Bible Strands
Joshua 10:17
And Joshua was informed: “The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A messenger delivers a report to Joshua that the five fleeing Canaanite kings have been located, occurring immediately after their retreat into the cave at Makkedah and directly preceding Joshua’s command to seal it.
The words — וַיֻּגַד (va.yuggad) is a passive verb meaning “it was told,” signaling that Joshua received the information through an intermediary rather than personal reconnaissance.
The thread — The pattern of divine information delivered through a human messenger recurs in 1 Samuel 9:15 and Acts 9:10, where critical decisions follow reported words rather than direct vision.
Why it lands — The verse demands that the reader treat the report as a factual trigger for action, recognizing that obedience to command requires precise, verified information before execution.
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
And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.