Joshua 10:16-27 Meaning: The Cave That Became Their Prison
16These five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.
17Joshua was told, saying, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”
18Joshua said, “Roll large stones to cover the cave’s entrance, and set men by it to guard them;
19but 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.”
20When 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,
21all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. None moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
22Then Joshua said, “Open the cave entrance, and bring those five kings out of the cave to me.”
23They 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.
24When 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.
25Joshua 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.”
26Afterward Joshua struck them, put them to death, and hanged them on five trees. They were hanging on the trees until the evening.
27At 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.
16But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
17And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.
18And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them:
19And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the Lord your God hath delivered them into your hand.
20And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced cities.
21And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
22Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.
23And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
24And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
25And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
26And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
27And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.
16And these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.
17And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.
18And Joshua said, Roll great stones unto the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to keep them:
19but stay not ye; pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for Jehovah your God hath delivered them into your hand.
20And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,
21that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
22Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring forth those five kings unto me out of the cave.
23And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon.
24And it came to pass, when they brought forth those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the chiefs of the men of war that went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
25And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage: for thus shall Jehovah do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
26And afterward Joshua smote them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
27And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, unto this very day.
16And these five kings flee, and are hidden in a cave at Makkedah,
17and it is declared to Joshua, saying, `The five kings have been found hidden in a cave at Makkedah.'
18And Joshua saith, `Roll great stones unto the mouth of the cave, and appoint over it men to watch them;
19and ye, stand not, pursue after your enemies, and ye have smitten the hindmost of them; suffer them not to go in unto their cities, for Jehovah your God hath given them into your hand.'
20And it cometh to pass, when Joshua and the sons of Israel finish to smite them--a very great smiting, till they are consumed, and the remnant who have remained of them go in unto the fenced cities,
21that all the people turn back to the camp, unto Joshua, at Makkedah, in peace; none moved sharply his tongue against the sons of Israel.
22And Joshua saith, `Open ye the mouth of the cave, and bring out unto me these five kings from the cave;'
23and they do so, and bring out unto him these five kings from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon.
24And it cometh to pass, when they bring out these kings unto Joshua, that Joshua calleth unto every man of Israel, and saith unto the captains of the men of war, who have gone with him, `Draw near, set your feet on the necks of these kings;' and they draw near, and set their feet on their necks.
25And Joshua saith unto them, `Fear not, nor be affrighted; be strong and courageous; for thus doth Jehovah do to all your enemies with whom ye are fighting;'
26and Joshua smiteth them afterwards, and putteth them to death, and hangeth them on five trees; and they are hanging on the trees till the evening.
27And it cometh to pass, at the time of the going in of the sun, Joshua hath commanded, and they take them down from off the trees, and cast them unto the cave where they had been hid, and put great stones on the mouth of the cave till this very day.
16And these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.
17And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings have been found, hid in the cave at Makkedah.
18And Joshua said, Roll great stones before the mouth of the cave, and set men before it to keep them.
19And ye, stay not, pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities; for Jehovah your God has given them into your hand.
20And it came to pass when Joshua and the children of Israel had ended smiting them with a very great slaughter, until they were consumed, that the remnant which remained of them entered into fortified cities;
21and all the people returned to the camp to Joshua, at Makkedah, in peace; none moved his tongue against the children of Israel.
22And Joshua said, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring forth to me those five kings out of the cave.
23And they did so, and brought forth to him those five kings out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon.
24And it came to pass when they had brought forth those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called to all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, Come forward, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they came forward and put their feet on their necks.
25And Joshua said to them, Fear not, neither be dismayed; be strong and courageous, for thus will Jehovah do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
26And afterwards Joshua smote them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
27And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave where they had been hid, and laid great stones before the cave's mouth, [which remain] to this very day.
Meaning in one sentence
The five kings hid in a cave, but it became their prison. This passage shows God's sovereign deliverance and complete victory over Israel's enemies.
Context
This passage comes in the middle of Joshua's southern campaign. After the miraculous day when the sun stood still over Gibeon, the five allied Amorite kings fled and hid in a cave at Makkedah. Joshua ordered the cave sealed with large stones and guards posted, but he did not let the pursuit stop. The army continued to chase the enemy until the victory was complete. When the army returned safely to camp, Joshua brought the kings out, had the commanders put their feet on the kings' necks as a sign of total defeat, then executed them and hung their bodies on trees until evening. At sunset, they were taken down and thrown back into the cave, which was sealed again. The narrator notes the stones remain to this very day. The whole episode demonstrates God's deliverance and the fulfillment of His promise to give the land to Israel.
Key Words
The word for 'fled' in Hebrew (nus) means to escape quickly, but the kings' flight only delayed the inevitable. The word for 'hid themselves' (chava) carries the sense of withdrawing or pulling back, a desperate attempt to disappear. Yet no cave can hide anyone from God's sight. The word 'cave' (me'arah) is used repeatedly, and what begins as a shelter becomes a sealed prison and then a tomb. The most striking word in this passage is 'peace' (shalom). The army returned to camp in shalom, complete safety, wholeness, and well-being. And the phrase 'none moved his tongue' means that no one dared to speak against Israel. The victory was so total that opposition was silenced. When God fights, His people come home in peace.
How Christians Read This Verse
Adam Clarke, a Methodist commentator, notes that putting feet on the necks of the kings was a symbolic act, a token not only of the present victory but of triumph over all future adversaries. John Calvin, from the Reformed tradition, stresses that this act would have been arrogant cruelty without God's direct command. Since God ordered it, it becomes a sign of His righteous judgment. Matthew Henry sees in the five defeated kings a picture of Christ's ultimate victory over the powers of darkness. And across traditions, the detail of taking the bodies down at sunset is understood as obedience to the law in Deuteronomy, showing that even in judgment, God's people followed His instructions carefully.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers assume Joshua executed the five kings by hanging them alive. In fact, the Hebrew text states clearly that Joshua struck them and put them to death first, and then hanged their bodies on trees. The hanging was a post-mortem act of public disgrace, not a method of execution. This followed the ancient custom of displaying defeated enemies to show total conquest.
Living This Out
Maybe there is something you have been hiding from, a fear, a struggle, a conversation you know you need to have. This passage invites you to stop running. The same God who sealed the cave and defeated the kings sees where you hide, and He offers a different kind of peace. You do not have to face your enemies alone. You can return to His camp in shalom, not because the struggle is over, but because He has already won the decisive battle. This week, name one thing you have been avoiding. Bring it to God in prayer and trust that His victory is bigger than your fear.
Main takeaway: The cave that was meant to shelter the kings became their tomb: no enemy can stand against the God who fights for His people.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The five bad kings tried to hide in a cave. But God knew where they were, and Joshua made sure they could not escape. God always wins, and He takes care of His people.
For ages 9, 12
The kings thought they were safe in the cave, but Joshua blocked the entrance and guarded it. After the battle, they were brought out and defeated. This story shows that we cannot hide from God. When we trust Him, He gives us complete victory, even over things that seem scary. The cave became a tomb, but God's people returned to camp in peace.
Questions People Ask
Why did Joshua put his feet on the kings' necks?
Joshua commanded the commanders to put their feet on the kings' necks as a symbolic act of total victory. It was not personal cruelty but a sign that God would defeat all their enemies, as Joshua explains in verse 25. Several ancient Near Eastern monuments show this same gesture of conquest.
What does 'none moved his tongue' mean?
This phrase means that no one dared to speak against Israel. The victory was so complete and so clearly from God that all opposition was silenced. It echoes similar language in Exodus 11:7, where God made a distinction between Israel and Egypt.
Why were the kings hanged on trees and then buried in the cave?
The kings were killed first, then their bodies were hanged on trees as a public display of shame. At sunset, Joshua had them taken down to obey the law in Deuteronomy 21:23, which says a hanged body must not remain overnight. They were thrown back into the cave and sealed with stones as a lasting memorial.
What is the significance of the stones remaining 'to this very day'?
This phrase is a common biblical way of saying that the site remained visible as a lasting testimony. The sealed cave reminded future generations of God's decisive victory and His faithfulness to His promises. It served as both a monument and a warning.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study