Bible Strands
Joshua 11:7
So by the waters of Merom, Joshua and his whole army came upon them suddenly and attacked them,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Joshua and his army arrive at the waters of Merom immediately after God commands him in 11:6 not to fear and to hamstring the enemy's horses and burn their chariots.
The words — וַ/יָּבֹ֣א (va/i.ya.Vo') = and/he came denotes the decisive approach, while עֲלֵי/הֶ֛ם ('a.lei./Hem) = on/them specifies the direct target of the assault.
The thread — The tactic of a sudden, unannounced strike mirrors Joshua 10:9, where Israel marches all night to catch the coalition by surprise, and functions as a historical parallel to 1 Thessalonians 5:2's warning that the Day of the Lord arrives unexpectedly.
Why it lands — The text records the immediate execution of a divine directive without hesitation, requiring the reader to recognize that obedience to explicit commands precedes the outcome, not human strategy.
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
So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them.
Cross-references
- Joshua 10:9 After marching all night from Gilgal, Joshua caught them by surprise.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.