We have here the same improvement made of this victory as was made of
that in the foregoing chapter. 1. The destruction of Hazor is
particularly recorded, because in it, and by the king thereof, this
daring design against Israel was laid, v. 10, 11. The king of Hazor, it
seems, escaped with his life out of the battle, and thought himself
safe when he had got back into his own city, and Joshua had gone in
pursuit of the scattered troops another way. But it proved that that
which he thought would be for his welfare was his trap; in it he was
taken as in an evil net; there he was slain, and his city, for his
sake, burned. Yet we find that the remains of it being not well looked
after by Israel the Canaanites rebuilt it, and settled there under
another king of the same name, Judg. iv. 2. 2. The rest of the cities
of that part of the country are spoken of only in general, that Joshua
got them all into his hands, but did not burn them as he did Hazor, for
Israel was to dwell in great and goodly cities which they builded not
(Deut. vi. 10) and in these among the rest. And here we find Israel
rolling in blood and treasure. (1.) In the blood of their enemies; they
smote all the souls (v. 1), neither left they any to breathe (v. 14),
that there might be none to infect them with the abominations of
Canaan, and none to disturb them in the possession of it. The children
were cut off, lest they should afterwards lay claim to any part of this
land in the right of their parents. (2.) In the wealth of their
enemies. The spoil, and the cattle, they took for a prey to themselves,
v. 14. As they were enriched with the spoil of their oppressors when
they came out of Egypt, wherewith to defray the charges of their
apprenticeship in the wilderness, so they were now enriched with the
spoil of their enemies for a stock wherewith to set up in the land of
Canaan. Thus is the wealth of the sinner laid up for the just.