And the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.

JOSHUA 10:30KJV
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Joshua 10:30 (KJV)

What does Joshua 10:30 mean?

Joshua 10:30 describes how the LORD gave the city of Lachish and its king into Israel’s power, allowing Israel to defeat everyone there without leaving any survivors, treating the king of Lachish the same way they had treated the king of Jericho. This verse highlights the complete victory Israel achieved as they continued their conquest of Canaan.

Joshua 10:30 is part of a narrative where Joshua leads the Israelites in battle against various Canaanite cities. The verse records a specific event: after defeating Jericho and other cities, Israel attacks Lachish. The language emphasizes that the victory was attributed to the LORD’s intervention, and that the Israelites followed the same pattern of total destruction as in previous battles.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 10:30

  • The word translated "delivered" is נָתַן (nathan), meaning "to give" or "to hand over." This word shows that Israel’s victory is described as something God actively gave them, not just something they accomplished on their own.
  • "Edge" is פֶּה (peh), which literally means "mouth." In this context, "edge of the sword" uses the Hebrew idiom "mouth of the sword," painting a vivid picture of the sword as something that "devours" or destroys.
  • "Souls" is נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh), which often means "life" or "person." Here, it refers to all the people living in Lachish, emphasizing the totality of the conquest.

Why Joshua 10:30 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the Israelites’ victories were not just military successes but were understood as acts of God handing over the cities to them.
  • The repetition of the treatment of the king of Lachish "as he did unto the king of Jericho" connects this event to earlier battles, showing a consistent pattern in Israel’s conquest strategy.
  • Joshua 10:30 helps the reader see the seriousness and completeness of the Israelite campaign, which is a key theme in the book of Joshua’s account of entering the Promised Land.

Where else these words appear

“remain” Hebrew H8300 · used in 28 verses

  • Numbers 21:35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.
  • Joshua 10:39 And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.
  • Isaiah 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

“Jericho” Hebrew H3405 · used in 53 verses

  • Numbers 22:1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.
  • Joshua 4:19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
  • Joshua 18:21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz,

“let” Hebrew H7604 · used in 123 verses

  • Genesis 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
  • Joshua 13:2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,
  • Nehemiah 1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.