Bible Strands
Joshua 10:32
And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He put all the people to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative places Joshua and the Israelite forces at the siege of Lachish, immediately following their advance from Libnah. The text records a historical moment of military conquest during the southern campaign.
The words — וַ/יִּתֵּן (va/i.yi.Ten) translates literally as "and he gave," while בְּ/יַ֣ד (be./Yad) means "in the hand of." These terms frame the subsequent capture as a transfer of authority rather than a mere tactical victory.
The thread — This verse continues the conquest narrative's pattern of divine intervention preceding human military action, a sequence repeated in earlier southern city accounts. The text consistently links Yahweh's delivery of a location with Israel's immediate seizure of it.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to observe the chronological sequence of divine action followed by human execution. It demands attention to how the narrative records the fulfillment of the campaign's military objectives.
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 the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.