Gi•lᵊgâlꞋ

In the late B.C.E. 17^th century, when Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ returned from Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim, Kᵊna•anꞋ comprised a vast patchwork of independent, city-colonies, each ruled by their own mëlꞋëkh — who, during Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ's sojourn in Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim, had squatted on, and occupied, the lands purchased, negotiated by treaties and, thereby, owned by Avᵊrâ•hâmꞋ, Yi•tzᵊkhâqꞋ and Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ.

In the Middle East, winters are cold, rainy and muddy, unfavorable for conducting wars. Most battles are scheduled for the other three seasons, peaking in midsummer—around the summer solstice.

Modern, Arab-occupied Gi•vᵊōnꞋ (Jib), 10km (6mi) N of Yᵊru•shâ•laꞋyim

After the Israeli Army, under Gen. Yᵊho•shuꞋa Bën-Nun, had conquered and secured the city-colonies of Yᵊri•khoꞋ and Ai, the next city-colony, Gi•vᵊōnꞋ, negotiated peace, via the bᵊrit, with the Israelis. Like so many of the Ha•birꞋu who had come out of Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim in the Yᵊtzi•âhꞋ, they became a party in the bᵊrit.

Compared to the surrounding separate and independent single-city colonies, this new tri-city Israeli federation formed the nucleus to recover Israeli lands and restore Israel as the Patriarchs had pioneered; a resurrected, landed-kindred nation.

When the Ë•mor•iꞋ mëlꞋëkh heard that the people of Gi•vᵊōnꞋ had entered the bᵊrit with Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ, he realized that he was suddenly facing the nucleus of a larger neighboring Israeli nation looming over his city, about to engulf him in their wars to recover their ancestral lands. Consequently, the mëlꞋëkh of the Ë•mor•iꞋ city-colony of Yᵊru•shâ•laꞋyim, A•don•iꞋ-TzëdꞋëq, sent out runners carrying messages requesting the emergency military assistance of the other 4 major mᵊlâkh•imꞋ of Ë•mor•iꞋ city-colonies of the region: Khë•vᵊr•onꞋ, Ya•rᵊm•utꞋ, Lâ•khishꞋ and Ashᵊqᵊlōn, to attack Gi•vᵊōnꞋ.

So the "Big 5 Ë•mor•iꞋ Colonies" mustered all of their combined armies on the hill opposite Gi•vᵊōnꞋ in preparation for an imminent attack.

In a panic, the men of Gi•vᵊōnꞋ sent a ma•lâkhꞋ-runner to Yᵊho•shuꞋa at the Israeli bivouac, Camp Gi•lᵊgâlꞋ Army Base, on the eastern outskirts of Yᵊri•khoꞋ. "Gi•vᵊōnꞋ is under siege by the 5 major mᵊlâkh•imꞋ Ë•mor•imꞋ encamped on the hill opposite us" the men of Gi•vᵊōnꞋ wrote to Yᵊho•shuꞋa. "We implore you not to wuss-out on us, to honor the bᵊrit we have undertaken and come with all urgency to save us."

It was the day before the summer solstice when Yᵊho•shuꞋa received the urgent message from Gi•vᵊōnꞋ, and he was immediately concerned. "Don't worry," a ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה advised Yᵊho•shuꞋa when he read the message, "I've given them into your hand. Not a man from among them shall stand against you."

Now, Yᵊho•shuꞋa realized from his calendar that the Ë•mor•imꞋ planned to attack at dawn the next morning in order to take maximum advantage of the longest day. This realization presented a miracle opportunity for the Israelis. The next day would be the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, with its companion longest dawn and sunset twilights. His calendar also revealed another miracle: for the first time in 50 years, the longest day would conclude with a rare solstice full moon — illuminating the battlefield all the following night.

So Yᵊho•shuꞋa rushed to turn the solstice to Israel's advantage, immediately ordering the sho•phârꞋ blown to muster and move out his troops. Every soldier is always prepared and provisioned to grab their provisions and weapons and bug out at the sound of the sho•phârꞋ ready to fight. So they bugged out within the hour.

Knowing that the ballistas, siege-crossbows and other war machines couldn't keep up with his soldiers on a forced march, Yᵊho•shuꞋa assigned them to take positions on hilltops on the far side (to the west) of the impending battlefield overlooking valleys through which the Ë•mor•imꞋ could escape.

It was 30km (almost 19mi), a lot of it uphill into the mountains, from their base at Gi•lᵊgâlꞋ to Gi•vᵊōnꞋ — a full day's forced march. From mid-afternoon or so, they marched all night, on a forced march, to reinforce Gi•vᵊōnꞋ, arriving on the battlefield well before dawn of the longest day—before the Ë•mor•imꞋ had awakened.

Despite the fatigue after an all-night forced march, the surprise of a pre-dawn attack afforded Yᵊho•shuꞋa and his warriors yet another decisive tactical advantage. So the Israelis marched straight into the Ë•mor•iꞋ camp, immediately launching a pre-dawn attack while the Ë•mor•imꞋ still slept soundly, having gone to sleep confident they would attack and capture Gi•vᵊōnꞋ that morning.

After hours of bow, spear and hand-to-hand sword & dagger fighting (during which time the Israeli war machines were setting up on their positions on hilltops overlooking the escape valleys to the west), the Ë•mor•imꞋ forces were routed. Caught between the Israeli warriors in Gi•vᵊōnꞋ, on the north, and the Israelis attacking their rear to the east and south, they were left with only one remaining valley of escape—away from the Israelis, westward.

The Israelis pursued the Ë•mor•imꞋ through the valleys—into the ambush by the artillery war machines that Yᵊho•shuꞋa had previously stationed on the hilltops—making the valley a killing field.

The ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה rained down ballista stones on the fleeing Ë•mor•imꞋ. In fact, more Ë•mor•imꞋ died from the fusillade of ballista stones raining down on them than the Israeli infantry soldiers had killed!

EiꞋmeq A•yâl•ōnꞋ facing SE. Ë•mor•imꞋ survivors, pursued by the Israeli forces, would have come from the East (center-left background) into the valley floor below, where the final battle took place.

Still, defeated remnants of the Ë•mor•imꞋ forces fled headlong down the only escape valley Yᵊho•shuꞋa had left to them—an all-day flight on foot of18 km (11 mi) due west down into EiꞋmeq A•yâl•ōnꞋ.

Later, that same day (in which י‑‑ה gave the Ë•mor•imꞋ into his hand), with the Ë•mor•imꞋ on the run and under continuous bombardment of ballista stones by his artillery corps, Yᵊho•shuꞋa called his troops, Bᵊn•eiꞋ-Yi•sᵊrâ•eilꞋ, to a battlefield briefing to witness him address י‑‑ה.

"As we anticipated," Yᵊho•shuꞋa announced, "the fleeing Ë•mor•imꞋ are trying to escape down through EiꞋmeq A•yâl•ōnꞋ to the coastal plain. May the sun stand still over Gi•vᵊōnꞋ, enabling us to prolong our advantage; and may this be followed by a full moon illuminating the battle field in EiꞋmeq A•yâl•ōnꞋ into the night, so that we may extirpate our enemy."

And, indeed, it being the summer solstice, the "Sol" "sticed" and the solstice full moon illuminated the night battlefield all night long, enabling the Israelis (which included the inhabitants of Gi•vᵊōnꞋ, who had entered the bᵊrit), to eradicate the 5 Ë•mor•imꞋ colonies—incorporating these cities, which included Yᵊru•shâ•laꞋyim, into the nucleus, now a federation of 8 restored Israeli cities.

There's never been a day like it, before nor since, in which י‑‑ה influenced serendipity to accomplish His objectives, coinciding with the voice He anticipated of a human being; when י‑‑ה managed the battle on behalf of Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ.

After extirpating the enemy forces of the 5 Ë•mor•imꞋ colonies, setting the precedent to deter surrounding city-colonies from attacking recovered cities of the nascent resurrected Israeli kindred-nation, Yᵊho•shuꞋa and his forces returned to the Israeli base in Gi•lᵊgâlꞋ.