Joshua 12:24 kjv
The king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty and one.
Joshua 12:24 nkjv
the king of Tirzah, one? all the kings, thirty-one.
Joshua 12:24 niv
the king of Tirzah ? one ? thirty-one kings in all.
Joshua 12:24 esv
the king of Tirzah, one: in all, thirty-one kings.
Joshua 12:24 nlt
The king of Tirzah.
In all, thirty-one kings were defeated.
Joshua 12 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:7 | Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." | God's initial promise of the land to Abraham. |
| Gen 15:18 | On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—" | Covenant detailing the extent of the promised land. |
| Exod 23:27 | "I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every people whom you encounter..." | God's active role in Israel's victories. |
| Num 21:24 | And Israel struck him with the edge of the sword... | Example of a king defeated on the East bank. |
| Deut 2:33-35 | The LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we struck him and his sons and all his people, leaving no survivor. | Divine assistance in the complete overthrow of enemies. |
| Deut 7:1 | "When the LORD your God brings you into the land...and removes before you many nations..." | God's command and active involvement in removing nations. |
| Deut 9:3 | "Understand therefore today that the LORD your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire." | Emphasizes God fighting on Israel's behalf. |
| Josh 1:3 | "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised Moses." | God reaffirming the promise of land to Joshua. |
| Josh 11:23 | So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses... | Broad statement of the land's full acquisition. |
| Josh 21:43 | Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that He had sworn to give to their fathers... | God's faithfulness in fulfilling the land promise. |
| Josh 21:44 | And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. | Fulfillment of God's promise for rest and peace. |
| Josh 23:14 | "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word has failed of all the good words that the LORD your God spoke concerning you..." | Joshua's testimony to God's complete faithfulness. |
| Judg 1:1 | After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, "Who should go up first against the Canaanites to fight on our behalf?" | Transition from the Joshua's conquests to ongoing challenges. |
| 1 Sam 17:47 | "...that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear." | God's power in battle, not human strength. |
| Ps 44:3 | For by their own sword they did not take the land, and their own arm did not save them, but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your face... | Attribute conquest to God's direct intervention. |
| Isa 55:11 | "So shall My word be which goes out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire..." | God's word (promise) always fulfills its purpose. |
| Matt 5:18 | "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished." | The immutability and complete fulfillment of God's Word. |
| Rom 15:8 | For I tell you that Christ has become a servant to the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs... | Christ's work validates and fulfills Old Testament promises. |
| Heb 4:8 | For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later of another day. | The earthly rest in Canaan was a shadow of eternal rest in Christ. |
| Heb 11:30 | By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. | Faith as the principle enabling the conquest. |
| 2 Cor 1:20 | For all the promises of God in Him are Yes and in Him Amen... | God's promises find ultimate "Yes" in Christ. |
| Rev 11:15 | "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ..." | Future culmination of God's sovereign rule over all earthly kingdoms. |
Joshua 12 verses
Joshua 12 24 Meaning
Joshua 12:24 concludes the comprehensive list of kings defeated by the Israelites under Joshua's leadership on the west side of the Jordan River. It specifically names the king of Tirzah as the final one listed in this catalog, bringing the grand total of vanquished monarchs, including those on the east of Jordan, to thirty-one. This verse serves as a historical summary, testifying to the successful and extensive fulfillment of God's promise to give Israel the land of Canaan.
Joshua 12 24 Context
Joshua chapter 12 serves as a grand summary of the successful military campaigns led by Joshua, following the instructions given by God to Moses and Joshua. The chapter meticulously lists the kings defeated on both sides of the Jordan River. Verses 1-6 list the two kings defeated by Moses on the east bank (Sihon and Og). Verses 7-24 then enumerate the kings defeated by Joshua and the Israelites on the west bank of the Jordan, a total of thirty-one kings. This particular verse (Josh 12:24) brings that detailed enumeration to a conclusive end, explicitly stating the last listed king (Tirzah) and summing up the entire conquest with a definitive number. Historically, this account is set shortly after the major campaigns documented in Joshua 6-11, where powerful cities and alliances were overthrown, demonstrating God's hand in establishing Israel in the Promised Land. This exhaustive list was also important for proving the divine right of the Israelites to the conquered land.
Joshua 12 24 Word analysis
- the king of Tirzah:
- Word: Hebrew: מֶלֶךְ תִּרְצָה (Meleḵ Tirṣâ).
- Significance:
Meleḵ(king) denotes a ruler of an independent city-state.Tirṣâ(Tirzah) was a Canaanite city. Although not prominently mentioned earlier in the conquest narrative, it later became a significant city and a capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the Omride dynasty (1 Ki 16:23-24). Its inclusion here, even if minor at the time, signifies the comprehensiveness of the conquest, extending to less notorious but still sovereign entities. The defeat of Tirzah’s king, like all the others, demonstrates that no Canaanite stronghold, regardless of its prominence, was immune to the divinely ordained invasion.
- one:
- Word: Hebrew: אֶחָד (ʼeḥāḏ).
- Significance: This word immediately following "Tirzah" clarifies that the king of Tirzah is counted as one additional unit in the cumulative list. It emphasizes his inclusion in the overall tally. It is not an adjective describing Tirzah, but an enumerator, reinforcing that this king specifically contributes to the total sum being stated. This detail solidifies the accuracy and completeness of the tally.
- all the kings:
- Word: Hebrew: כָּל־הַמְּלָכִים (Kol-ha-mělāḵîm).
- Significance:
Kolmeans "all" or "every." This phrase emphasizes the totality and sweep of the victory. It is a comprehensive summary, not a partial accounting. It speaks to the divine plan's thorough execution, indicating that no significant king or kingdom capable of resisting Israel was left standing as an organized political entity. This refutes any notion of limited success or unfinished conquest regarding major strongholds, reinforcing God's overwhelming victory over the pantheon of Canaanite gods (each king often representing his city's patron deity).
- thirty-one:
- Word: Hebrew: שְׁלֹשִׁים וְאֶחָד (Šəlōšîm wə-ʼeḥāḏ).
- Significance: The specific number 31 provides precision to the historical record. It's a numerical seal to the accomplishments. While not a symbolically profound number in biblical numerology, its exactness highlights the factual basis of the account and the meticulous record-keeping inherent in the ancient Near East royal annals or triumph lists. It solidifies the thoroughness of the conquest; not just a few but a significant number of independent rulers were definitively overthrown. This precision underlines God's power manifested through Joshua and serves as undeniable proof of the fulfillment of God's land covenant with Abraham and his descendants.
- "the king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty-one." (Words-group)
- Significance: This phrase functions as a conclusive statement for the entire chapter. It explicitly links the final listed entity (King of Tirzah) to the overarching sum. The colon (or semi-colon in other translations) structurally draws attention to the sum, stating that including this final king completes the comprehensive total. It acts as the grand total summary of all conquests on both sides of the Jordan River. It reinforces the divine triumph and the complete subjugation of the inhabitants of Canaan under God's explicit command and provision, showing God's power in overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds posed by numerous powerful rulers and walled cities. This summary would have been significant for the original audience as a vindication of their right to the land, grounded in God's demonstrated might.
Joshua 12 24 Bonus section
The comprehensive nature of the list of defeated kings in Joshua 12, culminating in verse 24, also had significant legal and territorial implications for the Israelites. It effectively recorded the forfeiture of land rights by these thirty-one kings, establishing a clear divine mandate and justification for Israel's occupation. This total count would serve as a crucial reference point for the subsequent division of the land among the twelve tribes, providing boundaries based on the conquered territories. The very existence of such a detailed and numerical record underscores the factual historicity of the conquest for its original audience and highlights the deliberate and strategic execution of God's will rather than haphazard tribal incursions.
Joshua 12 24 Commentary
Joshua 12:24 provides the culminating declaration of a comprehensive and decisive conquest. This specific number, thirty-one kings, solidifies the narrative of divine faithfulness and the extensive fulfillment of God’s covenantal promises concerning the land of Canaan (Gen 12:7; 15:18). The meticulous cataloging of these defeated kings reflects an ancient Near Eastern practice of royal records celebrating military achievements. However, in this biblical context, the glory is fundamentally ascribed to God, not human strength (Ps 44:3). The inclusion of "the king of Tirzah, one" serves as a direct addition to the previous list, ensuring the tally's accuracy and highlighting that no independent city-state of significance was left untouched by Israel's divine commission. This verse essentially marks the completion of the major phase of conquest and highlights God’s power and faithfulness in overcoming numerous strong and established Canaanite rulers, demonstrating that His Word always comes to pass. It signifies the end of the major military campaign and the beginning of the land's distribution among the tribes (Joshua 13ff).