As we read in Joshua 11, Jabin king of Hazor was the ringleader; he charged Canaanite
chieftains to clasp hands and fight the Jews. Naturally, the sheer masses of the unified army
concerned Joshua. Dispelling the Jewish leader’s fears, encouragement to came from Above.
“And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard thereof, that he sent to
Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of
Achshaph…and the Canaanite…and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the
Perizzite, and the Jebusite…and the Hivite…. And they went out, they and all
their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the seashore
in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.”
“And the LORD said unto Joshua: Be not afraid because of them, for tomorrow at this time will I
deliver them up all slain before Israel. You shall maim their horses and burn their chariots with
fire.”
Abravanel explains God’s command to Joshua – “maim their horses and burn their chariots.” He
points out that in the earlier battles, no such heavenly directive had been issued. Why here?
King Jabin of Hazor received news of Joshua’s defeat of the five kings (Joshua 10). Quickly he
gathered allies, armies replete with a cavalry and charioteers.
Seemingly, Abravanel posits, Jabin and company presumed they could beat Joshua, if only they
implemented the right strategy. Hence, Jabin brought to bear innumerable fighters (“even as
the sand that is upon the seashore”) and war material (“horses and chariots”).
There was, of course, a rationale or method behind Jabin’s thinking. He noted that the five
kings (Joshua 10) hadn’t enlisted every last man, nor had they introduced horses and chariots.
Hazor’s king, he thought, had it all figured out. Mounting a sea of soldiers and horses and
chariots would prove unstoppable.
Jabin’s plan rattled the Hebrew’s camp. Thus, God shored up Joshua’s and the Jews’ spirits.
“And the LORD said unto Joshua: Be not afraid…for tomorrow at this time will I deliver them up
all slain before Israel.” After assuring Joshua of victory, the Maker went further. He bid the
Jewish commander to “maim their horses and burn their chariots.”
What did God have in mind? According to Abravanel, since the king of Hazor put faith in his
large army and cavalry, the Creator wanted to teach Jabin a lesson. Really, He wanted to mock
the monarch. Seeing immobilized horses and a charred ash pile of chariots would knock some
sense into the regent. Abravanel adds another motivation to God’s command to debilitate the
horses and torch the chariots – it was meant to school the Jews. Namely, the Chosen People
should not place their trust in weaponry or armaments. Faith in the Almighty, and only in Him
would be an article of Jewish creed for the ages, as penned by King David in Psalms 3:
“Salvation belongs unto the LORD…”
After Joshua’s victory, the Hebrews occupied the cities of all of the participating kings. Well,
almost all of the cities. “But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of
them, save Hazor only – that did Joshua burn.” Abravanel teaches why Hazor, of all the cities,
was given “special” treatment. It stresses Jabin’s pivotal role in the military offensive; it was his
brainchild. How apt, then, to burn Hazor to the ground. All future kings who followed Jabin’s
example were put on notice. And even if a king would be foolhardy enough to emulate Jabin’s
example, that king’s subjects would know better. They would remind their “highness” of
Hazor’s fate, and put up a robust, anti-government protest.