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And because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign.
Joshua 10:42 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
  • KJV And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.
  • NKJV All these kings and their land Joshua took at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
  • NASB Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
  • NLT Joshua conquered all these kings and their land in a single campaign, for the Lord, the God of Israel, was fighting for his people.

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

Joshua takes all these kings and their lands in a single campaign because Yahweh fought for Israel. The victory is credited entirely to God.

Overview

The narrator sums up the southern conquest, attributing its remarkable success to the LORD fighting on Israel's behalf. The phrase 'at one time' highlights the swift, decisive nature of God's work. This refrain is the theological heart of Joshua: salvation and victory belong to God.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • Josh 10:14There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.
  • Ps 46:7The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
  • Ps 80:3Restore us, O God, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.
  • Rom 8:31–37What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
  • Ps 46:1For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
  • Exod 14:14The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
  • Ps 46:11The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
  • Ps 44:3–8For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.
  • Exod 14:25He caused their chariot wheels to wobble, so that they had difficulty driving. “Let us flee from the Israelites,” said the Egyptians, “for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!”
  • Ps 118:6The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
  • Isa 8:9–10Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
  • Deut 20:4For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
  • Isa 43:4Because you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you and nations in place of your life.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Joshua videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Joshua 10:42YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JoshuaMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 10:42 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.