Bible Strands
Joshua 10:3
Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem dispatches a messenger to the kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon immediately after his alarm over Gibeon's alliance with Israel.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיִּשְׁלַח (va/yishlach) literally means "and he sent," denoting the formal initiation of a diplomatic and military coalition. The compound name אֲדֹנִי־צֶדֶק (Adoni-tzedek) translates to "lord of righteousness," functioning as the sender's official royal title.
The thread — The allied cities reappear in later biblical geography as key Judahite strongholds and patriarchal landmarks (2 Chronicles 11:9; Micah 1:13; Genesis 23:2).
Why it lands — The verse documents a political maneuver driven by territorial fear, requiring the reader to trace how human alliances form in response to shifting power dynamics. It asks the reader to observe the strategic calculations behind the narrative without projecting later theological conclusions onto the immediate historical action.
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
Wherefore Adoni–zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 11:9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
- Micah 1:13 Harness your chariot horses, O dweller of Lachish. You were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
- Genesis 23:2 She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.
- Genesis 37:14 Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem,
- Numbers 13:22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.
- 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.
- Joshua 10:5 So the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They camped before Gibeon and made war against it.
- Joshua 12:10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;
- Joshua 14:15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath-arba, after Arba, the greatest man among the Anakim.) Then the land had rest from war.
- Joshua 15:35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,