Joshua

What makes Joshua special?

Joshua describes how the tribes of Israel conquered and divided the promised land of Canaan. The title of the book comes from its leading character, Joshua, who was chosen to lead Israel after Moses died (1.1-3). But the real hero is the Lord, who helped the people conquer the land. By doing so, the Lord kept the promise that was part of the agreements made with Israel's ancestors. In the first agreement, the Lord promised Abraham that his descendants would one day have a land they could call their own (Gen 12.1-3; 15.13-18; 17.8). This promise was repeated to Moses (Exod 3.7,8), who later received God's second agreement based on the Law. The people had experienced God's help in the past, and so they were challenged to trust God and obey God's Law before they entered the land of Canaan (1.6-9) and again after they had conquered the land (24.15).

The name “Joshua” means “The Lord saves,” and this is the book's lesson. Those who trust in the Lord will receive the Lord's help. God's plan to give the land of Canaan to the people of Israel unfolds through individuals (Joshua, Eleazar, Rahab, Caleb), and God's power is demonstrated in the forces of nature (crossing the Jordan River, the destruction of Jericho, the hailstones from the heavens).

Why was Joshua written?

Joshua is part of the great story, Deuteronomy through 2 Kings, which tells of Israel's life as God's special people in the promised land. A key theme in this entire work is that the land is a gift from the Lord, and remaining loyal to the Lord and the Lord's Law are the conditions for keeping the land. Israel could only win the land with the Lord's help. And, they could only keep it by obeying the Lord's Law. This theme is emphasized in two speeches given by Joshua at the end of the book (23.1—24.28).

The events described in Joshua also answer two important questions: How did the people of Israel enter the land of Canaan? and How was the land divided among the tribes? Most scholars believe Joshua records events that took place around 1250-1225 b.c. Joshua details a series of “holy wars” against the people of Canaan, and reports the swift and sometimes miraculous capture of many Canaanite cities and towns. For example, in the battle at Jericho, the Lord made the walls collapse (6.20). Later, in the battle at Gibeon the Lord made huge hailstones fall from the sky and crush the enemy soldiers. With Joshua in command, the united tribes of Israel crossed the Jordan River and cut through the center of the land, eventually taking over the lands to the south and to the north. But at certain points in the story, individual clans are described as trying on their own to take over land with only partial success.

The second part of the book (13.1—24.33) describes how each tribe received its land. This included land in Canaan to the west of the Jordan River and some territory east of the Jordan River that had already been promised to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh (Num 32). The book also explains why the special servants of the Lord, the Levite tribe, did not receive a large share of land like the other tribes. Instead, they were given towns scattered throughout the whole country.

What's the story behind the scene?

Archaeologists have discovered evidence that parts of Canaan were attacked in the period between 1300 and 1200 b.c. The towns of Bethel, Lachish, and Debir were completely destroyed. While some key places were destroyed or captured under Joshua, not all the places where Canaanites lived were taken over by the people of Israel (see Judg 1). It was not until the time of King David (around 1000 b.c.) that the tribes of Israel were united in one kingdom and were solidly in place in the land of Canaan. Even then, Canaanite culture and religion continued to influence the people of Israel for many more centuries. According to the biblical authors, it was the worship of Canaanite idols that led, in part, to the fall of the northern kingdom (Israel) in 722 b.c. and to the fall of the southern kingdom (Judah) in 586 b.c. See also the article called “From Joshua to the Exile: The People of Israel in the Promised Land,” XXB 7.0.

How is Joshua constructed?

The book of Joshua has two main parts. The first half (1–12) is a series of stories about the capture of key cities and towns in Canaan. It includes many stories that explain the origin of a landmark in Israel. The second half (13–22) consists of tribal boundaries and city lists. The twelve tribes each got a share of the land, while the Levites were given special cities scattered throughout Israel. The concluding chapters of the book (23,24) report Joshua's farewell and death as well as the important gathering at Shechem where the people of Israel promised to obey the Lord God, now that they had settled in the promised land.

The book may be outlined in the following way: