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Saturday, October 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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Easy-to-Read Version

Joshua 10:2

So Adoni Zedek and his people were very frightened. Gibeon was not a small town like Ai. It was a very big city—as big as any royal city. And all the men in that city were good fighters, so the king was afraid.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adoni-Zedek;   Armies;   Cities;   Confederacies;   Jerusalem;   War;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Amorites, the;   Canaanites, the;   Cities;   Gibeonites;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Adonizedek;   Beth-Horon;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gibeon;   Joshua the son of nun;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Adoni-Zedec;   Gibeon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ai;   Gibeon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ai;   Amorites;   Gibeon;   Japhia;   Joshua, the Book of;   Lord;   Mighty Men;   Royal City;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Adoni-Bezek;   Adoni-Zedek;   Israel;   Joshua;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Adonizedec ;   Ai, Hai ;   Gibeon ;   Jebusites ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Adonizedek;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   Lachish;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Adonize'dek;   A'i;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gibeon;   Hoham;   Joshua, Book of;   Palestine;   Royal;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Adonizedek;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jebusites;   Palestine;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed because Gibeon was a large city like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors.
Hebrew Names Version
that they feared greatly, because Giv`on was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than `Ai, and all the men of it were mighty.
King James Version
That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
Lexham English Bible
he became very afraid because Gibeon was a very large city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty warriors.
English Standard Version
he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors.
New Century Version
Adoni-Zedek and his people were very afraid because of this. Gibeon was not a little town like Ai; it was a large city, as big as a city that had a king, and all its men were good fighters.
New English Translation
All Jerusalem was terrified because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai and all its men were warriors.
Amplified Bible
he [and his people] feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
New American Standard Bible
that he feared greatly because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then they feared exceedingly: for Gibeon was a great citie, as one of the royall cities: for it was greater then Ai, and all the men thereof were mightie.
Legacy Standard Bible
they feared exceedingly because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
Contemporary English Version
This frightened Adonizedek and his people. They knew that Gibeon was a large town, as big as the towns that had kings, and even bigger than the town of Ai had been. And all of the men of Gibeon were warriors.
Complete Jewish Bible
his people became greatly alarmed; because Giv‘on was as large as one of the royal cities, larger than ‘Ai, and all its men were courageous.
Darby Translation
that they feared greatly; for Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
George Lamsa Translation
He feared greatly, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
Good News Translation
The people of Jerusalem were greatly alarmed at this because Gibeon was as large as any of the cities that had a king; it was larger than Ai, and its men were good fighters.
Literal Translation
they were greatly afraid because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For Gibeon was a greate cite, like as one of the kynges cities, and greater then Hai, and all the citesyns therof were men of armes.
American Standard Version
that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
Bible in Basic English
He was in great fear, because Gibeon was a great town, like one of the king's towns, greater than Ai, and all the men in it were men of war.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They feared exceedingly, for Gibeon was a great citie as any citie of the kingdome, and was greater then Ai, & all the men therof were very mightie.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
King James Version (1611)
That they feared greatly because Gibeon was a great citie, as one of the royall cities, and because it was greater then Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
then they were greatly terrified by them, for the king knew that Gabaon was a great city, as one of the chief cities, and all its men were mighty.
English Revised Version
that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
Berean Standard Bible
So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Adonysedech dredde greetli; for Gabaon was a greet citee, and oon of the kyngis citees, and grettere than the citee of Hai, and alle the fiyteris therof weren most stronge.
Young's Literal Translation
that they are greatly afraid, because Gibeon [is] a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it [is] greater than Ai, and all its men -- heroes.
Update Bible Version
that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
Webster's Bible Translation
That they feared greatly, because Gibeon [was] a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it [was] greater than Ai, and all the men of it [were] mighty.
World English Bible
that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men of it were mighty.
New King James Version
that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
New Living Translation
He and his people became very afraid when they heard all this because Gibeon was a large town—as large as the royal cities and larger than Ai. And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors.
New Life Bible
He was very much afraid. Because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the cities of a king. It was larger than Ai. All its men were strong.
New Revised Standard
he became greatly frightened, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
then feared they greatly, because Gibeon was, a great city, as one of the royal cities, - and because, it, was greater than Ai, and, all the men thereof, were mighty:
Douay-Rheims Bible
He was exceedingly afraid. For Gabaon was a great city, and one of the royal cities, and greater than the town of Hai, and all its fighting men were most valiant.
Revised Standard Version
he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
that he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

Contextual Overview

1 At this time Adoni Zedek was the king of Jerusalem. He heard that Joshua had defeated Ai and completely destroyed it. The king learned that Joshua had done the same thing to Jericho and its king. He also learned that the Gibeonites had made a peace agreement with Israel and that they lived very near Jerusalem. 2 So Adoni Zedek and his people were very frightened. Gibeon was not a small town like Ai. It was a very big city—as big as any royal city. And all the men in that city were good fighters, so the king was afraid. 3 King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem talked with King Hoham of Hebron. He also talked with King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon. The king of Jerusalem begged these men, 4 "Come with me and help me attack Gibeon. Gibeon has made a peace agreement with Joshua and the Israelites." 5 So these five Amorite kings joined their armies together. (The five kings were the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.) Their armies went to Gibeon, surrounded the city, and began fighting against it. 6 The people in the city of Gibeon sent a message to Joshua at his camp at Gilgal: "We are your servants! Don't leave us alone. Come and help us! Hurry! Save us! All the Amorite kings from the hill country have brought their armies together to fight against us."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they feared: Joshua 2:9-13, Joshua 2:24, Exodus 15:14-16, Deuteronomy 11:25, Deuteronomy 28:10, Psalms 48:4-6, Proverbs 1:26, Proverbs 1:27, Proverbs 10:24, Hebrews 10:27, Hebrews 10:31, Revelation 6:15-17

Gibeon: Gibeon was situated on an eminence, as its name imports, 40 furlongs north from Jerusalem, according to Josephus.

the royal cities: Heb. cities of the kingdom, 1 Samuel 27:5, 2 Samuel 12:26

Reciprocal: Joshua 9:1 - all the kings Joshua 9:3 - Gibeon Joshua 9:17 - Gibeon Joshua 10:41 - Gibeon Joshua 18:25 - Gibeon 2 Samuel 2:12 - Gibeon 1 Kings 3:4 - Gibeon 1 Chronicles 6:60 - thirteen cities

Cross-References

Genesis 10:5
All the people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea came from these sons of Japheth. The people separated and went to different countries according to languages, families, and nations.
Genesis 10:7
Cush's sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. Raamah's sons were Sheba and Dedan.
Genesis 10:12
Resen. (Resen is the city between Nineveh and Calah, the big city.)
Genesis 10:14
Pathrus, Casluh, and Caphtor. (The Philistine people came from Casluh.)
Genesis 10:21
Shem was Japheth's older brother. One of Shem's descendants was Eber, the father of all the Hebrew people.
Isaiah 66:19
I will put a mark on some of the people. I will send some of these saved people to the nations of Tarshish, Libya, Lud (the land of archers), Tubal, Greece, and all the faraway lands. Those people have never heard my teachings. They have never seen my Glory. So the saved people will tell the nations about my glory.
Ezekiel 27:7
For your sail, they used colorful linen made in Egypt. That sail was your flag. The coverings over your cabin were blue and purple. They came from the coast of Cyprus.
Ezekiel 27:19
Damascus traded wine from Uzal for the things you sold. They paid with wrought iron, cassia, and sugar cane.
Ezekiel 38:6
There will also be Gomer with all its groups of soldiers, and there will be the nation of Togarmah from the far north with all its groups of soldiers. There will be many people in that parade of prisoners.
Ezekiel 38:15
You will come from your place out of the far north, and you will bring many people with you. All of them will ride on horses. You will be a large and a powerful army.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That they feared greatly,.... The king of Jerusalem and his people, lest they should fall into the hands of the Israelites, and be used as Jericho and Ai, and the kings and inhabitants of them were, and that they would be the next that should fall a sacrifice to them; for Gibeon was fifty furlongs from Jerusalem, as Josephus says a; and in another place he says b but forty, which were but five miles; and if fifty, but little more than six miles; according to Bunting c, it was but four miles: and what added to their terror was,

because Gibeon [was] a great city; being a metropolitan city, and having others subject to it; therefore the surrender of that to the Israelites might intimidate other cities, and lead them by example to do the like, and so of bad consequence:

as one of the royal cities; the Vulgate Latin version omits the note of similitude, and reads, "and one of the royal cities"; and sometimes "caph" or "as" is not a note of likeness, but of reality; yet as we nowhere read of a king of Gibeon, the sense may be, that though it was not a royal seat, it was equal to those that were, and like one, being a metropolitan city: and

because it [was] greater than Ai: had more inhabitants in it, and perhaps better fortified:

and all the men thereof [were] mighty; men of strength, courage, and valour, warlike men, and therefore for such a city to yield so easily, and in such a base, mean, and cowardly way, was setting a very bad example.

a De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 19. sect. 1. b Antiqu. l. 7. c. 11. sect. 7. c Travels of the Patriarchs, &c. p. 98.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 10:2. As one of the royal cities — Not a regal city, but great, well inhabited and well fortified, as those cities which served for the royal residence generally were. It does not appear that the Gibeonites had any king-they seem to have been a small but powerful republic, all the men thereof were mighty, merely governed by their elders: for in their address to Joshua, Joshua 9:11, they mention no king, but simply state that they were sent by their elders and the inhabitants of their country; nor do we any where read of their king; and therefore we may naturally suppose that they had none.


 
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