Joshua 11:18

JPS Old Testament

Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Joshua waged war with all these kings for a long time.

Hebrew Names Version
Yehoshua made war a long time with all those kings.

King James Version
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

Lexham English Bible
For many days Joshua made war with all these kings.

English Standard Version
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

New Century Version
He fought against them for many years.

New English Translation
Joshua campaigned against these kings for quite some time.

Amplified Bible
Joshua waged war with all these kings a long time [at least five years].

New American Standard Bible
Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Ioshua made warre long time with all those Kings,

Legacy Standard Bible
Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings.

Complete Jewish Bible
Y'hoshua made war with all those kings for a long time.

Darby Translation
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

Easy-to-Read Version
Joshua fought against them for many years.

George Lamsa Translation
Joshua made war for a long time with all those kings.

Literal Translation
And Joshua made war many days with all those kings.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Howbeit he warred a longe season with these kynges.

American Standard Version
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

Bible in Basic English
For a long time Joshua made war on all those kings.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Iosuah made warre long time with those kinges:

King James Version (1611)
Ioshua made warre a long time, with all those kings.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And for many days Joshua waged war with these kings.

English Revised Version
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

Berean Standard Bible
Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long period of time.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Josue fauyt myche tyme ayens these kyngis;

Young's Literal Translation
Many days hath Joshua made with all these kings war;

Update Bible Version
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

Webster's Bible Translation
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

World English Bible
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

New King James Version
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

New Living Translation
waging war for a long time to accomplish this.

New Life Bible
Joshua made war against these kings for a long time.

New Revised Standard
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Many days, did Joshua, with all these kings, make war.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Josue made war a long time against these kings.

Revised Standard Version
Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings.

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ As the LORD commanded Moses His servant, so did Moses command Joshua; and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses. ¹⁶ So Joshua took all that land, the hill-country, and all the South, and all the land of Goshen, and the Lowland, and the Arabah, and the hill-country of Israel, and the Lowland of the same; ¹⁷ from the bare mountain, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon; and all their kings he took, and smote them, and put them to death. ¹⁸ Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. ¹⁹ There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon; they took all in battle. ²⁰ For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that they might be utterly destroyed, that they might have no favour, but that they might be destroyed, as the LORD commanded Moses. ²¹ And Joshua came at that time, and cut off the Anakim from the hill-country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill-country of Judah, and from all the hill-country of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. ²² There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the children of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, did some remain. ²³ So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD spoke unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land had rest from war.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a long time: Caleb was forty years old when sent from Kadesh-barnea to spy the land, and he was eighty-five at the conclusion of this war - Joshua 14:10. Almost thirty-nine years of this time were spent before Israel passed Jordan; which leaves between six and seven for the term of Joshua's wars. Joshua 11:23, Joshua 14:7-10

Reciprocal: Judges 11:26 - three hundred Habakkuk 3:6 - and drove

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. For, though the account of the conquest of them is put together, and lies in a small compass, yet those victories were not obtained at once, or in a few days, as were those of the five kings, and others, related in the preceding chapter, Joshua 10:10; but were the work of some years; Josephus b says five years, but the common notion of the Jews is, that Joshua was seven years in subduing the land of Canaan c; our Bishop Usher d thinks it was done in six years; and it may be concluded that it was about six or seven years ere this work was completely finished.

b Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 19. c Seder Olam Rabba, c. 11. p. 31. d Annal. Vet. Test. p. 39, 40.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A long time - At least five years; according to others, seven years (see Joshua 14:10, and Introduction). This and the preceding chapter contain a very condensed account of the wars of Joshua, giving particulars about leading events only.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 11:18. Joshua made war a long time — The whole of these conquests were not effected in one campaign: they probably required six or seven years. There are some chronological notices in this book, and in Deuteronomy, by which the exact time may be nearly ascertained. Caleb was forty years old when he was sent from Kadesh-barnea by Moses to search out the land, about A.M. 2514; and at the end of this war he was eighty-five years old; (compare Joshua 14:10 with Numbers 13:16, and Deuteronomy 1:36;) consequently the war ended in 2559, which had begun, by the passage of Jordan, on the tenth day of the first month of the year 2554. From this date to the end of 2559 we find exactly six years; the first of which Joshua seems to have employed in the conquest of the south part of the land of Canaan, and the other five in the conquest of all the territories situated on the north of that country. See Dodd.

Calmet computes this differently, and allows the term of seven years for the conquest of the whole land. "Caleb was forty years old when sent from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land. At the conclusion of the war he was eighty-five years old, as himself says, Joshua 14:10. From this sum of eighty-five subtract forty, his age when he went from Kadesh-barnea, and the thirty-eight years which he spent in the wilderness after his return, and there will remain the sum of seven years, which was the time spent in the conquest of the land."

1. By protracting the war the Canaanites had time to repent, having sufficient opportunity to discern the hand of Jehovah.

2. Agriculture was carried on, and thus provision was made even for the support of the conquerors, for had the land been subdued and wasted at once, tillage must have stopped, and famine would have ensued.

3. Wild beasts would have multiplied upon them, and the land have been desolated by their means.

4. Had these conquests been more rapid the people of Israel would have been less affected, and less instructed by miracles that had passed in such quick succession before their eyes; and, as in this case they would have obtained the dominion with comparatively little exertion, they might have felt themselves less interested in the preservation of an inheritance, to obtain which they had been but at little trouble and little expense.

What we labour under the Divine blessing to acquire we are careful to retain; but what comes lightly generally goes lightly. God obliged them to put forth their own strength in this work, and only blessed and prospered them while they were workers together with him. Joshua 13:6.