The big picture
The treaty with Gibeon immediately becomes costly when five Amorite kings attack the city for making peace with Israel. Joshua marches through the night to relieve the ally Israel had sworn to spare, and the campaign expands from surprise attack to hailstones and the extraordinary delay of sunset. The account repeatedly insists that the LORD fights for Israel even while Joshua's army marches, pursues, traps, and attacks. Five kings hide in a cave that becomes first a prison and later their tomb, while successive city captures push the southern campaign across the region. The repeated formulas create a sweeping victory record, but small differences remain important: not every city falls in exactly the same way, and defeating Gezer's king does not equal capturing Gezer itself. The chapter closes by gathering the campaign into one explanation and one return. The LORD fought for Israel, and Joshua brings the army back to Gilgal.
Central truth
Joshua 10 records Israel honoring its covenant with Gibeon as the LORD throws the attacking coalition into confusion, sends great hailstones, and grants an extraordinary prolonged day before Joshua completes the southern campaign.
The study notes have a page of their own
The movement by movement analysis, the words to trace, the verse by verse notes and where readers differ are written for someone studying alone. They are on the Deep Personal Reflections page for this chapter. This page is the lesson.
A chapter-specific teaching brief
These anchors come from this chapter itself. They help a teacher use the Level 1 overview, the Level 2 study, and the Scripture text as one lesson.
Open with the chapter’s first image
Joshua 10:1: “Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her…”
Slow down at the turning point
Joshua 10:22: “Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.”
Keep this word trail visible
Joshua, king, Israel, LORD, smote, kings
What to explain, in order
Teach the passage in this order. Each step names the verses it rests on, so every point can be shown in the text before it is applied.
Joshua 10:1-5
Jerusalem against Gibeon
Begin with Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem. Explain that his name means lord of righteousness, and that his city lies a few miles south of Gibeon. Read why he fears and how he gathers four other kings. Point out that their target is not Israel but Gibeon, because "it hath made peace with Joshua". Teach this first so the class sees that chapter 10 grows out of chapter 9: the treaty Israel made by mistake becomes the reason for the greatest battle in the book, and the deceivers become the ones in need of rescue.
Joshua 10:6-11
A night march and hail from heaven
Read the Gibeonite appeal and Joshua's response: he goes up from Gilgal "all night", a climb of some twenty miles uphill. The LORD says, "Fear them not". Then show the battle: the LORD throws the coalition into panic, Israel pursues down the pass of Beth-horon, and hail falls. Explain "discomfited" as routed or thrown into confusion. Read the end of verse 11 slowly. Teach this before the long day so that the class sees the LORD already fighting before Joshua prays, and sees a promise honoured to people who did not deserve it.
Joshua 10:12-15
The day the LORD hearkened
Read Joshua's words and what follows. Explain "the book of Jasher" as a collection of poems or songs, also cited in 2 Samuel 1:18, which no longer exists. Discuss how readers have understood the event: some take it as a lengthened day, others as light prolonged or the sun's heat held back, and others as the poetic language of the cited song. Present these without settling it. What the text insists on is in verse 14: "there was no day like that", and the reason, "the LORD fought for Israel". Keep the class on that.
Joshua 10:16-27
The kings in the cave
Read the cave account plainly. Explain feet on the necks as an ancient gesture of conquest, found in Assyrian and Egyptian images. Then read Joshua's words in 10:25: "Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage", the words the LORD spoke to him in chapter 1, now passed on. Explain that the bodies are taken down at sunset in keeping with Deuteronomy 21:22-23. Teach this carefully and without relish. Say that it records the judgment of kings in an ancient war, and is never a pattern for treating enemies today.
Joshua 10:28-43
City by city, and the LORD fought
Read the southern campaign briskly, naming the cities on a map. Point out the refrain, "he let none remain", and treat it with the same care as the ban in chapter 6. Explain that the formulas summarise a campaign in the style of ancient war reports; later chapters show that Hebron and Debir still had to be taken (15:13-17), and readers explain this in different ways. Then land on verse 42: "because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel." Teach that verse last so the chapter ends where the text ends, with the LORD's action rather than Joshua's.
Where learners get stuck
The misreadings this passage tends to produce, and how to answer each from the text.
"The sun went round the earth, so the Bible is unscientific."
Joshua speaks as an observer on the ground, as people still do when they say the sun rises. The text describes what was seen: "the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day" (10:13). Readers explain the event differently, but none needs the text to teach a model of the solar system. Its own emphasis is on the LORD hearkening "unto the voice of a man" and fighting for Israel (10:14).
"Joshua told the sun what to do, so we can command nature by faith."
Joshua "spake" to the LORD (10:12), and verse 14 says "the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man". The power lies with the LORD, not with Joshua's words. The same verse says "there was no day like that before it or after it", which marks the event as unique, not repeatable on demand. The text invites learners to pray boldly, but not to treat prayer as a way of controlling creation.
"God was on Israel's side because Israel was always right."
The battle happens because Israel kept an oath it made after failing to ask the LORD (9:14-15). Israel is defending people who deceived it. The LORD fights for Israel here (10:14, 42), but chapter 7 has shown that he will also let Israel be defeated when it sins. The chapter does not teach that God backs one nation automatically. It shows the LORD fighting according to his purposes in this campaign, and it gives no warrant to map those purposes onto any modern state or army.
"Putting feet on the kings' necks shows God approves of humiliating enemies."
The gesture is an ancient sign of total defeat, and Joshua uses it to strengthen Israel: "thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight" (10:25). It belongs to a specific war of judgment. Jesus tells his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44). Teachers should name the gesture plainly and not commend it as a model for how believers treat opponents.
Learning objectives
- Explain why five Amorite kings attack Gibeon rather than attacking Israel directly at the start of the chapter.
- Connect Joshua’s defense of Gibeon to the treaty made in Joshua 9.
- Identify the three distinct features of the battle report: Israel’s assault, the LORD’s hailstones, and the prolonged sun and moon.
- Describe what happens to the five kings from their hiding in the cave at Makkedah to their final burial.
- Trace the sequence of southern cities taken after the Gibeon battle.
- Distinguish what the passage explicitly states about the long day from modern proposals about how the event occurred.
Teacher preparation
- Read Joshua 9 immediately before the lesson.
- Locate Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon, Gibeon, Beth-horon, Azekah, Makkedah, Libnah, and Debir.
- Mark verses 11–14 carefully.
- Be ready to explain the “book of Jasher” in verse 13 as a cited source known to the biblical writer but not preserved as a canonical biblical book.
- Prepare to discuss the long day with restraint.
Evidence and interpretation checks
Explicit
Joshua 10:8 says the LORD tells Joshua not to fear because the coalition has been delivered into his hand.
Scripture-supported
Joshua’s duty to aid Gibeon follows directly from the covenant and oath of Joshua 9:15–20, which the leaders refused to violate even after learning of Gibeon’s deception.
Strong inference
Gibeon’s treaty turns the city from a target of Israel into a target of neighboring kings, so the diplomatic decision in chapter 9 immediately reshapes the military landscape of chapter 10.
Possible or traditional reading
Interpretations of the sun standing still include a lengthened daylight period, unusual astronomical intervention, and attempts to read the poetic wording phenomenologically.
Limit
The text does not tell us how the sun-and-moon event operated scientifically, does not preserve the book of Jasher for comparison, and does not give full casualty or population records for every city in the campaign.
Discussion with answer guidance
1. Why does Adonizedek of Jerusalem fear Gibeon in verses 1–2?
What a good answer contains
Three reasons in verses 1 and 2: Gibeon "had made peace with Israel, and were among them"; it "was a great city, as one of the royal cities"; and "it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty." He also has heard what happened to Jericho and Ai. A good answer sees that Gibeon's treaty has removed a strong buffer and given Israel a foothold in the hills, so Jerusalem's king feels threatened. A weak answer names only fear of Israel and misses the strategic loss of Gibeon.
Show teacher guidance
The chapter gives three reasons: Gibeon has made peace with Joshua, it is a great city like a royal city, and its men are mighty.
2. What appeal do the Gibeonites send to Joshua when the five kings assemble against them?
What a good answer contains
"Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us" (10:6). They call themselves "thy servants", the words of the treaty in 9:8, 11. A good answer sees that Israel's oath, made by deceit, is now tested at a cost: Joshua must march through the night to defend the people who tricked him. A weak answer misses the covenant obligation and treats the appeal as a simple request for help.
Show teacher guidance
Verse 6 piles up urgency: “Slack not thy hand,” “come up to us quickly,” “save us,” and “help us.” Connect that appeal to the covenant Israel has just sworn.
3. According to verse 11, which kills more of the fleeing enemy, Israel’s sword or the hailstones?
What a good answer contains
The verse says "they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword" (10:11). The LORD "cast down great stones from heaven upon them". A good answer sees the point: the battle is the LORD's. Verse 10 says "the LORD discomfited them" and verse 14 "the LORD fought for Israel". A weak answer gives Israel's army the credit, when the Book of Joshua makes clear that the decisive blow came from heaven.
Show teacher guidance
The verse explicitly says more die from the hailstones than the children of Israel slay with the sword.
4. What does Joshua ask the sun and moon to do, and what geographical names anchor the speech?
What a good answer contains
"Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon" (10:12). Gibeon lies to the east, the Ajalon valley to the west, along the route of the battle. Then "the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day" (10:13). A good answer notes that Joshua speaks "to the LORD" and "in the sight of Israel", and that verse 14 sees the wonder as the LORD hearkening "unto the voice of a man". A weak answer jumps to astronomy and misses the prayer.
Show teacher guidance
Verse 12 names the sun over Gibeon and the moon in the valley of Ajalon.
5. What happens to the five kings after they hide in the cave at Makkedah?
What a good answer contains
They hide in a cave and Joshua has "great stones upon the mouth of the cave" rolled in while the army pursues (10:18-19). Afterwards they are brought out, the captains put "your feet upon the necks of these kings" (10:24), Joshua kills them and hangs them on five trees till evening, and they are put back in the cave with great stones over the mouth (10:26-27). A good answer explains the feet on necks as an ancient sign of total victory, and reads Joshua's words in 10:25 as encouragement for Israel. Handle it plainly.
Show teacher guidance
Trace verses 16–27: the cave is sealed, pursuit continues, the kings are brought out, commanders place feet on their necks, they are killed and hanged until evening, then returned to the cave.
6. What repeated formula appears as Joshua moves through Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir?
What a good answer contains
The refrain is that the city is taken, smitten "with the edge of the sword", and "he let none remain" (10:28, 30), with "according to all that he had done to" the previous city (10:32, 35, 37, 39). It closes with "because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel" (10:42). A good answer sees that the repetition is a war report's style, summarising a campaign city by city. It may note that later chapters show some of these places still to be taken (15:13-17). A weak answer reads the list without seeing its pattern.
Show teacher guidance
Notice the repeated giving of cities into Israel’s hand and the claim that Joshua leaves none remaining in the campaign accounts.
Responsible application
Heart and habits
Examine how Joshua responds when an inconvenient treaty obligation suddenly becomes expensive.
Relationships and community
Follow Gibeon’s change from deceiver to protected ally.
Do not make the long day do everything
List what verses 12–14 explicitly say, then list claims the passage does not make about mechanism.
Session plans
Two timings of the same lesson. The shorter keeps the reading, the central discussion and one response; the longer gives the confusions and the application their own time.
45 minutes
Why Gibeon
Read 10:1-5. Take question one and show Jerusalem and Gibeon on a map.
A cry for help
Read 10:6-9. Take question two and connect it to chapter 9.
Hail and the long day
Read 10:10-15. Take questions three and four, and the first two confusions.
The cave
Read 10:16-27. Take question five and the fourth confusion, briefly and carefully.
City by city
Read 10:28-43 quickly. Take question six and land on verse 42.
Close
Hand out the sheet, read 10:14 together, and pray.
90 minutes
When a promise becomes costly
Ask the class for examples of a promise that became costly to keep. Keep it general, then read 10:6.
Why Gibeon
Read 10:1-9. Take questions one and two, and the third confusion.
Hail from heaven
Read 10:10-11 with a map of the Beth-horon pass. Take question three.
The long day
Read 10:12-15 and 2 Samuel 1:18. Take question four. Present the readings of the event, then the first and second confusions.
The cave
Read 10:16-27 and Deuteronomy 21:22-23. Take question five and the fourth confusion.
City by city
Read 10:28-43. Take question six. Compare 10:36-39 with 15:13-17.
Application
Complete the do not make the long day do everything application from the plan.
Close
Read the key verse together and pray for those who must keep a costly promise.
Adapting the lesson
Children
Make the long day the centre: show a lamp as the sun and ask a child to hold it still while the others play out Israel chasing the enemy. Teach that Joshua prayed and God listened. Mention the hailstones with crumpled paper falling from above. Leave out the cave and the killing of the kings, and if children ask, say that God judged the wicked kings and that it was a special time in history.
Youth
Teens will want to argue about the science. Give them the readings, then push past them to verse 14 and ask what it means that God hearkened to a man. Also make the link to chapter 9: Israel marches all night to save people who lied to it. Ask what it would cost them to keep a promise to someone who had treated them badly.
Adults
Adults may bring questions about the long day, about Jasher, and about the violence of the campaign. Address each honestly, presenting the range of readings without forcing one. Spend time on the theme of a costly oath kept, and on the warning not to map this chapter onto any modern nation's wars. Close with verse 42 and the question of what it means for the LORD to fight for his people.
One to one
Read 10:6-14 together and ask the person what they would pray for if they knew the LORD would hearken. Do not promise that every bold prayer is answered as Joshua's was; the text says there was no day like it. If they are keeping a hard commitment, encourage them with Joshua's night march to help Gibeon.
Song and video learning lab
A song or video may interpret, compress, or dramatize the text. Its value becomes clearer when its choices are compared with Scripture.
- Before the media: the exact passage and its central movement.
- During the media: the words, people, events, and emotions the artist emphasizes.
- After the media: what it clarifies, what it leaves out, and what belongs back in the biblical text.
Handout
One page for learners to take home. The print button prints this section alone.
Joshua 10:1–43
The passage in brief
Five kings, led by the king of Jerusalem, attack Gibeon because it has made peace with Israel. Gibeon calls for help, and Joshua marches all night to defend them. The LORD throws the enemy into panic and sends great hailstones that kill more than Israel's swords do. Joshua prays, and the sun stands still until the battle is won. The five kings hide in a cave and are captured. Joshua then leads Israel through the southern cities, because the LORD fought for Israel.
A verse to keep
And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.
Joshua 10:14 · King James Version
Questions to take home
Why did the five kings attack Gibeon (10:1-4)?
What killed more of the enemy than Israel's swords (10:11)?
What does 10:14 say was special about that day?
This week
Keep one promise this week even though it costs you, and ask God boldly for help as you do it.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
