LEADER OF ISRAEL AFTER MOSES · THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL

Joshua. Led Israel over the Jordan and divided the land by lot.

LED ISRAELi

Not given Not given in Scripture: from Moses' death to his own death at 110

TRIBE

Ephraim

IN THE LINE

2nd of 15

SCRIPTURE SAYS

“A man in whom is the spirit"; "full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him".”

PROPHETS

None named

THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL: 15 RULERS MOSES → SAMUEL

ACCESSION

How Joshua came to power

  • His first command: Moses sent him to fight Amalek at Rephidim. Exodus 17:9–13
  • He was Moses' "minister", went up the mount with him, and "departed not out of the tabernacle". Exodus 24:13 Exodus 33:11 Numbers 11:28
  • One of the twelve spies, he and Caleb urged the people to enter the land, and alone of their generation were promised it. Numbers 14:6–10 Numbers 14:30
  • At Moses' request God named Joshua; Moses laid hands on him before Eleazar and the congregation. Numbers 27:15–23
  • Moses charged him before all Israel, and God charged him at the tabernacle. Deuteronomy 31:7–8 Deuteronomy 31:14 Deuteronomy 31:23
  • After Moses died, the LORD spoke to Joshua; the people answered "All that thou commandest us we will do". Joshua 1:1–3 Joshua 1:16–18

SUCCESSION

Before and after

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS

What Scripture says of him

  • "A man in whom is the spirit"; "full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him". Numbers 27:18 Deuteronomy 34:9
  • God promised him: "as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee". Joshua 1:5 Joshua 3:7
  • The LORD "magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses". Joshua 4:14
  • "So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country." Joshua 6:27
  • "Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua", and of the elders who outlived him. Joshua 24:31 Judges 2:7
  • "The servant of the LORD" is the title given him at his death. Joshua 24:29 Judges 2:8
  • With the Gibeonites he made a league without asking the LORD: the men "asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD". Joshua 9:14–15

EVENTS

Wars, works and turning points

Each mark sits at the year of the reign the Bible gives for it.

UNDATED IN SCRIPTURE

THE LAND

Gilgal, the first camp; later Shiloh and the places of the reign

The tribes of Israel · tribe of Ephraim. Only places Scripture names are shown, each where the Atlas puts it.

THE NATION

What the nation did

  • The new generation was circumcised and kept the Passover at Gilgal. Joshua 5:2–3 Joshua 5:10
  • The covenant was renewed at Ebal and again at Shechem. Joshua 8:30–35 Joshua 24:25–27
  • "Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua." Joshua 24:31

ON THE WORLD STAGE

The powers of the day

THE KINGS OF THE SOUTH

Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem · Hoham of Hebron · Piram of Jarmuth · Japhia of Lachish · Debir of Eglon

THE KINGS OF THE NORTH

Jabin of Hazor · Jobab of Madon

THE PHILISTINES

DATES DIFFER

When was it?

SCRIPTURE'S OWN NUMBERS

No years given

Scripture gives no length for Joshua's leadership and no year BC. Caleb's ages imply about seven years of war before the land was divided (see the open question).

One place; "heres" (sun) and "serah" are the same letters reversed

Moore (1895); Keil treats them as one place (1872 printing)

Moore calls "Timnath-heres" in Judges 2:9 "probably a metathesis" of Timnath-serah, made "to get rid of a name of heathenish sound"; Keil simply notes that Timnath-serah is "called Timnath-heres in Judg. ii. 9" and places it at Tibneh.[22][8]

Two names, an older and a newer

Hävernick, as reported by Moore

Hävernick took Timnath-heres for the old Canaanite name and Timnath-serah for the Israelite one.[22]

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 39

Exodus 17 Exodus 24 Exodus 32 Exodus 33 Numbers 11 Numbers 13 Numbers 14 Numbers 27 Numbers 34 Deuteronomy 1 Deuteronomy 3 Deuteronomy 31 Deuteronomy 34 Joshua 1 Joshua 2 Joshua 3 Joshua 4 Joshua 5 Joshua 6 Joshua 7 Joshua 8 Joshua 9 Joshua 10 Joshua 11 Joshua 12 Joshua 13 Joshua 14 Joshua 15 Joshua 16 Joshua 17 Joshua 18 Joshua 19 Joshua 20 Joshua 21 Joshua 22 Joshua 23 Joshua 24 Judges 2 1 Kings 16

PASSAGES · 15

Exodus 17:8–16 Exodus 24:13 Exodus 32:17–18 Exodus 33:11 Numbers 11:28–29 Numbers 13:1–14:38 Numbers 27:15–23 Numbers 34:17 Deuteronomy 1:38 Deuteronomy 3:21–28 Deuteronomy 31:1–23 Deuteronomy 34:9 Joshua 1:1–24:33 Judges 2:6–9 1 Kings 16:34

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Scripture gives no length for Joshua's leadership and no year BC for the conquest.
  • Joshua named no successor. After him came "the elders that outlived Joshua" (Judges 2:7), and then the judges.
  • No prophet is named speaking to Joshua; the LORD speaks to him directly (Joshua 1:1).
  • Joshua is never called a king or a judge.

IDENTIFICATIONS THIS PAGE RELIES ON

  • Moses renamed "Oshea the son of Nun" of Ephraim "Jehoshua". Numbers 13:8 Numbers 13:16
  • Chronicles lists "Jehoshua" son of Non in Ephraim's line, and Nehemiah calls him "Jeshua the son of Nun". 1 Chronicles 7:27 Nehemiah 8:17
  • From the textThe site's person record also attaches Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8 to him: in both verses the KJV's "Jesus" is the Greek form of Joshua's name, and the context is Israel's entry into the land. Acts 7:45 Hebrews 4:8

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth (1872 printing of the 1865 translation) (1872), pp. 276–286 (chronology of the judges).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth (1872 printing of the 1865 translation) (1872), pp. 322–323 (Judges 5:25–27).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth (1872 printing of the 1865 translation) (1872), pp. 357–358 (Judges 8:27).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth (1872 printing of the 1865 translation) (1872), p. 373 (Judges 10:3–5).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth (1872 printing of the 1865 translation) (1872), pp. 387–394 (Judges 11:34–40).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth (1872 printing of the 1865 translation) (1872), p. 398 (Judges 12:8–10).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth (1872 printing of the 1865 translation) (1872), pp. 156–157 (Joshua 15:13–19).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth (1872 printing of the 1865 translation) (1872), p. 208 (Joshua 19:50).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel (1872 printing of the 1866 translation) (1872), pp. 17–18 (1 Samuel 1:1).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel (1872 printing of the 1866 translation) (1872), p. 39 (1 Samuel 2:27–36).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel (1872 printing of the 1866 translation) (1872), p. 56 (1 Samuel 4:18).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel (1872 printing of the 1866 translation) (1872), pp. 117–118 (1 Samuel 12:11).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. Andrew Harper, Biblical Commentary on the Books of the Chronicles (1872), pp. 123–124 (1 Chronicles 6:28, Hebrew 6:13).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. Andrew Harper, Biblical Commentary on the Books of the Chronicles (1872), p. 165 (1 Chronicles 9:22).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, vol. 2 (1872 printing) (1872), p. 87 (Exodus 18:24–27).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, vol. 3 (1871 printing) (1871), pp. 71–72 and note (Numbers 11:24–30).
  • George Buchanan Gray, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Numbers (International Critical Commentary) (1903), pp. 113–115 (Numbers 11:25–29).
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, vol. 3 (1871 printing) (1871), p. 499 (Deuteronomy 33:4–5).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), pp. xxxvii–xlii (Introduction §7, Chronology).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), pp. xxviii–xxix (Introduction, the Minor Judges).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), p. 27 and notes (Judges 1:13).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), pp. 66–67 (Judges 2:9).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), pp. 107–108 (Judges 4, the two accounts).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), pp. 113–114 (Judges 4:5).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), pp. 231–232 (Judges 8:27).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), pp. 274–275 (Judges 10:4).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), pp. 302–305 and note (Judges 11:39).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), p. 310 (Judges 12:8).
  • George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (International Critical Commentary) (1895), p. 311 (Judges 12:13–15, on 1 Samuel 12:11).
  • Edward Mack, in The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, "Chronology of the Old Testament" (1915), section VII (From the Disruption to the Exodus).
  • S. R. Driver, The Book of Exodus (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1911), p. xxx (Introduction §4).
  • James Henry Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, vol. III (1906), §617, p. 264 (Merneptah's Hymn of Victory).
  • Matthew Henry, An Exposition of the Old and New Testament, vol. 1 (Genesis to Deuteronomy) (1706), on Deuteronomy 33:5.
  • Julius Wellhausen, tr. J. S. Black and A. Menzies, Prolegomena to the History of Israel (1885), ch. VI (Chronicles), §III.2.

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