Text: Joshua 11:20
OT Text Referred to: Exodus 4:21
Subject: divine hardening of enemies
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Analogy
Significance: Joshua 11:20 uses the verb חִזֵּק (chizzeq, "hardened/strengthened") for God's hardening of the Canaanites' hearts, directly echoing Exodus 4:21 where God announces He will harden (חִזֵּק) Pharaoh's heart. Both texts present divine hardening as the means by which God ensures His purposes of judgment are carried out against hostile nations. The analogical pattern is precise: just as Pharaoh's hardened heart led to his destruction at the Red Sea, so the Canaanites' hardened hearts led to their destruction in the conquest. In both cases, the hardening serves to remove the possibility of compromise, ensuring that God's judgment is total and His deliverance of Israel is complete.