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Old Testament · Historical narrative

The Book of Joshua: Author, Context and Complete Study

Joshua tells how Israel, led by Moses' successor, crossed the Jordan, conquered Canaan and divided the land among the twelve tribes. It shows God keeping his promise to Abraham and ends with Joshua's call to choose to serve the Lord alone.

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What is Joshua about?

Joshua is the story of how Israel entered and received the promised land. Chapters 1-12 follow the crossing of the Jordan, the fall of Jericho and the campaigns in the center, south and north of Canaan; chapters 13-21 divide the land among the tribes; and chapters 22-24 close with Joshua's farewell and a covenant renewal at Shechem. Its message is that not one of the Lord's good promises failed (Joshua 21:45), and that the people who received the land must serve him faithfully (24:15).

Author
The book does not name its author. Jewish tradition credits Joshua himself (24:26 says he wrote words in the Book of the Law), with the account of his death added by others such as Eleazar and Phinehas.
Date
Its events begin c. 1406 BC on the early exodus date, or in the 13th century BC on the late date; probably written soon after.
First readers
Israel in the land of Canaan: a people who had seen God keep his promises and needed to stay loyal to his covenant among Canaanite gods and unfinished tasks.
Genre
Historical narrative
Chapters
24 chapters
Key verse
Joshua 21:45

Historical context

Joshua begins where Deuteronomy ends. Moses has died on Mount Nebo, and Israel is camped on the plains of Moab after forty years in the wilderness. The generation that refused to enter Canaan had died out (Numbers 14:29-35), and the new generation had already defeated Sihon and Og east of the Jordan, where Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh received their land (Numbers 21:21-35; 32:33). Joshua son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, had served as Moses' assistant and was one of only two spies, with Caleb, who had urged Israel to trust God (Numbers 14:6-9).

Canaan in the Late Bronze Age was not one kingdom but a patchwork of fortified city-states, each with its own king; Joshua 12 lists thirty-one of them west of the Jordan. Egyptian letters of the 14th century BC found at Amarna show such local rulers quarreling and asking Pharaoh for help while Egypt's control of the region weakened. The Canaanites worshiped Baal, Asherah and other fertility gods, and some of them had iron chariots (17:16). The date of the conquest depends on the date of the exodus: about 1406 BC on the early view, or in the 13th century BC on the late view. An Egyptian inscription, the Merneptah Stele (c. 1208 BC), already names a people called Israel in Canaan.

Geographical context

The book opens at Shittim on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan (2:1; 3:1). Israel crosses the river opposite Jericho, an ancient oasis city just north of the Dead Sea, and makes its first camp at Gilgal (4:19). From there the campaign climbs into the central hill country to Ai, near Bethel (7:2), and to Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim beside Shechem (8:30-35), cutting the land in two.

The southern campaign begins with the defense of Gibeon, northwest of Jerusalem, runs down the pass of Beth-horon and the Valley of Aijalon, and sweeps through Makkedah, Lachish, Hebron and Debir (10:10-39). The northern campaign breaks a coalition at the waters of Merom and burns Hazor, the leading city of the north (11:1-13). The tabernacle is later set up at Shiloh in Ephraim (18:1), and the book ends at Shechem, where God first promised the land to Abraham (Genesis 12:6-7).

Why does the book of Joshua exist?

Joshua shows that the Lord keeps his word. Centuries earlier he had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham's offspring (Genesis 12:7; 15:18-21), and the book records how that promise came true: the river opened, the walls fell, the coalitions broke and each tribe received its portion by lot. The summary in 21:43-45 states the point plainly: the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to their fathers, and none of his good promises failed.

The book also teaches that God's gift must be received by faith and kept by faithfulness. Victory at Jericho came through obedience, defeat at Ai came through Achan's hidden sin, and the treaty with the Gibeonites came from not asking the Lord's counsel (9:14). Large areas remained unconquered (13:1-6), so Joshua's last speeches press the people to love the Lord, avoid the gods of Canaan and choose whom they will serve (23:11-13; 24:14-15). Joshua bridges the books of Moses and the book of Judges, explaining both how Israel received the land and why keeping it would depend on loyalty to God.

Outline of Joshua

  1. Chapters 1-5

    Preparing to enter the land

    After Moses' death God commissions Joshua to be strong and courageous (1:6-9). Rahab hides the spies in Jericho, Israel crosses the Jordan on dry ground and sets up twelve memorial stones at Gilgal, where the men are circumcised and the Passover is kept.

  2. Chapters 6-8

    Jericho and Ai

    Jericho falls after seven days of marching behind the ark, and Rahab's family is spared. Achan's theft brings defeat at Ai until his sin is exposed; Ai is then taken by ambush, and the law is read before Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.

  3. Chapters 9-12

    The southern and northern campaigns

    The Gibeonites trick Israel into a treaty. Joshua defends Gibeon against five Amorite kings on the day the sun stands still, then defeats the northern coalition led by Jabin of Hazor. Chapter 12 lists the kings defeated east and west of the Jordan.

  4. Chapters 13-17

    The land divided: the east, Judah and Joseph

    Joshua, now old, is told that much land remains. The eastern tribes' land is described, Caleb receives Hebron at eighty-five, and the borders of Judah, Ephraim and Manasseh are drawn, including the land given to the daughters of Zelophehad.

  5. Chapters 18-21

    Shiloh, the remaining tribes and the Levites

    The tabernacle is set up at Shiloh, where seven tribes receive their land by lot after a survey. Joshua receives Timnath-serah, six cities of refuge are set apart and forty-eight towns go to the Levites. Not one good promise has failed (21:43-45).

  6. Chapters 22-24

    Faithfulness after the conquest

    The eastern tribes go home and build an altar by the Jordan that nearly starts a civil war until it is explained as a witness. Joshua warns Israel's leaders, renews the covenant at Shechem and dies at 110.

Famous passages in Joshua

  • Joshua 1:1-9

    Be strong and courageous

    After Moses' death the Lord promises to be with Joshua as he was with Moses and tells him three times to be strong and courageous (1:6, 7, 9). He must keep the Book of the Law on his lips and meditate on it day and night (1:8). These verses are among the most quoted in the Old Testament for anyone facing a new task.

    Study Joshua 1 →

  • Joshua 2:1-21

    Rahab hides the spies

    In Jericho, Rahab the prostitute hides Israel's two spies under stalks of flax on her roof and confesses that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below (2:11). She is told to tie a scarlet cord in her window. The New Testament honors her faith (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25), and she appears in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).

    Study Joshua 2 →

  • Joshua 3:14-4:24

    Crossing the Jordan

    The Jordan is overflowing its banks at harvest time, yet the waters stop far upstream at the town of Adam as soon as the priests carrying the ark step in (3:15-16), and Israel crosses on dry ground. Twelve stones from the riverbed are set up at Gilgal so that children will ask what they mean (4:20-24). The crossing deliberately echoes the Red Sea (4:23).

    Study Joshua 3 →

  • Joshua 6:1-27

    The walls of Jericho

    For six days Israel marches once around Jericho, with seven priests blowing rams' horns before the ark, and on the seventh day seven times. At the people's shout the wall falls down flat (6:20). It is one of the best-known stories in the Bible; Hebrews 11:30 says the walls fell by faith, and Rahab and her family are spared (6:22-25).

    Study Joshua 6 →

  • Joshua 7:1-26

    Achan's hidden sin

    Israel is routed at the small town of Ai because Achan secretly took a cloak, silver and gold from Jericho and buried them in his tent (7:21). After the lot exposes him, he and his household are stoned in the Valley of Achor. The story shows that hidden sin harms the whole community; Hosea 2:15 later promises that this valley will become a door of hope.

    Study Joshua 7 →

  • Joshua 10:12-14

    The sun stands still over Gibeon

    While Israel defends Gibeon, Joshua asks the Lord to make the sun stand still over Gibeon and the moon over the Valley of Aijalon, and the sun does not hurry to set for about a whole day. The text cites the Book of Jashar (10:13) and says there was never a day like it, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man (10:14).

    Study Joshua 10 →

  • Joshua 24:14-15

    Choose whom you will serve

    At Shechem the aged Joshua recalls God's acts from Abraham to the conquest and urges Israel to put away other gods. He tells the people to choose that day whom they will serve and declares that he and his household will serve the Lord (24:15), one of the verses most often displayed in Christian homes.

    Study Joshua 24 →

Main themes

The faithfulness of God
The book opens with a promise (1:3) and closes the conquest with its fulfillment (21:43-45; 23:14). Every victory, from the Jordan to Hazor, is presented as the Lord's work for his people, proving that what he swore to Abraham he keeps.
Courage rooted in God's presence
Joshua is told not to fear because the Lord goes with him wherever he goes (1:9). Courage in this book is not self-confidence but trust in God's presence and promise, nourished by meditating on his word (1:8).
Obedience and holiness
Jericho falls when Israel obeys an unusual command; Ai defeats them when Achan disobeys. Before the crossing the people consecrate themselves (3:5), and at Gilgal they renew circumcision, showing that the covenant people must be set apart for God.
Judgment and mercy
The conquest is presented as God's judgment on the long-standing sin of Canaan (Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 9:4-5), not as a reward for Israel's goodness. Yet Rahab and the Gibeonites show that those who turned to Israel's God found mercy.
Inheritance and rest
Half the book describes boundaries and towns, because each family's land was a tangible share in God's promise. The land gave Israel rest from its enemies (21:44), a rest that Hebrews 4:8-9 says pointed to a greater Sabbath rest for God's people.
Covenant choice
Joshua renews the covenant at Mount Ebal (8:30-35) and again at Shechem (24:1-28). Each generation must decide to serve the Lord, and Joshua warns that such service means putting away every other god (24:14-23).

Main characters

Joshua
Son of Nun from Ephraim, first named Hoshea (Numbers 13:16). Moses' assistant, one of the two faithful spies and his appointed successor. He leads the crossing, the conquest and the division of the land, renews the covenant at Shechem and dies at 110 (24:29).
Rahab
A prostitute of Jericho who hides the spies, confesses faith in the Lord and is spared with her family when the city falls (6:25). She lives among Israel and is named in the genealogy of Jesus as the mother of Boaz (Matthew 1:5).
Caleb
Joshua's fellow spy from Judah, who trusted God when the others were afraid. At 85 he says he is as strong as at 40, asks for the hill country of Hebron, still held by the Anakim, and drives them out (14:6-15; 15:13-14).
Achan
A man of Judah who takes devoted spoil from Jericho and hides it in his tent, bringing defeat at Ai. Exposed by lot, he confesses and is executed in the Valley of Achor (7:16-26).
Eleazar the priest
Aaron's son and the high priest, who divides the land by lot together with Joshua and the heads of the tribes (14:1; 19:51). His death and burial close the book (24:33).
Phinehas
Son of Eleazar, sent with ten tribal leaders to confront the eastern tribes over their altar by the Jordan. He listens to their explanation and averts a civil war (22:13-34).
Adoni-zedek
King of Jerusalem who leads five Amorite kings against Gibeon after it makes peace with Israel. He flees, is found hiding in a cave at Makkedah with the other kings and is executed (10:1-27).
Jabin king of Hazor
Leader of the great northern coalition gathered at the waters of Merom. Joshua defeats the alliance, kills Jabin and burns Hazor, which had been the head of all those kingdoms (11:1-13).

In-depth study of Joshua

Introduction

Joshua is the sixth book of the Bible and the first of the historical books. In the Hebrew Bible it opens the section called the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings), a reminder that it is history told from God's point of view. It picks up the story immediately after the death of Moses and follows Israel from the east bank of the Jordan to settled life in Canaan.

The book has a simple shape. Chapters 1-12 tell how Israel crossed the Jordan and broke the power of the Canaanite kings. Chapters 13-21 describe how the land was divided among the tribes. Chapters 22-24 record Joshua's final words and a covenant renewal at Shechem. Running through every part is one conviction: the Lord gave Israel the land he had sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and not one of his good promises failed (Joshua 21:43-45).

Who wrote Joshua and when?

What the text says

The book never names its author. It does say that Joshua wrote the words of the covenant at Shechem in the Book of the Law of God (24:26), and it preserves details that sound like the memory of eyewitnesses. Some remarks fit a time close to the events: Rahab has lived in Israel to this day (6:25), the Jebusites still live in Jerusalem (15:63), which David later captured (2 Samuel 5:6-9), and Canaanites still live in Gezer (16:10), a city Pharaoh later gave to Solomon (1 Kings 9:16).

What tradition says

The Talmud attributes the book to Joshua and says the closing notices of his death and of Eleazar's death were added by Eleazar and by Phinehas. Many evangelical scholars accept Joshua as the main source, with a contemporary or near-contemporary compiler completing the work. Other scholars see Joshua as part of a larger history running from Deuteronomy through Kings, edited in the 7th or 6th century BC. The book also cites an older source, the Book of Jashar (10:13), which is mentioned again in 2 Samuel 1:18.

Dating the events

The conquest followed the forty years in the wilderness. On the early date of the exodus (c. 1446 BC), Israel crossed the Jordan around 1406 BC; on the late date, it entered Canaan in the 13th century BC. Caleb's ages, 40 when he spied out the land and 85 when he received Hebron (14:7, 10), suggest that the main campaigns lasted about seven years, which fits the remark that Joshua made war a long time (11:18).

Literary style and structure

Three movements

  • Entering and taking the land (1-12): a fast-paced narrative built around a few key episodes rather than a complete military report.
  • Dividing the land (13-21): boundary lines and town lists that functioned like a title deed for each tribe.
  • Keeping the land (22-24): speeches and a covenant ceremony that look ahead to life after Joshua.

Memorials and the phrase to this day

The book repeatedly links stones to memory: twelve stones in the Jordan and twelve at Gilgal (4:9, 20), a heap of stones over Achan (7:26), another over the king of Ai (8:29), large stones at the cave of Makkedah (10:27) and a great stone under the oak at Shechem (24:26). The frequent note that something remains to this day invites readers to connect the story with landmarks they could still see.

Joshua as a new Moses

The narrator draws careful parallels. The Jordan parts as the Red Sea did (4:23), Joshua removes his sandals on holy ground as Moses did at the burning bush (5:15; Exodus 3:5), and Joshua's outstretched javelin at Ai (8:18, 26) recalls Moses' raised hands against Amalek (Exodus 17:11). The Lord exalts Joshua so that Israel honors him as it honored Moses (4:14).

Summary statements

Sweeping summaries such as 10:40-42, 11:23 and 21:43-45 sit beside honest notes that some peoples were not driven out (13:1-6; 15:63; 16:10; 17:12-13). The book holds both together: the decisive victory belongs to God, while the full occupation is a task the tribes must still carry out.

Joshua in the story of the Bible

Joshua is the fulfillment of promises made long before. God told Abram that his offspring would receive the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:7; 15:18-21), and he told Moses to strengthen Joshua for this very task (Deuteronomy 3:28; 31:7-8). Joseph's request that his bones be carried out of Egypt (Genesis 50:25) is finally honored when they are buried at Shechem (Joshua 24:32).

What follows is sobering. Judges opens by listing the cities the tribes failed to conquer (Judges 1) and notes that after Joshua's generation died, another arose that did not know the Lord (Judges 2:7-10). The curse Joshua pronounced on anyone who rebuilt Jericho (6:26) comes true in the days of King Ahab (1 Kings 16:34). Psalm 44:1-3 later sings that Israel did not win the land by its own sword but by God's right hand.

The New Testament remembers the conquest as God's gift. Stephen mentions the tabernacle brought into the land with Joshua (Acts 7:45), and Paul says God destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave Israel their land as an inheritance (Acts 13:19). Hebrews 11:30-31 celebrates the faith that brought down Jericho's walls and saved Rahab, and James 2:25 points to Rahab as an example of living faith. Hebrews 13:5 applies to every believer the promise first given to Joshua and Israel: God will never leave or forsake his people (Joshua 1:5; Deuteronomy 31:6).

Joshua and Jesus Christ

  • The same name. Joshua means the Lord saves. In Greek his name is Iesous, the same name as Jesus, and the angel explains that Jesus will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Joshua led Israel into an earthly inheritance; Jesus brings many sons and daughters to glory (Hebrews 2:10).
  • A greater rest. Hebrews 4:8-9 argues that if Joshua had given Israel final rest, God would not have spoken later of another day. A Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God, entered through faith in Christ.
  • An inheritance that cannot fade. The tribes received land by lot; believers receive an inheritance that is imperishable and kept in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-4; Ephesians 1:11-14).
  • Grace for outsiders. Rahab, a Canaanite under judgment, is saved by faith and becomes an ancestor of the Messiah (Matthew 1:5). Her story anticipates the gospel going to the nations.
  • The commander of the Lord's army. The figure who meets Joshua near Jericho with a drawn sword receives Joshua's worship and declares the ground holy (5:13-15). Many interpreters see a preincarnate appearance of Christ; others understand him as a leading angel. Either way, the scene shows that the battle belongs to the Lord, not to Israel.
  • Refuge. The cities of refuge (20:1-9) protected someone who had killed unintentionally. Hebrews 6:18 speaks of believers as those who have fled for refuge to the hope set before them, and many readers see in those cities a picture of the safety found in Christ.

Interpretive challenges

Why did God command the destruction of the Canaanites?

This is the hardest question the book raises. The Bible presents the conquest as God's judgment on peoples whose sin had reached its full measure (Genesis 15:16), including practices such as child sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21-25; Deuteronomy 12:31), and it insists that Israel was not chosen for its own righteousness (Deuteronomy 9:4-5). The command was limited to a specific time, place and group of peoples, and the same law warns that Israel would be judged if it imitated them. Many scholars also note that ancient conquest reports used sweeping language, which helps explain why peoples said to be destroyed still appear later. Rahab and the Gibeonites show that those who turned to the Lord were spared. The command is never a model for violence in the name of God today.

Was the conquest complete or incomplete?

Joshua 11:23 says Joshua took the whole land, yet 13:1 says very much land remained. The best explanation is that the summaries describe the breaking of the Canaanite coalitions and the allotment of the whole land, while the lists describe areas each tribe still had to occupy. Judges 1 continues this second story.

Did the sun really stand still?

Joshua 10:12-14 describes a day on which the sun did not set while Israel won the battle. Many readers believe God miraculously prolonged the daylight, without the text explaining how. Others read the lines quoted from the Book of Jashar as poetic language celebrating a complete victory. The narrator's emphasis is not astronomy but that the Lord heeded Joshua's prayer and fought for Israel.

Was Rahab right to lie?

Rahab misled the king's men (2:4-5). The New Testament praises her faith and her protection of the spies (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25), not her deception. Some argue that a lie to protect innocent life was justified in that situation; others hold that her faith was genuine but her method imperfect. Either way, God honored a new believer who acted with the understanding she had.

Little-known facts

  • Joshua's original name was Hoshea; Moses changed it to Joshua (Numbers 13:8, 16). In the Greek of Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8 his name is written exactly like the name Jesus.
  • The manna that fed Israel for forty years stopped the day after the people ate the produce of Canaan (5:12).
  • The Anakim, the tall people the spies had feared, were left only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod (11:22). Goliath later came from Gath (1 Samuel 17:4).
  • Joshua's curse on the rebuilder of Jericho (6:26) was fulfilled when Hiel of Bethel lost his oldest and youngest sons as he laid its foundation and set up its gates (1 Kings 16:34).
  • The tribe of Dan, unable to hold its first territory, moved north, captured Leshem and renamed it Dan (19:47).
  • Joshua died at 110 (24:29), the same age as Joseph (Genesis 50:26), whose bones were buried in the field at Shechem that Jacob had bought (24:32; Genesis 33:19).

How to study Joshua

Reading plan

At one chapter a day, Joshua takes less than four weeks. A group can cover it in six sessions following the outline: preparing to enter (1-5), Jericho and Ai (6-8), the campaigns (9-12), the first allotments (13-17), Shiloh and the Levites (18-21) and the final covenant (22-24).

What to look for

  • Promise and fulfillment: what God said in Genesis, Exodus and Deuteronomy, and how the book shows it coming true.
  • The command to be strong and courageous and where courage comes from.
  • Memorial stones and the phrase to this day, and what each memorial was meant to teach.
  • Outsiders who join Israel (Rahab, the Gibeonites) and insiders who fall (Achan).

Teaching it in a Sunday school class or small group

Use a map. The campaigns and the tribal boundaries make sense only when students can see the Jordan, Jericho, the hill country, Gibeon, Hazor, Shiloh and Shechem. With children, focus on the crossing of the Jordan, the walls of Jericho and Rahab's faith, always pointing to God's faithfulness. With youth groups and adults, take time for the hard questions of chapters 6-11, read chapters 13-21 as evidence that God's promises reach real places and families, and close with Joshua 24:14-15, asking each person whom they will serve.

Joshua chapter by chapter

Every chapter of Joshua with a summary, key verses explained, themes, people, questions with answers and application.

Frequently asked questions about Joshua

Who wrote the book of Joshua?

The book does not name its author. Joshua 24:26 says Joshua wrote the words of the covenant at Shechem in the Book of the Law of God, and Jewish tradition in the Talmud credits him with the book, with the account of his death added by Eleazar and Phinehas. Notes such as Rahab still living in Israel to this day (6:25) suggest it was written close to the events; many scholars see it as part of a larger history edited later.

When was the book of Joshua written?

Its events begin about forty years after the exodus: around 1406 BC if the exodus is dated c. 1446 BC, or in the 13th century BC on the later date. Remarks that the Jebusites still lived in Jerusalem (15:63) and Canaanites in Gezer (16:10) fit a time before David took Jerusalem and before Gezer passed to Solomon (1 Kings 9:16). Scholars who see a longer editorial history date its final form to the 7th or 6th century BC.

What is the main message of Joshua?

The Lord keeps his promises. He brought Israel into the land sworn to Abraham, fought for them and gave each tribe its inheritance, and not one of his good promises failed (21:45). Because God had been faithful, his people were called to be faithful in return, serving him alone and rejecting the gods of Canaan (24:14-15).

How many chapters does Joshua have and how is it organized?

Joshua has 24 chapters in three main parts: entering and conquering the land (1-12), dividing it among the tribes (13-21), and Joshua's farewell with the covenant at Shechem (22-24). The first part moves from the Jordan crossing and Jericho to the campaigns in the south and north; the second is made up mostly of boundary descriptions and town lists.

Why did God command the destruction of the Canaanites?

The Bible presents it as a unique act of judgment on peoples whose sin had reached its full measure (Genesis 15:16; Leviticus 18:24-25), including child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:31), and not as a reward for Israel's goodness (Deuteronomy 9:4-5). It was tied to one time and place in redemptive history and is never a model for believers today. Rahab and the Gibeonites show that those who turned to the Lord were spared.

Did the sun really stand still in Joshua 10?

Joshua 10:12-14 describes a day on which the sun did not set while Israel defeated the Amorite kings. Many readers take it as a real miracle of extended daylight, however God brought it about; others read the lines quoted from the Book of Jashar as poetic language for a complete victory won with God's help. Both readings agree with the text's own point: the Lord fought for Israel (10:14).

Who was Rahab in the Bible?

Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho who hid the Israelite spies because she believed the Lord was the true God (2:9-11). The spies promised to spare her household if she tied a scarlet cord in her window. She and her family were saved when the city fell, she lived among Israel, and Matthew 1:5 lists her as the mother of Boaz, an ancestor of David and of Jesus.

What does Joshua 1:9 mean?

As Joshua takes Moses' place, the Lord commands him to be strong and courageous and not to be frightened or dismayed, because the Lord his God is with him wherever he goes. The courage is grounded in God's presence, not in Joshua's ability, and it is tied to obeying the Book of the Law (1:7-8). Believers rightly draw strength from it for any task God gives, while remembering that the conquest itself was Joshua's unique mission.

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