Joshua 11:21-22
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The verse names specific locations like Hebron and Debir, but it also mentions "all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel" to emphasize that this wasn't just about a few cities; it was a sweeping eradication from the entire mountainous terrain. This thoroughness highlights the complete cleansing of the land, fulfilling God's command without exception.
And Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities. There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage marks a significant conclusion to Joshua’s extensive military campaigns, detailing the final expulsion of the formidable Anakim, a race of giants who had once struck terror into the Israelites. It culminates the conquest described in the preceding verses, bringing a hard-won peace to the land after years of conflict. The successful eradication of these people, fulfilling God's command to Moses, sets the stage for the land to finally rest from war and for the division of inheritance among the tribes.
Imagine facing an enemy so terrifying that the mere mention of their name sent shivers down Israel's spine. These weren't just any enemies; they were giants, a race meant to be utterly destroyed.
The Anakim were a formidable, often described as gigantic, people who occupied the hill country of Canaan. Their presence was a constant reminder of the challenge Israel faced. Joshua's final campaign against them, specifically from Hebron, Debir, and Anab, wasn't just another military victory. It was the decisive eradication of a people whose very existence had instilled fear in Israel's hearts generations earlier (Numbers 13:22). This act fulfilled a critical aspect of God's command to cleanse the land, ensuring that these formidable obstacles were removed, paving the way for Israel to fully inhabit the promise.
The phrase 'devoted them to destruction' sounds harsh, even unsettling. What does it truly mean when Scripture speaks of utter destruction, and how does it connect to God's promises?
The concept of 'devoting to destruction' (often translated as 'herem' in Hebrew) signifies a complete and irrevocable surrender to God. In this context, it means the Anakim and their cities were set apart for God's judgment, meaning they were not to be spared or integrated into Israelite society.
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After years of intense conflict, the narrative shifts dramatically with the phrase 'the land rested from war.' What does this hard-won peace signify?
Joshua 11:23 provides a powerful conclusion to the conquest narrative: 'Joshua took the whole land... And the land rested from war.' This signifies the successful completion of the military phase of taking possession of the Promised Land, as God had commanded through Moses.
Understand the original words
anaqiy · Hebrew Noun
A group of people described in the Old Testament as being of great stature and strength, often associated with the inhabitants of Canaan before the Israelite conquest. They were seen as a source of fear and an obstacle to faith for the Israelites.
charam · Hebrew Verb
In the context of Old Testament warfare, this refers to the act of setting something apart for God as a holy, irrevocable judgment, often involving the total destruction of an enemy and their possessions as an act of obedience to God's command.
The Anakim, a people known for their intimidating stature and associated with cities like Hebron, were a significant obstacle. Their complete removal from the hill country was a crucial step in fulfilling God's promise to give Israel a secure inheritance, as foretold by Moses.
c. 1446 BC
Israelites Cross the Jordan
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, marking the beginning of their military campaign to conquer Canaan.
c. 1446 BC
Fall of Jericho and Ai
Early victories at Jericho and Ai demonstrated God's power and began to instill fear in the Canaanite inhabitants.
c. 1445 BC
Southern Campaign and Battle of Gibeon
Joshua defeated a coalition of southern kings led by the king of Jerusalem, securing key cities like Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir.
c. 1445 BC
Conquest of the Southern Hill Country
Joshua systematically conquered the cities and surrounding hill country in southern Canaan, including Hebron and Debir, which were strongholds of the Anakim.
c. 1445 BC
Northern Campaign and Battle of Merom
Joshua then turned north, engaging and defeating a coalition of northern kings and their armies at the waters of Merom.
c. 1445 BC— this verse
Anakim Purged from the Hill Country
Following the major military campaigns, Joshua specifically targeted and eradicated the formidable Anakim people from the mountainous regions of Judah and Israel.
c. 1445 BC - 1405 BC
Division of the Land
After the land was largely subdued, Joshua oversaw the division of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel, though full possession would take generations.
This passage directly describes the Anakim as giants that instilled fear in the Israelite spies, making their later removal by Joshua a significant fulfillment of God's plan to grant Israel a land free from such terror.
Deuteronomy 7:1-2God's command to utterly destroy the nations in Canaan, including the Anakim, is the theological basis for Joshua's actions here, highlighting that this was not a human initiative but a divine judgment.
Judges 1:10-15This passage shows how, even after Joshua's campaigns, remnants of the Anakim in places like Hebron and Debir needed to be dealt with by Caleb and Othniel, demonstrating that complete eradication sometimes took extended effort and involved later generations.
Psalm 44:3This psalm celebrates God's power in giving Israel the land, reflecting the sentiment that their victory was not by their own strength but by God's hand, which is powerfully illustrated in the conquest of formidable enemies like the Anakim.
calvinJoshua 11:16-23: "So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same;"
For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Quia a Jehova fuit, ut induraretcor eorum in occursum belli c…
bensonJoshua 11:21: "And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities."
Joshua 11:21 . At that time — That is, in the war before mentioned, and probably toward the conclusion of it; after he had left none to oppose him in other places, but only in those mountainous parts which were of difficult access. Joshua cut off th…
The verse names specific locations like Hebron and Debir, but it also mentions "all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel" to emphasize that this wasn't just about a few cities; it was a sweeping eradication from the entire mountainous terrain. This thoroughness highlights the complete cleansing of the land, fulfilling God's command without exception.
This passage marks a significant conclusion to Joshua’s extensive military campaigns, detailing the final expulsion of the formidable Anakim, a race of giants who had once struck terror into the Israelites. It culminates the conquest described in the preceding verses, bringing a hard-won peace to the land after years of conflict. The successful eradication of these people, fulfilling God's command to Moses, sets the stage for the land to finally rest from war and for the division of inheritance among the tribes.
This passage marks a significant conclusion to Joshua’s extensive military campaigns, detailing the final expulsion of the formidable Anakim, a race of giants who had once struck terror into the Israelites. It culminates the conquest described in the preceding verses, bringing a hard-won peace to the land after years of conflict. The successful eradication of these people, fulfilling God's command to Moses, sets the stage for the land to finally rest from war and for the division of inheritance among the tribes.
"And Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their c…" — The verse names specific locations like Hebron and Debir, but it also mentions "all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel" to emphasize that this wasn't just about a few cities…
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Last reviewed October 2026
