Joshua 10:10

Discomfited . The original meaning of the word is to disturb, put in motion. Hence, as here, to throw into confusion, put to rout. Going up to Beth-horon. Beth-horon, or the house of the hollow, consisted of two towns. The one is now called Belt Ur el Foka, or Upper Belt Ur, the other Belt Ur el Tachta, or Lower Beit Ur. To the former led a difficult pass from Gibeon, called the ascent מַעֲלֵה ) to Beth-horon. From the former to the latter ran a path so rocky and rugged that steps have been made in the rock to facilitate the descent. This is the "going down" ( מוֹרַד ) to Beth-horon, mentioned in the next verse. So 1 Maccabees 3:16-24. (Cf. Robinson, vol. 3. see. 9). Speaking of the view from Beth-horon, he says, The prospect included the hill country and the plain as far as the eye could reach … Upon the side of the long hill that skirts the valley on the south, we could perceive a small village on the W.S.W. called Yalo." To Azekah. See Joshua 15:35 ; cf. 1 Samuel 17:1 . This place is known to after Jewish history, having been fortified by Rehoboam ( 2 Chronicles 11:9 ), besieged by Nebuchadnezzar ( Jeremiah 34:7 ), which shows it to have been a place of some importance. It continued to be inhabited after the captivity ( Nehemiah 11:30 ), and has been identified by Vandevelde with Ahbek, a place standing upon a mountain. He supposes it to have been identical with the Aphek in Judah ( 1 Samuel 4:1 ). But this would be better identified with Aphekah ( Joshua 15:53 ). Lieut. Conder identifies it with a place called Deir el Aashek, eight miles north of Shochoh. But apparently in the 'Handbook' he has abandoned this idea, though he makes no reference to this passage. And unto Makkedah. One of the lowland cities of Judah (see Joshua 15:41 ). Vandevelde identifies it with Summeil, a place where there are the ruins of a very ancient city (see 1 Samuel 17:28 ), built of large uncemented stones, a sign of great antiquity, and a large cave, such as that described in 1 Samuel 17:16 . See Robinson, vol. 2. p. 368, who gives not a hint, however, that it is to be identified with Makkedah, nor does he mention a cave. Lieut. Conder identifies it with the present E1 Moghar (The Caves), twenty-five miles from Gibeon along the valley of Ajalon, where several caves are found, the only ones, apparently, in the district. Summeil is a very long distance from Gibeon, and if we are to identify this with Makkedah, which there appears no ground for doing, supernatural assistance would have been required in more than one way for so protracted a pursuit during the same day.