Joshua 10 26

Joshua 10:26 kjv

And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.

Joshua 10:26 nkjv

And afterward Joshua struck them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging on the trees until evening.

Joshua 10:26 niv

Then Joshua put the kings to death and exposed their bodies on five poles, and they were left hanging on the poles until evening.

Joshua 10:26 esv

And afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening.

Joshua 10:26 nlt

Then Joshua killed each of the five kings and impaled them on five sharpened poles, where they hung until evening.

Joshua 10 verses

Joshua 10 26 Meaning

Joshua 10:26 details the execution of the five Amorite kings who had allied against Gibeon and, by extension, against Israel, following their defeat. It describes their public display by hanging them on trees until evening, an act performed in accordance with Mosaic law to signify the full and complete judgment against these enemies of God and His people, followed by their burial.

Joshua 10 26 Context

Joshua chapter 10 recounts one of the most significant battles in the Israelite conquest of Canaan. After Israel made a covenant with the Gibeonites (much to the dismay of the surrounding Canaanite kings), five Amorite kings—Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—formed an alliance to attack Gibeon. Israel, upholding their covenant, responded under Joshua's leadership. The battle was miraculously aided by God with hailstones and the prolonging of daylight, resulting in a decisive victory. The five kings fled and hid in a cave at Makkedah, where they were later found and brought before Joshua. Before executing them, Joshua made his commanders put their feet on the kings' necks, symbolizing absolute victory and subjugation. Verse 26 describes the final stage of their judgment: execution and a public display of their bodies. This act served as a visible testament to God's judgment against the inhabitants of the land and Israel's obedience to the 'herem' (ban) laws, particularly the Deuteronomic command regarding public hangings.

Joshua 10 26 Word analysis

• afterward (Hebrew: אַחֲרֵי־כֵן, 'acharei-khen): This adverbial phrase denotes immediate sequence. It indicates that the execution and hanging of the kings happened directly after Joshua commanded his commanders to step on their necks (Josh 10:24-25), emphasizing the swift and complete nature of God's judgment and Israel's decisive victory.
• Joshua struck them and put them to death (Hebrew: וַיַּכֵּם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיְמִיתֵם, vayakem Yehoshua vayimitem):
  • struck (יָכַךְ, yakah): To smite, strike down, defeat. It signifies a forceful and decisive action, representing the direct act of execution.
  • put them to death (מוּת, mut): To kill, slay. This confirms the kings' demise, emphasizing the finality of their judgment and the fulfilling of the herem mandate against them. The repeated verb form indicates a deliberate and complete annihilation.
• hanged them (Hebrew: וַיִּתְלֵם, vayitlem): From the root תָּלָה, talah, meaning "to hang, suspend." This was a common ancient Near Eastern practice to publicly display defeated enemies, not primarily as torture (they were already dead), but as an act of extreme humiliation, deterrence, and a clear demonstration of the victor's supremacy. It publicly declared their disgrace and the completeness of Israel's triumph under God.
• on five trees (Hebrew: עַל חֲמִשָּׁה עֵצִים, 'al chamishah 'etsim):
  • trees (עֵץ, 'ets): Simply "tree" or "wood." The specificity of "five trees" emphasizes the public, individual humiliation of each king, making the display even more striking and a distinct visual representation of their fall from power. This reinforces the public nature of the judgment.
• they were hanging (Hebrew: וַיִּהְיוּ תְלֻיִם, vayiheyu teluyim): Emphasizes the state of being suspended. This passive perfect construction highlights the visual impact and the prolonged public display.
• on the trees until evening (Hebrew: עַל הָעֵץ עַד הָעֶרֶב, 'al ha'ets 'ad ha'erev):
  • until evening ('ad ha'erev): This specific timeframe is crucial. It directly reflects and obeys the divine command found in Deuteronomy 21:23, which prohibits leaving an executed body exposed overnight. This compliance underscores Joshua's meticulous adherence to God's law, contrasting Israel's practices with those pagan nations who might leave bodies exposed indefinitely for further desecration. It highlights that even in acts of severe judgment, God's people must follow His righteous standards.
• Word Group: "struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them": This sequence of actions indicates not mere killing, but a comprehensive execution process culminating in public display. It serves as a visual sermon and a divine warning, fulfilling God's pronouncements against the Amorites. It also demonstrates God's victory through Israel, not just Israel's might.
• Word Group: "hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging on the trees until evening": This detailed account emphasizes the public nature of the judgment, the individual humiliation of each king, and crucially, Israel's obedience to the Deuteronomic law concerning the exposure of dead bodies. The command to bury by evening reflects a respect for the body and a rejection of prolonged defilement, even for the most wicked, marking Israel as a people governed by God's holiness. This particular act also foreshadows the curse placed upon Christ on the cross, though with a profound difference in purpose.

Joshua 10 26 Bonus section

The act of hanging "on a tree" carried a deep connotation of being accursed in Israelite society. While the execution of the Amorite kings was a just judgment on their sin and defiance against God's plan, it also serves as a potent typological foreshadowing in a paradoxical way. Centuries later, the Apostle Paul uses the phrase "cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree" (Gal 3:13, quoting Deut 21:23) to explain Christ's crucifixion. Jesus, the sinless one, became a curse for us by being hanged on a tree, thereby taking upon Himself the very curse that our sins deserved. The five Amorite kings bore the curse of their own wicked deeds; Christ bore our curse, securing redemption and fulfilling God's perfect justice and mercy. This subtle parallel highlights the biblical understanding of a tree as a place associated with both judgment and salvation, depending on God's redemptive plan. The swift burial, also in accordance with Deuteronomic law, reinforces the finality of the judgment, prevents continued ritual defilement of the land, and implicitly points to the divine respect for human life, even of the condemned.

Joshua 10 26 Commentary

Joshua 10:26 serves as a profound demonstration of divine judgment and Israelite obedience during the conquest of Canaan. The act of executing and then hanging the five Amorite kings, though stark, was not an act of wanton cruelty, but a precise fulfillment of God's 'herem' command against the wicked nations whose iniquity was now complete. The hanging on trees was a public spectacle of their utter humiliation and defeat, visually confirming God's decisive victory through Israel and asserting His sovereignty over the land. Crucially, the requirement to take them down "until evening" underscores Israel's meticulous adherence to the Mosaic Law (Deut 21:22-23), contrasting their righteous practice with the barbarism of surrounding pagan nations who might leave bodies exposed for extended periods. This act proclaimed that those who stand against God's purposes will be judged, and those who align with His will, even in severe actions, act under divine mandate and constraint. It signifies that even in judgment, God demands obedience to His law.