READ IT! - Introduction to Joshua 10-16

Readings for this week

Monday: Joshua 10
Tuesday: Joshua 11
Wednesday: Joshua 12
Thursday: Joshua 13
Friday: Joshua 14
Saturday: Joshua 15
Sunday: Joshua 16

Introduction to Joshua 10-16

Chapter 10

King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem forms a coalition of kings from Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon and attacks Gibeon because of their treaty with Joshua. Israel comes to the aid of the Gibeonites, marching all night from Gilgal. The text says that Yahweh fights for Israel by throwing the armies into “confusion,” and by pounding them with large hailstones. Joshua also prayed for the sun and the moon to stand still, and the text says that God caused the sun to stand still for half a day.

The kings of the coalition hid in a cave from Israel, but Joshua captured them, impaled them on poles, and then buried them. The text also says that on that same day, Joshua and the Israelites conquered several other southern cities and completely destroyed them:

Makkedah
Libnah
Lachish… along with Horam king of Gezer who had come up to help Lachish.
Eglon
Hebron
Debir

The text says that “All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.”

Chapter 11

King Jabin of Hazor called together all of the northern kings to fight against Israel:

Madon
Shimron
Akshaph
The northern kings who were in the mountains
The kings in the Arabah south of Kinnereth
The kings in the western foothills
The kings in Naphoth Dor
The Canaanites in the east and west
Amorites
Hittites
Perizzites
Jebusites
Hivites

And the text says that “They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.” But the text says that Israel came upon them and destroyed them, chasing them all over the land until they were killed. The text says that Joshua himself burned the city of Hazor, but that they did not burn any of the other cities.

Verse 18 says that Joshua waged war against all of these people for a long time... which seems to be a different perspective than what we just read. The text also says that the LORD hardened the hearts of these people so that they would go to war against Israel and be destroyed “without mercy.”

Chapter 12

We then read that Joshua gave the conquered land to the tribes of Israel and “the land had rest from war.”

The Book of Judges has a very different take on the conquest of the land, saying that many of the cities that were on the list of conquered cities in Joshua weren't actually conquered... this could also possibly explain why little to no detail is given on the battles that would have taken place to conquer them. As already mentioned, some passages of Joshua seem to agree more with Judges when they say that it actually took a really long time to conquer much of the land.

Chapter 13

Now Joshua was old. The LORD said, "Divide the remaining land among the tribes." Moses had previously given land to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh.

Chapter 14

The tribe of Judah came to Joshua, and Caleb said, "Moses promised me the mountain because I obeyed the LORD fully." So Joshua gave Hebron to Caleb.

Chapter 15

Judah's land bordered with Edom to the south. Caleb took Hebron, and Othniel (Caleb's son) took Kiriath-Sepher, but Judah could not defeat Jerusalem.

Chapter 16

Joseph's land was from the Jordan River to the sea. Ephraim's territory was within Manasseh's. Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites.