Tanach
Yehoshua 11:10-20 יהושע י״א:י׳-כ׳
Part of: Chapter 11
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
וַיָּשׇׁב יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בָּעֵת הַהִיא וַיִּלְכֹּד אֶת־חָצוֹר וְאֶת־מַלְכָּהּ הִכָּה בֶחָרֶב כִּֽי־חָצוֹר לְפָנִים הִיא רֹאשׁ כׇּל־הַמַּמְלָכוֹת הָאֵֽלֶּה׃
And Yehoshua at that time turned back, and took Ḥażor, and smote its king with the sword: for Ḥażor beforetime was the chief of all those kingdoms.
And Yehoshua at that time turned back, and took Ḥażor, and smote its king with the sword: for Ḥażor beforetime was the chief of all those kingdoms.
וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־כׇּל־הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־בָּהּ לְפִי־חֶרֶב הַחֲרֵם לֹא נוֹתַר כׇּל־נְשָׁמָה וְאֶת־חָצוֹר שָׂרַף בָּאֵֽשׁ׃
And they smote all the souls that were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left that breathed: and he burnt Ḥażor with fire.
And they smote all the souls that were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left that breathed: and he burnt Ḥażor with fire.
וְֽאֶת־כׇּל־עָרֵי הַמְּלָֽכִים־הָאֵלֶּה וְֽאֶת־כׇּל־מַלְכֵיהֶם לָכַד יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיַּכֵּם לְפִי־חֶרֶב הֶחֱרִים אוֹתָם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד יְהֹוָֽה׃
And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, did Yehoshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moshe the servant of the Lord commanded.
And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, did Yehoshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moshe the servant of the Lord commanded.
רַק כׇּל־הֶעָרִים הָעֹֽמְדוֹת עַל־תִּלָּם לֹא שְׂרָפָם יִשְׂרָאֵל זוּלָתִי אֶת־חָצוֹר לְבַדָּהּ שָׂרַף יְהוֹשֻֽׁעַ׃
But as for the cities that stood still on their mounds, Yisra᾽el burned none of them, except Ḥażor only; that did Yehoshua burn.
But as for the cities that stood still on their mounds, Yisra᾽el burned none of them, except Ḥażor only; that did Yehoshua burn.
Rashi
זולתי את חצור לבדה. במסורת שרפה (בראשית רבה וישלח): משה צוה לו ומסר לו כן:
The only exception was Chatzor. He burned it because of a traditional command. Moshe so commanded and transmitted it to him. This is found in Bereishis Rabba on the Sidrah of “And Yaakov sent.”4This command to destroy Chatzor is not written in the Torah. Moshe received this command orally on Mount Sinai and transmitted it to Yehoshua, who fulfilled it.
וְכֹל שְׁלַל הֶעָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְהַבְּהֵמָה בָּזְזוּ לָהֶם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רַק אֶֽת־כׇּל־הָאָדָם הִכּוּ לְפִי־חֶרֶב עַד־הִשְׁמִדָם אוֹתָם לֹא הִשְׁאִירוּ כׇּל־נְשָׁמָֽה׃
And all the spoil of those cities, and the cattle, the children of Yisra᾽el took for plunder to themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, nor did they leave any that breathed.
And all the spoil of those cities, and the cattle, the children of Yisra᾽el took for plunder to themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, nor did they leave any that breathed.
כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה עַבְדּוֹ כֵּן־צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכֵן עָשָׂה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא־הֵסִיר דָּבָר מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה׃
As the Lord commanded Moshe his servant, so did Moshe command Yehoshua, and so did Yehoshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moshe.
As the Lord commanded Moshe his servant, so did Moshe command Yehoshua, and so did Yehoshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moshe.
וַיִּקַּח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת־כׇּל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת הָהָר וְאֶת־כׇּל־הַנֶּגֶב וְאֵת כׇּל־אֶרֶץ הַגֹּשֶׁן וְאֶת־הַשְּׁפֵלָה וְאֶת־הָעֲרָבָה וְאֶת־הַר יִשְׂרָאֵל וּשְׁפֵלָתֹֽה׃
So Yehoshua took all that land, the hills, and all the Negev, and all the land of Goshen, and the plain, and the ῾Arava, and the mountain of Yisra᾽el, and its plain;
So Yehoshua took all that land, the hills, and all the Negev, and all the land of Goshen, and the plain, and the ῾Arava, and the mountain of Yisra᾽el, and its plain;
מִן־הָהָר הֶֽחָלָק הָעוֹלֶה שֵׂעִיר וְעַד־בַּעַל גָּד בְּבִקְעַת הַלְּבָנוֹן תַּחַת הַר־חֶרְמוֹן וְאֵת כׇּל־מַלְכֵיהֶם לָכַד וַיַּכֵּם וַיְמִיתֵֽם׃
from mount Ḥalaq that goes up to Se῾ir, as far as Ba῾al-gad in the valley of Levanon – under mount Ḥermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.
from mount Ḥalaq that goes up to Se῾ir, as far as Ba῾al-gad in the valley of Levanon – under mount Ḥermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.
Rashi
ההר החלק. טורא שעיע, מחליק, ההר החלק עד בעל גד במצר המזרחי, ולא הספיק לכבוש בחייו את כל המצר עד הצפון, תוספתא:
The bare, divided mountain. A smooth mountain.5It was so called because there were no trees on it. It was divided between Yaakov and Eisov. The part belonging to Yaakov was bare and smooth as Yaakov himself. See Bereishis 27:11. This was a bare (smooth) mountain to Baal-gad, which was on the eastern border. During his lifetime, Yehoshua, was unable to conquer the entire eastern border to the north.
בעל גד. מישר גד:
Baal-gad—the plain of gad.
יָמִים רַבִּים עָשָׂה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת־כׇּל־הַמְּלָכִים הָאֵלֶּה מִלְחָמָֽה׃
Yehoshua made war a long time with all those kings.
Yehoshua made war a long time with all those kings.
Rashi
ימים רבים עשה יהושע. בגנותו ספר הכתוב, שהיה מתכוון לדחות את כבוש הארץ כדי להאריך ימיו, לפי שנאמר (לעיל א י): ואתה תנחילנה אותם. במדרש תנחומא:
For many days did Yehoshua. This verse was said to criticize Yehoshua, who intended to delay the conquest of the land, in order to lengthen his days, for it is said, “And you will apportion it to them.”6It took seven years for Yehoshua to conquer the whole land. Our Sages say that he could have conquered the land more quickly. It did not have to take seven years. Yehoshua was reluctant to complete the conquest of the land and divide it between the tribes. He was afraid that once he completed it, he would die. He knew his mission in life was to bring Bnei Yisroel into Eretz Yisroel and settle them there. Once his mission was completed, his life would have no further purpose. See Devorim 31:7 Because he was reluctant to complete the conquest, God punished him, and as soon as the apportioning of the land was completed he died. He was then one hundred and ten years old. Were it not for this, he would have lived ten more years, till one hundred and twenty as did his master, Moshe. From Midrash Tanchumah.
לֹא־הָיְתָה עִיר אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁלִימָה אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּלְתִּי הַחִוִּי יֹשְׁבֵי גִבְעוֹן אֶת־הַכֹּל לָקְחוּ בַמִּלְחָמָֽה׃
There was not a city that made peace, with the children of Yisra᾽el, except the Ḥivvi, the inhabitants of Giv῾on: they took all in battle.
There was not a city that made peace, with the children of Yisra᾽el, except the Ḥivvi, the inhabitants of Giv῾on: they took all in battle.
כִּי מֵאֵת יְהֹוָה ׀ הָיְתָה לְחַזֵּק אֶת־לִבָּם לִקְרַאת הַמִּלְחָמָה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַעַן הַחֲרִימָם לְבִלְתִּי הֱיוֹת־לָהֶם תְּחִנָּה כִּי לְמַעַן הַשְׁמִידָם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ {ס}
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Yisra᾽el in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might obtain no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moshe.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Yisra᾽el in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might obtain no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moshe.
העומדות על תלם. שלא נהרסה חומתם, כמו יריחו שנפלה חומתה, וכן העי, שנאמר בה (לעיל ח כח): וישימה תל עולם שממה:
Remained with their walls intact. Their walls were not destroyed like Yericho, whose walls fell, and similarly Ai, as it is said, “[And Yehoshua burned Ai] and made it into a mound forever, a ruin.”3See Chapter 8:28 above.