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The Kings Defeated by the Israelites

12 (A) Before Moses died, he and the people of Israel had defeated two kings east of the Jordan River. These kings had ruled the region from the Arnon River gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north, including the eastern side of the Jordan River valley.

The first king that Moses and the Israelites defeated was an Amorite, King Sihon of Heshbon.[a] The southern border of his kingdom ran down the middle of the Arnon River gorge, taking in the town of Aroer on the northern edge of the gorge. The Jabbok River separated Sihon's kingdom from the Ammonites on the east. Then the Jabbok turned west and became his northern border, so his kingdom included the southern half of the region of Gilead. Sihon also controlled the eastern side of the Jordan River valley from Lake Galilee[b] south to Beth-Jeshimoth and the Dead Sea. In addition to these regions, he ruled the town called Slopes of Mount Pisgah[c] and the land south of there at the foot of the hill.

Next, Moses and the Israelites defeated King Og of Bashan,[d] who lived in the town of Ashtaroth part of each year and in Edrei the rest of the year. Og was one of the last of the Rephaim.[e] His kingdom stretched north to Mount Hermon, east to the town of Salecah, and included the land of Bashan as far west as the borders of the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah. He also ruled the northern half of Gilead.

(B) Moses, the Lord's servant, had led the people of Israel in defeating Sihon and Og. Then Moses gave their land to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.

7-8 Later, Joshua and the Israelites defeated many kings west of the Jordan River, from Baal-Gad in Lebanon Valley in the north to Mount Halak near the country of Edom in the south. This region included the hill country and the foothills, the Jordan River valley and its western slopes, and the Southern Desert. Joshua and the Israelites took this land from the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Joshua divided up the land among the tribes of Israel.

The Israelites defeated the kings of the following towns west of the Jordan River:

9-24 Jericho, Ai near Bethel, Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon, Gezer, Debir, Geder, Hormah, Arad, Libnah, Adullam, Makkedah, Bethel, Tappuah, Hepher, Aphek, Lasharon,[f] Madon, Hazor, Shimron-Meron, Achshaph, Taanach, Megiddo, Kedesh, Jokneam on Mount Carmel, Dor in Naphath-Dor, Goiim in Galilee,[g] and Tirzah.[h]

There were 31 of these kings in all.

Footnotes

  1. 12.2 King Sihon of Heshbon: See Numbers 21.21-31.
  2. 12.3 Lake Galilee: See the note at 11.2.
  3. 12.3 the town called Slopes of Mount Pisgah: Or “the slopes of Mount Pisgah.”
  4. 12.4 King Og of Bashan: See Numbers 21.33-35.
  5. 12.4 Rephaim: Perhaps a group of very large people that lived in Palestine before the Israelites (see Deuteronomy 2.10,11, 20,21).
  6. 12.9-24 Aphek, Lasharon: Or “Aphek in the Sharon Plain.”
  7. 12.9-24 Galilee: One ancient translation; Hebrew “Gilgal.”
  8. 12.9-24 Jericho … Tirzah: There are some differences in this list between the Hebrew and several ancient translations.

List of Defeated Kings

12 These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took(A) over east of the Jordan,(B) from the Arnon(C) Gorge to Mount Hermon,(D) including all the eastern side of the Arabah:(E)

Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.(F)

He ruled from Aroer(G) on the rim of the Arnon Gorge—from the middle of the gorge—to the Jabbok River,(H) which is the border of the Ammonites.(I) This included half of Gilead.(J) He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Galilee[a](K) to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea(L)), to Beth Jeshimoth,(M) and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah.(N)

And the territory of Og king of Bashan,(O) one of the last of the Rephaites,(P) who reigned in Ashtaroth(Q) and Edrei.

He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salekah,(R) all of Bashan(S) to the border of the people of Geshur(T) and Maakah,(U) and half of Gilead(V) to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the Israelites conquered them.(W) And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their possession.(X)

Here is a list of the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon(Y) to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir. Joshua gave their lands as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their tribal divisions. The lands included the hill country, the western foothills, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the wilderness and the Negev.(Z) These were the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. These were the kings:(AA)

the king of Jericho(AB)one
the king of Ai(AC) (near Bethel(AD))one
10 the king of Jerusalem(AE)one
the king of Hebronone
11 the king of Jarmuthone
the king of Lachish(AF)one
12 the king of Eglon(AG)one
the king of Gezer(AH)one
13 the king of Debir(AI)one
the king of Gederone
14 the king of Hormah(AJ)one
the king of Arad(AK)one
15 the king of Libnah(AL)one
the king of Adullam(AM)one
16 the king of Makkedah(AN)one
the king of Bethel(AO)one
17 the king of Tappuah(AP)one
the king of Hepher(AQ)one
18 the king of Aphek(AR)one
the king of Lasharonone
19 the king of Madonone
the king of Hazor(AS)one
20 the king of Shimron Meronone
the king of Akshaph(AT)one
21 the king of Taanach(AU)one
the king of Megiddo(AV)one
22 the king of Kedesh(AW)one
the king of Jokneam(AX) in Carmel(AY)one
23 the king of Dor (in Naphoth Dor(AZ))one
the king of Goyim in Gilgalone
24 the king of Tirzah(BA)one
thirty-one kings in all.(BB)

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 12:3 Hebrew Kinnereth

12 Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:

Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Bethjeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdothpisgah:

And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

Them did Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the Lord gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;

In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;

10 The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;

11 The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;

12 The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;

13 The king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;

14 The king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;

15 The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;

16 The king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one;

17 The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;

18 The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;

19 The king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;

20 The king of Shimronmeron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;

21 The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

22 The king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one;

23 The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one;

24 The king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty and one.