Introduction
The Book of Joshua stands in a strategic place in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Books of Genesis through Deuteronomy form the Law, the first division of the Hebrew Bible. The Book of Joshua is the first book of the second division, known as the Prophets. The Prophets division is further divided into two sections, the first of which is the Former Prophets, which includes four books: Joshua, Judges, First and Second Samuel (One Book), and First and Second Kings (One Book). In our English Bibles, following the Septuagint and Vulgate, Joshua is the transition book from the Law (also called the Pentateuch) to the books of History.
In the Hebrew Bible and all of the subsequent versions, the name of the book is derived from its main character. The Hebrew name Joshua is equivalent to the Greek name Jesus, and means “Yahweh is Savior” or “Salvation of Yahweh.”
To determine the authorship of the book, consider several lines of evidence.
1) There are many eyewitness details that only Joshua could have known.
- Joshua 24:26 states that Joshua wrote down at least his farewell address.
- The language of the book suggests that it was written by a participant.
- Unbroken tradition says that he wrote his book.
All of these matters point to Joshua as the author of the book.
2) The man Joshua was born a slave in Egypt. After escaping from that land during the Exodus, Joshua became Moses’ special assistant. Joshua witnessed the mighty acts of God in the Wilderness. Joshua was one of the twelve spies sent into the land, and he and Caleb brought the minority report that challenged the people to move forward in faith. As commanding general of the Israelite army, Joshua led the people in the conquest of the land.
3) The Book of Joshua records that after the death of Moses, Joshua led in the Conquest of Canaan and in the allotment of tribal territory. Since the Exodus from Egypt occurred in 1446 B.C., the Conquest of Canaan began in 1406 B.C. and continued for about six years; therefore the Conquest should be dated 1406-1400 B.C. The Tell el Amarna Letters (correspondence between certain city states in Canaan and Egyptian pharaohs) speak of invasions of Canaan by groups called the Habiru; these letters were addressed to Pharaoh Amenhotep III (1414-1378) and his son Akhenaten (1378-1367); some archaeologists see at least some connection between the Habiru incursions and the Hebrew Conquest of the Land. It is probable that Joshua lived another ten years at least, making the dates for the Book of Joshua 1406-1390 B.C.
In the Book of Joshua, Jesus is seen as the “Captain of the Lord’s Host.”
Outline
Preparing for Victory
Commission of Joshua, 1:1-18
Care over the Spies, 2:1-24
Crossing the Jordan, 3:1-17
Cairns of Stones, 4:1-24
Consternation of the Amorites, 5:1
Circumcision of the New Generation, 5:2-12
Captain of the Lord’s Hosts, 5:13-15
Prevailing in Victory
Central Campaign
- Destruction of Jericho, 6:1-27
- Defeat of Israel at Ai, 7:1-5
- Discovery of Achan’s Sin, 7:6-26
- Downfall of Ai, 8:1-35
Coalition of Southern Cities
- Deception by the Gibeonites, 9:1-27
- Defense of Gibeon Against the Southern Coalition, 10:1-43
Confederacy United with Hazor, 11:1-15
Comprehensive Summary of Conquests, 11:16—12:24
Partitioning after Victory
Compartmentalization of Individual and Tribal Territories, 13:1—22:9
Concern from Transjordanian Altar, 22:10-34
Challenging Address from Joshua, 23:1—24:28
Close of Joshua’s Life, 24:29-33
Suggested Reading Segments for Joshua
- 1-5, Preparing Joshua and the people
- 6-8, Beginning the conquest
- 9-12, Completing the conquest
- 13-17, Beginning the partitioning
- 18-21, Completing the partitioning
- 22-24, Conditions for continued occupation
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