And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day.

JOSHUA 10:27KJV
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Joshua 10:27 (KJV)

What does Joshua 10:27 mean?

Joshua 10:27 describes how, at sunset, Joshua ordered the bodies of the defeated enemy kings to be taken down from the trees where they had been displayed, thrown into the cave where they had hidden, and sealed inside with large stones, which were still there at the time the account was written. This verse shows the final treatment of the kings after Israel’s victory, marking the end of their opposition.

Joshua is leading the Israelites in battle against a coalition of Canaanite kings. After defeating them, Joshua follows the custom of displaying the executed kings but removes their bodies before nightfall, as was required by Israelite law. The kings are then placed in the very cave where they had tried to hide from Israel, and large stones are set at the entrance as a lasting reminder of their defeat.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 10:27

  • The word for "sun" is שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh), tagged as H8121, which here marks the time of day when the bodies are taken down. This detail connects to the law in Deuteronomy about not leaving a body hanging overnight.
  • "Trees" uses עֵץ (ʿets, H6086), which can mean tree or wooden structure, indicating the bodies were hung for public display.
  • "Cave" is מְעָרָה (meʿarah, H4631), the same word used earlier in the chapter for the place where the kings hid, emphasizing irony and finality in their fate.
  • "Stones" is אֶבֶן (ʾeven, H68), and the mention of "great stones" shows the effort to make the burial permanent and memorable.

Why Joshua 10:27 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Joshua and the Israelites respected the law about not leaving bodies exposed overnight, showing obedience even in victory.
  • The sealing of the cave with large stones serves as a physical and historical marker, underlining the completeness of Israel’s triumph and the end of these kings’ threat.
  • The detail that the stones "remain until this very day" connects the story to the original audience, reminding them of God’s actions in their recent history.

Where else these words appear

“hid” Hebrew H2244 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
  • 1 Samuel 14:11 And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.
  • 2 Chronicles 22:9 And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him,(for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had slain him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom.

“cave” Hebrew H4631 · used in 36 verses

  • Genesis 19:30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
  • Joshua 10:16 But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
  • 2 Samuel 23:13 And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim.

“very” Hebrew H6106 · used in 108 verses

  • Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
  • 2 Kings 13:21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
  • Proverbs 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

“cast” Hebrew H7993 · used in 121 verses

  • Genesis 21:15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
  • 2 Kings 2:21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
  • Isaiah 19:8 The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.