JOSHUA (Book)

The book of Joshua resumes the history of Israel beginning with the death of Moses, the last event recounted in Deuteronomy. This book has more to do with the Pentateuch than with the following writings, since the spirit of the Mosaic times continued to permeate the time of Joshua; It also constitutes the fulfillment of all the promises made in the previous books regarding the taking possession of the Promised Land.

Certain critics consider that the Pentateuch and the book of Joshua form a whole, which they call the Hexateuch; but Joshua’s allusions to the “book of the Law” (Josh. 1:8; 8:31-32; 23:6) clearly show that it has always been a separate book. In the Hebrew canon, the book of Joshua is the first of the Prophets; With it, the section called the previous prophets opens, which includes in our Bibles the books from Joshua to 2 Kings, with the exception of Ruth, which belongs to the third section of the canon (see CANON).

The book of Joshua can be divided into three sections:
(a) The conquest of Canaan (Jos. 1-12), which includes the preparations for the crossing of the Jordan and the passage of this river (Jos. 1:1-4:18); the establishment of the camp and the celebration of the Passover (Josh. 4:19-5:12); the taking of Jericho; that of Ai; the altar erected on Mount Ebal; the confirmation of the alliance; the treaty with the Gibeonites (Josh. 5:13-9:27); the expeditions to the south and north (Josh. 10-11); the recapitulation (Josh. 12).

(b) The partition of the country of Canaan among the tribes (Joshua 13-22), including: a description of the country to be divided (Joshua 13); the distribution, with the designation of the cities of refuge and the attribution of cities to the Levites (Josh. 14-21); the dispute over the altar raised east of the Jordan (the western tribes feared that this altar would cause disunity, Josh. 22).

(c) Joshua’s farewell speech and his death (Joshua 23-24). It is formally stated that Joshua “wrote these words in the book of the law of God” (Josh. 24:26); “These words” included, in any case, the record of the last assembly at Shechem (Josh. 23:1-24:25). As for the last verses of the book (Josh. 24:29-33), it is evident that they were written after the death of Joshua, Eleazar, and the men of this generation. Caleb’s conquest of Hebron, Debir, and Anab (Joshua 15:13-20) took place after Joshua’s death. The allusion to these conquests was inserted in this place of the story to complete it (cf. Judges 1:10-20). (See HEBRON.) In Jos. 12:14, Shephat bears the name Horma, which was given to him later (Judg. 1:17). (See LAST.).
Author and date of writing.

Joshua is more the hero than the author of the book. He wrote several of the passages himself (Josh. 18:9; 24:26; cf. Jos. 8:32), but it is likely that an inspired author finished the account shortly after Joshua’s death.

(a) The abundance of detail and vividness of the narrative suggest eyewitness testimony (cf. Josh. 2, 3, 5:1, 6; 6-8; 15:6; 18:17, etc.).

(b) The book was written in an early period: Rahab was still living among the people (Josh. 6:25). The expression “to this day” occurs fourteen times (three of these passages can only be applied to the time when Joshua was still alive: Joshua 22:3; 23:8, 9).

(c) The city of Ai was still in ruins (Josh. 8:28).

(d) The Jebusites continued to occupy the citadel of Jerusalem (Josh. 15:63), from which David later drove them out (2 Sam. 5:5-9).

(e) The Canaanites continued to live in Gezer, which certainly places it before the time of Solomon (Josh. 16:10; cf. 1 Kings 9:16).

(f) The Gibeonites then gave their quota of wood and water (Josh. 9:27), while they were decimated by Saul’s cruelty (2 Sam. 21:1-9).

(g) The absence of any allusion to the kingdom of Israel and its division is equally significant. This is why Keil relies on solid reasons to affirm that the book was written by “one of the elders who survived Joshua.”
Archaeological confirmation.

The Tell el-Amarna letters are generally considered Canaanite testimony of the Israelite conquest, with requests to the Pharaoh of Egypt for protection, being placed in the 14th century BC. However, internal evidence based on a careful reexamination of the tablets indicates, according to Velikovsky’s studies (Velikovsky, I.: “Ages in Chaos”, PP. 223-340, see Bibliography under Amarna), that the letters of Tell el-Amarna belongs to the 9th century BC, to the time of Jehoshaphat.

However, the idolatrous religion of Canaanite origin that appears in the documents of Ugarit (Ras-Samra) and in those of Amarna, as well as that evidenced by archaeological discoveries in Palestine, accurately present the abominable rites denounced by Moses and Joshua. (Lev. 18:21-24; see PAGAN DIVINITIES), and which were perpetuated throughout the history of Israel until the Babylonian exile, when the Israelites adopted the false cults of the Canaanites.

The main gods, Il and Baal, were monsters of corruption; the female deities, Asherah, Anat and Ashtoreth, patrons of sex and war, were no better. All these false gods expressed the cruelty and moral degeneration of their worshipers. These discoveries not only illustrate the clear statements of the Bible, but also the writings of Philo of Alexandria. They give the explanation of the order given to Israel to destroy the Canaanites.

It was on the one hand a divine judgment on an outrageous degradation, and on the other a measure of security, through the elimination of a gangrene capable of corrupting the Israelites themselves (Ex. 23:24; Deut. 7:1-5; 12:29-31; Josh. 6:17, 18; 8:24-25; 11:12-15, 19-20).

The Canaanites, in addition to other horrible ritual practices, sacrificed each newborn firstborn to Baal, or another god (cf. “Child Sacrifice at Carthage – and in the Bible”, Biblical Archeology Review, vol. 10, n. 1, Jan. .-Feb. 1984, PP. 31-51) and small children, even of a certain age.

It is impossible to read the Scriptures and become familiar with History without realizing that God punishes hardened sinners: the Flood generation, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (who in every way resembled the Canaanites); Babylon, Nineveh, Jerusalem itself twice, and frequently also in the modern history of nations.

Jesus himself and John, the apostle of love, announce such judgments, without speaking of the statements they make about eternal punishment (cf. Tasker, R. V. G.: “The Wrath of God”, Ed. Evangelical Europeans, Barcelona, 1971, sec. ed., where the subject of the OT wars and the moral government of God is discussed).

The extension of the day of the battle of Gibeon (Joshua 10:12-14) has faced much skepticism and given rise to a host of theories. In his work “Worlds in Collision”, Velikovsky, who supports the position of a large comet approaching the Earth, which would later become the planet Venus, nevertheless provides concrete evidence that This phenomenon was global in scope; In the Annals of Cuauhtitlán of Mexico it is related that in the remote past, during a cosmic catastrophe, there was a night that took a long time to end.

Sahagún (1499-1590) relates, in his General History of the Things of New Spain, that, according to the traditions of the aborigines, during a cosmic cataclysm, the sun remained very low on the horizon one morning, taking a long time to rise. Velikovsky documents other stories that coincide with the phenomenon of day or night detention, with correspondence in the situation of the town that gives the story.

It is evident that the event is as reported in the book of Joshua, and that the cause was not “an exceptional phenomenon of refraction”, as has sometimes been claimed, in an attempt to rationalize the text. Based on independent accounts from other ethnic groups around the globe, the Gibeon phenomenon had worldwide repercussions (“Worlds in Collision,” Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1950).
Spiritual meaning.

According to 1 Cor. 10:6, 11, the events of the Exodus, the wilderness, and the conquest of Canaan are types of our spiritual experiences. Joshua tells us about the conquest of the Promised Land, which does not yet represent heaven, but rather the sphere in which we achieve our spiritual victories with Christ, our great Joshua.

Initially, the entire country was given to the children of Israel, who recognized it through spies (Josh. 1:3; 2:1). To enter it, they crossed the waters of the Jordan, a symbol of burial (the twelve stones left in the bed of the river, Jos. 4:9) and of spiritual resurrection (the other twelve stones raised in Gilgal, vv. 8, 20) .

Jehovah himself preceded them in combat (Josh. 5:14; cf. Jn. 10:3-10; Heb. 12:1-2). The enemy was terrible and cunning, but he was already defeated in advance (Josh. 6: 1-2; 9: 1-4; cf. 2: 9-11). The people had to take up arms and undertake battle, but they were not going to triumph except by faith (Josh. 6; 8; Eph. 6:12-17).

When a sin contaminated the camp, grieving the Lord, He stopped manifesting His power and the people knew defeat (Josh. 7; Eph. 4:30). Thanks to the power and faithfulness of God, the people went from victory to victory, and finally enjoyed rest with the possession of the country (Josh. 21:43-45; Eph. 5:18; 3:16-20). It is not surprising that the book of Joshua has been called “OT Ephesians.”