The Meaning of Joshua 10:20 Explained

Joshua 10:20

KJV: And 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.

YLT: And 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,

Darby: And 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;

ASV: And 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,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And 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. 

What does Joshua 10:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 10:15-27 - 40-43, Joshua's Victories Over Israel's Foes
The cave of Makkedah was a perpetual reminder of this wonderful victory which God gave His people. The details as to the placing of the princes' feet on the necks of their foes are related with this precision to indicate the completeness of the conquest. So at the end of this age; see 1 Corinthians 15:25. We may therefore appropriate Joshua's words about the enemies of the Church and ourselves. See Joshua 10:25.
Joshua's career was one of unbroken success, because the Lord went before him, delivering kings and armies, cities and peoples, into his hands. It was a war of utter extermination; but God's justice had waited long, Genesis 15:16, and this was the only way of stamping out the infection. The lesson for us is that no quarter can be given in the inner war. All our thoughts must be brought into captivity, 2 Corinthians 10:5. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 10

1  Five kings war against Gibeon
6  Joshua rescues it
10  God fights against them with hailstones
12  The sun and moon stand still at the word of Joshua
16  The five kings are murdered in a cave
22  They are brought forth
24  scornfully used
26  and hanged
28  Seven kings more are conquered
43  Joshua returns to Gilgal

What do the individual words in Joshua 10:20 mean?

And it came to pass while made an end Joshua and the sons of Israel of slaying them with a slaughter great very till they had finished that those who escaped of them them and entered into cities fortified
וַיְהִי֩ כְּכַלּ֨וֹת יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לְהַכּוֹתָ֛ם מַכָּ֥ה גְדוֹלָֽה־ מְאֹ֖ד עַד־ תֻּמָּ֑ם וְהַשְּׂרִידִים֙ שָׂרְד֣וּ מֵהֶ֔ם וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אֶל־ עָרֵ֥י הַמִּבְצָֽר

וַיְהִי֩  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כְּכַלּ֨וֹת  while  made  an  end 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: כָּלָה  
Sense: to accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent.
יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ  Joshua 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹושֻׁעַ  
Sense: son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim and successor to Moses as the leader of the children of Israel; led the conquest of Canaan.
וּבְנֵ֣י  and  the  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
לְהַכּוֹתָ֛ם  of  slaying  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, third person masculine plural
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
מַכָּ֥ה  with  a  slaughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַכָּה  
Sense: blow, wound, slaughter.
גְדוֹלָֽה־  great 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
מְאֹ֖ד  very 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
עַד־  till 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
תֻּמָּ֑ם  they  had  finished 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine plural
Root: תָּמַם  
Sense: to be complete, be finished, be at an end.
וְהַשְּׂרִידִים֙  that  those 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׂרִיד  
Sense: survivor, remnant, that which is left.
שָׂרְד֣וּ  who  escaped 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׂרַד  
Sense: (Qal) to escape, survive.
מֵהֶ֔ם  of  them  them 
Parse: Preposition-m, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ  and  entered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֶל־  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
עָרֵ֥י  cities 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
הַמִּבְצָֽר  fortified 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִבְצָר 
Sense: fortification, fortress, fortified city, stronghold.