Commentari biblici

XI.

JOSHUA’S NORTHERN CAMPAIGN.

(1) Jabin king of Hazor seems to have been in northern Palestine what Adonizedec, king of Jerusalem, was in the south. For the strength of this monarchy see the story in Judges 4, 5. From its formidable character when it recovered strength in the days of the judges, we may gather some notion of what it was at first.

Hazor is identified as Jebel Hadîrah, near Kedes, in Upper Galilee.

Madon, perhaps Madîn, west of the Sea of Galilee.

Shimron is identified as Simûnieh, west of Nazareth.

(2) Chinneroth—i.e., Ginizer, the Gennesaret of the New Testament.

Dor is identified as Tantûra.

(3) The land of Mizpeh is thought to be the plain El-Bukei’a, west of Hermon.

(5) The waters of Merom.—The most northerly of the three lakes on the course of the Jordan.

(6) Thou shalt hough their horses.—See Note on Joshua 11:9, and observe that the command of Jehovah is the authority for the act.

(7) Suddenly.—On this occasion, as in the former campaign which began at Gibeon, Joshua surprised his adversaries by the rapidity of his movements.

(8) Misrephoth-maim is thought to be the same with Zarephath or Sarepta, now Sarafend, near Sidon.

(9) He houghed their horses.—In what particular way this was done we are not informed; we cannot, therefore, be certain whether it was done so as to destroy the lives of the horses, or merely to make them useless for purposes of warfare.