Joshua 10:1-15

Yesterday morning (Oct. 9, 2018) an announcement was made at The Israel Museum in Jerusalem that archeologists have found, in Jerusalem, the name “Jerusalem” in Hebrew on a column dating back 2000 years.  The name has been discovered on ancient coins, but always in Aramaic.  This finding confirms the ancient connection of Jerusalem to the Jews.  I say “confirms” because the Bible does affirm this in the historical account of the Old Testament.

This seemed like a good time to write this post which I have been sitting on for a while.  When one reads the account of Joshua and Judges, the early account of Israel’s history in the land of Canaan, it might seem confusing.  It seems that Israel took possession of the city but then it seems that it remained in the hands of the Jebusites until the time of David around 1000BC (2 Sam. 5:6ff).  So let us review the references in these two books.

·        Josh. 10:1-15: The King of Jerusalem (Adoni-Zedek meaning Lord of Righteousness; in Gen. 14:18 the king of Salem was Melchi-Zedek, King of Righteousness; this is likely the title given to the Jebusite kings just as Pharaoh was the title for kings of Egypt) lead a confederation of city-kings (Hebron, Lachish, Eglon, Debir) against Joshua.  They were defeated in the Valley of Aijalon, the valley NE of modern Tel Aviv, at the base of the foothills where you begin the ascent on Hwy. 1 to Jerusalem).

·        Josh. 10:16-39:  The five kings were killed by Joshua, but in the account of the subsequent conquests of each city Jerusalem is not included. 

·        Josh. 15:8,63: Joshua gave Jerusalem to the tribe of Judah and we are told they could not drive out the Jebusites and co-existed with them.

·        Josh. 18:16,28: Here we are told that Joshua gave the Jebusite city to the tribe of Benjamin.  But note carefully the description of the border in v16: Jerusalem sat right on the border of Judah and Benjamin with the line going through the Valley of Hinnom, the valley on the south of the city. 

·        Judges 1:7-8: Many see Adoni-Bezek as a Jebusite king and this story as the account of Judah’s conquest resulting in their coexistence with the Jebusites. 

·        Judges 1:21: Now we see that the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem resulting in the two co-existing. 

·        Judges 19:10-12: Later in the time of the Judges we see that Jerusalem was still the Jebusite City.  Jews would enter although in this story the Levite on his journey from Bethlehem to the north of Israel would not stay there.

How are we to understand this?  How many times is Jerusalem conquered?  Is Jerusalem in Benjamin or Judah?  Here are results of three sources I have looked at in answering this question (see the Bibliography).  Both Barnes Notes (Vol. 2, p374) and Keil and Delitzsch (Vol. 2, p76) imagine several switches in the control of the city, most not noted in the Biblical record.  This is possible. 

But my understanding of the Scriptures and geography of Jerusalem cause me to side with ISBE (Vol. 3, p1613-14).  The dividing line of the two tribes divided the lower city (south of the Temple Mount which became The City of David in David’s time) from the upper city (which sat on Mts. Zion and Moriah and began to be developed in Solomon’s time and more extensively as the years passed).  This makes the most sense in terms of understanding Jerusalem’s connection with both tribes.  And it is quite possible that prior to David’s time it was the lower part of the city, the part in Judah, was held by Judah, but that neither tribe was able to capture the upper, more easily defendable city.

Jerusalem is anything but a city of “peace” when you consider its history.  But the Bible is clear, and the archaeologists are catching up with the fact, that Jerusalem’s connection with Israel long predates the Incarnation of Christ or the connection with Mohammed.  So in obedience to our God, we pray for her peace.