At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he had left him no one remaining.
- KJV Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
- NKJV Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he left him none remaining.
- NASB Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua defeated him and his people until he had left him no survivor.
- NLT During the attack on Lachish, King Horam of Gezer arrived with his army to help defend the town. But Joshua’s men killed him and his army, leaving no survivors.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When the king of Gezer comes to help Lachish, Joshua defeats him and his army utterly. Outside reinforcements fare no better.
Overview
Horam of Gezer intervenes to aid Lachish but is wiped out along with his people. The defeat of an allied king shows that no coalition or rescue can withstand Israel's God. It demonstrates again that those who resist the LORD's advance share in the same judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Judg 1:29Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer; so the Canaanites continued to dwell among them in Gezer.
- Josh 16:10But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers.
- Josh 16:3Then it descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea.
- Josh 21:21they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer,
- Josh 12:12the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;
- 1 Chr 20:4Some time later, war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.
- 1 Chr 6:67They were given Shechem (a city of refuge) with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer,
- 1 Kgs 9:15–17This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 10:33 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.