Commentary on Joshua - Keil & Delitzsch - David Cox

Keil and Delitzsch <strong>Commentary</strong> on the Old Testament
by the name of Ain Nunkûr , - is also quite untenable; for it is entirely at variance with Josh 15:49,
according to which Debir was not on the west of Hebron, but upon the mountains to the south, and rests
entirely upon the erroneous assumption that, according to v. 38 ( wayaashaab (OT:7725), he turned
round), as Joshua came from Eglon, he conquered Hebron first, and after the conquest of this town turned
back to Debir, to take it also. But shuwb (OT:7725), does not mean only to turn round or turn back: it
signifies turning generally; and it is very evident that this is the sense in which it is used in v. 38, since,
according to Josh 15:49, Debir was on the south of Hebron.)
Moreover, not very long afterwards, probably during the time when the Israelites
were occupied with the subjugation of northern Canaan, Hebron and Debir were
taken again by the Canaanites, particularly the Anakites, as Joshua had not entirely
destroyed them, although he had thoroughly cleared the mountains of Judah of them,
but had left them still in the towns of the Philistines (Josh 11:21-22). Consequently,
when the land was divided, there were Anakites living in both Hebron and Debir; so
that Caleb, to whom these towns were given as his inheritance, had first of all to
conquer them again, and to exterminate the Anakites (Josh 14:12; 15:13-17: cf. Judg
1:10-13).
(Note: By this simple assumption we get rid of the pretended contradictions, which neological critics have
discovered between Josh 10:36-39 on the one hand, and ch. 11:21-22, and 14:12; 15:13-17 on the other,
and on account of which Knobel would assign the passages last named to a different document. On the
first conquest of the land by Joshua, Masius observes that "in this expedition Joshua ran through the
southern region with an armed band, in too hurried a manner to depopulate it entirely. All that he needed
was to strike such terror into the hearts of all through his victories, that no one should henceforth offer
any resistance to himself and to the people of God. Those whom he pursued, therefore, he destroyed
according to the commands of God, not sparing a single one, but he did not search out every possible
hiding-place in which any could be concealed. This was left as a gleaning to the valour of each particular
tribe, when it should take possession of its own inheritance.")
Joshua 10:40-41
So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and
of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all
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