Joshua

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This article is about the figure from the Hebrew Bible. For the Biblical book, see Book of Joshua. For other uses, see Joshua (disambiguation).
Judges in the Bible

In the Book of Joshua: Joshua
In the Book of Judges: Othniel • Ehud • Shamgar • Deborah • Barak† • Gideon • Abimelech† • Tola • Jair •Jephthah • Ibzan • Elon • Abdon • Samson
In First Samuel: Eli • Samuel

†Not explicitly described as a judge

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Joshua (Hebrew: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ‎‎ Y'hoshuʿa; Greek: Ἰησοῦς, Arabic: يوشع بن نون‎ Yusha ʿ ibn Nūn), is a minor figure in the Pentateuch, figuring in the narrative of the spies (Num 13-14) and in few passages as Moses's assistant.[1] He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua. According to the books Exodus, Numbers and Joshua, he became the leader of the Israelite tribes after the death of Moses; his name was Hoshea the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, but Moses called him Joshua, (Numbers 13:16) the name by which he is commonly known; and he was born in Egypt prior to the Exodus, and was probably the same age as Caleb, with whom he is occasionally associated.

He was one of the twelve spies of Israel sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan. (Numbers 13:1-16) After the death of Moses, he led the Israelite tribes in the conquest of Canaan, and allocated the land to the tribes. According to conventional Bible chronology, Joshua lived between 1450–1370 BC, or sometime in the late Bronze Age.by to Joshua 24:29, Joshua died at the age of 110.

Joshua also holds a position of respect to Muslims. According to the Qur'an, he was, along with Caleb, one of the two believing spies whom Moses had sent to spy the land of Canaan[2]. All Muslims also see Joshua as the leader of the Israelites, following the death of Moses. Although some Muslims see Joshua as a prophet, others view him not as prophet but as a saintly man and great leader.

Contents

[edit] Name

The English name Joshua is a rendering of the Hebrew language יהושע (sometimes יהושוע), "Yehoshua", meaning "Yahweh is salvation", (Jehovah is salvation) from the Hebrew root ישע, "salvation", "to deliver/be liberated", or "to be victorious".[3][4] The vocalization of the second name component may be read as Hoshea (הוֹשֵׁעַ) - the name used in the Torah before Moses added the divine name (Numbers 13:16).[5]

"Jesus" is the English of the Greek transliteration of "Yehoshua" via Aramaic. In the Septuagint, all instances of the word "Yehoshua" are rendered as "Ἰησοῦς" (Iēsoūs/Jesus), the closest Greek pronunciation of the Aramaic ישוע, "Yeshua" (Hebrew word #3443 in Strong's, Neh. 8:17).[6][7]

[edit] Narrative of Joshua

See also: History of ancient Israel and Judah

[edit] Joshua and the Exodus

"The Children of Israel Crossing the Jordan" by Gustave Doré (d. 1883)

As Moses' apprentice, Joshua was a major figure in the events of the Exodus. He accompanied Moses part of the way when he ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 32:17) He was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore and report on the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:16-17), and only he and Caleb gave an encouraging report, a reward for which would be that only these two of the spies would enter the promised land (Numbers 14:23-24).

He was commander at their first battle after exiting Egypt, against the Amalekites in Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-16), in which they were victorious.

According to Joshua 1:1-9, Moses appointed Joshua to succeed him as leader of the Israelites. The first part of the book of Joshua covers the period when he led the conquest of Canaan.

[edit] Conquest of Canaan

Joshua praying for God to stop the Sun.

At the Jordan River, the waters parted, as they had for Moses at the Red Sea. The first battle after the crossing of the Jordan was the Battle of Jericho. Joshua led the destruction of Jericho, then moved on to Ai, a small neighboring city to the west. However, they were defeated with thirty-six Israelite deaths. The defeat was attributed to Achan taking an "accursed thing" from Jericho; and was followed by Achan and his family and animals being stoned to death to restore God's favor. Joshua then went to defeat Ai.

The Israelites faced an alliance of Amorite kings from Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. At Gibeon Joshua asked God to cause the sun and moon to stand still, so that he could finish the battle in daylight. This event is most notable because "there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel. (Joshua 10:14) God also fought for the Israelites in this battle, for he hurled huge hailstones from the sky which killed more Canaanites than those which the Israelites slaughtered. From there on, Joshua was able to lead the Israelites to several victories, securing much of the land of Canaan.

[edit] Death

When he was "old and well advanced in years" [8] Joshua convened the elders and chiefs of the Israelites and exhorted them to have no fellowship with the native population because it could lead them to be unfaithful to God.[9] At a general assembly of the clans at Shechem, he took leave of the people, admonishing them to be loyal to their God, who had been so mightily manifested in the midst of them. As a witness of their promise to serve God, Joshua set up a great stone under an oak by the sanctuary of God. Soon afterward he died, at the age of 110, and was buried at Timnath Serah, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.[10]

[edit] Joshua in Islamic history

Joshua is also revered in Islam, as a wise and just man at the time of Moses. Although some Muslims regard him as a prophet in his own right[11], others see him as a saintly man. As Joshua took the leadership of the Israelites after the time of Moses, his role as the first Judge can be paralleled with that of Abu Bakr (or, in Shia Islam, Ali) as the first Caliph after Muhammad.

[edit] Conquest of Canaan

In the Qur'anic account of the conquest of Canaan, Joshua (and Caleb) are mentioned, but not named, as two "God-fearing men", on whom God "had bestowed His grace"[12]

They said: "O Moses! In this land are a people of exceeding strength: Never shall we enter it until they leave it: if (once) they leave, then shall we enter."
(But) among (their) God-fearing men were two on whom God had bestowed His grace. They said: "Assault them at the (proper) Gate: when once ye are in, victory will be yours; but on God put your trust if ye have faith."
—Qur'an, sura 5 (Al-Ma'ida), ayah 22-23[13]

[edit] Historicity

Main article: Historicity of the Book of Joshua

Joshua's narrative is ascribed to Joshua himself by Bava Batra 15a (Talmud) and early church fathers. In 1943 Martin Noth published an argument that behind Joshua and other books was a unified "Deuteronomistic history", composed in the early part of the Babylonian captivity (not long after 606 BCE); Noth's speculative practice of conjecturing the nonextant tradition has the weakness that "no two scholars ever propose the same tradition history for the stories of the Pentateuch".[14] Most scholars who follow the documentary hypothesis today believe in some such composite, containing the epic history of the premonarchical period.[15] Gerhard von Rad, another developer of the hypothesis, adds that "comparison of the ancient Near Eastern treaties, especially ... in the 14th and 13th centuries BC, with passages in the OT has revealed so many things in common between the two, particularly in the matter of form, that there must be some connection between these suzerainty treaties and the [OT]."[16] Kenneth Kitchen states that nearly all treaties in this period follow the pattern of Deuteronomy closely, while first-millennium treaties contrarily but consistently place "witnesses" earlier and omit prologue and blessing sections, requiring classification of the Sinai covenant and its renewals in Joshua with the fourteenth or thirteenth century rather than the sixth.[17]

Although Egypt did not have its former grasp on Canaan, there was a strong presence into the twelfth century, and Philistia took greater control of the southern coastal plain then also (Joshua 13:2 mentions the Philistines).[18] The first record of the name Israel occurs in the Merneptah stele, erected for Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah c. 1209 BCE, "Israel is laid waste and his seed is not."[19] William Dever sees this "Israel" in the central highlands as a cultural and probably political entity, well enough established to be perceived by the Egyptians as a possible challenge to their hegemony, but an ethnic group rather than an organised state.[20] The number of villages in the highlands increased to more than 300 by the end of Iron Age I[21] (more and larger in the north), with the settled population rising from 20,000 in the twelfth century to 40,000 in the eleventh.[22] The villagers probably shared the highlands with other communities such as pastoral nomads, but only villagers left sufficient remains to determine their settlement patterns.[23] Archaeologists and historians see more continuity than discontinuity between these highland settlements and the preceding Late Bronze Canaanite culture;[24] certain features such as ceramic repertoire and agrarian settlement plans have been said to be distinctives of highland sites,[25] and collar-rimmed jars and four-roomed houses have been said to be intrinsically "Israelite," but have also been said to belong to a commonly shared culture throughout Iron I Canaan.[26] While some archaeologists interpret the absence of pig bones from the highland sites as an indicator of ethnicity,[27] this is not certain.[28] Villages had populations of up to 300 or 400,[22][29] which lived by farming and herding and were largely self-sufficient;[30] economic interchange was prevalent.[31] Popular reviews of the Book of Joshua's sharp contrasts and internal conflicts[32] arise from "an appreciable difference between defeating a king in battle, and gaining possession of his capital city" (12:10–23 vs. 15:63, 16:10, 17:11–12, Judges 1:22–25); and because "the land was now within the grasp of the Israelites [but] they did not avail themselves fully of that dominion which was within their reach" (11:16–23, 12:7–8, 21:43 vs. 13:1–6, Judges 2:23).[33] The question of the degrees of conquest and/or assimilation may not be answered with certainty, as both sides cite a large body of archaeological and other evidence.[34]

[edit] Views

[edit] In rabbinical literature

Joshua and the Israelite people, Karolingischer Buchmaler, c.840

In rabbinic Jewish literature Joshua is regarded as a faithful, humble, deserving, wise man. Biblical verses illustrative of these qualities and of their reward are applied to him. "He that waits on his master shall be honored" (Pro. xxvii. 18) is construed as a reference to Joshua (Midrash Numbers Rabbah xii.), as is also the first part of the same verse, "Whoso keepes the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof" (Midrash Yalk., Josh. 2; Numbers Rabbah xii. 21). That "honor shall uphold the humble in spirit" (Pro. xxix. 23) is proved by Joshua's victory over Amalek (Midrash Numbers Rabbah xiii). Not the sons of Moses — as Moses himself had expected — but Joshua was appointed successor to the son of Amram (Midrash Numbers Rabbah xii). Moses was shown how Joshua reproved that Othniel (Yalḳ., Num. 776). Joshua's manliness recommended him for this high post. David referred to him in Psalms lxxxvii. 25, though without mentioning the name, lest dissensions should arise between his sons and those of his brothers (Yalḳ., quoting Sifre).

[edit] In later literature

[edit] Yahrtzeit

Joshua's Tomb in Kifl Hares, April 2007

The annual commemoration of Joshua's yahrtzeit is marked on the 26th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. Thousands make the pilgrimage to Kifl Hares on the preceding night.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Michael D. Coogan, "A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament" page 166-167, Oxfrod University Press, 2009
  2. ^ Qur'an 5:22–23
  3. ^ A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament Francis Brown, with S.R. Driver and C.A. Briggs, based on the lexicon of William Gesenius. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 221 & 446
  4. ^ Fausset's Bible Dictionary
  5. ^ Joshua, New Bible Dictionary, second edition. 1987. Douglas JD, Hillyer N, eds., Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL, USA ISBN 0842346678
  6. ^ cf Numbers 13:16 LXX καὶ ὲπωνὸμασεν Μωυσῆς τὸν Αὐσῆ υἱὸν Ναυῆ Ἰησοῦν (and Moses named Hosea, son of Nun, Jesus)
  7. ^ The High Priest Jesus in Zechariah 3 LXX
  8. ^ Joshua 23:1-2
  9. ^ Joshua 23:7-8, 23:12-13
  10. ^ Joshua 24:29-30
  11. ^ Joshua is mentioned as a prophet in Ibn Kathir's Stories of The Prophets
  12. ^ Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary, Note.726 to verse 23: "Among those who returned after spying out the land were two men who had faith and courage. They were Joshua and Caleb. Joshua afterwards succeeded Moses in the leadership after 40 years. These two men pleaded for an immediate entry through the proper Gate, which I understand to mean, "after taking all due precautions and making all due preparations". Cf. 2:189 and n. 203. But of course, they said, they must put their trust in Allah for victory."
  13. ^ Qur'an 5:22–23
  14. ^ Graham, M.P, and McKenzie, Steven L., "The Hebrew Bible today: an introduction to critical issues" (Westminster John Knox Press, 1998) pp. 59, 11–2.
  15. ^ Dever, William, "What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?" (Eerdmans, 2001) 2001, p. 100.
  16. ^ von Rad, Gerhard (1962). Old Testament Theology: 2 Volumes (English ed.). Edinburgh; London: Oliver and Boyd. p. 132. http://www.freewebs.com/professor_enigma/evidencesi.htm. 
  17. ^ Kitchen, K. A. (1966). The Ancient Orient and the Old Testament. Chicago: InterVarsity Press. pp. 92–8. 
  18. ^ Golden, Jonathan M., "Ancient Canaan and Israel: An Introduction" (Oxford University Press, 2004) pp. 155–6, 157–8.
  19. ^ Stager in Coogan 1998, p. 91.
  20. ^ Dever 2003, p. 206.
  21. ^ McNutt 1999, p. 47.
  22. ^ a b McNutt 1999, p. 70.
  23. ^ McNutt 1999, p. 69.
  24. ^ Bright 2000, p. 472.
  25. ^ Killebrew 2005, p. 13.
  26. ^ Miller 1986, p. 72.
  27. ^ Killebrew 2005, p. 176.
  28. ^ Bright 2000, p. 473.
  29. ^ Miller 2005, p. 98.
  30. ^ McNutt 1999, p. 72.
  31. ^ Miller 2005, p. 99.
  32. ^ Brettler 2005, pp. 97–9.
  33. ^ Haley, John W. (1992). Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible. Springdale, Pa.: Whitaker House. pp. 348, 376. ISBN 0883681579. 
  34. ^ "Introduction to the Old Testament", chapter on Joshua, by T. Longman and R. Dillard, Zondervan Books (2006)

[edit] External links

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Joshua
Preceded by
Moses		 Judge of Israel Succeeded by
Othniel
v • d • e
Prophets in the Hebrew Bible
Pre-Patriarchs (Bible)
Adam · Abel · Kenan · Enoch · Noah (rl) · Eber
Patriarchs and Matriarchs
Israelite prophets
in the Torah
Prophets mentioned
in the First Prophets
Major Prophets
Minor Prophets
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Other prophets
Italics denote that the status as a prophet is not universally accepted. · rl are articles dealing with the prophet within Rabbinic Literature.
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