Joshua 10:26 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

After that, Joshua struck down the five kings and killed them, then hung their bodies on five trees. They remained hanging on the trees until evening.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

Joshua executed the five enemy kings who had attacked Israel and displayed their bodies as a warning until sunset.

📚 Historical Context

This occurred during Israel's conquest of the Promised Land when five Amorite kings formed an alliance to attack Gibeon, which had made peace with Israel. According to ancient Near Eastern warfare customs, displaying defeated enemies publicly demonstrated complete victory and served as a deterrent to other potential enemies. Jewish law required bodies to be taken down before nightfall to avoid defiling the land.

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John 19:31

Since it was Friday and the religious leaders didn't want bodies hanging on crosses during the Sabbath (especially this one, which was a major holy day), they asked Pilate to have the men's legs broken so they'd die faster and could be taken down.

Joshua 8:29

Joshua had the king of Ai hanged on a tree until evening. As soon as the sun went down, Joshua ordered his men to take the body down from the tree and throw it at the entrance of the city gate. Then they piled a large heap of stones over it, which remains there to this day.

2 Samuel 21:12

So David went and got the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh-gilead, who had secretly taken them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung their bodies after killing Saul in the battle at Gilboa.

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