Joshua

The son of Nun, whose name and history we have very fully related in the church of the wilderness, and afterward in his victories, as set forth in the book which bears his name. His name in Hebrew is the same as Jesus in Greek, signifying a Saviour; from Jashah, to save; and Jah, the Lord. This man was an evident type of Christ. See his history in the Book of Joshua.

the son of Nun. He was of the tribe of Ephraim, and born A.M. 2460. He devoted himself to the service of Moses, and in Scripture he is commonly called the servant of Moses, Exo 24:13; Exo 33:11; Deu 1:38, &c. His first name was Hosea, or Oshea; Hoseah signifying saviour; Jehoshua, the salvation of God, or he will save. The first opportunity which Joshua had to signalize his valour was in the war made by the divine command against the Amalekites, Exo 17:9-10.

He defeated and routed their whole army. When Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the law of the Lord, and remained there forty days and forty nights without eating or drinking, Joshua remained with him, though, in all probability, not in the same place, nor with the same abstinence, Exo 24:13; Exo 32:17. Joshua was “filled with the spirit of wisdom,” qualifying him for the arduous and important station of governing Israel, to which he was called by the special command of God, Num 27:18-20; Deu 31:7; Deu 31:14; Deu 34:9; Jos 1:5. His piety, courage, and disinterested integrity are conspicuous throughout his whole history; and, exclusive of the inspiration which enlightened his mind and writings, he derived divine information, sometimes by immediate revelation from God, Jos 3:7; Jos 5:13-15; at others from the sanctuary, through the medium of Eleazar, the high priest, the son of Aaron, who, having on the breast plate, presented himself before the mercy seat on which the Shechinah, or visible symbol of the divine presence, rested, and there consulted Jehovah by the Urim and Thummim, to which an answer was returned by an audible voice.

Joshua succeeded Moses in the government of Israel about the year of the world 2553, and died at Timnathserah in the hundred and tenth year of his age, A.M. 2578. He was about the age of eighty-four when he received the divine command to pass over Jordan, and take possession of the promised land, Jos 1:1-2. Having accomplished that arduous enterprise, and settled the chosen tribes in the peaceable possession of their inheritance, he retired to Shechem, or, according to some Greek copies, to Shiloh; where he assembled the elders of Israel, the heads of families, the judges and other officers; and, presenting themselves before God, he recapitulated the conduct of Divine Providence toward them, from the days of Abraham to that moment; recounted the miraculous and gracious dispensations of God toward their fathers and themselves; reminded them of their present enviable lot, and concluded his solemn address with an exhortation in these emphatic words: “Now, therefore, fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord,” Joshua 24.

The book of Joshua continues the sacred history from the period of the death of Moses to that of the death of Joshua and of Eleazar; a space of about thirty years. It contains an account of the conquest and division of the land of Canaan, the renewal of the covenant with the Israelites, and the death of Joshua. There are two passages in this book which show that it was written by a person contemporary with the events it records. In the first verse of the fifth chapter, the author speaks of himself as being one of those who had passed into Canaan: “And it came to pass when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted.” And from the twenty-fifth verse of the following chapter, it appears that the book was written before the death of Rahab: “And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.” Though there is not a perfect agreement among the learned concerning the author of this book, yet by far the most general opinion is, that it was written by Joshua himself; and, indeed, in the last chapter it is said that “Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God;” which expression seems to imply that he subjoined this history to that written by Moses. The last five verses, giving an account of the death of Joshua, were added by one of his successors; probably by Eleazar, Phinehas, or Samuel.

Josh´ua. This is the name of four persons in the Old Testament, and means whose salvation is Jehovah. The most distinguished of the four persons so called, who occur in the Old Testament, is Joshua the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim the assistant and successor of Moses. His name was originally Oshea, salvation (Num 13:8); and it seems that the subsequent alteration of it by Moses (Num 13:16) was significant, and proceeded on the same principle as that of Abram into Abraham (Gen 17:5), and of Sarai into Sarah (Gen 17:15).

In the Bible Joshua is first mentioned as being the victorious commander of the Israelites in their battle against the Amalekites at Rephidim (Exo 17:8-16). He distinguished himself by his courage and intelligence during and after the exploration of the land of Canaan, on which occasion he represented his tribe, which was that of Ephraim (Numbers 13-14). Moses, with the divine sanction, appointed him to command the Israelites, even during his own lifetime (Num 27:18-23; Deu 3:28; Deu 31:23). After the death of Moses he led the Israelites over the Jordan, fortified a camp at Gilgal (Jos 9:6; Jos 10:6-43), conquered the southern and middle portions of Canaan (Joshua 6-10), and also some of the northern districts (Joshua 9). But the hostile nations, although subdued, were not entirely driven out and destroyed (Joshua 13; Jos 23:13; Jdg 1:27-35). In the seventh year after entering the land, it was distributed among the various tribes, which then commenced individually to complete the conquest by separate warfare (Jos 15:13 sq.; 16:10; 17:12 sq.). Joshua died 110 years old (B.C. 1427), and was buried at Timnath-serah (Joshua 24), on Mount Ephraim.

There occur some vestiges of the deeds of Joshua in other historians besides those of the Bible. Procopius mentions a Phoenician inscription near the city of Tingis in Mauritania, the sense of which was:—’We are those who fled before the face of Joshua the robber, the son of Nun.’

The book of Joshua is so called from the personage who occupies the principal place in the narration of events contained therein, and may be considered as a continuation of the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch, and especially Deuteronomy, are repeatedly referred to in the book of Joshua, the narration of which begins with the death of Moses and extends to the death of Joshua, embracing a chronological period of somewhat less than thirty years. The subject of the book is thus briefly stated in Jos 1:5-6: ’There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage; for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.’ In these two verses is also indicated the division of the book into two principal portions, with reference to the conquest and the distribution of the land of Canaan. The conquest is narrated in Joshua 1-12, and the distribution in Joshua 13-22. In Joshua 23-24, are subjoined the events subsequent to the distribution up to the death of Joshua. The history of the conquest of Canaan is a series of miracles, than which none more remarkable are recorded in any part of sacred history. The passage into the Promised Land, as well as that out of Egypt, was through water. Jericho was taken not by might, but by the falling of the walls on the blast of the trumpets of seven priests; and in the war against Gibeon the day was prolonged to afford time for the completion of the victory.

It is generally granted that the first twelve chapters form a continuous whole: although the author, in Jos 10:13, refers to another work, he not merely transcribes but intimately combines the quotation with the tenor of his narration. It is certain that there sometimes occur episodes which seem to interrupt the chronological connection, as for instance the portion intervening between Joshua 1-2, and Jos 3:1. But it belongs to the nature of detailed historical works to contain such episodes.

The whole tenor of the first twelve chapters bespeaks an eye-witness who bore some part in the transactions—a fact proved not merely by such expressions as ’we passed over,’ in Jos 5:1, but especially by the circumstantial vividness of the narrative, which clearly indicates that the writer was an eye-witness.

The statement that the monuments which he erected were extant to this day, indicates that Joshua did not promulgate the book immediately after the events narrated (comp. Jos 4:9; Jos 7:26; Jos 8:28-29; Jos 10:27). The book, however, could not have been written very long after the time of Joshua, because we find that Rahab was still alive when it was composed (Jos 6:25). The section from Joshua 13-22 inclusive, which contains an account of the distribution of the land, seems to be based upon written documents, in which the property was accurately described. That this was the case is likely not merely on account of the peculiar nature of the diplomatic contents by which this ’Doomsday Book’ is distinguished from the preceding part of Joshua, but also on account of the statement in Jos 18:4, where Joshua says to the children of Israel, ’Give out from among you three men from each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.’ Compare Jos 18:6, ’Ye therefore shall describe the land into seven parts.’ Compare also Jos 18:8-9. ’And the men arose and went away; and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go, and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh. And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.’

The author of the book of Joshua frequently repeats the statements of the Pentateuch in a more detailed form, and mentions the changes which had taken place since the Pentateuch was written. Compare Num 34:13-14, with Jos 13:7 sq.; Num 32:37, with Jos 13:17 sq.; Numbers 35 with Joshua 21.

There is also considerable similarity between the following passages in the books of Joshua and Judges:

• Jos 13:3-4, Jdg 3:3

• Jos 15:13 sq., Jdg 1:10; Jdg 1:20

• Jos 15:15-19, Jdg 1:11-15

• Jos 15:63, Jdg 1:21

• Jos 16:10, Jdg 1:29

• Jos 17:12, Jdg 1:27

• Jos 19:47, Judges 18

It seems to have been the intention of the author of Joshua 13-22 to furnish authentic records concerning the arrangements made by Joshua after the conquest of Canaan. Since we do not find in the subsequent history that the tribes, after the death of Joshua, disagreed among themselves about the ownership of the land, it would appear that the object of the book of Joshua, as a ’Doomsday Book,’ was fully attained. The circumstance that the book of Joshua contains many Canaanitish names of places to which the Hebrew names are added, seems also to indicate that the second part originated in an early age, when neither the Canaanitish name was entirely forgotten, nor the Hebrew name fully introduced; so that it was expedient to mention both.

In Joshua 23-24 occur two orations of Joshua, in which he bids farewell to the people whom he had commanded. In Jos 24:26, we read, ’And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God.’ The expression, these words, seems to refer only to his last address, and the subsequent resolution of the people to follow his example. We are here, however, expressly informed that Joshua did write this much; and consequently we deem it the more likely that he also committed to writing the other memorable events connected with his career, such as the conquest and the distribution of the land.

Viewing all the circumstances together, we consider it highly probable that the whole book of Joshua was composed by himself up to Jos 24:28; to which a friendly hand subjoined some brief notices, contained in Jos 24:29-33, concerning the death, age, and burial of Joshua; the continuance of his influence upon the people; the interment, in Shechem, of the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought from Egypt; and the death and burial of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, whom his son Phinehas interred in his allotment on Mount Ephraim.

The authority of the book of Joshua mainly rests upon the manner in which it is treated in other parts of the Bible.

Besides the allusions in the book of Judges, we find Joshua referred to in 1Ki 16:34 (comp. Jos 6:26). Psa 44:2-3 contains a brief summary of the whole book of Joshua:—’Thou didst drive out the heathen with Thy hand, and plantedst them: Thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but Thy right hand and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou hadst a favor unto them’ (compare Psa 68:12-14; Psa 78:54-55; Psa 114:3; Psa 114:5, which refer to the book of Joshua). Also, Hab 3:11: ’The sun and moon stood still in their habitation,’ etc.; Heb 13:5: ’For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’ (compare Jos 1:5). Heb 11:31: ’By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace;’ and Jas 2:25: ’Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?’ (compare Joshua 2, and Jos 6:22-25). Act 7:45: ’Which (the tabernacle) also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers’ (compare Jos 3:14). Heb 11:30: ’By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days’ (compare Jos 6:1; Jos 6:7-23). Heb 4:8: ’For if Jesus [JOSHUA] had given them rest, then would he not afterwards have spoken of another day.’

Joshua, 3

The other persons of this name in the Bible are:

Joshua, a Bethshemite (1Sa 6:14; 1Sa 6:18), an Israelite, the owner of the field into which the cart came which bore the Ark on its return from the land of the Philistines.

Joshua (2Ki 23:8), the governor of the city of Jerusalem at the commencement of the reign, of Josiah.

Joshua, the son of Josedec (Hag 1:1; Hag 1:12; Hag 1:14; Zec 3:1; Zec 3:3; Zec 3:9; Zec 6:11), a high-priest in the time of Haggai and Zechariah [JESHUA].

1. The son of Nun, a distinguished leader of the Hebrews, and the successor of Moses. His name at first was Oshea, Num 13:8,16 ; and in the New Testament he is called Jesus, Mal 7:45 Heb 4:8 . Both the names, Joshua and Jesus, signify savior, deliverer. See JESUS. Joshua led Israel over the Jordan, and took possession of the promised land; he conquered the Canaanites, and then distributed the country among the tribes. He is first mentioned as the leader of Israel against the Amalekites at Rephidim,\par Exo 17:8-16 . See also Num 14:6 . At the passage over Jordan he was eighty-four years of age; and after about twenty-six years employed in his appointed work, and then judging Israel at his at Timnath-serah, he died, B. C. 1426. His last grand convocation of all Israel, at Shechem, and his solemn address to them and renewal of their covenant with God, form the worthy close of a life on which in the sacred records no blot rests. He seems to have served the Lord with singular fidelity. No man witnessed more or greater miracles than he; and in his life may be found many points of resemblance to that of the greater "Captain of the Lord’s host," who establishes his people in the true promised land.\par THE BOOK OF JOSHUA contains the narrative of all these transactions, and was written by Joshua himself, or under his direction, B. C. 1427. From Jos 24:27 on, was of course added by a later hand; but all was done under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 2Ti 3:16 .\par 2. The son of Josedech. See JESHUA.\par

Josh’ua. (saviour, or whose help is Jehovah). His name appears in the various forms of Hoshea, Oshea, Jehoshua, Jeshua and Jesus.

1. The son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim. 1Ch 7:27. (B.C. 1530-1420). He was nearly forty years old when he shared in the hurried triumph of the Exodus. He is mentioned first in connection with the fight against Amalek at Rephidim, when he was chosen by Moses to lead the Israelites. Exo 17:9 Soon afterward, he was one of the twelve chiefs who were sent, Num 13:17, to explore the land of Canaan, and one of the two, Num 14:6, who gave an encouraging report of their journey.

Moses, shortly before his death, was directed, Num 27:18, to invest Joshua with authority over the people. God himself gave Joshua a charge by the mouth of the dying lawgiver. Deu 31:14; Deu 31:23. Under the direction of God, again renewed, Jos 1:1, Joshua assumed the command of the people at Shittim, sent spies into Jericho, crossed the Jordan, fortified a camp at Gilgal, circumcised the people, kept the Passover, and was visited by the Captain of the Lord’s host.

A miracle made the fall of Jericho more terrible to the Canaanites. In the great battle of Beth-horon, the Amorites were singularily routed, and the south country was open to the Israelites. Joshua returned to the camp at Gilgal, master of half of Palestine. He defeated the Canaanites under Jabin, king of Hazor. In six years, six tribes, with thirty-one petty chiefs, were conquered.

Joshua, now stricken in years, proceeded to make the division of the conquered land. Timnath-serah in Mount Ephraim was assigned as Joshua’s peculiar inheritance. After an interval of rest, Joshua convoked an assembly from all Israel. He delivered two solemn addresses, recorded in Jos 23:24. He died at the age of 110 years, and was buried in his own city, Timnath-serah.

2. An inhabitant of Beth-shemesh, in whose land was the stone at which the milch-kine stopped when they drew the Ark of God with the offerings of the Philistines from Ekron to Beth-shemesh. 1Sa 6:14; 1Sa 6:18. (B.C. 1124).

3. A governor of the city who gave his name to a gate of Jerusalem. 2Ki 23:8. (In the reign of Josiah, B.C. 628).

4. Jeshua the son of Jozadak. Hag 1:14; Hag 2:12; Zec 3:1 etc.

Canaan, on Procopius’ inscription in Mauritania confirming the historical facts). (See CANAAN.) JOSHUA or JEHOSHUA.

1. He was Hoshea only ("he will save") up to his noble witness after spying Canaan. Henceforth, Jehovah’s name is prefixed, Jehovah by him would save Israel (Num 13:16). This forms the contrast in the Antitype (Mat 1:21), "thou shalt call His name Jesus, for Himself (Greek, not merely ’Jehovah by him’) shall save His people." Son of Nun, of Ephraim (1Ch 7:27). Born about the time when Moses fled to Midian, he endured in youth the slave labour amidst Egyptian brick kilns. Probably he even in Egypt was recognized as an officer among his brethren; for at his first public act, choosing and leading picked men of Israel against the attacking Amalekites at Rephidim (Exo 17:9) he is introduced abruptly without description as one already well known by the designation Joshua (not Hoshea) given by anticipation. (See AMALEKITES.) Moses discerned by the Spirit his sterling qualities, solid rather than brilliant.

Joshua learned to rule by obeying first; then he ruled for God, not self. God commanded Moses to write in the book (Hebrew, namely, the history of God’s dealings with Israel) and rehearse it in Joshua’s ears. Joshua inflicted the first decisive blow on the doomed nations; this was an earnest to him of the subsequent conquest of Canaan. Next as Moses’ "minister" Joshua accompanied him along with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 elders up the mountain of God; but Moses went alone into the cloud (Exo 24:9; Exo 24:13-15). On the descent Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, and with a warrior’s thought he said to Moses, "there is a noise of war in the camp"; but it was the noise of singers in the calf worship. When Moses removed the tabernacle of meeting between God and His people from the camp, Joshua, then "a young man" (perhaps an official term for an attendant, Num 11:28; Deu 1:38 "Joshua who standeth before thee"), departed not out of the tabernacle; the Lord’s house and communion is the best qualification for those who are afterward to fight the Lord’s battles.

Sent to spy out Canaan as representing Ephraim; Caleb represented Judah. (See CALEB.) They two alone of the 12 brought a good report, and encouraged the people not to fear the inhabitants for the Lord was with Israel (contrast Psa 106:24; Num 13:8; Num 13:16; Numbers 14). The people would have stoned both, but the glory of Jehovah suddenly appeared in the tabernacle. The ten other spies were smitten with the plague and died. Joshua and Caleb alone of all that generation above 20 years of age survived the 40 years’ wilderness wanderings that ensued, because "they wholly followed the Lord" (Num 32:11-12). Moses shortly before death, by Jehovah’s direction, solemnly invested Joshua with authority as his successor. The Spirit was already in Joshua. Moses by laying on hands added the formal and public sign, and instrumentally gave him thereby more of "the spirit of wisdom." The previous receiving of inward grace does not dispense with the outward sign (Num 27:18-23; Act 9:1-18; Act 10:44-48).

Moses put some of his own honour (dignity and authority) upon Joshua, making him vice leader, that Israel might obey him preparatory to his becoming chief after Moses’ death. Joshua was inferior to Moses in standing before Eleazar the high priest to inquire through him and his Urim and Thummim, of Jehovah; Moses enjoyed direct communion with God. When Joshua omitted to inquire in the Gibeonites’ case he suffered for it. Moses gave Joshua a charge before the high priest and congregation. Joshua’s solemn inauguration to the office to which he had previously been called is in Deu 31:14-23. God Himself recognizes Joshua in it by summoning him into the tabernacle with Moses, while the divine pillar of cloud manifested Jehovah’s presence (compare Num 11:25; Num 12:5). He commands Moses and Joshua to write Moses’ song, and teach it to Israel as a witness against them of God’s benefits, their duties, and the penalty of their apostasy. Jehovah’s "charge" by Moses was: "be strong and of a good courage, for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them, and I will be with thee."

Once only did Joshua show an envious spirit, but it was in behalf of his beloved master Moses, not for self. When Eldad and Medad prophesied in the camp separately from the rest of the 70 who received of the spirit that was upon Moses, in his presence, Joshua said, "my lord Moses, forbid them;" he replied, "enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets," etc. (Num 11:28-29; compare Joh 3:26; Luk 9:49; Act 15:8-9; Act 11:17). Jehovah repeated the charge (Jos 1:1-9), enjoining" courage" in "doing according to all the law, turning not from it to the right or left," and promising consequent prosperity and Jehovah’s continual presence as "his God wheresoever he went." God kept His promise, working mighty miracles in his behalf, and giving Israel all the land and rest round about; no good thing failed which the Lord had spoken (Jos 21:43-45). The people honoured Joshua as they had Moses. During his lifetime Israel came nearest to realizing the ideal of the people of God (Jos 11:15; Jos 24:31).

Joshua took the command at Shittim, sent spies to Jericho, crossed Jordan, fortified his camp at Gilgal, circumcised the people (for Israel’s work was a spiritual one, and men still having the badge of fleshliness were not fit agents for the Lord’s work: Jos 10:40; Jdg 5:31), kept the Passover, (after which on their eating the old grain of the land the manna ceased,) and received the assurance of Jericho’s fall and God’s fighting against Israel’s foes from the uncreated Angel of Jehovah (Jos 5:13-15; Jos 6:2-5), the Captain of Jehovah’s host (Mat 26:53; Exo 23:20-23; Rev 19:11-14). The charge "loose thy shoe from off thy feet" identifies Him with the Jehovah of Exo 3:5. Ganneau suggests that Sartabeh the mountain was the spot whereon the Captain of Jehovah’s host, Hebrew: Sarsaba, appeared to Joshua, and thence takes its name. It is invisible W. of Jericho; but to one starting from Riha to the E. it appears at all points.

The divine Captain was on a height above Joshua, for "he lifted up his eyes" toward Him, and went unto Him. Jericho fell by miracle. (See JERICHO.) The repulse at AI, through Achan’s sin, taught Israel their success depended on their doing God’s work of wrath in God’s holy way, without greed. (See ACHAN.) Ai then fell. Joshua wrote the law on EBAL, and read it before the assembled people, half on that side and half. over against Gerizim. (See GERIZIM.) By neglecting to consult Jehovah Joshua was entrapped into the league with Gibeon; but having sworn he honourably kept his oath (Psa 15:4; Ecc 5:2; contrast 2Sa 21:2-6, etc.). (See GIBEON.) This brought on the attack of the five confederate kings whom he defeated at Makkedah, aided by a divinely sent hailstorm and prolongation of daylight: the condition of the air was probably rendered by God, at Joshua’s believing prayer, highly refractive so as to cause the sun to be seen long after its actual descent beneath the horizon, as the fata morgana in Sicily and the arctic region; compare the recession of the sun dial shadow under Hezekiah (2Ki 20:11).

The miracle was local, not universal, if we are to judge from the language, "stand ... upon Gibeon, ... in the valley of Ajalon;" so Exo 8:22; Exo 10:23. The mention of the moon with the "sun" hints at the true theory of the earth’s rotation on its axis, which requires that if the sun apparently stood the moon should apparently stand too. Habakkuk (Hab 3:10-11) refers to it: "the sun and moon stood still in their habitation." The words "hasted not to go down" imply a gradual not a sudden check to the ordinary phenomena of the sun’s apparent motion. Joshua subdued the S. to Kadesh Barnea and Gaza, then the northern confederated kings under Jabin, at Merom, and the country even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon and unto "great Zidon." (Tyre was still inferior, merely a stronghold subordinate to Zidon. In the books Samuel and Kings this is reversed, marking the early date of the book of Joshua). Israel often disliked destroying all; but God’s command required utter extermination of the Canaanites (Jos 10:40).

Like the earthquake or pestilence, they were simply God’s executioners, without personal bloodthirstiness, required to exhibit His hatred of idolatry, and learning themselves to hate it. For 500 years God had borne with longsuffering those guilty nations. Neither the piety of Melchizedek nor the awful punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah had led them to repentance. Now their "iniquity was full" (Gen 15:16). In six years six nations and 31 kings, including the giant Anakim, their former dread, fell before Joshua. (See ANAKIM.) Their extermination was "a work of mercy for all the countries of the earth to the very end of the world." Next Joshua, now aged, allotted the land, along with Eleazar and the tribal heads (Jos 14:1; Jos 17:4). Timnath Serah in Ephraim was assigned to Joshua himself," the city which he asked" (Jos 19:49). His singular unselfishness herein appears; he who might have claimed the first and best is served the last, and with no extraordinary possession above the rest. The congregation set up the tabernacle at Shiloh (Joshua 18).

Six cities of refuge were appointed, 48 to the Levites; and the two and a half transjordanic tribes were dismissed home with blessings (Joshua 20-22). The slackness of Israel in taking possession of the promised land and destroying the Canaanites was the drawback to the completeness of Joshua’s work (Jos 18:3); after their long nomadic life the people were slow in settling down in separate homes; fear of the foes’ attack too made them shrink from the trouble of defending themselves severally: a root of bitterness left which bore deadly fruit under the judges.

A long time after Jehovah had given rest unto Israel from all foes, Joshua, now old, convened all Israel (Joshua 23) represented by their heads, judges, and officers, to either Timhath Serah his home or Shiloh the sanctuary, and exhorted them to love and serve Jehovah ("be ye very courageous to do all that is written in the law, turn not aside to the right or to the left," Jos 23:6; the same as God had enjoined Himself, Jos 1:7), constrained by His past benefits, His promises of future help, and His threats of leaving the nations to be snares, scourges, and thorns to vex and destroy Israel in the event of apostasy. Again he gathered all the tribes with their heads and officers to Shechem, as being the place where Abram received God’s first promise of the land after his migration into Canaan (Gen 12:6-7); more especially because here Jacob on his return from Mesopotamia settled, and removed his household’s strange gods (Gen 33:19; Gen 35:2-4), just as Joshua now wished Israel to renew the covenant binding them to renunciation of all idols. Here too Joseph’s bones were buried (Jos 24:32). Joshua was buried at 110 years of age in Timnath Serah. His piety comes brightly out in his dying exhortation:

(1) God’s call to Abraham was one of pure grace, not for his merit; Israel’s fathers and Terah had "served other gods" (Jos 24:2; Jos 24:14; Gen 31:53; Gen 19:34), but Jehovah has through miraculous interposition brought Israel to the promised land; put away therefore all the gods ye served in Egypt (Lev 17:7; Eze 20:18; Jos 24:14); but, if not,

(2) choose you (if you are bent on self destruction) which idols you like, "but as for me and my house (Gen 18:19) we will serve the Lord" (compare Rth 1:15; 1Ki 18:21; Joh 6:67; Luk 10:42).

When the people, self confidently (like Peter, Luk 22:33), promised faithfulness, Joshua replied "ye cannot serve the Lord," i.e. without putting away heart idols (for they had no wooden, stone, or metal images to put away): Deu 6:5-6; Mat 6:24. See Jos 24:23, "put away the strange gods which are IN you," heart idols, inconsistent with the service of Jehovah who is "a jealous God" (Eze 20:39). On the people expressing still their resolution to serve Jehovah, Joshua made a covenant between God and them; and wrote the covenant and the words spoken on both sides in the law book of God, adding it to that written by Moses, and set up a stone as a memorial on the spot, under a terebinth tree by the sanctuary (or place hallowed to Jehovah by Abraham), and as a visible silent witness of their engagement. His influence under God kept them faithful both in his own time and that of the elders who outlived him.

A pious warrior, almost without blemish, one who learned to command in advanced age by obeying when a youth, ever looking up to Jehovah with childlike faith, worshipping with devout prostration the Captain of the Lord’s host, dispensing kingdoms yet content at the last with a petty inheritance, as disinterested and unselfish as he was brave, generous, and patriotic. Joshua typifies Jesus whose name he bears (Act 7:45; Heb 4:8). Moses representing the law could not bring Israel into Canaan; that was reserved for Joshua. So Jesus perfects what the law could not, and brings His people into the heavenly inheritance (Act 13:39; Hebrew 4; Heb 7:19-25). He leads His people through a Jordan-like flood of troubles and death itself without being overwhelmed (Isa 43:2). He bruises Satan under their feet (Jos 10:24; Psa 110:5; Mal 4:3; Rom 16:20). Jesus is the minister of the true circumcision (Jos 5:2-9; compare Rom 15:8; Rom 2:29; Col 2:11; Col 2:13).

Joshua was buried in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Serah (probably now Kefr Haris) in Mount Ephraim, on the northern side of the hill Gaash (Jos 24:30). (See TIMNATH SERAH.) The Septuagint adds: "there they laid with him in the tomb the stone knives with which he circumcised the children of Israel in Gilgal ... and there they are unto this day." If this addition of the Septuagint be trustworthy, it will be a curious proof that flint knives lay in situ for 12 centuries, from the 16th to the third century B.C., the date of Septuagint. At all events it shows that flint knives are no proof of a barbarous race ages before the historic period; such knives were used by civilized races in the historic times. M. Guerin professes to have discovered at Tigne (Timnath Serah), Joshua’s tomb. In the hill there one tomb has a vestibule, into which the light penetrates. There are 300 niches for lamps. The vestibule admits to two chambers, one with 15 receptacles for bodies, the other but one; many sharp flint knives were found on removing the dirt from the floor of the tomb, as also in Gilgal, the passage of Jordan. The pillars in the vestibule are surrounded by a fillet of Egyptian style.

2. 1Sa 6:14-18.

3. 2Ki 23:8.

4. (See JESHUA.)

Joshua (jŏsh’u-ah), Saviour, or whose help is Jehovah. Written also Hoshea, Oshea, Jehoshua, Jeshua, and Jesus. 1. The son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim. 1Ch 7:27, and minister of Moses. Exo 24:13. He is mentioned first in connection with the fight against Amalek at Rephidim, when he was chosen by Moses to lead the Israelites. Exo 17:9. He was one of the twelve spies who were sent, Num 13:17, to explore the land of Canaan, and one of the two, Num 14:6, who gave an encouraging report of their journey. Moses, shortly before his death, was directed, Num 27:18, to appoint Joshua leader over the people. God himself gave Joshua a charge through the lawgiver. Deu 31:14; Deu 31:23. Under God’s direction, Jos 1:1, Joshua assumed the command of the people at Shittim, sent spies into Jericho, crossed the Jordan, fortified a camp at Gilgal, circumcised the people, kept the passover, and was visited by the Captain of the Lord’s Host. The miraculous fall of Jericho terrified the Canaanites. In the great battle of Beth-horon the Amorites were signally routed, and the south country was open to the Israelites. Joshua returned to the camp at Gilgal, having conquered half of Palestine. He defeated the Canaanites under Jabin king of Hazor, In six years six tribes, with 31 petty chiefs, were conquered. Joshua, now stricken in years, proceeded to make the division of the conquered land. Timnath-serah in Mount Ephraim was assigned as Joshua’s peculiar inheritance. After an interval of rest, Joshua convoked an assembly from all Israel. He delivered two solemn addresses, recorded in Josh. chaps. 23, 24. He died at the age of 110 years, and was buried in his own city, Timnath-serah. Joshua’s character is a very noble one; and few blemishes are found in it. The favored disciple of Moses, he learned to be faithful to the Lord God. Once, indeed, he was too jealous for what he conceived to be Moses’ honor. Num 11:28-29. He was generally bold and fearless, though an unexpected check at one time dispirited him. But, with these small exceptions, an able commander, a wise ruler, a faithful servant of the Lord, Joshua shines as a bright star among the noble worthies of Old Testament history. 2. An inhabitant of Beth-shemesh, in whose land was the stone at which the milch-kine stopped when they drew the ark of God with the offerings of the Philistines from Ekron to Beth-shemesh. 1Sa 6:14; 1Sa 6:18, b.c. 1124. 3. A governor of the city who gave his name to a gate of Jerusalem, 2Ki 23:8, in the reign of Josiah, b.c. 628. 4. Jeshua the son of Jozadak. Hag 1:14; Hag 2:2; Zec 8:1, etc.

[Josh’ua]

1. Son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim. His name was originally OSHEA, or HOSHEA, but it was changed by Moses into Jehoshua, and this was contracted into Joshua, which is the same as JESUS in the Greek, and signifies ’Jehovah the saviour.’ Joshua was one of the twelve spies, and he with Caleb brought up a true report of the land, and was one of the two survivors of the men who came out of Egypt that entered the land. The first notice of Joshua is when he led the army against the Amalekites and overcame them while Moses’ hands were held up. Exo 17:9. He is afterwards called the ’minister’ of Moses, and as such he went up with him into the mount of God. Exo 24:13; Exo 32:17. Joshua was appointed the successor of Moses, not as law-giver, but as leader. He had ’the spirit,’ and some of the honour of Moses was put upon him. Num 27:18-23; Deu 1:38; Deu 3:28.

The principal work of Joshua was to lead the Israelites into the land of promise, not on the ground of their righteousness, but of the promises made to the fathers; the subjugation of the former inhabitants, and dividing the land as a possession for the twelve tribes, and these things are recorded in the BOOK OF JOSHUA. In these points Joshua was a type of Christ as leader or Captain of His saints. He is once called JESHUA. Neh 8:17.

2. A Beth-shemite in whose field the cows stopped when they brought up the ark from the Philistines. 1Sa 6:14; 1Sa 6:18.

3. Governor of the city of Jerusalem in the days of Josiah. 2Ki 23:8.

4. Son of Josedech: high priest, who on the return from exile was called upon to be strong in building the temple. Hag 1:1; Hag 1:12; Hag 1:14; Hag 2:2; Hag 2:4. He is also referred to as representing the people, clothed with filthy garments, and Satan standing as his enemy. Jehovah rebuked Satan, for He had chosen Jerusalem. Joshua could not make himself fit, but the filthy garments were taken away and he was clothed, and had a fair mitre placed upon his head. His experience represents how God will bring Israel into blessing under Christ the Branch, though it may be applied to the salvation of a sinner now. Zec 3:1-9; Zec 6:11. He is called JESHUA in Ezra and Nehemiah. See JESHUA, No. 3.

JOSHUA (on forms and meaning of the name see next art.).—1. The successor of Moses. See next article. 2. The Bethshemite in whose field was the stone on which the ark was set, on its return from the land of the Philistines (1Sa 6:14; 1Sa 6:18). 3. The governor of Jerusalem in the time of Josiah (2Ki 23:8). 4. The high priest who along with Zerub. directed affairs at Jerusalem after the restoration (Hag 1:1; Hag 1:12; Hag 1:14 etc., Zec 3:1; Zec 3:3; Zec 3:6 etc.). In the books of Hag. and Zec. he is called Joshua, in Ezr. and Neh Jeshua (wh. see). See also Jesus, 2.

JOSHUA (cf. Jesus, 1).—The successor of Moses as leader of Israel. He is called Hoshea in Deu 32:44, Num 13:8; and in Num 13:16 this is represented as his original name. But Num 13:1-33 is late, and the versions in Dt. show that ‘Joshua’ was probably the original reading. The most likely rendering of the name is ‘Jahweh is salvation.’ The son of Nun and of the tribe of Ephraim, he commanded the army in the battle with Amalek (Exo 17:8-16), attended on Moses at Mt. Sinai (Exo 32:17 f.), and at the Tent of Meeting (Exo 33:11; all these passages are from E [Note: Elohist.] ); acted as one of the twelve spies (Num 13:8; Num 14:6-9), was spared along with Caleb (Num 14:30; Num 14:38; all P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] ). His subsequent history belongs to the story of the conquest of Canaan (see following article). He was buried in Timnath-serah (Jos 19:50; Jos 24:30) or Timnath-heres (Jdg 2:9), in the hill-country of Ephraim.

The view is widely held that Joshua has no historical reality as a person, that his name is merely the name of a clan in Ephraim, and that his leadership in Israel represents, and puts back into the period of the conquest the commanding position which Ephraim had come to hold in the Israelite confederation. And the effort is made to show that he makes his appearance first in E [Note: Elohist.] , the N. Israelite or Ephraimite source. But the old poetic fragment Jos 10:12 f. represents him as speaking in the name of united Israel, and Jos 17:14-18 brings him into view in his dealings with his own tribe as having more than their interests in his mind, as being in some sense the arbiter of the confederacy. And while it is difficult on any reading of the history to understand why all our sources say nothing about the conquest of Central Palestine, this becomes doubly difficult if originally this was the scene of Joshua’s first activity and influence. The historical foundation for making the hero of Ephraim into the conqueror of all Canaan is absent.

It seems more probable that Joshua led the nation in their first assault on Palestine, that under his leadership the entry by Jericho was won, and a wedge thrust into the land by the capture of Bethel and Ai. After this early and united victory, the tribes may have divided for their future settlements, and the separate conquests may have been carried out, as the traditions in Jg. represent them, in a more piecemeal and imperfect fashion. But this is not incompatible with the fact that Joshua may have retained such a position of arbiter as, e.g., Jos 17:1-18 gives him. The loose confederacy, which still recognized its unity against its enemies, may have turned naturally for guidance to one who led its early efforts. In our later sources the conquest was conceived in a different fashion. It was represented as thorough, and as carried out by a united people. The writers naturally grouped all this round the name of one who had been able, though only for a short time, to give the tribes a sense of unity and to begin their assault on their new land. They idealized both his person and his work. But only on the supposition that there was something to idealize is it possible to understand why a man, who belongs to a clan in Ephraim which is otherwise unknown, came to be set up as the hero under whom they won their foothold among the nations, and passed from wandering tribes into a people.

A. C. Welch.

JOSHUA

1. Place in the Canon.—The book was placed by the Jews among the Early Prophets, i.e. Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings. The reason generally accepted for this is that Joshua, unlike Exodus or Leviticus, does not contain Torah or law. But Genesis, which recounts only the origins of the nation to which the Torah was delivered, was included in the Pentateuch; Joshua, which relates the conquest of the land where the Torah was to be practised, was excluded. Jewish tradition worked with criteria of which we are ignorant, but in separating Joshua from the Pentateuch it may have recognized the presence of different documents.

Modern criticism has insisted on connecting the book more closely with the Pentateuch, on the ground that, since all the Pentateuch documents look forward to the fulfilment of Jahweh’s promise of Palestine, Joshua, which relates the conquest, is a necessary sequel. This, however, forgets (a) that all Hebrew history is a unity in which the conquest of Palestine is merely an incident; (b) that Deuteronomy looks forward beyond the conquest to the erection of a national sanctuary, for which Joshua provides no more than the foundation. And there are other evidences that Joshua formed part of a history which extended through the period of the Judges to the establishment of the kingdom in Jerusalem. It is possible that a wider recognition of this fact may help to clear up some of the difficult questions as to the composition of the book.

2. Structure and contents.—The book falls into three parts: (a) the conquest, chs. 1–12; (b) the division of the land, chs. 13–21; (c) a conclusion, chs. 22–24. It is convenient to discuss these separately.

(a) In chs. 1–12, an account, closely akin to JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] , supplies the foundation. It relates the mission of the spies to Jericho (Jos 2:1-9; Jos 2:12-24), and the consequent passage of Jordan (Jos 3:1; Jos 3:5; Jos 3:10-17, Jos 4:1-11 a, 15–18, 20). In the latter story a difference in substance proves the presence of two accounts, but every effort to identify one of these with J [Note: Jahwist.] , the other with E [Note: Elohist.] , fails from insufficient criteria. It recounts the circumcision at Gilgal, which it views as a novelty (‘the second time’ of Jos 5:2 is absent from the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] ), since by this means the reproach of the circumcised Egyptians is removed from the people (Jos 5:2 f., 8f.). The story of the capture of Jericho and Ai (in both of which the presence of two accounts is clear) follows (Jos 5:13 to Jos 6:27, Jos 7:2-26, Jos 8:1-29), with the trespass of Achan. Joshua then makes a compact with the Gibeonites (Jos 9:3-9 a, 11–15a, 16, 22f., 26, 27a), and advances to the victory at Beth-horon (Jos 10:1-7; Jos 10:9-12 b–14a), to the execution at Makkedah (Jos 10:15-24; Jos 10:26 f.), and to the victory at the Waters of Merom (Jos 11:1-9 [in part]).

This account has been thoroughly revised by an editor who is closely akin in spirit and language to the author of the framework of Deuteronomy. He added an introduction into which he has fused earlier material (ch. 1). He brought out certain features in connexion with the passage of Jordan—the fear inspired in the Canaanites, the presence of the 2¹/2 tribes, the exaltation of Joshua by Jahweh (Jos 2:10 f., Jos 3:2-4; Jos 3:6-9, Jos 4:11 b, 12, 14, 21–24, Jos 5:1). He gave a different reason for the circumcision at Gilgal (Jos 5:4-7), and added some details to the fraud of the Gibeonites (Jos 9:1 f., 9b, 10, 24f., 27b.), and to the story of Beth-horon (Jos 9:8; Jos 9:12 a, 14b, 25). He concluded the conquest of the South (Jos 10:28-43) and the victory at Merom (Jos 11:10-23), with a summary of the result; and he added a review of the entire conquest in ch. 12. In his work he does not add independent material to his original, but by his arrangement and omissions gives a new aspect to the account. Thus several indications point to his having omitted much from his documents. It is sufficient to mention one—the absence of any account of the conquest of Central Palestine. This is the more remarkable since at Jos 8:30-35 we have a statement of how Joshua built an altar at Ebal, before the country between Gilgal and Mount Ephraim was subdued. Probably this formed the conclusion to JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] ’s narrative of the conquest of Central Palestine; possibly it was derived from E [Note: Elohist.] , a source which was specially interested in North Israelite sanctuaries, and which (see Deuteronomy) was a favourite source with D [Note: Deuteronomist.] . Further, the conquest of South Palestine in its present form does not agree with Jos 15:14-19 = Jdg 1:10-15. The latter passages represent South Palestine as conquered, not in one sweeping rush, but gradually; not by the action of the united tribes under one head, but by the effort of one tribe or of several in combination. Again, Jos 11:21 f. assigns to Joshua the victory over the Anakim, which in Jos 14:12, Jos 15:15 ff. and Jdg 1:10-15 is attributed to Judah, and especially to Caleb. Evidently the editor has sought to group round one representative figure, and assign to a specific period, the conquest which covered a considerable time and engaged many leaders. His chief interest in the details of history centres round their capacity to be used to point a moral. Thus it is noteworthy bow few chronological data appear in the chapters in comparison with earlier books. He gives prominence to the motives which governed Joshua, and to the Divine support promised to and received by him. He magnifies the leader’s successes, and considers him the representative of the nation and the successor of Moses.

A few verses in this section, Jos 4:13; Jos 4:19, Jos 5:10-12, Jos 7:1, Jos 9:15 b, 17–21, are generally assigned to P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] , but they are so isolated and so vague that nothing can be done with them except catalogue them, and express the doubt whether they ever belonged to a separate work.

(b) In chs. 13–21 the situation is different, and the critical results more uncertain. The same three sources can be traced as in the earlier section; but, on the one hand, the portions assigned to P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] take a character and range wholly unlike those which characterize this document throughout the Pentateuch; on the other, it is still a subject of debate whether the section owes its final form to a Deuteronomic or a Priestly editor, D [Note: Deuteronomist.] or P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] . The present writer’s view is that D [Note: Deuteronomist.] edited this section also, using as his sources JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] and what is called P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] . (The other view is held, e.g., by Driver.)

(1) P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] (so called), as the more complete, is given first. It began with the assembly of the tribes at Shiloh for the division (Jos 18:1), and a statement as to the lot assigned to the 21/2 tribes (Jos 13:15-32). It then proceeded to the division (Jos 14:1-5). The lot of Judah is first described (Jos 15:1-13; Jos 15:20-44; Jos 15:48-62). Then follows the lot of the children of Joseph (Jos 16:4-8, Jos 17:1 a, 3f., 7, 9a, 9c, 10a), who are counted as two, and of whom Manaseeh, as firstborn, is named first. The lots of Benjamin (Jos 18:11-28), Simeon (Jos 19:1-8), Zebulun (Jos 19:10-16), Issachar (Jos 19:17-23), Asher (Jos 19:24-31), Naphtali (Jos 19:32-39), Dan (Jos 19:40-46; Jos 19:48) are described, and then comes a conclusion (Jos 19:51) corresponding with the opening (Jos 18:1). On this followed the law and list of the cities of refuge (Jos 20:1-3; Jos 20:6 a, 7–9), and a list of the Levitical cities (Jos 21:1-42).

(2) D [Note: Deuteronomist.] incorporated with this, material drawn from JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] . He introduced the division of the land with a review of the undivided land, and a statement of the lot assigned to the 21/2 tribes (Jos 13:1-14). He therefore dislodged the introduction (Jos 18:1). Into the lot of Judah he inserted the account of Caleb’s settlement there (Jos 14:6-15, Jos 15:14-19), and of Jerusalem (Jos 15:63).[Jos 15:45-47 may be a late addition, written, after the Philistines had disappeared, to conform Judah’s boundary to the ideal of Jos 15:12]. Into the lot of the children of Joseph he inserted material from the older source (Jos 16:1-3; Jos 16:9 f., Jos 17:1 b, 2, 5, 8, 9b, 10b–18), which represented the lot of the sons as one (Jos 17:14-18). Before the lot of Benjamin he placed the statement of a survey made for the seven remaining tribes (Jos 18:2-6; Jos 18:8-10 [from JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] ; Jos 18:7 is from D [Note: Deuteronomist.] ]). This may represent the historical fact that the two strong clans of Judah and Ephraim were the first to be settled. But the break at this point in the original source gave occasion to insert Jos 18:1 here. In the description of the remaining seven lots only a few verses (Jos 19:9; Jos 19:47; Jos 19:49 f.) come from JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] , but the list of Naphtali’s cities (Jos 19:32-39), which is entirely different in character from the description of the other lots, may be from JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] , according to which (Jos 18:9) the country was distributed by cities. This is one of the facts which support those who hold that P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] edited JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] .

It deserves notice that the account of Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon—the districts which were inhabited after the Exile—is more exhaustive than that of the others. The fact suggests that the editor, who gave the book its final form, wrote at a late date, or at least that late hands retouched the book.

In the account of the cities of refuge (ch. 20), Jos 18:4 f., 6b, which have been added to the earlier source, are absent from the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] . They must have been added at a late date to bring the section into agreement with the Deuteronomic law.

(3) D [Note: Deuteronomist.] concluded the section on the division of the land with his formal close, Jos 21:43-45.

(c) In chs. 22–24 D [Note: Deuteronomist.] took the account of the dismissal of the 21/2 tribes (Jos 22:9-34) from P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] , providing it with his own introduction (Jos 22:1-6). The account is late, since it views the conquest as simultaneous, complete, and national. He took ch. 24—the renewal of the covenant—from JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] (probably E [Note: Elohist.] ), and added only a few verses (Jos 24:11 b, Jos 24:13; Jos 24:31). To these he attached Joshua’s parting counsels (ch. 23).

The source named P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] takes much the same position about the conquest as the final editor. The chief difference lies in the fact that it associates Eleazar with Joshua, but these two formally divide the conquered territory.

It seems probable that the Book of Joshua once formed part of a greater whole—a history written in the Deuteronomic spirit and based on earlier sources, which covered the period from the conquest to the kingdom. This view is tenable along with the opinion that P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] was the final editor, who, adding some sections on the division which he extracted from older sources, brought the book to its present form.

A. C. Welch.

Son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, Moses’s successor, the commander of the army of Israel in its battle with Amalec, and one of the spies sent into Chanaan.

The name of eight persons in the Old Testament, and of one of the Sacred Books. (’Oseé), a Bethsamite in whose field the ark stood on its way back from the land of the Philistines to Juda (1 Samuel 6:14, 18). (’Iesoûs), governor of Jerusalem whose idolatrous altars were destroyed by King Josias, during the latter’s attempts to undo the evil wrought by his father Amon and grandfather Manasses (2 Kings 22:8). (’Iesoûs), the son of Josedec and the high­priest who returned with Zorobabel from the Babylonian Captivity to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:2; Nehemiah 7:7; 21:1). In I and II Esd. the Vulgate calls him Josue; in Agg. and Zach., Jesus. He assisted Zorobabel in rebuilding the Temple, and was most zealous for the restoration of the religion of Israel (Ezra 3:2, 8; 4:3; 5:2). It was he whom Zacharias saw in vision stripped of filthy garments and clothed in clean robes and mitre, while the angel of the Lord proclaimed the high­priest the type of the coming Messias (Zechariah 3). (’Iesoué, ’Iesoû), a head of the family of Phahath Moab, one of the families named in the list of Israelites that returned from the Babylonian Exile (Ezra 2:6; Nehemiah 7:11). (’Iesoî ’Ieso&#251), a head of the priestly family of Idaia, maybe the high­priest Josue mentioned above (Ezra 2:36; Nehemiah 7:39). (’Iesoûs, ’Iesoû), the name of a priestly family descended from Oduia, as also of various heads of that family after the Exile (Ezra 2:40; 3:9; 8:33; Nehemiah 3:19; 7:43; 8:7; 9:4, 5; 12:8, Vulg. Jesua; 12:24). (’Iesía), one of the sons of Herem who were ordered to put away their wives taken from the land of the stranger (Ezra 10:31). (First called Osee; Sept. ’Iesoûs, first Aúsé), the son of Nun; the genealogy of the family is given in I Par., vii, 20-27; it belonged to the tribe of Ephraim. Josue commanded the army of Israel, after the Exodus, in its battle with Amalec (Exodus 17:9-13), was called the minister of Moses (xxiv, 13), accompanied the great lawgiver to and from Mount Sinai (xxxi, 17) and into the tabernacle of the covenant (xxxiii, 11), and acted as one of twelve spies whom Moses sent to view the land of Chanaan (Numbers 13:9). On this occasion Moses changed his servant’s name from Osee to Josue (Numbers 13:17). The new name most likely means "Jahweh is salvation". Josue and Caleb alone spoke well of the land, even though the people wished to stone them for not murmuring and these two lived on (Numbers 14:38). Josue was chosen by God to succeed Moses. The words of the choice show the character of the chosen (Numbers 27:17-18). Before Eleazar and all the assembly of the people Moses laid hands on Josue. Later this soldier was proposed by Moses to the people to lead them into the land beyond the Jordan (Deuteronomy 31:3), and was ordered by the Lord to do so (xxxi, 23). After the death of Moses, Josue was filled with the spirit of wisdom and was obeyed by the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 34:9). The rest of story of Josue is told in the Book of Josue. THE BOOK OF JOSHUAThe sixth book of the Old Testament; in the plan of the critics, the last book of the Hexateuch (see PENTATEUCH). In the Fathers, the book is often called "Jesus Nave". The name dates from the time of Origen, who translated the Hebrew "son of Nun" by uìòs Nauê and insisted upon the Nave as a type of a ship; hence in the name Jesus Nave many of the Fathers see the type of Jesus, the Ship wherin the world is saved.(1) ContentsThe Book of Josue contains two parts: the conquest of the promised land and the division thereof. (a) The Conquest (i- xii). Josue enters the land of promise, after being assured by spies that the way is safe. It is the tenth day of the first month, forty­one years since the Exodus. The channel of the Jordan is dry during the passage of Israel (i-iii) A monument is erected in the midst of the Jordan, and one at Galgal, to commemorate the miracle. Josue camps at Galgal (iv). The Israelites born during the wandering are circumcised; the pasch is eaten the first time in the land of promise; the manna ceases to fall; Josue is strengthened by the vision of an angel (v). The walls of Jericho fall without a blow; the city is sacked; its inhabitants are put to death; only the family of Rahab is spared (vi). Israel goes up against Hai. The crime of Achan causes defeat. Josue punishes that crime and takes Hai (vii-viii, 29); sets up an altar on Mount Hebal; subjugates the Gabaonites (viii, 30-ix), defeats the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jerimoth, Lachis, and Eglon; captures and destroys Maceda, Lebna, Lachis, Eglon, Hebron, Dabir, and the South even to Gaza; marches North and defeats the combined forces of the kings at the waters of Meron (x-xii). (b) The Division of the Land among the Tribes of Israel (xiii-xxii). Epilogue: last message and death of Josue (xxiii and xxiv).(2) Canonicity(a) In the Jewish canon Josue is among the Early Prophets Josue, Judges, and the four Books of Kings. It was not grouped with the Pentateuch, chiefly because, unlike Exodus and Leviticus, it contained no Torah, or law; also because the five books of the Torah were assigned to Moses (see PENTATEUCH). (b) In the Christian canon Josue has ever held the same place as in the Jewish canon.(3)UnityNon-Catholics have almost all followed the critics in the question of the "Hexateuch"; even the conservative Hastings, "Dict. of the Bible", ed. 1909, takes it for granted that Josue (Joshua) is a post-Exile patchwork. The first part (i-xii) is made up of two documents, probably J and E (Jehovistic and Elohistic elements), put together by J E and later revised by the Deuterocanonical editor (D); to this latter is assigned all of the first chapter. Very little of this portion is the work of P (the compiler of the Priestly Code). In the second part (xiii-xxii) the critics are uncertain as to whether the last editing was the work of the Deuteronomic or the Priestly editor; they agree in this that the same hands those of J, E, D, and P are at work in both parts, and that the portions which must be assigned to P have characteristics which are not at all found in his work in the Pentateuch. The final redaction is post-Exilic a work done about 440-400 B.C. Such in brief is the theory of the critics, who differ here as elsewhere in the matter of the details assigned to the various writers and the order of the editing, which all assume was certainly done. (See G. A. Smith and Welch in Hastings, "Dict. of the Bible", large and small editions respectively, s. v. "Joshua"; Moore in Cheyne, "Encyc. Bibl."; Wellhausen, "Die Composition des Hexateuchs und der historischen Bücher des A. T.", Berlin, 1889; Driver, "Introd. to Lit. of O.T.", New York, 1892, 96.)The Jews knew no such Hexateuch, no such six books set together by a final editor; they always kept a marked distinction between the Pentateuch and Josue, and rather linked Josue with Judges than with Deuteronomy. The well­known preface to Ecclus. (Sept.) separates the "Law" from the "Prophets". The Samaritans have the Torah entirely separate from the recently discovered Samaritan Josue.Catholics almost universally defend the unity of Josue. It is true that before the decree of the Biblical Commission on the question of the multiple authorship of the Pentateuch, some Catholics assigned Josue, as well as the five Mosaic books, to J, E, D, and P. Catholic Biblical scholars favour the pre-Exilic unity of composition of Josue and its editorial independence of the Pentateuch. This independence is shown by the completeness and originality of the plan of the book. We have seen the unity of this plan Josue’s conquest and division of the promised land. The purpose is clear to carry on the history of the chosen people after the death of Moses. The purpose of the Pentateuch was very different to codify the laws of the chosen people as well as to sum up their primitive history. No laws are codified in Josue. The critics argue that the death of Moses leaves a void to be filled up, i. e. the conquest of the land of promise, and therefore postulate this conquest for the historical, if not for the legal, completeness of the Pentateuch. Such an hypothesis would justify one in postulating also that the history of the conquest after the death of Josue be needed for the historical completeness of the Pentateuch. Again, the completeness of Josue’s narrative of the conquest of the promised land is clear from the fact that it repeats data which are already given in the Pentateuch and are details of that conquest. The orders of Moses to the children of Ruben and of Gad are clear cut in the Pentateuch (Numbers 32:20 sqq.); so, too, is the execution of these orders by the Rubenites and Gadites in the lands of the Amorrhites and of Basan (Numbers 32:33-38). If Josue is part of the composite and late composition which the critics make the Mosaic books out to be, how comes it that these very data concerning the children of Ruben and of Gad are repeated by the supposititious Deuteronomic D¹ or D² when he comes to set together the J and E and P of Josue? Why does he break in upon his continued narrative (see Joshua 1:12; 13:15-28)? Why this useless repetition of the same names, if not because of the unity of composition of Josue? Why are the cities of refuge given again (cf. 20:8; Deuteronomy 4:41 sqq.)? To answer these and similar difficulties, the critics have recourse to an uncritical subterfuge D¹ or D² was not brought up in the school of modern criticism; hence his blunderings. We cannot accept so uncritical and free-handed a writer as the God-chosen and inspired editor of the Pentateuch and Josue. For a full refutation of the critics, see Cornely, "Introd. Specialis in Hist. V. T. Libros", II (Paris, 1887, 177).(4) Authorship(a) The Book of Josue was certainly written before the time of David, for the Chanaanite still dwelt in Gazer (xvi, 10), the Jebusite in Jerusalem (xv, 63), and Sidon held supremacy in Phoenicia (xiv, 28); whereas, before the time of Solomon, the Egyptians had driven the Chanaanite from Gazer (1 Kings 9:16), David had captured Jerusalem in the eighth year of his reign (2 Samuel 5:5), and Tyre (twelfth century B.C.) had supplanted Sidon in the supremacy of Phoenicia. Moreover, in David’s time, no writer could have set down his allies the Phoenicians among the peoples to be destroyed (xiii, 6). (b) Internal evidence favours the view that the author lived not long after the death of Josue. The territory assigned to each tribe is very exactly described. Only the land allotted to Ephraim is set down (xvi, 5), since occupation was delayed (xvii, 16); on the other hand, we are told not only the portion of land allotted to Juda and Benjamin, but the cities they had captured (xv, 1 sqq.; xviii, 11 sqq.); as for the other tribes, the progress they had made in winning the cities of their lot is told us with an accuracy which could not be explained were we to admit that the narrative is post-Exilic in its final redaction. Only the inadmissible bungling of the uncritical D¹ or D² will serve to explain away this argument. (c) The question remains: Did Josue write all save the epilogue? Catholics are divided. Most of the Fathers seem to have taken it for granted that the author is Josue; still there have ever been Catholics who assigned the work to some one shortly after the death of the great leader. Theodoret (In Jos., q. xiv), Pseudo-Athanasius (Synopsis Sacr. Scrip.), Tostatus (In Jos., i, q. xiii; vii), Maes ("Josue Imperatoris Historia", Antwerp, 1574), Haneberg ("Gesch. der bibl. Offenbarung", Ratisbon, 1863, 202), Danko ("Hist. Rev. Div. V. T.", Vienna, 1862, 200), Meignan ("De Moïse à David", Paris, 1896, 335), and many other Catholic authors admit that the Book of Josue contains signs of later editing; but all insist that this editing was done before the Exile.(5) HistoricityThe Biblical Commission (15 Feb., 1909) has decreed the historicity of the primitive narrative of Gen., i-iii; a fortiori it will not tolerate that a Catholic deny the historicity of Josue. The chief objection of rationalists to the historical worth of the book is the almost overwhelming force of the miraculous therein; this objection has no worth to the Catholic exegete. Other objections are forestalled in the treatment of the authenticity of the work. Full answer to the rationalistic objections will be found in the standard works of Catholics on introduction. Saints Paul (Hebrews 11:30-31; 13:5), James (ii, 25), and Stephen (Acts 7:45), the tradition of the Synagogue and of the Church accept the Book of Josue as historical. To the Fathers Josue is an historical person and a type of the Messias. As an antidote to accusations that Josue was cruel and murderous, etc., one should read the Assyrian and Egyptian accounts of the almost contemporary treatment of the vanquished. St. Augustine solved the rationalistic difficulty by saying that the abominations of the Chanaanites merited the punishment which God, as Master of the world, meted out to them by the hand of Israel (In Hept., III, 56; P.L., XXXIV, 702, 816). These abominations of phallic worship and infant sacrifice have been proven by the excavations of the Palestine Exploration Fund at Gazer.(6) TextThe Septuagint is preserved in two different recensions the Alexandrian (A) and Vatican (B) and varies considerably from the Masorah; the Vulgate often differs from all three (iii, 4; iv, 3, 13; v, 6). The Samaritan Josue recently discovered, resembles the Sept. more closely than the Masorah.-----------------------------------Fathers: ORIGEN, Eclectum in Jesum Nave in P. G., XII, 819-825); AUGUSTINE, Quæstiones in Heptateuchum in P.L., XXXIV, 547). Modern writers: MAES, op. cit.; CALMET, Comm. Lit. in Omnes Libros N. et V. Test. (Würzburg, 1788); SERARIUS, Josue, etc. (Mainz, 1610); BONFRÈRE, Josue, Judices, Ruth (Paris, 1733); also works mentioned in body of article. Protestant: SPEAKER’s Bible, II (London, 1872); KÖNIG, Alttest Studien, i. Authentie des Buches Josua (1836).WALTER DRUM Transcribed by WGKofron With thanks to St. Mary’s Church, Akron, Ohio The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIIICopyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York

josh´ū́-a ((a) יהושׁוּע, y^ehōshū^a‛, (b) יהושׁע, y^ehōshu^a‛, “Yahweh is deliverance” or “opulence”; compare JESHUA; Ἰησούς, Iēsoús):

(1) Joshua the son of Nun; the name has the Hebrew form (a) above in Deu 3:21; Jdg 2:7; elsewhere the form (b), except in Neh 8:17, where it is of the form y^ehōshū^a‛ (See JESHUA); compare also Num 13:8, Num 13:16; Deu 32:44. See following article.

(2) In 1Sa 6:14, 1Sa 6:18 (form (b)), the Bethshemite in whose field stood the kine that brought the ark from the Philistines.

(3) In 2Ki 23:8 (form (b)), governor of Jerusalem in the time of Josiah.

(4) The high priest at Jerusalem after the return. See separate article.

(éְäåֹùֻׁòַ, later éֵùׁåּòַ, ‘Jahweh is deliverance or salvation’)

Joshua, the successor of Moses in the leadership of Israel, was named Ἰçóïῦò in the Septuagint and NT, and therefore ‘Jesus’ in the English Authorized Version ; but the Revisers, in accordance with their rule of reproducing OT names in the Hebrew rather than the Greek form, have changed this into ‘Joshua.’ St. Stephen in his apologia speaks of the fathers entering with Joshua into the possession of the nations (Act_7:45); and the writer of Hebrews, imbued with Alexandrian-i.e. Platonic and Philonic-teaching as to the distinction between visible things and their heavenly ideas, says that the rest which Joshua gave the Israelites, when he led them into the promised land, was after all not the Rest of God, but only the material symbol suggesting the spiritual reality-the Sabbath-rest which remains in the unseen world for the people of God (Heb_4:8-9).

James Strahan.

Jos 1:1 (c) He is a type of the Lord JESUS who, as the Commander and Leader of His people, conquers their enemies and leads them in triumph into blessed resting places.

The Israelite military captain who,

after Moses died, took his place as the

leader of the Israelites and led them into

the land that God had promised them.