Section 11:1–15 The Israelites conquered the towns of northern Canaan
King Jabin, the king of Hazor, brought together the kings of the towns in Northern Canaan to fight against Israel. With the help of Yahweh, Joshua and the Israelites fought and defeated all these towns and killed their kings and their people.
Here is another possible section heading:
Israel defeated the northern towns
Paragraph 11:1–6
11:1a
Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things: The clause when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things has the same structure as the clause that began 10:1. It is recommended that you translate it in a similar way.
Hazor: The town of Hazor was a large town about 14 kilometers north of the Sea of Galilee.
about these things: The phrase about these things refers to Joshua’s victories over the kings in Southern Canaan.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
King Jabin of Hazor heard about Joshua’s victories (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened (God’s Word)
11:1b
he sent word to Jobab king of Madon: In the list of kings that follows, King Jobab is the only king listed by name. This indicates that he was Jabin’s most powerful neighbor.
Here is another way to translate this clause:
he sent ⌊messengers⌋ to King Jobab of Madon ⌊to ask for his help to fight against the Israelites⌋
Madon: The town of Madon was 30 kilometers southeast of Hazor.
to the kings of Shimron: The exact location of the town of Shimron is unknown. In Joshua 19:15, it is listed as part of the territory of Zebulun.
and Achshaph: The exact location of the town of Achshaph is uncertain. It is listed as part of the territory of Asher in Joshua 19:25.
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