Debir

About Debir Written by AI

Debir was the Amorite king of Eglon during the time of Joshua's conquest of Canaan. He joined a coalition of five Amorite kings led by Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, to attack Gibeon after the Gibeonites made a peace treaty with Israel (Joshua 10:3 to 4). In response to the Gibeonites' request for help, Joshua and the Israelite army marched all night from Gilgal and caught the Amorite kings by surprise. The Lord threw the Amorite armies into confusion, and Joshua's forces defeated them decisively (Joshua 10:5 to 10). As the Amorite kings fled, the Lord caused large hailstones to fall on them, killing more of them than the Israelites did with their swords (Joshua 10:11). Joshua then called for the sun and moon to stand still, allowing the Israelites to complete their victory (Joshua 10:12 to 13). The five Amorite kings, including Debir, were found hiding in a cave at Makkedah. They were captured, brought before Joshua, and executed (Joshua 10:16 to 27). Debir's defeat, along with the other Amorite kings, was a significant victory for the Israelites as they continued their conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua's leadership.

Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.

Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897

This entry is on the name Debir, and may cover more than one person or place by that name.

Oracle town; sanctuary. (1.) One of the eleven cities to the west of Hebron, in the highlands of Judah (Josh. 15:49; Judg. 1:11-15). It was originally one of the towns of the Anakim (Josh. 15:15), and was also called Kirjath-sepher (q.v.) and Kirjath-sannah (49). Caleb, who had conquered and taken possession of the town and district of Hebron (Josh. 14:6-15), offered the hand of his daughter to any one who would successfully lead a party against Debir. Othniel, his younger brother (Judg. 1:13; 3:9), achieved the conquest, and gained Achsah as his wife. She was not satisfied with the portion her father gave her, and as she was proceeding toward her new home, she “lighted from off her ass” and said to him, “Give me a blessing [i.e., a dowry]: for thou hast given me a south land” (Josh. 15:19, A.V.); or, as in the Revised Version, “Thou hast set me in the land of the south”, i.e., in the Negeb, outside the rich valley of Hebron, in the dry and barren land. “Give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.”

Debir has been identified with the modern Edh-Dhaheriyeh, i.e., “the well on the ridge”, to the south of Hebron.

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.