Joshua 11:20

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For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Verse 19 Read Chapter 11 Verse 21

Augustine of Hippo

AD 430

It is said that “their heart was strengthened through the Lord,” that is, that their heart was hardened, just as in the case of Pharaoh. There can be no doubt that this is justly done by a divine and lofty judgment, when God abandons someone and the enemy takes possession of him; the same applies in this case as in Pharaoh’s. But here something else sets in motion, as it is said that their hearts were emboldened to arise against Israel in war and therefore the Israelites would not show any mercy to them. The Israelites may very well have showed them mercy, if the Canaanites had not gone to war, since God had ordered that none of the Canaanites were to be spared and yet the Israelites had spared the Gibeonites because they had represented themselves as having come from a far-off country and had made a treaty with them. But because the Israelites showed mercy to some, albeit against the command of God, it must be understood that it was said with this intention that the Canaanites waged w... Read More

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George Leo Haydock

AD 1849

Hardened. This hardening of their hearts, was their having no thought of yielding or submitting: which was a sentence or judgment of God upon them, in punishment of their enormous crimes. (Challoner) God might indeed by his all-powerful grace have changed their hearts, but their crimes caused him to withhold that grace; and thus they were suffered to shut their eyes to their true interest. (Calmet) They alone therefore were the cause of their own obduracy, which God only did not prevent, Exodus vii. (Worthington)

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Jerome

AD 420

“There was no city which the Lord did not deliver to the children of Israel, except perhaps those who lived in Gibeon. Israel violently overthrew all of them because the Lord hardened their hearts that they would fight Israel and be killed and not be shown mercy and die, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” If it happened by the will of the Lord that Israel not receive or accept peace, then let us say with the apostle, “Why, therefore, does he object? For who can resist the will of the Lord?” - "Defense Against the Pelagians 1.38"

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Richard Challoner

AD 1781

Hardened: This hardening of their hearts, was their having no thought of yielding or submitting: which was a sentence or judgment of God upon them in punishment of their enormous crimes.

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Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation - 2 Peter 1:20