Limitless Word
Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.
Joshua 10:4 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB “Come up to me and help me. Let us strike Gibeon; for they have made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”
  • BSB “Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”
  • NKJV “Come up to me and help me, that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”
  • NASB “Come up to me and help me, and let’s attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.”
  • NLT “Come and help me destroy Gibeon,” he urged them, “for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.”

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

The coalition's stated aim is to punish Gibeon for making peace with Joshua. They intend to strike the city that aligned with Israel.

Overview

Adoni-Zedek calls his allies to attack Gibeon precisely because it submitted to Israel, treating that peace as betrayal. The coalition thus turns its hostility first against those who sought safety among God's people. This sets up the occasion for Israel to defend its new ally, fulfilling the protection promised by covenant and demonstrating that God shelters those who take refuge with Him.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Josh 9:15And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
  • Josh 10:1Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
  • Acts 9:23–27And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:
  • Isa 8:9–10Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.
  • 2 Tim 3:12Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
  • Matt 16:24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
  • Acts 21:28Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
  • 1 Pet 4:4Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
  • Isa 41:5–7The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
  • John 15:19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
  • Rev 20:8–10And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
  • Rev 16:14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
  • Jas 4:4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
  • John 16:2–3They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

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 10:4YouTube · 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 10:4 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.