Joshua 10:17 reports a single piece of news: five Canaanite kings who had fled from Israel’s army have been located, hidden in a cave at Makkedah. The verse matters less for the cave itself than for what it shows about how the battle is unfolding, with the pursuit of Israel’s enemies moving steadily toward its conclusion. The words are spoken as a report to Joshua, the leader of Israel, who is told the news by someone who has seen where the kings went.
Joshua was told, saying, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”
Joshua 10:17 (WEB)
What Joshua 10:17 Means
The verse opens with Joshua being told something, which means he is receiving information rather than acting on his own initiative in this moment. The messenger’s report is simple: “The five kings have been found.” After a day of fighting in which the coalition of southern kings was defeated at Gibeon, these five had run and concealed themselves. Finding them is the next step in finishing the campaign.
The phrase “hidden in the cave at Makkedah” tells you where the kings were and why they were not easy to reach. They chose a hiding place rather than standing to fight or escaping beyond Israel’s reach. The verse promises nothing about the outcome for these men. It only states that they have been located, which sets up what Joshua does next in the verses that follow.
The Context of Joshua 10:17
The book of Joshua is traditionally attributed to Joshua himself, though most scholars think it was compiled later, drawing on older records and recounting the entry of Israel into the land God had promised to their ancestors. Its first audience was the nation of Israel, who needed to understand how their conquest of Canaan was carried out and what it meant for their identity as God’s people.
Verses 14 and 15 describe the day as unlike any before it, because the LORD fought for Israel. Verse 16 introduces the five kings hiding, and verse 18 then gives Joshua’s instructions: roll large stones across the cave’s mouth and set guards over it, but do not linger there. Read this way, verse 17 is the hinge between the hiding kings and Joshua’s plan to contain them, so its plain report carries real weight in the story.
Key Phrases in Joshua 10:17
Psalm 139:7-10
7 Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.
(WEB)
This psalm speaks of God’s presence reaching into every hiding place, whether in the heights or the depths. It sits well beside Joshua 10:17 because it expresses the truth that nothing can be concealed from God, a theme that makes the kings’ attempt to hide in a cave feel futile by comparison.
Proverbs 28:13
He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
(WEB)
Proverbs describes the danger of concealing wrongdoing and the mercy that comes to those who bring it into the open. This connects naturally with the image of kings hidden away and then brought out, showing that concealment tends to delay rather than solve what needs to be faced.
A Short Prayer From Joshua 10:17
Lord, you see every place I try to hide from what I am afraid of. Give me the courage to face the truth I have been avoiding, and the humility to ask for help when I need it. Let me not stay in the cave of silence or fear, but step into the light where you are already at work. Guide my next step, and steady my heart as I take it. Amen.
