Joshua 10:38

Study note

Setting — Joshua 10:38 occurs during the southern campaign immediately after the destruction of Hebron, as Joshua and the Israelite army shift their focus to attack the city of Debir.

The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יָּ֧שָׁב (va/i.Ya.shov) literally means "and he turned back," describing the army's directional shift, while וַ/יִּלָּ֖חֶם (va/i.yi.La.chem) means "and he engaged in battle" against the city.

The thread — The campaign against Debir connects to Joshua 15:15, which notes Caleb's earlier march against its inhabitants, and Joshua 15:49, which identifies Debir by its former name Kiriath-sannah.

Why it lands — The text records a tactical relocation of military force to execute the commanded destruction, requiring the reader to track the narrative's progression without importing external commentary.

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.