Bible Strands
Joshua 10:1
Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction—doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king—and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living near them.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative reports that Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem receives intelligence regarding Israel’s recent military results. The account places this political reaction immediately after the fall of Ai and the Gibeonite treaty.
The words — כִּשְׁמֹעַ (kish-mo'a) translates literally as "when he heard," and לָכַד (lakhd) means "he captured." These terms anchor the verse in immediate cause-and-effect reporting rather than prolonged description.
The thread — The conquest pattern references Joshua 6:21 for Jericho’s total destruction and Joshua 8:2 for Ai’s permitted plunder. The Jerusalem/Salem name link appears in Genesis 14:18.
Why it lands — The text records how neighboring rulers track Israel’s advances to gauge threat level. It asks the reader to observe how political alliances and military reports drive the next phase of the campaign.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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 king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
Cross-references
- Genesis 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine—since he was priest of God Most High—
- Joshua 6:21 With the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
- Joshua 8:2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”
- Joshua 8:22 Meanwhile, those in the ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces on both sides. So Israel struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained.
- Joshua 9:15 And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.
- Joshua 11:19 No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites living in Gibeon; all others were taken in battle.
- Hebrews 7:1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,