Joshua 11

The Northern Alliance (vs. 1-5)--Joshua's successful southern campaign roused the concern of the kings of various city-states in the north. Most of these cities were up around the Sea of Galilee, Hazor being north of it. But the king of that city was able to raise armies, "as many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots" (v. 4). Where the "waters of Merom" (v. 5) is uncertain, but that is where they waited for Joshua.

The battle won (vs. 6-9)--But waiting was a mistake. After encouragement from the Lord that he triumph (v. 6), Joshua launched a surprise attack (v. 7). "And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel" (v. 8). Joshua did all that Jehovah told him to do, including hamstringing the horses and burning the chariots (v. 9).

Capture of the cities (vs. 10-15)--The king of Hazor had been the leader of this northern alliance, so Joshua made an example of him and his city. He killed the king (v. 10), and then destroyed the city, annihilating the inhabitants thereof (v. 11). He also killed all the people of the other cities of the alliance (vs. 12, 14), but he didn't burn them (v. 13). There was a lot to be taken: "And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the children of Israel took as booty for themselves" (v. 14). One of the reasons for Joshua's success was his obedience to God: "As the LORD had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses" (v. 15).

The extent of the conquest (vs. 16-20)--The writer then tells the extent of Joshua's conquests, north and south. It wasn't easy; "Joshua made war a long time with all those kings" (v. 18), mainly because "There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon" (v. 19). But the Lord had intended, for a long time, to punish these people, "that He might utterly destroy them" (v. 20). He had told Abraham, back in Genesis 15, that one of the reasons the children of Israel would be delayed 400 years before taking the land of promise was that "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete" (Gen. 15:16). These people had been very wicked, trying God's patience for a long time. But, as of yet (Abraham's day), they were not fully ripe for the Lord's justice. By the time He was ready to give them the land of Canaan, He would have had His fill of those evil, idolatrous people and want them wiped from the face of the earth.

The defeat of the Anakim (vs. 21-23)--The Anakim were a group of people who dwelt, in various tribes, in the south part of Canaan. We meet them in the days of Abraham (Gen. 14:5-6), and their fierce, warlike appearance was one of the reasons 10 of the 12 spies Moses sent in to reconnoiter the land came back with a negative report (Numbers. 13:33). They seem to have been identified with the Nephilim, the "giants" of Genesis 6:4 (see the spies report in Numbers 13:33). Joshua expelled them from the land, except for a small remnant that remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod (v. 22). It's possible that some of the "giants" David faced (II Sam. 21:15-22) were descendants of the Anakim; they were in the same region.