In the days when the heavy hand of judgment fell upon the wicked inhabitants of Canaan, there arose leaders who sought to defy the sovereign decree of the Almighty. Among these was Piram, the Amorite king of Jarmuth. His name, derived from a root suggesting a wild ass or an indomitable, fleet creature, perfectly mirrored the untamed defiance of his heart. Yet, no matter how fleet or fiercely unyielding a man may be, he cannot outrun the vengeance of a righteous God. Piram ruled a royal stronghold in the lowlands of Canaan, a city steeped in the abominations of the Amorites, whose iniquity had finally reached its full measure before the Lord.
When the inhabitants of Gibeon wisely sought peace with Israel, choosing submission over destruction, terror gripped the hearts of the remaining Canaanite potentates. Piram, refusing to bow to the God of Abraham, joined a desperate, rebellious confederacy. Scripture records, “Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.” (Joshua 10:3-4). Thus, the fleet and wild king rushed headlong into his own destruction, gathering his armies to wage war against the advancing hosts of the living God.
The battle that followed became an eternal monument to divine intervention. As Piram and his confederates fought, the Lord discomfited them before Israel, casting down great hailstones from heaven upon their fleeing ranks. In that monumental hour, the very sun stood still in the midst of heaven, refusing to go down for a whole day, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Realizing the day was lost, the indomitable Piram fled, his vaunted speed bringing him only as far as a dark cave at Makkedah, where he and the four other kings hid themselves in utter humiliation.
The refuge they chose quickly became their tomb. Joshua commanded that great stones be rolled upon the mouth of the cave, setting a guard to keep them until the battle was fully finished. When the slaughter of the rebellious armies was complete, Piram was brought out from the dark of the earth to face his sentence. Joshua commanded the captains of the men of war to put their feet upon the necks of these proud kings, demonstrating the complete subjection of those who oppose the Lord’s purposes. Afterward, “Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.” (Joshua 10:26). The wild and fleet king of Jarmuth was cut down, his body cast back into the very cave where he had hidden, leaving a heap of great stones as a solemn witness to the end of all who harden their necks against the King of kings.