Joshua 11:19 states: "There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all in battle."
This verse is describing the Israelite conquest of Canaan, and it highlights two key points:
General Resistance: The first part emphasizes that nearly all the cities in Canaan actively resisted the Israelites and were defeated in battle. They refused to surrender or negotiate peace treaties.
The Exception of Gibeon: The exception to this widespread resistance was the city of Gibeon, inhabited by Hivites. This is a significant detail, as it's explained in detail in Joshua 9. The Gibeonites used a clever deception to trick the Israelites into making a covenant of peace with them. They pretended to be from a distant land, wearing worn-out clothes and carrying stale provisions, to convince the Israelites that they were not part of the Canaanite nations that God had commanded them to destroy.
The second sentence of this verse: "They took all in battle" means the Israelites conquered all the other cities in Canaan. All the other cities that didn't make peace were taken in battle.
In summary, Joshua 11:19 is emphasizing how fierce the Israelite conquest was. Almost all the Canaanite cities fought against them. The Gibeonites, through deceit, were the only ones who avoided battle by securing a peace treaty. The Israelites took all the rest in battle.
Joshua 11:19 states: "There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all in battle."
This verse is describing the Israelite conquest of Canaan, and it highlights two key points:
General Resistance: The first part emphasizes that nearly all the cities in Canaan actively resisted the Israelites and were defeated in battle. They refused to surrender or negotiate peace treaties.
The Exception of Gibeon: The exception to this widespread resistance was the city of Gibeon, inhabited by Hivites. This is a significant detail, as it's explained in detail in Joshua 9. The Gibeonites used a clever deception to trick the Israelites into making a covenant of peace with them. They pretended to be from a distant land, wearing worn-out clothes and carrying stale provisions, to convince the Israelites that they were not part of the Canaanite nations that God had commanded them to destroy.
The second sentence of this verse: "They took all in battle" means the Israelites conquered all the other cities in Canaan. All the other cities that didn't make peace were taken in battle.
In summary, Joshua 11:19 is emphasizing how fierce the Israelite conquest was. Almost all the Canaanite cities fought against them. The Gibeonites, through deceit, were the only ones who avoided battle by securing a peace treaty. The Israelites took all the rest in battle.