And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. (Joshua 10:24)
That is, all the men of war “which went with him,” as stated in the same verse. Joshua knew how to keep the good will of his men. He took them into his confidence. They had shared in the battle, and they deserved to see the fruits of their labor and to share in the final results. The true leader shares both the joys and the sorrows of service with his fellow laborers—not only the labor but the fruits of labor as well. He makes his men feel that they are a part of the task and not mere cogs in the wheel of success. Joshua had confidence in his men, and they had confidence in him. For a leader thus to share is to strengthen his position, not to weaken it. Confidence begets confidence.
Upon the necks.
This procedure was a custom of the Orient as can be seen from certain Assyrian and Egyptian monuments. It was a token of complete victory. To the Israelites it was a demonstration of the complete subjection to which God would reduce all their adversaries (see Gen. 49:8; 2 Sam. 22:41).