moshe paid attention to each individual. They may have counted off in front of him, but it is even more likely that they each stated their own names as well as their tribe’s name, thus identifying unreservedly with their tribe. Every name Moshe heared called out counted toward the inheritance lotter. Only those willing to fight are counted in Israel, but these men counted from this time forward, because the division of the Land was not based on the number of Israelites alive now, but on the number who at that time told Moshe, “Count me in!” Many or most of them were now dead, but their children would still receive the benefit of their commitment to the fight. Each one who spoke up might be the one who would mean an additional city was allotted to his tribe, for the Land was apportioned based on the cities and their surrounding areas. Casting lots removes the will of men from the decision. YHWH allowed this. The urim and thummim (Ex. 28:30), which were in El’azar’s breastplate, were some form of lots. That is why El’azar, who did not usually participate in political matters, was so prominently involved in this process. He had the right equipment, which was designed for judgments (decisions) like this. His “lottery kit” already had the names of the twelve tribes on it

3. because Moshe had provided an inheritance to the two tribes and half a tribe across the Yarden. But to the Levites he did not provide any inheritance among them,

4. since of the descendants of Yosef there were two tribes, Menashe and Efrayim, and they did not give a share of territory to the Levites, except cities to inhabit and their open land for their livestock and their possessions.

Since: This way the tribal lands could still total twelve. The youngest of Yaaqov’s sons (Yosef’s sons whom he adopted as his own) have taken the place of Re’uven and Shim’on as the “double portion” allotted to Yosef, who deserved the position of firstborn more than they did. (Gen. 48:5) In Yosef’s eyes, Menashe was the firstborn, so he received a double portion of land (the “half-tribes” in vv. 2-3), but Efrayim took precedence in Yaaqov’s eyes, so he also became a complete tribe in himself.  

5. Just as YHWH ordered Moshe is what the descendants of Israel carried out when they apportioned out the Land.

If there was ever a time to change Israel’s “constitution”, this was it, with all the living authorities present. Moshe was dead; granted, no one can point to where his grave is, but why did they still do things his way, intead of saying, “That was then; Y’hoshua is the leader now and we’ll let him decide how to do things”? Because YHWH had given instructions directly to him. Y’hoshua is a great liberator and highly respected, but he does not dare oppose what Moshe laid down as the pattern for Israel forever. We cannot “cut the garment” out of anything else, or it will turn out disastrously, and will not be Israel. We will have the wrong covering. They do not even consider doing any differently from Moshe, because they have seen the results of departing from the pattern. Y’shua does not operate any differently from His namesake; He is “a prophet like Moshe”. (Deut. 18:18) He does not change the rules either, but establishes them on firmer footings. 

6. Then the sons of Yehudah approached Y’hoshua in Gilgal, and Kalev the son of Y’funeh the Q’nizzite said to him, “You are aware of the promise that YHWH made to Moshe the man of Elohim in regard to me and in regard to you in Qadesh-Barnea.

According to Numbers 13:6, Kalev was one of the “heads of the fathers’ households” per verse 1. Q’nizzite: Though he was not originally an Israelite, he permanently attached himself to the tribe of Yehudah. (Compare Y’hoshua 13:14.) He acted like his tribe’s namesake, Yehudah, who had to learn the hard way (Gen. 38), yet took responsibility for his actions, and soon he was back with the rest of Israel and took personal responsibility for Binyamin, allowing the whole family to go into Egypt and be protected. Apart from this act, our nation’s history would have been very different—if it survived at all.

7. “I [was] forty years old when Moshe the servant of YHWH sent me from Qadesh-Barnea to [search out] the Land by foot, and I brought him back word as it was with my heart.

YHWH’s commandments are given so we will not follow after our own hearts, which lead us astray. (Num. 15:39), but, like David, Kalev was a man after YHWH’s own heart. Ka-lev means “like the heart” or, we could say, “like-hearted”, for his heart, at least by age 40, was already in the right place. This name may have been one that he earned rather than one given at his birth.

8. “But my brothers who went up with me caused the courage of the people to dissolve away, though I had followed after YHWH my Elohim fully.

Fully: the Hebrew word essentially means “filled to the brim”. He had poured as much of himself into what needed to be done as he possibly could. He took responsibility. That is what made him and Y’hoshua special. He did this because it was what YHWH wanted. Yirmeyahu says we are like earthen vessels that YHWH crafts for His purposes. Whatever He made us to hold is what we need to be full of. This way there is no room for corrupting influences. Anything we do not do with our whole hearts leaves room for other things to be added to the mix and water it down. Get your own ideas and religion and doctrines out of YHWH’s pot, and make room for what He actually said in the Torah. Displace the empty space with what YHWH says is meant to be ours, and give Him the best return on His investment.

9. “So Moshe swore an oath in that day, saying, ‘If the land on which your foot has trodden does not come to be an inheritance for you and for your descendants forever, since you have followed after YHWH my Elohim fully…!’

If…not: the Hebrew pattern for making an oath does not always include the consequence statement, but it is understood.

10. “And now, sure enough! YHWH has kept me alive, just as He said, these forty-five years since YHWH spoke this word to Moshe as Israel was walking through the wilderness, and here I am, eighty-five years old today!

There were thirty-eight years of wandering in the wilderness after the spies went in and most spurned the Land (Deut. 2:14), so there have been seven years since Y’hoshua brought the people into the Land. The conquest thus far has taken that long, and now they are settling into some degree of “normalcy” in the Land.  

11. “Yet I am as solid today as in the day Moshe sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now for battle—both to go out and to come in.  

Solid: literally “as firm of grip”. As my strength: in the Hebrew text, the first letter of this phrase is twice the size as normal. The letter is a kaf, which in Hebrew also means the palm of the hand—that which one uses to grasp with a firm grip. Even more miraculous is that his belief in the promise never diminished for 45 years, though delayed so long. He may have gone over it many times in his mind, envisioning his strategy for conquering this specific place about which he had gained direct knowledge back then. But he may have been saying, “If I’m going to conquer it, it has to be now, before I get old!” This may have also been a veiled threat: “Don’t dispute this with me; I still have it in me to fight!” Being a leader of his tribe, there were also undoubtedly many younger men wanting his position, and he is saying he is not too old to continue to lead.

12. “So give me this mountain-ridge of which YHWH spoke on that day, since you heard on that day that there are Anaqim there along with large, inaccessible cities. Maybe YHWH will be with me and I can dispossess them as YHWH said!”

If all of Israel had had this attitude, that yet-unconquered land seen in chapter 13 would be remedied in no time! After all, he took on the most challenging part. Anaqim: the giants who inhabited the Land; it was this particular place that had struck fear in the other spies. (Num. 14:6ff) Kalev did not look at them according to the mistrust that is in the heart of man. He took YHWH at His word, and so was incredulous that the rebels could be so fearful. The Kanaanites’ protection had departed, so why were they freaking out? He had a different spirit. (Num. 14:20) This was not a miracle in itself, but a choice to see things as YHWH does, which led to a miracle. His attitude was, “If YHWH gives me what He promised, I’ll be able to take care of any giants that may remain now that Y’hoshua has conquered the city. (12:10) If YHWH is with me, it will not be a problem.” Giants were just one more thing to conquer, and high wals just something to knock down. Not that he could not see how big the job would be; sappers who undermined the city walls would often have the walls fall on them when they succeeded at their goal. That is taking responsibility! The giants would not just die off on their own and the walls would not just crumble. Big things will come against us too, and when they fall, they may land on us, so do not be deluded into thinking it will be easy. But when we finish, Israel will benefit.

13. So Y’hoshua blessed him and gave Hevron to Kalev the son of Y’funeh as inherited property.

While Hevron was not explicitly given to Kalev in the promise alluded to in verse 9), apart from the city to which the Land would extend (Hamath) and the Valley of Eshqol, where the giant cluster of grapes was found, Hevron is the only specific city we are told the spies traveled to. (Compare Num. 13:17-22; 14:24; Deut. 1:36) Hevron is the first major city along the mountain-ridge of which he spoke, which runs the length of the Land as far as the Yezre’el Valley. It was this route the spies followed when searching out the Land. Hevron is the city with the highest altitude in Israel, and became David’s capital for the first seven years while he reigned only over Yehudah. (1 Kings 2:11) Y’hoshua had been on that excursion as well. (13:16) Hevron means “united together” or “the greatest ally”. Since Kalev’s heart was after YHWH, he was symbolically given friendship with YHWH as his inheritance. 

14. Therefore, Hevron has belonged to Kalev the son of Y’funeh, the Q’nizzite, as inherited property to this day, on account of the fact that he followed after YHWH the Elohim of Israel completely.

He did not serve YHWH for the reward, but he knew that there was a reward promised in his case. So he wanted to make sure the promise was kept. In the midst of such a highly-emotional event as the distribution of the Promised Land after such a long wait, he kept his head and wanted to make sure things were done in order. He did not let the emotion of the day override what he knew was part of the Torah. He essentially said, “Take Hevron out of the lottery; it has already been deeded to me. I earned it.” This was not arrogance; it was realism, for YHWH had given it to him; to shirk the responsibility would be to let down the One who trusted him to carry out the work. And once the giants were gone, there was a city to take responsibility for. It had to be rid of all pagan trappings and then ruled over. So this was no time to rest. Likewise, in the Kingdom—not a Disneyland in the sky, but a physical realm to govern—the work will never end. Yet well over 3,000 years later, we still know Kalev’s, so he is still alive, because he took responsibility! He spoke up and said “Count me in” just because it was the right thing to do.  

15. (Now, the name of Hevron had previously been “the town of Arba”—he was the greatest man among the Anaqim.) Then the Land had rest from war.

Arba means “four” in Hebrew; it suggests the common motif in which giants are not bright enough to think of names for their children, so they simply numbered them! Note that the Land only has rest when things are done in the order in which Moshe lays them out. Like Kalev, we do not have to wait on the lottery if it is clear what needs to be taken possession of. We do not need to wait for the Messiah before doing the job that has already been given to us; after all, do we want to present the Messiah with a shambles of a Kingdom, or one that is already being put in order?  


CHAPTER 15

1. Now the lot to the tribe of the descendants of Yehudah for their clans was to the border of Edom; the Wilderness of Tzin in the Negev was the southern extremity,

Because of the location of the inheritance allotted to Kalev, the leader of the tribe of Yehudah (ch. 14), the area contiguous to it had to be deeded to his tribe. Y’hoshua recognize the borders of Edom—the territory of Esau, Israel’s relative. This is not counted as part of Kanaan, and therefore, at least at that time, not part of our inheritance, and Moshe even took Israel all the way around their territory to avoid war with them. Yehudah, the tribe of the strong warrior Kalev, may have been placed up against Edom to prevent Edom from making war on any part of Israel. Edom is otherwise delineated as Mt. Seir. (Gen. 36:1-8) Seir means a shaggy goat, and goats by their nature are loners and individualists, though they are clean animals and live in flocks. Esau is called a hunter, a man of the field, while Yaaqov is called a mature man who stayed in tents. In Jewish lore, partly through Herodos, who was half-Edomite and a puppet of Rome, Edom’s scepter was transferred to Rome, and thereafter, to the Roman Church and all of Christianity, because of its attachment to Rome. Christians are “hunters”, going through all the world to capture those they evangelize. But the only time tents (plural) were referred to before Yaaqov is when Noakh prophesied that Yaaqov would inhabit the tents of Shem. “Tents” is therefore an idiom for being schooled, learning from the past, rather than trying to make a future. Bilaam’s prophecy (Num. 24:17ff) says that one day Israel would battle and defeat Edom. Other prophets build on it (and on Yaaqov’s prophecy in Gen. 49:10 that the scepter belongs to Yehudah and that the peoples would obey him) to say that the Davidic king would one day rule over that area as well, and eventually affect the whole world as well. This prophecy is considered Messianic, which means that one job of the Jewish Messiah is to conquer the church. Bilaam said he would leave the city (Rome?) in ruins. How ironic that the Church bases its existence on a Messiah whose job it is to do away with the Church! What a surprise to find out that he is not a Christian, but a Torah-observant Jew. But to bring this into balance, Christianity does share a common border with Yehudah. How? Both Christianity and Judaism recognize the Torah as foundational, yet both have clouded it, giving more authority to traditions and interpretations than to the written Torah itself. So neither of them is what YHWH has called Israel to be. Y’shua, who came to bring the Torah to its fullness, said we must exceed the righteousness of the P’rushim (Mat. 5:16ff), from which the Judaism of today directly evolved. Proof that he is the Messiah, far more than making the deaf hear and the blind see, is the fact that he kept and taught the whole Torah, even when the powers in control taught otherwise. The Torah has its own authority. There are many applications of it, but it speaks for itself and has done so in every generatrion. The question is, who is listening? Who is listening to it over the roar of doctrines and traditions—whether from the New Testament or the Mishnah? This verse also introduces us to Hebraic thought when it comes to directions, for the word translated “southern” here means “on the right hand” in Hebrew, for in true orientation, we face east (the “orient”), and the south is thus on the right hand. The word for “left hand” sometimes means north, though a more common word for “north” means “the hidden place. In Scripture, destruction typically comes from the north, ”, though it can also mean “hidden treasure”. The word for “west” in Hebrew, means “toward the roaring sea” (i.e., the Mediterranean). But what does this mean to us? Today we are learning to face east again, being oriented toward our homeland in the east. But the Hebrew word for “east” actually means “from before” or “ancient”; it also means “forward”. So the proper orientation for the Hebrew is toward the ancient way—ultimately, how things are done in the Torah, as close as we can get to how things were at the beginning. This is how we make progress. This is what we head toward, and thus the “future” is behind us, for, as Y’shua said, when we prioritize YHWH’s Kingdom and His righteousness, we can leave our worries about tomorrow behind).  

2. and their southern border was from the edge of the Sea of Salt—from the tongue that faces southward,

At that time, the “tongue” which is now about two-thirds of the way down the Salt (Dead) Sea, was at the southern extremity, according to the dimensions Josephus gives and the physics of how long the shallow southern end would have only begun forming in recent centuries.

3. then it went out toward the south as far as the Ascent of Scorpions, then crossed over into Tzin, and went up from the Negev to Qadesh-Barnea, then went through Khetzron and up into Adar, then skirted Qarqaah,

4. went across to ‘Atzmon, and proceeded out the River of Egypt, and the end of the border was at the sea. This will be your southern border.

5. And the border on the east is the Salt Sea as far as where the Yarden ends. Then the northern border is from the tongue of the sea at the end of the Yarden.

6. And the border went up [to] Beyth-Hoglah, then crossed to the north of Beyth-haAravah, and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Re’uven.

Stone of Bohan: similar in sound to even bokhan, the “tried stone” of Yeshayahu 28:16. But bohan means a thumb or big toe. This reminds us of the priesthood (Ex. 29:20) and may reflect an attempt by Re'uven to press for continued recognition as the firstborn, though Ya'aqov rescinded this. (Gen. 49:3ff)

7. Then the border went up to D’vir from the Valley of Akhor, turning northward toward Gilgal, which is directly opposite Maaleh Adumim [the ruddy ascents] south of the riverbed. Then the border crossed over toward the waters of Eyn-Shemesh [the spring of the sun] whose source was at Eyn-Rogel (the spring of the spy].

Valley of Akhor: where Akhan was punished. It became a “doorway of hope” (Hos. 2:15), possibly because it leads up to Yerushalayim (v. 8), the place where YHWH chose to set His Name and dwell among us.

8. then the border [followed] the Valley of the Son of Hinnom up to the southern slope of the Y’vusite (that is, Yerushalayim), then the border went up to the top of the mountain that is on the face of the Valley of Hinnom on the west, which is at the northern end of the Valley of the Refaim.

The border bisects the Temple Mount. Contrasted with the commentary on v. 1, the Temple is on Yehudah’s border as well, but this border is well within the confines of the larger border of Israel. The other portion of the Temple Mount is in Binyamin’s territory, so the “son of the right hand” is on Yehudah’s left hand! We are not told whether Binyamin was within the northern or southern Kingdom after the split; if it was the northern, it would give Israel as well as Yehudah a more obvious claim to be able to rebuild the Temple. Yet Yehudah took responsibility for Binyamin

9. And the border extended from the top of the mountain to the fountain of the waters of Neftoakh [opening], then went out to the cities of Mount Efron [like a fawn]. Then the border extended to Ba’alah (that is, Kiryath-Ye’arim [town of forests]).

10. Then the border went around from Ba’alah westward toward Mount Seir and went across to the northern shoulder of Mount Ye’arim (that is, Khesalon [foolish hopes]), then it went down to Beyth-Shemesh and passed Timnah.

Mount Seir: apparently a different one than Esau’s territory in Edom, which is southward from the Dead Sea, not westward. Khesalon is about ten miles west of Yerushalayim. Both Yehudah and Shimshon (Samson) were tempted by women at Timnah. (Gen. 38; Judges 14)

11. Then the border proceeded to the north shoulder of Eqron and the territory extended to Shikkeron [drunkenness] and crossed the mountain of Ba’alah and proceeded out to Yavne’el [Elohim will build], and the end of the boundary was the sea.

12. And the western border was the Great Sea and its coast; this is the border of the descendants of Yehudah on all sides for their clans.

This chapter is about borders and boundaries—and what lies within them. In Hebrew, border and boundary are the same word—g’vul. It really means a rope, and we see the same connection today when police cordon off a crime scene or a rope defines aisles so one approaches the bank teller in an orderly fashion. It shows us what is to remain on one side of the rope and what needs to stay on the other. But, like the cloth fences around the Tabernacle, a rope is really a voluntary border. We could easily go under, over, or around it. It is only a boundary to one who recognizes it as such. When children say, “We’re not allowed to…”, it shows that a boundary has been established by an authority they respect. They could just as easily flout it, and the Torah is the same; YHWH does not force us to be part of Israel, but if we want to remain part of it, we have to stay within its borders. We cannot pick and choose which parts we like; if we do not respect YHWH’s boundaries, we will have to leave. But if you are living within the Torah, you are within YHWH’s borders, wherever you may live. Not that we do not want the fullness of the Covenant, but even while we are outside the Land, Torah can bring us far into His territory. Of course, we cannot keep the Torah alone; it is written for a people. But within its boundaries, YHWH is the one in charge, and it is hard to imagine a safer place to be. We cannot be foolish and try to slide His borders to a position we are more comfortable with; we do not get to change what Torah has already established. But while today boundaries are often thought of as a negative thing, that is not the Scriptural view. If we were on a very narrow bridge, the tighter the guard-wires were, the safer we would feel. When Y’shua speaks of “breaking” commandments in Mat. 5:19, the term actually used (in the Greek version) is luo—to loosen! Slackening the rope not only makes it dangerous; it makes the boundary unclear and someone can step off the path without realizing it. The boundary on the narrow way is the Torah and the prophets. (5:17) Whoever loosens the least command—be he Jew or Christian—will be called least in the Kingdom. In contrast, whoever “does” them and teaches them will be called great. The term for “do” means to construct or fashion. In other words, if we set back in place the boundaries that others have removed. Y’shua gave Kefa the authority to bind and loose (Mat. 16:15ff), but even Y’shua himself would not loosen any part of the Torah; this was in regard to things not specified clearly within the Torah—the “how to”. Y’shua says we do not have to rely on the additions brought by the P’rushim or Tzadoqim; he established who had the authority to do so (those who had walked most closely with him and seen him in every context), and brought us back to simple adherence to Torah with an “easy yoke” which agrees with the Torah’s own statement that it is within our reach. (Deut. 30:12) Kefa could not loose what was not already loosed in heaven; he could not turn the king of Israel and Messiah into YHWH Himself, or change what day the Sabbath is—things the Church thought it had authority to do. He could not make exceptions to the Torah to make someone else feel better. As our children are more secure when they know their limits, and an army is more confident when it discipline itself by following orders, even though they may not always like them, staying within the limits prescribed by Torah keeps Israel out of trouble and on the right track. Once we define what is on the inside of the boundary, we automatically define what is outside—everything else. Whatever is outside is “not us”. The same boundaries keep those who want to change the Torah out. Do not leave it to someone else to tell you what the boundaries are; know the Torah for yourself, or your teacher, however trustworthy he may be, could still mislead you. Even small children have to know that the street is no place to play, and if we are to teach them the standards, how much more do we have to know them? To accommodate anything outside the rope, you have to loosen it, and at that point Y’shua says you are outside as well. When we encounter a stranger (or foreign concept), we have to ask which of us stepped over the line. If we stay within the bounds, we know the stranger must be the one that has come within our borders. The only way anything that is not Israel can have any form of intimacy with Israel is to come within the boundaries placed by Torah. If we go out to meet them, then we are in their territory and must operate by their standards, which inevitably means compromise; we are then the foreigners, so if their borders are things we cannot respect, the wise thing is to stay out of them and get back within our own borders. If others come within our borders, insist on Torah; they are responsible to uphold the standard that applies here. There is one law for the native-born and the visitor. Guests cannot get away with what citizens cannot. If they decide to follow it, they too are Israel; if they leave, do not run after them to bring them back, because then you are no longer at home. You do no one a favor by blurring the boundaries. The Torah is not just rules and regulations; it defines what we are heirs to and what we are to leave to our children—things which no one but they themselves can take from them. But if you do not keep the rules voluntarily, don’t expect your children to! The only place we can find our true inheritance is within YHWH’s borders.

13. He also gave a share among the sons of Yehudah to Kalev the son of Y’funeh, at the mouth of YHWH to Y’hoshua—the town of Arba, father of Anaq (that is, Hevron).

14. And Kalev dispossessed the three sons of Anaq: Sheshai, Akhiman, and Thalmai, the progeny of Anaq.

Kalev did as he said he would. He saw this as a place worth taking, and he proved to YHWH that He could trust him to bring Israel this message rather than the discouraging one the ten spies brought. He proved loyal in the face of opposition, so this piece of land was promised to him. He deserved the blessing he got, but only received it when he actually spoke up for it. He did not just wait until the lots were drawn up to take Hevron out of the lottery. Had he just assumed that the lot would fall to him if it was YHWH’s will and not spoken up, it might have fallen to someone else, and he wopuld have had to argue with the tribe of Yosef, which had the largest army. He did not assume YHWH would do what it was His will for Kalev to do. He did not put it off, but spoke up in season, and avoided much trouble. He made sure that what YHWH had told him earlier was carried out, for the promise came before they decided to cast the lots. His words at the right time kept someone else from messing up YHWH’s plan. Part of what YHWH loved about him was that he could be depended on to consider what effect his words—or lack of them—would have on the rest of Israel. He considered where the problems could come, and took opn the burden of making sure the land was transferred to him as painlessly to others as possible. He aY’hoshua always put YHWH’s interests first, and it earned Y’hoshua the position of essentially being king (one that recognized that YHWH was the real King) and Kalev got to be the first in the whole nation to receive an inheritance. He took responsibility for the portion and place he had been given in Israel, and he understood that that responsibility was bigger than himself, because it would affect everyone else too. And he did not just speak up and get Y’hoshua to agree with him; he did something about what he had been given. Before we even see anyone else receive their inheritance, Kalev is already driving out the giants! He thus started the fire on the altar which could be used to burn or cook the next person’s offering. (Lev. 6:8-13) Not just when exploring the Land, but over and over he proved he was trustworthy, and followed YHWH fully—i.e., left no room in his life for any other distraction or consideration. There was no room here for slackness. He was not sent to the Land to bring back a discouraging report about it, but to find out where the Land’s weaknesses lay. As it turned out, the weak spots were actually the ten spies with loose lips.  

15. And he went up from there to the inhabitants of D’vir [sanctuary]. (Now the name of D’vir had previously been Kiryath-Sefer [town of a scroll].)

Kalev had been an example of commitment and dependability; now he wanted to se if anyone had actually been paying attention. They had seen him start the fire; now who wanted to pile the next offering on top of it? Here was another city uinder Hevron’s control, and therefore under Kalev’s jurisdiction. So he offers a prize to anyone who can take it: 

16. And Kalev said, “Whoever attacks the Kiryath-Sefer and takes it, I will give my daughter Akhsah as a wife.”

The reward for following his example was marriage to his daughter, whose name means “anklet”—a piece of jewelry, so apparently she was quite attractive. This may have been a nickname she earned by “sticking close to his feet”—always being there with him, so although he had three sons, he wanted to make sure his daughter inherited well. Like any father, he wanted to make sure her husband would be like him—willing to do whatever it took to get the job done. He could not have required this of anyone had he himself not already taken a city. But he was faithful to his calling, so he was in a position to ask others to prove they were worthy to be his son-in-law. The name of D’vir is related to the word “speak”. Many have a lot to say about how loyal they are. But he would not just accept someone’s claim that he was the right husband for her; anyone can say, “I’m in, 100%; I’ll always have your back.” He “called their hand” to make sure they were not just bluffing. He says, “There is the city; if you think you have what it takes, prove it!” Do not follow a leader who has not proven himself; look at his fruit. Many will claim to be Israel, but most will disappoint us. Very few stick with it until all the giants are gone. So dare them to put their resources into what they say they are part of, and when you find someone who does prove true, hold onto them tightly!  

17. So Othni’el the descendant of Qenaz [hunter], Kalev’s kinsman, captured it, so he gave him Akhsah, his daughter, as a wife.

So Kalev’s own nephew wins the prize. Does that seem unfair? But if the same family keeps proving faithful, the reward will keep going to the same family. Despite our political and religious theories, YHWH shows that He likes some kinds of people better than others. He loves those who prove themselves true far more than those who only talk about it. Qenaz was the ancestor of the Qenizzites, of which Kalev was one. Qenaz was the youngest son of Esau’s firstborn, Elifaz. (Gen. 36:11, 42) He was one of the leaders of the Edomites. There may have been some military strategy in Y’hoshua’s placing this man from a high-ranking Edomite family next to Edom’s land, for they would be less likely to attack a land ruled over by one of their own. In fact, Qenaz means “hunter”—the very nature of Esau himself. There is a play on words, because kelev means “dog”, an idiom for a foreigner, but Ka-lev means “like-hearted”. Kalev had a special heart indeed, and proved to have a “different spirit”, as YHWH Himself acknowledged. (Numbers 14:24) He became a part of the tribe of Yehudah. The fact that a kinsman who was not his son was also part of Israel suggests that this family had been part of Israel for at least two generations. Othni’el proved faithful in what was least, so YHWH gave him an even bigger responsibility—for His whole people! Othni’el became the first judge who got the new nation out from under the oppression of an enemy (Judges 3:9ff), and the land had peace for 40 years. He essentially took Y’hoshua’s place in the next generation. When you claim to be committed, YHWH hears what you say, even if you just said it while on an emotional high, even when you later get distracted from it or decide later that it is more difficult than you anticipated. Are you ready to prove you are really who you say you are?  

18. But what took place is that, as she came, she persuaded him to request a field from her father. As she was dismounting from her donkey, Kalev said to her, “What [will it be] for you?”

She made the request herself, but not without her husband’s consent.

19. So she said, “Give me a blessing, since you have given me land [in] the Negev, so give me [flowing] springs of water!” So he gave her the upper and lower springs.

The Negev is desert land, so for this piece of property to have any value to her, it had to be contiguous with a water source.

20. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Yehudah for their clans.

21. And the cities from the extremity of the tribe of the Yehudah to the border of Edom in the Negev [were]: Qabtze’el [Elohim gathers], Eder [flock], and Yagur [he sojourns],

22. Qinah [lamentation], Dimonah [silent river bed], and ‘Ad’adah [boundary, festival gathering],

23. Qedesh [holy place], Hatzor [enclosed settlement], and Yithnan [hire],

24. Zif [battlement], Telem [oppression], and B’Aloth [mistresses],

25. Hatzor Khadathah [new castle], Q’rioth [towns], and Khetzron [surrounded by a wall]--it is an enclosed settlement--

Khadathah is the Aramaic form of khadashah (new or renewed).

26. Amam [their mother], Shema’ [hearken!], and Moladah [native race],

27. Khatzar-Gaddah [castle of the goddess of fortune], Heshmon [rich soil], and Beyth-Palet [house of a fugitive],

28. Khatzar-Shual [castle of a fox], Be’er-Sheva’ [well of the oath], and Bizyothyah [places despised by YHWH],

29. Ba’alah [mistress], ‘Iyim [ruins], and ‘Atzem [bone, selfsame],

30. Eltholad [Elohim has brought forth], Kh’sil [stupid], and Hormah [devotion],

31. Tziqlag [winding], Madmannah [dunghill], and Sansannah [palm branch], 

32. Leva’oth [lionesses], Shilkhim [things shot forth], Ayin [eye/fountain], and Rimmon [pomegranate]. The total of the cities is twenty-nine, along with their enclosed settlements.

Enclosed settlements: or “villages”. Many of the ancient settlements mentioned here have been unearthed by archaeologists.

33. In the Sh’felah [foothills]: Eshtha’ol [entreaty], Tzor’ah [hornet], and Ashnah [I will cause change],

34. Zanoakh [castoff], Eyn-Gannim [fountain of the gardens], Tappuakh [apple], and ‘Eynam [pair of springs],

35. Yarmuth [uplifted], ‘Adullam [justice of the people], Sokhoh [hedged], and ‘Azeqah [dug over],

36. Shaarayim [pair of gates], ‘Adithayim [pair of ornaments], Hagderah [the wall], and G’derothayim [pair of walls]—fourteen cities, along with their enclosed settlements;

37. Tz’nan [pointed], Khadashah [new/renewed], and Migdal-Gad [tower of the god of fortune],

38. Dil’an [gourd], Mitzpeh [watchtower], and Yoqthe’el [obeying Elohim blamelessly],

39. Lakhish [invincible], Botzqath [rocky height], and ‘Eglon [great calf],

40. Kabbon [builder who heaps up], Lakhmam [their provisions], and Kithlish [wall of a man],

41. G’deroth Beyth-dagon [walls of the house of the great fish-god], Naamah [lovely], and Maqqedah [place of speckled sheep]—sixteen cities, along with their enclosed settlements;

42. Livnah [pavement], Ether [plentiful], and ‘Ashan [smoke],

43. Yifthakh [he opens], Ashnah [storage], and N’tziv [garrison-post],

44. Qe’ilah [enclosed fortress], Akhziv [deceit], and Mare’shah [crest of a hill]—nine cities, along with their enclosed settlements;

45. ‘Eqron [uprooted] with her daughters and her enclosed settlements,

‘Eqron may have been so named because the Filistines, which had inhabited it, had to move their complete culture away from a Mediterranean island when they settled on the coast of Kanaan. Daughters: suburbs dependent on the “metropolis”—mother-city. A substantial portion of ‘Eqron has been found outside the fortified part of the city.

46. from ‘Eqron and at the sea, all that were near Ashdod [violent despoiler] and their enclosed settlements, 

47. Ashdod, her daughters and enclosed settlements, ‘Azzah [fierce], her daughters and enclosed settlements, as far as the riverbed of Egypt, the Great Sea, and [the] border.

48. In the mountains, Shamir [thorn], Yathir [overflowing], and Sokhoh [bushy],

49. Dannah [judgment], Kiryath-Sannah [town of the pointed bough] (that is, D’vir),

50. ‘Anav [grape], Eshtemoth [I will make myself heard], and ‘Anim [springs],

51. Goshen [drawing near], Kholon [whirling sand], and Giloh [laid bare/exile]—eleven cities, along with their enclosed settlements; 

52. Arav [ambush], Dumah [silence], and Esh’an [support to lean on],

53. Yanum [he sleeps], Beyth-Tappuakh [house of the apple], and Afeqah [strong enclosure],  

54. Khumtah [place of lizards], Qiryath-Arba’ (that is, Hevron), and Tzior [small and insignificant]—nine cities, along with their enclosed settlements;

55. Maon [refuge], Karmel [orchard], Tzif [battlement], and Yutah [stretched out],

56. Yezre’el [Elohim will sow], Yoqde’am [kindling of a people], and Zanoakh [cast off],

57. the Qayin [possession], Giv’ah [hill], and Timnah [assigned portion]—ten cities, along with their enclosed settlements;

58. Khalkhul [trembling], Beyth-Tzur [house of a rock], and G’dor [closed off],

59. Maarath [bare place], Beyth-‘Anoth [house of answers], and Elthqon [Elohim sets back in order]—six cities, along with their enclosed settlements;

60. Qiryath-Baal (which is Qiryath-Ye’arim) and Rabbah [great one]—two cities, along with their enclosed settlements.

61. In the wilderness: Beyth-haAravah [house of the willow], Middin [measures], and Sakhakhah [thicket],

The wilderness of Yehudah is south of Yerushalayim and west of the Dead Sea.

62. haNivshan [the soft soil], Ir-haMelakh [city of salt], Eyn-gedi [spring of the young goat]—six cities, along with their enclosed settlements.

112 cities were thus allotted to Yehudah altogether.

63. Now as for the Y’vusites, the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, the sons of Yehudah could not dispossess them, so the Y’vusites dwell along with the descendants of Yehudah in Yerushalayim to this day.

David would finally be the one to conquer them. Apparently he took this very chapter to heart, as he spent much of his time, even before he was king, remedying the fact that foreign peoples had not all been ousted from the Land, as YHWH had commanded. He rid the Land of many Amaleqites, and he recognized that this city, once ruled by a righteous priest, Melkhitzedeq, was no longer living up to his heritage, and therefore Israel needed to take control of this holy site. He used the same tactic Kalev used in v. 16. His daughters may have been too young to offer as prizes, so he offered a leadership role as the prize for whomever would be the first to attack it. (1 Chron. 11:6) Yoav—who became both his general and the “mayor” of Yerushalayim, though David lived right there in the city after that as well; he left local matters to Yoav and focused on national matters himself.


CHAPTER 16

1. And the lot for the sons of Yosef went out from the Yarden of Y’rikho to the waters of Y’rikho to the east of the wilderness that goes up from Y’rikho to the mountain of Beyth-El.

This is the second lot to determine the tribal inheritance of Israel. Where the lots fell showed what had already been bound in heaven (cf. Mat.16:19), so the earthly “bounds” followed suit. Note that the ancient pattern is that the House of Yosef must receive an inheritance in the Land. This is Torah. We do not need to become Yehudah in order to do so, nor do we need Yehudah’s permission, for we already have YHWH’s, in writing—right here—so there is nothing they can say to deny it, though the one who redeemed our inheritance and gave us the right to come back, and will be our king there, is indeed from the tribe of Yehudah.  

2. Then it went from Beyth-El [house of Elohim] at Luz [almond tree] and crossed over to the border of the Arkites—Ataroth [crowns].

Gen. 28:19 says Beyth-El used to be named Luz. There may have been a short distance between the original city and the rebuilt one, between which the border “jogged” over slightly.  

3. Then it went down westward to the border of the Yafletites [“he will deliver”] as far as the lowest limit of Beyth-Horon [place of the great cave], then as far as Gezer [a portion]; these were how far west it went.

Beyth-Horon is a very steep incline down the western side of the mountain range, but the easiest pass by which to cross the mountains toward Yerushalayim. West: or seaward, but Gezer is still about 14 miles inland.

4. Thus the sons of Yosef—Menashe and Efrayim—received inherited property.

5. The territory belonging to the descendants of Efrayim came to be for their clans. The border of their inherited property on the sunrise [side was from] Ataroth-Addar [crowns of glory] as far as Upper Beyth-Horon.

6. Then the border went out on the west, Mikhmathath [the hiding place] from the north, then the border circled to the east of the approach to Shiloh, and crossed it from the sunrise [side] at Yanokhah [where he rests].

7. And it went down from Yanokhah [to] Ataroth, and at Naarath [maiden], it touched Y’rikho and came out at the Yarden.

8. From Tappuakh [apple] went westward [via] the Qanah River, and these were how far west it went. This is the inherited property of the tribe of the descendants of Efrayim for their clans.

9. And the distinct cities of the descendants of Efrayim are in the midst of the inherited property of the descendants of Menashe, all the cities and their enclosed settlements.

10. But they did not dispossess the Kanaanite [merchant] who lived at Gezer, so the Kanaanite lives at the approach [to] Efrayim to this day and has become forced laborers.

At the approach: or, on the inside. Gezer means “portion”, and this portion belonged to Efrayim (whose name means “doubly fruitful”). The precedent of Giv’on may have led the Efrayimites to think it was not a problem to allow the Gezerites to remain among them. After all, it is acceptable for Israelites to own slaves if they are treated well according to Torah. But YHWH had told them specifically to destroy the Kanaanites completely if they lived within the borders He laid out. (Ex. 23:27ff; Num. 33:51ff) It could be done little by little (Deut. 7:22), but it always had to be the plan, because these people would become a snare. Coexistence was not an option, and YHWH even said that if we failed to drive them out, He would do to us what He intended to do to them—sending fear, confusion, and things that sting us. (We do see a parallel in what is taking place in the Land of Israel today.) Why was it so important to remove the Kanaanites? All of the other peoples in the Land—Emorites, Hittites, Y’vusites, etc.—constituted the Kanaanites. This land was considered theirs. (Gen. 10:15ff) They were all descendants of one man, Kanaan. So who was he? To understand this, we must go all the way back to an incident about a thousand years earlier in which Noakh (who built the famous ark) became drunk, and awoke to realize that Kanaan, his grandson through Kham, had taken advantage of his being unconvered, while his other two sons had acted honorably, covering him up. Kanaan means “to bend the knee”, and so suggests getting down on all fours, giving us a strong clue as to just what he did to his grandfather. Though he later fathered many sons through a woman or women, he also molested his grandfather. Noakh thus spoke a curse upon Kanaan and a blessing on Shem and Yefeth. (Gen. 9) He does not bless of curse Kham; Kham takes a secondary place in his thoughts after this to his son who caused such a conflict with his actions. Kham’s claim to fame in YHWH’s eyes was being Kanaan’s father. (9:18) He is not even the eldest son, but is the focus of the Hamitic line from that point on in Scripture (other than Mitrayim/Egypt, briefly). YHWH looks back at whose seed they are. YHWH is called the Elohim of Shem, and Yefeth’s blessing is that he would be inhabit the tents of Shem. This is an idiom for being taught by Shem. (Yaaqov is called a dweller in tents in Gen. 25:27, and these plural tents were the tents of Shem.) This was necessary because the other part of Shem’s blessing was that he would be “enlarged” (pathakh). But this term really means “made wide open”, and is used elsewhere in Scripture with the connotation of being deceived (Deut. 11:16; 2 Shmu’el 3:25), enticed (Judges 14:15), persuaded in a negative direction (2 Chron. 18:19), and flattered. (Psalm 78:36) The Hebrew term used here is actually a play on words, because it is also the root for Yefeth’s name. Shem had a clear inclination toward the ways of YHWH, and Kanaan had a clear tendency away from it, but Yefeth had the proclivity to be “open-minded” and thus wide open to being led astray. Under Shem’s leadership, his understanding would be expanded and the deception would not affect him. He would learn to do the right thing. But if influenced by Kanaan, he would be led to follow his belly. Noakh knew Kanaan’s tendencies toward indulgence of his flesh and personal gratification at the cost of every other consideration, so he gave him a curse that was actually a blessing—that he would serve Shem and Yefeth. This is what he needed. Whoever desires to be first needs to be come a slave. (Mat. 20:25ff) By doing so he could stop being the problem and at least be useful toward a worthwhile cause, and there was hope that he might learn from Yefeth to become teachable, then learn what Shem had to teach. We all have an animal side which we could call our “temporary” side, while another side of us relates to what is eternal or “divine”—what outlasts us and can continue to affect the world in a positive way after we are gone. Y’hoshua himself has been dead for thousands of years, but his life is still speaking to us. Not that we eradicate our animal nature, as in the Christian outlook; we need it to avoid being taken advantage of. YHWH made it too. It motivates us to beget children, who will indeed be our continuance, and this is the first command YHWH ever gave to man. Pleasure is a gift, but something has gone terribly wrong if you are molesting your grandfather. We have to show our teeth at times, but this should not be the main thing we are about. It has to be in balance. Kanaan, on the other hand, could not have been thinking beyond what was in it for him right at that moment. He did not consider how it would affect others in the long run. His “left” side had nothing to keep it in balance. Men are to walk uprightly, but animals walk with their bellies parallel to the ground. We are not to eat the animals that creep on the ground (Lev. 11:42)—like Kanaan’s name--because we are not meant to be like them. What we hunger for determines how we walk. Shem was concerned that there be order, and for his father’s honor. Kanaan was hungry for pleasure at any cost, and thus was turned over to his animal nature. The serpent’s punishment was that it would take this to the extreme—be on its belly at all times (Gen. 3:14), since that was the direction it had tried to take humanity. Kanaanite here is an idiom for a merchandiser or trafficker, which is just another side of bending one’s knee to one’s own belly. Even up to our day, this kind of Kanaanite lives on within Efrayim (the Northern Kingdom of Israel). But in YHWH’s household, there is to be no Kanaanite. (Zkh. 14:21). The animal nature is not to occupy the Land that now belongs to Shem. Outside the Land, some learning might be possible, but no “belly-crawlers” are to be within. They are an abomination to YHWH. If He tells us not to eat them, He certainly will not partake of them either. Here, we see them being made slaves, as Noakh said. Yet they are not driven out. Is there a contradiction? Yes and no. YHWH had even called this the land of kanaan, yet after centuries of patience, He said their cup was now full; He could no longer let them stay because of how many evil things they had done. The place of the Kingdom is for Shem’s people, with whom YHWH has a special relationship. This is not so much about DNA as it is about who is concerned for YHWH’s name (since “shem” is the Hebrew word for “name”). Gen. 5:32 implies that Shem, Kham, and Yefeth were triplets, all born when Noakh was 500 years old. There are many sets of twins in Scripture. For example, Yaaqov and Esau show the two sides of Yitzhaq. The cartoons show the devil on one’s left shoulder and the angel on his right. In Hebrew tradition they are called the inclination to do wrong and the inclination to do right. But this is even better. Noakh, who is the ancestor of everyone who is now alive, is shown as having not two, but three sides—the teacher, the teachable, and the carnal. Each of us has these three within us. If we want to be the greatest (like Shem) in the Kingdom, we must enslave Kanaan now by serving one another. That way the curse can become a blessing; we can become teachable, and eventually be teachers. In whatever area we keep back for self instead of allowing ourselves to be taught the better way is where Kanaan still dwells with us. By the end of the Kingdom, whatever is Kanaan will be driven out. (Rev. 20:12) Either way, Kanaan will be gone. The question is, will we go with him? If we are still relying on our animal instincts when Torah is the Law of the Land, we will be driven out. Instead, we should turn Kanaan into Yefeth. YHWH gave us tzitziyoth to remind us not to follow after our heart or eyes, after which we tend to stray, but to follow the Torah, which means “teaching”. (Num. 15:38-39) Kosher animals have four stomachs rather than one. This is a picture of community, wherein we serve not only our own bellies but those of our neighbors, thus turning over our appetites to community instead of self. When Israel is in unity, it is called Yeshurun—the upright one. Gorillas walk on their knuckles when in the wild, but when around humans, they begin to imitate men and walk on two legs. If we become teachable like Yefeth, this is evolution at its finest: we can go from being belly-crawlers to being teachable, then all the way to the upright position of Shem. Noakh’s name means “rest”, and if we want to go back to receiving a double portion of this rest (the right of Shem, the firstborn,), then we must focus our appetites on serving one another. Our primary focus must be on taking care of our father (not just Israel, but Shem and YHWH Himself), defending his honor, and not just choosing the right actions but teaching others to do so as well (Mat. 5:19ff)--but only those who are open to being taught, or you will only waste your time and energy. We must become students so we can become teachers to one another. Thus we will force the “left” arm to serve the “right”, and make it useful for YHWH’s purposes after all.



THE BOOK OF
Y'hoshua
(Joshua)
INTRODUCTION:    Y’hoshua’s name means “YHWH saves.” He was renamed as such by Moshe, being born as Hoshea (which merely means “salvation” in the abstract sense) the son of Nun. He had been Moshe’s constant companion ever since Moshe ascended Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah from YHWH. He was thus trained very thoroughly and knew Moshe’s mind well enough to carry on his mission with the same spirit. He is the namesake as well of the Messiah, who will lead Israel back into our Land again after all Israel is reunited. In many ways he foreshadows the One who bore his name, which we will spell Yahshua here, both to highlight YHWH’s Name within his, and to make the distinction in identities clearer. By learning about the former, we will gain many insights about the latter’s mission.
Chapter 9            Chapter 10

Chapter 11          Chapter 12

Chapter 13          Chapter 14

Chapter 15          Chapter 16

            Chapters 1-8

            Chapters 17-24
The tel of Lakhish.