Yehoshua 12 - Summary
(Text) - Now that the main recounting of the initial battles of conquest have been completed, a listing is given of the different kingdoms of local rulers that were vanquished by Bnei Yisrael under the rulership of both Moshe and Yehoshua. First a listing is made of the kings who ruled East of the Jordan (Sihon and Og) and the borders of their kingdoms. They were defeated by Bnei Yisrael under the leadership of Moshe. Next a listing is made of the kings and their respective borders to the West of the Jordan River who were defeated by Bnei Yisrael under the leadership of Yehoshua (as told in the first 11 chapters of Sefer Yehoshua) - a total of 31 kings and Canaanite nations that were defeated. There land is given to Bnei Yisrael to be divided among the tribes (the topic of much of the rest of Sefer Yehoshua).
Posted in Chapter 12, Summaries, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on February 18, 2007 | No Comments
Yehoshua 12 - Summary
- What is the main topic of this chapter?
- How many Kingdoms West of the Jordan River were defeated? Who were their Kings? What tribes inherited their land?
- How many kings to the West of the Jordan River were defeated by Yehoshua? From what nations did these kings come?
- What is to happen to the captured land?
Posted in Chapter 12, Review Questions, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on February 18, 2007 | No Comments
Destroy the Horses and Chariots
ויעש להם יהושע, כאשר אמר-לו יהוה: את-סוסיהם עקר, ואת-מרכבתיהם שרף באש.
And Joshua did unto them as the Lord commanded him; he hamstrung their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire. (Yehoshua 11:9)
Why did God command Yehoshua to injure and burn the horses and chariots of the defeated Canaanite nations after this battle, when such a command had not been given in previous battles? What is the reason for the command?
Radak explains that this command had not been given in a previous battle because this was the first battle since crossing the Jordan in which horses and chariots had played any meaningful role. In previous battles, Bnei Yisrael were attacking cities, or defending the Giv’onim against the five neighboring Canaanite kings. This is the first battle that featured large opposing forces in which horses and chariots took part, thus it is the first time that such a command could be applicable.
And what is the reason for the command? To teach the Jews a lesson: the other nations made war on you using their modern instruments of warfare - horses and chariots. They trusted in these weapons that they would emerge victorious. However, they did this ignorant of the fact that horses an chariots were not the keys to winning the battle against the Jews. God is the source of victory or loss. The Jews were able to defeat their enemies without aid from horses and chariots because God was on their side. They were the commanded to destroy these weapons to send home the message (lest they come to think like their enemies in the future) that horses and chariots (or F-16s and artillery) cannot win the battle when God is not with you. And when God is with you, they are unnecessary.
Posted in Chapter 11, Commentary, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on February 16, 2007 | No Comments
Yehoshua 11 - Summary
After the conquering of the south most of the cities in the north came together to wage war with Bnei Yisrael. Before they attacked Bnei Yisrael, Yehoshua attacked them. As a result of this surprise attack Yehoshua easily defeated the enemy. After defeating them, they killed all of the horses belonging to the defeated armies, per Hashem’s command. Yehoshua then led the nation to the remaining cities and destroyed as well. In the end, Yehoshua had fulfilled what Hashem had promised to all of the Jewish people, Eretz Yisrael. The entire land had been conquered and in control of Yehoshua and the Jewish people.
Posted in Chapter 11, Summaries, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on February 12, 2007 | 1 Comment
Yehoshua 11 - Review Questions
- Which kings joined together to fight Bnei Yisrael?
- What new command did Hashem to give to Bnei Yisrael regarding the booty taken in war?
- What did Yehoshua and Bnei Yisrael do after the battle was done?
- What declaration regarding the ongoing war is made at the end of the Perek?
Posted in Chapter 11, Review Questions, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on February 12, 2007 | No Comments
Did the Sun Really Stand Still?
אז ידבר יהושע ליהוה, ביום תת יהוה את האמרי לפני בני ישראל; ויאמר לעיני ישראל, שמש בגבעון דום, וירח בעמק אילון. וידם השמש וירח עמד, עד יקם גוי איביו - הלא היא כתובה על-ספר הישר; ויעמד השמש בחצי השמים, ולא-אץ לבוא כיום תמים. ולא היה כיום ההוא, לפניו ואחריו, לשמע יהוה, בקול איש: כי יהוה, נלחם לישראל
Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said before Israel: ‘Sun, stand still upon Giv’on, and Moon - in the valley of Ayalon.’ And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Yashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and did not to go down for a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. (Yehoshua 10:12-14)
According to the simple meaning of these verses, as Bnei Yisrael was chasing after the give Canaanite nations that attacked the Giv’onim, Yehoshua called upon the sun and moon to “wait” and temporarily, time stood still. He did this so that the Jews would be able to complete the battle and completely vanquish their fleeing adversaries, something they might not have been able to do had the sun gone down (Metzudat David). This interpretation of the pesukim is accepted by Rashi, Radak and the Malbim, and is supported by the Gemara in Avodah Zara (25a, also in Pirkei d’Rebbi Eliezer 52) which states that the sun stayed in its place for 26 straight hours.
There is one commentator though who disagrees with the notion that the sun actually stood still. The Ralbag in his commentary on this verse expresses his opinion that this could not possibly have happened as described above. His reasoning is that if the sun were to have ceased in its (perceived) movement, this would have been a miracle of a higher degree than that occurred for Moshe. Moshe’s miracles changed the way that natural processes worked. This miracle completely removed one of the natural processes (the sun) from fulfilling its role (rising, setting, etc). If this were to have happened, it would be a contradiction of the verse that says that “no prophet will arise in Israel like Moshe” (Devarim 34:10-12). (It would also not make sense to say that Moshe had performed miracles of this magnitude and they were just not recorded in the Torah - since the Torah mentions these miracles in order to cause people to believe in and fear God). The Ralbag goes on to give proofs from the language used that the expression “there was no day like that before it or after…” was not referring to changes in nature, but rather referred to the battle itself, and the magnitude of the great victory that Bnei Yisrael experienced.
The position of the Ralbag (whose views on other philosophical matters were also not widely accepted) is not accepted by other commentators. (In fact, other commentators like the Malbim and Radak both take a very opposite approach from the Ralbag, saying that the miracle that happened here was in direct fulfillment of promises of wondrous miracles that were made to Moshe in Shemot 34:10: “Behold, I will make a brit, before all of your nation I will perform marvels…”). However, the main theme of his commentary here - that a miracle stated in the text may not have happened exactly as stated - is worth noting (see the commentary of Radak on Yehoshua 4:11 for an example of a different commentator disagreeing with the views of others who believed that certain miracles happened in specific ways).
Posted in Chapter 10, Commentary, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on February 11, 2007 | No Comments