Joshua 10:5 tells us that five Amorite kings joined forces, marched their combined armies up to the city of Gibeon, set up camp outside its walls, and began a military attack on it. The verse is a narrator’s report, not a speech, so it describes an event in the history of Israel’s conquest of Canaan rather than giving a command or a promise. The kings are local rulers who were alarmed that Gibeon had made peace with the Israelites led by Joshua.
Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together and went up, they and all their armies, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.
Joshua 10:5 (WEB)
What Joshua 10:5 Means
The word “Therefore” links this verse to what came before it. Gibeon had just made a treaty with Israel, and the kings saw that alliance as a threat to their own power. Their response was not a slow political protest but a coordinated military move, which the phrase “gathered themselves together and went up” describes. “Went up” is a common way of saying a force marched toward a city, since cities in the hill country sat on higher ground.
The verse lists the kings by name and city, which shows that this was a serious alliance of southern Canaanite powers. Their combined armies (“they and all their armies”) outnumbered any single city’s defenders. The final phrase, “encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it,” is plain language for a siege that had begun.
The verse does not promise that the kings will win, nor does it say that Gibeon was innocent or guilty of making a treaty. It only reports what the kings did. Any sense of hope in the passage comes from the verses that follow, where Israel comes to Gibeon’s aid.
The Context of Joshua 10:5
The Book of Joshua is traditionally attributed to Joshua himself, though much of the book’s narrative and final editing are generally understood to come from a later writer or editor. It records how the Israelites, after leaving Egypt and wandering in the wilderness, entered and took possession of the land of Canaan. Its first audience would have been Israelites who were living in the land and needed to understand their history and God’s faithfulness in giving it to them.
Just before this verse, Gibeon’s leaders had made a peace agreement with Joshua, which the surrounding passage notes was a treaty with the Israelites. Verses 6 through 8 show the Gibeonites calling on Joshua for help, and God telling Joshua not to fear the enemy. Reading verse 5 with those verses makes clear that the kings’ attack is the setting for a demonstration of God’s protection, not an end in itself.
Key Phrases in Joshua 10:5
Joshua 10:8
The LORD said to Joshua, “Don’t fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands. Not a man of them will stand before you.”
(WEB)
This verse comes just after Joshua 10:5 and gives God’s direct word to Joshua: do not fear the enemy, because God has given them into his hands. It shows the turning point of the passage, moving from the kings’ attack to God’s assurance.
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
(WEB)
This psalm declares God as a refuge and strength in trouble, which echoes the situation of a city under siege. It offers a broader reflection on how God’s people can trust him when enemies press in from every side.
A Short Prayer From Joshua 10:5
Lord, you know how it feels when pressure gathers around us from many directions at once. Some days the threats seem to surround us like armies outside a wall, and fear tells us the outcome is already decided. Help us to name what we face honestly and to bring it to you before we act on our fear. Remind us, as you reminded Joshua, that you are the one who holds the outcome, and give us courage to trust you one step at a time. Amen.
