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Josvas 12

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1 Dette var de konger i landet som Israels barn slo, og hvis land de tok i eie på østsiden av Jordan, fra Arnon-åen til Hermon-fjellet, og hele ødemarken i øst:

2 Sihon, amoritter-kongen, som bodde i Hesbon og rådet over landet fra Aroer ved bredden av Arnon-åen, fra midten av åen, og over halvdelen av Gilead til Jabbok-åen, som er grensen mot Ammons barn,

3 og over ødemarken inntil østsiden av Kinneret-sjøen og til østsiden av ødemarkens hav eller Salthavet, bortimot Bet-Hajesimot og i syd til foten av Pisga-liene.

4 Likedan inntok de det land som tilhørte Og, kongen i Basan, en av dem som var tilbake av kjempefolket; han bodde i Asterot og Edre'i

5 og rådet over Hermon-fjellet og over Salka og over hele Basan inntil gesurittenes og ma'akatittenes land, og over halvdelen av Gilead til det land som tilhørte Sihon, kongen i Hesbon.

6 Dem hadde Moses, Herrens tjener, og Israels barn slått, og deres land hadde Moses, Herrens tjener, gitt rubenittene og gadittene og halvdelen av Manasse stamme til eiendom.

7 Og dette var de konger i landet som Josva og Israels barn slo på vestsiden av Jordan, fra Ba'al-Gad i Libanon-dalen til det nakne fjell som strekker sig op imot Se'ir - det land som Josva gav Israels stammer til eiendom efter deres ættegrener -

8 i fjellbygdene og i lavlandet og i ødemarken og i liene og i ørkenen og i sydlandet, hetittenes land og amorittenes og kana'anittenes, ferisittenes, hevittenes og jebusittenes land:

9 kongen i Jeriko én, kongen i Ai, som ligger ved siden av Betel, én,

10 kongen i Jerusalem én, kongen i Hebron én,

11 kongen i Jarmut én, kongen Lakis én,

12 kongen i Eglon én, kongen i Geser én,

13 kongen i Debir én, kongen i Geder én,

14 kongen i Horma én, kongen i Arad én,

15 kongen i Libna én, kongen i Adullam én,

16 kongen i Makkeda én, kongen i Betel én,

17 kongen i Tappuah én, kongen i Hefer én,

18 kongen i Afek én, kongen i Lassaron én,

19 kongen i Madon én, kongen i Hasor én,

20 kongen i Simron-Meron én, kongen i Aksaf én,

21 kongen i Ta'anak én, kongen i Megiddo én,

22 kongen i Kedes én, kongen i Jokneam ved Karmel én,

23 kongen i Dor på Dor-høidene én, kongen over Gojim ved Gilgal én,

24 kongen i Tirsa én, i alt en og tretti konger.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 12

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Joshua 12: The kings who were defeated by Joshua.

This chapter lists the kings who were defeated by Moses on the other side of the river Jordan, and those defeated by Joshua in the land of Canaan. Moses defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. Joshua defeated 31 kings, and this chapter names their cities one by one.

We might well wonder: what is the use of such a chapter for us? But here it is, included in the Word of God. We will suggest two ways in which this chapter gives us a spiritual message to work with:

First, the sheer number of kings who opposed Israel represent, in a general way, the many things that prevent us from dedicating ourselves to the Lord’s teachings.

Secondly, the many names of the towns that the Israelites defeated are all significant in identifying the various situations we encounter in our spiritual lives (See Swedenborg’s Arcana Caelestia 2009[9]). For example “Joshua” means ‘God is victory’, something we can come to understand as we choose to turn against evil. We can do that because the Lord fights for and with us; we cannot do that alone.

For every heaven there is a corresponding hell (See Swedenborg’s Heaven and Hell 588). If mercy is something of heaven, hell is to do with cruelty and all that goes with it. If innocence is of heaven, hell is to do with intended harm and all that goes with that. Evil is unspeakably precise.

Joshua defeated thirty-one kings. The number thirty stands for combat and also for ‘remnants’, which are deep-seated feelings of good and truth given the Lord gives us during our childhood, to help us combat evil in adult regeneration. Thirty-one would seem to suggest combat going on even past thirty (Arcana Caelestia 5335).

The names of the cities of these kings are given, and each name represents a quality. ‘Israel’ was the name given to Jacob by the Lord, after he had wrestled all night with the angel of God and had prevailed (see Genesis 32:24-28). “Israel” means ‘striving with God’ and also ‘a prince with God’, and it became the name of the people of Israel.

As examples, we will look at three Canaanite cities which fought Israel, and explore the spiritual meaning of their names.

1. The king of Jarmuth, means ‘being downcast by death’. Viewing life only in terms of its inevitable end does terrible things to our sense of purpose, hope and trust. Defeating Jarmuth helps us see that death is a transition into eternal life, and our means of passing from this life into our fullest life.

2. The king of Aphek, means ‘tenacious fortress’. We can quite readily see that evil can be exactly like a tenacious fortress. Evil will hang on like grim death and refuse to let us go. Evil will attempt any number of devious tactics to break us down or undermine our faith. The last thing it will do is to see that we’re resolved, and then finally give up.

3. The king of Taanach, which means ‘sandy, hard to cross’. This might remind us of dangerous quicksands, or the way in which we stumble trying to walk through sand. Again, sometimes evil can appear to give us safer passage on solid ground, before we realize that it is the hells ensnaring us.

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Joshua 12

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1 Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:

2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

3 And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Beth-jeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdoth-pisgah:

4 And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

5 And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

6 Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

7 And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;

8 In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

9 The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;

10 The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;

11 The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;

12 The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;

13 The king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;

14 The king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;

15 The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;

16 The king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one;

17 The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;

18 The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;

19 The king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;

20 The king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;

21 The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

22 The king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one;

23 The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one;

24 The king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty and one.