What is the meaning of Joshua 5:1? Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast - Scripture treats these kings as real rulers over specific territories (Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 7:1). - The two peoples stand for the full breadth of Canaan—hill country and seacoast—showing that the entire land is watching Israel’s march (Joshua 10:5; 12:7-8). - God promised Abraham that his descendants would dispossess these very nations, and the scene now proves the promise is coming to pass (Genesis 12:7; 15:18-21). - By specifying “all” the kings, the text underscores the total reach of God’s reputation; no pocket of resistance can claim ignorance of His acts. heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over - The report is not hearsay but eyewitness news: the Jordan stopped as soon as the priests’ feet touched the water and remained dry until every last Israelite passed (Joshua 3:13-17; 4:22-24). - Similar divine interventions are already known in Canaan: Rahab recounted Israel’s Red Sea crossing forty years earlier (Joshua 2:9-11; Exodus 15:14-16). - Psalm 114:3 poetically remembers both seas fleeing, presenting the drying of the Jordan as a second exodus event. - The focus is on “the LORD,” not Israel’s military strength. The nations fear because they recognize a power above nature is fighting for Israel (Deuteronomy 2:25). their hearts melted - “Their hearts melted” graphically pictures courage dissolving; the same phrase described the men of Jericho after hearing of the Red Sea (Joshua 2:11). - God promised this very reaction: “I will send My terror ahead of you” (Exodus 23:27). - From a human vantage the Canaanites hold walled cities and iron chariots, yet the real battle is decided in the unseen realm of morale (Deuteronomy 7:23-24). - Judges 7:13-14 shows a later echo: Gideon overhears Midianite soldiers whose hearts have already melted because of a dream from God. and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites - With spirit crushed, a fighting force becomes ineffective (Leviticus 26:36-37). - The phrase fulfills Moses’ promise: “Who can stand against you?” (Deuteronomy 11:25). - Saul’s enemies experienced the same divine panic (1 Samuel 14:15), and end-times prophecy pictures global rulers in similar dread at Christ’s appearing (Revelation 6:15-17). - God’s strategy often precedes physical warfare with psychological warfare, demonstrating that victory belongs to Him before a sword is lifted. summary Joshua 5:1 shows the instant, land-wide impact of God’s Jordan miracle: every king in Canaan realizes the Lord of Israel has split another river, and their courage evaporates. The verse confirms God’s faithfulness to His promises, highlights His supremacy over nature and nations, and prepares us to see that the conquest of Canaan is first won in hearts before it is fought on battlefields. |
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