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Chapter 11 deals with the conclusion of the conquest of Canaan. After a time of rest and healing, we have the account of the war in the north and the success of Israel.
Notice the multitude of people that formed this coalition of northern nations against Israel. King Jabin of Hazor assembled his people along with the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizites, the Jebusites and the Hivites, a huge army of horses and chariots. Josephus, in his account of this war, records the army of these combined nations as having 300,000-foot soldiers, 10,000 on horseback and 20,000 chariots. In spite of this, God tells Joshua, "Do not be afraid."
Notice Joshua used the element of surprise, "He came upon them suddenly." They were still in their tents totally unprepared to do battle. The sudden appearance of the Israeli army sent them running in all directions. Joshua went after them and destroyed all the men, horses and chariots. He killed Hazor and all the people in the cities of the 5 nations.
The war is summed up in verse 14, "All the spoil of the cities and the cattle were taken by the people of Israel for booty, but every man was killed with the sword until all were destroyed and did not leave any that breathed." Verse 23, "So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses and the land rested from war."
This extended the boundaries of Israel from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the city of Sidon and Mt. Hermon on the north and east. So Joshua took the whole land for an inheritance for the tribes of Israel.
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