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No. 6History
Joshua
Crossing over, and taking the land
StatusFoundational
Read24 chapters
DifficultyBeginner
Joshua 1 - 24 · The entry into Canaan, traditionally in the 15th to 13th century BC · The Jordan, Jericho, and the hill country of Canaan
The Point
God finished what he promised, and he did it with an ordinary successor rather than a second Moses.
What This Book Is
The crossing of the Jordan and the taking of Canaan under Joshua, and the division of the land among the tribes.
Overview
Joshua opens with a man being told three times not to be afraid. He has just inherited Moses' job, which is not a role anyone would want to follow into, and God's encouragement to him is essentially: I was with him, I will be with you, now go.
The first half of the book is the campaign. The Jordan stops so the people can cross, and stones are set up so children will ask what they mean. Jericho falls after a march and a shout. Then comes Ai, where the army is defeated because of one man's hidden theft, a story the book tells in full rather than quietly omitting. There are victories and there is a treaty made by deception because Israel did not ask God first.
The second half is a long division of territory, tribe by tribe, boundary by boundary. It reads like a land registry, and for the original hearers that was the point. These lists were the deed to the promise.
Modern readers usually arrive at this book with a hard question about the violence of the conquest, and it deserves honesty rather than a quick answer. The text presents it as judgment on entrenched practices after centuries of delay, and Christians have long differed on how to read it. It is worth sitting with rather than skipping past.
Joshua's final speech puts a choice to the people, and they choose. The book ends with the promise kept.
Structure
- Chapters 1 to 5: Crossing overA commission, a river stopped, and stones set up as a memorial.
- Chapters 6 to 12: The campaignJericho, Ai, a deceptive treaty, and battles across the land.
- Chapters 13 to 21: Dividing the landTerritory allotted tribe by tribe, with cities set aside for refuge.
- Chapters 22 to 24: Last wordsA near civil war averted, and a covenant renewed at Shechem.
Themes
Promise keptCourageObedienceLandCovenant renewalLeadership
Why It Matters
Joshua is where the promise made to Abraham becomes soil and boundaries. Its recurring statement is that not one word of God's good promises failed. It also sets the pattern for what follows: the land is given, but keeping it depends on faithfulness, and the very next book shows how quickly that unravels. The name Joshua is the Hebrew form of the name later given to Jesus.
How to Read It
- Read chapter 1 and notice how often God says be strong and courageous, and what reason he gives.
- Do not skip the Achan episode in chapter 7. The book is honest about failure in its own ranks.
- Take the hard questions about the conquest seriously rather than resolving them quickly.
- Read the closing speech in chapter 24, where the people are asked to choose.
Key Verse
Joshua 1:9
“Haven't I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.”
Did You Know?
- The stones taken from the Jordan were set up so that children would ask about them, and the answer would be the story.
- Rahab, who shelters the spies at Jericho, appears in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel.
- Cities of refuge were established here, places where someone who killed accidentally could be safe from revenge.
Where to Start Reading
Joshua 1Joshua 6Joshua 7Joshua 24