“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 that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.”
My Notes
What Does Joshua 10:40 Mean?
This summary verse covers the entirety of Joshua's southern campaign in a single sentence. He conquered every geographic region — hills, south (the Negev), lowlands (the Shephelah), and mountain slopes — and every king within them. The scope is total: "he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed." And the verse ends with the critical qualifier: "as the LORD God of Israel commanded."
That final phrase does enormous theological work. It transforms what would otherwise read as a military atrocity into an act of obedience. Joshua didn't devise this strategy. He didn't choose the targets or set the terms of engagement. God commanded it, and Joshua executed it. The text insists that readers understand the conquest not as Joshua's ambition but as God's directive — however difficult that makes it for modern readers.
The geographic comprehensiveness — hills, south, vale, springs — mirrors the comprehensiveness of the promise. God had told Abraham his descendants would possess this entire region. What reads as a military summary is actually a fulfillment list. Every terrain mentioned is a promise kept. The conquest narrative, for all its violence, is also a story about God doing exactly what He said He would do.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Is your obedience to God comprehensive or selective? Are there 'regions' of your life where you've quietly set aside what He's asked?
- 2.How do you respond when God's commands don't make sense to you — do you obey anyway, or do you wait until you understand?
- 3.Joshua completed everything God commanded without modification. Where are you tempted to soften or modify what God has asked of you?
- 4.The final phrase — 'as the LORD God of Israel commanded' — reframes everything. How does knowing an action is God-directed change the way you evaluate it?
Devotional
"As the LORD God of Israel commanded." That phrase sits at the end of this verse like an anchor, and everything about how you read the conquest depends on whether you trust it.
Joshua's obedience here wasn't partial or modified. He didn't soften God's command to make it more palatable. He didn't conquer the easy cities and leave the hard ones. He went everywhere God said to go and did everything God said to do. There's an uncomfortable thoroughness to it that mirrors the thoroughness of the promise — if God's blessing covers every hill, valley, and spring, then His commands cover the same territory.
The application for your life isn't about military campaigns. It's about the scope of your obedience. Most of us practice selective obedience — we follow God in the areas that feel comfortable or make sense to us, and quietly set aside the commands that cost too much or confuse us. Joshua's example is unsettling precisely because he didn't do that. He obeyed the whole command, in every region, without exception. The question isn't whether you'll face the same specific commands Joshua did. The question is whether your obedience has the same scope — or whether you've left some hills and valleys untouched because God's instructions for those areas felt too hard.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And Joshua smote them, from Kadeshbarnea,.... Which lay to the south of the land of Canaan, Num 13:17,
even unto Gaza,…
See Jos 9:1. “The south” was the Negeb Num 13:17. Render “the springs” “slopes.” The word here means the district of…
All the country of the hills - See the note on Deu 1:7.
Destroyed all that breathed - Every person found in arms who…
We are here informed how Joshua improved the late glorious victory he had obtained and the advantages he had gained by…
Survey of the Results of the Campaign in Southern Canaan
40. all the country Rather, all the land, the hill country, &c.…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture