Names of the Book
English: | Joshua |
Hebrew: | יהוֹשׁוּע |
Transliterated: | Yehoshua |
Other names: | Y'hoshua |
Who
Wrote the book: | Joshua (and possibly Phineas for some passages) |
Are the key people: | Joshua, Rahab, Achan, Phineas, Eleazar |
Is it written to: | The people of Israel |
What
Entry into the Land (Joshua 1:1-5:12) |
Conquest of the Land (Joshua 5:13-12:24) |
Allocation of the Land (Joshua 13:1-24:33) |
When
Was it written: | c 1400-609 BCE |
Did the events occur: | c 1436-1409 BCE |
Was it canonized: | c 499-100 BCE |
(see the Timeline of the Tanakh) |
Where
Was it written: | unknown place in Israel |
Did the events occur: | The Land of Israel, Jericho , Ai, Mt. Ebal, Mt. Gerizim, Gibeon, Gilgal, Shiloh, Shechem |
Why
Joshua was written to inform us that: |
G-d is the source of our success. |
G-d is the object of our faith. |
G-d is the source of sound guidance. |
Disobedience to G-d leads to chaos. |
Introduction
The book of Joshua is a historical narrative that relates Israel's conquest of the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. Through a string of military victories under Joshua, Israel enters, conquers, and divides the land among their tribes. When Israel remains faithful to G-d, He fights for them enabling them to win. When they do not trust G-d, He does not fight for them and they come to recognize their dependence on Him for their success. Throughout the book, Joshua charges the nation to "be strong and courageous" and at the conclusion, he charges them to remain faithful to G-d and to obey His commandments, statutes, and rulings.
Scripture- Book Selection