Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
Now when Adonizedec, the king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured the city of Ai and completely destroyed it—just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king—and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were now living among them,
The writer is setting up a story where the king of Jerusalem becomes alarmed after hearing about Joshua's military victories and Gibeon's peace treaty with Israel.
📚 Historical Context
This takes place during Israel's conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua's leadership, after their famous victories at Jericho and Ai. Adonizedec was a Canaanite king who controlled Jerusalem, one of the major fortified cities in the region. The Gibeonites' decision to make peace with Israel rather than fight them was seen as a betrayal by other Canaanite kings.
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