What is the meaning of Joshua 12:10? the king of Jerusalem, one • Joshua is recounting the very first Canaanite ruler Israel toppled in the southern campaign. Joshua 10:1 identifies him as Adoni-zedek, and Joshua 10:23 records, “They brought the five kings out… the king of Jerusalem….” • Jerusalem’s early mention reminds us that God’s promise to give Abraham’s descendants this land is materializing (Genesis 15:18-21). • The fall of this king underlines God’s power to keep His word against daunting odds; Jerusalem was strategically located and heavily fortified, yet it succumbed when “the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel” (Joshua 10:10). • Though Jerusalem would later be retaken by the Jebusites (Judges 1:21), its initial defeat foreshadows David’s ultimate conquest: “David captured the stronghold of Zion—that is, the City of David” (2 Samuel 5:7). • One king—not two, not several—highlights the personal, individual judgment God brings on every ruler who exalts himself against Him (Psalm 2:1-6). the king of Hebron, one • Hebron’s king, Hoham (Joshua 10:3), led a coalition against Gibeon and thus against Israel. Joshua 10:37 reports, “They captured it and put its king to the sword.” • Hebron was ancient and prestigious—built seven years before Zoan in Egypt (Numbers 13:22). Striking it down demonstrated that no pedigree or ancestry could shield the wicked from divine justice. • The city loomed large in Israel’s history: Abraham lived there (Genesis 13:18), and the cave of Machpelah lay nearby. By defeating its king, God was reclaiming a place already tied to His covenant people. • Later, Caleb inherits Hebron (Joshua 14:13-15), proving that God not only removes ungodly rulers but establishes the faithful in their stead (Proverbs 10:30). • Again, “one” stresses the completeness of the victory and the precision of God’s accounting; each enemy is known, numbered, and dealt with individually (Joshua 12:7, 24). summary Joshua 12:10 is more than a ledger; it is a testimony that God remembers every promise, confronts every foe, and records every victory. One king of Jerusalem, one king of Hebron—both toppled by the Lord’s hand—affirm that no city is too fortified, no leader too powerful, and no detail too small for the God who fights for His people and fulfills His covenant down to the last precise tally. |
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