Single lesson
Joshua and the Long Day
Joshua 10:1–43
Joshua 10 records a battle that began because Gibeon had made peace with Israel. In this lesson, students trace the sequence of events, notice what people asked and did, and observe repeated statements about Yahweh’s action.
Before you teach
The chapter opens with Adoni-Zedek hearing what had happened to Ai and hearing that Gibeon had made peace with Israel. Five Amorite kings gathered to attack Gibeon. Gibeon then sent to Joshua for help, and Joshua went up with the army after Yahweh told him not to fear them. The passage later repeats that Yahweh fought for Israel.
Students will be able to order the main events of Joshua 10:1–43 and identify at least two points where the passage says Yahweh acted and two choices made by people in response.
Welcome: map the problem and the plea for help
6 minBriefly introduce the account as a battle story with difficult material. Ask students to listen for who starts the conflict and who asks for help. Read Joshua 10:1–6 aloud. List the sequence on a board: Gibeon made peace with Israel, five kings became afraid, they attacked Gibeon, and Gibeon sent urgently to Joshua for help.
Joshua 10:1, Joshua 10:2, Joshua 10:4, Joshua 10:5, Joshua 10:6
Read and explain: Joshua goes, and Yahweh acts
10 minRead Joshua 10:7–15. Point out Joshua’s choice to go with the army, Yahweh’s command not to fear, and the sudden night march. Then note the passage’s own emphasis: Yahweh confused the enemy, hurled down great stones, and listened when Joshua spoke. Keep explanation close to the text, especially the repeated statement that Yahweh fought for Israel.
Joshua 10:7, Joshua 10:8, Joshua 10:9, Joshua 10:10, Joshua 10:11, Joshua 10:12, Joshua 10:13, Joshua 10:14
Discuss: what happened to the five kings
8 minRead Joshua 10:16–27. Have students identify the order: the kings hid, Joshua ordered the cave blocked, the battle continued, the kings were brought out, Joshua spoke courage to the leaders, and the kings were put to death. Discuss why Joshua’s words in verse 25 matter in this chapter’s flow. Stay with observation before moving to application.
Joshua 10:16, Joshua 10:18, Joshua 10:19, Joshua 10:22, Joshua 10:24, Joshua 10:25, Joshua 10:26, Joshua 10:27
Make and respond: build a sequence line
10 minStudents work in pairs to make eight small event cards from plain paper. They write short labels and verse numbers, then place the cards in order from the attack on Gibeon to the return to Gilgal. When pairs finish, ask them to mark cards where the text directly says Yahweh acted and circle cards showing human choices.
Joshua 10:5, Joshua 10:6, Joshua 10:7, Joshua 10:8, Joshua 10:11, Joshua 10:12, Joshua 10:25, Joshua 10:43
Closing: the chapter summary and careful reflection
6 minRead Joshua 10:28–43 selectively, focusing on the repeated pattern of conquest and the chapter summary. Explain plainly that this is a hard passage about warfare and judgement. Invite students to name one repeated sentence or idea from the chapter. Finish by restating the main observation that the passage gives: Yahweh fought for Israel.
Joshua 10:28, Joshua 10:30, Joshua 10:32, Joshua 10:35, Joshua 10:37, Joshua 10:39, Joshua 10:40, Joshua 10:42, Joshua 10:43
Questions to explore
Why did the five kings attack Gibeon in this chapter?
Look for the reason given in the kings’ own words and connect it to what they had heard about Gibeon’s peace with Israel.
Joshua 10:1, Joshua 10:4
Which verses say most clearly that Yahweh acted in the battle, not only Joshua and Israel?
Find the lines where the text says Yahweh delivered, confused, hurled down stones, listened, and fought.
Joshua 10:8, Joshua 10:10, Joshua 10:11, Joshua 10:14, Joshua 10:42
What words did Joshua speak to the leaders after the five kings were brought out, and how do those words connect with the earlier promise?
Compare Joshua’s command not to fear with Yahweh’s earlier words to Joshua.
Joshua 10:8, Joshua 10:25
Make, think or respond
Joshua 10 Sequence Line
What you’ll need
- Plain paper or scrap card
- Pens or pencils
- Bible text
- Tape or blu-tack
Try it together
- Cut or tear paper into eight small cards.
- Write one event and its verse on each card, such as the attack on Gibeon, Gibeon’s message, Joshua’s march, the hailstones, Joshua’s words about the sun and moon, the five kings found, Joshua’s courage speech, and the return to Gilgal.
- Place the cards in order on a table or wall.
- Mark with a star the cards where the text directly says Yahweh acted, and circle the cards that show a human choice.
- Share one observation from the ordered sequence with the group.
This helps students trace the account in order and notice both human choices and the chapter’s repeated statements about Yahweh’s action.
Adapt for your group
- For younger or less confident readers, prepare the eight event labels yourself and ask students only to order them and match them to verses.
- For older students, add a second column titled “What the text says” and “What we can carefully infer”, so they practise staying close to the wording of Joshua 10.
An optional closing prayer
Proposed words: God, help us read hard parts of Scripture carefully and honestly. Help us notice what this passage says about your action and about courage. Amen.
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Joshua 10
1 Now when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them,
2 they were very afraid, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
3 Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,
4 “Come up to me and help me. Let’s strike Gibeon; for they have made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”
5 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.
6 The men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Don’t abandon your servants! Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill country have gathered together against us.”
7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and the whole army with him, including all the mighty men of valor.
8 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Don’t fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands. Not a man of them will stand before you.”
9 Joshua therefore came to them suddenly. He marched from Gilgal all night.
10 Yahweh confused them before Israel. He killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth Horon, and struck them to Azekah and to Makkedah.
11 As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth Horon, Yahweh hurled down great stones from the sky on them to Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel killed with the sword.
12 Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. He said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still on Gibeon! You, moon, stop in the valley of Aijalon!”
13 The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn’t this written in the book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and didn’t hurry to go down about a whole day.
14 There was no day like that before it or after it, that Yahweh listened to the voice of a man; for Yahweh fought for Israel.
15 Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp to Gilgal.
16 These five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.
17 Joshua was told, saying, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”
18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones to cover the cave’s entrance, and set men by it to guard them;
19 but don’t stay there. Pursue your enemies, and attack them from the rear. Don’t allow them to enter into their cities; for Yahweh your God has delivered them into your hand.”
20 When Joshua and the children of Israel had finished killing them with a very great slaughter until they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,
21 all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. None moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
22 Then Joshua said, “Open the cave entrance, and bring those five kings out of the cave to me.”
23 They did so, and brought those five kings out of the cave to him: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
24 When they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who went with him, “Come near. Put your feet on the necks of these kings.” They came near, and put their feet on their necks.
25 Joshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed. Be strong and courageous, for Yahweh will do this to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
26 Afterward Joshua struck them, put them to death, and hanged them on five trees. They were hanging on the trees until the evening.
27 At the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and threw them into the cave in which they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.
28 Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king. He utterly destroyed it and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining. He did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
29 Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah.
30 Yahweh delivered it also, with its king, into the hand of Israel. He struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining in it. He did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
31 Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it.
32 Yahweh delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel. He took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with all the souls who were in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he had left him no one remaining.
34 Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, to Eglon; and they encamped against it and fought against it.
35 They took it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
36 Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron; and they fought against it.
37 They took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king and all its cities, and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls who were in it.
38 Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir, and fought against it.
39 He took it, with its king and all its cities. They struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining. As he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to its king; as he had done also to Libnah, and to its king.
40 So Joshua struck all the land, the hill country, the South, the lowland, the slopes, and all their kings. He left no one remaining, but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, commanded.
41 Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea even to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even to Gibeon.
42 Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
43 Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp to Gilgal.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.
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