Joshua ESV

Bible #6

by Anonymous

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Genres: Religion, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, History, Scripture, Audiobook

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 587

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Reviews

[Andrea Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of the Bible. Why? It's radical and full of God's power. I love the devotion Joshua felt and expressed toward God, that he would follow his Lord into the great unknown and take possession of the Promised Land despite the numerous and vast enemies that set out against him. I like that Joshua relied on God to be his Strength in the battle. Of course seeing the fulfillment of the promises God had made to Moses -- to give the children of Israel the Promised Land -- was amazing; it is every time I read this book, and that reminds me that God will also fulfill the promises He's made to me. There's so much encouragement there!

What really stood out to me this time, as I was reading through the somewhat monotonous account of the division of land among the tribes of Israel -- all the city names and boundaries to each plot of land -- was that God makes a specific place in this world for each of His children. He has our place all picked out and designed to the nth degree. He loves us that much, y'all. It blows me away to think that the great God I serve loves me so much that He carefully designs every detail of my life. To me, that isn't overbearing at all; it's a beautiful expression of His immense love for me. Y'all, I got the good kind of chills when I realized this while reading Joshua, and I'm getting the good kind of chills all over again now that I'm typing this up. God blesses us so abundantly and in such monumental detail, and that is an exquisite thing indeed.

In the final two chapters of the book, it was clear to me that Joshua was leaving behind a legacy of determination to obey God. What a legacy to leave behind for the next generation! Oh, to be so blessed. It was also clear that the children of Israel were to remember what God had done for them and to share that with future generations. That got me thinking: How may I get determined to obey God no matter what, and how may I remember and share with future generations what God has done for me? I'll be thinking on these things for years to come, and I'll be applying what God shows me along the way.

I love it when a fifth, tenth, twentieth read of a book still impacts me the same or even better than the first time I read it. Joshua is like that for me. I get something new from it every single time.

I was not compensated for my honest review.

[✨ tazannah - not accepting friend requests ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo it’s been almost a year and I totally forgot to review this 😅

What an adventure of a read!
A book that speaks of a man called to serve, a guide in a time of need.

All throughout the Bible, we have great examples of leaders, and seeing Joshua act as a shepherd is just amazing, because imagine commanding all those people?

God rewarded his faith!

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sixth book of the Old Testament is the most exciting one since Exodus. With stories of battles, and admirable figures such as Rahab and Joshua, this made for great reading, especially listening to a dramatized version. It gets a bit slower towards the end when it describes the land allotted to the twelve tribes; some of you may want to skim or speed up that part.

Now, it's onto Judges...which features accounts of people such as strongman Samson, the overweight king Eglon, as well as Deborah, the lone female judge and a true superwoman. It'll be interesting to see how The Word of Promise portrays those stories.

[Arman]

1.
بعد از مرگ موسی، خدا یوشع پسر نون را برای هدایت قومش برمی گزیند و به او می گوید که به یاری من از رود اردن گذشته و سرزمین موعود را تصرف نمایید.
پس یوشع این را با قومش در میان می گذارد و آن ها قول پیروی به وی دادند. یوشع سه روز به آن ها مهلت می دهد تا آماده شوند. بعد از سه روز، برگزیدگان قوم تابوت عهد بر بالای دستان، به میان رود اردنی می روند که اکنون به فرمان خدا دهان باز کرده است. پس قوم اسرائیل از رود می گذرند و در مقابل شهر "اریحا" اردو می زنند.
دیواره ی اریحا به وعده ی خدا، در روز هفتم محاصره، فرو می ریزد و اسرائیلیان شهر را تصرف کرده، می سوزانند و همه را از دم تیغ می گذرانند.
ادامه ی کتاب یوشع، شرح فتوحات اسرائیلیان و کشت و کشتار ساکنین شهرهای مختلف، و سپس تقسیم ارض موعود بین دوازده خاندان بنی اسرائیل و تعیین حدود و وسعت آن هاست.
در پایان یوشع با اسرائیلیان اتمام حجت می کند و می میرد.
در میانه ی این جنگ ها، دو معجزه از یوشع سر می زند: باز شدن رود اردن و رد شدن اسرائیلیان از میان آن، و جایی که یوشع به خورشید فرمان می دهد که سر جای خودش متوقف شود تا آن ها در این فرصت، دشمنانشان را شکست دهند.
2.
کتاب یوشع را اگر بخواهیم مثل کتابی تاریخی از اول تا آخر بخوانیم، کتابی ست کسل کننده که نیمی از آن به برشمردن محدوده ی قلمروی هر کدام از خاندان های دوازده گانه اختصاص یافته است.
3.
در کتاب یوشع، ما با قومی بیابانگرد و شبان مواجه هستیم با خدایی مذکر و سنگدل و خشمگین. خدایی که بیرحمانه به پیروانش امر به کشتن مردها و زنان مغلوب و آتش زدن شهرهاشان می کند.
خدایی که اگر قومش از فرمان وی سرپیچی کنند، آن ها را در جنگ شان مغلوب کرده و تا فرد خاطی مجازات نکنند (همراه با خانواده اش سنگسار گردد)، خشمش فروکش نمی کند.
در طول این کتاب، یک به یکِ شهرهای کنعانیان که مسکن مردمانی کشاورز و یکجانشین (دارای خدایان متعدد حاصلخیزی و باروری) بودند، فرو ریخته و در برابر قهرِ یهوه سر فرو می آورند.

پ. نوشت: قراری که همین جا می خواهم با خودم بگذارم، این است که به کتب مقدس دیگر ادیان، امتیازی ندهم.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joshua takes me by surprise every time—I always forget what comes after the conquest of Jericho. Why do we never mention Joshua when we mention the Bible books which contain pages and pages of names or places??

Nevertheless, the book of Joshua is a beautiful ending to the journey of the Israelites throughout Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. God was faithful and brought them through EXACTLY as He said he would—what a testimony! I love to look back on the whole story—Abraham, waiting so many years for a son and believing the simple promise that someday his descendants would be an entire nation… the children of Jacob slaving away in Egypt hopelessly… Moses trying to deliver in his own strength and being forced to flee for his life… then God’s time arriving at last and the Israelites miraculously delivered in ways that echoed around the world and still endlessly do, untold generations later; the weary journey through the desert, learning to trust God and obey implicitly—and then—THEN the promised land, and God chasing the nations before them.

My personal favourite part of Joshua, though, is the story of Caleb. Such an underappreciated man. He and Joshua were the only ones to stand up against the nation of Israel to insist on trusting God and obeying Him. He and Joshua were the only ones who survived the journey to Canaan, and when the conquest was through, he was still as in his prime. Then he asked for the mountain God promised him, believing God would deliver the giants into his hand, and fearlessly conquered it…

I love the book of Joshua. I love the lessons that fill these pages—lessons of that happens when you don’t listen to God, and what happens when you do. What happens when you don’t trust God, and what happens when you do trust God. Overall, the book of Joshua could be summed up as this:

“Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in 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. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.”

[F · Rating 5 out of 5]

My yearly journey [over four decades old now] through the Bible has again brought me through the book of Joshua. Joshua reminds us at the beginning, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" and at the end, "if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Live the book, love the Lord.

[Diamond Cowboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book to all. I shall give a full review at a later date.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
Joshua 24:15

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:8

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9

[Sarita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joshua is one of my favourite books. I love the story of the walls of Jericho and how Joshua and his family took a stand to serve God and only God in areas where it was the norm to worship false Gods.

[Bridget Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

*read Spanish edition

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the legalistic rules of Numbers and Deuteronomy, Joshua is a change of pace. Adventure, battle, and the Lord's direction, all fill the story of Joshua and his fight for the land that God has promised to the Hebrews. It brings back the stories of Joshua heard as a child along with the great gospel song "Joshua fit the Battle of Jericho." The second half reads more slowly as the battle is won and the lands are distributed to the twelve tribes. It reminds us in the last chapter that closes with Joshua's death that following God's direction leads to good ends whereas worshipping foreign gods (things) can only bring misfortune.

[Isabella Leake]

We read Joshua, a chapter or two per week, over the first half of the school year. Reading an entire book aloud to my children has become my favorite way to read the Bible. There are lots of (not always relevant) interruptions and strange theological questions posed, but the interruptions and questions do make for a lively reading experience and keep me on my toes.

I think the biggest challenge while reading the Bible has always been my tendency to zone out. I've always found it hard to be intellectually awake. So I'm grateful that my children help with this. And I love how naturally—sometimes a little too naturally, when it happens mid-sentence!—we go from reading about Joshua's defeat of an enemy city to discussing death, eternity, the mind of God, or the creation of the cosmos.

The narrative portions of the book were splendid reading for us, especially when, as happens for instance with the fall of Jericho, we hear the same story three times: foretold by God, commanded by Joshua, and then happening in real time. Such mounting drama! And such satisfying, folkloric, child-friendly repetition. Less child-friendly were the long lists of boundary lines and cities assigned to each tribe at the end of the book, where my auditors' eyes glazed over. But I took heart from the reflection that this is one way to immerse yourself in the language and culture of ancient Israel—to hear hundreds of place-names read aloud (hopefully not too erroneously).

[Angieleigh]

I don't believe that a star rating should be given to the Bible, so I won't be adding one.

Joshua is one of my favorite books of the Bible and has what I consider my "life verse": Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Don't be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord, your God, is with you wheresoever you shall go. Joshua 1:9

Joshua was Moses' assistant in Exodus Numbers, then took his place after Moses died. He was Nun's son and his name means "Yahweh is salvation".

[Andy Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joshua kicks off with God telling Joshua He would be with him and no one could defeat him. Just in case he missed the point, a few chapters later God appears to him as 'the commander of the Lord's' army and again tells him not to fear.

It's good advice. God's first command is to cross the flooded Jordan with two million people. (680,000 men 20-60 plus the same number of women, plus at least two children for each couple--and you're closer to three million than two million.)

By a miracle, the Jordan piles up in a heap up upstream. This really built their faith, which was good, since the next command is for all the men to be circumcised. That is counterintuitive since after invading a land with hostile enemies, incapacitating your army for three days due to minor surgery doesn't seem wise.

The untrained Israelis, although numerous, have no clue about military strategy. God directs them to march around Jericho for seven days. On the seventh, they march around seven times, and then the walls fall outward, killing those upon the walls, and making a rampart into the city.

The prostitute Rahab, by helping Israel, saves herself and her family. Later, she marries a Jewish leader and become the mother of Boaz, who marries Ruth, and whose grandson is David. Eventually, Jesus Christ would be born of her line.

That covers the first six chapters. More miracles and more military victories follow, until Israel inherits the land and divides it up. A little-known fact is that they didn't conquer all the Canaanites. They were told they would conquer them little by little, until they were all gone. Sadly, they left the job half done.

[Ryan Jung · Rating 2 out of 5]

With Moses dead and the Israelites having slaughtered their way through tribe after tribe of innocent people, invading their cities, taking advantage of their agriculture, and raping their goats, someone has to take them through the final imperial push across the River Jordan and into the land of Canaan. That man is Joshua, so sayeth the LORD, who remindeth us that it's Joshua and his tribe's divine right to crush his enemies underfoot.

Joshua sends two spies into the promised land, and they stay the night at the house of a harlot named Rahab, who hides them from the king's men when they come looking. Rahab agrees they have divine right to pillage her people. "I know that the LORD hath given you the land," she says in 2:8, justifying it with a summary of the Israelite war campaign and the violence and desolation left in their wake. For her help, they promise not to kill her family when they raid. They'll tell their men not to go after the people in her house, marked by a red ribbon, which is a step up from lamb's blood. The spies don't really learn anything, but report that "all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us." (2:23)

A few days later, the heat on their necks having cleared up a bit, they hold service in the tabernacle of the covenant, praying that God destroy seven different tribes of people in their raid tomorrow. "Thou shalt not kill."

Come morning, they cross Jordan. The waters part for their entrance. The twelve tribes carry a large stone apiece across the river and there place them as a monument to the miraculous parting. "And they are there unto this day." (4:9)

I took a moment to do some Googling about that. I cannot find a single article about the stones that does not come from a blatantly religious source. There appears to be no evidence of a twelve stone monument still present along the Jordan River. A few Jewish/Israeli news outlets and Jewish cultural publications (Jerusalem Post and Haaretz for example) reported on the discovery of a large cave along the river of apparent archeological significance. These outlets want to call this Gilgal, the name the Bible gives the Israeli encampment where the monument was erected. I'd be more inclined to believe it if I could find a more scientific source of the information, or if there were any corroboration to the story of Jews escaping Egyptian slavery and wandering the desert subsisting on magic manna flakes for forty years. Those manna flakes dry up in 5:12, by the way, since the tribe has finally arrived.

A previous passage (that I can't find the reference to right now, sue me) had the Israelites promise not to circumcise people until they reached the promised land, and in Chapter 5, they've crossed the river, and it's time to take care of all that. So there's a "hill of the foreskins" where they use "sharp knives" to perform bronze age surgery on the penises of every person born in the wilderness. Just pause for a moment to imagine a hill of bloody foreskins with a line of dudes with pupices waiting their turn to add theirs to the pile.

So they besiege the city of Jericho and "utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword." (6:21) They do spare Rahab and her family and safely... kick them out of their own town. "And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD." (6:24)

At the beginning of Chapter 7, one person (named Achan, of the tribe of Judah) "took of the accursed thing". This is a reference to Jericho, but this is also the last bit of detail we get about what he took until 7:21 when Achan is making amends, where we discover it was "a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight." God is so mad about it that the next time Joshua sends a gang of thugs to overtake a town (Ai), God lets thirty-six of them die. Achan is then made to first repent, then remove all of his things from their encampment, and then "all Israel stoned him with stones". They burn all of his property and kill him. "Thou shalt not kill."

Murdering Achan appeases god, so he will now let the Israelites win a battle against the folks in Ai. They plan an ambush where it looks like they're going to lose, drawing the Ai - Ai-ians? Ai-ites? I'm not sure of the demonym - out of the city. Then they raid the unguarded city and "smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape." They do capture the king of Ai, but end up killing twelve thousand men, keeping their cattle, and burning Ai to the ground. The king of Ai gets strung up from a tree.

This is a chapter I'm torn on. Its morality is as appalling as the rest of the Bible's, but it was also a pretty engaging and entertaining chapter. There's a military strategy planned and executed, and that's more than you can say for most of the rest of this thing.

Now all the other kings of tribes on this side of the River Jordan band together to try and make peace with Joshua and his men. They bring bread and wine to bribe them, and promise to bow down to the Israelite god. This is good enough for the Israelites to allow those tribes to begin to live among them. The message here is clear: be one of us, worship our god, and we won't murder you by the thousand and burn your cities down.

It is then decided that these new people should be slaves to the Israelites. Joseph labels them "cursed" into "being bondmen" and these other tribes are pretty ok with that, for some reason. They literally walk up and turn themselves into slaves. But there are some other kings who are mad that they've done so, and they mount up against the Israelites. Joseph takes up arms in return and leaves a trail of blood across several cities. God kills some folks himself by "cast[ing] down great stones from heaven upon them." And their people? Well, first, "more ... died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword." (10:11) Then Joseph casts a magic spell that causes the sun and moon to stand completely still so they can have some daylight while they kill everyone. (10:13) They chase the kings down into a cave and block them in for a while, eventually letting them out to George Floyd them to death. They bury the dead bodies in a cave and then destroy their cities. Thou shalt not kill.

The rest of Chapter 10 plays out with Joshua leading the tribes to destroy several other entire cities. Lachish. Gezer. Eglon. Hebron. Debir. "Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded." (10:40)

Chapter 11 is no different. "Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same; Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them." (11:16-17) "There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel." (11:19)

Chapter 12 details more killings. Thirty-one kings, as detailed in 12:9-24. In Chapter 13, God admits Joseph is getting on in age, but laments that there is still land left to conquer. He lists off several more tribes they need to genocide. They divide the land up among the tribes, but not everybody gets some. The Levites, for example, get no "inheritance." I don't like the use of that word, either. It implies it's their land at the expense of thousands of murders. It implies a divine imperial right to the land. Might makes right, but thou shalt not kill.

Chapter 14 introduces us to Caleb, who comes before Joseph to plead his case for an "inheritance," which Joseph grants him. It's not until 14:15 that "the land had rest from war."

Multiple references are made in these chapters to the "valley of the Giants" and some other commentary about descendants of the giants. Some nice fantasy elements.

In 15, Caleb puts a bounty out on the town of Kirjathsepher. Whoever takes the city can take his daughter for his wife. Women as chattel again. "Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife." The rest of the chapter is about fifty verses describing how the Israelites break up the land they've conquered. That continues through the middle of Chapter 17, at which point some folks get up the idea that they don't have quite enough land. Joshua, of course, tells them if they want more land they should just take it by force. Common theme here. Thou shalt not kill.

Joshua lets some others parcel out other parts of the land on their own, but won't let the Levites have anything. Borders are drawn up through the end of Chapter 19 when they finally "made an end of dividing the country." (19:51)

Previously, I believe in the back half of Exodus, God had described how Israelite cities should have exterior cities of "refuge" for people who have accidentally killed other people while they await trial. In Chapter 20, he reiterates a lot of these rules and provides some specifics on those cities and the laws surrounding accidental murder. The Israelites do this, appointing various cities to be cities of refuge.

The Levites finally get a little inheritance around Chapter 21, each other tribe giving portions of what they took. And finally, after years of constantly raiding civilizations, murdering scores of people, burning cities to the ground, "the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand." (21:44)

But in Chapter 22, the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and Manasseh build an altar to the gods of the Canaanites, so of course the rest of the Israelites go to kill them all. This is the cult mentality of not allowing anyone to step out of line. If you're not with us, you're against us. And we'll kill you. But the offenders explain themselves, give a long reason why they built the altar, explain it's not against the God of Israel, etc. and they don't get killed after all.

Chapter 23 has Joseph growing old and nearing death. He blesses his tribe one last time, promising that God will "expel [enemies] from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you." (23:5) He commands the tribe to continue following the violent, bloody, disgusting path of their LORD. He admits to the tribes that he's dying, using what is actually a nice, poetic verse: "going the way of all the earth." (23:14)

Several verses in Chapter 24 beautify their campaign of genocides as Joseph extols his own virtues, couching said genocide in more pleasant terms, like how Joseph "gave [the Amorites] into your hand." He reiterates that they will not serve "the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood."

This is an interesting verse for two reasons. First, because it's another example of people acknowledging the existence of other gods. Judaism and Christianity do not appear to be the monotheistic religions they purport to be. They are actually polytheistic, choosing to worship only the one deity.

Second, there's a common theme among writings from this era, something you see in the Gilgamesh Epic as well - the treatment of "the flood" as an historical terminus. When you're nearly pre-historic and your systems of writing are not particularly permanent or long-lasting, it's hard for your people to maintain a long history. Stories about "the flood" speak to a people who are forced to live alongside rivers to survive in what is otherwise a desert. I'm sure the Tigris and Euphrates rivers would flood from time to time when unusual amounts of rainfall came, and I'm sure that caused a lot of destruction to crops and livestock which would have also had to be kept near the rivers. But it's also a convenient excuse as to why we don't have history written down. The real truth is that clay tablets don't tend to last long. It's a miracle (sue me) that any have survived, much less paper-bound scrolls. The flood serves as a reason for not having a long-standing history of the people.

Joshua dies in 24:29. His bones are buried in Shechem, which Joshua's descendants inherit. The last thing to happen in the Book of Joshua is that Eleazar, Aaron's son, dies. The end.

All in all, this book gets a few points for at least being more engaging in certain passages than previous books in the Bible. Certainly there are some of the boring listings of borders and parceling out of land and cattle and things, but none of the passages in Joshua are as bad as the second half of Exodus. It loses a lot of points for being a long, drawn-out justification for the rape and pillage of literally dozens of entire tribes of people. The notion of "thou shalt not kill" continues to be ignored for the fourth book in a row. Honestly, it's getting old. I'm tired of reading about people killing each other. I am told by Christians that the Bible is the only book I ever need to read, but this kind of thing makes it obvious that either these people haven't read the book I'm being assigned or that Christians conveniently ignore enormous swaths of their holy text to feel superior to others.

Next up is Judges, which I've never read, but which I have heard some pretty wild things about. We'll see...

[Grace Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord they God is with thee withersoever thou goest." ~Joshua 1:9

[TheGeeksAttic · Rating 5 out of 5]

You should read this!

[Annabel Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a violent one, but I’m getting into the flow of things. Starting to see the thread and the repetition is actually helpful to help me remember everything that has happened. As always, the Bible Project is fundamental in understanding.

[Jodie]

lots of maps

[Karl · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a very boring book. The first half is describes how the Israelites exterminate all the peoples in Israel except the Givonites whom they place in perpetual slavery. The second half is about how the Israelites divided the lands among their different tribes, and how some laws are instigated.

As literature it is pointless, slow and repetitive, but it is interesting on a meta level. Ask yourself how did this book come into existence? Why would anybody write an extremely boring account of how his own people made the Nazis look like kittens?

I have some ideas, but they are just my speculations. Here goes: The first half may be a forged historical account to justify the laws and traditions described in the second half. If you accept part one then all Israelites are one people, which legitimates the power of the central government and the religious elite. A quite useful myth that may have been important to invent, since the historical evidence indicate that the Israelites were a bunch of different peoples that gradually merged. The Givonites are an interesting detail. Perhaps the Israelites actually had a subjugated slave race at the time of writing, and needed a way to explain why.

I also have a second hypotheses, which is based on how Scholars believe the book was written during the captivity in Babylon. Perhaps the Israelites wanted to feel that they to could be even stronger than Babylon, so they made up a myth of how they had been in the past.

In the end the book gets one star, because it is so extremely dull.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my READ THE BIBLE WITHIN A YEAR challenge.

Wish me luck, as I've got a long way to go!

Main topics that stood out to me are:

Joshua took over from Moses after he died.

Crossing the Jordan.

The fall of Jericho

List of defeated kings.

Land being claimed, by driving out current occupants. Land being divided and given to others.

The creation of cities of refuge, for people who accidentally kill someone and need to hide from anyone wanting to take revenge.

Joshua died at the age of 110.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

3/30/2024 - 4/5/2024 with The Bible Recap
12/14/2024 - ? with the kids
2/23/2025 - 3/29/2025 With The Bible Recap

[Warren Fournier]

The sixth book of the Bible is a kind of sequel to the Pentateuch, or the first five books that end with Deuteronomy. It tells the story of the Hebrews conquering the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, who succeeded Moses after 40 years of nomadic life.

Well, when I say "story," this is really multiple stories rolled into one book, each detailing the conquests of different kingdoms that had previously lived on these lands for hundreds of years. Most famous of all is the siege of Jericho, where after seven days of circling the city and blowing trumpets, God knocks down the walls with a mighty shout. The Ark of the Covenant also plays a prominent role here, and in one scene, it stops the flow of the Jordan River to allow the invading Hebrews to enter into the Promised Land. The rest of the book outlines the division of the land spoils amongst the Tribes of Israel, establishes "sanctuary cities," and finishes with a final speech by Joshua to his people before dying at the ripe age of 110.

There were a few elements of sophistication and complexity in this book that I enjoyed. After the tribes all settle down in their designated areas, those in the east bank of the Jordan build an altar that almost leads to civil war. But after they explain that their intention was to have a memorial to subsequent generations that they are all united children of Israel on both sides of the river, there is much celebration.

But this is the Old Testament, folks, and so not all is good feelings and intentions. In fact, this may not sit well with modern sensibilities, no matter what religion you practice or if you are just a decent person with common sense and empathy. The Book of Joshua is a story of genocide, or the practice of "herem." It concerns the clearing of land with divine intervention that had been occupied by others, and the means of that clearing is by exterminating innocent men, women, and children, as well as the destruction of everything they owned because it is unclean (except for the money, of course). Even a fellow Israelite is stoned to death because he held on to a few spoils of war rather than giving these items up for the determined disposition.

So this is a rather violent chapter in the epic Old Testament saga. I can definitely see why the teachings of Jesus was so revolutionary, because he was saying to move on from this understanding of God to a more personal and loving relationship that anyone, whether Jew or Gentile, can experience. Christian scholars will say that all of this was God's way of preparing a primitive and burgeoning people for giving rise to the Messiah. I've read analysis and watched some lectures on "Joshua" from a Christian standpoint, and they all see analogies to Jesus everywhere. It doesn't take a genius to realize that these attempts to reconcile the brutality of the Old Testament stories with the testimonies of the New Testament is a huge stretch, even going so far as to point out that Joshua forecasted the arrival of Jesus. After all, "Joshua" in Greek is "Jesus." But Joshua shares more in common with the leader-servant tradition of Moses.

But what I do know is that here lies a sliver of history which later became one of the holy texts that helped solidify the collective identity of a nation that faced constant division and diaspora. This was a call to the Jewish people to "remember." And they did. In that context, these books of Deuteronomist history (of which "Joshua" is the first) have been an incredible force, along with original Jewish Law, to unite a people against fantastic odds throughout millennia.

NOTE:
I am in the process of rereading the Bible again after 20 years and will occasionally be leaving my initial thoughts here on Goodreads regarding some of the books as I go through them in the hopes that some of you may share your own thoughts and wisdom. And I think it will be interesting to look back on these reviews at different times of my life and see how I might have changed or grown.

I do not plan to leave ratings with these reviews as I feel that religious texts sacred and inspirational to global millions and which have driven the events of history should never be judged on the merits of entertainment, writing style, plot, and other measures of quality that go into ratings in this forum. These will just be honest summaries and feelings from my point of view, and in no way is it my intention to recommend one religious text over another.

So with that said, I shall dive deeper into the Bible and see what I can see. You are welcome to join me!

[Christy Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joshua is now the new leader of the people after Moses' death. In taking any new leadership position there are doubts and nerves...what better word from God than this reminder: Three times in the very first chapter, God reminds Joshua, to "Be Strong and Courageous and that He will never leave him alone."

Favorite verse is in chapter 24. At the end of Joshua's life, these are his parting words to the people: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." A great reminder to me that the commitment to follow God really will begin in our home.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the amazing account of Israel finally, FINALLY claiming the land of Canaan. It's amazing because they didn't do it on their own; God actually did most of the work.

This book shows how the Old Testament is strongly based on a system of reward for good and judgment for evil as the motive for obeying God. I hesitate to say that was the ONLY motive, but it was definitely the most prominent one. Over and over, God said 'Obey and I will bless you. Disobey and I will curse you. It's that simple. Do you choose death or life?'

I'm not sure if I'm ready to start into Kings and Chronicles any time soon. Israel's oft repeated choice for death is a little depressing!

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed my first read through the whole book of Joshua.

I loved the parallel's to some of the previous books but this time the Israelites were a lot more victorious. For example: The good report and the cross over of the Jordan.

My favourite chapter was twenty four. There just comes a time were you have to make a decision who you serve :). It makes you want to stand and shout who you serve :).

Recommended for all those who want to know how the Israelites crossed into there promise land.

[Hawley Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The season of Joshua’s leadership was short, but some crucial long-lasting actions were made on his watch. He lead the Israelites in claiming the Promised Land in every victorious battle, and he oversaw the land’s division among the tribes. Honestly, I’m glad I know the ending of the story because there is a strong ominous feeling ending this book with Joshua’s death and no leader designated to keep these sinful Israelites on track 🥴 Can’t wait to dive into Judges now!

[J]

Like a more repetitive and bellicose synopsis-appendix to the Lord of the Rings with 1980s style sci-fi-fantasy naming conventions, and very occupied with explaining how certain piles of rocks got to be to where they remain until this day.

24:13

[Cameron Rhoads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Problematic because of the divinely appointed genocide of the native peoples of Canaan. Wholesale slaughter of men, women, children, cattle and “all that breatheth.”

[Molly Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was over much too quickly. The book, the victories, the unstoppable yet tiny army, Joshua’s life, the godliness of the Israelites…