And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

JOSHUA 10:11KJV
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Joshua 10:11 (KJV)

What does Joshua 10:11 mean?

Joshua 10:11 describes how, as Israel’s enemies were fleeing down the slope from Bethhoron, the LORD threw large stones from the sky onto them all the way to Azekah, killing more with these hailstones than the Israelites killed with their swords. The verse credits God directly with causing greater losses among the enemy than Israel’s own fighting did.

This verse is set during a battle where Joshua and the Israelites are pursuing enemy armies. The text emphasizes that God intervened powerfully on Israel’s behalf by sending a deadly hailstorm, showing that the victory was not just due to Israel’s military strength but to God’s direct action. The story highlights both the physical setting (the descent from Bethhoron to Azekah) and the dramatic way God’s involvement changed the outcome.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 10:11

  • LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name for God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing that it was Israel’s God, not chance or weather, who acted.
  • Cast down (שָׁלַךְ, shalak): This word means to throw or hurl, making it clear that the stones (hail) came as a direct act from God, not a random storm.
  • Great stones (אֲבָנִים גְּדֹלוֹת, avanim gedolot): The Hebrew points to unusually large stones, which helps explain why the hail was so deadly.
  • Hailstones (בָּרָד, barad + אֶבֶן, even): The combination of these words shows these were not ordinary hailstones, but large, stone-like hail, reinforcing the miraculous nature of the event.

Why Joshua 10:11 matters

  • Joshua 10:11 clarifies that the victory was not only due to Israel’s military efforts but was decisively shaped by God’s intervention, which is a major theme in the book.
  • The verse shows the scale of God’s involvement by stating that more died from the hailstones than from Israel’s weapons, highlighting the miraculous nature of the event.
  • This moment connects to the larger story by demonstrating that God fulfills promises to fight for Israel, encouraging trust in God’s power rather than human strength alone.

Where else these words appear

“down” Hebrew H4174 · used in 5 verses

  • Joshua 7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
  • 1 Kings 7:29 And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work.
  • Jeremiah 48:5 For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

“Azekah” Hebrew H5825 · used in 7 verses

  • Joshua 10:10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
  • 1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.
  • Nehemiah 11:30 Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, at Lachish, and the fields thereof, at Azekah, and in the villages thereof. And they dwelt from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom.

“Bethhoron” Hebrew H1032 · used in 13 verses

  • Joshua 10:10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
  • Joshua 18:14 And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.
  • 1 Chronicles 6:68 And Jokmeam with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbs,

“hailstones” Hebrew H1259 · used in 26 verses

  • Exodus 9:18 Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.
  • Exodus 9:29 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S.
  • Psalms 18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.