And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.
He captured the city, its king, and all the surrounding towns. They killed everyone with their swords and completely destroyed all the people living there, leaving no survivors. He did to Debir and its king exactly what he had done to Hebron, and the same as he had done to Libnah and its king.
This verse describes Joshua's complete military conquest of Debir, where he destroyed the city and killed all its inhabitants, just as he had done to other Canaanite cities.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Joshua, the Israelites were carrying out God's command to conquer the Promised Land of Canaan after their exodus from Egypt, as part of fulfilling the covenant He made with Abraham. This involved fierce battles where cities were destroyed to eliminate the influence of pagan cultures that practiced idolatry and child sacrifice, reflecting divine judgment on their wickedness. Joshua 10:39 specifically recounts the capture and destruction of Debir and its king, mirroring the pattern of previous conquests like Hebron and Libnah.
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