4. I. INTRODUCTION
TO THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
AUTHOR: Joshua DATE: 1400-1370 B.C.
Authorship Basically the book was composed by Joshua himself. To be sure, a
few sections – such as 15:13-17 (cf. Judg. 1:9-13) and Josh. 24:29-31 – could not
have been written by him. These were probably added by Eleazar the priest or by
Phinehas, his son. But Joshua is specifically identified as the author of 24:1-26, and
clearly the author was an eyewitness of many of the events recorded- see, for
example, 5:1 (contains we in some mass.) and 5:6 (us). It is also evident that the
book was written not long after the events happened (6:25).
Background The book describes the conquest and division of the land of Canaan
and is set against the background of the corrupt and brutal features of Canaanite
religion, depicted clearly in the Ras Shamra Tablets. Prostitution of both sexes,
infant sacrifice, and religious syncretism were some of the evils for which God
command the Israelites to exterminate the inhabitants of Canaan. Much of the
later spiritual declension in Israel was due to the fact that the Canaanites were not
completely destroyed. As a result, their religion was tolerated and frequently
absorbed by the Israelites.
The events of Joshua begin where those of Deuteronomy conclude. For a
discussion of the time of the conquest, see the Introduction to the Book of Exodus.
5. Joshua the Man Evidently born in Egypt, Joshua (whose name means “Yahweh
is salvation”; see note on Num. 13:16) may have served in Pharaoh’s army. In any
case, he was well qualified to command the Israelite forces against the Amalekites
at Rephidim (Ex. 17:8-16). He served as personal attendant to Moses during the
year at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 24:13).
As the representative of the tribe of Ephraim, he scouted the land of Canaan with
the other eleven spies and, with Caleb, opposed the majority report not to try to
conquer the land (Num. 14:6-9). Before Moses’ death he was commissioned as
successor (Num. 27:18-23), and led the people in their conquest of Canaan. His
outstanding qualities were faith, courage, obedience, and devotion to the law of
God.
Date Assuming the earlier date for the Exodus from Egypt (see Introduction to
the Book of Exodus), the conquest of Canaan under Joshua took place around 1400
B.C. The later date for the Exodus places the conquest of Canaan around 1240, a
date more difficult to harmonize with the slight mention in the book of Joshua
(13:2-3) of the Philistines, who were strong in Palestine around 1200.
Important Emphases The book emphasizes (1) the faithfulness of God to give Israel the
land of Canaan (cf. Gen. 13:15); (2) the importance of the written law of God (Josh. 1:8;
8:32-35; 23:6-16; 24:26-27); and (3) the holiness of God in judging the sins of the
Canaanites (cf. Deut. 7:1-6)
6. II. OUTLINE OF JOSHUA
I. Entering the Land of Canaan, 1:1-5:15
A. The Commission of God to Joshua, 1:1-9
B. The Command of Joshua to the People, 1:10-18
C. The Canvassing of Jericho: Rahab and the Spies, 2:1-24
D. The Crossing of the Jordan River, 3:1-17
E. The Commemoration of the Crossing, 4:1-24
F. Then Circumcision of the People, 5:1-12
G. The Commander of the Lord’s Army, 5:13-15
II. Conquering the Land of Canaan, 6:1-12:24
A. Conquest of Central Canaan, 6:1-8:35
1. Victory at Jericho, 6:1-27
2. Defeat at Ai: Achan’s sin, 7:1-26
3. Victory at Ai, 8:1-29
4. Worship at Ebal, 8:30-35
B. Conquest of Southern Canaan, 9:1-10:43
1. Deception of the Gibeonites, 9:1-27
2. Destruction of the Amorite coalition, 10:1-43
C. Conquest of Northern Canaan, 11:1-15
D. Summary of the Conquest, 11:16-12:24
III. Dividing the Land of Canaan, 13:1-24:33
A. Instructions to Joshua, 13:1-7
7. B. Division of Transjordan, 13:8-33
C. Division of Canaan, 14:1-19:51
1. Introduction, 14:1-5
2. Inheritance of Judah, 14:6-15:63
3. Inheritance of Ephraim, 16:1-10
4. Inheritance of half-tribe of Manasseh, 17:1-18
5. Survey of remaining land, 18:1-10
6. Inheritance of Benjamin, 18:11-28
7. Inheritance of Simeon, 19:1-9
8. Inheritance of Zebulon, 19:10-16
9. Inheritance of Issachar
10. Inheritance of Asher, 19:24-31
11. Inheritance of Naphtali, 19:32-39
12. Inheritance of Dan, 19:40-48
13. Special inheritance, 19:49-51
D. Cities of Refuge, 20:1-9
E. Towns of the Levites, 21:1-45
F. Joshua’s Farewell Messages, 22:1-24:28
1. To the two-and-a-half tribes, 22:1-34
2. To the rulers, 23:1-16
3. To the people, 24:1-28
G. The Death of Joshua, 24:29-33
■ Source: The RYRIE Study Bible – New International Version
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