And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.

JOSHUA 10:41KJV
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Joshua 10:41 (KJV)

What does Joshua 10:41 mean?

Joshua 10:41 describes how Joshua defeated enemy forces across a wide area, from Kadeshbarnea to Gaza, including all the land of Goshen up to Gibeon. This verse sums up the extent of Joshua’s military victories in this campaign, showing how far his conquests reached.

Joshua is leading the Israelites in battle as they enter the land of Canaan. The verse lists specific places to mark the boundaries of the territory Joshua subdued, stretching from the southern edge (Kadeshbarnea) to the western coast (Gaza), and including the region of Goshen up to Gibeon in the north. This summary shows the broad scope of the victories described in the surrounding verses.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 10:41

  • "Smote" (נָכָה, nākhāh) means to strike or defeat. Here, it emphasizes the thoroughness of Joshua’s victories over these regions.
  • "Country" (אֶרֶץ, ’erets) is often translated as "land" and refers to the territory or region, not just a single city or place. This highlights that entire regions, not just isolated towns, were conquered.
  • "Goshen" (גֹּשֶׁן, goshen) refers to a specific area within Canaan, not the Egyptian Goshen known from the story of Joseph. This helps clarify the geography being described.

Why Joshua 10:41 matters

  • This verse clarifies the scale of Joshua’s campaign, showing that the victories were not limited to a single battle or city but covered a large stretch of territory.
  • By naming well-known locations, the verse helps readers visualize the historical and geographical context of the conquest.
  • The summary connects to the larger narrative of Joshua, emphasizing the fulfillment of earlier promises that the Israelites would possess the land.

Where else these words appear

“Kadeshbarnea” Hebrew H6947 · used in 10 verses

  • Numbers 32:8 Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.
  • Deuteronomy 1:19 And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.
  • Joshua 14:6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.

“Goshen” Hebrew H1657 · used in 14 verses

  • Genesis 45:10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:
  • Genesis 47:1 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.
  • Genesis 50:8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.

“Gaza” Hebrew H5804 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 10:19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
  • Judges 16:1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
  • Jeremiah 25:20 And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,

“Gibeon” Hebrew H1391 · used in 35 verses

  • Joshua 9:3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
  • Joshua 21:17 And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs,
  • 1 Chronicles 9:35 And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jehiel, whose wife's name was Maachah: