Jabin

About Jabin

Jabin, king of Hazor, is mentioned in Jos.11.1 as the leader of a Canaanite coalition that fought against Joshua and the Israelites during the conquest of Canaan. When Jabin heard of Israel's victories over Jericho and Ai, he formed an alliance with the kings of Madon, Shimron, and Achshaph, along with other kings from the northern hill country and the Arabah.

This coalition gathered a large army, described as being "as numerous as the sand on the seashore," with many horses and chariots (Jos.11.4). They assembled at the Waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

However, the Lord assured Joshua of victory, promising to deliver the enemy into his hands (Jos.11.6). Joshua led the Israelites in a surprise attack, defeating the Canaanite coalition and pursuing them until no survivors remained (Jos.11.7-8). The Israelites also captured and destroyed the city of Hazor, which had been the head of all these kingdoms (Jos.11.10).

Jabin's story illustrates the opposition faced by the Israelites as they sought to take possession of the Promised Land. It also demonstrates God's faithfulness in giving His people victory over their enemies when they trusted in Him and obeyed His commands.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.