Jabin
discerner; the wise. (1.) A king of Hazor, at the time of the
entrance of Israel into Canaan (Josh. 11:1-14), whose overthrow
and that of the northern chief with whom he had entered into a
confederacy against Joshua was the crowning act in the conquest
of the land (11:21-23; comp. 14:6-15). This great battle, fought
at Lake Merom, was the last of Joshua's battles of which we have
any record. Here for the first time the Israelites encountered
the iron chariots and horses of the Canaanites.
(2.) Another king of Hazor, called "the king of Canaan," who
overpowered the Israelites of the north one hundred and sixty
years after Joshua's death, and for twenty years held them in
painful subjection. The whole population were paralyzed with
fear, and gave way to hopeless despondency (Judg. 5:6-11), till
Deborah and Barak aroused the national spirit, and gathering
together ten thousand men, gained a great and decisive victory
over Jabin in the plain of Esdraelon (Judg. 4:10-16; comp. Ps.
83:9). This was the first great victory Israel had gained since
the days of Joshua. They never needed to fight another battle
with the Canaanites (Judg. 5:31).
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